Relative Age Effect of Olympic Athletes in Beijing 2008

Research on expert performance field revealed a strong trend in the association of the birth dates of elite athletes to the first trimesters of the year (Wattie et al. 2008). The aim of this study was to analyze the birth date distribution of all top elite athletes who participated in Olympic Games at Beijing 2008. Athletes (n = 18.132) were divided according to gender, continent and sports. The birth dates of the athletes were divided into quarters. To analyze the distribution of the population by quarter we used the Chi-square test. Results showed statistical differences in the distribution for the total population, and for females and males population, showing a trend for athletes to born in the earlier part of the year. Relatively to the continent, statistical differences appear only in Africa, Asia and Europe. In terms of sports, statistical differences were found in the distribution of 6 sports in females (athletics, badminton, basketball, modern pentathlon, rowing, and swimming) and 9 sports in males (athletics, basketball, canoeing, road cycling, football, handball, rowing, swimming, and volleyball). In all cases, distribution showed a higher participation of athletes born in the beginning of the year. These results show a clear influence of the athlete’s date of birth in the achievement of expert performance, in several sports and continents

The pursuit of skin pigmentation control mechanisms

Funding: We would like to thank our group for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through projects EXPL/BEXBCM/0379/2013 and PTDC/BIA-CEL/29765/2017. H.M. was supported by a PhD fellowship from FCT (PD/BD/114118/2015), and D.C.B. by the FCT Investigator Program (IF/00501/2014/CP1252/ CT0001). This article is supported by the LYSOCIL project. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 811087.The mechanisms by which the pigment melanin is transferred from melanocytes and processed within keratinocytes to achieve skin pigmentation remain ill-characterized. Nevertheless, several models have emerged in the past decades to explain the transfer process. Here, we review the proposed models for melanin transfer in the skin epidermis, the available evidence supporting each one, and the recent observations in favor of the exo/phagocytosis and shed vesicles models. In order to reconcile the transfer models, we propose that different mechanisms could co-exist to sustain skin pigmentation under different conditions. We also discuss the limited knowledge about melanin processing within keratinocytes. Finally, we pinpoint new questions that ought to be addressed to solve the long-lasting quest for the understanding of how basal skin pigmentation is controlled. This knowledge will allow the emergence of new strategies to treat pigmentary disorders that cause a significant socio-economic burden to patients and healthcare systems worldwide and could also have relevant cosmetic applications.publishersversionpublishe

Thematic Comparison between ESA WorldCover 2020 Land Cover Product and a National Land Use Land Cover Map

Duarte, D., Fonte, C., Costa, H., & Caetano, M. (2023). Thematic Comparison between ESA WorldCover 2020 Land Cover Product and a National Land Use Land Cover Map. Land, 12(2), 1-16. [490]. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020490 --- Funding: This work has been supported by projects foRESTER (PCIF/SSI/0102/2017), SCAPEFIRE (PCIF/MOS/0046/2017) and FireLoc (PCIF/MPG/0128/2017), by Centro de Investigação em Gestão de Informação (MagIC) and grant UIDB/00308/2020, all funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). It was also supported by Compete2020 (POCI-05-5762-FSE-000368), funded by the European Social Fund.This work presents a comparison between a global and a national land cover map, namely the ESA WorldCover 2020 (WC20) and the Portuguese use/land cover map (Carta de Uso e Ocupação do Solo 2018) (COS18). Such a comparison is relevant given the current amount of publicly available LULC products (either national or global) where such comparative studies enable a better understanding regarding different sets of LULC information and their production, focus and characteristics, especially when comparing authoritative maps built by national mapping agencies and global land cover focused products. Moreover, this comparison is also aimed at complementing the global validation report released with the WC20 product, which focused on global and continental level accuracy assessments, with no additional information for specific countries. The maps were compared by following a framework composed by four steps: (1) class nomenclature harmonization, (2) computing cross-tabulation matrices between WC20 and the Portuguese map, (3) determining the area occupied by each harmonized class in each data source, and (4) visual comparison between the maps to illustrate their differences focusing on Portuguese landscape details. Some of the differences were due to the different minimum mapping unit ofCOS18 and WC20, different nomenclatures and focuses on either land use or land cover. Overall, the results show that while WC20 detail is able to distinguish small occurrences of artificial surfaces and grasslands within an urban environment, WC20 is often not able to distinguish sparse/individual trees from the neighboring cover, which is a common occurrence in the Portuguese landscape. While selecting a map, users should be aware that differences between maps can have a range of causes, such as scale, temporal reference, nomenclature and errors.publishersversionpublishe

Heart rate response to duration and players’ number variations in Futsal specific drill

Introduction: Recent findings demonstrate that Futsal is a multiple-sprint sport in which high-intensity exercise constitutes a greater proportion of match time than all other team sports (Barbero-Alvarez et al., 2008), but the research of training intensity is a unknown way. Sport specific drills with variations are constantly used in Futsal practices, however the knowledge about how these variations influence drill intensity is very insufficient (Duarte et al., 2007). Therefore, this study aimed to measure the effects of duration and players’ number variations in a Futsal specific drill by the elicited percentage of maximal Heart Rate (HRmax%) and percentage of time spent in three Heart Rate intensity zones (HRzone185%HRmax). Methods: The studied sample was constituted by eight players from a Portuguese First Division team [age 25.9(4.5); weight 67.6(7.5); height 1.7(0.1); BMI 22.4(2.0)]. The exercise testing consists in a “half-pitch game” with official rules. To test the effect of players’ numerical relations, the drill was played in 4v4, 3v3 and 2v2 conditions, during 4 minutes and followed with an active break (continuous running with low intensity) of 4 minutes. In order to test the effect of exercise duration, the drill was played during 4 minutes and 10 minutes conditions, maintaining an active break of 4 minutes. Results: In players’ number variation statistically significant differences were found in HRmax% [4v4 81.5(10.6) to 3v3 86.8(7.3) and to 2v2 87.9(11.7); p=0.01] and in percentage of time spent in HRzone2 [35.4% in 4v4, 12.5% in 3v3 and 10.4% in 2v2; p=0.01]. In the exercise duration statistically significant differences were found only in percentage of time spent in HRzone3 [50% in 4 minutes and 29.2% in 10 minutes; p=0.04]. Conclusions: The decrease in the number of players resulted in an intensity increase, probably due to the larger ratio of area per player and to the progressive decision making constraint by the limited choices of the ball carrier to cooperating with the teams-mate. The variation of the exercise duration did not induce any change in HRmax%. However, playing the “half-pitch game” during 4 minutes period brings more significant percentage of time spent in higher Heart Rate zone and induce more elevated physiological stimulation. Keywords: Heart Rate, Specific Drill, Futsa

Heart rate response to duration and players’ number variations in Futsal specific drill

Recent findings demonstrate that Futsal is a multiple-sprint sport in which high-intensity exercise constitutes a greater proportion of match time than all other team sports (Barbero-Alvarez et al., 2008), but the research of training intensity is a unknown way. Sport specific drills with variations are constantly used in Futsal practices, however the knowledge about how these variations influence drill intensity is very insufficient (Duarte et al., 2007). Therefore, this study aimed to measure the effects of duration and players’ number variations in a Futsal specific drill by the elicited percentage of maximal Heart Rate (HRmax%) and percentage of time spent in three Heart Rate intensity zones (HRzone185%HRmax). The studied sample was constituted by eight players from a Portuguese First Division team [age 25.9(4.5); weight 67.6(7.5); height 1.7(0.1); BMI 22.4(2.0)]. The exercise testing consists in a “half-pitch game” with official rules. To test the effect of players’ numerical relations, the drill was played in 4v4, 3v3 and 2v2 conditions, during 4 minutes and followed with an active break (continuous running with low intensity) of 4 minutes. In order to test the effect of exercise duration, the drill was played during 4 minutes and 10 minutes conditions, maintaining an active break of 4 minutes. In players’ number variation statistically significant differences were found in HRmax% [4v4 81.5(10.6) to 3v3 86.8(7.3) and to 2v2 87.9(11.7); p=0.01] and in percentage of time spent in HRzone2 [35.4% in 4v4, 12.5% in 3v3 and 10.4% in 2v2; p=0.01]. In the exercise duration statistically significant differences were found only in percentage of time spent in HRzone3 [50% in 4 minutes and 29.2% in 10 minutes; p=0.04]. The decrease in the number of players resulted in an intensity increase, probably due to the larger ratio of area per player and to the progressive decision making constraint by the limited choices of the ball carrier to cooperating with the teams-mate. The variation of the exercise duration did not induce any change in HRmax%. However, playing the “half-pitch game” during 4 minutes period brings more significant percentage of time spent in higher Heart Rate zone and induce more elevated physiological stimulation

Effects of Exercise Duration and Number of Players in Heart Rate Responses and Technical Skills During Futsal Small-sided Games

In the design of training programs, it is common for coaches to modify task constraints to conduct the drill intensity at the targeted level. Sport specific drills with variations are constantly used in Futsal practices, however the knowledge about how these variations influence drill intensity and technical demands is very scarce. The purpose of this study was to measure the physiological and technical effects of both duration and variations in the numbers of players in futsal specific drills. Heart rates and technical skills of 8 semi-professional futsal players were recorded during four specific drills. The experimental protocol consisted in a half-court game with official rules, played in 4v4, 3v3 and 2v2, each during 4 minutes and 4v4 during 10 minutes. It was maintained an active break of 4 minutes between each repetition. The lowest %HRmax was observed in response to the 4v4 drill independent of the exercise duration. In players’ number variation statistically significant differences were found in the percentage of time spent between 65-85%HRmax, in the number of successive contacts with the ball and number of dribbles. In exercise duration, statistically significant differences were found in percentage of time spent above 85%HRmax, in the number of successive contacts with the ball, number of dribbles and number of tackles. The decrease in the number of players and exercise duration resulted in intensity increases and more frequent individual tactical actions

A DNA barcode reference library of Portuguese mosquitoes

Research Areas: Public, Environmental & Occupational Health ; Infectious Diseases ; Veterinary SciencesMosquitoes are important biological vectors of pathogens and species identification in all life stages is the first step for effective monitoring and control of mosquitoborne diseases. Molecular methods for species identification have been developed over the last years to overcome the limitations of the taxonomic identification based on morphology. DNA barcoding, using a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene, can be used for species identification but a reliable and comprehensive reference database of verified sequences is required. In this study, we aimed to generate a DNA barcode reference library for the identification of mosquito species from Portuguese mosquito fauna, including most relevant vector species. Mosquitoes captured under the National Vector Surveillance Program (REVIVE) were processed for DNA extraction, COI gene fragment amplification and sequencing. Nighty-eight barcode sequences were obtained, representing 26 species and 6 genera. Sequences were submitted to GenBank and BOLD and were used for validation of phenetic classification. Barcode Index Number (BIN) assignment and Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) were used and clustered COI sequences into twenty-five molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). This is the first comprehensive study that combines morphological and molecular identification of most mosquito species present in Portugal aiming to offer a reliable framework for mosquito species identification.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

SSTS: A syntactic tool for pattern search on time series

We would like to acknowledge the financial support obtained from North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), Portugal 2020 and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) from European Union through the project Symbiotic technology for societal efficiency gains: Deus ex Machina (DEM), NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000026. We would like to acknowledge as well the projects AHA CMUP-ERI/HCI/0046 and INSIDE CMUP-ERI/HCI/051/2013 both financed by Fundcao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT).Nowadays, data scientists are capable of manipulating and extracting complex information from time series data, given the current diversity of tools at their disposal. However, the plethora of tools that target data exploration and pattern search may require an extensive amount of time to develop methods that correspond to the data scientist's reasoning, in order to solve their queries. The development of new methods, tightly related with the reasoning and visual analysis of time series data, is of great relevance to improving complexity and productivity of pattern and query search tasks. In this work, we propose a novel tool, capable of exploring time series data for pattern and query search tasks in a set of 3 symbolic steps: Pre-Processing, Symbolic Connotation and Search. The framework is called SSTS (Symbolic Search in Time Series) and uses regular expression queries to search the desired patterns in a symbolic representation of the signal. By adopting a set of symbolic methods, this approach has the purpose of increasing the expressiveness in solving standard pattern and query tasks, enabling the creation of queries more closely related to the reasoning and visual analysis of the signal. We demonstrate the tool's effectiveness by presenting 9 examples with several types of queries on time series. The SSTS queries were compared with standard code developed in Python, in terms of cognitive effort, vocabulary required, code length, volume, interpretation and difficulty metrics based on the Halstead complexity measures. The results demonstrate that this methodology is a valid approach and delivers a new abstraction layer on data analysis of time series.publishersversionpublishe

As novas ferramentas gráficas digitais modificando a direção de arte em publicidade

O avanço tecnológico introduziu na direção de arte dos anúncios publicitários, novas técnicas e novos métodos, gerando assim novas possibilidades e facilidades na criação destes anúncios. Com todas essas novas tecnologias, ocorreram mudanças na direção de arte dos anúncios. O processo criativo continua o mesmo, mas a forma de executar e colocar em prática as idéias se transformou. É necessário que o diretor de arte conheça todas estas novas técnicas e domine o uso dos softwares específicos. Além de dominar a técnica, é necessário que o diretor de arte também tenha sensibilidade para empregar de forma coerente a tecnologia, para que a direção de arte não se torne tão somente técnica em vez de arte e técnica aliadas