Dietary factors may be associated with measures of ultrasound-derived skeletal muscle echo intensity.

Skeletal muscle echo intensity (EI) is affected by ageing and physical activity; however, the effects of nutrition are less understood. The aim of this study was to explore whether habitual nutrient intake may be associated with ultrasound-derived EI. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were trained on an initial sample ( = 100, M = 45; F = 55; 38 ± 15 years) to predict EI of two quadriceps muscles from 19 variables, using the "" function within the "" package (RStudio), which was then tested in an additional dataset ( = 30, M = 13; F = 17; 38 ± 16 years).

The importance of place-kicking in Women's International Rugby Union.

Despite the growing popularity of women's rugby, there is a lack of research understanding the contribution of place-kicking to match outcomes. This study aims to establish the characteristics and contribution of place-kicking to women's international Rugby Union and evaluate the performance of place-kickers while accounting for factors that contribute to kick difficulty. Data from 674 place-kicks across 80 matches were analysed.

Classifying Winning Performances in International Women's Rugby Union.

Purpose: The efficacy of isolated and relative performance indicators (PIs) has been compared in rugby union; the latter more effective at discerning match outcomes. However, this methodology has not been applied in women's rugby. The aim of this study was to identify PIs that maximize prediction accuracy of match outcome, from isolated and relative data sets, in women's rugby union.

Performance indicators associated with match outcome within the United Rugby Championship.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to: i) identify performance indicators associated with match outcomes in the United Rugby Championship; ii) compare the efficacy of isolated and relative datasets to predict match outcome; and iii) investigate whether reduced statistical models can reproduce predictive accuracy.

Design: Retrospective analysis of key performance indicators in the United Rugby Championship.

Methods: Twenty-seven performance indicators were selected from 96 matches (2020-21 United Rugby Championship).