The sleeping beauty motif in the short stories of D. H. Lawrence

In this thesis, ten tales covering almost the whole of D.H. Lawrence's writing career have been analysed in terms of the 'Sleeping Beauty' motif or "the myth of the awakened sleeper" - a motif which has been noted briefly in Lawrence's fiction by several critics. Chapter one begins with a discussion of the Sleeping Beauty legend, its origins and its variants, and leads on to a comparison and contrast of two early tales. The Mitch a la Mode and The Daughters of the Vicar; these are, respectively, examples of Lawrence's treatment of the motif in symbolic and realistic terms. There is a further contrast in that these stories introduce the two types of 'Sleeping Beauty’ women, respectively - i.e. those who reject the awakening which offers liberation, and those who accept "the lover's kiss that awakens the Sleeping Beauty.” In Chapter Two The Horse-Dealer’s Daughter, You Touched We and The Fox are examined; they possess marked similarities of character and setting, but are sufficiently-varied treatments of the motif to warrant individual analysis. Chapter Three is concerned with The Princess and None of That, both variants on the negative aspect of the theme, in that they deal with 'Sleeping Beauty' heroines who ultimately reject any awakening. The Princess is a mature and skilful treatment of this aspect of the theme, whereas None of That is shown to be technically and artistically a regression. With Sun, Glad Ghosts and The Virgin and the Gipsy, all written during the last period, there is a return to the Sleeping Beauty- women who are awakened to new states of being. Symbolism, particularly in Sun, plays an important role, and it is fully discussed. The thesis concludes with a general discussion of the motif as it appears elsewhere in Lawrence's fiction, and of its relevance to his own life; in this connection, evidence is adduced from the novels and the correspondence

Whistleblowing versus the code of silence: A qualitative analysis of athletes’ perceptions of reporting doping in sport

Objectives: This paper qualitatively explores national level athletes’ perceptions of their role in keeping sport clean. Design: A qualitative design was utilised to enable an in-depth examination of athletes’ views on reporting doping behaviour. Method: Following ethical approval, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine national level athletes from rugby league (n = 5) and athletics (n = 4; female = 2). Thematic analysis established the main themes within the data. Results: Contextual differences existed around the role that athletes perceived they would play in keeping sport clean. The track and field athletes indicated that they would adopt the role of a whistleblower whereas the rugby league players would adhere to a code of silence. Specifically, track and field athletes would report individuals who were doping in their sport although it was evident that the majority were unaware of the protocol for doing this. In comparison, the rugby league players highlighted a moral dilemma by suggesting they would refrain from reporting a team mate despite disagreeing with their actions. Conclusions: Prevention programmes should enhance efforts to change broader group and community norms around doping in sport. In doing so, community members’ receptivity to prevention messages may increase. Moreover, developing skills to intervene (i.e., speaking out against social norms that support doping behaviour) or increasing awareness of reporting lines could enhance community responsibility for clean sport. The findings highlight the need to consider the context of sport and emphasise that a one size fits all approach to anti-doping is not appropriate

The role of the Self in assessing doping cognition: Implicit and explicit measures of athletes' doping-related prototype perceptions

Objectives: To examine athletes’ implicit and explicit prototype perceptions of performance enhancing substance (PES) users and non-users. Design: A cross-sectional mixed-method study. Methods: Competitive athletes from 39 sports (N=226; mean age= 27.66±9.74 years; 59% male) completed four self-report questions and two Brief Implicit Association Tests online, assessing prototype favourability and similarity of PES users and non-users. Results: Athletes explicitly associated themselves with a non-user (M= 3.13±0.92) more than a PES user (M= 0.56±0.88) and perceived a non-user (M= 89.92±14.98) more favourably than a PES user (M= 13.18±21.38). Indexing behaviour on self-reports, doping contemplators did not differ from ‘clean’ athletes in their perceptions of PES user prototypes while dopers perceived PES users favourably and similar to themselves. In comparison, doping contemplators paired the concept of 'dopers' easier with themselves than with others, while clean athletes and dopers had no preference for either pairing (D = -0.33, -0.08 and 0.01, respectively). All groups demonstrated some degree of preference for ‘good and doper’, moving from slight to moderate to strong preference in the groups of clean athletes, dopers and contemplators, respectively (D = -0.20, -0.37 and -0.80, respectively). Conclusions: Results suggest that doping contemplators may have a positive bias towards doping which is not endorsed in self-reports. Implicit preferences, along with the disparity between the implicit and explicit measures of athletes’ doping-related prototype perceptions advance understanding of doping behaviour and make a unique contribution to research methodology. Factors influencing the interplay between explicit and implicit endorsements of PES user prototypes warrant further research

The role of fractional exhaled nitric oxide in the assessment of athletes reporting exertional dyspnoea

Background: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is a common cause of breathing difficulty in athletes. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is an indirect marker of airway inflammation, recommended for the assessment and management of asthma; however, the role of FeNO in detecting and monitoring EIB has yet to be fully established. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the predictive value of FeNO to confirm or refute EIB in athletes presenting with exertional dyspnoea. Method: Seventy athletes (male: n = 45) (age: 35 ± 11 years) reporting respiratory symptoms (i.e. wheeze, cough and dyspnoea) during exercise attended the laboratory on a single occasion. All athletes performed resting FeNO and spirometry pre-and-post a eucapnic voluntary hyperpnoea challenge (EVH) in accordance with international guidelines. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for established FeNO thresholds: (intermediate [≥25ppb] and high [>50ppb]) and evaluated against objective evidence of EIB: (EVH diagnostic cut-off [-10% ΔFEV1 at two consecutive time-points] and [-15% ΔFEV1 at one time-point]). The diagnostic accuracy of FeNO was calculated using receiver operating characteristics area under the curve (ROC-AUC). Results: All had normal resting lung function (>80% FEV1 pred). The prevalence of EIB was 33% (-10% ΔFEV1) and 23% (-15% ΔFEV1) (median (IQR) ΔFEV1 = -7% (10.02)). FeNO values ≥25ppb and >50ppb were observed in 49% and 23% of the cohort, respectively. ROC-AUC for FeNO was 75% (-10% ΔFEV1) and 86% (-15% ΔFEV1). Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV are presented in Table 1. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that FeNO >50ppb provides good specificity for a positive EVH test; however, should not replace indirect bronchoprovocation for diagnostic purposes. The high proportion of athletes reporting breathing difficulty in the absence of EIB highlights the requirement to consider alternative causes of exertional dyspnoea during clinical work-up

Doping vulnerabilities, rationalisations and contestations: The lived experience of national level athletes

Behaviour is shaped by the interactions between a person, their social sphere and their environment. Yet research into doping in sport has largely focused on the athlete and the individual factors that influence prohibited substance use. Owing to the stigma associated with doping, it can be difficult to undertake research with those who have committed anti-doping rule violations. However, a lot can be learnt from the experiences and reflections of those who are immersed within a specific context and sporting environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore national level athletes’ perceptions of what influences willingness to dope in athletics and rugby league. Through semi-structured interviews, nine national level athletes drew upon their sporting histories to identify specific situations in their sport where they thought athletes might be willing to dope. Whilst considering the behaviour of others, they also drew upon their own personal experiences and the resources available to them as national level athletes to consider how these might give rise to doping vulnerability. In doing so, participants were empathetic and shared their perceptions of why some athletes might intentionally dope in their sport. These shared perceptions further our understanding of the complexity of doping in sport and underscore the importance of optimising the environment in order to help athletes cope with the demands of sport and thwarting the development of a self-fulfilling prophecy

Study on Doping Prevention: A map of Legal, Regulatory and Prevention Practice Provisions in EU 28

Historically, anti-doping efforts have focused on the detection and deterrence of doping in elite and competitive sport. There is, however, a growing concern that doping is occurring outside the organised sporting system; giving rise to the belief that the misuse of doping agents in recreational sport has become a societal problem and a public health issue that must be addressed. The EU Commission awarded a contract (EAC/2013/0617) to a Consortium to undertake this Study with the aim of developing the evidence-base for policies designed to combat doping in recreational sport. Fourteen internationally recognised experts shaped the Study which comprised (i) the collection of primary data through a structured survey, and (ii) secondary data through literature searches and website analysis. All 28 Member States participated in the information-gathering process. Specifically, this involved a systematic study of the ethical considerations, legal position, prevention research landscape, and current practise in relation to the prevention of doping in recreational sport. The Study provides a comprehensive overview of current practice and legislation as it applies to the prevention of doping and promotes and supports the sharing of best practices in the EU regarding the fight against doping in recreational sport. It concludes with seven recommendations for future action that focus on the need for a coordinated response in relation to the problems arising from doping in recreational sport