Saccadic Eye Movements Between Strategic, Interceptive, and Non-athletes

Introduction: Athletes have differences in object tracking, search strategies, number and duration of fixations, dynamic visual acuity (DVA), and predictive eye movements than non-athletes (NON). However, these eye functions have not been assessed between athlete groups during a task that encompasses antisaccade and DVA characteristics. Purpose: To evaluate the oculomotor control sport paradigm differences between interceptive (INT) and strategic (STR) Division I collegiate athletes, as well as NON with an antisaccade task (AS) and a sport-like dual task (SDT). Methods: Fifty-seven participants (19 STR, 19 INT, and 19 NON) performed 2 trials of an AS and a SDT. Participants stood 55 in away from a monitor with a monocular eye tracker (240Hz) that used eye-to-head integrated to an 8 camera Vicon Motion Capture system (120Hz). Data were exported to MATLAB where a custom smoothing algorithm for AS and SDT resultant distance (RDA and RDSDT) and AS and SDT mean horizontal (MHVA and MHVSDT) velocity were applied. Four one-way ANOVAs measured the differences between groups. Results: There were no significant differences between INT and STR groups in RDA, RDSDT, MHVSDT. For the AS and SDT. The INT and STR had significantly greater RDA and RDSDT than NON (pDiscussion:RDA and RDSDT in both athlete groups were greater than the NON, while MHVA was lower than the NON. This could suggest that there are no saccadic differences between athlete groups, while the NON may be undershooting their eye movements during both tasks

NFL Career Success as Predicted by NFL Scouting Combine

The National Football League (NFL) Scouting Combine serves as a tool to evaluate the skills of prospective players and assess their readiness to play in the NFL. The development of machine learning brings new opportunities in assessing the utility of the Scouting Combine. Using machine and statistical learning, it may be possible to predict future success of prospective athletes, as well as predict which Scouting Combine tests are the most important. Results from statistical learning research have been contradicting whether the Scouting combine is a useful metric for player success. In this study, we investigate if machine learning can be used to determine matriculation and future success in the NFL. Using Scouting Combine data, we evaluate six different algorithms' ability to predict whether a potential draft pick will play a single NFL snap (matriculation). If a player is drafted, we predict how many snaps they go on to play (success). We are able to predict matriculation with 83% accuracy; however, we are unable to predict later success. Our best performing algorithm returns large error and low explained variance (RMSE=1,210 snaps; ${R}^2$=0.17). These findings indicate that while the Scouting Combine can predict NFL matriculation, it may not be a reliable predictor of long-term player success.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl

Genome-Wide Occupancy of SREBP1 and Its Partners NFY and SP1 Reveals Novel Functional Roles and Combinatorial Regulation of Distinct Classes of Genes

The sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) family member SREBP1 is a critical transcriptional regulator of cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism and has been implicated in insulin resistance, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases. We globally identified the promoters occupied by SREBP1 and its binding partners NFY and SP1 in a human hepatocyte cell line using chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with genome tiling arrays (ChIP-chip). We find that SREBP1 occupies the promoters of 1,141 target genes involved in diverse biological pathways, including novel targets with roles in lipid metabolism and insulin signaling. We also identify a conserved SREBP1 DNA-binding motif in SREBP1 target promoters, and we demonstrate that many SREBP1 target genes are transcriptionally activated by treatment with insulin and glucose using gene expression microarrays. Finally, we show that SREBP1 cooperates extensively with NFY and SP1 throughout the genome and that unique combinations of these factors target distinct functional pathways. Our results provide insight into the regulatory circuitry in which SREBP1 and its network partners coordinate a complex transcriptional response in the liver with cues from the diet

Validity and reliability of the Balance Tracking System during feet together stance

Laboratory and clinical measures of postural control are commonly used in the diagnosis of concussion. A novel instrument, the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS), has similar instrumentation to a force platform (FP), with greater portability and reduced cost. The purpose was to evaluate the concurrent validity of derived center of pressure (CoP) excursion and mean velocity for the raw CoP coordinates produced by the BTrackS and FP during feet together quiet upright stance. Participants stood on the BTrackS and FP at two time points. The BTrackS excursion values were significantly lower than the FP values at both time points but the devices CoP excursion values were strongly related at both time points and in all conditions. For mean velocity data, there were no significant differences between the devices at any time point. The BTrackS had excellent test–retest reliability over time in all conditions for both the excursion and mean velocity data

Clinical Assessments of Balance in Adults with Concussion: An Update

Postural instability is a cardinal indicator of concussion. Assessments of the postural control system range from clinical to laboratory tests that assess the balance of the individual. In a previous article regarding clinical assessment of balance in adults with concussion, we reviewed the importance of balance as a component in concussion evaluations. The purpose of this review article is to update the information previously published in 2014. Since 2014, research has provided evidence for the incorporation of dynamic methods for evaluating balance postconcussion with particular emphasis on sensory system integration and dual tasking. Therefore, this review will examine the current state of knowledge on how concussion injuries affect postural control, advancements in evaluating balance postconcussion, such as novel eye-tracking techniques, and current recommendations for best practices for balance assessment

Convergent evolution of phenotypic integration and its alignment with morphological diversification in Caribbean Anolis ecomorphs

The adaptive landscape and the G-matrix are keys concepts for understanding how quantitative characters evolve during adaptive radiation. In particular, whether the adaptive landscape can drive convergence of phenotypic integration (i.e., the pattern of phenotypic variation and covariation summarized in the P-matrix) is not well studied. We estimated and compared P for 19 morphological traits in eight species of Caribbean Anolis lizards, finding that similarity in P among species was not correlated with phylogenetic distance. However, greater similarity in P among ecologically similar Anolis species (i.e., the trunk-ground ecomorph) suggests the role of convergent natural selection. Despite this convergence and relatively deep phylogenetic divergence, a large portion of eigenstructure of P is retained among our eight focal species. We also analyzed P as an approximation of G to test for correspondence with the pattern of phenotypic divergence in 21 Caribbean Anolis species. These patterns of covariation were coincident, suggesting that either genetic constraint has influenced the pattern of among-species divergence or, alternatively, that the adaptive landscape has influenced both G and the pattern of phenotypic divergence among species. We provide evidence for convergent evolution of phenotypic integration for one class of Anolis ecomorph, revealing yet another important dimension of evolutionary convergence in this group.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Continuous peripersonal tracking accuracy is limited by the speed and phase of locomotion

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that perceptual and cognitive functions are codetermined by rhythmic bodily states. Prior investigations have focused on the cardiac and respiratory rhythms, both of which are also known to synchronise with locomotion—arguably our most common and natural of voluntary behaviours. Compared to the cardiorespiratory rhythms, walking is easier to voluntarily control, enabling a test of how natural and voluntary rhythmic action may affect sensory function. Here we show that the speed and phase of human locomotion constrains sensorimotor performance. We used a continuous visuo-motor tracking task in a wireless, body-tracking virtual environment, and found that the accuracy and reaction time of continuous reaching movements were decreased at slower walking speeds, and rhythmically modulated according to the phases of the step-cycle. Decreased accuracy when walking at slow speeds suggests an advantage for interlimb coordination at normal walking speeds, in contrast to previous research on dual-task walking and reach-to-grasp movements. Phasic modulations of reach precision within the step-cycle also suggest that the upper limbs are affected by the ballistic demands of motor-preparation during natural locomotion. Together these results show that the natural phases of human locomotion impose constraints on sensorimotor function and demonstrate the value of examining dynamic and natural behaviour in contrast to the traditional and static methods of psychological science