4095 research outputs found
Sort by
Gendered networking in international sport governance
Get PDFResearch question
We aim to develop a deeper understanding of gendered networking in international sport governance. Specifically, we examine the perceptions and experiences of networking amongst women and men senior postholders within international federations (IFs).
Research methods
We draw on interview data from in-depth semi-structured interviews with six men and six women British senior postholders across 12 different Olympic (n = 10) and Paralympic (n = 2) IFs.
Results and findings
Networking was reported to be an instrumental factor in obtaining and maintaining a career in international sport governance. We present and discuss a ‘4 p’s typology’ that reflects and represents interviewees’ perceptions and experiences of the roles and mechanisms of networking: profile, place, purpose, and preference. We found that the roles and mechanisms of networking were complex and multi-faceted, spanning individual goals and strategies and group/organisational aims and processes. Furthermore, whilst men and women interviewees were mostly uniform in their perceptions of the roles and mechanisms of networking, there were clear gender differences in their experiences of, and outcomes from, networking.
Implications
Overall, the findings from this paper demonstrate how influential and important networking is for both individual career advancement and organisational agendas and decisions. Given this, our findings on the gendered nature of networking can be problematic if already underrepresented women benefit less than men from valuable networking activities. We end the paper by providing some recommendations for future research and concrete short-term strategies that can be implemented to work towards gender-inclusive networking
Predicting and controlling multiple transmissions of rotavirus using computational biomedical model in smart health infrastructures
Get PDFConventional laboratory investigation of rotavirus infection and its antigen in rectal swabs from infected persons uses Electron microscopy (EM) (i.e., non‐acute cases), genome, and antigen‐detecting assays. A recent update involves sorting, trapping, concentrating, and identifying infectious rotavirus particles in clinical samples leveraging activated magnetic microparticles with monoclonal antibodies. However, the routine detection of rotavirus in many specimens using the EM approach is laborious, costly, and requires highly skilled workers. A sustainable healthcare system should leverage the Internet of Things to operate Smart Health Infrastructures (SHI) for predictive control of contagious diseases such as the rotavirus. This paper proposes a biomedical model for predictive control of the virus spread based on Susceptible, Breastfeeding, Vaccinated, Infected, and Recovered (SBVIR) parameters. We introduce breastfeeding, vaccination, and saturated incidence rate variables to deconstruct the transmission dynamics. An efficiency test is conducted using RI control parameters B and V. Applying Lyapunov function analysis, we prove that the global stability of disease‐free and endemic equilibria exists under breastfeeding and vaccination conditions when the primary reproduction number is less than unity. Numerical simulation results show that breastfeeding and vaccination are optimal with SBVIR compared to SVIR, SBIR, and SIR parameters for rotavirus infection control by 99%, 26%, 19%, and 18%, respectively. On top of these, we show that the SBVIR model strongly agrees with real‐world data and can be used to forecast the infected population in a production health facility. Finally, we show multiple Internet of Things applications in SHI to control rotavirus transmission effectively
Enhancing pressurized esports performance: a pilot study on the combined effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and arousal reappraisal
No full textThis pilot study explored the combined impact of arousal reappraisal intervention and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) on state anxiety, challenge and threat appraisals, and performance under high pressure in esport contexts. Arousal reappraisal has previously been shown to enable individuals to interpret physiological arousal more constructively, while tDCS has demonstrated potential to increase the efficacy of psychological interventions. A fully repeated measures study design was employed where participants experienced four different experimental interventions: tDCS with arousal reappraisal, tDCS with active control, sham stimulation with arousal reappraisal, and sham stimulation with active control. Seventeen male Counter-Strike competitors participated in the study. Each participant received all four experimental intervention conditions, with measurements taken of state anxiety, challenge and threat appraisals, and esport performance under pressure. The findings tentatively suggest that arousal reappraisal effectively reduces cognitive anxiety, promotes favourable challenge appraisals versus threat, and enhances esports performance. This effect appeared more pronounced when arousal reappraisal was combined with anodal tDCS. Combining arousal reappraisal and tDCS may be a promising intervention for esports competitors facing performance pressure. The synergistic effects of these interventions warrant further investigation in larger samples
Iris Murdoch: Poet - An essay from the Editors
No full textAn 8000-word introductory essay to 'Poems from an Attic' by Iris Murdoc
Poetic confessions of a neophyte qualitative researcher undertaking emotional demanding research in sport
Get PDFUndertaking qualitative research can be emotionally demanding, yet the emotional experiences and vulnerabilities of researchers themselves are often overlooked. In this confessional tale, the first author, a neophyte qualitative researcher, reflects on navigating emotionally demanding research in sport, specifically exploring athlete experiences of injury and disordered eating. By using poetry as an arts-based method, this study not only conveys the embodied intensity of these experiences but also builds on existing confessional accounts to provide a pedagogical resource for supporting neophyte researchers in managing vulnerability, ethical responsibility, and reflexivity. This study draws from the first author’s reflexive journal (totalling more than 15,000 words), member reflections with participants (N=8 interviews), and ongoing interpersonal reflection (>30 hours) with her supervisory team, which was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The constructed themes were then crafted into poems to create a pedagogical resource to support reflection and training for researchers engaging with emotionally demanding topics. The five poems are entitled: Shadows Linger, A Tinted Lens, Promise of Change, The Uncertain Path, and Beyond Words. Each of the poems illustrate the tensions, ethical considerations, and moral complexities of undertaking emotional demanding research in sport. Reflections are then offered to consider how the poems could serve as a pedagogical resource for those engaged in emotionally demanding research, offering insights into the impact of such work, the ways qualitative researchers can embrace responsibility, and the importance of critically reflecting on language used throughout the research process
Regenerative braking in electric-bicycles with supercapacitors for sustainable transport
No full textThe transportation industry, followed by the energy sector, emits the highest amount of carbon, which negatively impacts the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and slows down the 2050 Net-Zero target. In the UK, 78% of every household owns at least one car, thus worsening the carbon footprint statistics, including the health risks associated with the frequent use of cars. Braking of such vehicles loses the kinetic energy environment. Sustainable transport, such as cycling on pedal bicycles, can be strenuous, leading to exhaustion, fainting, accidents, or deaths. Electric- powered bicycles (or E-bikes) can mitigate these problems as the users can engage in moderate exercise void of the risks above. However, E-bikes expend the energy stored in batteries and may not suffice for distant travel. Regenerative electric braking (REB) in E-bikes can store the would-have-lost braking energy in supercapacitors to extend the travel range, battery life and efficiency. Our experimental study shows a 4.14% net gain in energy efficiency when supercapacitors are used with REB. On top of that, we show that a lightweight, low-volume REB system could be constructed at a low cost, showing that future E-bikes with a similar system could be financially viable
Young adult resilience for recovery from substance addiction in Assam, India: lived experience insights from a photo‐led interview study
Get PDFSubstance addiction can be considered a form of social injustice grounded in interactions between individual, family and community‐level risk factors. Although prevention and treatment of substance use disorder is a key target of the United Nations sustainable development goal Good Health and Well‐Being, many low‐and‐middle‐income countries lack a culturally validated approach for its management. We contend that a resilience approach may provide a sound basis from which to develop such an approach in non‐western, low‐resource settings. Hence, the aim of this study is to identify factors supporting resilience for recovery from substance addiction in the lived experience of young adults in Assam, India. We used photo‐led interviews to centre the lived experience of young adult addicts‐in‐recovery (11 men, 5 women; 19–24 years) recruited through two rehabilitation services and their networks. Reflexive thematic analysis of the data produced three clusters of themes: (i) precursors to recovery; (ii) repairing relationships; and, (iii) structuring a life of recovery. Findings are discussed and potential areas for intervention are identified to support a multi‐level, culturally informed, community‐driven approach to recovery from substance addiction
Hip adduction and abduction strength profiles in elite and sub-elite female soccer players according to players level and leg limb-dominance
Get PDFBackground: Understanding the hip adduction and abduction strength in female soccer players is crucial for performance enhancement and injury prevention. This study compares the strength profiles in these muscle groups between elite and sub-elite female soccer players and assesses the impact of leg limb-dominance. Methods: A descriptive-comparative study was employed. Eighty-two female soccer players were evaluated. Isometric hip-adduction and abduction strength were measured using a handheld dynamometer. Results: Female elite and sub-elite soccer players displayed a mean and standard deviation (SD) on isometric hip-adductor strength for dominant (3.19 Nm/kg ± 0.69 vs. 2.40 Nm/kg ± 0.67) and non-dominant leg (3.32 Nm/kg ± 0.76 versus 2.42 Nm/kg ± 0.70), respectively. For isometric hip-abductor strength in elite and sub-elite players, a mean and SD of dominant (2.86 Nm/kg ± 0.56 vs. 2.07 Nm/kg ± 0.50) and non-dominant (2.80 Nm/kg ± 0.59 vs. 2.04 Nm/kg ± 0.43). In essence, elite players were stronger than sub-elite players on isometric hip-adduction (mean difference [MD] = 0.82 Nm/kg, CI95% = 0.42–1.12) and abduction (MD = 0.83 Nm/kg, CI95% = 0.54- 1.12) both in dominant and non-dominant, leg, whereas no differences existed for hip adduction:abduction ratios between groups and legs. Conclusions: Elite female athletes exhibited greater strength than sub-elite female players in both hip adduction and abduction, whereas adduction:abduction ratio values did not differ between the two groups or between different legs
Stories from Edzell Lodge children’s home in the 1940s and 1950s: lessons for practice and research
Get PDF‘Gnatola ma no kpon sia, eyenabe adelan to kpo mi sena’ (‘Until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story’) (Ghanian proverb, available at: http://thelionandthehunter.org/). Historically, both the discipline and profession of social work have been imagined and constructed by those who oversee social work services – ‘the hunters’, according to the aforementioned Ghanaian proverb. Thus, it has been predominantly white, middle-class, non-disabled, mainly female, Global North voices that have determined what social work looks like and how it is carried out across the world. However, this is changing. Today, many more ‘lions’ are telling their stories, as this article demonstrates. Through the curated narratives of Bob, Doug and Rose, as well as that of their storyteller/collaborator, Viv, we learn that growing up in care in Scotland in the 1940s and 1950s was ‘confused and confusing’ for the children at the heart of it. Contradictory discourses competed for dominance, and the children experienced unintended consequences from the ‘care’ they received. While not attempting to universalise on the basis of three people’s stories, we believe that they have much to teach social work
Unravelling perceived ostracism: the role of antagonistic traits and attachment orientation
Get PDFPerceived ostracism (e.g., feeling ignored and excluded) can lead to psychological distress. There has been little empirical research into the types (profiles) of people more likely to perceive ostracism. The present study (N = 604) used latent class analysis (LCA) to (a) explore classes based on antagonistic traits (narcissism, machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism) while controlling for attachment orientation (attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) and (b) examine whether such classes could reliably differentiate levels of self-reported perceived ostracism. We extracted five classes: (a) Average Low, (b) the Non-Antagonisers, (c) Average High, (d) Spiteful Manipulators, and (e) the High Antagonisers. Those in the High Antagonisers class reported significantly higher levels of perceived ostracism compared to all other classes. No other differences between classes were observed. There were also significant positive relationships for avoidant and anxious attachment on perceived ostracism, respectively. This study provides new insight into the profiles of individuals who may be more likely to perceive ostracism. However, further research is needed to explore the association between personality and perceived ostracism. Researchers may consider measuring the potential outcomes following perceived ostracism for such groups and/or design potential interventions for those at risk of such experiences