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The City's Hostile Bodies: Coriolanus's Rome and Carson's Belfast
Get PDFWhen change is articulated in literary cities, from the early republican Rome of Coriolanus (1608) to the Troubles Belfast of Ciaran Carson‘s Belfast Confetti (1989), bodies become agents of that change. These bodies-at-war induce stasis: a civil war in which the domestic is politicized, the political domesticated. To resolve the violence at the heart of evolving polities, hostile bodies claim sovereignty over the city: Shakespeare‘s plebeians or Coriolanus; Carson's unionists or nationalists. Both texts resolve antagonisms through the paradoxical logic of hospitality, realizing divided yet fully functioning cities where hosts hospitably contest with other hosts, and bodies underpin the political (r)evolutions
A Systematic Review of Interventions to Promote Growth Following Adversity
Get PDFBackground: Athletes experience adversity across many aspects of their lives. Challenging the dominant idea that adversity is just a negative experience, a significant body of research in sport has demonstrated that these adverse events can also act as catalysts for positive change (Howells, Fletcher, & Sarkar, 2017). Yet, a limited number of researchers have focused on how to promote growth following adversity in sport. To support this line of inquiry our aim in this study was to facilitate knowledge transfer from other psychology disciplines by systematically reviewing intervention studies that aim to foster growth following adversity. Methods: We conducted the systematic review using PRISMA guidelines. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, we appraised the studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (Pluye & Hong, 2014). Results: Thirty-six studies were included in the review. We synthesized the studies in relation to participant characteristics (i.e., sample size, age, gender, ethnicity, adversity), study characteristics (i.e., design, content, duration, delivery, outcome measures), intervention outcomes (i.e., statistical significance, effect size, qualitative indicators of growth), antecedents (viz. mediators, moderators), and quality appraisal. Conclusion: In the discussion we critically consider the lessons sport and exercise psychology researchers can learn from published intervention studies from other fields of research (e.g., the use of meaningful metrics, that there are different trajectories of growth, growth is a multidimensional phenomenon). Future researchers should seek to build on findings to advance knowledge and understanding in the most significant and meaningful ways
The relationship between isometric mid-thigh pull force-time characteristics and swing performance in high-level youth golfers
Get PDFThe production of vertical ground reaction force has been suggested to relate
directly to club head speed (CHS) in golfers, providing a rationale for the
implementation of strength and conditioning to enhance performance. The aim
of the study was to determine the relationship between isometric mid-thigh pull
(IMTP) force-time characteristics and measures of swing performance (CHS and
Carry) in high-level youth golfers. Thirteen high-level youth golfers selected for
their National Squad performed IMTP and swing testing using a TrackMan
launch monitor across two testing sessions. Results revealed significant
correlations between IMTP Peak Force (PF) and 6-iron Carry (r=0.91, p<0.001),
Driver Carry (r=0.91, p<0.001), 6-iron CHS (r=0.89, p<0.001) and Driver CHS
(r=0.88, p<0.001). All other variables showed trivial to large non-significant
correlations. Findings support the use of the IMTP as a testing tool in high-level
youth golfers and emphasise the importance of strength training within this
population
Using the Perceptual Experience Laboratory (PEL) to simulate tourism environments for hedonic wellbeing
Get PDFMeasuring the relationship between stress, mood and tourism in natural settings is problematic in terms of the ability to undertake detailed, systematic and accurate monitoring. This paper presents the results of a preliminary investigation into the use of an immersive simulated tourism environment to measure tourisms’ potential to alleviate physiological and psychological stress and enhance mood. The objectives of the study were to record and analyse participants’ heart-rate data before, during and after three experiences (workplace setting, TV-watching setting and simulated tourism setting) and to undertake completion of mood questionnaires before and after each of these three experiences, allowing comparative pre- and post-mood analysis. Qualitative data was also gathered from the participants about these three experiences, in particular the simulated tourism environment. The preliminary results demonstrate that PEL effectively creates a simulated tourism environment which can be used for measuring stress and mood as signifiers of hedonic wellbeing
Festivals Post COVID-19
Get PDFFestivals have become a part of the cultural fabric of global society and a tourism and leisure pursuit that is participated in by many. The COVID-19 crisis has meant that many festivals in 2020 have been cancelled or postponed. But what are the long term impacts for the future of the industry, and accessibility to these events? Will greater restrictions be placed on licencing, with a maximum number of attendees allowed? Will there be a certification scheme for attendees and participants based on current testing methods for COVID-19? Will festivals become more ‘exclusive’, or will there be more smaller-scale accessible organisations that work within a new ‘sharing economy’? This paper explores some of the issues and possibilities for the future of the festivals industry by using an ecological economist’s view of the potential shift in economic paradigms as outcomes of the pandemic
The menopause alters aerobic adaptations to high-intensity interval training
Get PDFIntroduction: Post-menopausal women have lower resting cardiac function than pre- menopausal women, but whether the menopause influences maximal cardiac output and hence exercise capacity is unclear. It is possible that pre- and post-menopausal women
̇
achieve similar improvements in peak aerobic capacity (V O2peak) and cardiac output with
exercise training via different regional left ventricular muscle function (“LV mechanics”),
as suggested by in vitro and animal studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the
effects of the menopause on LV mechanics and adaptations to exercise training. Methods:
Twenty-five healthy untrained middle-aged women (age 45–58 years; 11 pre-menopausal,
14 post-menopausal) completed 12 weeks of exercise training. Before and after exercise ̇
assessed using echocardiography at rest and during two submaximal physiological tests
— lower body negative pressure (LBNP) and supine cycling. Results: The increase ̇
training, (i) V O2peak and blood volume were determined, and (ii) LV mechanics were
in relative V O2peak after exercise training was 9% smaller in post-menopausal than pre- menopausal women, concomitant with a smaller increase in blood volume (P 0.05) despite altered regional LV muscle function, as indicated by higher basal mechanics in pre-menopausal women during the physiological tests after exercise training (P < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings are the first to confirm altered LV mechanics in post-menopausal women. In addition, the reduced aerobic adaptability to exercise training in post-menopausal women does not appear to be a central cardiac limitation, and may be due to altered blood volume distribution and lower peripheral adaptations
“Bionic Women and Men” Part 3: Right ventricular dysfunction in patients implanted with left ventricular assist devices
Get PDFThe adaptation of the right ventricular (RV) output to a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) often determines the fate of patients with pulmonary hypertension secondary to left heart failure. Pre‐existing right heart dysfunction in patients with advanced left heart failure is the consequence of increased (arterial) afterload and not simply the consequence of myocardial disease. If unaccounted for, it has the potential of accelerating into clinical right heart failure after LVAD, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. After LVAD implantation, the RV has to face increased flow generated by the LVAD, cardiac arrhythmias and exaggerated functional interactions between both ventricles. Understanding the key physiological mechanisms of RV dysfunction in patients with end‐stage heart failure will allow us to predict and therefore prevent RV failure after LVAD implantation
Speech and Language Outcomes in Low-SES Spanish-English Bilingual Preschoolers: The Role of Maternal Education
Get PDFThis paper presents a longitudinal examination of Spanish and English phonological, lexical, and morpho-syntactic abilities in 20 low-SES bilingual preschoolers with mothers who had either completed primary or secondary education in Spanish in their country of origin, Mexico. We focused on the link between maternal education and the following spontaneous production measures: 1) phonological accuracy as measured by Percent of Consonants Correct-Revised, 2) lexical variety as measured by Number of Different Words, and 3) utterance length as measured by Mean Length of Utterance in words; the relation between maternal education and spontaneous production was examined both a) at preschool entry, when children were on average 3;6 and dominant in Spanish, and b) a year later, after one year of exposure to the majority language (English) and culture. The results showed that although children of more educated mothers performed significantly better on all English measures than children of less educated mothers, maternal education was not related to Spanish outcomes. The same differences persisted a year later. These results suggest that maternal education may play a different, but long-lasting role in English compared to Spanish development possibly due to language input differences attributable to distinct cultural values and practices associated with different languages
Aberrant Functional and Causal Connectivity in Acute Tinnitus With Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Get PDFPurpose: The neural bases in acute tinnitus remains largely undetected. The objective of this study was to identify the alteration of the brain network involved in patients with acute tinnitus and hearing loss.
Methods: Acute tinnitus patients (n = 24) with hearing loss and age-, sex-, education-matched healthy controls (n = 21) participated in the current study and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. Regional homogeneity and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation were used to investigate the local spontaneous neural activity and functional connectivity (FC), and Granger causality analysis (GCA) was used to analyze the undirected and directed connectivity of brain regions.
Results: Compared with healthy subjects, acute tinnitus patients had a general reduction in FC between auditory and non-auditory brain regions. Based on FC analysis, the superior temporal gyrus (STG) revealed reduced undirected connectivity with non-auditory brain regions including the amygdala (AMYG), nucleus accumbens (NAc), the cerebellum, and postcentral gyrus (PoCG). Using the GCA algorithm, increased effective connectivity from the right AMYG to the right STG, and reduced connectivity from the right PoCG to the left NAc was observed in acute tinnitus patients with hearing loss. The pure-tone threshold was positively correlated with FC between the AMYG and STG, and negatively correlated with FC between the left NAc and the right PoCG. In addition, a negative association between the GCA value from the right PoCG to the left NAc and the THI scores was observed.
Conclusion: Acute tinnitus patients have aberrant FC strength and causal connectivity in both the auditory and non-auditory cortex, especially in the STG, AMYG, and NAc. The current findings will provide a new perspective for understanding the neuropathophysiological mechanism in acute tinnitus
Reducing SSI rates for women birthing by caesarean section
Get PDFSurgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common type of
nosocomial infection, accounting for up to 20% of all hospitalacquired infections in Europe (European Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control [ECDPC], 2013). There are varying SSI rates
reported across the UK. In 2016, Public Health Wales reported an
overall 14-day SSI rate for women undergoing caesarean section of
4.35% — 83% of which were superficial infections and 92.5% were
detected after discharge (PHW, 2016). From 2015–2016, Aneurin
Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) services experienced an
increase in the SSI rate for women birthing by caesarean section from
3.07% to 5.86% respectively. Therefore, a multifaceted approach to
quality improvement (ABUHB organisational method) was adopted
throughout the duration of 2017, with a view to implement by 2018.
The aim was to reduce SSIs for women birthing by caesarean section
in ABUHB. Interventions included the use of evidence-based practice
and guidelines, education and engagement among clinicians,
patients and staff, and the gradual implementation of Leukomed®
Sorbact® (Essity) post-operative dressings