50716 research outputs found
Sort by
Methods for Capturing and Quantifying Contact Events in Collision Sports
Get PDFTechnological advancements have led to widespread use of wearable devices that capture external performance metrics in team sports. Tracking systems including global positioning system (GPS) technology with inbuilt microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), instrumented mouthguards (iMGs), and video analysis provide valuable insights into the contact demands of collision sports. In collision sports, successfully "winning the contact" is positively associated with better individual and team performance, but it also comes with a high risk of injury, posing a concern for player welfare. Understanding the frequency and intensity of these contact events is important in order for coaches and practitioners to adequately prepare players for competition and can simultaneously reduce the burden on athletes. Different methods have been developed for detecting contact events, although limitations of the current methods include validity and reliability issues, varying thresholds, algorithm inconsistencies, and a lack of code- and sex-specific algorithms. In this review, we evaluate common methods for capturing contact events in team collision sports and detail a new method for assessing contact intensity through notational analysis, offering a potential alternative for capturing contact events that are currently challenging to detect through microtechnology alone.</p
Putting the Fe into female athletes: Insights into heightened iron status and women’s Australian Football performance:A case study.
No full textBackground: Iron deficiency affects up to 70% of female athletes, yet the effectiveness of improving iron status in team sport athletes remains unclear. Purpose: To evaluate the impact of variations in iron status on physical performance in elite female Australian Rules Football players. Methods: Iron status was measured in 30 players (age 23 ± 4 y; body mass 70 ± 6 kg) across three time-points of a 24-week season. Players identified as iron deficient non-anemic stage 2 in week 1 received an iron infusion. Remaining players were categorized into heightened iron status (FeUP; iron deficient non-anemic stage 1 players who were advised to take iron supplementation; n = 8) or non-supplemented (Ctrl; week 10: n = 17; week 24: n = 16) groups following week 10. Relative external load measures (e.g., total distance at different velocities), and strength and power measures (e.g., counter-movement jump, reactive strength index) were recorded in weeks 10 and 24 (same weeks as blood samples) to compare physical performance between FeUP and Ctrl groups. Results: Iron status improved in FeUP (30 µg/L to 49 µg/L) and reduced in Ctrl (39 µg/L to 34 µg/L) between weeks 10 and 24. Iron deficiency prevalence among all players was 47–54%. FeUp exhibited small to moderate improvements (5–19%) in some external load measures but no consistent improvement across all measures. At week 24, FeUP showed trivial to moderate differences outperforming Ctrl in seven physical performance measures (e.g., both hip adduction tests), but Ctrl outperformed FeUP in all other measures. Conclusion: Heightened iron status does not consistently enhance physical performance, although avoiding deficiency remains essential for athlete health
Calibration and validation-based assessment of low-cost air quality sensors
Get PDFBackground: Air pollution poses a significant threat to public health. Low-cost air quality sensors (LCSs) can provide a data foundation for air quality monitoring, particularly supplementing the regulatory monitoring network and identifying local air quality issues. However, the performance varies considerably, and questions remain regarding reliability and accuracy of LCS data. Methods: We evaluated the accuracy, stability and precision of six LCSs over a three-month period of collocation with reference instruments at two locations. A mathematical workflow including calibration and validation was developed for accuracy and stability, incorporating a combination of environmental factors (e.g., temperature, relative humidity), linear and nonlinear regression, followed by precision evaluation by Bland-Altman plots. Results: For particulate matter, data from LCSs was found to be reliable after simple linear regression (R2 > 0.9 for both calibration and validation). For gas sensors including nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and Ozone, nonlinear methods that met the validation requirements also performed well using simple linear regression models (R2 > 0.7 for both calibration and validation), whereas machine learning models, such as random forest, could not pass the validation, and require cautious application. In non-laboratory environments, incorporating environmental factors into the calibration function may lead to subsequent performance instability. Regarding precision between LCSs, unstable measurement biases among devices have been observed. Conclusions: Linear regression method is recommended as the preferred method for onsite calibration of LCSs, with caution advised when incorporating environmental factors due to increased uncertainty. Furthermore, when deploying LCSs, it is important to consider their varying responses to high or low pollutant concentrations.</p
A ‘new economic model’ in Australia? The political economy of the Australian Labor Party
Get PDFThe election of the Labor government in Australia in 2022, under the leadershipof Anthony Albanese, marked a change in the political and economic directionof the country. Post-pandemic, the Labor government claims that it is seekingto develop a ‘new economic model’ in Australia. Drawing upon comparativepolitical economy (CPE) literature, we use the case of Australia to understandhow political parties can develop and shape new ‘policy paradigms’, orgoverning narratives as they recalibrate their political economy. First, weoutline the discourse, policy developments and key institutional changes thatare taking place under the Labour government. We then apply four policyparadigms (neo-corporatism, market design, neoliberalism, and labourism) tosystematically analyse what the Albanese government is seeking to achieve.The Australian case is a striking example of how centre-left parties, areseeking to create new ‘political imaginaries’ in a post-third- way era
Advancing Sustainable Construction Materials: Wood and Rubber Geopolymer Masonry Mix Development
Get PDFRecycling industrial waste into construction materials is becoming a fundamental strategy, offering a hopeful path toward sustainable construction practices. This study focuses on the innovative reuse of end-of-service wood and crumb rubber to develop environmentally favorable materials. Their high availability, lightweight properties, and high-energy absorption capacity make them highly suitable as additives in masonry unit production. Furthermore, using them with sustainable binding material, such as geopolymer, enhances the overall sustainability of the masonry, facilitating rapid strength development and enhancing durability while providing increased protection against fire and weathering. The study involved the development of an optimal mix design, which can potentially be used for the production of load-bearing and non-load-bearing masonry units. This was achieved by examining various proportions of wood, as well as combinations of wood and rubber, using a partial–factorial experimental design. The results show that wood-to-binder ratios ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 can potentially be used for the production of wood–geopolymer masonry units. Additionally, a ratio of 0.3 (with 50% wood and 50% rubber) was identified as potentially suitable for producing wood and rubber-based units
Participatory democracy and participatory research
Get PDFWhile normative theories of participatory democracy and practical experiences of participatory research share a common democratic commitment, the two fields have emerged and to date exist in isolation from each other. This article bridges this divide and asks what participatory democracy and participatory research can learn from one another. It argues that participatory democracy can learn how to realize its own democratic ideals within its research practice and participatory research can deepen its normative commitment by connecting its practices to a larger participatory vision. The article illustrates this by engaging with three examples in which participatory democracy researchers conduct participatory research projects. It finally reflects critically on how the shared participatory commitments of both fields can be realized within the neoliberal university embedded in competitive market economies
Prevalence and Determinants of Loneliness Among Older Adults Living Alone:Evidence From a National Survey Conducted During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Mexico
No full textOlder people living alone are particularly vulnerable to loneliness. To contribute to the understanding of this issue in the Global South, we estimated the prevalence of loneliness and analyzed the association between sociodemographic characteristics, digital social isolation, and loneliness in older adults living alone, during the COVID-19 lockdown in Mexico. Data were drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) Continua COVID-19 conducted in 2020. The prevalence of loneliness was 49.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 44.7–54.8); while the prevalence of digital social isolation was 45.3% (95% CI 40.5–50.2). A multivariate logistic regression model demonstrated that lack of education (odds ratio [OR] = 2.40, 95% CI 1.23–4.69; p =.011) and widowhood (OR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.54–4.10; p <.001) were significantly associated with loneliness. Identifying the sociodemographic characteristics of older adults living alone who are most likely to feel lonely can inform the designing of targeted interventions and policies to address loneliness in this vulnerable group.</p
Insiders and Outsiders, Winners and Losers: Close-Ups of the Struggle for Power and Status in Australia
No full textRethinking Economic Foundations for Sustainable Development:A Comprehensive Assessment of Six Economic Paradigms Against the SDGs
No full textProgress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been disappointingly slow, raising fundamental questions about whether our dominant economic framework can deliver sustainable development outcomes. This research systematically evaluates six economic paradigms—Neoclassical Welfare Economics, Green Growth, Degrowth, Agrowth, Steady State Economics, and Doughnut Economics—against all 17 SDGs to determine which might better support sustainability transformations. Using a rigorous mixed-methods approach, we first characterize each paradigm according to key attributes, then assess their alignment with SDG objectives using a four-point scoring system. Our analysis reveals that the dominant Neoclassical Welfare Economics paradigm shows the weakest alignment with the SDGs, while alternative frameworks demonstrate significantly stronger alignment: Degrowth, Steady State Economics, Doughnut Economics, Green Growth, and Agrowth. No single paradigm fully addresses all dimensions of sustainable development, with most showing notable weaknesses in people-centered SDGs. Each paradigm demonstrates distinct complementary strengths: Green Growth in technological innovation, Degrowth in redistribution mechanisms, Steady State Economics in resource boundaries, Agrowth in redefining welfare, and Doughnut Economics in balancing social foundations with ecological ceilings. We conclude that selective integration of complementary elements from multiple paradigms offers the most promising pathway forward and propose four specific recommendations: (1) developing integrated assessment frameworks, (2) establishing experimental policy zones, (3) reforming economics education, and (4) creating context-specific transition pathways. This research provides the first comprehensive evaluation of how alternative economic paradigms align with the full spectrum of SDGs, offering crucial guidance for policymakers seeking more effective approaches to sustainable development.</p
Coproducing futures: A three-mode heuristic for reflexive practice toward sustainability
No full textCoproduction is commonly used as an action-oriented practice to collaborativelyproduce knowledge for different purposes, including supporting institutionalchange to navigate uncertainty and complexity while enabling pathways to sus-tainable futures. Futures thinking and related tools are also used to conceive newpossibilities or alternative futures and increase collective understanding of changeprocesses. Yet, despite common themes of change, uncertainty, and transforma-tion being strongly related to how we envision and imagine the future, there hasbeen relatively little cross-fertilization between coproduction and futures thinking,specifically, to understand how the explicit use of the latter can facilitate sustain-ability transformations. A fundamental question remains about how to facilitatereflexivity and critical thinking across multiple actors, knowledge systems, andvalues, to shape coherent imaginaries of just and sustainable futures. This articleexplores the potential of a heuristic relating three modes of futures thinking (pre-dictive, anticipatory, and speculative) and their interconnections to strengthenreflexive and future-oriented practices in coproduction. We document insights from coproduction researchers and practitioners applying these three modes offutures thinking in their work and how these support reflexive practices. We dis-cuss gaps and opportunities for more future-oriented coproduction that increasecollective awareness and responsible stewardship of nature. Our heuristic canenable critical thinking from researchers and practitioners involved in the pursuitof sustainability transformations to better integrate science, policy, and commu-nity engagement to identify innovative ways to address power imbalances and amore proactive engagement with the future