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Malign velocities: accelerationism and capitalism: 2nd Edition
No full textWe are told our lives are too fast, subject to the accelerating demand that we innovate more, work more, enjoy more, produce more, and consume more. That’s one familiar story. Another, stranger, story is told here: of those who think we haven’t gone fast enough. Instead of rejecting the increasing tempo of capitalist production they argue that we should embrace and accelerate it. Rejecting this conclusion, Malign Velocities tracks this 'accelerationism' as the symptom of the misery and pain of labour under capitalism. Retracing a series of historical moments of accelerationism - the Italian Futurism; communist accelerationism after the Russian Revolution; the 'cyberpunk phuturism' of the ’90s and ’00s; the unconscious fantasies of our integration with machines; the apocalyptic accelerationism of the post-2008 moment of crisis; and the terminal moment of negative accelerationism - suggests the pleasures and pains of speed signal the need to disengage, negate, and develop a new politics that truly challenges the supposed pleasures of speed
Art as a deterritorialising vehicle for a nomadic physiotherapy
Get PDFThis chapter proposes the need for redefined, transdisciplinary approaches to art and health education and research. We question physiotherapy education which continues to
privilege biomedical knowledge and marginalises cultural, philosophical, and sociological perspectives. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari, we propose a nomadic practice and advocate education, practice and research that creates lines of flight which break through the control of discipline, context or methodology, and consequent outcomes.
We explore how transdisciplinary education can use the creative approaches of art to create a counterculture that draws on aspects of new materialism to consider how art can offer opportunities to explore movement and non- interactions. We illuminate what this might make possible within physiotherapy and advocate moving towards a nomadic therapeutic practice that is becoming.
The chapter recognises how emerging transdisciplinary research can prioritise approaches that embrace the unexpected and highlight examples of the human and non-human as co- generators of knowledge. In advocating creative process as an alternative to territorialized physiotherapy practices enclosed within disciplinary criteria, we suggest communicable forms of knowledge in new, more productive forms
Last word: on transformative justice
No full textReflection on truth and reconciliation processes in South Africa, Rwanda and Canada, with discussions of the differences between retributive, restorative, transitional and transformative justice; and the importance of cultural events to post-genocide healin
The psychology of esports: Trends, challenges, and future directions
Get PDFThis rapid review examines how sport and exercise psychology (SEP) research has engaged with esports over the last five years, highlighting the academic acceptance of esports in SEP journals and on the psychological factors that influence esports performance and well-being. In addition to searching for recent empirical studies, we identified systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and scoping reviews to capture the breadth of existing syntheses. Following rapid review guidelines (Sabiston et al., 2022) and adapting the PRISMA framework (Page et al., 2021), two systematic searches were conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection and EBSCO host (SPORTDiscus) databases. First, we identified 13 syntheses of the esports literature highlighting the main topics of interest across scholars in relation to SEP. Then, we identified 125 relevant peer-reviewed empirical publications on esports in SEP context, of which 18 appeared in SEP-specific journals. Findings reveal increasing academic attention in affective, cognitive-motor processes, team dynamics, training structures, and health behaviors (e.g., mental health, physical activity, sleep, nutrition) unique to esports while revealing the need for theoretical and methodological attention. Overall, we highlighted how esports and SEP appear to benefit one another in a reciprocal way. Esports offer a controlled, data-rich performance environment for testing and refining SEP theories. Meanwhile, SEP principles enhance professionalism in esports by informing evidence-based training methods and well-being initiatives. Future research should consider longitudinal designs, open science practices, and interdisciplinary collaboration such as data science, sleep medicine, and nutrition to address the nuanced psychological demands in this rapidly evolving performance domain
The role of psychological flexibility in relation to health outcomes in people in remission from cancer
Get PDFObjective: This study investigated whether psychological flexibility, the key construct in the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model of psychological and behavioural change, significantly predicts wellbeing and functioning in people living with and beyond cancer.
Design: This was an online, prospective, longitudinal, correlational study with two time points that were approximately three months apart.
Methods: All participants were required to be at least 18 years of age, be in cancer remission and resident in the United Kingdom. Recruitment for Time‐point 1 (n = 331) took place from May to July 2023 and Time‐point 2 (n = 266; 80% retention rate) took place between Sept and Nov 2023 using Prolific (an online recruitment platform). The mean age was 51.65 (SD = 13.99). The mean length of remission in months was 89.45 (SD = 80.59) and mean years since diagnosis was 8.91 (SD = 6.99). Data were analysed cross‐sectionally and longitudinally. Covariates adjusted for included age, years since diagnosis, time in remission, ethnicity, cancer type and cancer stage.
Results: Cross‐sectional hierarchical regression analyses showed Time‐point 1 psychological flexibility significantly (at p < .001) predicted anxiety, depression, stress, fatigue interference, fear of cancer recurrence, quality of life and pain interference. Psychological flexibility at Time‐point 1 significantly predicted all psychosocial variables at Time‐point 2, while adjusting for confounding variables.
Conclusions: The findings show that psychological flexibility predicts key psychosocial outcomes relevant for people in remission from cancer. This study provides evidence for the relevance of psychological processes targeted in ACT‐based interventions in the context of people living with and beyond cancer
A bilateral comparison of lower limb strength and pirouette performance in elite female dancers
Get PDFIntroduction: Traditional dance training is designed to develop a well-balanced dancer, yet laterality has the ability to impair bilateral strength and functional symmetry. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of lateral preference on elite level dancers by conducting a bilateral comparison of lower limb strength and pirouette performance. A pirouette is an essential turning skill in dance technique, wherein multiple revolutions are completed on a single supporting leg along the longitudinal axis. Methods: Eight highly trained female dancers performed three maximal effort single leg countermovement jumps (SCMJ) on each lower limb, as well as ten single pirouette en dehors in both the preferred and non-preferred directions. Results: A lateral preference questionnaire indicated a rightward bias was prevalent amongst this group of dancers for both footedness and preferred turning direction. Significantly more successful pirouettes were performed in the preferred (73%) compared to the non-preferred condition (50%). The SCMJ data demonstrated no significant differences in jump height and vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) at take-off, suggesting no bilateral strength asymmetry between the lower limbs. There were also no significant differences in any of the discrete biomechanical pirouette performance variables: displacement of the center of mass over center of pressure (COM-COP), trunk angle, knee flexion and external hip rotation of the gesture leg in retiré position, as well as GRF production and peak pelvic rotational angular velocity at push-off. However, non-significant trends toward greater COM-COP displacement at retiré (0.08 m ± 0.03 vs 0.06 m ± 0.04) and peak pelvic angular velocity at push-off (1.04 revs/s ± 0.20 vs 0.99 revs/s ± 0.22) were observed in the non-preferred compared to the preferred direction, respectively. Conclusion: Therefore, the lower success rate of non-preferred pirouettes may be a result of postural instability or the use of a less efficient weight transfer strategy
Invisible on campus: exploring predictors of perceived student ostracism
No full textOstracism is known to result in a range of negative psychological consequences for those who perceive they have been socially excluded. Given the importance of social inclusion and belonging to academic and psychosocial success and good mental health at university, the present study aimed to examine the strongest predictor of perceived university student ostracism from theoretically relevant variables (rejection sensitivity, attachment orientation, social anxiety, and self-esteem) across the literature on social exclusion. A cross-sectional correlation design was employed with university students (N =127). Contrary to expectations, in a multiple linear regression it was found that the only significant predictor of perceived student ostracism was attachment avoidance. The findings underscore the importance of further investigating the psychological precursors of perceived ostracism in students, particularly given that seemingly theoretically important individual difference variables such as rejection sensitivity and social anxiety did not predict perceived student ostracism in our sample. We suggest it is crucial that higher education institutions continue to foster socially inclusive academic environments, particularly for students with avoidant attachment styles
Anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant supplementation as a nutraceutical ergogenic aid for exercise performance and recovery: A narrative review
Get PDFAthletes and physically active individuals consume sports nutrition supplements to enhance competitive sport performance and exercise recovery. Polyphenols have emerged as a promising area of research with application for sport and exercise nutrition due to affecting physiological mechanisms for exercise performance and recovery. The anthocyanin is a polyphenol that can be abundantly present in dark-colored fruits, berries and vegetables. Anthocyanins and anthocyanin-induced metabolites will provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The focus in this narrative review is on the observations with intake of anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant supplements on whole-body exercise performance and exercise recovery. This review included a total number of 17 studies with a randomized placebo-controlled cross-over design (10 studies on performance and 8 on recovery effects) and 1 with a randomized placebo-controlled parallel group design (recovery effects). Among the performance studies, 6 studies (60%) reported positive effects, 3 studies (30%) reported no significant effects and 1 study (10%) reported a mixed outcome. Among the recovery studies, 7 studies (78%) reported positive effects, 1 study (11%) reported no significant effects and 1 study (11%) reported a negative effect. Studies with intake of supplements made from New Zealand blackcurrants (dose: 1.8 to 3.2 mg·kg-1 and 105 to 315 mg of anthocyanins, acute to 7-day intake) have provided meaningful (but not always consistent) effects on continuous and intermittent exercise performance tasks (i.e. rowing, cycling and running) and markers for exercise recovery. A mechanistic understanding for the beneficial exercise effects of anthocyanins for athletes and physically active individuals is still limited. Future work requires a better understanding of the specific types of anthocyanins and anthocyanin-induced metabolites and their effects on altering cell function that can enhance exercise performance and recovery
Indexing league of legends performance: A systematic review and focus group study
Get PDFThis study investigates competitive League of Legends performance indicators through systematic review and focus group analysis. A review of 15 studies identified 87 performance variables across eight domains: game metrics, skill, cognition, strategy, awareness, knowledge, vigilance, and physical/physiological factors. Focus groups with panellists consisting of competitive players ( n = 15) from university, national, and international levels led to the construction of crucial insights: performance measurement should be role-specific; traditional statistics provide incomplete assessment without context; team synergy often supersedes individual skill; both consistency and peak performance represent distinct aspects of effectiveness; and evaluation criteria vary across competitive contexts. The findings suggest League of Legends performance is best conceptualised as an integrated dynamic system rather than isolated variables, challenging researchers to develop more sophisticated methodological approaches. The disconnection between statistical measures and player-perceived performance indicators highlights the need for multidimensional assessment frameworks that integrate objective metrics with subjective expertise. Future research should explore role-specific performance parameters, longitudinal tracking across competitive seasons, and advanced statistical techniques to test hierarchical relationships between cognitive capacities, skill execution, and performance outcomes
Substantiating relational reflexive practice: where the paddle meets the water
No full textThis paper is the product of a year-long process of inquiry with an opportunistically chosen group of fellow travellers in management education. We provide examples of relational reflexive practice, noticing the entanglements with art and relevant literature, as well as our own practice as educators, researchers and organisa- tional practitioners. We revive Hannah Arendt’s notion of ‘action’, (and the interaction with ‘work’), the invisible and often overlooked movement across a web of relationships by which change happens in human processes (Arendt, 1958, 2018). We use our experience of our contact with the river, amongst other imagery, to make visible this ephemeral yet vital quality of relationships and give it its right- ful place in management education. Using a deliberately emergent action research methodology, as an opportunistic and grounded practice rather than a paradigmatic distinction, we aim to substanti- ate and develop relational reflexive practice for ourselves and with our diverse community. For this reason we return to methods and choices at several points in the paper. We shy away from bold claims, insights or definitions, as this dulls reflexive practice