Field location and player roles as constraints on emergent 1-vs-1 interpersonal patterns of play in football

This study examined effects of player roles on interpersonal patterns of coordination that sustain decision-making in 1-vs-1 sub-phases of football in different field locations near the goal (left-, middle- and right zone). Participants were fifteen U-16 yrs players from a local competitive amateur team. To measure interpersonal patterns of coordination in the 1-vs-1 dyads we recorded: (i) the relative distance value between each attacker and defender to the centre of the goal, and (ii), the relative angle between the centre of the goal, each defender and attacker. Results revealed how variations in field locations near the goal (left-, middle- and right-zones) constrained the relative distance and relative angle values that emerged between them and the goal. It reveals that relative position of the goal is a key informational variable that sustained participants’ behaviours for dribbling and shooting. Higher values of relative distance and angle were observed in the middle zone, compared to other zones. Players’ roles also constitute a constraint on the interpersonal coordination for dribbling and shooting. Additionally, it seems that players’ foot preference constrains the dynamics of interpersonal patterns of coordination between participants, especially in left and right zones. The findings suggest that to increase participants’ opportunities for action, coaches should account with field positions, players’ roles and preference foot

Malpais spring virus is a new species in the genus vesiculovirus

BACKGROUND: Malpais Spring virus (MSPV) is a mosquito-borne rhabdovirus that infects a variety of wild and feral ungulates in New Mexico, including horses and deer. Although, initial serologic tests and electron microscopy at the time of isolation nearly 25 years ago provided evidence that MSPV is a novel virus, possibly related to vesiculoviruses, the virus still has not been approved as a new species. FINDINGS: Use of the illumina platform allowed us to obtain the complete genome of MSPV. Analysis of the complete 11019 nt genome sequence of the prototype 85-488NM strain of MSPV indicates that it encodes the five common rhabdovirus structural proteins (N, P, M, G and L) with alternative ORFs (> 180 nt) in the N, M and G genes, including a 249 nt ORF in the G gene predicted to encode a 9.26 kDa highly basic transmembrane protein. Although antigenically very distant, phylogenetic analysis of the L gene indicates that MSPV is most closely related to Jurona virus, also isolated from mosquitoes in Brazil, as well as a number of other vesiculoviruses. CONCLUSIONS: In sum, our analysis indicates MSPV should be classified as a member of the genus Vesiculovirus, family Rhabdoviridae. The complete genome sequence of MSPV will be helpful in the development of a reverse genetics system to study the unique aspects of this vesiculovirus in vivo and in vitro, and will assist development of specific diagnostic tests to study the epidemiology of MSPV infection

Numerical relations and skill level constrain co-adaptive behaviors of agents in sports teams

Similar to other complex systems in nature (e.g., a hunting pack, flocks of birds), sports teams have been modeled as social neurobiological systems in which interpersonal coordination tendencies of agents underpin team swarming behaviors. Swarming is seen as the result of agent co-adaptation to ecological constraints of performance environments by collectively perceiving specific possibilities for action (affordances for self and shared affordances). A major principle of invasion team sports assumed to promote effective performance is to outnumber the opposition (creation of numerical overloads) during different performance phases (attack and defense) in spatial regions adjacent to the ball. Such performance principles are assimilated by system agents through manipulation of numerical relations between teams during training in order to create artificially asymmetrical performance contexts to simulate overloaded and underloaded situations. Here we evaluated effects of different numerical relations differentiated by agent skill level, examining emergent inter-individual, intra- and inter-team coordination. Groups of association football players (national - NLP and regional-level - RLP) participated in small-sided and conditioned games in which numerical relations between system agents were manipulated (5v5, 5v4 and 5v3). Typical grouping tendencies in sports teams (major ranges, stretch indices, distances of team centers to goals and distances between the teams' opposing line-forces in specific team sectors) were recorded by plotting positional coordinates of individual agents through continuous GPS tracking. Results showed that creation of numerical asymmetries during training constrained agents' individual dominant regions, the underloaded teams' compactness and each team's relative position on-field, as well as distances between specific team sectors. We also observed how skill level impacted individual and team coordination tendencies. Data revealed emergence of co-adaptive behaviors between interacting neurobiological social system agents in the context of sport performance. Such observations have broader implications for training design involving manipulations of numerical relations between interacting members of social collectives

Cell walls of the dimorphic fungal pathogens Sporothrix schenckii and Sporothrix brasiliensis exhibit bilaminate structures and sloughing of extensive and intact layers

This work was supported by the Fundação Carlos Chagas de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), grants E-26/202.974/2015 and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), grants 229755/2013-5, Brazil. LMLB is a senior research fellow of CNPq and Faperj. NG acknowledged support from the Wellcome Trust (Trust (097377, 101873, 200208) and MRC Centre for Medical Mycology (MR/N006364/1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The idiotype (Id) cascade in mice elicited the production of anti-R24 Id and anti-anti-Id monoclonal antibodies with antitumor and protective activity against human melanoma

Gangliosides have been considered as potential targets for immunotherapy because they are overexpressed on the surface of melanoma cells. However, immunization with purified gangliosides results in a very poor immune response, usually mediated by IgM antibodies. To overcome this limitation, we immunized mice with R24, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that recognizes the most tumor-restricted ganglioside (GD3); our goal was to obtain anti-idiotype (Id) antibodies bearing the internal image of GD3. Animals produced anti-Id and anti-anti-Id antibodies. Both anti-Id and anti-anti-Id antibodies were able to inhibit mAb R24 binding to GD3. in addition, the anti-anti-Id antibodies were shown to recognize GD3 directly. Anti-Id and anti-anti-Id mAb were then selected from two fusion experiments for evaluation. the most interesting finding emerged from the characterization of the anti-anti-Id mAb 5.G8. It was shown to recognize two different GD3-expressing human melanoma cell lines in vitro and to mediate tumor cell cytotoxicity by complement activation and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. the biological activity of the anti-anti-Id mAb was also tested in a mouse tumor model, in which it was shown to be a powerful growth inhibitor of melanoma cells. Thus, activity of the anti-anti-Id mAb 5.G8 matched that of the prototypic anti-GD3 mAb R24 both in vitro and in vivo. Altogether, our results indicate that the idiotype approach might produce high affinity, specific and very efficient antitumor immune responses. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 64-70).Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Biophys, São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Expt Oncol Unity UNONEX, São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Interdisciplinary Ctr Gene Therapy CINTERGEN, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Laval, Canc Res Ctr, Quebec City, PQ, CanadaFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Biophys, São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Expt Oncol Unity UNONEX, São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Interdisciplinary Ctr Gene Therapy CINTERGEN, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Role for Chitin and Chitooligomers in the Capsular Architecture of Cryptococcus neoformans

Molecules composed of beta-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and deacetylated glucosamine units play key roles as surface constituents of the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. GlcNAc is the monomeric unit of chitin and chitooligomers, which participate in the connection of capsular polysaccharides to the cryptococcal cell wall. in the present study, we evaluated the role of GlcNAc-containing structures in the assembly of the cryptococcal capsule. the in vivo expression of chitooligomers in C. neoformans varied depending on the infected tissue, as inferred from the differential reactivity of yeast forms to the wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) in infected brain and lungs of rats. Chromatographic and dynamic light-scattering analyses demonstrated that glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), the major cryptococcal capsular component, interacts with chitin and chitooligomers. When added to C. neoformans cultures, chitooligomers formed soluble complexes with GXM and interfered in capsular assembly, as manifested by aberrant capsules with defective connections with the cell wall and no reactivity with a monoclonal antibody to GXM. Cultivation of C. neoformans in the presence of an inhibitor of glucosamine 6-phosphate synthase resulted in altered expression of cell wall chitin. These cells formed capsules that were loosely connected to the cryptococcal wall and contained fibers with decreased diameters and altered monosaccharide composition. These results contribute to our understanding of the role played by chitin and chitooligosaccharides on the cryptococcal capsular structure, broadening the functional activities attributed to GlcNAc-containing structures in this biological system.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)NIHTraining Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology and GeneticsDepartment of EnergyUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Microbiol Prof Paulo de Goes, Lab Estudos Integrados Bioquim Microbiana, BR-21941902 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilAlbert Einstein Coll Med, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Bronx, NY 10467 USAAlbert Einstein Coll Med, Dept Pediat, Bronx, NY 10467 USAAlbert Einstein Coll Med, Div Infect Dis, Dept Med, Bronx, NY 10467 USAGdansk Univ Technol, Dept Pharmaceut Technol & Biochem, PL-80952 Gdansk, PolandUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Disciplina Biol Celular, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Disciplina Biol Celular, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilNIH: AI033142NIH: AI033774NIH: AI052733NIH: HL059842Training Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Genetics: T32 GM007491Department of Energy: DE-FG-9-93ER-20097Web of Scienc

Exploring elite soccer teams’ performances during different match-status periods of close matches’ comebacks

The aim of the present study was to examine winning and losing teams’ performances during the four different match-status periods that occur in close soccer matches’ comebacks (1° drawing; 2° winning/losing; 3° drawing; and 4° losing/winning). The variables (i.e., shots, passing effectiveness and ball possession) were gathered from 17 matches of the Spanish professional soccer league. Relative-phase analysis of ball possession between teams revealed a shift from anti-phase to in-phase relations from period 1 to 4. Pass efficacy revealed a particular trend of anti-phase relations in period 2 and the analysis of shots revealed similar phase relations between periods. Statistically significant differences were observed between winning and losing teams in Period 3 for ball possession and passing effectiveness. Also, statistically significant differences among periods were observed for winning teams in ball possession with period 4 as the most differentiated from the other periods. Besides, winning teams also showed significant differences between periods in passing effectiveness (period 4 vs 3), and in shots (period 3 vs periods 1, 2 and 4). On the other hand, ball possession showed significant differences for losing teams with periods 3 and 4 different than periods 1 and 2. The current findings can be used when controlling match-status scenarios and key performance indicators along the match

Sports teams as complex adaptive systems: manipulating player numbers shapes behaviours during football small-sided games

Small-sided and conditioned games (SSCGs) in sport have been modelled as complex adaptive systems. Research has shown that the relative space per player (RSP) formulated in SSCGs can impact on emergent tactical behaviours. In this study we adopted a systems orientation to analyse how different RSP values, obtained through manipulations of player numbers, influenced four measures of interpersonal coordination observed during performance in SSCGs. For this purpose we calculated positional data (GPS 15 Hz) from ten U-15 football players performing in three SSCGs varying in player numbers (3v3, 4v4 and 5v5). Key measures of SSCG system behaviours included values of (1) players’ dispersion, (2) teams’ separateness, (3) coupling strength and time delays between participants’ emerging movements, respectively. Results showed that values of participants’ dispersion increased, but the teams’ separateness remained identical across treatments. Coupling strength and time delay also showed consistent values across SSCGs. These results exemplified how complex adaptive systems, like football teams, can harness inherent degeneracy to maintain similar team spatial–temporal relations with opponents through changes in inter-individual coordination modes (i.e., players’ dispersion). The results imply that different team behaviours might emerge at different ratios of field dimension/player numbers. Therefore, sport pedagogists should carefully evaluate the effects of changing RSP in SSCGs as a way of promoting increased or decreased pressure on players

Emergence of contact injuries in invasion team sports : an ecological dynamics rationale

The incidence of contact injuries in team sports is considerable, and injury mechanisms need to be comprehensively understood to facilitate the adoption of preventive measures. In Association Football, evidence shows that the highest prevalence of contact injuries emerges in one-on-one interactions. However, previous studies have tended to operationally report injury mechanisms in isolation, failing to provide a theoretical rationale to explain how injuries might emerge from interactions between opposing players. In this position paper, we propose an ecological dynamics framework to enhance current understanding of behavioural processes leading to contact injuries in team sports. Based on previous research highlighting the dynamics of performer–environment interactions, contact injuries are proposed to emerge from symmetry-breaking processes during on-field interpersonal interactions among competing players and the ball. Central to this approach is consideration of candidate control parameters that may provide insights on the information sources used by players to reduce risk of contact injuries during performance. Clinically, an ecological dynamics analysis could allow sport practitioners to design training sessions based on selected parameter threshold values as primary and/or secondary preventing measures during training and rehabilitation sessions

Parkour as a donor sport for athletic development in youth team sports: insights through an ecological dynamics lens

Analyses of talent development in sport have identified that skill can be enhanced through early and continued involvement in donor sports which share affordances (opportunities for action) with a performer's main target sport. Aligning key ideas of the Athletic Skills Model and ecological dynamics theory, we propose how the sport of parkour could provide a representative and adaptive platform for developing athletic skill (e.g. coordination, timing, balance, agility, spatial awareness and muscular strength). We discuss how youth sport development programmes could be (re) designed to include parkour-style activities, in order to develop general athletic skills in affordance-rich environments. It is proposed that team sports development programmes could particularly benefit from parkour-style training since it is exploratory and adaptive nature shapes utilisation of affordances for innovative and autonomous performance by athletes. Early introduction to varied, relevant activities for development of athleticism and skill, in a diversified training programme, would provide impetus for a fundamental shift away from the early specialisation approach favoured by traditional theories of skill acquisition and expertise in sport