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Applying positive psychology in sport: a trainee’s case study
Get PDFPositive psychology is an approach to psychology that focuses on the utilization of strengths, positive emotions, well-being, and personal growth to help individuals thrive, flourish, and
achieve optimal functioning. The following case study highlights how positive psychology theories and techniques, specifically strengths-development and gratitude interventions, were implemented into a sport psychology intervention by a trainee sport and exercise psychologist. It is hoped that other practitioners may find the case study a useful insight into how they may be able to incorporate positive psychology into their practice
Size matters: research in a small university business school
No full textHow a business school evolves, and how it develops its structure and purpose, is dependent on many variables at both the beginning and during the process of development. The University of Chichester Business School is a small department that was set on the meandering path towards research excellence in 2008 by the then Head of the Business School. There was a plan, sometimes opportunistic, but it was stuck to as much as possible. However, there were also other factors that affected that development—including those of staff, location, size and reputation. This chapter explores how those variables impacted our research culture through the eyes of a researcher who was taken on at the beginning of the story. The impact is discussed of location both within the university itself and geographically, and of changes in staff. By including the views of current and previous staff, and by looking with hindsight at the evolving process in relation to that of other smaller business schools in the region, a clearer idea emerges of how the research activities of a small university business school can flourish, regardless of size
Development of an evidence-based swimming representative military task to assess swimming competency in the British Army
No full textBackground: There is a requirement for British Army personnel to operate in/around water. Assessing role-related swimming/water competence will support personnel to conduct their job-roles safely and effectively.
Objective: To undertake a Job-Task Analysis (JTA) of British Army personnel when working in/around water and use this information to develop a Swimming Representative Military Task (RMT) to assess swimming/water competence.
Methods: Workshops, surveys, and observations were used to conduct a JTA, which identified and described job-tasks conducted by British Army personnel in/around water. Ergonomic analysis of these job-tasks identified seven water-based physical actions, which were considered fundamental for all personnel to be competent in performing. These seven actions guided design of a Swimming RMT, which was subsequently conducted twice by 103 serving personnel (89 men, 11 women) and once by 65 recruits (49 men, 16 women).
Results: The RMT comprised of entering the water in combat fatigues and webbing, removing webbing, swimming 50 m, and staying afloat for up to 10 minutes. During RMT trials, in trial 1, 85% of serving personnel and 74% of recruits successfully completed the RMT, which increased to 93% in serving personnel for trial 2. Across trials 1 and 2, all three timed RMT elements showed moderate-high correlational reliability (ICC range: 0.462-0.791). On average, serving personnel were quicker to complete the 50 m swim phase compared to recruits (91±24 s vs. 100±26 s; U = 2575.0, rb = -0.192, p = 0.039).
Conclusions: The JTA-informed Swimming RMT provides an assessment of the minimum role-related swimming/water competence standard for British Army personnel
Human dopaminergic system in the exercise-cognition link
No full textWhile the dopaminergic system is important for cognitive processes, it is also sensitive to the influence of physical activity (PA). We summarize current evidence on whether PA-related changes in the human dopaminergic system are associated with alterations in cognitive performance, discuss recent advances, and highlight challenges and opportunities for future research
The Sea of Faith 40 Years On
Get PDFOn the fortieth anniversary of its first broadcast in 1984, this article will consider the main themes of the BBC TV series The Sea of Faith , written and presented by the Cambridge philosopher and theologian Don Cupitt. It will attempt to evaluate its significance, then and now. We argue that Cupitt’s ‘radical’ reputation for his advancement of a broadly ‘non-realist’ understanding of God may have overshadowed other equally significant features, not least his central argument that unless Christianity responded constructively to modern thought it would be doomed to irrelevance. The article will close with some reflections on what Cupitt’s manifesto for religion might mean for those who continue to identify with his critiques of traditional theology today
SDN-Based Integrated Satellite Terrestrial Cyber–Physical Networks with 5G resilience infrastructure: future trends and challenges
Get PDFThis paper reviews the state-of-the art technologies and techniques for integrating satellite and terrestrial networks within a 5G and Beyond Networks (5GBYNs). It highlights key limitations in existing architectures, particularly in addressing interoperability, resilience, and Quality of Service (QoS) for real-time applications. In response, this work proposes a novel Software-Defined Networking (SDN)-based framework for reliable satellite–terrestrial integration. The proposed framework leverages intelligent traffic steering and dynamic access network selection to optimise real-time communications. By addressing gaps in the literature with a distributed SDN control approach spanning terrestrial and space domains, the framework enhances resilience against disruptions, such as natural disasters, while maintaining low latency and jitter. Future research directions are outlined to refine the design and explore its application in 6G systems
Proximity differences between forwards and defenders during goal scoring in soccer
Get PDFThe role of a forward player in soccer is to score goals by destabilising defensive systems. The act of goal scoring in open play is fast paced with players requiring perceptual ability to navigate the environment. The purpose of this research study was to explore goal scorers’ ability to perceive and adapt to the environmental threats to goal scoring at different competitive levels. All open play goals scored by forward players in the 2022/23 English Premier League, Championship, League 1, and League 2 divisions were analysed. Four observers recorded the proximity of defenders to the goal scorer at the moment of assist pass and moment of finish. Results showed significant differences existed between the proximity of defenders to the goal scorer between the assist pass and finish. When data was isolated to one touch finish goals within highly offensive zones, a reducing pattern of significant difference was found as league standard decreased. Findings offer an insight into the perceptual ability of forward players to destabilise defensive systems. Recommendations for practice design and talent identification are proposed
Data on connection with the natural environment and its impact on mental health among allotment and non-allotment owners
Get PDFThis data file contains demographic information along with established scale scores of 515 both allotment and non-allotment owners to explore their time in nature and the impacts of this on mental health. Questions were also asked around time and activities in nature. The age range was between 18-85 years old. The data had approval from the research ethics committee. Before data collection began, full informed consent was obtained from participants as well as information sheets provided to them and all participants were debriefed afterwards. Identifying information was removed to ensure confidentiality and anonymity. The scores for scales used are included
Revolutionizing retail logistics: Fine-tuning 5G-cyberphysical vehicular networks with AGSA-driven path loss models
No full textNon-autonomous vehicles, like the MasterMover electric Tugs, find extensive application in specialised short-range communication settings such as UK's Tesco warehouses. Employing a resilient MasterMover setup, electromagnetic attenuation within the Cyberphysical vehicular infrastructure can be fine-tuned, thereby enhancing supply chain logistics for retail outlets. This study enhances an earlier conventional Agile Gravitational Search Algorithm (AGSA) with outdated path loss models. Through AGSA-driven path loss optimisation, subsequent regression analysis is employed to generate supervised labels for both observed and anticipated path loss behaviors. The findings are useful for new level 3-5 driverless cars operating at 5G/6G spectrum
Relative strength explains the differences in multi-joint rapid force production between sexes
Get PDFThe primary aim of this study was to determine whether relative strength explains the differences in the rapid force production (force developed during first 150-, 200-, and 250 ms) of females and males, and to evaluate the relationships between peak force and rapid force production. Sixty-three team sport athletes (females: n = 25, age = 21.5 ± 1.3 years, stature = 166 ± 5 cm, body mass = 60.65 ± 10.04 kg; males: n = 38, age = 21.9 ± 1.1 years, stature = 178 ± 7 cm, body mass = 76.55 ± 12.88 kg) performed a series of isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) trials, with all participants' data used for correlational analysis. After testing, females and males were divided into 20 strength-matched pairs, based on their relative peak force (peak force ∙ body mass). There were no meaningful differences between sexes for relative force at 150 ms (g = 0.007 [95% CI -0.627, 0.648]), 200 ms (g = -0.059 [95% CI -0.695, 0.588]) and 250 ms (g = -0.156 [95% CI -0.778, 0.473]). Similarly, when expressed as a percentage of peak force there were no meaningful differences in force at 150 ms (g = -0.015 [95.0%CI -0.650, 0.680]), 200 ms (g = -0.099 [95.0%CI -0.714, 0.559]) or 250 ms (g = -0.272 [95.0%CI -0.856, 0.328]) between strength-matched females and males. Based on the correlations, there were very large to nearly perfect relationships (r = 0.77-0.94, p <0.001) between peak force and rapid force production, with peak force explaining 59%, 77% and 89% of the variance in force at 150-, 200- and 250 ms, respectively. When comparing females and males, relative strength (based on body weight or a percentage of peak force) should be considered, and practitioners should be aware of the role of peak force in rapid force production