scholarly journals Human running performance from real-world big data

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten Emig ◽  
Jussi Peltonen

Abstract Wearable exercise trackers provide data that encode information on individual running performance. These data hold great potential for enhancing our understanding of the complex interplay between training and performance. Here we demonstrate feasibility of this idea by applying a previously validated mathematical model to real-world running activities of  ≈ 14,000 individuals with ≈ 1.6 million exercise sessions containing duration and distance, with a total distance of ≈ 20 million km. Our model depends on two performance parameters: an aerobic power index and an endurance index. Inclusion of endurance, which describes the decline in sustainable power over duration, offers novel insights into performance: a highly accurate race time prediction and the identification of key parameters such as the lactate threshold, commonly used in exercise physiology. Correlations between performance indices and training volume and intensity are quantified, pointing to an optimal training. Our findings hint at new ways to quantify and predict athletic performance under real-world conditions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2705
Author(s):  
Hagen Deusch ◽  
Pantelis T. Nikolaidis ◽  
José Ramón Alvero-Cruz ◽  
Thomas Rosemann ◽  
Beat Knechtle

(1) Background: Compared with marathon races, pacing in time-limited ultramarathons has only been poorly discussed in the literature. The aim of the present study was to analyze the interaction of performance level, age and sex with pacing during 6 h, 12 h or 24 h time-limited ultramarathons. (2) Methods: Participants (n = 937, age 48.62 ± 11.80 years) were the finishers in 6 h (n = 40, 17 women and 23 men), 12 h (n = 232, 77 women and 155 men) and 24 h (n = 665, 166 women and 409 men) ultramarathons. The coefficient of variation (CV), calculated as SD/mean, was used to described pacing. Low scores of CV denoted a more even pacing, and vice versa. A two-way analysis of variance examined the main effects and interactions of sex and race duration on age, race speed and pacing. (3) Results: More men participated in the longer race distances than in the shorter ones and men were older and faster than women. Comparing the 6 h, 12 h and 24 h races, the finishers in the 6 h were the fastest, the finishers in the 12 h were the oldest and the finishers in the 24 h showed the most variable pacing. Furthermore, the faster running speed in the 12 h (women, r = −0.64; men, r = −0.49, p < 0.001) and the 24 h (r = −0.47 in women and men, p < 0.001) was related to less variable pacing. (4) Conclusions: These data might help runners and coaches to choose the the proper duration of a race and training programs for their athletes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-300
Author(s):  
Zhenyu Gao ◽  
Yixing Li ◽  
Zhengxin Wang

AbstractThe recently concluded 2019 World Swimming Championships was another major swimming competition that witnessed some great progresses achieved by human athletes in many events. However, some world records created 10 years ago back in the era of high-tech swimsuits remained untouched. With the advancements in technical skills and training methods in the past decade, the inability to break those world records is a strong indication that records with the swimsuit bonus cannot reflect the real progressions achieved by human athletes in history. Many swimming professionals and enthusiasts are eager to know a measure of the real world records had the high-tech swimsuits never been allowed. This paper attempts to restore the real world records in Men’s swimming without high-tech swimsuits by integrating various advanced methods in probabilistic modeling and optimization. Through the modeling and separation of swimsuit bias, natural improvement, and athletes’ intrinsic performance, the result of this paper provides the optimal estimates and the 95% confidence intervals for the real world records. The proposed methodology can also be applied to a variety of similar studies with multi-factor considerations.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Jezabel D. Bianchotti ◽  
Melina Denardi ◽  
Mario Castro-Gama ◽  
Gabriel D. Puccini

Sectorization is an effective technique for reducing the complexities of analyzing and managing of water systems. The resulting sectors, called district metering areas (DMAs), are expected to meet some requirements and performance criteria such as minimum number of intervention, pressure uniformity, similarity of demands, water quality and number of districts. An efficient methodology to achieve all these requirements together and the proper choice of a criteria governing the sectorization is one of the open questions about optimal DMAs design. This question is addressed in this research by highlighting the advantages of three different criteria when applied to real-word water distribution networks (WDNs). To this, here it is presented a two-stage approach for optimal design of DMAs. The first stage, the clustering of the system, is based on a Louvain-type greedy algorithm for the generalized modularity maximization. The second stage, the physical dividing of the system, is stated as a two-objective optimization problem that utilises the SMOSA version of simulated annealing for multiobjective problems. One objective is the number of isolation valves whereas for the second objective three different performance indices (PIs) are analyzed and compared: (a) standard deviation, (b) Gini coefficient and (c) loss of resilience. The methodology is applied to two real case studies where the first two PIs are optimized to address similar demands among DMAs. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective for sectorization into independent DMAs with similar demands. Surprisingly, it found that for the real studied systems, loss of resilience achieves better performance for each district in terms of pressure uniformity and demand similarity than the other two specific performance criteria.


Author(s):  
Lisa N. Britton ◽  
Amy A. Crye ◽  
Linda K. Haymes

AbstractViolations of the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts occur despite coursework, supervision, and training. In this discussion, we highlight the most common violation categories identified: (a) improper or inadequate supervision/delegation, (b) failure to report/respond to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) as required, and (c) professionalism/integrity. The specific areas addressed under supervision/delegation involve behavior analysts’ standards and performance as supervisors, as well as compliance with coursework. For failure to report, the focus is on responding, reporting, and providing updated information to the BACB in a timely manner. Finally, the section on professionalism and integrity addresses multiple code elements, including integrity, professionalism, and scientific relationships, as well as methods for promoting an ethical culture and decisions involving ethical violations by others. Importantly, we provide guidance on the structure and organization of supervision, methods and guidelines regarding reporting, and rubrics to shape and evaluate professionalism and integrity. We provide recommendations for the supervision process and for practitioners from the organizational perspective so that the organization supports and promotes an ethical culture.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4Supl1) ◽  
pp. 2363
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Dlugosz da Silva ◽  
Marcelo Augusto de Aguiar e Silva ◽  
Marcelo Giovanetti Canteri ◽  
Juliandra Rodrigues Rosisca ◽  
Nilson Aparecido Vieira Junior

Aiming at assessing the performance of alternative methods to Penman-Monteith FAO56 for estimating the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) for Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, the methods temperature radiation, Hicks-Hess, Hargreaves-Samani (1982), Turc, Priestley-Taylor, Tanner-Pelton, Jensen-Haise, Makkink, modified Hargreaves, Stephens-Stewart, Abtew, global radiation, Ivanov, Lungeon, Hargreaves-Samani (1985), Benavides-Lopez, original Penman, Linacre, Blaney-Morin, Romanenko, Hargreaves (1974), McCloud, Camargo, Hamon, Kharrufa, McGuiness-Bordne, and Blaney-Criddle were compared to that standard method recommended by FAO. The estimations were correlated by linear regression and assessed by using the Person’s correlation coefficient (r), concordance index (d), and performance index (c) using a set of meteorological data of approximately 40 years. The methods modified Hargreaves, Stephens-Stewart, Abtew, global radiation, Ivanov, Lungeon, Hargreaves-Samani (1985), Benavides-Lopez, original Penman, and Linacre should be avoided, as they did not present excellent results. The methods McCloud, Camargo, Hamon, Kharrufa, McGuinness-Bordne, Blaney-Criddle, Hargreaves (1974), Romanenko, and Blaney-Morin were classified as very bad, not being recommended. In contrast, the methods temperature radiation, Hicks-Hess, Hargreaves-Samani (1982), Turc, Priestley-Taylor, Tenner-Pelton, Jensen-Haise, and Makkink presented excellent performance indices and can be applied in the study region.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 308-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Quitin ◽  
Claude Oestges ◽  
Ali Panahandeh ◽  
François Horlin ◽  
Philippe De Doncker

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aref M. al-Swaidani ◽  
Waed T. Khwies

Numerous volcanic scoria (VS) cones are found in many places worldwide. Many of them have not yet been investigated, although few of which have been used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for a long time. The use of natural pozzolans as cement replacement could be considered as a common practice in the construction industry due to the related economic, ecologic, and performance benefits. In the current paper, the effect of VS on the properties of concrete was investigated. Twenty-one concrete mixes with three w/b ratios (0.5, 0.6, and 0.7) and seven replacement levels of VS (0%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35%) were produced. The investigated concrete properties were the compressive strength, the water permeability, and the concrete porosity. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were used for prediction of the investigated properties. Feed-forward backpropagation neural networks have been used. The ANN models have been established by incorporation of the laboratory experimental data and by properly choosing the network architecture and training processes. This study shows that the use of ANN models provided a more accurate tool to capture the effects of five parameters (cement content, volcanic scoria content, water content, superplasticizer content, and curing time) on the investigated properties. This prediction makes it possible to design VS-based concretes for a desired strength, water impermeability, and porosity at any given age and replacement level. Some correlations between the investigated properties were derived from the analysed data. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis showed that all studied parameters have a strong effect on the investigated properties. The modification of the microstructure of VS-based cement paste has been observed, as well.


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