Tournament Conditions Research Articles

The Investigation of the Effects of Short-Term Body Weight Loss on Elite Wrestlers on Anaerobic Performance and Reaction Time in Tournament Conditions

Athletes, who engage in wrestling, perform weight adjustment before the competitions like all weight loss category sports. For this reason, weight management is a very important factor prior to matches. When the studies on weight loss are examined, it is seen that athletes lose weight in a short time close to the competition. This study aimed to investigate the effects of short-term body weight loss in elite wrestlers on anaerobic performance and reaction time during tournament conditions. Ten experienced international level male wrestlers participated as a volunteer in this study. Participants lost 5% of their body weight within 48 hours, in 72 hours; 1 kg tolerance was given over 5% of body weight. During this process, body composition measurement, Wingate anaerobic performance test (WAnT), Countermovement Jump (CMJ), and visual and auditory reaction tests were conducted. In this study, a randomized crossover design was used and applications lasted four days. Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used for statistical analysis. Due to short-term body weight loss in body composition, total body water (TBW) and fat-free mass (FFM) were significantly reduced. In contrast, there was no statistically significant difference in body fat percentage (BF %), visual and auditory reaction time, CMJ and average power (AP). However, there was a significant increase was seen in Peak power (PP) and fatigue index (FI). The results indicate that 5% loss of body weight within 48 hours caused significant changes in body composition and negatively affected the fatigue index. For this reason, athletes who lose weight should avoid rapid weight-loss practices that will cause sudden changes in body composition in order to maintain their athletic performance.

Assessing Size‐Dependent Population‐Level Effects of Largemouth Bass Tournament Mortality

AbstractAs black bass Micropterus spp. tournaments continue to grow in popularity, so too must evaluations on the population‐level effects of live‐release angling events. Although factors influencing the tournament mortality of individuals are well studied, assessments at the population level are lacking. We evaluated differences in tournament capture probability and survival of two size‐classes of Largemouth Bass M. salmoides (medium: 381–457 mm; large: >457 mm) using a multistate mark–recapture model. Changes in estimated capture and survival rates of medium and large bass were then simulated to assess potential effects on population size structure. Tournament capture probabilities for medium bass were approximately three times higher than those for large bass, and tournament capture probabilities for both size‐classes increased with air temperature. Medium bass also experienced higher survival rates than large bass after tournaments, and survival rates of both groups declined with increasing water temperature. Our simulations indicated that both increases in tournament capture probability and reductions in posttournament survival of large bass resulted in some reductions in population size structure. However, increases in tournament capture probability or reductions in tournament survival of medium bass or medium and large bass alone had little to no effect. Our results suggest that under the observed tournament conditions, tournaments have little effect on bass population size structure, but size structure could be reduced with higher capture probabilities and lower posttournament survival; this information is useful for managing the fishery effects of tournament angling. Our modeling approach also provides a framework for understanding population‐level effects of tournaments on other populations under alternative conditions.

Assessing climatic, travel, and methodological influences on whole-match and worst-case scenario locomotor demands of international men’s rugby sevens match-play

ABSTRACT This study assessed the influence of environmental factors, air travel, and epoch estimation method on locomotor demands of international men’s rugby sevens match-play. Eighteen men’s rugby sevens players wore 10 Hz Global Positioning Systems (STATsport) during 52 international matches over nine global tournaments (418 observations). Whole-match average speed was recorded, whilst average speed and relative high-speed distance (>5.0 m·s−1) were quantified using FIXED and ROLL methods over 60–420 s epochs (60 s increments) to establish worst-case scenario demands. Linear mixed models compared FIXED versus ROLL estimation methods and assessed whether temperature, humidity, travel duration, number of time-zones crossed, and travel direction were associated with locomotor responses. Temperature and humidity were positively associated with overall and worst-case scenario average speed (effect estimates; b: 0.18–0.54), whilst worst-case scenario high-speed distance at 300 s was also related to temperature (b: 0.19). Easterly air travel compromised overall and 180 and 300 s worst-case scenario average speed (b: −8.31 to-7.39), alongside high-speed distance over 300 s (b: −4.54). For worst-case scenario average speed and high-speed distance, FIXED underestimated ROLL at all epoch lengths (∼9.9–18.4%, p≤0.001). This study indicated that international rugby sevens match-play locomotor responses were greater as air temperature increased but reduced following eastward air travel. Underestimation of demands in FIXED vs ROLL over 60–420 s epochs was confirmed. Such climatic and travel influences warrant the adoption of strategies targeted at maximising performance and safety according to the tournament conditions. Knowing the most demanding periods of match-play facilitates training specificity. Highlights Selected locomotor responses were reduced following eastward air travel, potentially suggesting interventions to mitigate these effects are warranted. Match-play running responses were greater as air temperature increased. Strategies targeted at optimising body temperature in both warm and cool conditions warrant consideration to promote performance and maintain player safety. Fixed epochs underestimated worst-case scenario average speed (9.9-11.7%) and high-speed distance (11.4-18.4%). Rolling averages may thus be more appropriate for detecting the most intense periods, while duration-specific data provide training targets.

Influence of mowing height of cut and frequency for golf tournament preparation on putting green ball roll distance and turfgrass quality

AbstractIn preparation for golf course tournaments, turfgrass managers often seek increased ball roll distances on putting greens. The objective of this study was to determine the effect mowing height and frequency had on ball roll distance during simulated tournament conditions. Two 14‐d field experiments were conducted in 2015 and 2016 at the Joseph Valentine Turfgrass Research Center located in University Park, PA. Each study was conducted on a ‘Penn A‐4’ creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.; CBG) and annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.; ABG) putting green. Plots measured 1.5 m by 3.0 m and were arranged in a randomized complete block design with a 3 × 3 factorial treatment structure. For the main effect of height of cut (HOC), mowers were set to a bench height of 2.1 mm, 2.5 mm, and 2.9 mm. For mowing frequency (MF), plots were mowed once, twice, or four times per day. Single cut (SC) and double cut (DC) treatments were performed in the morning whereas double‐double cut (DD) treatments consisted of a DC in the morning and again in the afternoon. Ball roll distance (BRD) and turfgrass quality were assessed. Although a few interactions were present in the ABG study, the main effects of HOC and MF were significant on 79% and 82% rating dates, respectively. On CBG, the main effect of HOC and MF were significant on 89% and 86% of rating dates. For both species, turfgrass quality was reduced during the trial as HOC was reduced and MF was increased.

How uncertainty and ambiguity in tournaments affect gender differences in competitive behavior

Tournament incentives prevail in labor markets. Yet, the number of tournament winners is often unclear to competitors. While it is hard to measure how this uncertainty affects work performance and willingness to compete in the field, it can be studied in a controlled lab experiment. We present a novel experiment where subjects can compete against each other, but the number of winners is either uncertain (but with known probabilities) or ambiguous (with unknown probabilities for different numbers of winners). We compare these two conditions to a control treatment with a known number of winners. We find that ambiguity induces a significant increase in the performance of men who choose to compete, while we observe no change for women. Men also increase their willingness to enter competition in the presence of ambiguity. Overall, both effects contribute to men winning the tournament significantly more often than women under uncertainty and ambiguity. These findings suggest that management should make tournament conditions transparent and information available in order to prevent gender disparities from increasing under uncertainty and ambiguity.

How Uncertainty and Ambiguity in Tournaments Affect Gender Differences in Competitive Behavior

Tournament incentives prevail in labor markets. Yet, the number of tournament winners is often unclear to competitors. While it is hard to measure how this uncertainty affects work performance and willingness to compete in the field, it can be studied in a controlled lab experiment. We present a novel experiment where subjects can compete against each other, but the number of winners is either uncertain (but with known probabilities) or ambiguous (with unknown probabilities for different numbers of winners). We compare these two conditions to a control treatment with a known number of winners. We find that ambiguity induces a significant increase in the performance of men who choose to compete, while we observe no change for women. Men also increase their willingness to enter competition in the presence of ambiguity. Overall, both effects contribute to men winning the tournament significantly more often than women under uncertainty and ambiguity. These findings suggest that management should make tournament conditions transparent and information available in order to prevent gender disparities from increasing under uncertainty and ambiguity.

Time Management for Monte Carlo Tree Search

Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) is a popular approach for tree search in a variety of games. While MCTS allows for fine-grained time control, not much has been published on time management for MCTS programs under tournament conditions. This paper first investigates the effects of various time-management strategies on playing strength in the challenging game of Go. A number of domain-independent strategies are then tested in the domains Connect-4, Breakthrough, Othello, and Catch the Lion. We consider strategies taken from the literature as well as newly proposed and improved ones. Strategies include both semi-dynamic strategies that decide about time allocation for each search before it is started, and dynamic strategies that influence the duration of each move search while it is already running. Furthermore, we analyze the effects of time management strategies on the distribution of time over the moves of an average game, allowing us to partly explain their performance. In the experiments, the domain-independent strategy STOP provides a significant improvement over the state of the art in Go, and is the most effective time management strategy tested in all five domains.

Effects of Simulated Angler Capture and Live‐Release Tournaments on Walleye Survival

AbstractWe examined the effects of acclimation water temperature,live‐well (LW) water temperature,and LW dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration on survival of adult Walleyes Sander vitreus subjected to simulated tournament conditions (angling,LW confinement,and weigh‐in procedures) under controlled laboratory conditions. We tested three acclimation temperatures (12,18,and 24°C),and three LW temperature differentials (ΔT = −4,0,and +4°C) were tested at each acclimation temperature. Survival was monitored after 8 h of LW confinement and during a 5‐d retention period in 1,700‐L tanks. None of the Walleyes that were acclimated to 24°C and subjected to simulated tournament procedures survived the 5‐d retention period; for fish subjected only to simulated angling at 24°C,survival during the 5‐d retention period was 29%. Five‐day survival was generally over 70% at acclimation temperatures of 12°C and 18°C,and we observed a significant interaction between acclimation temperature and ΔT; survival was greatest in LWs at −4°C ΔT for fish acclimated to 18°C and in LWs at +4°C ΔT for fish acclimated to 12°C. Best survival of Walleyes subjected to the stress of angling and tournament procedures was obtained at temperatures 6–8°C below the optimum temperature for adult Walleyes (i.e.,optimum = 20–22°C). Five‐day survival exceeded 70% when LW DO was 5 or 12–15 mg/L (at an acclimation and LW temperature of 18°C),but survival was 0% when DO was 2 mg/L. Anglers may increase survival of Walleyes through careful manipulation of LW temperature and DO when ambient temperature is at or below 18°C,but high mortality of angled and LW‐retained Walleyes should be expected when ambient water temperatures are 24°C or greater.

Real-time spatio-temporal analysis of dynamic scenes

We propose a set of tools for spatio-temporal real-time analysis of dynamic scenes. It is designed to improve the grounding situation of autonomous agents in (simulated) physical domains. We introduce a knowledge processing pipeline ranging from relevance-driven compilation of a qualitative scene description to a knowledge-based detection of complex event and action sequences, conceived as a spatio-temporal pattern-matching problem. A methodology for the formalization of motion patterns and their inner composition is introduced and applied to capture human expertise about domain-specific motion situations. We present extensive experimental results from a challenging environment: 3D soccer simulation. It substantiates real-time applicability of our approach under tournament conditions, based on a 5-Hz (a) precise and (b) noisy/incomplete perception. The approach is not limited to robot soccer. Instead, it can also be applied in other fields such as experimental biology and logistic processes.

Dispersal of Smallmouth Bass from a Simulated Tournament Weigh‐In Site

AbstractSimulated smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu fishing tournaments were staged in Dale Hollow Lake, a 12,400‐ha reservoir in Tennessee, between March 2004 and February 2005 to investigate posttournament dispersal. Smallmouth bass (n = 54) were captured with conventional hook‐and‐line tackle and artificial lures, placed in live wells, and subjected to a weigh‐in procedure before being externally tagged with an ultrasonic transmitter and released. Water temperatures ranged from 7.4°C to 29.3°C (mean [SE] = 17.6°C [2.5]), fish ranged in total length from 330 to 572 mm (mean = 452 [8.3]), and no fish were dead at the weigh‐ins. Smallmouth bass dispersed rapidly away from the release site, which was located at the head of a 68‐ha embayment. After 3–5 d, survivors (n = 44) traversed an average distance of 1,475 m [213]. Most (72%) fish swam uplake and out of the 385‐ha study area after 6 d. The rapid dispersal of smallmouth bass may be relevant in systems that experience heavy tournament activity. The smallmouth bass caught and subjected to simulated tournament conditions on Dale Hollow Lake did not stockpile near the release site.

Physiological Correlates of Golf Performance

Golf is now a sport where physical training is an integral component of elite players' practice and contributes to the ability to play at a high level consistently and without injury. Relationships between physical conditioning and golf performance have not been reported. Therefore, the objective of this research was to identify physiological correlates of golf performance in elite golfers under laboratory (ball speed and distance) and tournament conditions (average score, greens in regulation, short game measures, and putting accuracy).The correlation analysis revealed significant associations between mass, height, body mass index, sit height, arm length, and predicted Vo2max and golf measures. Significant correlations were noted between anterior abdominal muscle endurance and driver carry distance (r = 0.38; P = 0.04) and average putt distance after a chip shot (r = -0.44; P = 0.03), between dominant side abdominal muscle endurance and average putt distance after a chip shot (r = -0.43; P = 0.03), and between nondominant-side abdominal muscle endurance and average putt distance after a sand shot (r = -0.59; P = 0.001). Further correlations were found among sit and reach and driver carry distance (r = -0.36; P = 0.04), 5-iron ball speed (r = - 0.41; P = 0.02), 5-iron carry distance (r = -0.44; P = 0.01), and score (r = 0.43; P = 0.03). Correlation analysis revealed significant associations among peripheral muscle test results, golf driver results, 5-iron ball measures, score, and putting efficacy.These results may be important for developing training programs based on sound physiological rationale and for the development of talent identification programs. Results suggest that core strength and stability, flexibility, balance, and peripheral muscle strength are correlated with golf performance and should be included in golf training programs.

Survival of Largemouth Bass from Populations Infected with Largemouth Bass Virus and Subjected to Simulated Tournament Conditions

AbstractMortality was measured for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in simulated tournaments conducted at 26°C to determine whether an easily accomplished live‐well management protocol reduced mortality. Treatment fish, which received the live‐well management protocol, were held for 8 h in live wells at 23°C with water containing more than 5 mg of dissolved oxygen/L and 0.3% salt (NaCl). Control fish, were confined for 8 h in live wells at 26°C (ambient temperature) with dissolved oxygen fluctuating from 3 to 5 mg/L and no salt, which simulated the live‐well management practices used by largemouth bass tournament anglers. Mortality after live‐well confinement was 0% for both treatment and control fish, and mortality during the first 24 h after the simulated tournaments was 2.5%. Mortality of fish observed for up to 5 d after the simulated tournaments was high for treatment fish (mean = 75%; SE = 16%) and control fish (mean = 85%; SE = 11%), and we conclude that the treatment conditions did not reduce postrelease mortality. We suggest that the unusually high posttournament mortality was related to largemouth bass virus infections.

A self-learning evolutionary chess program

A central challenge of artificial intelligence is to create machines that can learn from their own experience and perform at the level of human experts. Using an evolutionary algorithm, a computer program has learned to play chess by playing games against itself. The program learned to evaluate chessboard configurations by using the positions of pieces, material and positional values, and neural networks to assess specific sections of the chessboard. During evolution, the program improved its play by almost 400 rating points. Testing under simulated tournament conditions against Pocket Fritz 2.0 indicated that the evolved program performs above the master level.

Blood glucose responses and incidence of hypoglycaemia in elite tennis under practice and tournament conditions

The purpose of the study was to specify the changes in blood glucose concentrations in the course of repeated tournament and practice matches, and to quantify the Incidence of hypoglycaemia in elite tennis players. The study consisted of two parts. In the first, 147 tournament players completed a questionnaire about the incidence of hypoglycaemic symptoms during repeated tennis matches. In the second part of the study, the players participated in two subsequent matches (one singles match followed by a doubles) under (T) tournament (n = 57) and (P) practice (n = 20) conditions. Of the 147 players consulted, 94 (63.9%) reported experiences with hypoglycaemic symptoms during a tennis tournament (n = 80) and/or tennis practice (n = 62). The warm-up period for the second match day was identified as the most sensitive point for the occurrence of hypoglycaemic symptoms (n = 29), compared to the final stages of the first (n = 11) or second match (n = 7). Under both practice and tournament conditions, a significant (p < 0.01) drop in blood glucose concentration was found during the warm-up period for the second match per day (T: from 5.8 +/- 1.4 mmol x L(-1) to 4.3 +/- 0.8 mmol x L(-1) and P: from 5.4 +/- 1.1 mmol x L(-1) to 4.1 +/- 1.5 mmol x L(-1)). In conclusion, precautions should be taken to prevent a sudden drop in blood glucose concentration and hypoglycaemic symptoms during the early stages of a player's second tennis match in one day.

Vygotsky and cognitive science: Language and the unification of the social and computational mind By William Frawley (review)

REVIEWS161 Vygotsky and cognitive science: Language and the unification ofthe social and computational mind. By William Frawley. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997. Pp. xi, 333. Reviewed by James Stanlaw, Illinois State University In May 1997, IBM's supercomputer played world chess champion Gary Kasparov in a six game match. Kasparov is thought by many to be the best chess player who ever lived, even far exceeding, for example, the exploits of America's favorite son, the eccentric Bobby Fischer. This was only the second time a reigning world champion played a computer under official tournament conditions (a year previously Kasparov soundly defeated 'Deep Blue' 33 to 2j). Frawley's new book, while being neither a work on computer chess nor artificial intelligence, actually addresses some of the implications of this match (though perhaps unknowingly). F's basic question is simply this: how much of what we call 'thinking' or 'the mind' is due to computational processes, and how much is due to social context, cultural conditioning, or personal meta-knowledge? Many linguists and cognitive scientists subscribe to the first view. Ray Jackendoff , for instance, has said that he 'takes very seriously the motivating premise of contemporary cognitive science—the mind can be thought of as a biological information-processing device—' (1987: xi). The way IBM's computer plays chess in many ways mirrors this computational model. It makes its moves by brute force, calculating billions of positions in seconds and choosing the best move on the basis of these enumerations. Other linguists (Lakoff 1987), anthropologists (Keller & Keller 1996), and cognitive psychologists (Suchman 1987) do not see the mind as a manipulator of internal units, representations, or symbols. Kasparov—to maintain the chess analogy—brings to the board a century and a half of modem chess theory and knowledge of a vast literature from the international chess community. The best players are also said to 'play the man as much as the board', and Kasparov's fighting spirit and intimate knowledge of his opponents' weaknesses and personalities no doubt have contributed greatly to his success. And, as with most grandmasters, many of his moves are intuitive, based on considering the whole board as a holistic Gestalt rather than the result of actually seeing many positions ahead. F claims that the dichotomy between raw symbolic computation and social contextualization is simply wrong—both in the field of cognitive science itself and in real everyday existence. Kasparov, after all, does visualize and compute some specific tactics, and Deep Blue has the latest theories and opening repertoires programmed in by outside experts knowledgeable of both contemporary chess and computer science. The social mind and the computational mind must come together; that is, it must be that 'some parts of social language are computationally effective' (1). But what does this 'sociocomputationism' look like? To F, the answer lies in the 1930s Russian school of sociocultural theories of language, thinking, and personality most represented in the works of A. R. Luria (1976) and, more importantly, Lev Vygotsky (1962, 1978, 1986). The first part of F's book gives an excellent overview of some of the seminal issues involved in theoretical cognitive science and in epistemology as it relates to language. In a masterful summary of the philosophy of mind and language, F examines everything from Plato's problem (How can I know so much—like what a perfect triangle is—when I am given so little?) to Chomsky's Orwell's Problem' (Why do I know so little—like how the world political economy acts to suppress certain persons—when I am given so much?) to Wittgenstein's problem (How can I manage and reconcile the internal virtual representation of myself with the external real me?). Two primers on cognitive science and Vygotskyan psychology follow as well as a discussion of why Vygotsky needs to be taken seriously not only by psychologists but by linguists and others as well. As Vygotskyan theory has been receiving more attention in the past decade, and the implications ofhis work are being felt in a variety offields (cf. Wertsch 1985a, 1985b), this discussion of how computation must cooperate with culture—Vygotskyan style—is provocative. Simply put, F argues that...

The Roles of Recognition Processes and Look-Ahead Search in Time-Constrained Expert Problem Solving: Evidence From Grand-Master-Level Chess

Chess has long served as an important standard task environment for research on human memory and problem-solving abilities and processes In this article, we report evidence on the relative importance of recognition processes and planning (look-ahead) processes in very high level expert performance in chess The data show that the rated skill of a top-level grand master is only slightly lower when he is playing simultaneously against a half-dozen grand-master opponents than under tournament conditions that allow much more time for each move As simultaneous play allows little time for look-ahead processes, the data indicate that recognition, based on superior chess knowledge, plays a much larger part in high-level skill in this task than does planning by looking ahead

Evaluation of Prerelease, Postrelease, and Total Mortality, of Largemouth Bass Caught during Tournaments, in Two Florida Lakes

Abstract Eleven fishing tournaments for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides floridanus, held on two Florida lakes during July 1984-June 1985, were studied to quantify fish mortality and to evaluate associations between mortality and environmental and tournament conditions. Post-release mortality was determined by holding largemouth bass in floating mesh cages for 14 or 21 d. Prerelease, postrelease, and total mortality averaged 18.6% (range, 0.8-42.8%), 10.0% (2.2-26.7%), and 26.7% (5.2-47.8%), respectively. Prerelease and total mortality were significantly (P ≲ 0.05) related to water temperature but not significantly related to air temperature, cumulative radiation, number of teams, mean catch per team, or mean weight per fish. Postrelease mortality was not significantly related to any measured variable. Most postrelease mortality occurred during the first 6 d after the tournament, and the greatest single-day postrelease mortality occurred within 24 h. We observed no gross pathology among the fish held...

Dimensions of evaluation in high school debate

After finding four major dimensions of evaluation in a pilot study of judging high school debate, the researchers tested the generality of these dimensions in a field study conducted under tournament conditions. Generality of the dimensions was also studied in terms of selected subdivisions of the response data, including (1) judge type, (2) judge experience, and (3) speaker assignment in the debate.