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A Foucauldian auto-ethnographic account of a male former soccer player's move to coaching female players:a call to problematize the importation of gendered assumptions during a common coaching transition
Get PDFIt has frequently been observed that the disproportionate number of male coaches within women’s soccer is problematic, not least, because it limits the opportunities for the progression of female coaches. Despite this, the transition from “male former player to male coach of female players” is one that remains common, is likely to continue, yet is not widely discussed in the sport/ coach transition literature. This is an oversight given the numerous problematic outcomes that are routinely connected to the presence of male coaches in women’s sport. In this confessional, analytical autoethnography, we build upon our existing work regarding coaching women’s soccer that has been informed by Michel Foucault’s conceptual framework. Precisely, we use a collection of creative narrative reflections to discuss the first author’s transition from that of a British semiprofessional soccer player context, to an Assistant Coach of a female soccer team in a North American varsity program. In so doing, we trace and map some of the (problematic) learned gendered assumptions which initially shaped and guided the first author’s coaching assumptions, relationships, approaches, and practices within this context, before unpacking some of the challenges he navigated along the way (with varying degrees of success). We end by summarizing our paper and a call to male coaches working with female athletes to reflect on how “thinking with Foucault” might help them to coach in more ethical and gender-responsive ways by both problematizing imported gendered assumptions and developing active allyship practices.</p
Technology Emergence as a Structuring Process:A Complexity Theory Perspective on Blockchain
Get PDFDrawing on complexity theory, we investigate the structuring processes and underlying mechanisms underpinning the emergence of a new technology. Empirically, we track the emergence of blockchain technology by examining international patents issued between 2009 and 2020. Our results indicate that technology emergence follows an evolutionary trajectory that progresses from disordered to structured interactions among the technological elements, culminating in the formation of a technological core that acts as a pole of attraction for further interactions and delineates boundaries within the technological domain. Technology structuring is fueled by what we term “technology fitness” and “self-reinforcing” mechanisms that progressively transform primitive structures into more complex, self-organized configurations. Our study offers a novel framework of technology emergence, highlighting how dispersed bits of technological knowledge gradually aggregate into complex structures that define the specific trajectory of a particular domain
Dense Matter in Neutron Stars with eXTP
Get PDFIn this White Paper, we present the potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission to constrain the equation of state of dense matter in neutron stars, exploring regimes not directly accessible to terrestrial experiments. By observing a diverse population of neutron stars - including isolated objects, X-ray bursters, and accreting systems - eXTP's unique combination of timing, spectroscopy, and polarimetry enables high-precision measurements of compactness, spin, surface temperature, polarimetric signals, and timing irregularity. These multifaceted observations, combined with advances in theoretical modeling, pave the way toward a comprehensive description of the properties and phases of dense matter from the crust to the core of neutron stars. Under development by an international Consortium led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the eXTP mission is planned to be launched in early 2030
pengWann:Descriptors of chemical bonding from Wannier functions
Get PDFFirst-principles calculations of periodic systems typically represent electronic structures through sets of eigenvectors and their corresponding eigenvalues, obtained by diagonalising a many-body Hamiltonian. These eigenvectors, known as Bloch states, molecular orbitals, or crystal orbitals, are generally delocalised across the entire structure, making them difficult to interpret in terms of chemically intuitive concepts such as bonds. To address this, it is common practice to project these extended Bloch states onto a localised basis, enabling the calculation of various local descriptors of chemical bonding or electronic structure. pengwann is a Python package for calculating some of these descriptors by projecting Bloch states onto Wannier functions (Kundu et al., 2021). Wannier functions provide a highly optimised local basis and, when derived from energetically isolated bands, span the same Hilbert space as the canonical Bloch states. The package provides a simple interface to the popular Wannier90 code (Pizzi et al., 2020), making it readily accessible to researchers already familiar with this widely-used tool
HydroHaptics: High-Fidelity Force-Feedback on Soft Deformable Interfaces using Hydrostatic Transmission
Get PDFSoft deformable interfaces offer unique interaction potential through input flexibility and diverse forms. However, force feedback on these devices remains limited, with pneumatic approaches lacking responsiveness and precision, while microhydraulic solutions are constrained to small form factors with limited input. We present HydroHaptics, a novel platform that enables high-fidelity force feedback on deformable interfaces via hydrostatic transmission. Surpassing current state-of-the-art methods, our approach allows fine-grained force feedback on soft interfaces, achieving a 10 N force change in < 100 ms and accurate 1 N, 10 Hz oscillation rendering. We detail the system's design and implementation, highlighting its ability to maintain the inherent interaction benefits of soft interfaces. A user study (N = 18) evaluates the system's performance, showing high accuracy in rendering distinct haptic effects (82.6% accuracy) and classifying input gestures (89.1% accuracy). To showcase the platform's versatility, we present four applications illustrating HydroHaptics' potential to enhance interaction with deformable devices and unlock novel user experiences.</p
Culturally Responsive Assessment in Teaching English to Young Learners:Valuing Home Languages and Identities
Get PDFThis study investigates how culturally responsive assessment (CRA) can be implemented in Indonesian primary English classrooms to better reflect and value learners’ home languages and cultural identities. In a context marked by linguistic and cultural diversity, traditional assessments often ignore students’ local knowledge and communicative repertoires, leading to disengagement and inequitable learning outcomes. CRA offers an inclusive alternative by integrating students’ cultural backgrounds and linguistic assets into the assessment process. Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, the research involved three Grade 4 English teachers and their students from public schools in Central Java, South Sulawesi, and West Papua. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews, and document analysis, then analyzed thematically. Findings revealed three key themes: (1) Recognition of home languages and cultural identity in assessment tasks enhances learner engagement, (2) Institutional pressures and standardized expectations limit teachers’ ability to implement CRA fully, and (3) CRA fosters student confidence and more authentic demonstration of language skills. Despite contextual challenges, when learners’ identities were affirmed through assessment, they participated more actively and performed with greater ease. The study highlights the need for teacher training, flexible curriculum policy, and localized assessment strategies to support inclusive language education. It also calls for a shift in how success is defined—away from rigid standards and toward more meaningful, culturally grounded learning experiences. These findings contribute to the growing discourse on equity and inclusion in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL), particularly in multilingual and multicultural contexts like Indonesia
Potato protein isolate hydrogels as potential scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
Get PDFIntroduction/Objectives:Potato protein isolate (PPI), enriched with patatin, shows comparable gelation ability to egg protein. This study aimed to investigate the potential of PPI hydrogels as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering.Methods:Potato protein isolate powder, Solanic 200, was provided by Royal Avebe U.A. PPI films were generated in multiwell plates by oven-baking a 5% w/w PPI suspension at 70 °C for 3 hours. MG-63 cells were used as a model cell line and cultured on PPI films with adhesion and cell proliferation measured using the resazurin assay. Cell viability was measured on day 10 post-seeding using LIVE/DEAD stain and quantified using FIJI software. PPI hydrogels were formed by heating 10%, 15%, or 20% w/w PPI in a 90 °C water bath for 30 mins. For crosslinked gels, 5% w/w 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and 5% w/w Nhydroxysuccinimide (NHS) relative to PPI were added to the solutions immediately prior to heating. The water-holding capacity of hydrogels was evaluated by weighing the gel mass before and after soaking in water at room temperature for 24 hours. Hydrogel degradation was examined by incubating 20% w/w PPI hydrogels in 0.1% v/v trypsin solution at 37 °C and weighing the gels at 1, 3, 6, and 10 days. Young’s modulus was calculated based on the stress-strain curve of both natural and crosslinked PPI gels under compression.Results:The adhesion of MG-63 cells to PPI films relative to tissue culture plastic was over 95% and cells showed steady growth over time. At 10 days post-seeding, the cell viability on PPI films was approximately 100%. For hydrogels, when soaked in water, the mass of all concentrations of natural PPI gels increased no more than 5%. Crosslinked hydrogels increased by 16.63% and 8.63% for 10 and 20% crosslinked hydrogels, respectively. In the degradation test, both natural and crosslinked PPI gels steadily decreased in mass from day 1 to day 10. Crosslinked hydrogels increased in mass on day 1 due to water absorption. From day 1 to day 6, crosslinked gels had higher mass percentages than natural gels. However, on day 10, natural PPI gels retained 70% of the original mass while crosslinked gels were 60%, which was significantly lower. The Young’s modulus of hydrogels increased with increasing protein concentration, reaching 0.2 MPa in 20% gels. The stress-strain curve of crosslinked PPI gels showed a non-linear relationship, suggesting viscoelastic properties, which will be further investigated. Conclusions:PPI films were cytocompatible with MG-63 cells. The crosslinked PPI hydrogels showed promising biodegradable properties and water-holding ability. The viscoelasticity, porosity, interconnectivity, and biocompatibility of crosslinked hydrogels with MG63 cells will be evaluated in the future. Overall, heat-induced PPI hydrogel is a simple prepared, inexpensive, and renewable material for bone tissue engineering applications
Cross-border effects of conflict on human development:evidence from the Arab region using a difference-in-differences approach
Get PDFThis paper aims to evaluate the repercussions of conflicts in the MENA region on the Human Development Index (HDI) of neighboring countries, utilizing HDI as a comprehensive metric for assessing human development. The methodology employs panel data for 20 Arab countries, focusing on subnational HDI and its indicators, retreived from the Global Data Lab. The study utilizes the Difference in Difference (DiD) method, distinguishing treated groups consisting of countries bordering conflict zones and control groups comprising other nations. Specifically, we concentrate on the Syrian conflict (2011) and the Yemeni conflict (2014). While existing literature predominantly explores the impact of conflicts on a country’s own HDI, this contribution seeks to determine whether these effects extend to neighboring countries. This extends the scope of current literature, providing valuable insights into the regional implications of conflicts on human development
It Sounds Squishy:Understanding Cross-Modal Correspondences of Deformable Shapes and Sounds
Get PDFComputing interfaces are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with systems that engage multiple sensory channels simultaneously. Deformable and shape-changing interfaces offer rich tactile experiences, but there is limited understanding of how they can be combined with other modes of sensory feedback. We systematically explored the audio, visual and tactile cross-modal correspondences of deformable shapes with a particular focus on auditory feedback. 50 participants were asked to associate deformable tactile stimuli, varying in stiffness and shape, with the sound qualities pitch, brightness, fade-in time and fade-out time, under visuo-tactile and tactile-only conditions. Our findings provide the first insights on how (1) shape, both its form and visibility, play a significant role in associations for pitch and brightness; (2) stiffness plays a dominant role in associations over a sound’s fade-in and fade-out times. These findings are distilled into the first design guidelines for integrating auditory feedback into physical interfaces
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