Physical and Physiological Demands of Amateur Portuguese Field and Assistant Football Referees.

Referees are crucial elements in football, and they must meet the physical and physiological demands each match poses to them. The aim is to analyse the physical and physiological demands of amateur referees in games at the regional level (4th division), examining the differences between the first and second halves and between assistant (age: 25.10 ± 4.97) and main referees (age: 25.65 ± 5.12). A total of 29 matches were analysed with GPS devices, and internal and external load metrics were analysed. Overall, main referees, due to their central role in game management, showed higher levels of physical and physiological load than assistant referees, with more high-intensity activities, greater distance covered and higher heart rate. The results also revealed that there were no differences between the halves for total distance covered for either the main or assistant referees. However, the main referees covered a greater distance in high-intensity running during the first half (p = 0.05; d = 0.389). These findings emphasise the importance of tailored training protocols to enhance performance and reduce fatigue-related errors, highlighting the significance of endurance, high-intensity running ability, and strategies to manage transient fatigue in referee preparation.

Methodology and Experimental Protocol for Studying Learning and Motor Control in Neuromuscular Structures in Pilates.

The benefits of Pilates have been extensively researched for their impact on muscular, psychological, and cardiac health, as well as body composition, among other aspects. This study aims to investigate the influence of the Pilates method on the learning process, motor control, and neuromuscular trunk stabilization, specifically in both experienced and inexperienced practitioners. This semi-randomized controlled trial compares the level of experience among 36 Pilates practitioners in terms of motor control and learning of two Pilates-based skills: standing plank and side crisscross. Data will be collected using various assessment methods, including abdominal wall muscle ultrasound (AWMUS), shear wave elastography (SWE), gaze behavior (GA) assessment, electroencephalography (EEG), and video motion. Significant intra- and inter-individual variations are expected, due to the diverse morphological and psychomotor profiles in the sample. The adoption of both linear and non-linear analyses will provide a comprehensive evaluation of how neuromuscular structures evolve over time and space, offering both quantitative and qualitative insights. Non-linear analysis is expected to reveal higher entropy in the expert group compared to non-experts, signifying greater complexity in their motor control. In terms of stability, experts are likely to exhibit higher Lyapunov exponent values, indicating enhanced stability and coordination, along with lower Hurst exponent values. In elastography, experienced practitioners are expected to display higher transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle elasticity, due to their proficiency. Concerning GA, non-experts are expected to demonstrate more saccades, focus on more Areas of Interest (AOIs), and shorter fixation times, as experts are presumed to have more efficient gaze control. In EEG, we anticipate higher theta wave values in the non-expert group compared to the expert group. These expectations draw from similar studies in elastography and correlated research in eye tracking and EEG. They are consistent with the principles of the Pilates Method and other scientific knowledge in related techniques.

Movement variability in Pilates: a scoping review.

Objective: This scoping review aimed to identify studies that analyzed movement variability in Pilates. Following a systematic approach to mapping evidence on this topic would highlight concepts, theories, sources, and knowledge gaps in this area. Methods: This review used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) criteria for the selection, reading, and analysis of studies in this area. We searched five literature databases (Web of Science, SCOPUS, library catalog of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education of the University of Coimbra-EBSCO Discovery Services, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar). Eligible articles contained the word "Pilates," and the human movement variability was analyzed. Any type of study (except reviews) could be eligible and must have been published between 1 January 2002 and 30 November 2022, in Portuguese, Spanish, French, or English. Results: Our search identified five eligible entries. Only one study used the Pilates method in its intervention, pointing to a more significant variability of hip-knee coordination, suggesting more diversified coordination patterns, and maintaining the variability of the angular position of the joint. Conclusion: Very few studies have examined movement variability in Pilates, and only one applied an ecological framework.

The Effect of Ice on Shoulder Proprioception in Badminton Athletes.

This study aims to analyze the influence of the application of cryotherapy on shoulder proprioception in badminton athletes. Thirty federated badminton athletes were included in this study, all of whom belonged to three of the teams currently competing in national competitions (Portugal). Their mean ages were 21.00 ± 5.60 years, and their experience in the modality was 8.40 ± 6.93 years. They practiced in an average of 2.93 ± 1.26 training sessions per week. All of them used their right hand to hold the racket. Each participant's dominant shoulder joint position and force senses were evaluated for four consecutive time points through the isokinetic dynamometer Biodex System 3. The experimental procedure consisted of applying ice for 15 min and the control procedure consisted of no therapeutic intervention. The proprioception outcomes were expressed using the absolute error, relative error, and variable error. All statistical analysis was performed using PASW Statistics 18 software (IBM-SPSS Statistics). There were no statistically significant changes in the joint position and force senses after the intervention, as well as during the subsequent 30 min. We conclude that, after this cryotherapy technique, there is no increased risk of injury associated with a proprioception deficit that prevents athletes from immediately returning to badminton practice.

Influence of Tactical and Situational Variables on Offensive Sequences During Elite European Handball Matches.

The main objective of this study was to analyze the influence of tactical and situational variables on offensive sequences during elite European handball matches. A sample of 55 games and 5.857 offensive sequences from the European Handball Federation Champions League, the selected teams were classified as the top eight teams in the league, were analyzed using X 2 and logistic regression analyses. Results indicated that positional attacks [odds ratio (OR) = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.28-0.42; p < 0.001] and fast attacks (OR = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.36-0.57; p < 0.001) decreased the probability of success for an offensive sequence by 66% and 54% when compared with counterattacks. Offensive sequences that start in the attacking zone seem to be less effective (~78%) than those that start from a situation of "ball in center." Additionally, offensive sequences that finished in the defensive zone of the observed team were 3.19 times more effective than those that ended before the 9 m zone. We concluded that compared with offensive sequences where the shot is performed from the 9 m zone, the chances of an offensive sequence ending successfully are 3.65, 3.60, and 2.21 times higher, for offensive sequences where the shot is performed from 9 m, 6 m, and the defensive zone, respectively. On the other hand, many variables seem to impact the performance of handball teams. Nevertheless, a significant challenge remains, and more research needs to be conducted to analyze the obstacles that teams need to overcome while attacking in the most effective way possible.

Active or Healthy Ageing: "A Wonderful Journey between Body, Cognition and Emotion".

This Special Issue, "Active or Healthy Ageing", presupposes a dynamic balance between body, cognition, and emotion, and it promises to be an important resource for any professional working with the older adult population [...].

Effectiveness of Therapeutic Exercise in Musculoskeletal Risk Factors Related to Swimmer's Shoulder.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic exercise seems to minimize musculoskeletal risk factors related to swimmer's shoulder. However, there is an absence of a qualitative evaluation of these programs and a great variability regarding the characteristics of exercises. The objective of this review was to identify, evaluate, and compare exercise programs used to minimize musculoskeletal risk factors related to swimmer's shoulder. METHODS: PubMed, CochraneLibrary, ScienceDirect, and Medscape were searched during January 2022. The research was limited to meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and RCTs written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese without publication time. The researched papers had swimmers as the population, compared an exercise program with another program or without intervention, and had as outcomes musculoskeletal risk factor variables. RESULTS: Eleven articles were considered for analysis. There were three positive effects of strength programs on shoulder rotators' strength and endurance, two positive effects of strength and stretching programs on shoulder posture, and one positive effect of a stretching program on shoulder ROM and a plyometric program on proprioception. CONCLUSIONS: There is high heterogeneity and little methodological quality evidence about the theme. However, strength programs with five or fewer OKC exercises performed out of the water seems to lead to better results in the swimmer's shoulder prevention.

Benefits of Pilates in the Elderly Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this systematic review is to collect and summarize the benefits of Pilates in the elderly population (>60 years old), within the current scientific production, assessing its contribution to Healthy Ageing (HA). We used PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) to select, collect, and analyse this thematic. The methodological procedures were registered in the PROSPERO database. The main results of the studies analysed (n = 30) point to significant differences between the intervention and the control groups in dynamic balance, strength, mobility, functional capacity, risk of falling reduction, and mental and psychological health. Thus, the results showed that Pilates may be beneficial for the health of the elderly. The meta-analysis found statistical differences between means on the dynamic balance (mean difference (MD) = −0.0, 95% CI [−0.71, −0.50]; I2: 0%) and the aerobic capacity and aerobic resistance [(MD) = 38.29, 95% CI [6.82, 69.77]; I2: 0%). Thus, it is concluded that the efficacy of Pilates has been shown in various areas of HA and has proven to be affordable and safe for the majority of people, using just a mat on the floor. Future studies should focus on the analysis of the relationship between the cost and the benefit of a Pilates intervention in the elderly population, to better understand how health costs can be minimized and to contribute to a multidisciplinary and generalized HA. Pilates has practical application for the clinicians, therapists, and health professionals that work with the elderly population.

Osteosarcoma of the anterior maxilla mimicking a periapical pathology: A case report.

Osteosarcomas of the jaws (OSJ) are difficult to diagnose, rare malignant lesions, with uncharacteristic radiographic and clinical presentation. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to improve long-term prognosis. The current report presents a rare case of a primary conventional osteoblastic osteosarcoma of the anterior maxilla in a 25-year-old female. She presented to a private dental clinic after developing pain, facial oedema and palpation tenderness of a mass associated with the upper right lateral incisor. The signs and symptoms mimicked very closely a regular radiolucent and symptomatic periapical pathology, and the definitive diagnosis was only possible through a combination of clinical, radiographic and histopathological findings. The patient was referred to an oncology facility, where she was submitted to radical excision surgery through a hemi-maxillectomy. Although other pathologies are uncommon, the differential diagnosis of lesions compatible with odontogenic periapical pathology should not be neglected.

Comparative Analysis of the Offensive Effectiveness in Winner and Losing Handball Teams.

The purpose of this study was to determine differences related to the offensive process between winning and losing teams among teams participating in the European Handball Federation Champions League (EHFCL) in 55 matches across five seasons. The key indicators used in this study are the offensive actions, team possession type and the zones of the field, goals, and shooting effectiveness. A total of 34 indicators were analyzed and compared using Mann-Whitney U tests. Sixteen key indicators are identified to confirm differences both from the aspect of the collective game in terms of assists (9.10 ± 2.75 vs. 7.29 ± 2.65), goals of positional attack (21.38 ± 4.60 vs. 18.20 ± 3.62) and from the aspect of individual goals from 6 m (16.67 ± 3.98 vs. 13.64 ± 3.70), and the effectiveness of shots (68.19 ± 6.83 vs. 59.41 ± 6.33). Winning teams performed better regarding the variables that defined the effectiveness of offensive shots, especially successful positioned attacks and fast attacks. They also had a greater number of assists. The profiles of the most successful teams can help coaches and practitioners to achieve better performances adjusting the training process according the performance indicators that seem to lead more often to success.

Homogeneous Distribution of Passing between Players of a Team Predicts Attempts to Shoot at Goal in Association Football: A Case Study with 10 Matches.

This paper presents a case study which aims to establish a relationship between the homogeneity of passing distribution between players of a team and goal attempts in the team sport of association football. We observed data from 10 competitive football matches, involving 10 different professional football teams of different performance levels, competing in the Portuguese League during the 2010/2011 season. Performance data were analysed using the Match Analysis Software Amisco. Shannon's entropy measure was used to quantify the homogeneity of passing distribution within each team. Results suggested the existence of a pattern between an increase in the homogeneity of passing distributions and the attempts to scoring goals in the sample of competitive matches studied. A homogeneous distribution of passes can moderately predict (approximately 45% of accuracy) when a goal attempt will occur within the following minute of an entropy assessment.

Effects of long-term multicomponent exercise on health-related quality of life in older adults with type 2 diabetes: evidence from a cohort study.

PURPOSE: To establish the effect of a long-term multicomponent exercise (LTMEX) intervention (24 months) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), in older adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: This longitudinal retrospective cohort study analyzes the effects of a supervised LTMEX program on HRQoL in older adults with T2D (n = 279). Participants underwent one of two conditions: LTMEX (n = 241) trained three times per week; and unchanged lifestyle-the control group (CO; n = 38). Participants completed baseline, and 2-year follow-up evaluations including the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36), anthropometric, hemodynamic components, and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 peak). RESULTS: LTMEX improves HRQoL, specifically physical functioning (P < 0.001), general health (P < 0.05), vitality (P < 0.001), mental health (MH; P < 0.05), physical component score (P < 0.001), mental component score (P < 0.001), and total SF-36 (P < 0.001). LTMEX group also decreased body weight (BW; P < 0.005), waist circumference (WC; P < 0.001), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR; P < 0.001), and systolic blood pressure (SBP; P < 0.001), and increased VO2 peak (P < 0.001). CO group increased WC (P = 0.012), BMI (P = 0.024), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR; P = 0.003) and SBP (P < 0.001), and decreased vitality (P < 0.001) and MH (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A LTMEX intervention improves physical and mental HRQoL in older adults with T2D, and also anthropometric, hemodynamic profile, and cardiorespiratory fitness.

The ARCANE Project: How an Ecological Dynamics Framework Can Enhance Performance Assessment and Prediction in Football.

This paper discusses how an ecological dynamics framework can be implemented to interpret data, design practice tasks and interpret athletic performance in collective sports, exemplified here by research ideas within the Augmented peRCeption ANalysis framEwork for Football (ARCANE) project promoting an augmented perception of football teams for scientists and practitioners. An ecological dynamics rationale can provide an interpretation of athletes' positional and physiological data during performance, using new methods to assess athletes' behaviours in real-time and, to some extent, predict health and performance outcomes. The proposed approach signals practical applications for coaches, sports analysts, exercise physiologists and practitioners through merging a large volume of data into a smaller set of variables, resulting in a deeper analysis than typical measures of performance outcomes of competitive games.

An 18-year-old woman with a 34-cm metaplastic breast carcinoma.

Metaplastic breast carcinomas (MBCs) are rare malignancies usually with poor prognosis. We report a case of an 18-year-old African female patient who presented with a 34-cm tumor on the right breast. Biopsy showed an extensively necrotic MBC negative for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (triple negative). A modified right radical mastectomy was performed, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Histology confirmed a widely necrotic undifferentiated malignant tumor, with strong and diffuse expression of vimentin and B-cell lymphoma 2, focal high-molecular-weight keratins and focal CD34 expression; Ki67 was >90%. There was no skin, deep margin or lymph node involvement. Six months after surgery, the patient showed a 9 × 7 cm nodule adjacent to the suture and adherent to the anterior chest wall. The tumor was considered unresectable and the patient evolved with rapid systemic deterioration. The patient had a progression-free survival of 6 months and overall survival of 9 months.

Ecological dynamics of continuous and categorical decision-making: the regatta start in sailing.

Ecological dynamics of decision-making in the sport of sailing exemplifies emergent, conditionally coupled, co-adaptive behaviours. In this study, observation of the coupling dynamics of paired boats during competitive sailing showed that decision-making can be modelled as a self-sustained, co-adapting system of informationally coupled oscillators (boats). Bytracing the spatial-temporal displacements of the boats, time series analyses (autocorrelations, periodograms and running correlations) revealed that trajectories of match racing boats are coupled more than 88% of the time during a pre-start race, via continuous, competing co-adaptions between boats. Results showed that both the continuously selected trajectories of the sailors (12 years of age) and their categorical starting point locations were examples of emergent decisions. In this dynamical conception of decision-making behaviours, strategic positioning (categorical) and continuous displacement of a boat over the course in match-race sailing emerged as a function of interacting task, personal and environmental constraints. Results suggest how key interacting constraints could be manipulated in practice to enhance sailors' perceptual attunement to them in competition.

Trapped modes around freely floating bodies in a two-layer fluid channel.

Unlike the trapping of time-harmonic water waves by fixed obstacles, the oscillation of freely floating structures gives rise to a complex nonlinear spectral problem. Still, through a convenient elimination scheme the system simplifies to a linear spectral problem for a self-adjoint operator in a Hilbert space. Under symmetry assumptions on the geometry of the fluid domain, we present conditions guaranteeing the existence of trapped modes in a two-layer fluid channel. Numerous examples of floating bodies supporting trapped modes are given.

Ectopia cordis: a case report / Ectopia cordis: caso clínico

Ectopia cordis is a rare congenital malformation, with an estimated incidence of 5 to 8 per million live births. It is defined as a malformation in which the heart is located in an extra-thoracic position. Ectopia cordis may occur as an isolated malformation or associated with other anomalies such as omphalocele, congenital heart disease or integrating Cantrell syndrome. The size and location of the defect influence the prognosis. Description: we report a case of a 24-year-old nulliparous woman, with no relevant family or personal history, in which the prenatal fetal ultrasound, performed at 21 weeks of gestation, revealed adefect of the anterior chest wall with exteriorization of the heart. Discussion: fetal echocardiography revealed a severe congenital heart disease. The parents decided to continue the pregnancy, after being duly informed by a multidisciplinary team. Delivery occurred at 37 weeks of gestation but the female newborn died one hour afterwards. Pathological examination confirmed the sonographic findings...

A ectopia cordis é uma malformação congênita rara, com uma incidência estimada de 5 a 8 por milhão de nados vivos. Define-se como uma malformação em que o coração se localiza numa posição extratorácica. Pode surgir como malformação isolada ou associada a outras anomalias como onfalocelo, doença cardíaca congênita ou integrando o síndrome de Cantrell. A dimensão e o local do defeito influenciam o prognóstico. Descrição: descreve-se um caso de uma mulher de 24 anos, nulípara, sem antecedentes pessoais oufamiliares relevantes, em que a ultrassonografiaobstétrica, realizada às 21 semanas, revelou um defeito da parede torácica anterior com exteriorização do coração. Discussão: o ecocardiograma fetal revelou uma cardiopatia congênita grave. Os pais decidiram continuar com a gravidez, após de devidamente informados por uma equipe multidisciplinar. O partoocorreu às 37 semanas, tendo o recém-nascido falecido cerca de 1 hora após o mesmo. O estudo anatomopatológico confirmou os achados ultrassonográficos...

Distance and slope constraints: adaptation and variability in golf putting.

The main objective of this study is to understand the adaptation to external constraints and the effects of variability in a golf putting task. We describe the adaptation of relevant variables of golf putting to the distance to the hole and to the addition of a slope. The sample consisted of 10 adult male (33.80 ± 11.89 years), volunteers, right handed and highly skilled golfers with an average handicap of 10.82. Each player performed 30 putts at distances of 2, 3 and 4 meters (90 trials in Condition 1). The participants also performed 90 trials, at the same distances, with a constraint imposed by a slope (Condition 2). The results indicate that the players change some parameters to adjust to the task constraints, namely the duration of the backswing phase, the speed of the club head and the acceleration at the moment of impact with the ball. The effects of different golf putting distances in the no-slope condition on different kinematic variables suggest a linear adjustment to distance variation that was not observed when in the slope condition.

Interpersonal dynamics: 1v1 sub-phase at sub-18 football players.

The performance of football players within game context can be analyzed based on their ability to break or (re)balance the attacker-defender dyad. In this context, the analysis of each sub-phase (e.g., 1v1, 2v2) presents a feature that needs to be taken into account in sports analysis. This study aims to investigate the interpersonal dynamics dyad formed by the attacker and the defender in 1v1 situations with a goalkeeper. A sample of 11 football male players (age: 17.91 ± 1.04 years) with 8.6 ± 1.52 years of practice experience participated in the study. Analyzing the 1v1 sub-phase, results show that the distance, speed and angular amplitude between the attacker and the defender increases, especially when the attacker attempts to overtake the defender (i.e., score a goal). We conclude that decision-making emerges from the perception that players draw from the action, actively and consistently interacting to find solutions to emerging problems within the game context.

Dispositivo de escoamento aerodinâmico induzido para análise do desempenho do serviço de tênis / Induced aerodynamic flow device for analyzing the performance of the tennis serve

Este trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver um dispositivo de produção de um Escoamento Aerodinâmico Induzido (EAI) capaz de simular a constrição ambiental e vento lateral, em contexto experimental de análise ao primeiro serviço de tênis. Para tal, estudou-se o comportamento da bola de tênis sob o efeito de um EAI no túnel de vento e analisou-se (3D) o lançamento da bola no primeiro serviço plano de 12 jogadores de tênis experientes. Concebeu-se um dispositivo composto por um ventilador industrial ajustável em altura e em profundidade às caraterísticas morfológicas e técnicas do tenista. O caudal de EAI é estável e monitorizável através de um variador de velocidade. Conclui-se que as três "velocidades de vento" selecionadas, constrangem o lançamento da bola (simulado por uma máquina) no eixo dos x (lateral), tornando o dispositivo capaz de perturbar a execução motora do serviço de tênis, recriando uma constrição ambiental relevante para a modalidade.

The present work developed a device for producing an induced aerodynamic flow (EAI) to simulate the environmental constraint, side wind, in the experimental context of analysis on the first tennis serve. For this, we studied the tennis ball behavior under the influence of an EAI in a wind tunnel, and 3D analyzed the ball toss in the first flat serve of 12 experienced tennis players. We designed a device composed of an industrial ventilator with adjustable height and depth to the morphological and technical features of each player. The EAI flow generated by the device is stable and monitorable through a speed variator. The three selected wind speed have constrained the ball toss (simulated by the device) on the x axis (lateral), making the device able to disturb the performance of the tennis serve, recreating therefore in an experimental context a relevant environmental constraint to tennis.