Esports Players’ Transition out of Esports: Is There Life After Esports?

The purpose of this study is to explore retired/retiring esports players’ experience of transitioning out of esports. To provide in-depth insights into esports players’ transition experiences that may contribute to young players being better prepared for their own transitions, a qualitative approach was applied and four retired professional esports players in South Korea were interviewed. Thematic analysis was applied, and four themes were identified: Pressure and Uncertainty; Lack of Pre-Retirement Planning; Need for Mentorship; Need for Realism about Talent. The findings highlight that esports players experience pressure and struggle with job/finance insecurity during their careers, and that this contributes significantly to their retirement decisions. Lack of pre-retirement planning causes them to be ill-prepared for their life after esports. The study provides empirical evidence which should encourage the industry and stakeholders to establish structured systems to support esports players’ transitions out of esports

TRANSCENDING FACH: A SEARCH FOR IDENTITY INSIDE AND OUT OF MEZZO-SOPRANO REPERTOIRE

The German Fach system is a tool to classify voices in classical singing. This dissertation comprises three different programs that reflect my search for identity as a mezzo-soprano and my desire to transcend the limitations of Fach. The three programs, all presented at The Clarice Performing Arts Center, contain repertoire written for male and female voices thus allowing me to explore areas outside of the mezzo-soprano Fach, gain a better understanding of the Fach system and guide me as I strive to become a more mature performer. In my first program, I sang the role of Sesto, a role that was composed originally for a castrate, in the opera La Clemenza di Tito by W.A. Mozart. The Maryland Opera Studio production took place April 30, May 2,4&6,2003. Performing this gender-bending role provided an experience of physical behavior from the male view point along with the demands of coloratura singing. Program two (November 30,2004) contained the song cycle Dichterliebe by Robert Schumann and songs by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert and Felix Mendelssohn, which are usually sung by male voices. This program experimented with extended range, tessitura and a gender-bending performance in the art song arena. 8 In program three (April 21 &23,2005), I sang the contralto role of Cornelia from Giulio Cesare in Egitto by George Frederic Handel. The role of Cornelia is psychologically complex, expressing emotions such as love, melancholy, rage, malice, joy and fear. To convey these emotions a voice needs warmth and darkness of quality. Although the range is close to that of the mezzo-soprano, Handel wrote Cornelia for contralto voice because he wanted a dark timbre and this role allowed me to develop my lower register and manage suitable ornamentations. The programs are documented in a digital format available on compact disc and are accompanied by the oral presentation at the defense of this dissertation

Structural Optimization of a Knuckle with Consideration of Stiffness and Durability Requirements

The automobile’s knuckle is connected to the parts of the steering system and the suspension system and it is used for adjusting the direction of a rotation through its attachment to the wheel. This study changes the existing material made of GCD45 to Al6082M and recommends the lightweight design of the knuckle as the optimal design technique to be installed in small cars. Six shape design variables were selected for the optimization of the knuckle and the criteria relevant to stiffness and durability were considered as the design requirements during the optimization process. The metamodel-based optimization method that uses the kriging interpolation method as the optimization technique was applied. The result shows that all constraints for stiffness and durability are satisfied using A16082M, while reducing the weight of the knuckle by 60% compared to that of the existing GCD450

Fighting for Olympic dreams and life beyond: Olympian judokas on striving for glory and tackling post-athletic challenges

ObjectivesThis study explores the experiences of Olympian judokas, examining both their pursuit of excellence to compete at the Olympics and their subsequent transition out of judo. The aim is to offer empirical evidence regarding the challenges they face in realizing their Olympic dreams, and to shed light on the transitional challenges, available resources, and needs they face as they move toward post-athletic lives.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with eight Olympian judokas: five males and three females, all of whom have retired from competitive judo. These participants are from Portugal (n = 1), Republic of Korea (n = 2), and the United Kingdom (n = 5). We employed thematic analysis, which led to the identification of five main themes: (a) From Dreams to Olympic Reality, (b) Facing the Void: Loss of Goals and Identity, (c) The Crucial Role of Social Support, (d) Dual Aspects of Pre-Retirement Planning, and (e) The Double Edge of Organizational Support.FindingsThe findings highlight the significant challenges faced by Olympian judokas, including goal and identity loss post-retirement, and the need for comprehensive and accessible organizational support, particularly psychological assistance, to assist in their transition to post-athletic life.ImplicationsThe findings not only enhance our understanding of judokas’ experiences during transition but also offer insights that could guide the development of tailored support programs. It is critical for sport governing bodies and practitioners to apply these insights in creating comprehensive and easily accessible support systems, which will ensure a smoother transition to post-athletic life for high-performance athletes

In vivo fluorescence spectroscopic monitoring of radiotherapy in cancer treatment

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study is to introduce fluorescence spectroscopy technology as a tool for optical biopsy and to evaluate the reliability of this real-time non-invasive technique in assessing tumor therapeutic response in radiotherapy.Methods: Four oral cancer patients with inflammatory conditions of the oral cavity volunteered to participate in the study. Using FastEEM (Excited Emission Matrix), spectra were taken from both normal and tumor regions. Then the second optical diagnostic was taken from the tumor regions in 4 patients with time delay of 4 weeks. The fluorescence spectroscopy optical biopsy turned out to be more suitable for tumor diagnostics as there was a significant difference in fluorescence spectra. Results: The first fluorescence intensity of cancerous tissue was higher compared to the second fluorescence intensity of optical biopsy of cancerous oral tissue. From this result, it can be concluded that the fluorescence spectroscopy optical biopsy, which is a technique that does not require removal of tissue sample from body, is a reliable tool to be used in radiotherapy. Conclusion: FastEEM, which is a tool for fluorescence spectroscopy, enables a real-time non-invasive assessment of the chemical, biological, as well as morphological variations in the tissue composition following radiotherapy

Dual career (DC) experiences of Korean elite judokas before and at university

The present study aims to explore the experiences of Korean elite judokas in managing dual career (DC) during: (a) pre-university years, (b) at the university, and (c) in preparation for the transition to the post-university life. We adopted an intrinsic case study design to gain a better understanding of the experiences of Korean elite judokas at a university. We aimed to explore a particular case in depth, focusing on the experiences of the individuals involved. Purposive sampling was applied to 12 DC athletes (seven male; five female) who are elite judokas and were in year 4 of university study at the time of the data collection. They studied at the same South Korean university and competed at an international level. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and thematic analysis was applied. The analysis identified four main themes: (a) DC path of prioritising sport and maintaining education, (b) Increasing sport demands and their impact on athletes’ DCs, (c) Specific career development barriers of Korean judokas, (d) Coping resources and strategies and support in need. The study discusses the unique challenges and barriers as well as coping strategies of Korean judoka based on the Athletic Career Transition model, highlighting the importance of sociocultural context in their experiences

Transitioning Out of Esports: Exploring the Experiences of Professional Esports Players in South Korea

This study explored the experiences of retired esports players, focusing particularly on their transition out of esports. Utilizing a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with four retired professional esports players in South Korea. A thematic analysis revealed four recurring themes: career pressure and uncertainty, lack of preretirement planning, demand for mentorship support, and necessity for a realistic perspective on talent. The findings indicated that significant pressure and financial insecurity during their careers often catalyzed the players’ decisions to retire. Players were unprepared for postesports life due to inadequate preretirement planning. This study highlights the crucial roles of mentorship and realistic talent assessments in facilitating smoother career transitions. The main contribution of this research lies in its empirical evidence, which stresses the need for structured support systems for esports players transitioning out of professional gaming. Stakeholders within the esports industry can utilize these findings to formulate policies and programs aimed at providing financial assistance, career planning, mentorship, and guidance to players during their careers and upon retirement. The outcomes of this study can serve as a foundation for future research by clarifying the necessity for broader investigations into the experiences of esports players and the development of practical strategies to mitigate their transition challenges

Transitioning from junior to senior: a case study on elite judokas in South Korea

Introduction: This study explores the experiences of Korean elite judokas during their junior to senior transition (JST), including both male and female participants, to provide empirical evidence for the development of tailored support services or programs for this target population. Methods: We recruited 12 elite judokas for our study, comprising eight males and four females, all in their first year of university. Given their preferences and availability at the time of data collection, participants were divided into three focus groups: Focus Group 1 (FG1; four male participants), Focus Group 2 (FG2; four female participants), and Focus Group 3 (FG3; four male participants). Thematic analysis was applied to analyze the data from the focus group interviews. Results: Five main themes were identified: (a) COVID-19-Induced Frustration, (b) From Big Fish in a Small Pond to Small Fish in a Big Pond, (c) Challenges in Academic Commitment, (d) Adapting to Transitions in Living Arrangements, and (e) Recognizing Support Needs for the JST. Discussion: The findings of this study provide both theoretical and practical implications that could improve judokas’ experiences during the challenging physical and mental phase of JST, as well as inform the establishment of tailored support programs and schemes for successful and smooth JSTs for athletes