The Physical and Physiological Demands of Elite International Female Field Hockey Players During Competitive Match-Play.

The aim of the current investigation was to quantify the physical and physiological demands of elite international female field hockey match-play across halves of play. Thirty-eight participants (24 ± 5 years; 173 ± 5 cm; 72 ± 5 kg) took part in nineteen competitive matches during the 2014 - 2015 season. Participants were monitored with GPS technology and heart rate monitors. Players were categorized based on three different playing positions. Activity was categorized into total (m), high-speed running distance (m; >16 km·h) and relative distance (m·min) due to the use of rolling substitutions. Heart rate was classified based on the percentage of players individual HRpeak determined via a Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 test. Players spent on average 44 ± 7 min in match-play. The total distance covered was 5558 ± 527 m (125 ± 23 m·min) with 589 ± 160 m (13 ± 4 m·min) completed at high-speed. Defenders covered a greater total distance compared to other positions of play (p ≤ 0.001). Midfield players covered a greater distance at high-speed (p ≤ 0.001) with the forwards having a higher relative distance (p ≤ 0.001). The HRpeak of the players was 199 ± 1 bmin with a mean exercise intensity of 86 ± 7.8 % of HRpeak. The time spent >85% HRpeak decreased significantly across the halves (p = 0.04, η = 0.09, Small). Defenders were found to spend more time >85 % HRpeak when compared to forwards (p ≤ 0.001). The current investigation provides normative data that coaches should consider when constructing training regimen

Political budget cycles and effects of the excessive deficit procedure: The case of Greece

We study the existence, magnitude, and determinants of political budget cycles in Greece over the past 40 years. We find that the Greek economy has been characterised by extensive electorally-motivated cycles, which are not typical of a developed country. However, we show that the corrective fiscal measures imposed by the European institutions in the face of the Greek debt crisis suppressed these pre-electoral fiscal policy manipulations. In particular, the imposition of the Excessive Deficit Procedure of the Stability and Growth Pact reduced the ability of domestic politicians to increase public deficits to the point where it eliminated, albeit only marginally, political budget cycles

Domestic vs. External Economic Sectors and the Political Process: Insights from Greece

Building on the well-established relationship between economic dynamics and political processes, we focus on the most important element of the political process, namely, general (or national) elections, and look into their effects on public finance and total economic output. In this vein, the present study has three objectives: (i) to investigate political budget cycles in Greece during the period known as the ‘Third Hellenic Republic’ (in Greek, ‘Metapolitefsi’, hereafter THR) since 1974; (ii) to assess whether national elections affect total economic activity in a stabilizing or destabilizing way; and (iii) to examine the possible effects of the external sector of the economy on the budget balance. The empirical findings of our analysis document how the Greek economy was characterized by sharp political budget cycles in correspondence with the THR, exerting a destabilizing effect on the total output of the economy. Performances of the external sector of the economy have significantly affected budget balances in Greece

Seasonal variation of plasma pepsinogen of sheep in the area of Tricala, Greece

Σκοπός της εργασίας ήταν η μελέτη των εποχιακών μεταβολών του πεψινογονου στο πλάσμα του αίματος προβάτων στο πρώτο έτος ζωής τους στην περιοχή Τρικάλων. Για τη μελέτη χρησιμοποιήθηκαν συνολικά 20 αμνάδες από τρεις μονάδες της περιοχής από τις οποίες οι επτά κυοφόρησαν στην πορεία της μελέτης. Ανθελμινθική θεραπεία δεν εφαρμόσθηκε. Τα επίπεδα του πεψινογονου του πλάσματος βρέθηκαν να είναι στατιστικά σημαντικά υψηλότερα (ρ< 0.001) στη διάρκεια της άνοιξης και του καλοκαιριού απ' ό,τι το χειμώνα και το φθινόπωρο. Τα υψηλά επίπεδα του πεψινιγόνου στη διάρκεια της άνοιξης και του καλοκαιριού αποδίδονται στη βροχόπτωση και στις ήπιες θερμοκρασίες που παρατηρήθηκαν στην περιοχή Τρικάλων στην περίοδο του χειμώνα και δημιούργησαν ευνοϊκές συνθήκες για την ανάπτυξη και επιβίωση των μολυσματικών προνυμφών. Μεταξύ κυοφοροΰντων και μη ζώων δεν βρέθηκε διαφορά στα επίπεδα του πεψιγόνου του πλάσματος. Επίσης δεν βρέθηκε συσχέτιση μεταξύ των επιπέδων πεψινογονου και του ρυθμού ανάπτυξης των ζώων.The objective of the project was to study the seasonal variation of plasma pepsinogen in sheep during the first year of their life under Greek environmental conditions. Twenty ewes from three flocks in the area of Trikala were used for the study of which seven became pregnant and had lamps. No anthelmintic treatment was applied. Plasma pepsinogen levels were higher (p< 0.001) during spring and summer than winder and autumn. The high pepsinogen levels were attributed to the rainfall and mild temperatures observed in the area of Trikala during winter which created favorable conditions for the development and survival of infective lrvae. No difference was observed between the pepsinogen levels of pregnant and non-pregnant animals. In addition, no correlation between pepsinogen levels and growth rate (GR) of the animals was observed

A New Direction to Athletic Performance: Understanding the Acute and Longitudinal Responses to Backward Running

Backward running (BR) is a form of locomotion that occurs in short bursts during many overground field and court sports. It has also traditionally been used in clinical settings as a method to rehabilitate lower body injuries. Comparisons between BR and forward running (FR) have led to the discovery that both may be generated by the same neural circuitry. Comparisons of the acute responses to FR reveal that BR is characterised by a smaller ratio of braking to propulsive forces, increased step frequency, decreased step length, increased muscle activity and reliance on isometric and concentric muscle actions. These biomechanical differences have been critical in informing recent scientific explorations which have discovered that BR can be used as a method for reducing injury and improving a variety of physical attributes deemed advantageous to sports performance. This includes improved lower body strength and power, decreased injury prevalence and improvements in change of direction performance following BR training. The current findings from research help improve our understanding of BR biomechanics and provide evidence which supports BR as a useful method to improve athlete performance. However, further acute and longitudinal research is needed to better understand the utility of BR in athletic performance programs

Seasonal variation of plasma pepsinogen of sheep in the area of Tricala, Greece

Σκοπός της εργασίας ήταν η μελέτη των εποχιακών μεταβολών του πεψινογονου στο πλάσμα του αίματος προβάτων στο πρώτο έτος ζωής τους στην περιοχή Τρικάλων. Για τη μελέτη χρησιμοποιήθηκαν συνολικά 20 αμνάδες από τρεις μονάδες της περιοχής από τις οποίες οι επτά κυοφόρησαν στην πορεία της μελέτης. Ανθελμινθική θεραπεία δεν εφαρμόσθηκε. Τα επίπεδα του πεψινογονου του πλάσματος βρέθηκαν να είναι στατιστικά σημαντικά υψηλότερα (ρ< 0.001) στη διάρκεια της άνοιξης και του καλοκαιριού απ' ό,τι το χειμώνα και το φθινόπωρο. Τα υψηλά επίπεδα του πεψινιγόνου στη διάρκεια της άνοιξης και του καλοκαιριού αποδίδονται στη βροχόπτωση και στις ήπιες θερμοκρασίες που παρατηρήθηκαν στην περιοχή Τρικάλων στην περίοδο του χειμώνα και δημιούργησαν ευνοϊκές συνθήκες για την ανάπτυξη και επιβίωση των μολυσματικών προνυμφών. Μεταξύ κυοφοροΰντων και μη ζώων δεν βρέθηκε διαφορά στα επίπεδα του πεψιγόνου του πλάσματος. Επίσης δεν βρέθηκε συσχέτιση μεταξύ των επιπέδων πεψινογονου και του ρυθμού ανάπτυξης των ζώων.The objective of the project was to study the seasonal variation of plasma pepsinogen in sheep during the first year of their life under Greek environmental conditions. Twenty ewes from three flocks in the area of Trikala were used for the study of which seven became pregnant and had lamps. No anthelmintic treatment was applied. Plasma pepsinogen levels were higher (p< 0.001) during spring and summer than winder and autumn. The high pepsinogen levels were attributed to the rainfall and mild temperatures observed in the area of Trikala during winter which created favorable conditions for the development and survival of infective lrvae. No difference was observed between the pepsinogen levels of pregnant and non-pregnant animals. In addition, no correlation between pepsinogen levels and growth rate (GR) of the animals was observed