6277 research outputs found
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An analysis of football coaching education: a call to action
No full textFootball is a game that is constantly evolving, and yet, despite advances in sport science, technology, and pedagogical methodologies, the pathways through which coaches are educated tend to remain outdated, exclusionary, and disconnected from the modern game. This editorial calls for urgent reform across three interconnected areas: accessibility, pedagogy, and continuous professional development (CPD). First, current coach education structures are usually restricted with limited course availability and high entry barriers that prevent many capable practitioners from progressing through national and international systems. Second, the pedagogical models used within coaching education pathways remain instruction-based, prioritising immediate performance, technical repetition and tactical replication over creativity, decision-making, and contextual understanding. As currently operated, these models are inconsistent with current research and may fail to prepare coaches to navigate the complexities of modern football environments. Third, the culture of CPD, particularly at the professional level, while essential, is inconsistently implemented and often compliance-driven rather than curiosity-led. The editorial argues that football needs an updated coaching education ecosystem; one that embraces accessibility as well as evidence-informed pedagogy (including ecological dynamics and game-based learning), and that recognises lifelong learning as a cultural rather than regulatory process. By reimagining how we educate coaches, we can better serve both the profession and the players who depend on it
Ultrasound analysis of acute muscle swelling and discomfort following low-load BFR and high-load resistance exercise in upper and lower limbs
No full textFew studies compare acute muscle swelling between upper and lower limbs with blood flow restriction (BFR), and lower pressures may reduce the often-reported discomfort. The purpose was to examine differences in acute muscle swelling, discomfort, and exercise preference between low-load BFR and high-load resistance exercise in upper and lower limbs. Sixty-one participants (25.7 ± 7.9 years; 32 males, 29 females) completed four exercise conditions: upper limbs (UL) randomized to low-load BFR (BFR-UL) or high load (HL-UL), then lower limbs (LL) randomized to low-load BFR (BFR-LL) or HL (HL-LL). BFR-LL was performed at 30% 1RM with four sets to failure at 50 mmHg cuff pressure; HL exercises were at 70% 1RM with four sets of 8–12 reps. Swelling, discomfort (0–10 scale), and exercise preference were assessed. Results were presented as mean [SD]. The most probable predictor of swelling was identified in limbs (posterior inclusion probability = 0.996; BF10 = 846.447; BFincl = 156.329), with strong evidence against a condition × limb interaction for swelling (BFincl = 0.178). Swelling had a greater increase in lower limbs compared with the upper limbs (BF10 = 946.447; BFincl = 158.344), while evidence for condition effects was anecdotal (BFincl = 0.206). There was strong evidence against a set × limb × condition interaction for discomfort (BF10 = 0.083), with no preference for upper limb condition (BF10: 0.236), and anecdotal preferences for the lower limbs (BF10 = 0.626). Acute muscle swelling and discomfort did not differ across conditions, supporting low-load, low-pressure BFR as a practical alternative to high-load training
Optimising bulk carriers' fuel efficiency: PCA and Shapley value analysis under varying wind conditions
No full textEnsuring the operational reliability of ships under variable environmental conditions is vital for regulatory compliance, emissions control, and cost-effective performance. This study presents a probabilistic framework combining Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Shapley Value interpretation to assess main engine fuel consumption in bulk carriers affected by wind variability. Using operational data from seven vessels, key parameters were identified, including ship speed, wind force, engine revolutions per minute (RPM), and engine slip. Fuel consumption per ton was evaluated under rare conditions with no current or swell, and Shapley Values enabled a comparative assessment of fuel performance along a specific voyage route from Rotterdam to New Orleans. The analysis revealed considerable variation in fuel consumption, ranging from 0.2470 to 0.4865 t/GRT across the fleet. Eco-design vessels exhibited the lowest but distinct Shapley Values (0.0189 and 0.0170), suggesting reduced sensitivity to wind-related fuel consumption. Similar trends were observed in smaller ships, even among vessels with identical designs. This probabilistic analysis effectively identifies vessels more sensitive to operational and environmental conditions, supporting reliability-oriented decision-making and voyage optimisation. The approach also enhances dynamic performance monitoring and offers a methodology for improving energy resilience and environmental compliance in modern maritime operations
Elucidating the edible: Juliet Renny and Elizabeth David’s French Provincial Cooking (1960)
No full textBy the mid to late 1950s, cookbook illustration was changing. Reflecting rising levels of economic and cultural stability after a period of austerity, illustration now functioned as an archive, or instruction manual. Cookbooks were distinctive in the ways they instructed readers to look beyond information already found in the text, leading them to transcend their role of home cooks. During my PhD studies, I undertook an in-depth analysis of the illustrator Juliet Renny’s illustrations for Elizabeth David’s French Provincial Cooking (Michael Joseph, 1960). Renny, born in Surrey in 1936, studied at Guildford School of Art in the 1950s, receiving an NDD (National Design Diploma). During the first four years she studied painting and lithography, spending another year studying graphic design and typography (Wondrausch 2008: 12). This article explores how her visual interpretation of regional cooking implements illuminated David’s transformation from traveller to culinary scholar, collector and archivist, as well as a corresponding transformation in her readers. Renny’s innate sense of order and precision instructed David’s readers to create an authentic ‘batterie de cuisine’, which was becoming increasingly available through kitchen equipment shops that catered for the needs of the serious amateur cook (David 1965: 56). Here the practicality of Renny’s illustrations is detailed, and the impact David’s cookbooks had on her middle-class readership
Public funding reform and university innovation: quasi-experimental evidence from Scotland's free tuition policy
No full textThis study examines the causal effects of public funding on university innovation by exploiting Scotland's 2008 transition to free tuition as a natural experiment. Using panel data from 7 Scottish and 59 English universities (2003-2021), the study employs difference-in-differences estimation to identify causal effects. The findings reveal three key causal effects: First, Scottish universities experienced a significant increase in granted patents (8.5%) relative to matched English counterparts. Second, this improvement operates through two complementary mechanisms: increased public research funding (explaining approximately two-thirds of the effect) and improved research productivity (explaining the remaining one-third). Third, research-intensive Scottish universities showed productivity improvements in converting funding to patents that were more than double those of non-research-intensive institutions
Perspectives on improving communication during police interviews: insights from police officers and individuals convicted of child sexual abuse
No full textSex offences against children are crimes that are abhorrent to society. Interviews with people suspected of child sexual abuse need to be conducted professionally and with understanding. This process becomes challenging if an officer’s emotional responses and reactions to a suspect’s statements or descriptions hinder the suspect’s ability to provide a full account. To explore this topic, the views of 65 detectives and 32 convicted child sex offenders were gathered regarding four theoretical models related to cognitive distortions and the behaviours commonly referred to as ‘grooming’. Questionnaires were distributed to detectives from four police forces (regions) in England and convicted child sex abuse offenders in an English prison. Content analysis was used to analyse response to open ended questions and Principal Factor Analysis were performed on Likert-scale data. Both detectives and convicted child sex offenders believed that a better understanding of cognitive distortions could increase the likelihood of openness and admissions during interviews. Additionally, both groups perceived that enhanced training would enable officers to more effectively identify and interpret these distortions, resulting in more effective interviews characterised by reduced negativity and aggression
Preparing business graduates for a multicultural workforce
No full textThis research examines how higher education institutions can enhance the employability of business graduates by exploring the supply and demand for intercultural competencies, as perceived by both students and employers across Europe. It addresses two key research gaps: first, whether recent graduates in Europe meet employer expectations regarding intercultural competencies and second, how higher education institutions in Europe - particularly business schools - can improve graduates' employability by designing curricula that align with employer needs. Drawing on a cross-national study that includes 102 student and employer interviews conducted in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden and Turkey, the research seeks to gain insights into the demand and supply of intercultural competencies from both employer and student perspectives. The study identifies seven key intercultural competencies: cultural empathy, cognitive flexibility, conscientiousness, social initiative, emotional stability, open-mindedness and willingness to tolerate ambiguity. It also proposes an eighth critical dimension - digital competencies for intercultural collaboration. These eight dimensions are conceptualised in an ?Intercultural Competencies Framework?, which includes three categories of learning activities based on the findings. This framework can assist educators and employers in designing training programmes that enhance intercultural communication and collaboration skills
Spice up your cookbook: innovations in mid-twentieth-century cookbook design
No full textDuring the 1960s the illustrated cookbook format changed to reflect a move from escapism to instruction in response to greater affluence. During this period activities such as home entertaining became more widespread. The material value of the cookbook also changed, and publishers were taking a more radical approach to book design to attract audiences who had become weary of the traditional book layout and who wanted to cook more extravagant meals. The role illustration played became more important as it reinforced the originality of these design-led cookbooks but also provided focus as to how these cookbooks should be used and read. Alan Cracknell’s illustrations for Arabella Boxer’s First Slice Your Cookbook (Nelson, 1964) provides an example of how illustration was used to support the writer’s unique and distinctive approaches to food and cookery, and to further emphasize the culinary tastes, trends and pursuits that were colonising the 1960s home with imagery that also recollected the past. This article, drawn from interviews with Arabella Boxer and Alan Cracknell, explores how the subject matter in Cracknell’s intricately designed illustrations visually amplified the history and provenance of each course. It also investigates how the cookbook’s innovative three-tier menu design system, conceived by Arabella Boxer’s then husband Mark, encouraged its readers to cook differently and how it helped to advance their culinary, historical and design literacy.
The Shakespeare Toolkit: a practice-first pedagogy for performing Shakespeare – Part 1
No full textIn the twenty-first-century British theatre industry, productions of Shakespeare's plays have a significant role in programming from the fringe to the National Theatre. For an actor to develop and present a role from Shakespeare's canon, they must adhere to the demands of a text written in both verse and heightened rhetorical prose. In actor training and performing arts education, the pedagogical practices used to equip learners with the requisite skills are rooted in verbal reasoning, a cerebral approach to developing the role, which involves dissecting the text and analysing the literary devices at work as the primary means of engaging with the plays. Such approaches are in opposition to Stanislavsky-based techniques, which are rooted in a practice-first approach to character development. As Stanislavsky's "system", interpretations and adaptations of his methodology underpin the majority of text-based acting practices within British performer training; this conflict in approaches to creating a role can establish barriers to learning and an apprehension towards performing Shakespeare. In response, I developed the Shakespeare Toolkit through Practice as Research (PaR): a practice-first, character-led pedagogy rooted in principles and vocabulary drawn from Stanislavsky's "system", alongside Elizabethan acting practices and First Folio technique. Comprising twenty tools designed for actor training in both Further and Higher Education, the Toolkit also has applications as a rehearsal methodology in professional theatre. This three-part essay series explores the research and application of the Shakespeare Toolkit. The first essay outlines the theoretical landscape in which the Toolkit was developed and contextualizes the PaR methodology employed. The second offers a detailed analysis of the initial tools and their use in supporting a practice-first encounter with the text. The final essay reflects on how Stanislavsky's "Laws of Speech" were adapted to work with the rhetorical punctuation of the First Folio and examines how these principles are explored through practical tools in the Toolkit
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