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Georges Bataille Critical Essays Volume 2: 1949–1951
No full textIn the aftermath of World War II, French thinker and writer Georges Bataille forged a singular path through the moral and political impasses of his age. In 1946, animated by ‘a need to live events in an increasingly conscious way’, and to reject any compartmentalization of intellectual life, Bataille founded the journal Critique. Continuing the publication of his postwar writings, this second book in a three-volume collection of Bataille’s work collects his essays and reviews from the years 1949 to 1951.
In this period of intellectual isolation and intense reflection, Bataille developed and refined his genealogy of morality through a sustained reflection on the fate of the sacred in the modern world. He offered a critique of the limits of existing morality, especially in its denial of excess, while sketching the lineaments of a new hyper-morality. Bataille’s wide-ranging reflections are true to the intellectual mission of Critique, which he founded as a space open to the broadest considerations of the present. As well as discussing significant figures like Samuel Beckett, André Gide, and René Char, Bataille also offers fascinating reflections on American politics, Nazism, existentialism, materialism, and play.
The connecting thread in these diverse essays remains Bataille’s concern with the extremes of human experience and the possibilities of transcending the limits of societies founded on utility and restraint. His writings remain a provocative incitement to rethink the boundaries we impose on expression and existence
Interview: Karen Stevens on characterisation, class and ‘Brilliant Blue'
No full textJoe Bedford interview series 'Writers on Research'. Author Karen Stevens discusses the research process behind her short story collection Brilliant Blue (Barbican Press, 2025)
Development and validation of the Limerence Questionnaire (LQ-11)
Get PDFLimerence is an overwhelming and debilitating experience involving the intense and often obsessive attachment towards a person who becomes the limerent object, which when left unharnessed, typically results in negative outcomes. At present, there are no published measures to assess the construct of limerence. To address this gap, we developed a short self-report measure to measure limerence (The Limerence Questionnaire-11; LQ-11). This paper reports two studies with data from two different samples (Study 1, = 269; Study 2, = 401) of participants that had experienced or were currently experiencing limerence. Results from the exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure comprising of ' ' and ' (Study 1). Confirmatory Factor Analysis subsequently confirmed a two-factor structure with excellent internal reliability (Study 2). Results demonstrated that the LQ-11 had good concurrent, convergent and discriminant validity. The LQ-11 is an easily administrable questionnaire for potential use in both interpersonal research domains and in clinical and therapeutic settings
Staying with the trouble, a rhizomatic approach to posthuman methods: assemblages and becoming in the posthuman walking project
Get PDFPersistent pain is the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Research into pain experiences often adopts a humanistic perspective, predominantly relying on interview data and rarely engaging with real-world contexts. The Posthuman Walking Project brought together a transdisciplinary network of individuals with lived experiences of pain alongside academics and clinicians from five countries to collectively explore how posthuman philosophies might challenge human-centered paradigms. Specifically, we used mobile phone video footage to investigate the more-than- human entanglements of walking in the landscape when experiencing pain. This paper reflects on our engagement with the uncertainty and multifaceted nature of exploratory methods and how the process of “becoming posthuman” did not follow a pre-determined path. We outline our rhizomatic methodological approach, emphasizing the contributions of walker-partners, project development meetings, and the value of allowing methods to remain responsive and emergent. Finally, we discuss the complexities of studying the assemblage of humans, walking, pain, and landscape, illuminating the transformative potential of posthuman frameworks in understanding lived experiences of pain
Water as metaphor
Get PDFReflections on spiritual, sociopolitical and emotional metaphors involving water, as expressed in sacred texts and creative work by contemporary American, English, French, Israeli, Iranian, Kurdish, and Palestinian writers
The effectiveness of early weight bearing and mobilisation in post-operative ankle open reduction internal fixation patients: a systematic literature review
Get PDFPurpose: Whilst stable ankle fractures can be managed conservatively, unstable fractures are often treated with surgical intervention with Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF). Traditional post-operative management strategies includes immobilisation and non-weight bearing, new research may indicate this is associated with poor outcomes. This systematic review aims to identify if different weight-bearing and mobilisation post-surgery protocols have positive outcomes on post-ORIF patients with secondary aims to review rates of infection.
Methods: A systematic literature review was completed of randomised controlled trials identified through search strategies from of SPORTDiscuss, CINAHL, Gale OneFile: Health and Medicine, MEDLINE and OpenAIRE databases with the final search completed on the 16th of Feburary 2024. Inclusion criteria were as follows, published in 2000 or sooner, peer-reviewed journal articles and the study protocol is a randomised control trial, Furthermore all patients must have received an ankle ORIF procedure. . Quality appraisal was then completed on all included controlled trials using the PEDro scale. Data extraction was then manually performed by the author.
Results: Four randomised controlled trials were included in this study. Amongst the four studies, two found statistically significant differences in favour of early weight bearing at six weeks for functional outcomes (P = 0.0007 and P = <0.001 respectively). Additionally one of the two studies that found effectiveness in early stage EWB also found significant differences in eight weeks (P = 0.002), 12 weeks (P = 0.004) and 12 months (P = 0.02) in the per-protocol analysis all in favour of EWB against NWB. The mean difference between the two groups was 4.4 (95% CI, 0.8-8.1) at the 12-month follow-up. The other included studies found no significant differences regarding functional outcomes at any time frame postoperatively.
Conclusion(s): Based on the findings of the included literature there is some evidence to suggest that early weight-bearing post-ORIF has some effect in increasing functional outcome scores within the first six weeks. However long-term effects of early weight bearing appear to be minimal. Evidence suggests that early weight bearing does not have a significant effect on complications or rates of infection.
Impact: With current evidence, it can be recommended that early weight bearing would result in better short-term outcome measures in those that underwent an ORIF operation with little complication
Psychometric considerations and age appropriateness of outcome measures implemented in exercise randomized controlled trials within the juvenile idiopathic arthritis cohort: a systematic review
Get PDFJuvenile idiopathic arthritis is an autoimmune condition of multifactorial etiology resulting in chronic inflammatory joint disease, which may be associated with systemic manifestations. Therapeutic exercise is essential to counteract physical impairments, which requires the implementation of outcome measures (OMs) in research and practice as they provide meaningful results for research efficacy, exercise program evaluation and quality, medication tolerance, and patient improvement. To assess the types of OMs implemented in exercise randomized controlled trials related to the juvenile idiopathic arthritis cohort and the psychometric properties and age appropriateness of the implemented OMs. The review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022336345) on May 30, 2022, followed by a systematic search across PubMed, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, and Ovid. Studies included were appraised using the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Tool for randomized controlled trials. All data collection occurred according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis. A total of 51 outcome measures were implemented across the 20 randomized controlled trials: 2 clinician-reported OMs (4%), 19 patient or parent-reported OMs (37%), and 30 physical performance OMs (59%). The vast majority of included OMs increase the difficulty of comparison across studies and indicate a lack of consideration for validity, reliability, and age appropriateness
Thematic Working Group 5 - Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy for teaching and learning: design and implementation
Get PDFTWG 5 focused on developing and implementing effective strategies for enhancing AI
literacy and agency of teachers, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to
integrate AI into their teaching practices. Explorations covered curriculum design,
professional development programs, practical classroom applications, and policy guidelines
aiming to empower educators to confidently utilize AI tools and foster a deeper
understanding of AI concepts among students
Show must go on: what are the available tools to assess readiness to return to dance post injury in elite dancers? A scoping review protocol
Get PDFInjury in elite (professional/competitive/collegiate) dance is commonplace and pernicious. Return-to-dance after extended time-loss injury requires careful consideration to ensure dancers are ready to safely resume practice (return to class/rehearsal/competition/performance). The available assessment tools in dance consider predominantly physical domains (eg, flexibility/balance) and refer to specific dance genres only (eg, ballet). This scoping review aims to explore biopsychosocial domains (eg, fear/confidence) identified in dance and sport literature, informing safe return to dance post injury. The scoping review will conform to Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Evidence Synthesis guidelines. Nine databases (in health, medicine, kinesiology, sport and dance) will be searched for studies of return-to-dance/sport protocols, in dancers, athletes and aesthetic performers. Two independent reviewers will conduct title, abstract and full-text screening using Covidence review management software. Data charting will be completed using a modified standardised JBI extraction form. The scoping review will be disseminated to stakeholders in the world of elite dance in performance (troupes/companies), educational (academies/universities) settings and sports medicine clinicians will also be targeted in dissemination. Findings will be shared via both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed publications (eg, blog posts/academic publications/conference presentations). An infographic of key findings will be developed and shared on social media. This scoping review will inform a subsequent e-Delphi project involving dancers, teachers and clinicians to develop a dance-specific tool informing safe return to dance post injury. This novel tool will extend beyond currently available tools focusing on physical factors to consider holistic dancer wellness, with application across multiple dance genres
Individual responses to encapsulated caffeine and caffeine chewing gum on strength and power in strength-trained males
Get PDFBackground: Liquid-dissolved and encapsulated powder are two popular ways to consume caffeine for performance-enhancing effects. Caffeine in other delivery methods, such as chewing gums, orally dissolvable strips, gels, mouthwashes, energy drinks, and nasal sprays, is believed to be absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream. Inter-individual responses to caffeine's enhancing effects are recognized. The present study examined the inter-individual responses to the acute effects of encapsulated caffeine and caffeinated chewing gum on the lower-body isokinetic and isometric strength and power in strength-trained males.
Method: A randomized, cross-over, placebo-controlled study was conducted with fifteen strength-trained males (age: 25±4 years, height: 176±7 cm, weight: 75±11 kg, habitual caffeine intake: 66±15 mg·day⁻¹). Participants were randomly assigned to three conditions: i) caffeinated chewing gum (CG), ii) caffeine capsule (CC), and iii) starch capsule as a placebo (PLA). Participants consumed approximately 3 to 4.5 mg·kg⁻¹ of caffeine 60 minutes before testing. The washout period between conditions was one week. Participants performed the Sargent jump test, followed by a 5-minute active recovery (walking). Subsequently, isokinetic strength and power (60°/s and 180°/s) and isometric strength (45° and 60°) parameters were measured for knee extensor and flexor muscles. Data were analyzed using one-way repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests, with significance set at P ≤ 0.05. Responders to the caffeine conditions were identified using the smallest worthwhile change (SWC) analysis.
Results: In knee extensors, 1) average peak torque and power at 60°/s were higher in CC (P=0.045; +11.22% and P=0.038; +14.15%) and CG (P=0.044; +7.32% and P=0.015; +11.42%) compared to PLA with a co-response rate of 60% and 66%, 2) maximum voluntary isometric contraction at 45° (MVIC-45°) was higher in CC compared to PLA (P=0.031; +10.15% ), and 3) MVIC-60° was higher in CG compared to PLA (P=0.037; +10.15%) with a co-response rate of 60%. In knee flexors, 1) time to peak torque at 60°/s was higher in CG compared to PLA (P=0.011; +18.28%) with a co-response rate of 46%, 2) average rate of force development at 60°/s was higher in CC (P=0.007; +24.14%) and CG (P=0.050; +20.69%) compared to PLA with a co-response rate of 53%, and 3) average power at 180°/s was higher in CC compared to PLA (P=0.033; +18.08%) with a co-response rate of 46%. However, there were no differences between other strength indicators in the knee extensors and flexors between the different conditions. Vertical jump height (VJH) was higher in CC (P=0.001; +5.58%) and CG (P=0.001; +6.09%) compared to PLA, with a co-response rate of 53%.
Conclusion: Caffeine supplementation in CC and CG forms significantly enhanced lower-body strength, power, and vertical jump height in strength-trained males, with over ~ 50% of participants exceeding the SWC thresholds across key performance metrics. CC showed slightly higher responder rates for strength parameters, while CG excelled in time-dependent measures, supporting their use as effective and flexible ergogenic aids