Styles of Play in Elite Soccer: Identification and Definition of the Attacking and Defensive Styles of Play in the English Premier League and the 1st Spanish League

Deciding on effective team strategies and tactics is fundamental to successful performance in soccer (Carling et al., 2005). Previous studies have addressed the influence of the styles of play when measuring technical and tactical aspects in soccer (Bradley et al., 2011; Duarte, Araujo, Correia, & Davids, 2012; Fradua et al., 2013; James, Mellalieu, & Hollely, 2002; Lago-Peñas, Lago-Ballesteros, & Rey, 2011; Pollard & Reep, 1997; Pollard, Reep, & Hartley, 1988; Tenga, Holme, Ronglan, & Bahr, 2010b; Tenga & Larsen, 2003; Tenga & Sigmundstad, 2011). Different attacking and defending styles of play and associated variables have been identified (Bate, 1988; Hughes & Franks, 2005a; Lago-Peñas & Dellal, 2010; Pollard et al., 1988; Tenga, Holme, et al., 2010b; Tenga & Larsen, 2003). ‘Direct’ and ‘possession’ are the styles of play most often described (Bate, 1988; Garganta, Maia, & Basto, 1997; Hughes & Franks, 2005a; Olsen & Larsen, 1997; Redwood-Brown, 2008; Ruiz-Ruiz, Fradua, Fernandez-Garcia, & Zubillaga, 2011; Tenga, Holme, Ronglan, & Bahr, 2010a; Tenga, Holme, et al., 2010b; Tenga & Larsen, 2003; Tenga, Ronglan, & Bahr, 2010; Travassos, Davids, Araujo, & Esteves, 2013). The aims of this thesis were to identify and define the different styles of play in elite soccer, compare the results with the previous styles of play and to classify the observed teams’ styles of play.Data were collected from ninety-seven matches from the 1st Spanish League and the English Premier League from the seasons 2006-2007 and 2010-2011 using the Amisco® system. A total of nineteen variables, fourteen in attack and five in defence were measured in the analysis. Factor analysis using principal component analysis was carried out using the nineteen variables to cluster each team’s style of play based on their factor scores.Six factors, representing the different styles of play, were extracted and in combination explained 87.54% of the variance. Factor 1 explained the largest variance, while each subsequent factor explained less of the variance in descending order. Factor 1 differentiates between teams that use a direct or possession play. Factor 2 distinguishes between teams that usually regain the ball in the wide areas or in the central areas of the pitch. Factor 3 measures how much possession of the ball teams have in the defensive third and the use of centres. Factor 4 represents the width of the teams’ possession. Factor 5 distinguishes between teams that use high or low pressure. Factor 6 measures how the teams progress in the attack.Playing styles can be defined by specific variables and consequently, teams can be classified by their styles of play. For practical implications, the variables of a team that utilise a style of play can be measured and compared with the reference values of the style of play we want to develop. To improve the performance, a team that utilise a specific style of play should use training tasks that improve the variables typical of that style of play

The development and validation of the Videogaming Motives Questionnaire (VMQ)

Gaming motives are important factors for explaining individual differences in videogame-related behaviors. The aim of the present study was to develop a new comprehensive but brief instrument–the Videogaming Motives Questionnaire (VMQ)–which embraces some of the most relevant gaming motives. In a first study, a pilot exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with data from 140 undergraduates was performed on items from twelve potential motives. This identified eight main factors: recreation, social interaction, coping, violent reward, fantasy, cognitive development, customization, and competition. In Studies 2 and 3, an EFA and a confirmatory factor analysis were performed on two independent samples of 407 adolescents and 260 young adults, respectively. The VMQ presented a robust eight-factor structure, with all scales showing adequate reliability indices. In reference to criterion validity, all motives presented specific associations with hours spent playing videogames, disordered gaming, and game genre preferences. More specifically, and in both adolescents and young adults, social interaction was the main motive related to time spent gaming, whereas disordered gaming was related to both coping and social interaction motives. Based on these findings, it is concluded that the VMQ is a brief and psychometrically appropriate tool for assessing the most relevant videogaming motives

On the monitoring of surface displacement in connection with volcano reactivation in Tenerife, Canary Islands, using space techniques

Geodetic volcano monitoring in Tenerife has mainly focused on the Las Cañadas Caldera, where a geodetic micronetwork and a levelling profile are located. A sensitivity test of this geodetic network showed that it should be extended to cover the whole island for volcano monitoring purposes. Furthermore, InSAR allowed detecting two unexpected movements that were beyond the scope of the traditional geodetic network. These two facts prompted us to design and observe a GPS network covering the whole of Tenerife that was monitored in August 2000. The results obtained were accurate to one centimetre, and confirm one of the deformations, although they were not definitive enough to confirm the second one. Furthermore, new cases of possible subsidence have been detected in areas where InSAR could not be used to measure deformation due to low coherence. A first modelling attempt has been made using a very simple model and its results seem to indicate that the deformation observed and the groundwater level variation in the island may be related. Future observations will be necessary for further validation and to study the time evolution of the displacements, carry out interpretation work using different types of data (gravity, gases, etc) and develop models that represent the island more closely. The results obtained are important because they might affect the geodetic volcano monitoring on the island, which will only be really useful if it is capable of distinguishing between displacements that might be linked to volcanic activity and those produced by other causes. One important result in this work is that a new geodetic monitoring system based on two complementary techniques, InSAR and GPS, has been set up on Tenerife island. This the first time that the whole surface of any of the volcanic Canary Islands has been covered with a single network for this purpose. This research has displayed the need for further similar studies in the Canary Islands, at least on the islands which pose a greater risk of volcanic reactivation, such as Lanzarote and La Palma, where InSAR techniques have been used already

Paleostress evolution during the exhumation of high-p marbles, Samaná Complex, northern Hispaniola.

The marble of the Samaná complex presents a widespread foliation formed during its exhumation following a general decompressive strain path from high pressure (2.0>P>0.7 GPa) and low temperature (350 MPa during deformation. In contrast, mean flow stress during grain-boundary migration is estimated in |σ1-σ3| 110 MPa Ma-1). All of these data suggest that exhumation always occurred near the brittle-ductile regime of deformation. © 2017, Instituto Geologico y Minero de Espana. All rights reserved.El trabajo ha sido financiado por los proyectos de investigación CGL2010-14890 y CGL2011-23628, auspiciados por el plan nacional I+D+i del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad del Gobierno de España.Peer reviewe

Evolution of invertase activity in honey from Castanea sativa and Rosmarinus officinalis collected in Granada

Se estudia el contenido de α-glucoxidase en dos variedades de miel cubiertos por la Denominación Protegida Miel de Granada Consejo Regulador de Origen. La evolución de la actividad de la invertasa fue seguido durante 10 meses, en 12 muestras de miel monofloral de castaño recogidos en la zona de la Alpujarra de Granada y 9 muestras de miel monofloral de romero recogidos en La Resinera, Valle de Lecrín y en la Sierra de Baza durante 10 meses. La invertasa se midió en los meses de junio de 2005, septiembre de 2005, enero de 2006 y, finalmente, en el mes de abril de 2006. Se obtuvo una actividad invertasa en la miel castaña fresca de 194,6 ± 3,6 U / kg, con un rango entre 188,7 U / kg y 199,5 U / kg. Después de 10 meses a temperatura ambiente, la miel de castaño pierde entre 28,3% y 39,8% de los valores iniciales de α-glucosidasa, con un promedio de 33,4% ± 3,3%. En la miel de romero se obtuvieron valores medios de invertasa de 69,4 ± 14,9 U / kg, con un rango entre 56,9 U / kg y 91,9 U / kg. Después de 10 meses a temperatura ambiente, la miel de romero pierde entre 19,3% y 32,3% de los valores iniciales α-glucosidasa, con un promedio de 28,1% ± 4,4%.The content of α-glucoxidase in two varieties of honey covered by the Granada Honey Protected Denomination of Origin Regulatory Board is studied. The evolution of invertase activity was followed for 10 months, in 12 monofloral chestnut honey samples collected in the Alpujarra area of Granada and 9 monofloral rosemary honey samples collected in la Resinera, Valle de Lecrin and in the Sierra de Baza for 10 months. The invertase was measured in the months of June 2005, September 2005, January 2006 and finally in the month of April 2006. We obtained an invertase activity in fresh chestnut honey of 194.6±3.6 U/kg, with a range between 188.7 U/kg and 199.5 U/kg. After 10 months at ambient temperature, the chestnut honey lost between 28.3% and 39.8% of the initial values of α-glucosidase, with an average of 33.4%±3.3%. In the rosemary honey we obtained average invertase values of 69.4±14.9 U/kg, with a range between 56.9 U/kg and 91.9 U/kg. After 10 months at ambient temperature, the rosemary honey lost between 19.3% and 32.3% of the initial α-glucosidase values, with an average of 28.1%±4.4%

Ureteritis Cystica: Important Consideration in the Differential Diagnosis of Acute Renal Colic

Ureteritis cystica is an uncommon cause of acute renal pain. The aetiology remains unclear and the diagnosis may be difficult to establish. We report the case of a 29 year old woman with a history of repeated urinary tract infections presenting with acute renal colic in the absence of lithiasis. We review the diagnostic tools available to make the diagnosis and the recent pertinent literature

Experimental analysis of R-134a flow condensation in a smooth tube

Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Malta, 16-18 July, 2012.Condensation processes inside tubes are widely used in air conditioning and refrigeration industry, since they promote an improvement of the heat transfer, reducing the equipment size. The distribution of the liquid and vapour phases inside the tubes is crucial in the heat transfer process. Several studies have been carried out for flow regime maps and flow regime prediction techniques, in order to predict which flow pattern is expected according to parameters such as the geometry of the tubes, the flow rate and refrigerant properties. In this work, an experimental research was conducted to obtain different condensation flow patterns inside an 8 mm inner diameter smooth copper tube. Experiments were carried out for mass fluxes of 100, 200, 300, 400 and 600 kg/m2s, a saturation temperature of 40 ºC and varying the vapour quality from 0.20 to 0.80 at 0.15 intervals. Experimental photographs and videos are presented, discussed and compared against the results provided by some flow pattern maps and prediction techniques found in the literature.dc201

Impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID inpatient care in southern Spain

We assessed the impact of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID hospital admissions, non-COVID mortality, factors associated with non-COVID mortality, and changes in the profile of non-COVID patients admitted to hospital. We used the Spanish Minimum Basic Data Set with diagnosis grouped according to the Diagnostic Related Groups. A total of 10,594 patients (3% COVID-19; 97% non-COVID) hospitalised during the first wave in 2020 (27-February/07-June) were compared with those hospitalised within the same dates of 2017-2019 (average annual admissions: 14,037). We found a decrease in non-COVID medical (22%) and surgical (33%) hospitalisations and a 25.7% increase in hospital mortality among non-COVID patients during the first pandemic wave compared to pre-pandemic years. During the officially declared sub-period of excess mortality in the area (17-March/20-April, in-hospital non-COVID mortality was even higher (58.7% higher than the pre-pandemic years). Non-COVID patients hospitalised during the first pandemic wave (compared to pre-pandemic years) were older, more frequently men, with longer hospital stay and increased disease severity. Hospitalisation during the first pandemic wave in 2020, compared to hospitalisation during the pre-pandemic years, was an independent risk factor for non-COVID mortality (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.07-1.57, p = 0.008), reflecting the negative impact of the pandemic on hospitalised patients

Lineability within probability theory settings

[EN] The search of lineability consists on finding large vector spaces of mathematical objects with special properties. Such examples have arisen in the last years in a wide range of settings such as in real and complex analysis, sequence spaces, linear dynamics, norm-attaining functionals, zeros of polynomials in Banach spaces, Dirichlet series, and non-convergent Fourier series, among others. In this paper we present the novelty of linking this notion of lineability to the area of Probability Theory by providing positive (and negative) results within the framework of martingales, random variables, and certain stochastic processes.This work was partially supported by Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte, projects MTM2013-47093-P and MTM2015-65825-P, by the Basque Government through the BERC 2014-2017 program and by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad: BCAM Severo Ochoa excellence accreditation SEV-2013-0323.Conejero, JA.; Fenoy, M.; Murillo Arcila, M.; Seoane Sepúlveda, JB. (2017). Lineability within probability theory settings. Revista de la Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales Serie A Matemáticas. 111(3):673-684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13398-016-0318-yS6736841113Aizpuru, A., Pérez-Eslava, C., García-Pacheco, F.J., Seoane-Sepúlveda, J.B.: Lineability and coneability of discontinuous functions on $$\mathbb{R}$$ R . Publ. Math. Debrecen 72(1–2), 129–139 (2008)Aron, R., Gurariy, V.I., Seoane, J.B.: Lineability and spaceability of sets of functions on $$\mathbb{R}$$ R . Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 133(3), 795–803 (2005, electronic)Aron, R.M., González, L.B., Pellegrino, D.M., Sepúlveda J.B.S.: Lineability: the search for linearity in mathematics. Monographs and Research Notes in Mathematics. CRC Press, Boca Raton (2016)Ash, R.B.: Real analysis and probability. Probability and mathematical statistics, No. 11. Academic Press, New York-London (1972)Barbieri, G., García-Pacheco, F.J., Puglisi, D.: Lineability and spaceability on vector-measure spaces. Stud. Math. 219(2), 155–161 (2013)Bernal-González, L., Cabrera, M.O.: Lineability criteria, with applications. J. Funct. Anal. 266(6), 3997–4025 (2014)Bernal-González, L., Pellegrino, D., Seoane-Sepúlveda, J.B.: Linear subsets of nonlinear sets in topological vector spaces. Bull. Am. Math. Soc. (N.S.), 51(1), 71–130 (2014)Berndt, B.C.: What is a $$q$$ q -series? In: Ramanujan rediscovered, Ramanujan Math. Soc. Lect. Notes Ser., vol. 14, pp. 31–51. Ramanujan Math. Soc., Mysore (2010)Bertoloto, F.J., Botelho, G., Fávaro, V.V., Jatobá, A.M.: Hypercyclicity of convolution operators on spaces of entire functions. Ann. Inst. Fourier (Grenoble) 63(4), 1263–1283 (2013)Billingsley, P.: Probability and measure. Wiley Series in Probability and Mathematical Statistics, 3rd edn, A Wiley-Interscience Publication. Wiley, New York (1995)Botelho, G., Fávaro, V.V.: Constructing Banach spaces of vector-valued sequences with special properties. Mich. Math. J. 64(3), 539–554 (2015)Cariello, D., Seoane-Sepúlveda, J.B.: Basic sequences and spaceability in $$\ell _p$$ ℓ p spaces. J. Funct. Anal. 266(6), 3797–3814 (2014)Drewnowski, L., Lipecki, Z.: On vector measures which have everywhere infinite variation or noncompact range. Dissertationes Math. (Rozprawy Mat.) 339, 39 (1995)Dugundji, J.: Topology. Allyn and Bacon, Inc., Boston, Mass.-London-Sydney (1978, Reprinting of the 1966 original, Allyn and Bacon Series in Advanced Mathematics)Enflo, P.H., Gurariy, V.I., Seoane-Sepúlveda, J.B.: Some results and open questions on spaceability in function spaces. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 366(2), 611–625 (2014)Fonf, V.P., Zanco, C.: Almost overcomplete and almost overtotal sequences in Banach spaces. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 420(1), 94–101 (2014)Gámez-Merino, J.L., Seoane-Sepúlveda, J.B.: An undecidable case of lineability in $$\mathbb{R}^{\mathbb{R}}$$ R R . J. Math. Anal. Appl. 401(2), 959–962 (2013)Gurariĭ, V.I.: Linear spaces composed of everywhere nondifferentiable functions. C. R. Acad. Bulgare Sci. 44(5), 13–16 (1991)Muñoz-Fernández, G.A., Palmberg, N., Puglisi, D., Seoane-Sepúlveda, J.B.: Lineability in subsets of measure and function spaces. Linear Algebra Appl. 428(11–12), 2805–2812 (2008)Walsh, J.B.: Martingales with a multidimensional parameter and stochastic integrals in the plane. In: Lectures in probability and statistics (Santiago de Chile, 1986), Lecture Notes in Math., vol. 1215, pp. 329–491. Springer, Berlin (1986)Wise, G.L., Hall, E.B.: Counterexamples in probability and real analysis. The Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press, New York (1993

Validity and reliability of transbronchial needle aspiration for diagnosing mediastinal adenopathies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim is to assess the validity and reliability of transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) of mediastinal and hilar adenopathies and to evaluate factors predictive of TBNA outcome.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed an analysis of prospectively collected data of patients (n = 580) who underwent TBNA (n = 685) from January 1998 to December 2007 in our center. Validity and reliability were evaluated for the overall sample and according to specific pathology. Factors predicting the successful acquisition of diagnostic samples were analyzed by multivariate analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive (NPV) values for TBNA were 68%, 100%, 68.8%, 100%, and 10%, respectively. The most sensitive and accurate TBNAs were obtained for patients with small cell lung carcinoma and the worst results were for patients with lymphomas. NPV were similar for all pathologies. The most predictive factors of outcome were adenopathy size and the presence of indirect signs at the puncture site.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The sensitivity and accuracy of TBNA are high in small cell lung cancer, followed by other types of carcinoma, sarcoidosis, and tuberculosis, and low for lymphoproliferative diseases. The NPV of TBNA for all individual pathologies is low. The size of the adenopathy and the presence of indirect signs at the puncture site predict the achievement of diagnostic samples.</p