Art as a deterritorialising vehicle for a nomadic physiotherapy

This 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

Salt, Snow, Earth

A poem drawing on the rhythms of a children's game to explore themes of racism and war

Encouraging impulsive adolescents attending college to eat more fruit and vegetables: a preliminary investigation of negative urgency, message format and frame

Adolescents high in negative urgency who are prone to emotion-driven impulsiveness and can be easily distracted, tend to eat unhealthily and may respond differently than those low in negative urgency to formatted and framed messages encouraging fruit and vegetables consumption. An experiment (  = 212) was conducted with a 2 (format: non-narrative vs narrative) × 2 (frame: loss vs gain) factorial design having participants' level of negative urgency as a moderator. Findings revealed a three-way interaction between negative urgency, message format and frame. In the gain-framed condition, adolescents high on negative urgency were persuaded best by non-narrative messages, whereas those low on negative urgency were best persuaded by narrative messages. These findings provide initial evidence that recipients' negative urgency influences how persuasive message framing and format are in encouraging adolescents to consume more fruit and vegetables. These results have implications for the construction of effective health appeals to adolescent populations

Increased leap performance with no change to knee-drop landing kinetics, following a verbal cueing intervention

Introduction: Knee-drop landings following a dance leap are often used in contemporary dance choreography, but there is limited research into the biomechanical demands of these types of landing. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a verbal cueing intervention on the performance and kinetics of a common knee-drop landing in contemporary trained dance students. Method: Pre-vocational dance students participated in this study (n = 8). A quasi-experimental research design was followed to collect kinematic and kinetic data using 3D motion capture and force plates following the take-off and during a knee-drop landing of a contemporary dance style leap pre and post a verbal cueing intervention. Performance variables analysed were jump height and flight time, while kinetic variables included vertical ground reaction forces (vGRFs) and loading rates. Results: A statistically significant increase in jump height and flight time was found post intervention; There was no significant difference between pre and post intervention for peak vGRFs at foot or knee impact or loading rate of the whole landing phase. Conclusion: The verbal cueing intervention was successful in increasing flight time and jump height, indicating optimised performance. The lack of significant difference in peak vGRFs and loading rate in the landing phase implies that the intervention did not have a detrimental effect on musculoskeletal loading. These findings demonstrate the positive influence of a verbal cue which focusses on increasing flight time and opposing the landing for enhancing the execution of a dance leap without negatively affecting the forces being experienced in the knee-drop landing that followed. However, it should be noted that the small sample size and lack of a control group in this study may limit the reliability of findings and mean that the generalizability of these findings should interpreted with caution

How children draw, write and tell about portraying mixed emotions in themselves and others children

Children alter their drawings in multiple ways depending on whether they are drawing happy, sad or mixed happy and sad experiences. However, their explanations of why they may use features to show emotions may be overlooked in interpretation. The present study therefore used the Draw Write Tell paradigm which integrates children’s explanations of feature use to explore children’s drawn representations of mixed emotional experiences. 92 (42 boys, 50 girls) children between the ages of 6-8 years (6 years 4 months- 7 years 11 months, M = 7 years 2 months, SD= 3 months) were recruited on the basis of age from mainstream schools across the South East and South West of the UK. Children were allocated to one of two conditions hearing either a vignette about themselves (n=46, 22 girls) or another age and gender matched child (n=47, 27 girls). Following a mixed emotion presence interview, all children competed the Draw Write Tell process. 11 themes of how children explained how they drew mixed emotion experiences emerged following an exhaustive thematic analysis indicating individual, prosocial and cultural influences on their drawing choices. The importance of using this approach when interpreting children’s drawings of emotional experiences is discussed

The use of mindfulness in the metaverse: a scoping review

Objectives: This scoping review aimed to address a significant research gap concerning mindfulness practices within the metaverse. The primary aim was to examine whether metaverse-based mindfulness training programs incorporate fundamental elements of traditional Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) and adhere to core mindfulness principles. Methods: The review followed the 5-step framework for scoping reviews, with a comprehensive search strategy employed across six databases, covering scholarly articles published between January 2015 and August 2023. Results: The review identified 23 studies combining mindfulness practices with virtual reality (VR) technology. Key findings include: (1) research in this field is in its infancy, with a lack of consistency in defining and measuring mindfulness; (2) a wide variety of study designs and implementations were observed, presenting challenges for drawing meaningful conclusions; (3) high levels of engagement were reported, but may be influenced by the novelty effect of VR; (4) mixed results were found across studies regarding the effectiveness of VR-based mindfulness interventions; and (5) there was limited ethnic diversity in study populations. Conclusions: While VR-based mindfulness interventions show promise, there is a critical need for more rigorous, high-quality studies that adhere to standardized definitions of mindfulness, employ validated measurement tools, and explore long-term effects. Future research should focus on developing a core set of outcome measures, investigating the sustainability of engagement, and expanding studies to include more diverse populations

An investigation of the 10:20 Protection Rule for detecting aquatic hazards

Seven percent of all injury-related global deaths in 2019 were attributed to drowning, relating to 236,000 lives claimed and the stark reality persists that incidents of drowning continue to occur within zones overseen by trained lifeguards. Some lifeguard training agencies advocate the use of specific scan techniques and patterns and the 10:20 protection rule is recommended by a variety of lifeguarding agencies. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the 10-second element of the 10:20 protection rule (referred to as the 10-second scan strategy) compared to a more natural scan strategy. Two 30-minute videos were developed capturing scripted and unscripted swimming pool hazards. Water safety experts were then employed to collectively review, identify, and achieve consensus on hazards. In a within-subject design, lifeguards (n = 25) were instructed to watch videos under two conditions (i.e., 10-second and natural scan conditions) and respond via whistle blow and vocal response. In the 10-second scan condition, lifeguards were instructed to use the 10:20 system of supervision and scan the zone every 10-seconds whilst supervising the pool. In the natural scan condition, lifeguards were told to follow a scan strategy that felt comfortable for them. The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the percentage of hazards detected in the 10-second scan condition compared to the natural scan condition. However, the results show that lifeguards were unable to execute the 10-second scan strategy (i.e., scanning the full zone every 10 seconds). While results show that hazard detection is similar in both conditions, lifeguards were not adhering to the 10-second scan and thus comparisons between the 10-second scan strategy and natural scanning are not possible. The key conclusion from this study is that it is not possible for lifeguards to scan the full zone every 10 seconds, despite explicit instructions to do so, and thus the 10:20 protection rule should be carefully considered if agencies are advocating it as an effective scanning strategy

The transmutation of continental philosophy of religion: questioning the ‘continent’ in continental

Continental philosophy of religion is inescapably European. This Europeanness is much more than geographic. It entails a variety of understandings of subjectivity, epistemology, ontology, politics, ethics and the relation between these different concepts. I examine how continental philosophy has insufficiently confronted its Europeanness and critique the way that comparisons with analytic philosophy can result in a self-satisfied conception of the field. Drawing on Nietzsche, Deleuze and Sylvia Wynter I argue for a transmutation of continental philosophy of religion. I conclude by examining how work on agency and secularism is illustrative of the need for this transmutation

Individual responses to purple grape juice consumption on endurance, explosive power, and fatigue in young male elite soccer players

Background: Purple grape juice (PGJ), a natural carbohydrate- and polyphenol-rich supplement, may enhance exercise performance. This study, incorporating individual response analysis, examined the acute effects of PGJ ingestion on endurance, explosive power, and perceived fatigue in elite male soccer players. Methodology: Twenty-two U-20 male soccer players (Age: 19.7± 0.3; height: 178 ± 4 cm; body mass: 72 ± 5 kg; body mass index [BMI]: 22.6 ± 0.9 kg/m2)) participated in an equally allocated, double-blind, crossover design study. Participants were allocated to one of two conditions: (1) purple grape juice (PGJ, n=11) or (2) placebo (PLA, n=11). The PGJ or placebo was ingested in four equal portions (10 ml/kg of body mass PGJ or PLA diluted with water) starting 4 hours before the test and continuing every hour, with the final ingestion 60 minutes before the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (IFT). The placebo consisted of a calorie-free, grape-flavored liquid designed to match the taste and appearance of the PGJ. A 7-day washout period was maintained between the two conditions. Perceived fatigue and standing long jump (SLJ) performance were assessed at baseline, immediately and 5 minutes after the IFT. Maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), time to exhaustion (TTE), and final velocity in the IFT (VIFT) were recorded during the test. The smallest worthwhile change (SWC) analysis was used to evaluate individual responses. Results: PGJ improved VIFT (P0.05), SWC analysis revealed that 77% of participants showed improvements in VIFT and VO2max, and 54% showed improvements in SLJ five minutes post-IFT. Conclusion: PGJ supplementation enhanced endurance performance parameters in most participants, with significant individual variability in response. These findings highlight the potential benefits of PGJ, particularly for athletes more responsive to its effects, emphasizing the need for personalized supplementation strategies

A physical activity and socioemotional intervention for residents of a large vulnerable community in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled study

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health issues, particularly in vulnerable communities. Non-psychiatric interventions, including psychological emotional regulation, contemplative practices, and physical activity, can be powerful tools for improving mental health, especially in vulnerable populations. The present study evaluates the effect of a novel low-cost Socioemotional and Physical Activity Intervention in a Brazilian large vulnerable community during the pandemic’s final period. Materials and methods Participants were adults (18 to 60 years of age) that resided in the Paraisópolis, the third largest favela in Brazil. Recruitment was done through advertising via mobile messaging. Participants were divided into two groups, Intervention (Group I) or Waiting List Control (Group C). Group I participants underwent an in-person Multidimensional Intervention of 1 h per week, for 12 weeks, which was composed of socioemotional skills learning and moderate physical activities, while Group C maintained their usual daily routines. All participants were evaluated before (T0) and after (T1) the Intervention. The evaluation included four validated questionnaires to assess mental health (DASS-21, PANAS, WHO-5 and BRS), IPAQ for evaluating physical activity levels and a physical fitness assessment, which provided quantitative data. A semi-structured interview was also done, which provided qualitative data and was analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Results Quantitative data was collected from 88 participants, 43 from Group I and 45 from Group C. We observed a reduction in the scores for depression (DASS−21; Mean difference between evaluations [MD] = −3.2 [± 1.13, SEM], p = 0.006) and negative affects (PANAS, MD = −2.7 [± 0.97], p = 0.012) observed only in the participants of the I group in T1 compared to T0, but not for the C group. We also found a reduction in systolic arterial blood pressure in hypertensive or pre-hypertensive participants after exercise (Group I n = 28; −7.0 [± 2.8] mmHg, p = 0.014), an increase in physical endurance (walk test, MD = +56.0 [±8.7] m, p < 0.001) and flexibility (sit and reach test, MD = +5.12 [±0.85] cm, p < 0.001) only in the I group on T1, compared to T0. The reflexive thematic analysis results suggest that the Intervention not only alleviated negative emotional states, such as anxiety and sadness, but also provided a notable enhancement in participant’s physical vitality, corroborating and complementing the quantitative analysis results. Conclusion The results presented here indicate that the Intervention presented here has the potential to reduce symptoms correlated with mental disorders and improve physical fitness in residents of a large vulnerable community