Determination of football pitch locations from video footage and official pitch markings

The ability to determine a specific location on a football (soccer) pitch from television footage would provide a cost-effective method of obtaining competition-specific information on many professional and international teams. This study presents the accuracy and reliability of a new method of calculating ball location from simulated television coverage and known pitch markings. The coordinates of 99 markers of known location on a football pitch were digitized from video. An intersection point was determined from the equations of two lines that form pitch markings and the relationship from this point to other known pitch coordinates was calculated using a curve-fitting based method. Average error between known and reconstructed measures was 0.21 m for pitch width and 0.11 m for pitch length from a view simulating television coverage. Inter- and intra-rater reliability analyses showed researchers could consistently reconstruct pitch locations to within less than half a metre. The accuracy and reliability of this method will be sufficient for most practical uses in an applied sport environment, although the level of accuracy required will depend on the specific application. This method could be applied to other sports to determine specific locations on a pitch or court or to improve current competition analysis systems.     

Modelling mood states in athletic performance

The ability to recognize patterns of play is fundamental to performance in team sports. While typically assumed to be domain-specific, pattern recognition skills may transfer from one sport to another if similarities exist in the perceptual features and their relations and/or the strategies used to encode and retrieve relevant information. A transfer paradigm was employed to compare skilled and less skilled soccer, field hockey and volleyball players' pattern recognition skills. Participants viewed structured and unstructured action sequences from each sport, half of which were randomly represented with clips not previously seen. The task was to identify previously viewed action sequences quickly and accurately. Transfer of pattern recognition skill was dependent on the participant's skill, sport practised, nature of the task and degree of structure. The skilled soccer and hockey players were quicker than the skilled volleyball players at recognizing structured soccer and hockey action sequences. Performance differences were not observed on the structured volleyball trials between the skilled soccer, field hockey and volleyball players. The skilled field hockey and soccer players were able to transfer perceptual information or strategies between their respective sports. The less skilled participants' results were less clear. Implications for domain-specific expertise, transfer and diversity across domains are discussed.     

Pulmonary Function at Rest and during Exercise in Uncomplicated Obesity

Abstract

Nine lean (6.9%–19.3% body fat) and 12 moderately obese (31.6%–42.3% body fat) college men were compared in terms of maximum aerobic power, resting pulmonary function tests, and selected respiratory variables during a progressive bicycle ergometer test. The [Vdot]O₂ max (1/min) was slightly higher (p > .05) in the obese group but significantly lower (p < .05) when expressed in cc/kg min or cc/kg FFBW min. Lower RV, ERV, and FRC data were observed in the obese group, but no differences were documented for tests of FVC or MVV. Higher values were displayed by the obese subjects for [Vdot]E, [Vdot]A, and tidal volume at rest and during each submaximal intensity of bicycle work. These observations appeared to be due to the obese subjects' higher energy expenditures, since no differences were documented in the ventilation equivalent ([Vdot]E/[Vdot]O₂), the [Vdot]A/[Vdot]E ratio, or breathing frequency. It was concluded, within the limitations of the study, that the hypothesis of respiratory dysfunction in the moderately obese was not supported.     

Book reviews

Richard Cox, Sport — A Guide to Historical Sources in the UK (London, Sports Council, 1983). Pp.vii + 61. £8.00 ISBN 0 906577 34 9.

P.B. Munsche, Gentlemen and Poachers: The English Game Laws 1671–1831 (Cambridge, CUP, 1983). Pp.x + 255. £18.50. ISBN 0 521 23284 8.

Garry Whannel, Blowing the Whistle: The Politics of Sport (London, Pluto Press, 1983). Pp. 117. £2.50. ISBN 0 86104 508 4.

David Smith and Gareth Williams, Fields of Praise: The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 (Cardiff, University of Wales Press, 1980). Pp.xii + 505. £12.95. ISBN 0 7083 07663.

John Arlott, Jack Hobbs — Profile of ‘The Master’ (London, John Murray and Davis‐Poynter, 1981). Pp. 144. £6.95. ISBN 07195 3886 6 (John Murray) and 0 7067 0214 X (Davis‐Poynter).

Richard S. Gruneau, Class, Sports and Social Development (Amherst, The University of Massachusetts Press, 1983). Pp.x + 213. $18.50 and $9.50. ISBN 0 87023 387 4 and 0 87023 388 2.

R. Roberts, Jack Dempsey: The Manassa Mauler (London, Louisiana State University Press 1984). Pp.314. £8.50. ISBN 8071 1161 9.

Richard Cashman and Michael McKernan (eds.), Sport: Money, Morality and the Media (Kensington, NSW, New South Wales University Press, 1981). Pp. 343. ISBN 0 86840 160 9.     

Cross-cultural examination of test anxiety among US and Singapore students on the Test Anxiety Scale for Elementary Students (TAS-E)

In the present study, the similarity of the factor structure of the Test Anxiety Scale for Elementary Students (TAS-E) and cultural and gender differences in test anxiety were examined in a sample of 1322 US and Singapore elementary students. The similarity of the factor structure of the TAS-E, a measure of test anxiety, was examined to determine whether the same test score interpretation could be made across culture and gender. Coefficient of congruence and salient variable similarity index values indicated that the pairs of matched factors (Physiological Hyperarousal, Social Concerns, Task Irrelevant Behaviour, Worry and Total Test Anxiety factors) of the TAS-E were similar across culture and gender. Results of a 2?×?2 ANOVA and 2?×?2 MANOVA with follow-up ANOVAs revealed that Singapore males scored higher than US males and US females scored higher than Singapore females on the TAS-E Total Test Anxiety scale and the Physiological Hyperarousal subscale. Singapore males also scored higher than US males on the TAS-E Worry subscale. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

浅析管理应用网络反病毒系统

在计算机网络系统中应用网络反病毒系统时,网络安全管理者需要全面了解网络反病毒系统,准确掌握计算机网络软硬件基础平台的相关状况,科学制定实施部署计划和管理办法,适时适度灵活调整系统运行配置,这样才能最大程度的发挥网络反病毒系统反威胁避风险的强劲优势。     

Through the Looking Glass (Self): The Impact of Wearable Technology on Perceptions of Face-to-Face Interaction

Advancements in wearable technology have allowed for extradyadic social cues to be inserted directly (albeit conspicuously) into face-to-face interactions. The current study simulated a fictitious “Looking Glass” program that (a) autodetects (via facial recognition) one’s partner and (b) displays that person’s last 12 social media posts on a pair of Google Glass. In a randomized case/control experiment, nonwearers were more likely to perceive Glass wearers as physically attractive and socioemotionally close, while feeling lower self-esteem and having higher mental and physical demand with the conversation. Open-ended data suggested Glass wearers to be less attentive to the conversation, and Glass-present conversations were less on topic. These data, while preliminary and based on a small sample of users, hold implications for future application and research on cyborgic face-to-face interactions.     

导学群远程教学平台特点研究

导学群远程教学平台是我校在人才培养模式创新活动中产生的,是我校导学群教学模式的重要诠释。平台具有很多特点和独创之处,同时也存在一些不足。