Orientation and Decision-Making for Soccer Based on Sports Analytics and AI:A Systematic Review

Due to ever-growing soccer data collection approaches and progressing artificial intelligence(AI) methods, soccer analysis, evaluation, and decision-making have received increasing interest from not only the professional sports analytics realm but also the academic AI research community. AI brings gamechanging approaches for soccer analytics where soccer has been a typical benchmark for AI research. The combination has been an emerging topic. In this paper, soccer match analytics are taken as a complete observation-orientation-decision-action(OODA) loop.In addition, as in AI frameworks such as that for reinforcement learning, interacting with a virtual environment enables an evolving model. Therefore, both soccer analytics in the real world and virtual domains are discussed. With the intersection of the OODA loop and the real-virtual domains, available soccer data, including event and tracking data, and diverse orientation and decisionmaking models for both real-world and virtual soccer matches are comprehensively reviewed. Finally, some promising directions in this interdisciplinary area are pointed out. It is claimed that paradigms for both professional sports analytics and AI research could be combined. Moreover, it is quite promising to bridge the gap between the real and virtual domains for soccer match analysis and decision-making.

Does ergogenic effect of caffeine supplementation depend on CYP1A2 genotypes? A systematic review with meta-analysis

Background:The ergogenic effects of caffeine intake on exercise performance are well-established,even if differences exist among individuals in response to caffeine intake.The genetic variation of a specific gene,human cytochrome P450 enzyme 1A2(CYP1A2)(rs762551),may be one reason for this difference.This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively evaluate the influence of CYP1A2 gene types on athletes’exercise performance after caffeine intake.Methods:A literature search through 4 databases(Web of Science,PubMed,Scopus,and China National Knowledge Infrastructure)was conducted until March 2023.The effect size was expressed as the weighted mean difference(WMD)by calculating fixed effects meta-analysis if heterogeneity was not significant(I^(2)≤50%and p≥0.1).Subgroup analyses were performed based on AA and AC/CC genotype of CYP1A2.Results:The final number of studies meeting the inclusion criteria was 12(n=666 participants).The overall analysis showed that the cycling time trial significantly improved after caffeine intake(WMD=-0.48,95%confidence interval(95%CI):-0.83 to-0.13,p=0.007).In subgroup analyses,acute caffeine intake improved cycling time trial only in individuals with the A allele(WMD=-0.90,95%CI:-1.48 to-0.33,p=0.002),but not the C allele(WMD=-0.08,95%CI:-0.32 to 0.17,p=0.53).Caffeine supplementation did not influence the Wingate(WMD=8.07,95%CI:-22.04 to 38.18,p=0.60)or countermovement jump test(CMJ)performance(WMD=1.17,95%CI:-0.02 to 2.36,p=0.05),and these outcomes were not influenced by CYP1A2 genotype.Conclusion:Participants with the CYP1A2 genotype with A allele improved their cycling time trials after caffeine supplementation.However,compared to placebo,acute caffeine supplementation failed to increase the Wingate or CMJ performance,regardless of CYP1A2 genotype.

Impact of a 12-wk physical conditioning program on the aerobic capacity of aviation cadets

BACKGROUND Flight cadets need to have good physical fitness to cope with the challenges of flying missions.The continuous development of science and technology has led to the constant upgrading of fighter jets and the improvement of their performance,which has resulted in new and higher requirements for the physical fitness of flight personnel.The traditional physical training mode,method,and assessment have been used for many years and do not meet current fitness needs.AIM To investigate the impact of a 12-wk comprehensive anti-G fitness training program on the aerobic capacity of aviation cadets and to evaluate its effectiveness.METHODS Fifty-five cadets were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups using a randomized,single-blind design.The control group maintained their existing training regimen,while the experimental group participated in a 12-wk comprehensive training intervention.The training program comprised strength training twice per week,high-intensity interval training three times per week,and supplemental nutritional and psychological support.Maximal oxygen uptake(VO2max),lower limb strength,and hemoglobin levels were measured at baseline,at 6 wk and 12 wk post-intervention.RESULTS Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant differences of both VO2max and relative VO2 in both groups across time points(P<0.05).However,no significant time-group interaction was observed(P>0.05).Paired t-tests comparing baseline and 12-wk results showed that VO2max and relative VO2 were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group(P<0.05).This suggests that the training program effectively enhanced the aerobic capacity of the experimental group.Key indicators of aerobic capacity,bilateral lower limb strength and hemoglobin levels,were also significantly different over time and between groups(P<0.05).No significant differences were noted in heart-rate metrics(P>0.05).CONCLUSION A 12-wk comprehensive anti-G fitness training program significantly improved the aerobic capacity of aviation cadets,thereby enhancing their overall capacity and laying a physiological foundation for enduring high-G flights.

Leisure-time physical activity and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease in adults with type 2 diabetes:Cross-country comparison of cohort studies

Purpose:This study aimed to quantify the dose-response association and the minimal effective dose of leisure-time physical activity(PA)to prevent mortality and cardiovascular disease in adults with type 2 diabetes.Methods:Cross-country comparison of 2 prospective cohort studies including 14,913 and 17,457 population-based adults with type 2 diabetes from the UK and China.Baseline leisure-time PA was self-reported and categorized by metabolic equivalent hours per week(MET-h/week)according to World Health Organization recommendations:none,below recommendation(>0-7.49 MET-h/week);at recommended level(7.5-14.9 MET-h/week);above recommendation(>15 MET-h/week).Mortality and cardiovascular disease data were obtained from national registries.Results:During a median follow-up of 12.4 and 9.7 years,in the UK and China cohorts,repectively,higher levels of leisure-time PA were inversely associated with all-cause(1571 and 2351 events)and cardiovascular mortality(392 and 1060 events),mostly consistent with a linear dose-response relationship.PA below,at,and above recommendations,compared with no activity,yielded all-cause mortality hazard ratios of0.94(95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.79-1.12),0.90(95%CI:0.74-1.10),and 0.85(95%CI:0.70-1.02)in British adults and 0.87(95%CI:0.68-1.10),0.88(95%CI:0.74-1.03),and 0.77(95%CI:0.70-0.85)in Chinese adults.Associations with cardiovascular mortality were more pronounced in British adults(0.80(95%CI:0.58-1.11),0.75(95%CI:0.52-1.09),and 0.69(95%CI:0.48-0.97))but less pronounced in Chinese adults(1.06(95%CI:0.76-1.47),1.01(95%CI:0.80-1.28),and 0.79(95%CI:0.69-0.92)).PA at recommended levels was not associated with lower rates of major adverse cardiovascular events(2345 and 4458 events).Conclusion:Leisure-time PA at the recommended levels was not convincingly associated with lower mortality and had no association with risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in British or Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes.Leisure-time PA above current recommendations may be needed to prevent cardiovascular disease and premature mortality in adults with type 2 diabetes.

The correlation of miRNA expression and tumor mutational burden in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma

Background:The relationship between microRNA(miRNA)expression patterns and tumor mutation burden(TMB)in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma(UCEC)was investigated in this study.Methods:The UCEC dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database was used to identify the miRNAs that differ in expression between high TMB and low TMB sample sets.The total sample sets were divided into a training set and a test set.TMB levels were predicted using miRNA-based signature classifiers developed by Lasso Cox regression.Test sets were used to validate the classifier.This study investigated the relationship between a miRNA-based signature classifier and three immune checkpoint molecules(programmed cell death protein 1[PD-1],programmed cell death ligand 1[PD-L1],cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4[CTLA-4]).For the miRNA-based signature classifier,functional enrichment analysis was performed on the miRNAs.An analysis of the relationship between PD-1,PD-L1,and CTLA-4 immune checkpoint genes was carried out using the miRNA-based signature classifier.Results:We identified 27 differentially expressed miRNAs in miRNA-base signature.For predicting the TMB level,27-miRNA-based signature classifiers had accuracies of 0.8689 in the training cohort,0.8276 in the test cohort,and 0.8524 in the total cohort.The correlation between the miRNA-based signature classifier and PD-1 was negative,while the correlation between PD-L1 and CTLA4 was positive.Based on the miRNA profiling described above,we validated the expression levels of 9 miRNAs in clinical samples by quantitative reverse transcription PCR(qRT-PCR).Four of them were highly expressed and many cancer-related and immune-associated biological processes were linked to these 27 miRNAs.Thus,the developed miRNA-based signature classifier was correlated with TMB levels that could also predict TMB levels in UCEC samples.Conclusion:In this study,we investigated the relationship between a miRNAbased signature classifier and TMB levels in Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma.Further,this is the first study to confirm their relationship in clinical samples,which may provide more evidence support for immunotherapy of endometrial cancer.

Who could and should give exercise prescription:Physicians,exercise and health scientists,fitness trainers,or ChatGPT?

Benefits of exercise for personal health,as well as preventing and treating chronic diseases,have been well documented during the past several decades.1 Exercise prescription is a specialized field that involves assessing an individual’s health status,fitness level,and specific goals to create a tailored exercise program based often on the FITT-VP principle.

Is it time to put traditional cold therapy in rehabilitation of soft-tissue injuries out to pasture?

Cold therapy has been used regularly as an immediate treatment to induce analgesia following acute soft-tissue injuries,however,a prolonged ice application has proved to delay the start of the healing and lengthen the recovery process.Hyperbaric gaseous cryotherapy,also known as neurocryostimulation,has shown the ability to overcome most of the limitations of traditional cold therapy,and meanwhile promotes the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects well,but the current existing studies have shown conflicting results on its effects.Traditional cold therapy still has beneficial effect especially when injuries are severe and swelling is the limiting factor for recovery after soft-tissue injuries,and therefore no need to be entirely put out to pasture in the rehabilitation practice.Strong randomized controlled trials with good methodological quality are still needed in the future to evaluate the effects of different cryotherapy modalities.

Effects of Constant versus Fluctuating Incubation Temperatures on Hatching Success, Incubation Length, and Hatchling Morphology in the Chinese Skink (Plestiodon chinensis)

We incubated eggs ofPlestiodon chinensis under five constant （24, 26, 28, 30, and 32 ℃） and one fluctuating thermal regimes to examine the effects of constant versus fluctuating incubation temperatures on hatching success, incubation length, and hatchling morphology. The duration of incubation varied considerably among the six temperature treatments, whereas hatching success did not. The mean incubation length decreased as temperature increased in a nonlinear way, and increased as the thermal variance increased. Incubation temperature affected the body size （linear length and mass） and shape of hatchlings, with eggs incubated at 26, 28, and 30 ℃ producing larger and heavier hatchlings than did those incubated at 24 ℃, 32 ℃, or fluctuating temperatures. Our results showed that exposure of P. chinensis eggs to extreme temperatures for brief periods of time did not increase embryonic mortality and, in the fluctuating-temperature treatment, the thermal variance affected hatchling morphology more evidently than the thermal mean. Our results highlight the importance of the thermal variance in affecting embryonic development and hatchling morphology, and add further evidence that temperatures within the range of 26-30 ℃ are optimal for P. chinensis embryos.

Stochastic Learning for Opportunistic Peer-to-Peer Computation Offloading in IoT Edge Computing

Peer-to-peer computation offloading has been a promising approach that enables resourcelimited Internet of Things(IoT)devices to offload their computation-intensive tasks to idle peer devices in proximity.Different from dedicated servers,the spare computation resources offered by peer devices are random and intermittent,which affects the offloading performance.The mutual interference caused by multiple simultaneous offloading requestors that share the same wireless channel further complicates the offloading decisions.In this work,we investigate the opportunistic peer-to-peer task offloading problem by jointly considering the stochastic task arrivals,dynamic interuser interference,and opportunistic availability of peer devices.Each requestor makes decisions on both local computation frequency and offloading transmission power to minimize its own expected long-term cost on tasks completion,which takes into consideration its energy consumption,task delay,and task loss due to buffer overflow.The dynamic decision process among multiple requestors is formulated as a stochastic game.By constructing the post-decision states,a decentralized online offloading algorithm is proposed,where each requestor as an independent learning agent learns to approach the optimal strategies with its local observations.Simulation results under different system parameter configurations demonstrate the proposed online algorithm achieves a better performance compared with some existing algorithms,especially in the scenarios with large task arrival probability or small helper availability probability.

Correlation analysis of national elite Chinese male table tennis players’ shoulder proprioception and muscle strength

BACKGROUND Shoulder is the most injured part in table tennis players,and it takes multiple roles in transmitting power and striking the center of the ball during the stroke.Proprioception is strongly correlated with high level of athletic performance.It is customary to assume that there is a correlation between proprioception and muscle strength and therefore proprioceptive assessment and rehabilitation is often neglected.AIM To investigate the correlation between isokinetic muscle strength and proprioception in the internal and external rotation muscle groups of elite Chinese male table tennis players,to provide reference for physical training and rehabilitation of elite table tennis players.METHODS A total of 19 national elite table tennis players from the Chinese National Table Tennis Team were recruited in this research.All of them had more than 10 years training experience and had participated major competitions such as the National Games and World Youth Championships.IsoMed 2000 was used to test the peak torque of internal and external rotation isokinetic concentric contraction of the athletes'bilateral shoulder joints at low speed(60°/s)and high speed(180°/s)respectively;IsoMed 2000 was used to conduct the Joint Position Reproduction test to evaluate the athletes'proprioceptive ability capacity at low speed(60°/s)and high speed(180°/s)respectively.If the data satisfied the normal distribution,the correlation between the differences in peak torque s and angles in different directions was analyzed using a Pearson simple linear model;otherwise,Spearman correlation analysis was used.The comparison of proprioceptive ability between the table tennis racket-holding hand and non-racket-holding hands was performed using independent samples t-test if the data satisfied a normal distribution;otherwise,the Mann-Whitney U test was used.RESULTS There was no direct linear correlation between the strength and proprioceptive correlation analysis at slow speed(60°/s)and fast speed(180°/s)in the racket-holding hand;At the slow speed(60°/s)and fast speed(180°/s),there was no correlation between muscle strength and proprioception in the non-racket-holding hand except for the internal rotation variable error(VE)and external rotation relative peak torque,which showed a moderate positive correlation(r=0.477,P<0.05),(r=0.554,P<0.05).The internal rotation’s constant error(CE)and VE were 1.06±3.99 and 2.94±2.16,respectively,for the racket-holding hand,and-3.36±2.39 and 1.22±0.93,respectively,for the non-racket-holding hand;the internal rotation’s CE,VE of the racket-holding hand was lower than that of the non-racket-holding hand,and there was a highly significant difference(P<0.01).CONCLUSION There was no correlation between muscle strength and proprioceptive function in the internal and external rotation of the racket-holding hand’s shoulder in elite Chinese male table tennis players.These results may be useful for interventions for shoulder injuries and for the inclusion of proprioceptive training in rehabilitation programs.

Short Report:Babywalkers Use and Age of Autonomous Sitting and Walking in Portuguese Infants

Babywalkers are wheeled seats for infants that support their weight and allow them to move around,pushing the floor with their feet or feet’s toes.The purpose of the present study was to verify if Portuguese infants that used babywalker gained or not temporal advantage compared to infants who did not use any instrument for learning to walk.Data were obtained through a structured questionnaire for parents,with closed questions.Results revealed that babywalkers use does not afford advantages in the acquisition of independent walk.The absence of association between seat and walk autonomously in babywalker users that also used other walk-helper(e.g.,harness belt)reinforces the hypothesis that the use of these equipments may disrupt normal process of transition between seat and walk in infants.Considering the sample of the present study,a great percentage of Portuguese parents still presume that the use of babywalkers or similar equipments are necessary for independent walking acquisition.Babywalkers should be discouraged as an instrument for independent walk learning,and be replaced by functional stimulation,like stepping reflex systematic practice.

Pacing profiles and tactical behaviors of elite runners

The pacing behaviors used by elite athletes differ among individual sports,necessitating the study of sport-specific pacing profiles.Additionally,pacing behaviors adopted by elite runners differ depending on race distance.An“all-out”strategy,characterized by initial rapid acceleration and reduction in speed in the later stages,is observed during 100 m and 200 m events;400 m runners also display positive pacing patterns,which is characterized by a reduction in speed throughout the race.Similarly,800 m runners typically adopt a positive pacing strategy during paced“meet”races.However,during championship races,depending on the tactical approaches used by dominant athletes,pacing can be either positive or negative(characterized by an increase in speed throughout).A U-shaped pacing strategy(characterized by a faster start and end than during the middle part of the race)is evident during world record performances at meet races in 1500 m,5000 m,and 10,000 m events.Although a parabolic J-shaped pacing profile(in which the start is faster than the middle part of the race but is slower than the endspurt)can be observed during championship 1500 m races,a negative pacing strategy with microvariations of pace is adopted by 5000 m and 10,000 m runners in championship races.Major cross country and marathon championship races are characterized by a positive pacing strategy;whereas a U-shaped pacing strategy,which is the result of a fast endspurt,is adopted by 3000 m steeplechasers and half marathoners.In contrast,recent world record marathon performances have been characterized by even pacing,which emphasizes the differences between championship and meet races at distances longer than 800 m.Studies reviewed suggest further recommendations for athletes.Throughout the whole race,800 m runners should avoid running wide on the bends.In turn,during major championship events,1500 m,5000 m,and 10,000 m runners should try to run close to the inside of the track as much as possible during the decisive stages of the race when the speed is high.Staying within the leading positions during the last lap is recommended to optimize finishing position during 1500 m and 5000 m major championship races.Athletes with more modest aims than winning a medal at major championships are advised to adopt a realistic pace during the initial stages of long-distance races and stay within a pack of runners.Coaches of elite athletes should take into account the observed difference in pacing profiles adopted in meet races vs.those used in championship races:fast times achieved during races with the help of one or more pacemakers are not necessarily replicated in winner-takes-all championship races,where pace varies substantially.Although existing studies examining pacing characteristics in elite runners through an observational approach provide highly ecologically valid performance data,they provide little information regarding the underpinning mechanisms that explain the behaviors shown.Therefore,further research is needed in order to make a meaningful impact on the discipline.Researchers should design and conduct interventions that enable athletes to carefully choose strategies that are not influenced by poor decisions made by other competitors,allowing these athletes to develop more optimal and successful behaviors.

Attitudes towards, and methods of, maintaining or losing body weight among adults

To investigate motivators and strategies of adult weight loss or management, 1805 adults aged 18 - 65 were asked by computer assisted telephone interviews about their weight management behavior during the previous four weeks. High levels of importance to reduce risks associated with chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes were observed, although were indistinguishable between people attempting or not attempting to lose or maintain weight. Results showed that BMI was the strongest predictor of attempting to manage weight irrespective of age and, compared with males, females were more likely to attempt weight management at a lower BMI. Among the weight management group, the most popular weight management strategy was to choose healthier food options (77% and 70% for females and males respectively). With the weight management group also more likely to be monitoring the amount of food they consume, limiting portions sizes and tracking their physical activity participation compared with people not managing their weight. The current study showed that the likelihood of weight management within four weeks prior to the survey peaked for both sexes when BMI reached obese levels, (BMI = 30 - 39.9), suggesting that among people categorised as obese most were attempting to manage their weight. The results also suggest that at least some adults were not attempting to maintain their weight in the four weeks prior to the survey, irrespective of their BMI status. The implications of these findings suggest more effective approaches to weight loss and maintenance could focus on strategies that directly address the benefits and motivations of weight loss and weight maintenance, rather than focusing on conveying the risks of being overweight and the importance of avoiding chronic disease.

Effects of interrupting prolonged sitting on postprandial glycemia and insulin responses:A network meta-analysis

Purpose:This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity(PA)interrupting prolonged sitting(PS)on postprandial glycemia and insulin responses among adults.Methods:PubMed,EMBASE,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,CINAHL,PsycINFO,and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched through September 30,2020.Randomized controlled trials(RCTs)that examined the effect of all forms of PA interrupting PS on postprandial glycemia and/or insulin responses among adults without chronic diseases were included in this study.The risk of bias of included studies was evaluated based on the Cochrane tool.A network meta-analysis was performed to estimate the summary standardized mean differences(SMDs)with 95%confidence intervals(95%CIs)with random effects.Results:Thirty crossover RCTs were included in our review.These RCTs included 9 types of interventions that interrupted PS.When compared to PS by itself,light-intensity PA intermittent interrupting(LPA-INT)PS and moderate-intensity PA intermittent interrupting(MPA-INT)PS significantly lowered postprandial glycemia(SMD=-0.46,95%CI:-0.70 to-0.21;SMD=-0.69,95%CI:-1.00 to-0.37,respectively)and significantly reduced postprandial insulin response(SMD=-0.46,95%CI:-0.66 to-0.26;SMD=-0.47,95%CI:-0.77 to-0.17,respectively).Results of the clustered ranking plot indicated that MPA-INT was the most effective intervention in lowering postprandial glycemia and insulin responses.Conclusion:Replacing PS with MPA-INT or LPA-INT has a positive effect in reducing postprandial glycemia and insulin responses,with MPA-INT being the optimal intervention strategy.

Effectiveness of sub-maximal intermittent exercise on muscle glycogen depletion, PGC-1<i>α</i>and PDK-4 gene expression

Several metabolic gene expressions are regulated in concert with muscle glycogen status. We hypothesized that intermittent exercise performed at high but sub-maximal intensities with long recovery periods would induce a low glycogen state that would stimul- ate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coa- ctivator-1α (PGC1-α) and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-4 (PDK-4) gene expression in muscle. Nine young human subjects performed two intermittent exercise sessions. One session consisted of 60 s cycling bouts at VO2max (IE100%), and the other session consisted of 75 s cycling bouts at 80% VO2max (IE80%). Twelve bouts of exercise were completed in both sessions with a 4 min rest between each bout. Muscle specimens were obtained at pre-exercise and immediately, 1.5 h and 3 h post-exercise. Muscle gly- cogen was significantly decreased after both sessions (IE100%, 94.1 ± 5.8 to 38.7 ± 5.5 mmol/kg w.w.;IE80%, 94.6 ± 9.1 to 53.3 ± 4.8 mmol/kg w.w.;both P α and PDK- 4 mRNA expression were significantly increased after exercise in both IE100% and IE80% (PGC-1α: ~3.7 and ~2.9-fold, respectively;PDK-4: ~11.1 and ~3.5-fold, respectively;all P 100% than in IE80% (P a and PDK-4 mRNA expression, suggesting that increasing exercise intensity contributes to muscle glycogen depletion and PDK-4 mRNA expression in human skeletal muscle.

Motor Affordances in Family Context of Children 18 to 42 Months,From a Urban Coastland County of Portugal

AHEMD-SR(Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Self Report)was applied to children from 18 to 42 months(N=132),from a coastal municipality of Portugal.The results revealed that the father’s income provides more conditions for motor development stimulation,and that a higher number of offspring may result in less conditions for the younger ones.Having a mother,whatever her academic qualifications,is also a factor that promotes better conditions.Thus,in families with fewer resources and more children,it is strategically advisable to technically support the mother.The kindergarten appears to be an equalizer factor for opportunities for access to motor stimulation resources.

Optimization and Upgrading of Marine Tourism Products in Yantai Based on Resource Value Evaluation

The 21st century is the era of marine economy.The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development and utilization of marine resources.With the support of national marine policies,the development of marine tourism industry in Yantai has changed with each passing day,and the content of tourism products developed by Yantai is also constantly innovating.In this study,by using literature research,data analysis and other methods,the development of marine tourism resources in Yantai was analyzed.The results show that the marine tourism products in Yantai are not well-known,less competitive,and are difficult to form a scale advantage.Therefore,some measures to promote the development of tourism industry in Yantai were proposed,such as optimizing and upgrading marine tourism products in Yantai,strengthening regional cooperation to increase product awareness,improving the structure scale of products in scenic spots to enhance competitiveness,attaching importance to the application of science and technology and strengthening product innovation.