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Subjective Perspectives: Foregrounding (the) self in dance practice
Get PDFThis chapter considers the subjective experience of the female dance practitioner as a way of examining individual practice. Inspired by a shared pursuit in seeking to better understand what our own voice is in our practice; we reflect upon how this curiosity might narrate our subjective experiences with a view to foregrounding (the) self. We consider some of the theoretical frameworks that provide a context for our own exploration of practice and emphasise the role of subjective approaches as a valid methodological approach in contributing to wider discourse.
Interwoven with the sharing of personal reflections and considerations as female educators, researchers and practitioners, we reveal how we have employed the first-person perspective in our own journeys in both our professional and personal lives. It is hoped through illuminating the female voice in dance practice that the fields of dance and dance medicine and science may place greater value on other ways of knowing and trust in practitioner intuition rather than seeking the external validation of others
Defining elite esports athletes: a scoping review
Get PDFIn this scoping review, we aimed to (1) provide clarity on terms used to describe elite esport samples, (2) identify the indicators used to describe elite esport samples, (3) collate rationales provided for defining esports samples as elite, and (4) draw conclusions on how to define elite esport samples. Electronic database and manual searches conducted for the final time in March 2024 yielded 7,802 records. Sixty-three studies published since 2012, with 1,768 e’athletes, satisfied the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. In total, 71% of the studies did not define "elite" when classifying their samples. In the remaining studies, elite esport samples were defined through four categories: (1) highest level of competition, (2) professional status, (3) in-game achievement, and (4) domain experience. Of the 63 studies, 29 classified their samples as elite through one category, and 34 included justifications incorporating two or more categories. We propose a 2-step working elite classification system for esports samples that considers a player's highest level of competition and success at that level. Furthermore, we propose a set of reporting guidelines for elite e'athletes, which encourages researchers to unpack: (1) the success of the e’athletes, and (2) the prominence of the esport
Effects of Matcha green tea on heart rate variability and physiological and metabolic responses in young adult female
Get PDFIntroduction: Compared to other green teas, higher intake of multiple phytochemicals is achieved with Matcha green tea consumption. Green tea consumption is known to have metabolic effects but is also consumed for supposed calming effects. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of encapsulated Matcha green tea on heart rate variability metrics during supine rest, as well as on physiological and metabolic responses during both supine rest and moderate-intensity exercise.
Methods: Healthy females (n=8, age: 22±3 yrs, body mass: 68±11 kg, height: 162±5 cm) volunteered. The study employed a placebo-controlled, randomised cross-over design. Time-domain heart rate variability metrics during supine rest (n=5) and physiological and metabolic responses using indirect calorimetry techniques during supine rest and 60-min of moderate-intensity (~ 4-METs) treadmill walking (speed: 4.4±0.5 km·h-1) were measured following 3 weeks of 3 g·day-1 of Matcha green tea or placebo.
Results: During supine rest with Matcha green tea, all participants had lower heart rates by 13±7% (P=0.01, d= -1.45), higher mean beat-to-beat RR intervals by 16±9% (P=0.03, d=1.25), higher SDNN by 44±32% (P=0.01, d=0.76) and higher pNN50 by 139±139% (P<0.01, d=1.28). Matcha green tea had no effects on the physiological and metabolic responses during supine rest and moderate-intensity treadmill walking (e.g. respiratory exchange ratio, placebo: 0.78±0.04; Matcha: 0.78±0.03, P=0.87). Fat oxidation during supine rest was correlated (r=0.75, P<0.01) with the moderate-intensity walking induced fat oxidation.
Conclusions: In young adult healthy females, Matcha green tea beneficially effects heart rate variability metrics during supine rest indicating an alteration in parasympathetic nervous activity and therefore suggestive of a relaxing effect. Matcha green tea did not change the metabolic responses during supine rest and exercise possibly due to the low respiratory exchange ratio in the female cohort. Future work should address the effectiveness of Matcha green tea during conditions of psychological stress
Influence of vigilance performance on lifeguard gaze behaviour
Get PDFThe present study sought to examine the gaze behaviours exhibited by lifeguards
with different levels of experience while performing a task focused on detecting drowning
incidents across extended periods. The results indicated a gradual decline in detection
performance over time, regardless of the lifeguards' levels of experience. Analysis of the
participants' gaze behaviours unveiled that this decline was associated with alterations in
both the number and duration of fixations. The results indicated that lifeguards with greater
experience maintained higher levels of detection performance and fixation numbers for
extended durations, while exhibiting consistent fixation durations throughout the task, in
contrast to their less experienced counterparts. These findings offer initial indications that
lifeguards with more experience may possess an attentional advantage during tasks
requiring sustained vigilance
The relationship between running biomechanics and running economy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Get PDFRunning biomechanics is considered an important determinant of running economy (RE). However, studies examining associations between running biomechanics and RE report inconsistent findings. The aim of this systematic review was to determine associations between running biomechanics and RE and explore potential causes of inconsistency. Three databases were searched and monitored up to April 2023. Observational studies were included if they (i) examined associations between running biomechanics and RE, or (ii) compared running biomechanics between groups differing in RE, or (iii) compared RE between groups differing in running biomechanics during level, constant-speed, and submaximal running in healthy humans (18-65 years). Risk of bias was assessed using a modified tool for observational studies and considered in the results interpretation using GRADE. Meta-analyses were performed when two or more studies reported on the same outcome. Meta-regressions were used to explore heterogeneity with speed, coefficient of variation of height, mass, and age as continuous outcomes, and standardization of running shoes, oxygen versus energetic cost, and correction for resting oxygen or energy cost as categorical outcomes. Fifty-one studies (n = 1115 participants) were included. Most spatiotemporal outcomes showed trivial and non-significant associations with RE: contact time r = - 0.02 (95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.15 to 0.12); flight time r = 0.11 (- 0.09 to 0.32); stride time r = 0.01 (- 0.8 to 0.50); duty factor r = - 0.06 (- 0.18 to 0.06); stride length r = 0.12 (- 0.15 to 0.38), and swing time r = 0.12 (- 0.13 to 0.36). A higher cadence showed a small significant association with a lower oxygen/energy cost (r = - 0.20 [- 0.35 to - 0.05]). A smaller vertical displacement and higher vertical and leg stiffness showed significant moderate associations with lower oxygen/energy cost (r = 0.35, - 0.31, - 0.28, respectively). Ankle, knee, and hip angles at initial contact, midstance or toe-off as well as their range of motion, peak vertical ground reaction force, mechanical work variables, and electromyographic activation were not significantly associated with RE, although potentially relevant trends were observed for some outcomes. Running biomechanics can explain 4-12% of the between-individual variation in RE when considered in isolation, with this magnitude potentially increasing when combining different variables. Implications for athletes, coaches, wearable technology, and researchers are discussed in the review
Noblewomen, Court Service, and Crossing Borders: England c. 1500-1550
Get PDFThere are significant difficulties in defining aristocracy when it comes to women in sixteenth-century England, because women were so often agents of social mobility and might in theory move between social classes by dint of multiple marriages. Exactly who “counted” as a member of an aristocratic dynasty could get complex extremely quickly. This issue is further complicated when considering court service, because intimacy with and proximity to the monarch was not usually defined by aristocratic title. Moreover as princesses moved across borders to marry, they brought women with them as ladies-in-waiting who often then married into the aristocracy of their new country, necessitating a “meshing” of systems of nobility that might suggest that actual titles were less significant than sometimes thought
Can sleep hygiene interventions affect strength and power outcomes for female athletes?
Get PDFImproved sleep can enhance sprint, endurance, and sports-specific skills; however, it is yet to be investigated whether improved sleep indices could enhance strength and power performance. Sleep hygiene (SH) is growing in popularity as a tool to enhance sleep indices amongst athletic cohorts, yet the optimal delivery strategy of sleep hygiene education is yet to be determined. Using a randomised, controlled design with repeated measures, this study recruited 34 female footballers playing in WSL or WSL academy league. Participants were split into 3 groups: one receiving both group-based and individualised sleep hygiene education, one receiving only group-based SH education and a control group receiving no education. Monitoring of sleep (actigraphy, diaries) and physical performance (countermovement jump, isometric mid-thigh pull) was carried out at week 1, week 4 and week 7. Split-plot ANOVAs were used to assess for differences between groups × weeks, and groups × time. Individualised sleep hygiene education resulted in significantly improved sleep duration (p = 0.005), latency (p = 0.006) and efficiency (p = 0.004) at week 7 compared to controls, whilst also resulting in significantly improved countermovement jump scores (p = 0.001) compared to control. Results of this study suggest that jump performance may be affected by sleep factors, and that individualised SH may be superior to group-based SH, providing information to coaches regarding training optimisation and the efficacy of SH education methods
Creatine supplementation research fails to support the theoretical basis for an effect on cognition: Evidence from a systematic review
Get PDFCreatine supplementation has been put forward as a possible aid to cognition, particularly for vegans, vegetarians, the elderly, sleep deprived and hypoxic individuals. However, previous narrative reviews have only provided limited support for these claims. This is despite the fact that research has shown that creatine supplementation can induce increased brain concentrations of creatine, albeit to a limited extent. We carried out a systematic review to examine the current state of affairs. The review supported claims that creatine supplementation can increases brain creatine content but also demonstrated somewhat equivocal results for effects on cognition. It does, however, provide evidence to suggest that more research is required with stressed populations, as supplementation does appear to significantly affect brain content. Issues with research design, especially supplementation regimens, need to be addressed. Future research must include measurements of creatine brain content
Examining the applied value of narratives for professional practice: an exploration of sports injury narratives in action
Get PDFHeeding calls to expand the resources and approaches to psychologically support injured
athletes, this study explored the applied value of socio-cultural sports injury narratives for
athletes, coaches, and practitioners. Informed by narrative inquiry and pedagogy, six evidence
based sports injury narratives were shared and discussed with 69 elite participants (i.e., athletes, coaches, and practitioners) across 11 focus group interviews. A reflexive thematic analysis identified five themes: 1) Forewarned is Forearmed, 2) Building Blocks to Constructing
Meaning(s), 3) Fostering Interpersonal Connections, 4) A Common Language, and 5)
Promoting Communal Responsibility. Overall, these themes advance empirical understandings
of how narratives can inform professional practice by supporting injured athletes across
personal (e.g., meaning making), social (e.g., enhancing interpersonal relationships), and
cultural (e.g., promoting communal responsibility) levels
No effect of a commercial carbohydrate-menthol drink on thermal perceptual measures or 15-minute time trial performance compared to commercial carbohydrate drink in hot humid conditions
Get PDFThis study assessed the effect of a commercial carbohydrate menthol drink on cycling time trial (TT) performance in hot and humid conditions compared with a carbohydrate only drink. Ten participants (5 women; V̇O2max: 52.3±8.6mL.kg-1.min-1, Peak Power Output: 286±56W) completed a 40-min cycling preload (50% V̇O2max) followed by a 15-min self-paced TT in hot (~35°C) and humid (~54%) conditions on two occasions (double blind, crossover design). Every 10-min, 85mL of carbohydrate (CHO; SIS GO Energy, 60g.hr-1) or carbohydrate and menthol (CHO+MEN; SIS Turbo+ 60g.h-1, 0.01% menthol) was swilled (~10-sec) and ingested. Rectal temperature (Trec) and heart rate were recorded throughout. Thermal sensation (TS), thermal comfort (TC) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded every 5-min. Taste and aftertaste were rated from very pleasant (+5) to very unpleasant (-5). TT performance (total work; kJ) was similar between CHO (153 kJ [95% CI: 129-177 kJ]) and CHO+MEN (151 kJ [128–178 kJ]). During preload exercise, Trec increased by ~0.9°C and was similar at the end of the TT (~38.20°C). Mean preload heart rate was ~140b.min-1 in each condition and reached ~177b.min-1 at the end of the TT. Thermal comfort was rated as ‘much too warm’ and thermal sensation rated as ‘very hot’ in both conditions. Both conditions were ‘extremely hard’ (end point RPE ~19). All participants preferred the taste and aftertaste of the CHO drink. The commercial carbohydrate menthol drink offered no additional ergogenic benefit compared to a carbohydrate only drink during cycling exercise performed in hot and humid conditions