Work-rate of substitutes in elite soccer: A preliminary study

The aim of this study was to investigate the work-rate of substitutes in professional soccer. A computerised player tracking system was used to assess the work-rates of second-half substitutes (11 midfielders and 14 forwards) in a French Ligue 1 club. Total distance, distance covered in five categories of movement intensity and recovery time between high-intensity efforts were evaluated. First- and second-half work-rates of the replaced players were compared. The performance of substitutes was compared to that of the players they replaced, to team-mates in the same position who remained on the pitch after the substitution and in relation to their habitual performances when starting games. No differences in work-rate between first- and second-halves were observed in all players who were substituted. In the second-half, a non-significant trend was observed in midfield substitutes who covered greater distances than the player they replaced whereas no differences were observed in forwards. Midfield substitutes covered a greater overall distance and distance at high-intensities (p<0.01) and had a lower recovery time between high-intensity efforts (p<0.01) compared to other midfield team-mates who remained on the pitch. Forwards covered less distance (p<0.01) in their first 10-minutes as a substitute compared to their habitual work-rate profile in the opening 10-minutes when starting matches while this finding was not observed in midfielders. These findings suggest that compared to midfield substitutes, forward substitutes did not utilise their full physical potential. Further investigation is warranted into the reasons behind this finding in order to optimise the work-rate contributions of forward substitutes

Trauma-related psychological disorders among Palestinian children and adults in Gaza and West Bank, 2005-2008

BACKGROUND: Trauma from war and violence has led to psychological disorders in individuals living in the Gaza strip and West Bank. Few reports are available on the psychiatric disorders seen in children and adolescents or the treatment of affected populations. This study was conducted in order to describe the occurrence and treatment of psychiatric disorders in the Palestinian populations of the Gaza strip and Nablus district in the West Bank. METHODS: From 2005 to 2008, 1369 patients aged more than 1 year were identified through a local mental health and counseling health network. All were clinically assessed using a semi-structured interview based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria. RESULTS: Among 1254 patients, 23.2% reported post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], 17.3% anxiety disorder (other than PTSD or acute stress disorder), and 15.3% depression. PTSD was more frequently identified in children < or = 15 years old, while depression was the main symptom observed in adults. Among children < or = 15 years old, factors significantly associated with PTSD included being witness to murder or physical abuse, receiving threats, and property destruction or loss (p < 0.03). Psychological care, primarily in the form of individual, short-term psychotherapy, was provided to 65.1% of patients, with about 30.6% required psychotropic medication. Duration of therapy sessions was higher for children < or = 15 years old compared with adults (p = 0.05). Following psychotherapy, 79.0% had improved symptoms, and this improvement was significantly higher in children < or = 15 years old (82.8%) compared with adults (75.3%; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that short-term psychotherapy could be an effective treatment for specific psychiatric disorders occurring in vulnerable populations, including children, living in violent conflict zones, such as in Gaza strip and the West Bank

Analyse ergonomique de l’activité de conduite moto lors de la pratique de l’inter-files en région parisienne

Cet article présente une analyse en contexte naturel des comportements de conduite de motocyclistes lors de leurs trajets domicile-travail en région parisienne. Elle se focalise sur la pratique des motards qui consiste à circuler entre les files de voitures, classiquement appelée « inter-files », et qui reste pour l’heure sans analyse scientifique approfondie. Dans une approche ergonomique, 11 motocyclistes ont conduit pendant un mois avec un véhicule équipé de caméras. Les enregistrements vidéo ont permis la description des contextes de conduite ainsi que la tenue d’entretiens d’auto-confrontation. Les résultats portent sur la description de leur activité de conduite, le poids de l’inter-files dans leurs déplacements quotidiens et l’analyse des éléments organisateurs de leurs comportements. Ces résultats sont discutés sur le plan de la compréhension de la pratique de l’inter-files et sur le plan de l’enrichissement des situations existantes : ils questionnent la possibilité d’une législation sur les remontées de files et montrent les intérêts de la formation à cette pratique.This paper presents a naturalistic study of how motorcyclists behave whilst commuting in the Paris region. The study focuses on lane-splitting which consists in riding between traffic lanes. This phenomenon has never been subjected to any detailed scientific analysis. In an ergonomic study, for one month 11 motorcyclists drove a motorbike equipped with cameras. The video recordings and the conduct of self-confrontation interviews enabled the description of the driving contexts. The results concern the description of the motorcyclists’ activity, the importance of lane-splitting in their daily journeys, and the study of the organizing elements of their behaviors. These results are discussed in terms of a better understanding of lane-splitting and in terms of the improvement of the existing situations: the data question the possibility of a law regarding this practice and demonstrate the utility of training

Gaze Behavior During Simulated Driving: Elements for a Visual Driving Aid

Analyses of optic flow due to observer self-motion and analyses ofthe driver’s gazing behavior during curve driving have suggested that the driverhas a tendency to look at a location close to the tangent point on the inside edge ofthe road. Psychophysical experiments have further demonstrated that this visualstrategy can be partly explained as an optimization of information pick-up. Themain objective of the present study was to investigate, in an interactive simulationcontext, if this perceptual strategy might be used to define a visual aid for curvedriving. In the framework of the French ARCOS project (Research action forsecure driving; www.arcos2004.com), we used a mini-simulator developed byINRETS (MSIS-CIR group) in collaboration with FAROS company, with twomain original characteristics: (1) during curve driving, the tangent point can becalculated and inserted in the visual scene in real-time and (2) a real-time eyerecordingsystem (EYELINK,® SMI) allows us to evaluate the relationshipsbetween driving performance, gaze direction and the on-line presentation of thetangent point

Long-term quality of life in premenopausal women with node-negative localized breast cancer treated with or without adjuvant chemotherapy

Our purpose was to evaluate the late physical and psychosocial difficulties of premenpausal patients treated for a localized breast cancer and to weigh the impact of chemotherapy on long-term quality of life. Two self-administered questionnaires, the EORTC core QLQ-C30 and the breast module (BR23) were mailed to 179 premenopausal node-negative women continuously disease-free, previously enrolled in a trial testing the efficacy of adjuvant CMF chemotherapy (Espié et al, 1997). The core questionnaire evaluates the physical, role, emotional, cognitive and social functioning and global health status. The breast module includes four functional scales: body image, sexual functioning, sexual enjoyment and future perspective. It also includes symptom scales such as arm or breast symptoms. Some specific professional and social states were added. 119 (68%) patients (mean age 54 years, range 30–69) participated. Mean follow-up time since diagnosis was 9.6 years (4–16). 68% had conservative and 32% radical surgery (with reconstructive surgery in 50%). CMF was given to 77 (65%) patients. Irradiation was administered in 75% of patients irrespective of adjuvant therapy. QLQ-C30 scale scores were similar in patients who had or had not received chemotherapy. Disturbance in body image, sex life and breast symptoms did not differ between patients who had or had not received adjuvant CMF. No major socioprofessional difficulties were reported except problems in borrowing from banks not related to past chemotherapy. With long follow-up, most premenopausal women treated for a localized breast cancer cope with the disease and its treatments. Adjuvant CMF chemotherapy does not appear to impair quality of life nor social and professional life in these patients. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Former à la conduite moto

Les motocyclistes novices constituent une population vulnérable en termes de sécurité routière. Les efforts scientifiques pour comprendre les phénomènes associés à cette population sont encore limités. L’étude présentée porte sur la formation initiale à la conduite de motocyclette et repose sur deux hypothèses fondatrices : l’optimisation de la formation à la conduite permet de réduire l’accidentalité et la connaissance des contenus réellement enseignés peut faire évoluer la formation. Les contenus d’enseignement ont été analysés systématiquement au cours d’une étude menée en situation réelle de formation. Des observations et verbatim ont été recueillis pour l’ensemble de la formation d’un motard et complétés par des observations menées dans trois autres écoles de conduite. Les résultats montrent la relative pauvreté des situations observées : la survalorisation de l’enseignement d’habiletés « fermées » au détriment d’habiletés de conduite plus « ouvertes », la focalisation sur des habiletés rarement mobilisées en situation de conduite réelle et la répétition à l’excès des situations d’examen. Des pistes d’amélioration de la formation initiale sont proposées en discussion.Novice motorcyclists are vulnerable people as regards road safety. The scientific efforts made to understand the phenomena associated with that group of people are still limited. The study herein focuses on initial motorcycle training and is based on two founding assumptions: optimizing riding can reduce accident hazards, and studying what is really taught can lead to better training courses. The teaching content has been systematically analyzed as part of a study made from real teaching situations. Observations and remarks have been gathered all through the motorcycle rider training and completed by observations done in three other driving schools. The results show the relative poverty of the observed teaching situations: overrating the teaching of ‘closed’ skills to the detriment of more ‘open’ riding skills, focusing on skills that are rarely used when riding a bike, and repeating exam situations to excess. Ways to better the initial training are suggested for discussion.Die Fahranfänger bilden in Sachen Verkehrssicherheit eine verletzbare Gruppe. Die wissenschaftlichen Anstrengungen, um die mit dieser Gruppe verbundenen Erscheinungen zu verstehen, sind noch begrenzt. Vorliegende Forschungsarbeit befasst sich mit der Erstausbildung zum Motorradfahren und beruht auf zwei Gründungshypothesen: die Optimierung der Fahrausbildung kann erlauben, die Unfallquote zu senken und die Analyse von dem, was wirklich unterrichtet wird, kann erlauben, die Ausbildung zu verbessern. Die Unterrichtsinhalte wurden bei einer reellen Ausbildungssituation systematisch analysiert. Beobachtungen und die worttreue Wiedergabe wurden für die gesamte Ausbildung eines Motorradfahrers gesammelt und durch in drei anderen Fahrschulen gemachte Beobachtungen ergänzt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen den relativen Mangel an beobachteten Ausbildungssituationen: die Überbewertung des Unterrichts von „geschlossenen“ Geschicklichkeiten auf Kosten „offener“ Fahrgeschicklichkeiten, die Zentrierung auf Geschicklichkeiten, die in reeller Fahrsituation selten mobilisiert werden und die im Überma wiederholten Prüfungssituationen. Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten der Erstausbildung werden vorgeschlagen.Los motoclistas novatos constituyen una población vulnerable en términos de seguridad por carretera. Los esfuerzos científicos para entender los fenómenos asociados a esta población siguen siendo limitados. El estudio presentado aquí concierne la formacón inicial a la conducción de motocicleta y descansa sobre dos hipótesis fundadoras: la optimización de la formación a la conducción puede permitir reducir la accidentalidad y el estudio de lo que realmente se enseña puede permitir mejorar la formación. Los contenidos de enseñanza han sido analizados sistemáticamente durante un estudio realizado en situación real de formación. Unas observaciones y verbatim han sido recogidos relativamente al conjunto de la formación de un motorista y completados por informaciones realizadas en otras tres escuelas de conducción. Los resultados evidencian la relativa pobreza de las situaciones de formación observadas: la sobrevaloración de la enseñanza de habilidades « cerradas » en detrimento de habilidades de conducción más « abiertas », la focalización sobre habilidades realizadas con poca frecuencia en situación de conducción real, y la repetición excesiva de situaciones de exámenes. Se propone discutir sobre algunas pistas para mejorar la formación inicial

Case study of the real contents delivered in French motorcycle schools

This study is concerned initial motorcycle training delivered in motorcycle schools in France. Novice motorcyclists are a particularly vulnerable group of road users in Europe and in France. However, scientific attempts to achieve a better understanding of their behaviors have been limited. The potential value of studying initial motorcycle training, both for research purposes and with regard to public policy, is readily apparent. The aims of this paper are to describe the real educational content of training in motorcycle schools and analyze to what extent this content is related to riding after licensing. A case study of all the training process of one trainee (38 hours) was carried out in real world. Audiovisual recordings and interview data of the rider and instructors were collected at each session. This study was supplemented by ethnographic observations of the educational content provided in three motorcycle schools throughout the instructors’ working days. The results that merged from both studies show (1) the riding skills that were fostered (i.e. control skills, and especially emergency skills, in stable and restricted environments) and undervalued (i.e. hazard perception skills, everyday skills) during initial training, and (2) the poverty of observed training settings: learners spend almost all their training time riding in the same setting that is used in the test. In addition to being repeated to excess, these settings are quite different from the real traffic. These results are discussed regarding the scientific literature on motorcycle education. The conclusion presents the implications of these results for public policy in order to design a future rider training system. Document type: Articl

Comparison Between 18F-FDG PET Image-Derived Indices for Early Prediction of Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer.

International audienceThe goal of this study was to determine the best predictive factor among image-derived parameters extracted from sequential F-FDG PET scans for early tumor response prediction after 2 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. METHODS: 51 breast cancer patients were included. Responder and nonresponder status was determined by histopathologic examination according to the tumor and node Sataloff scale. PET indices (maximum and mean standardized uptake value [SUV], metabolically active tumor volume, and total lesion glycolysis [TLG]), at baseline and their variation (Δ) after 2 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were extracted from the PET images. Their predictive value was investigated using Mann-Whitney U tests and receiver-operating-characteristic analysis. Subgroup analysis was also performed by considering estrogen receptor (ER)-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, triple-negative, and HER2-positive tumors separately. The impact of partial-volume correction was also investigated using an iterative deconvolution algorithm. RESULTS: There were 24 pathologic nonresponders and 27 responders. None of the baseline PET parameters was correlated with response. After 2 neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycles, the reduction of each parameter was significantly associated with response, the best prediction of response being obtained with ΔTLG (96% sensitivity, 92% specificity, and 94% accuracy), which had a significantly higher area under the curve (0.91 vs. 0.82, P = 0.01) than did ΔSUV (63% sensitivity, 92% specificity, and 77% accuracy). Subgroup analysis confirmed a significantly higher accuracy for ΔTLG than ΔSUV for ER-positive/HER-negative but not for triple-negative and HER2-positive tumors. Partial-volume correction had no impact on the predictive value of any of the PET image-derived parameters despite significant changes in their absolute values. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the reduction after 2 neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycles of the metabolically active volume of primary tumor measurements such as ΔTLG predicts histopathologic tumor response with higher accuracy than does ΔSUV measurements, especially for ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer. These results should be confirmed in a larger group of patients as they may potentially increase the clinical value and efficiency of F-FDG PET for early prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy