\u27Bigger than football\u27: A capacities and signals approach to the NFL kneeling protests

The ‘kneeling protests’ happening in the National Football League (NFL) have transformed football stadiums across the country into unlikely, yet impactful, spaces of resistance to racist rhetoric and racial violence. The reactions to the protests have been split, to say the least. Some have praised the kneeling as a powerful and moving display of civil resistance, culminating in the most high profile protester, Colin Kaepernick, being recognized as Amnesty International’s 2018 Ambassador of Consciousness. Others have interpreted the protests as a sign of disrespect towards the American flag, national anthem, and military. Now well into its third season, the symbolic power associated with the act of kneeling on the NFL may have ran its course. Broadcasters made clear their decision to not televise the anthems before the games, in a sense choking the kneeling protests of the oxygen that made for their fiery support and opposition in the first place – their circulation via traditional mass media broadcast. However, Kaepernick and #TakeAKnee are as widely discussed today as they were now almost three years ago. In theorizing the athlete/activist in the digital age, the aim of this research is to answer the following central research question: How was visibility maintained and the narrative of the kneeling protests controlled through deliberate image making and circulation, considering the ever-shifting, yet overlaid, physical and digital sites of resistance? The primary focus of this paper is the ability of the social movement to adapt strategy and tactic when space/place is denied or limited. It references a theoretical model (Tufecki, 2017) that measures a social movement’s power in terms of its i) narrative, ii) disruptive, and iii) electoral/institutional “capacities,” and how it “signals” to them

Effects of Exercise Induced Muscle Damage on Critical Torque and Mitochondrial Function

The primary aim of this study was to examine the effects of exercise induced muscle damage on critical torque and impulse above end test torque. A secondary purpose was to determine whether mitochondrial function played any role in observed changes. A total of 12 participants performed resting mitochondrial tests, MVC level tests, and a 5-minute all-out isometric knee extension test for critical torque both before and 48-hours following exercise induced muscle damage via electrical stimulation and eccentric isokinetic knee extension. Surface EMG was collected during the critical torque tests to ensure full effort was given. The muscle damage protocol was successful in seven of the participants. Of those seven, one was excluded for mitochondrial function analysis due to being an outlier. The primary findings were that exercise induced muscle damage 1) results in a reduced critical torque, 2) a reduced impulse above end test torque and 3) did not alter mitochondrial function in the working muscle. These findings could indicate that although oxidative capacity plays a large role in determining critical torque, there is more at play due to the lack of change in mitochondrial function. The drop in impulse above end power indicates the importance of muscular work capacity

Impact of Inducing Self-Compassion on the use of Safety Behaviours in Social Situations

Safety behaviours are commonly used in an attempt to decrease anxiety experienced in social settings. These behaviours, however, have been found to maintain anxiety. Self-compassion has shown promise for reducing anxiety and post-event rumination. The aim of the present studies was to examine the impact of a self-compassion induction on safety behaviours. It was hypothesized that inducing self-compassion would lead to lower safety behaviour use compared to control conditions. For the first two studies, participants were randomly assigned to complete self-compassion inductions or control writing prompts in relation to imagining a pre-determined social situation. Study 3 followed a similar procedure but tested the influence of inducing self-compassion after participants recalled a previous social judgement situation they experienced. Predicted self-compassion and safety behaviour use were then reported. Consistent with hypotheses, across all three studies, at baseline there were significant negative correlations between self-compassion and safety behaviour use. Study 1 and Study 2 did not show the hypothesized differences in self-compassion and safety behaviour use across conditions. In Study 3, participants in the self-compassion condition reported fewer avoidance behaviours compared to controls. Further, participants who chose to write about being observed by others reported fewer total, avoidance, and impression management safety behaviours when in the self-compassion condition. Lastly, the purpose of Study 4 was to investigate the impact of inducing self-compassion on safety behaviour use during an actual person-to-person interaction over Zoom. Contrary to hypotheses, state self-compassion and safety behaviour use did not differ between conditions, and participants in the self-compassion condition rated the interaction more negatively than controls. The results of all four studies inform future research on the potential relationship between self-compassion and safety behaviour use in social interactions

Comparison of Vascular Dopplers in Measuring Limb Occlusion Pressure for Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 4: Issue 1, Article 7, 2023. The use of blood flow restriction is becoming more common and requires the use of individualized pressures in order to remain a safe and effective rehabilitation modality. Measuring limb occlusion pressure (LOP) allows the practitioner to set the restriction pressure so that full occlusion does not occur. Objective: Compare a research-grade clinical vascular doppler and a consumer-grade vascular doppler in the measurement of LOP. Design: A randomized crossover design measuring LOP in the upper and lower body. Methods: 20 participants (men=10) visited the laboratory on one occasion. Limb circumference in the arm and thigh was measured. Following 10 min of supine rest, LOP was measured either in the arm, using a 5 cm wide inelastic cuff, or in the leg, using a 10 cm wide inelastic cuff. Measurements were repeated at 5 min intervals until LOP had been measured in both limbs with both dopplers. Results: Bland-Altman analysis showed agreement between the two dopplers in both the upper body (mean bias: 0.6 (-1.3 – 2.4) mmHg) and lower body (mean bias: -1.5 (-4.4 – 1.4) mmHg). Two one-sided tests of equivalence determined that both dopplers measured a statistically equivalent LOP in the upper body (p = .547) and lower body (p = .288). Conclusions: In a healthy, young population, the consumer-grade vascular doppler measured LOP equally as well as the research-grade clinical doppler

Nodule Organogenesis and Symbiotic Mutants of the Model Legume \u3ci\u3eLotus japonicus\u3c/i\u3e

A detailed microscopical analysis of the morphological features that distinguish different developmental stages of nodule organogenesis in wild-type Lotus japonicus ecotype Gifu B-129-S9 plants was performed, to provide the necessary framework for the evaluation of altered phenotypes of L. japonicus symbiotic mutants. Subsequently, chemical ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis of L. japonicus was carried out. The analysis of approximately 3,000 M1 plants and their progeny yielded 20 stable L. japonicus symbiotic variants, consisting of at least 14 different symbiosis- associated loci or complementation groups. Moreover, a mutation affecting L. japonicus root development was identified that also conferred a hypernodulation response when a line carrying the corresponding allele (LjEMS102) was inoculated with rhizobia. The phenotype of the LjEMS102 line was characterized by the presence of nodule structures covering almost the entire root length (Nod++), and by a concomitant inhibition of both root and stem growth. A mutation in a single nuclear gene was shown to be responsible for both root and symbiotic phenotypes observed in the L. japonicus LjEMS102 line, suggesting that (a) common mechanism(s) regulating root development and nodule formation exists in legumes