Inside game ball transitions according to player’s specific positions in NBA basketball

The purposes of this study were to identify players’ relationships and detecting ball transitions patterns according to their specic position when using inside pass, in the National Basketball Association (NBA) competition. In total, 808 inside passes (ball possession score dierences below 10 points) from 25 matches (NBA Playos, 2011) were analysed through systematic observation. A decision tree analysis (Chi-Squared Automatic Interaction Detection) was used to identify ball transitions patterns regarding specific players’ position (roots) and passer-receiver interactions (predictors). We detected strong pass and reception sequences of movements according to players’ specific position, especially when including interactions between perimeter and post players. Game conditions such as reception zone, pass distance, reception attitude, and defensive helps were also inuenced by players’ position. Current results point out the outside-inside coordination as an essential key to success in the NBA. It is recommended developing game dynamics focused in taking advantage of the high and low-post positions, as well as performing supporting actions in the weak side to enhance inside pass options. ese ndings may have implications in basketball training and competition process, contributing in a better understanding of collective strategies which leads to an accurate designing of practices task focused on increasing inside game options and players’ decision-making according to specific competition constraints.

Efecto del ejercicio y la actividad física sobre las funciones ejecutivas en niños y en jóvenes. Una revisión sistemática

This qualitative systematic review tries to advance knowledge about the effect of physical activity on executive functions, paying special attention to healthy children, teenagers and youngsters.  Several articles have been identified, categorized and analyzed in electronic databases such as ISI Web of Knowledge, SCOPUS, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsyINFO, ERIC, Google Scholar and Dialnet. According to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, following the PRISMA statement to record and categorize the results and throughout the quality assessment tool "The Effective Public Health Practice Project”, 44 pieces of research, structured in acute and chronic episodes of physical activity under two approaches: qualitative and quantitative, were chosen. The results show a higher number of experiments with quantitative acute episodes (45,45%) against qualitative ones (18,18%), chronic quantitative (20,45%) and chronic qualitative episodes (15,92%). The analysis of these investigations has allowed identifying the benefits of different types of physical activity studied on executive components.En la presente revisión sistemática cualitativa se intenta avanzar en el conocimiento sobre la incidencia de la actividad física sobre las funciones ejecutivas, focalizada en poblaciones sanas infantiles, adolescentes y jóvenes. Se identificaron, categorizaron y analizaron artículos de bases de datos electrónicas como ISI Web of Knowledge, SCOPUS, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsyINFO, ERIC, Google Scholar y Dialnet. Atendiendo a los criterios de inclusión/exclusión, siguiendo la declaración PRISMA para registrar y categorizar los resultados, y mediante la herramienta de evaluación de calidad “The Effective Public Health Practice Project”, se seleccionaron finalmente 44 investigaciones experimentales, estructuradas en episodios agudos y crónicos de actividad física bajo dos enfoques: cuantitativos y cualitativos. Los resultados muestran una superior cantidad de experimentos con episodios agudos cuantitativos (45,45%), frente a los agudos cualitativos (18,18%), crónicos cuantitativos (20,45%) y crónicos cualitativos (15,92%). Los análisis de estas investigaciones han permitido identificar los beneficios de los diferentes tipos de actividad física estudiados sobre los componentes ejecutivos

The half-time talk: A mixed-method examination of youth-elite football coaches’ behaviours and team-management strategies

Football, unlike some other team sports, includes limited game interruptions for coaches to easily communicate with players and affect their performance. However, a reduced number of studies have explored how coaches attempt to influence players during half-time. This study examined football coaches’ behaviours during half-time and their perceptions underpinning their talks’ delivery. Five Spanish coaches (Mage = 32.2, SD = 8.8) working for a La Liga academy were systematically observed during half-time talks (n = 20) and participated in a semi-structured interview each. Half-time talks were coded using a modified version of the Coach Analysis and Intervention System, and semi-structured interviews were analysed following thematic analysis procedures. Instruction and feedback were the most employed behaviours for four coaches, with younger age-group coaches employing greater divergent questioning and in-talk player participation. Furthermore, data suggested that coaches conferred with their staff, before entering the changing room and rapidly progressed from divergent to convergent questions and feedback and instruction. The team's ‘level of play’ was the most perceived relevant factor affecting the verbal and vocal strategies of coaches’ messages, albeit the score gained importance for coaches of older age-groups. This study is pioneering, examining how coaches attempt to influence their players during half-time talks of competitive youth football

Creatividad táctica y funciones ejecutivas en los deportes de interacción

Tactical creativity is one of the characteristics of the players with greater expertise in interactive (or contact) sports. The term is defined as the ability to generate original and surprising answers to the problems that arise during the game. Recent research has shown that these athletes have certain cognitive capacities, known as executive functions, which could explain this superiority. Experimental studies conducted with children conclude that the repeated practice of physical activity in environments with high levels of entropy could improve these executive functions. On the other hand, it has been seen that the use of intentional strategies by the coach, meant to address the behavior of athletes, can be detrimental to the development of tactical creativity. This review describes the evidence and offers a practical proposal on the design of learning environments promoting this capacity through the control of the task complexity and the feedback of the coach.La creatividad táctica es una de las características de los jugadores con mayor pericia en deportes de interacción. Ésta se define como la capacidad para generar respuestas sorpresivas y originales ante los problemas que surgen durante el juego. Recientes investigaciones han comprobado que estos deportistas poseen ciertas capacidades cognitivas, conocidas como funciones ejecutivas, que podrían explicar esta superioridad. Estudios experimentales llevados a cabo con niños concluyen que la práctica repetida de actividad física en entornos con elevados niveles de entropía podría mejorar estas funciones ejecutivas. Por otro lado, se ha visto que el uso de estrategias intencionales por parte del entrenador para dirigir la conducta de los deportistas puede ser perjudicial para el desarrollo de la creatividad táctica. En esta revisión se describe esta evidencia y se realiza una propuesta práctica sobre cómo diseñar entornos de aprendizaje para promover esta capacidad a través del control de la complejidad de la tarea y del feedback del entrenador

The p.(Cys150Tyr) variant in CSRP3 is associated with late-onset hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in heterozygous individuals

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Up to 50% of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) show no disease-causing variants in genetic studies. Mutations in CSRP3 have been associated with HCM, but evidence supporting pathogenicity is inconclusive. In this study, we describe an HCM cohort with a missense variant in CSRP3 (p.Cys150Tyr) with supporting evidence for pathogenicity and a description of the associated phenotype. METHODS: CSRP3 was sequenced in 6456 index cases with a diagnosis of HCM and in 5012 probands with other cardiomyopathies. In addition, 3372 index cases with hereditary cardiovascular disorders other than cardiomyopathies (mainly channelopathies and aortopathies) were used as controls. RESULTS: The p.(Cys150Tyr) variant was identified in 11 unrelated individuals of the 6456 HCM probands, and it was not identified in patients with other cardiomyopathies (p < 0.0001) or in our control population (p < 0.0001). Ten of the index cases were heterozygous and one was homozygous. Homozygous had a more severe phenotype. Family screening identified 17 other carriers. Wild-type individuals showed no signs of disease. The mean age at diagnosis of affected individuals was 55 ± 13 years, and the mean left ventricular wall thickness was 18 ± 3 mm. The variant showed highly age-dependent penetrance. After a mean follow-up of 11 (±8) years, no adverse events were reported in any of the HCM patients. CONCLUSIONS: The p.(Cys150Tyr) variant in CSRP3 causes late-onset and low risk form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in heterozygous carriers

Cruise Summary Report - MEDWAVES survey. MEDiterranean out flow WAter and Vulnerable EcosystemS (MEDWAVES)

The MEDWAVES (MEDiterranean out flow WAter and Vulnerable EcosystemS) cruise targeted areas under the potential influence of the MOW within the Mediterranean and Atlantic realms. These include seamounts where Cold-water corals (CWCs) have been reported but that are still poorly known, and which may act as essential “stepping stones” connecting fauna of seamounts in the Mediterranean with those of the continental shelf of Portugal, the Azores and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. During MEDWAVES sampling has been conducted in two of the case studies of ATLAS: Case study 7 (Gulf of Cádiz-Strait of Gibraltar-Alboran Sea) and Case study 8 (Azores). The initially targeted areas in the Atlantic were: the Gazul Mud volcano, in the Gulf of Cádiz (GoC) area, included in the case study 7, and the Atlantic seamounts Ormonde (Portuguese shelf) and Formigas (by Azores), both part of the case study 8. In the Mediterranean the targeted areas were The Guadiaro submarine canyon and the Seco de los Olivos (also known as Chella Bank) seamount. Unfortunately it was not possible to sample in Guadiaro due to time constraints originated by adverse meteorological conditions which obligate us to reduce the time at sea focusing only in 4 of the 5 initially planned areas. MEDWAVES was structured in two legs; the first leg took place from the 21st September (departure from Cádiz harbour in Spain) to the 13th October 2016 (arrival in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal took place the 8th of October due to the meteorological conditions that obligated to conclude the first leg earlier as planned). during the Leg 1 sampling was carried out in Gazul, Ormonde and Formigas. The second leg started the 14th October (departure from Ponta Delgada) and finished the 26th October (arrival in Málaga harbour, Spain). MEDWAVES had a total of 30 effective sampling days, being 6 days not operative due to the adverse meteorological conditions experienced during the first leg which forced us to stay in Ponta Delgada from the 08th to the 13th October. During MEDWAVES the daily routine followed a similar scheme, depending of course on the weather and sea conditions. The main activity during the day, starting early in the morning (around 08:00 AM, once the night activities were finished), was the ROV deployment. Generally a single ROV dive of around 8 hours was performed, however in several occasions two dives were carried out in the same day (see General station list, Appendix II). After the ROV (and sometimes between two dives) the Box Corer and/or Van Veen Grab and/or Multicore was deployed. After these activities, during the night CTD-Rosette deployments and MB was conducted. Accordingly to this schema the scientific personnel worked in the day or in the night watch. A total of 215 sampling stations have been covered in MEDWAVES, using the following sampling gears: Multibeam echosounder, CTD-Rosette, LADCP, Box Corer, Van Veen Grab, Multicorer and a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Table 1 sumamrised the number of sampling stations conducted with each gear in each sampling zone. Additionally MB surveys have been conducted during the transits between area

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array: Joint Contribution to the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2015)

We have conducted three searches for correlations between ultra-high energy cosmic rays detected by the Telescope Array and the Pierre Auger Observatory, and high-energy neutrino candidate events from IceCube. Two cross-correlation analyses with UHECRs are done: one with 39 cascades from the IceCube `high-energy starting events' sample and the other with 16 high-energy `track events'. The angular separation between the arrival directions of neutrinos and UHECRs is scanned over. The same events are also used in a separate search using a maximum likelihood approach, after the neutrino arrival directions are stacked. To estimate the significance we assume UHECR magnetic deflections to be inversely proportional to their energy, with values $3^\circ$, $6^\circ$ and $9^\circ$ at 100 EeV to allow for the uncertainties on the magnetic field strength and UHECR charge. A similar analysis is performed on stacked UHECR arrival directions and the IceCube sample of through-going muon track events which were optimized for neutrino point-source searches.Comment: one proceeding, the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference, 30 July - 6 August 2015, The Hague, The Netherlands; will appear in PoS(ICRC2015