Browsing by Author "Costa, Pedro"
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- Exploring the Relationship Between Wall Drop Punt Kick and Catch (Tripela Sports) Performance and Manipulative Tests of the Motor Competence Assessment Battery in Early AdolescentsPublication . Matos, Rui; Amaro, Nuno; Lopes, Nataniel; Costa, Pedro; Jacinto, Miguel; Rodrigues, Filipe; Antunes, Raul; Coelho, Luís; Ibáñez, Sergio J.; Estevan, Isaac; Monteiro, DiogoOur aim in this study was to analyze associations between the two manipulative tests of the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) battery and the Wall Drop Punt Kick & Catch (WDPK&C) motor task. One hundred and twelve early adolescents (60 boys; 52 girls; M age = 12.67, SD = 1.78 years) participated. Overall, strong correlations were found between the WDPK&C and the MCA manipulative tests, either separately (r = .802 for kicking, r = .762 for throwing) or collectively (r = .835). In boys, correlations between WDPK&C and MCA kicking (r = .722) and MCA throwing (r = .754) were similar. In girls, MCA kicking was more closely related to WDPK&C performance (r = .612) than MCA throwing (r = .330). These results reinforce the possible use of WDPK&C as a gross manipulative coordination test, either by itself or when integrated into motor competence batteries.
- Scalar-pseudoscalar meson behavior and restoration of symmetries in SU(3) Polyakov–Nambu–Jona-Lasinio modelPublication . Costa, P.; Ruivo, M.C.; Sousa, C. A. de; Hansen, H.; Alberico, W.M.; Costa, PedroThe modification of mesonic observables in a hot medium is analyzed as a tool to investigate the restoration of chiral and axial symmetries in the context of the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. The results of the extended model lead to the conclusion that the effects of the Polyakov loop are fundamental for reproducing lattice findings. In particular, the partial restoration of the chiral symmetry is faster in the Polyakov-Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model than in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio one, and it is responsible for several effects: the meson-quark coupling constants show a remarkable difference in both models, there is a faster tendency to recover the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka rule, and finally the topological susceptibility nicely reproduces the lattice results around T/Tc 1.0.
- The QCD critical end point in the PNJL modelPublication . Costa, P.; Sousa, C. A. de; Ruivo, M. C.; Hansen, H.; Costa, PedroWe investigate the role played by the Polyakov loop in the dynamics of the chiral phase transition in the framework of the so-called PNJL model in the SU(2) sector. We present the phase diagram where the inclusion of the Polyakov loop moves the critical points to higher temperatures, compared with the NJL model results. The critical properties of physical observables, such as the baryon number susceptibility and the specific heat, are analyzed in the vicinity of the critical end point, with special focus on their critical exponents. The results with the PNJL model are closer to lattice results and we also recover the universal behavior of the critical exponents of both the baryon susceptibility and the specific heat.
- The Reliability of the Wall Drop Punt Kick and Catch TestPublication . Matos, Rui; Amaro, Nuno; Lopes, Nataniel; Costa, Pedro; Jacinto, Miguel; Rodrigues, Filipe; Antunes, Raul; Coelho, Luís Pedro Inácio; Ibáñez, Sergio J.; Monteiro, DiogoThis study aimed to evaluate the reliability of a manipulative eye–segmental (hand and foot) coordination task, namely the Wall Drop Punt Kick and Catch test (WDPK&C), over two weeks. Forty-one children and adolescents (18 boys, 23 girls) with a mean age of 10.2 (SD =1.62) years old were recruited for assessment. Subjects had 30 s to perform as many ball impacts as possible on a wall two meters away, following a drop punt kick, rebound on the wall, and catch sequence. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC = 0.896) for unique measures, Cronbach Alpha (α = 0.945), and Lin’s Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC = 0.896) provide evidence of reliability considering two consecutive measurements. These results further support the reliability of the WDPK&C test in a sample of Portuguese children and adolescents. Thus, the WDPK&C test can be applied to Portuguese boy and girl children and adolescents. Forthcoming studies should test the reliability of this test across different age groups since it is intended to be a test with a wide lifespan coverage.