37 research outputs found
Education and Elite Soccer: An Examination of the Female Experience in Norway and Canada : A Qualitative Study of Elite Female Soccer Players in Norway and Canada
Women's soccer has expanded in the last 30 years, from purely amateur to increasingly professional. The emergence of paid women's leagues throughout the world, symbolizes this growth, in addition to the exposure of the Women's World Cup (WWC), U20 and U17 WWC.
This study was undertaken in order to examine the question: What is the experience of Norwegian and Canadian elite female soccer players in combining soccer with education? The theory and concepts of Pierre Bourdieu were utilized as the lens in which to examine the findings of this research. These include concepts related to field, habitus and the ability to acquire and convert capital from time spent as elite female players, into life and career postsoccer. Twenty women who were all elite female soccer players in high school were interviewed for the study, ten from Norway and ten from Canada, who were between the ages of 24 and 32. Of the ten from each nation, five were those that reached the highest level of play in their respective countries, and five who did not. The method of research conducted was the life history interview method.
Results showed that the majority of those that were elite female players in high school in Canada went on to finish a university degree in 4-5 years. This is because the soccer structure in North America ties a university education and elite level soccer inherently together. All the elite level Norwegian players did not finish their university degrees in a standard three to four years, with their soccer commitments cited as the main reason. However, Norwegians were better able to continue to play soccer at an elite level, after they were finished university and could balance a career, while Canadians had to make a choice between career and soccer as soon as they were finished with their bachelor degree. Looking at the results through the lens of Bourdieu, besides educational capital, there was very little ability to convert capital acquired from being an elite female player into skills required for a career post-soccer. These findings concur with past research which has shown very limited opportunities for females in soccer, whether in coaching or administration, once they are done with their own on-field careers. Thus women in both countries need to be conscientious in building up skills and options for their career, once they have retired from the sport
New approach of modifying the anatase to rutile transition temperature in TiO2 photocatalysts
In pure synthetic titanium dioxide, the anatase to rutile phase transition usually occurs between the temperatures of 600 °C and 700 °C. The phase transition temperature can be altered by various methods, including modifying the precursor or by adding dopant or modifier to the TiO2 sample. In an attempt to investigate the phase transition using aromatic carboxylic acids, the current study examines the impact of increasing concentrations of benzoic acid (1â:â0, 1â:â1, 1â:â4 and 1â:â8 molar ratio TiO2â:âbenzoic acid) on anatase to rutile transition. The samples were characterised using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies. At 500 °C, all samples contained only anatase. At 600 °C, the 1â:â1, 1â:â4 and 1â:â8 samples contain only anatase and the control (which contains no modifier) was a mixture of 27% anatase and 73% rutile. At 700 °C, the 1â:â1 molar ratio sample contained 50% anatase/rutile, 1â:â4 and 1â:â8 molar ratio samples were observed to have a majority of anatase, 76% and 71% respectively. When the temperature was increased to 800 °C, the sample with the 1â:â4 molar ratio contained 10% anatase and at the same temperature the 1â:â8 ratio sample contained 7% anatase; the remaining samples (1â:â0 and 1â:â1) at this temperature contained only rutile. These results show that there is a significant % anatase still present when the doped samples were calcined to 700 °C when compared with the control (100% rutile). There are small amounts of the anatase phase in the 1â:â4 and 1â:â8 samples at 800 °C. Therefore, benzoic acid has induced a delay in the rutile formation
Culture and the state Institutionalizing âthe underclassâ in the new Ireland
This paper analyses some of the activities of a community development group connected to
a very poor neighbourhood in Dublin, Ireland within the context of anti-poverty discourses
and types of targeted funding generated by the European Union. Community development
groups and discourses are saturated with terms such as the âsocial marketâ, âinclusionâ and
âcommunityâ that are an interesting combination of progressive politics and concepts
recognizably connected to social science disciplines like Anthropology and Human
Geography. In this essay, the authors examine a âcommunityâ response to the so-called
âhorse protestâ in Dublin, a response in large part funded by EU mechanisms geared to
combating âsocial exclusionâ. They also trace back some of the connections between the
institutional actors in this community and EU policies and funding mechanisms. Finally,
they examine the trajectory of the Republic of Ireland, especially its experience of a
booming economy, that has influenced perceptions of, and reactions to, problems in this
neighbourhood. This work represents an attempt to merge ethnographic data and policy
analysis within one textual frame, and in particular it represents the authorsâ attempt to
understand how certain discursive sign-posts like âsocial exclusionâ are given content as
concrete social-historical processes
Relation between physical activity and oxygen uptake efficiency in men with CVD
Purpose: The oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) represents the rate of increase in VÌO2 in response to a given VÌE during incremental exercise, indicating how effectively oxygen is taken in by the lungs, transported and used in the periphery. OUES, calculated using only submaximal exercise data is identical to the OUES calculated over the entire duration of a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CEPT) , and both maximal and submaximal OUE are significantly related to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) measured as VÌO2peak. Currently, little research has been published on how physical activity (PA) assessed by accelerometers is related to submaximal and maximal OUES. The purpose of this study was to determine the relation light (LIPA), moderate (MIPA) and vigorous (VIPA) intensity physical activity and maximal and submaximal OUES in men with cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Methods: A total of 56 men (mean ( SD): age of 59.3 ± 9.2 yr., VÌO2 peak (L/min) 2.0 0.50, VÌO2 peak (mL/kg/min) 23.6 5.8, were recruited during an induction to a community-based exercise referral program following completion of phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation program. Participants underwent a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer with breath by breath open circuit spirometry after which they wore a wrist worn accelerometer (Actigraph) for 7 d. Absolute and relative submaximal and maximal OUES were calculated by plotting VÌO2 in mL/min on the x axis, and the log transformed VE on the y axis (VÌO2 = a log 10 VE + b). Exercise data up to the ventilatory anaerobic threshold and maximal exercise were used to calculate submaximal and maximal OUE, respectively.
Results: Participants performed 584.49 73.87 min of daily LIPA, 145.45 60.85 min of MIPA and no daily min of VIPA. There was a significant relation between absolute submaximal OUES (r=0.386; p<0.01), submaximal OUES/Kg (r=0.296; p<0.05) and LIPA. There was a significant relation between maximal OUES (r=0.286; p<0.05), maximal OUES/Kg (r=0.279; p<0.05) and MIPA.
Conclusion: Submaximal and maximal OUE are related to levels of LIPA and MIPA, respectively. Submaximal OUES can potentially be used as an objective, effort independent test to estimate LIPA levels among men with CVD
Physical activity patterns and cardiorespiratory fitness in men with cardiovascular disease
Purpose: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is generally regarded as an objective and reproducible measure of recent habitual physical activity (PA). Considering that the majority of daily PA is performed at light intensity, it is likely that CRF benefits will be detected at submaximal rather than maximal exercise. The purpose of this study was to evaluate daily minutes of light (LIPA), moderate (MIPA) and vigorous (VIPA) intensity physical activity among men with cardiovascular disease (CVD), and to determine the relation between PA and submaximal (oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES)) and maximal (VÌO2 peak) indices of CRF.
Methods: A total 32 male participants (mean ( SD): age of 60.0 ± 8.7 yr, VÌO2 peak (L/min) 2.0 0.45, VÌO2 peak (mL/kg/min) 23.3 5.7, were recruited during an induction to a community based exercise referral program following completion of phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. Participants underwent a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer with breath by breath open circuit spirometry after which they wore a wrist worn accelerometer (Actigraph) for 7 d. Absolute and relative submaximal OUES were calculated by plotting VÌO2 in mL/min on the x axis, and the log transformed VE on the y axis (VÌO2 = a log 10 VE + b). Exercise data up to the ventilatory anaerobic threshold was included in the analysis.
Results: Participants performed 589.05 69.41 min of daily LIPA, 161.38 66.16 min of MIPA and no daily min of VIPA. There was no significant relation between peak VÌO2 and either LIPA or MIPA. There was a significant correlation between submaximal OUES (r=0.44; p<0.01) and LIPA. The relation between submaximal OUES/kg and LIPA min almost reached statistical significance (r=0.33; p<0.07). There was no significant relation between MIPA and OUES or OUES/kg.
Conclusion: Men with CVD spend the majority (78%) of their day performing LIPA. OUES, a submaximal measure of CRF was related LIPA whereas no relation was found between VÌO2 peak and LIPA
Submaximal oxygen uptake efficiency slope as a predictor of VO2max in men with cardiovascular disease
Purpose: Although VÌO2 max is considered the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), it can be difficult to attain in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The submaximal oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) integrates cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and respiratory function during incremental exercise into a single index and has been proposed as an alternative and effort independent measure of cardiopulmonary reserve (Baba et al., 1996). The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between VÌO2 max and both submaximal absolute OUES and relative OUES (OUES.kg-1).
Methods: A total of 55 men ((mean ± SD) age, 59.08 ± 9.03 yr; VO2 max, 1.94 ± 0.53 L.min-1and 22.73 ± 5.95 mL.kg-1.min-1) were recruited during induction to a community based exercise referral program following completion of phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. Participants performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer with breath-by-breath open circuit spirometry and a 12 lead ECG. Absolute OUES and OUES.kg-1 were calculated by plotting VO2 in mL.min-1 on the x-axis, and the log transformed VE on the y-axis (VO2 = a log 10 VE + b). Exercise data up to the ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) was included in the analysis.
Results: The %VÌO2 max corresponding to the VAT was 55.72 ± 11.81. Absolute OUES and OUES.kg-1 were 2164.42 ± 540.96 and 25.28 ± 5.99, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between VÌO2 max (L.min-1) and OUES (r= 0.775; p<0.001) and between VÌO2 max (mL.kg-1.min-1) and OUES.kg-1 (r= 0.78; p<0.001).
Conclusion: Determination of VÌO2 max is not often feasible in individuals with CVD where maximal exercise testing is contraindicated or when performance may be impaired by pain, dyspnea or angina. The findings from the present study indicate that the OUES and OUES.kg-1 are significantly related to absolute and relative VÌO2 max, respectively and may be used as a valid sub maximal effort independent measure of CRF
The development and structural validity testing of the Person-centred Practice InventoryâCare (PCPI-C)
Background: Person-centred healthcare focuses on placing the beliefs and values of service users at the centre of decision-making and creating the context for practitioners to do this effectively. Measuring the outcomes arising from person-centred practices is complex and challenging and often adopts multiple perspectives and approaches. Few measurement frameworks are grounded in an explicit person-centred theoretical framework. Aims: In the study reported in this paper, the aim was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure the experience of person-centred care by service users (patients)âThe Person-centred Practice Inventory-Care (PCPI-C). Methods: Based on the âperson-centred processesâ construct of an established Person-centred Practice Framework (PCPF), a service user instrument was developed to complement existing instruments informed by the same theoretical frameworkâthe PCPF. An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was used to construct and test the instrument, working with international partners and service users in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Australia and Austria. A three-phase approach was adopted to the development and testing of the PCPI-C: Phase 1 âItem Selection: following an iterative process a list of 20 items were agreed upon by the research team for use in phase 2 of the project; Phase 2 âInstrument Development and Refinement: Development of the PCPI-C was undertaken through two stages. Stage 1 involved three sequential rounds of data collection using focus groups in Scotland, Australia and Northern Ireland; Stage 2 involved distributing the instrument to members of a global community of practice for person-centred practice for review and feedback, as well as refinement and translation through one: one interviews in Austria. Phase 3: Testing Structural Validity of the PCPI-C: A sample of 452 participants participated in this phase of the study. Service users participating in existing cancer research in the UK, Malta, Poland and Portugal, as well as care homes research in Austria completed the draft PCPI-C. Data were collected over a 14month period (January 2021-March 2022). Descriptive and measures of dispersion statistics were generated for all items to help inform subsequent analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using maximum likelihood robust extraction testing of the 5-factor model of the PCPI-C. Results: The testing of the PCPI-C resulted in a final 18 item instrument. The results demonstrate that the PCPI-C is a psychometrically sound instrument, supporting a five-factor model that examines the service userâs perspective of what constitutes person-centred care. Conclusion and implications: This new instrument is generic in nature and so can be used to evaluate how person-centredness is perceived by service users in different healthcare contexts and at different levels of an organisation. Thus, it brings a service user perspective to an organisation-wide evaluation framework
Pulmonary hypertension and homebased (PHAHB) exercise intervention: protocol for a feasibility study
Introduction Novel therapies for pulmonary hypertension
(PH) have improved survival and slowed disease
progression. However, patients still present with symptoms
of exertional dyspnoea and fatigue, which impacts their
ability to perform activities of daily living, reduces exercise
tolerance and impairs their quality of life (QoL). Exercise
training has shown to be safe and effective at enhancing
QoL and physical function in PH patients, yet it remains
an underused adjunct therapy. Most exercise training
for PH patients has been offered through hospital-based
programmes. Home-based exercise programmes provide
an alternative model that has the potential to increase
the availability and accessibility of exercise training as
an adjunct therapy in PH. The purpose of this study is to
investigate the feasibility, acceptability, utility and safety
of a novel remotely supervised home-based PH exercise
programme.
Methods Single arm intervention with a pre/post
comparisons design and a follow-up maintenance phase
will be employed. Eligible participants (n=25) will be
recruited from the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
PH Unit. Participants will undergo a 10-week home-based
exercise programme, with induction training, support
materials, telecommunication support and health coaching
sessions followed by a 10-week maintenance phase.
The primary outcomes are feasibility, acceptability, utility
and safety of the intervention. Secondary outcomes will
include the impact of the intervention on exercise capacity,
physical activity, strength, health-related QoL and exercise
self-efficacy.
Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval has been
obtained from the Mater Misericordiae Institutional Review
Board REF:1/378/2032 and Dublin City University Research
Ethics DCUREC/2018/246. A manuscript of the results will
be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal and results will
be presented at conferences, community and consumer
forums and hospital research conferences.
Trial registration number ISRCTN83783446; Pre-result
Exploration of physical activity knowledge, preferences and support needs among pulmonary hypertension patients
Objective: Physical activity (PA) is an established adjunct therapy for pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients to mitigate PH symptoms and improve quality of life. However, PA engagement within this population remains low. This study investigated PH patientsâ knowledge of PA, recalled advice, exercise preferences and PA support needs. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 adults (mean age 50 years; SD ±12 years) diagnosed with PH, living in Ireland. Interview scripts were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Four key themes were identified: Lack of PA knowledge; exercise setting preference; accountability and monitoring; and clinician delivered PA information and guidance. Conclusion: This study found that PH clinicians provide suboptimal PA advice, yet patients desired clinician-delivered PA guidance. Home-based exercise was preferred with monitoring and external accountability deemed as important to facilitate sustained engagement. Practice implications: PH clinicians are well positioned to play a critical role in assisting and empowering PH patients to engage in PA. Providing training and education to PH clinicians regarding exercise prescription may be beneficial. Further research is needed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of home-based exercise interventions to improve quality of life and physical activity in PH
The development and structural validity testing of the Person-centred Practice InventoryâCare (PCPI-C)
From PLOS via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2023-01-26, collection 2024-01-01, accepted 2024-04-20, epub 2024-05-10Acknowledgements: The authors of this paper acknowledge the significant contributions of all the service users who participated in this study.Publication status: PublishedFiona Gilmour - ORCID: 0000-0002-9106-3618
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9106-3618Background: Person-centred healthcare focuses on placing the beliefs and values of service users at the centre of decision-making and creating the context for practitioners to do this effectively. Measuring the outcomes arising from person-centred practices is complex and challenging and often adopts multiple perspectives and approaches. Few measurement frameworks are grounded in an explicit person-centred theoretical framework. Aims: In the study reported in this paper, the aim was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure the experience of person-centred care by service users (patients)âThe Person-centred Practice Inventory-Care (PCPI-C). Methods: Based on the âperson-centred processesâ construct of an established Person-centred Practice Framework (PCPF), a service user instrument was developed to complement existing instruments informed by the same theoretical frameworkâthe PCPF. An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was used to construct and test the instrument, working with international partners and service users in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Australia and Austria. A three-phase approach was adopted to the development and testing of the PCPI-C: Phase 1 âItem Selection: following an iterative process a list of 20 items were agreed upon by the research team for use in phase 2 of the project; Phase 2 âInstrument Development and Refinement: Development of the PCPI-C was undertaken through two stages. Stage 1 involved three sequential rounds of data collection using focus groups in Scotland, Australia and Northern Ireland; Stage 2 involved distributing the instrument to members of a global community of practice for person-centred practice for review and feedback, as well as refinement and translation through one: one interviews in Austria. Phase 3: Testing Structural Validity of the PCPI-C: A sample of 452 participants participated in this phase of the study. Service users participating in existing cancer research in the UK, Malta, Poland and Portugal, as well as care homes research in Austria completed the draft PCPI-C. Data were collected over a 14month period (January 2021-March 2022). Descriptive and measures of dispersion statistics were generated for all items to help inform subsequent analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using maximum likelihood robust extraction testing of the 5-factor model of the PCPI-C. Results: The testing of the PCPI-C resulted in a final 18 item instrument. The results demonstrate that the PCPI-C is a psychometrically sound instrument, supporting a five-factor model that examines the service userâs perspective of what constitutes person-centred care. Conclusion and implications: This new instrument is generic in nature and so can be used to evaluate how person-centredness is perceived by service users in different healthcare contexts and at different levels of an organisation. Thus, it brings a service user perspective to an organisation-wide evaluation framework.pubpu