Slowing the social sciences of sport: on the possibilities of physical culture

Within this paper, we address how the ‘knowledge market’ positions certain ways of knowing over others. We suggest that this questions the very worth and perceived value of the social sciences of sport, let alone allowing for discussion of the contemporary relevance, quality, position and potential impact of the field. To counter what we perceive as a regressive orthodoxy, we explore the dangers that can arise from narrowly conceived (yet often hegemonic) globally accepted structures, discourses and epistemes and suggest a slow counter: an approach couched in slow pedagogy and that can offer often competing approaches within the context of neoliberal educational rationalities. Through discussing how we have negotiated these conditions within our own institution, we propose what we imagine is a provocative vision of the potentialities of the field. In so doing, and while we are not suggesting this is the way ‘sport studies’ should or ought to be, we suggest that a slow sports studies can open up the critical potential of the field, promote democratic (body) knowledge and ensure the University as a space for vibrancy, innovation, critique, debate and equality

Evaluation of spatial audio reproduction methods (part 2) : analysis of listener preference

A paired-comparison preference rating experiment was performed in combination with a free-elicitation task for eight reproduction methods (consumer and professional systems with a wide range of expected quality) and seven program items (representative of potential broadcast material). The experiment was performed by groups of experienced and inexperienced listeners. Both groups preferred systems with increased spatial content; nine- and five-channel systems were most preferred. The use of elicited attributes was analyzed alongside the preference ratings, resulting in an approximate hierarchy of attribute importance. Three attributes (amount of distortion, output quality, and bandwidth) were found to be important for differentiating systems where there was a large preference difference; sixteen were always important (most notably enveloping and horizontal width); and seven were used alongside small preference differences. Although the presence of more spatial content increases preference, adding loudspeaker channels does not necessarily give a corresponding increase in preference

Nasal Lipopolysaccharide Challenge and Cytokine Measurement Reflects Innate Mucosal Immune Responsiveness

<div><p>Background</p><p><b>P</b>ractical methods of monitoring innate immune mucosal responsiveness are lacking. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a component of the cell wall of Gram negative bacteria and a potent activator of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4. To measure LPS responsiveness of the nasal mucosa, we administered LPS as a nasal spray and quantified chemokine and cytokine levels in mucosal lining fluid (MLF).</p><p>Methods</p><p>We performed a 5-way cross-over, single blind, placebo-controlled study in 15 healthy non-atopic subjects (n = 14 <i>per protocol</i>). Doses of ultrapure LPS (1, 10, 30 or 100μg/100μl) or placebo were administered by a single nasal spray to each nostril. Using the recently developed method of nasosorption with synthetic adsorptive matrices (SAM), a series of samples were taken. A panel of seven cytokines/chemokines were measured by multiplex immunoassay in MLF. mRNA for intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was quantified from nasal epithelial curettage samples taken before and after challenge.</p><p>Results</p><p>Topical nasal LPS was well tolerated, causing no symptoms and no visible changes to the nasal mucosa. LPS induced dose-related increases in MLF levels of IL-1β, IL-6, CXCL8 (IL-8) and CCL3 (MIP-1α) (AUC at 0.5 to 10h, compared to placebo, p<0.05 at 30 and 100μg LPS). At 100μg LPS, IL-10, IFN-α and TNF-α were also increased (p<0.05). Dose-related changes in mucosal ICAM-1 mRNA were also seen after challenge, and neutrophils appeared to peak in MLF at 8h. However, 2 subjects with high baseline cytokine levels showed prominent cytokine and chemokine responses to relatively low LPS doses (10μg and 30μg LPS).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Topical nasal LPS causes dose-dependent increases in cytokines, chemokines, mRNA and cells. However, responsiveness can show unpredictable variations, possibly because baseline innate tone is affected by environmental factors. We believe that this new technique will have wide application in the study of the innate immune responses of the respiratory mucosa.</p><p>Key Messages</p><p>Ultrapure LPS was used as innate immune stimulus in a human nasal challenge model, with serial sampling of nasal mucosal lining fluid (MLF) by nasosorption using a synthetic absorptive matrix (SAM), and nasal curettage of mucosal cells. A dose response could be demonstrated in terms of levels of IL-1β, IL-6, CXCL8 and CCL3 in MLF, as well as ICAM-1 mRNA in nasal curettage specimens, and levels of neutrophils in nasal lavage. Depending on higher baseline levels of inflammation, there were occasional magnified innate inflammatory responses to LPS.</p><p>Trial Registration</p><p>Clinical Trials.gov <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02284074?term=nasal+lipopolysaccharide&rank=1" target="_blank">NCT02284074</a></p></div

Revealing the origin of the vertical hysteresis loop shifts in an exchange biased Co/YMnO3_3 bilayer

We have investigated exchange bias effects in bilayers composed by the antiferromagnetic o-YMnO$_3$ and ferromagnetic Co thin film by means of SQUID magnetometry, magnetoresistance, anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect. The magnetization and magnetotransport properties show pronounced asymmetries in the field and magnetization axes of the field hysteresis loops. Both exchange bias parameters, the exchange bias field $H_{E}(T)$ as well as the magnetization shift $M_E(T)$, vanish around the N\'eel temperature $T_N \simeq 45$ K. We show that the magnetization shift $M_E(T)$ is also measured by a shift in the anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall resistance having those a similar temperature dependence as the one obtained from magnetization measurements. Because the o-YMnO$_3$ film is highly insulating, our results demonstrate that the $M_E(T)$ shift originates at the interface within the ferromagnetic Co layer. To show that the main results obtained are general and not because of some special characteristics of the o-YMO$_3$ layer, similar measurements were done in Co/CoO micro-wires. The transport and magnetization characterization of the micro-wires supports the main conclusion that these effects are related to the response of the ferromagnetic Co layer at the interface.Comment: 16 Figures, in press at J. Phys.: Condensed Matter 201

Qualitative evaluation of media device orchestration for immersive spatial audio reproduction

The challenge of installing and setting up dedicated spatial audio systems can make it difficult to deliver immersive listening experiences to the general public. However, the proliferation of smart mobile devices and the rise of the Internet of Things mean that there are increasing numbers of connected devices capable of producing audio in the home. \Media device orchestration" (MDO) is the concept of utilizing an ad hoc set of devices to deliver or augment a media experience. In this paper, the concept is evaluated by implementing MDO for augmented spatial audio reproduction using object-based audio with semantic metadata. A thematic analysis of positive and negative listener comments about the system revealed three main categories of response: perceptual, technical, and content-dependent aspects. MDO performed particularly well in terms of immersion/envelopment, but the quality of listening experience was partly dependent on loudspeaker quality and listener position. Suggestions for further development based on these categories are given

American social science and the psychology of development in India, 1940s-1960s

With the arrival of independence in 1947, India’s first generation of post-colonial leaders embraced the concept of ‘development’ as a central objective of nation-building and a raison d'être of the post-colonial state. The opportunity of freedom, it was argued, would pave the way for a dramatic process of economic, social and political transformation that would turn India from an impoverished, colonial society into a ‘modern’, prosperous and democratic one. Set against this backdrop, this thesis explores intersections and entanglements between the post-independence pursuit of development and the forms of knowledge produced by post-war American social science. Foregrounding the concept of ‘psychologized development’, the thesis focuses in particular on the ways in which Indian elites – including government officials, intellectuals, industrialists and more – drew on American psychological expertise in the hope of realizing development dreams. With its claims to understand the complex processes that shaped human action (and interaction), I argue, American psychological knowledge promised solutions to the most pressing contemporary problems, from the treatment of ‘communal’ tension to the engagement of rural communities in uplift programmes. Psychology revealed the foundations of effective economic entrepreneurship and the basis of sound industrial leadership. It even explained how new ideas and practices could be ‘diffused’ throughout society. For Indians, psychologized theories of human nature offered knowledge of great utility in the context of plans for rapid societal change. For Americans, they offered tools that would turn India into a model of democratic development in the context of a global Cold War. Using a case study approach, this thesis explores the diverse settings in which Indians and Americans came together to psychologize development. In doing so, it examines both the common themes and the recurring challenges that came with attempts to realize development through social science expertise. The resulting history offers new perspectives not just on the character and complexion of developmentalism in post-colonial India, but also on the forms of cross-border connection that shaped India’s post-1947 transition. The thesis makes novel contributions to a number of historiographical fields, including the history of American social science, the history of Indo-US relations, the history of development and global history.Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trus

"The home of the living writer" : the playwright and the Abbey Theatre

This thesis attempts to outline the practical relationship between Irish playwrights and the Abbey Theatre, from the early work of the Irish Literary Theatre in 1899, until the present day. It argues that the Abbey's reputation for being a writer's theatre tends to be contradicted by its distant association with Irish playwrights during the greater part of its history. Only during the early 1980s was there an active attempt to integrate the playwright within the company, creating a vibrant and active community for the development of new writing. Up until the 1980s the Abbey subscribed to the established twentieth-century view that the playwright was a literary writer, outside the creative centre of theatre. The Abbey's changing roles -- from literary theatre, to institutional national theatre and to director's theatre -- distracted the Theatre from acknowledging the valuable contribution individual dramatists could make, ensuring that the playwright remained vulnerable and isolated. The Abbey remained heavily dependent on its own historical inheritance and international reputation, satisfied with a repertoire of predictable classics. The Theatre's approach to playwrights changed in 1978, when Artistic Director Joe Dowling attempted to create what he termed `the home of the living writer'. With assistance from Script Editor Sean McCarthy, Dowling instigated a series of policies which went towards building a coherent writer's theatre within the Abbey, similar to London's Royal Court. Playwrights became members of the company, were assisted with the development of ideas and encouraged to contribute to the rehearsal process. These actions assured experimental playwright development, exemplified by the work of Tom MacIntyre, whose work proved that a playwright could evolve his own artistic identity within an established theatre

Cruising for Olivia: lesbian celebrity and the cultural politics of coming out in sport

This paper explores issues of sport, sponsorship, and consumption by critically interrogating the mass-mediated -coming out‖ narratives of professional golfer, Rosie Jones, and professional basketball player, Sheryl Swoopes. Both athletes came out publicly as gay in light of endorsements received by Olivia Cruises and Resorts-a company that serves lesbian travelers-thus marking a significant shift in the relationship between lesbian subjectivity, sport, and sponsorship. A concern with a neoliberal-infused GLBT politics underscores our analysis, and a close reading of these narratives raises complex questions about the corporatization of coming out and the existence of lesbian celebrity in sport

An audio-visual system for object-based audio : from recording to listening

Object-based audio is an emerging representation for audio content, where content is represented in a reproduction format-agnostic way and, thus, produced once for consumption on many different kinds of devices. This affords new opportunities for immersive, personalized, and interactive listening experiences. This paper introduces an end-to-end object-based spatial audio pipeline, from sound recording to listening. A high-level system architecture is proposed, which includes novel audiovisual interfaces to support object-based capture and listenertracked rendering, and incorporates a proposed component for objectification, that is, recording content directly into an object-based form. Text-based and extensible metadata enable communication between the system components. An open architecture for object rendering is also proposed. The system’s capabilities are evaluated in two parts. First, listener-tracked reproduction of metadata automatically estimated from two moving talkers is evaluated using an objective binaural localization model. Second, object-based scene capture with audio extracted using blind source separation (to remix between two talkers) and beamforming (to remix a recording of a jazz group) is evaluate