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

DPD-DFF: a dual phase distributed scheme with double fingerprint fusion for fast and accurate identification in large databases

Nowadays, many companies and institutions need fast and reliable identification systems that are able to deal with very large databases. Fingerprints are among the most used biometric traits for identification. In the current literature there are fingerprint matching algorithms that are focused on efficiency, whilst others are based on accuracy. In this paper we propose a flexible dual phase identification method, called DPD-DFF, that combines two fingers and two matchers within a hybrid fusion scheme to obtain both fast and accurate results. Different alternatives are designed to find a trade-off between runtime and accuracy that can be further tuned with a single parameter. The experiments show that DPD-DFF obtains very competitive results in comparison with the state-of-the-art score fusion techniques, especially when dealing with large databases or impostor fingerprints

Hydrogeochemical characterization of an evaporite karst area affected by sinkholes (Ebro Valley, NE Spain)

The main processes controlling the hydrochemistry of an alluvium-covered evaporite karst area with high sinkhole risk (Ebro Valley, NE Spain) are examined by means of multivariate analyses (Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis), ion correlations and geochemical speciation-solubility calculations. The hydrogeochemistry of the studied system seems to be governed by the interaction between the groundwater from the salt-bearing evaporitic karst aquifer and from the overlying Ebro River alluvial aquifer. The observed hydrochemical features in the alluvial-karst aquifer system are mainly determined by the relative contribution of gypsum/anhydrite and halite dissolution, showing a wide spectrum from relatively fresh recharge waters (mainly irrigation waters) to highly evolved groundwater from the evaporitic aquifer. The variability of these contributions is especially evident at sinkhole ponds which, in some cases, seem to be associated with discharge areas of the karst aquifer in the valley bottom alluvium. Calculated saturation indexes suggest that, in contrast to gypsum, the amounts of halite in the sampled portions of evaporitic aquifer are not large enough to attain equilibrium, which is consistent with the predominance of gypsum/anhydrite reported for these materials. Furthermore, the observed Na:Cl and Ca:SO4 correlations and stoichiometries suggest that other possible processes, such as glauberite dissolution or Na/Ca-exchange, generally play a minor role (compared to halite and gypsum dissolution) in this system. Another important process in the system is the dissolution of carbonate minerals (dolomite and, possibly, calcite) fostered by the input of CO2(g), which is probably produced by pedogenic processes. Dolomite dissolution seems to be particularly relevant in the evaporitic materials probably due to dedolomitisation triggered by gypsum/anhydrite dissolution

Do the shuffle: Exploring reasons for music listening through shuffled play

Adults listen to music for an average of 18 hours a week (with some people reaching more than double that). With rapidly changing technology, music collections have become overwhelmingly digital ushering in changes in listening habits, especially when it comes to listening on personal devices. By using interactive visualizations, descriptive analysis and thematic analysis, this project aims to explore why people download and listen to music and which aspects of the music listening experience are prioritized when people talk about tracks on their device. Using a newly developed data collection method, Shuffled Play, 397 participants answered open-ended and closed research questions through a short online questionnaire after shuffling their music library and playing two pieces as prompts for reflections. The findings of this study highlight that when talking about tracks on their personal devices, people prioritise characterizing them using sound and musical features and associating them with the informational context around them (artist, album, and genre) over their emotional responses to them. The results also highlight that people listen to and download music because they like it-a straightforward but important observation that is sometimes glossed over in previous research. These findings have implications for future work in understanding music, its uses and its functions in peoples' everyday lives

Effectiveness and safety of generic version of abacavir/lamivudine and efavirenz in treatment naive HIV-infected patients: a nonrandomized, open-label, phase IV study in Cali-Colombia, 2011-2012

Background: Generic drug policies are often associated with concerns about the quality and effectiveness of these products. Phase IV clinical trials may be a suitable design to assess the effectiveness and safety of generic drugs. The objective of this study was to describe the effectiveness and the safety of the generic abacavir/lamivudine and efavirenz in treatment-naïve HIV-infected patients. Methods: A monocentric, nonrandomized, open-label, phase IV study in treatment naïve HIV-infected patients 18 years or older with indication to receive abacavir/lamivudine and efavirenz were recruited from a program that provides comprehensive outpatient consultation and continuing care. The primary end-point was to achieve viral load <40 copies/mL at 12 months after baseline to assess effectiveness. Secondary end-point of the study were 1) to asses increasing in T-CD4 lymphocytes levels as accompaniment to asses effectiveness, and 2) to assess both gastrointestinal, skin, and central nervous system symptoms, and lipid profile, cardiovascular risk, renal, and hepatic function as safety profile. Data were determined at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Close clinical monitoring and pharmaceutical care were used for data collection. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test was used to compare proportions or medians. Results: Sixty patients were invited to participate in the study; 42 were enrolled and 33 completed the follow-up. Of the nine patients excluded from the study, only one was withdrawn due to adverse events. At 12 months, 31 of 42 patients (73.8 % in intention-to-treat analysis) achieved a viral load of HIV1 RNA <40 copies/mL. There was a significant increase (172 cells/mm3) in the median for CD4 T lymphocyte count. The adverse events were mild and met the safety profile for this antiretroviral regimen, mainly of central nervous system symptoms, skin rash, lipid abnormalities, and an increase of 2 % in the median of the percentage of cardiovascular risk. Conclusions: The clinical outcomes of generic version of abacavir/lamivudine and efavirenz in HIV treatment naïve patients showed the expected safety and effectiveness profile of proprietary ARV drugs. Trial registration: Registro Público Cubano de Ensayos Clínicos (RPCEC) ID: RPCEC00000202. Registered 19 November 2015.This research was made possible by contribution from the Corporación de Lucha Contra el SIDA, Cali-Colombia, and Comité para el Desarrollo de la Investigación (CODI), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. In addition, Humax Pharmaceutical S.A. provided the antiretroviral drugs

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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