Ana Silva

Background: Mental fatigue can impact physical demands and tactical behavior in sport-related contexts. Small-sided games are often used to develop a specific sport-related context. However, the effects of mental fatigue on physical demands and tactical behaviors during soccer SSGs have not been aggregated for systematical assessment.Objective: This systematic review was conducted to compare the effects of mental fatigue vs. control conditions in terms of the total running distance and tactical behavior of soccer players during SSGs.Methods: The data sources utilized were PubMed, PsycINFO, Scielo, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. The study eligibility criteria were established based on PICOS: Population: healthy youth and young adult men soccer players with regular training practice and belonging to teams with regular competitions; Intervention: exposed to mental fatigue-induced protocols only before SSGs; Comparator: control conditions before SSGs; Outcomes: physical demands and tactical behavior ; Study design: counterbalanced cross-over design; and only full-text and original articles written in English.Results: The database search initially identified 111 titles. From those, six articles were eligible for the systematic review and meta-analysis. Results showed no significant effect of fatigue on total running distance and tactical behavior.Conclusions: A non-significant effect of mental fatigue on total running distance and tactical behaviors performed by soccer players during SSGs was found in this systematic review.

BackgroundThe use of dedicated training programs for improving decision-making (DM) in team sports players has grown in the last several years. Approaches such as imagery training, video-based training, or game-based drills are some of the interventions used in youth players in order to improve DM. However, no systematic reviews or meta-analyses have been conducted to summarize the main evidence regarding the effects of these programs on the players and identify the magnitude of the effects compared to control groups.ObjectiveThis systematic review (with meta-analysis) was conducted to assess the effects of training programs on the DM of youth team sports players.Data SourcesThe data sources utilized were PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science.Study eligibility criteriaThe criteria included the following: (i) youth (≤ 18 years old) team sports players with no restriction on sex or competitive level; (ii) players subjected to training programs to develop DM; (iii) control groups; (iv) pre–post outcomes related to tactical behavior, technical execution, reaction, and decision time; and (v) controlled trials.ResultsThe database search initially identified 2497 titles. From these, six articles were eligible for the systematic review and meta-analysis. The results showed a significant beneficial effect of DM interventions on tactical behavior (ES = 1.12;p= 0.035;I2= 80.0%; Egger’s testp= 0.066), whereas no significant effect of DM interventions on technical execution was found (ES = 0.74;p= 0.180;I2= 69.1%; Egger’s testp= 0.873).ConclusionThe DM interventions were significantly effective in improving tactical behavior in youth team sports players independently from the number of sessions to which players were exposed. In addition, DM interventions were significantly effective in improving technical execution. However, the results should be carefully interpreted due to the heterogeneity of the articles’ overall methodological quality. Future DM interventions should consider using combined approaches that allow players to develop both tactical behavior and technical execution.

Background: Small-sided games are an adjusted form of official games that are often used in training scenarios to introduce a specific tactical issue to team sports players. Besides the acute effects of SSGs on players' performance, it is expectable that the consistent use of these drill-based games induces adaptations in the technical execution and tactical behaviors of youth team sports players.Objective: This systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effects of SSG programs on the technical execution and tactical behaviors of young and youth team sports players.Data Sources: The data sources utilized were PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science.Study Eligibility Criteria: Young and youth team sports players (i.e., 17 and <17 SSG training sessions, respectively.Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed a significant beneficial effect of using SSG training programs for enhancing technical execution in young and youth players. The benefits were similar despite the various numbers of training sessions applied. Further studies should add tactical behaviors as one of the outcomes for controlling the effects of SSG training programs.

Objective: Illness perceptions are important predictors of emotional and behavioral responses in many diseases. The current study aims to investigate the COVID-19-related IP throughout Europe. The specific goals are to understand the temporal development, identify predictors and examine the impacts of IP on perceived stress and preventive behaviors.Methods: This was a time-series-cross-section study of 7,032 participants from 16 European countries using multilevel modeling from April to June 2020. IP were measured with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Temporal patterns were observed considering the date of participation and the date recoded to account the epidemiological evolution of each country. The outcomes considered were perceived stress and COVID-19 preventive behaviors.Results: There were significant trends, over time, for several IP, suggesting a small decrease in negativity in the perception of COVID-19 in the community. Age, gender, and education level related to some, but not all, IP. Considering the self-regulation model, perceptions consistently predicted general stress and were less consistently related to preventive behaviors. Country showed no effect in the predictive model, suggesting that national differences may have little relevance for IP, in this context.Conclusion: The present study provides a comprehensive picture of COVID-19 IP in Europe in an early stage of the pandemic. The results shed light on the process of IP formation with implications for health-related outcomes and their evolution.

O presente artigo analisa a experiência brasileira da secularização, observando o modo como, nas páginas da imprensa católica publicada na segunda metade do século XIX, o religioso e o secular se articularam de diferentes maneiras e se modelaram reciprocamente. Como argumento central, sustenta que a difusão das formas impressas, considerada uma das principais condições históricas associadas ao advento da modernidade ocidental, foi também responsável, no contexto analisado, pela veiculação dos referenciais associados ao catolicismo romanizado e a uma Igreja independente do regalismo imperial. Na sua defesa, clérigos e leigos de tendência ultramontana fizeram uso de diversos atores e instrumentos, dentre os quais a imprensa periódica. Desse modo, partindo do pressuposto teórico de que as identidades são portadoras de uma dimensão relacional e política, no âmbito da qual os conflitos sociais se traduzem em disputas discursivas, o artigo elege como fonte privilegiada o periódico O Apóstolo, semanário católico editado no Rio de Janeiro entre 1866 e 1891 e um dos principais porta-vozes dos ideais e projetos ultramontanos. Mediante a análise de seus conteúdos discursivos, espera-se identificar alguns dos seus principais sentidos de alteridade -associados aos supostos “erros da modernidade” -, bem como uma identificação positiva atrelada às diretrizes emanadas da Santa Sé.

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar a letra do samba-enredo: “Agudás: os que levaram a África no coração e trouxeram para o coração da África, o Brasil”. Que contribuição este enredo oferece ao ensino de História da África e cultura afro-brasileira? Oferece uma memória histórica inédita ao carnaval carioca, dando visibilidade ao povo negro que retornou à África antes da abolição da escravidão no Brasil em 1888. Assim, propõe desconstruir o paradigma eurocêntrico e construir caminhos para a descolonização do currículo escolar, na perspectiva dos Estudos Culturais. Esta arte carnavalesca da escola de samba Unidos da Tijuca, do carnaval carioca de 2003, é uma pedagogia cultural com potencial para desenvolver uma educação antirracista e decolonial no espaço escolar. Palavras-chave: Lei n. 10.639/2003. História da África. Ensino de História.