Student-Athletes\u27 Experiences with Racial Microaggressions in Sport: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis

Despite growing research on racial microaggressions as a subtle but prevalent form of racial discrimination, research on microaggressions in sport and their effects on the psychosocial wellbeing of athletes is scarce. Moreover, some researchers question the legitimacy of microaggressions due to their subtle nature and the inconsistency among individuals in how microaggressions are experienced (Lilienfeld, 2017). The purpose of this study was to examine U.S. collegiate student-athletes-of-colors\u27 experiences with racial microaggressions in sport through a new theoretical lens, Foucauldian poststructuralist theory. I theorized microaggressions as an example of the daily panoptic gaze that leads to self-surveillance and the production of normalized individuals (Foucault, 1995). Each of the eight student-athletes-of-color participated in two interviews: a two-person focus group interview followed by an individual interview. The interviews were first analyzed deductively using Sue\u27s (2010) typology of microaggressions. A Foucauldian discourse analysis (Willig, 2013) was also conducted to identify the discourses that student-athletes-of-color drew upon to make sense of their microaggression experiences. The various racial microaggressions shared by the participants clearly illustrated how student-athletes-of-colors\u27 experiences and subjectivities were racialized. However, the discourses they drew upon constituted how they made sense of their microaggression experiences. Within sport, the sport transcends race discourse was widely circulated and legitimized through various sporting practices. Within this discursive context, athletes were limited in their ability to perceive and acknowledge race and racial microaggressions. The results of this study shed light on how racial microaggressions manifest in the lives of student-athletes and how the discourses and practices that we take for granted constitute their racial subjectivities

Can Writing Be Wrong? Collaborative Autoethnography as Critical Reflective Practice in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

Critical reflective practice (CRP) facilitates macro-level reflections about social contexts and power structures through the interrogation of one’s own experiences (Knowles & Gilbourne, 2010). Despite the importance of CRP, examples of how one actually engages in CRP are scarce in sport psychology. Moreover, given that writing in academia is traditionally “author evacuated” (Knowles & Gilbourne, 2010, p. 512), it is questionable how traditional writing practices help facilitate critical reflections. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine how sport psychology professionals can engage in CRP through the use of author-centered writing. Specifically, we responded to Knowles and Gilbourne’s (2010) call to use autoethnography as a way to engage in, as well as document, critical reflective writing. Through author-centered writing, we reflected on normalized practices that can hinder CRP. The detailed written accounts and collaborative process helped us recognize how the personal is political (Hanisch, 2006), and why culture and power are always important for sport psychology professionals to consider

Student-Athletes’ Experiences with Racial Microaggressions in Sport: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis

Despite growing research on racial microaggressions as a subtle but prevalent form of racial discrimination, research on microaggressions in sport and their effects on the psychosocial wellbeing of athletes is scarce. Moreover, some researchers question the legitimacy of microaggressions due to their subtle nature and inconsistency in how they are experienced (Lilienfeld, 2017). The purpose of this study was to examine U.S. collegiate student-athletes-of-color experiences with racial microaggressions in sport through a new theoretical lens, Foucauldian poststructuralist theory. We theorized microaggressions as an example of the daily panoptic gaze that leads to self-surveillance and the production of normalized individuals (Foucault, 1995). Eight student-athletes-of-color participated in two interviews: a two-person focus group interview followed by an individual interview. The interviews were analyzed deductively using Sue’s (2010) microaggression typology followed by a Foucauldian discourse analysis (Willig, 2013). The results illustrated how student-athletes-of-color experiences and subjectivities were racialized. Within sport, the sport as transcending race discourse was widely circulated and legitimized through various sporting practices, which limited athletes’ ability to perceive and acknowledge race and microaggressions. This study sheds light on how racial microaggressions manifest in the lives of student-athletes and how the discourses and practices we take for granted constitute racial subjectivities

Mathematical Distinction in Action Potential between Primo-Vessels and Smooth Muscle

We studied the action potential of Primo-vessels in rats to determine the electrophysiological characteristics of these structures. We introduced a mathematical analysis method, a normalized Fourier transform that displays the sine and cosine components separately, to compare the action potentials of Primo-vessels with those for the smooth muscle. We found that Primo-vessels generated two types of action potential pulses that differed from those of smooth muscle: (1) Type I pulse had rapid depolarizing and repolarizing phases, and (2) Type II pulse had a rapid depolarizing phase and a gradually slowing repolarizing phase

Anesthetic management of non-cardiac surgery with adult onset type of cor triatriatum sinister -A case report-

A 45-year-old woman with cor triatriatum sinister was admitted for laparoscopic resection of an ovarian tumor. Her medical history was benign with the exception of a single episode of syncope one year ago. A 1.5-cm membrane fenestration was found on echocardiography, but there were no other cardiac structural anomalies. General anesthesia was established with etomidate, sevoflurane, and remifentanil; no notable events occurred during the anesthesia. As cor triatriatum shows a clinical picture of mitral stenosis (MS), careful anesthetic management is required

Athletes’ Expectations About Sport-Injury Rehabilitation: A Cross-Cultural Study

Context: Athletes enter injury rehabilitation with certain expectations about the recovery process, outcomes, and the professional providing treatment. Their expectations influence the effectiveness of the assistance received and affect the overall rehabilitation process. Expectations may vary depending on numerous factors such as sport experience, gender, sport-type and cultural background. Unfortunately, limited information is available on athletes’ expectations about sport injury rehabilitation. Objective: To examine possible differences in athletes’ expectations about sport injury rehabilitation based on their country of residence and type of sport (physical contact versus non-physical contact). Design: A cross-sectional design. Setting: Recreational, collegiate, and professional athletes from the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK) and Finland were surveyed. Participants: Of the 1209 athletes ranging from 12 to 80 years of age (Mage = 23.46 ± 7.91), of which 529 US [80%], 253 UK [86%], and 199 Finnish [82%] provided details of their geographical location, were included in the final analyses. Main Outcome Measures: The Expectations about Athletic Training (EAAT) questionnaire was used to determine athletes’ expectations about personal commitment, facilitative conditions, and the expertise of the sports medicine professional (Clement et al., 2012). Results: 3x2 MANCOVA revealed significant main effects for country (p = .0001, ηp2 = .055) and sport type (p = .0001, ηp2 = .023). Specifically, US athletes were found to have higher expectations of personal commitment and facilitative conditions than their UK and Finnish counterparts. Athletes participating in physical contact sports had higher expectations of facilitative conditions and the expertise of the sports medicine professional (SMP) as compared to athletes participating in non-physical contact sports. Conclusions: SMPs, especially those in the US, should consider the sport and environment when providing services. In addition, SMPs need to highlight and demonstrate their expertise durin

Factors associated with cervical cancer screening behaviors among young married female (aged 20–29) immigrants in South Korea

Objective To identify factors that affect the participation of female immigrants in their 20s in the national cervical cancer screening programs. Methods Data were obtained from the National Health Insurance Services from 2016 to 2017. A total of 17,730 women who agreed to undergo cervical cancer screening during 2016–2017 were included in the study. Results Of the 17,730 women, 8,149 (46%) participated in cervical cancer screening, whereas, 9,581 (54%) did not. Logistic regression analysis of factors related to cervical cancer screening showed that the odds ratio (OR) of screening was higher in short duration of stay (OR, 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–1.35), Chinese nationality (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.28–1.59), unemployment (OR, 1; 95% CI, reference), participation in general health screening (OR, 4.16; 95% CI, 3.24–5.33), and comorbidities (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.09–1.24) when compared to the other populations. The highest OR was associated with participation in general health screening. Conclusion Appropriate programs should be developed to increase participation of socially vulnerable groups in cervical cancer screening. Such programs will improve awareness regarding cervical cancer screening and reduce disparities in healthcare

Blockade of Oxidative Stress by Vitamin C Ameliorates Albuminuria and Renal Sclerosis in Experimental Diabetic Rats

PURPOSE: Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a role as a common mediator of apoptosis and kidney damage in diabetes. However, it is uncertain whether the apoptosis occurs in the kidney during the course of diabetes. We investigated the occurrence of apoptosis in the diabetic rat kidney, the role of oxidative stress and the effect of an antioxidant on apoptosis in the diabetic rat kidney. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Otsuka-Long-Evans-Tokushima-Fatty rats, an animal model for type 2 diabetes, were randomized into a non-treated diabetic (n=8) and a vitamin C-treated group (n=8). Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka rats (n=8) were used as a control. RESULTS: Apoptosis was present in the epithelial cells of the proximal tubules in diabetic rats. The number of apoptotic cells, albuminuria, proteinuria, glomerular and tubulointerstitial sclerosis, and renal malondialdehyde were significantly decreased in vitamin C-treated diabetic rats when compared to the untreated diabetic rats. The decreased slit pore density (number of slit pores per underlying glomerular basement membrane length) as assessed by electron microscopy was also significantly restored by treatment with vitamin C without significantly affecting plasma glucose in diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: By blocking these pathophysiologic processes, a blockade of oxidative stress by vitamin C might become a useful adjunct to albuminuria and renal sclerosis in diabetic nephropathy.ope

Asthma diagnosis and treatment – 1023. The implementation of asthma management guideline and the obstacle factors in Korea

Background Many bacterial components in indoor dust can evoke inflammatory pulmonary diseases. Bacteria secrete nanometer-sized vesicles into the extracellular milieu, but it remains to be determined whether bacteria-derived extracellular vesicles in indoor dust are pathophysiologically related to inflammatory pulmonary diseases. We evaluated whether extracellular vesicles (EV) in indoor air are causally related to the pathogenesis of asthma and/or emphysema. Methods EV were prepared by sequential ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation from indoor dust collected from a bed. Innate and adaptive immune responses were evaluated after once or 4 weeks airway exposure of EV, respectively. Results Vesicles 50-200 nm in diameter were present (102.5 microgram [based on protein concentration]/g dust) in indoor dust, and inhalation of 1 microgram of these vesicles for 4 weeks caused neutrophilic pulmonary inflammation. Additionally, polymyxin B (an antagonist of endotoxin, a cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria) reversed the inflammation induced by the dust EV. Indoor dust harbors Esherichia coli-derived vesicles; airway exposure to the vesicles for 4 weeks induced neutrophilic inflammation and emphysema, which were partially eliminated by the absence of IFN-gamma or IL-17. Interestingly, serum dust EV-reactive IgG1 levels were significantly higher in atopic children with asthma than in atopic healthy children and those with rhinitis or dermatitis. Moreover, serum dust EV-reactive IgG1 levels were also elevated in adult asthma or COPD patients than in healthy controls. Conclusions EV in indoor dust, especially derived from Gram-negative bacteria, appear to be an important causative agent in the pathogenesis of asthma and/or emphysema