The noise of thoughts: The turbulent (sound‐)worlds of Jean‐Luc Godard

This article examines the role of noise in various aspects of Jean‐Luc Godard's filmmaking practice. Beginning with an analysis of 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle (1966), it suggests that the loud noise on the soundtrack functions to disrupt the search for meaning in this film that is precisely about knowledge and cognition, providing an image of thought as an unpredictable and uncontrollable process. The influence of 1970s theoretical biology and information theory is analysed in Sauve qui peut (la vie) (1979) which applies Henri Atlan's ‘order from noise’ principle to the composition of shots, the construction of scenes and the development of narrative. Finally Godard's presentation of a complex, deterritorialised capitalist economy is considered in Nouvelle Vague (1990), and it is suggested that Godard's creation of aesthetic events – both through editing and through sound design – implies a different conception of temporality to the sequential logic of financial speculation and risk management.     

What do we see out of the corner of our eye? The role of visual pivots and gaze anchors in sport

ABSTRACT

The role and importance of peripheral vision have been discussed across various sports. Yet, its functionality remains unclear and the terms employed in the literature to characterize the use of peripheral vision are not well defined. We present a review of 29 studies focusing on the use of peripheral vision in sports. We focus on the methodological approaches employed to study its use and identify the mechanisms that may underlie the effective use of peripheral vision in sport. We define key differences between ‘gaze anchors’ and ‘visual pivots’ and introduce the concept of a ‘foveal spot’. All three gaze behaviors, while being characterized by a consistent, dynamically adjustable gaze location, have different functionalities. A gaze anchor is a cue-optimized position used for the monitoring of peripheral cues and avoiding the negative consequences of saccades (i.e. information suppression), especially under time pressure. A visual pivot is a distance-optimized location between relevant cues which allows athletes to optimally initiate saccades to those cues, especially if the costs of eye-movements are low. A foveal spot is primarily used for information processing via the fovea. Finally, we highlight suggestions for future research to improve our understanding of the functional differences between these gaze behaviors.     

The kinematic differences between accurate and inaccurate squash forehand drives for athletes of different skill levels

ABSTRACT

To maintain the accuracy of squash shots under varying conditions, such as the oncoming ball’s velocity and trajectory, players must adjust their technique. Although differences in technique between skilled and less-skilled players have been studied, it is not yet understood how players vary their technique in a functional manner to maintain accuracy under varying conditions. This study compared 3-dimensional joint and racket kinematics and their variability between accurate and inaccurate squash forehand drives of 9 highly skilled and 9 less-skilled male athletes. During inaccurate shots, less-skilled players hit the ball with a more open racket, demonstrating a difference in this task-relevant parameter. No joint kinematic differences were found for accuracy for either group. Coordinated joint rotations at the elbow and wrist both displayed a “zeroing-in” effect, whereby movement variability was reduced from the initiation of propulsive joint rotation to a higher consistency at ball-impact; potentially highlighting the “functionality” of the variability prior to the impact that enabled consistent task-relevant parameters (racket orientation and velocity) under varying conditions. Further, highly skilled players demonstrated greater consistency of task-relevant parameters at impact than less-skilled players. These findings highlight the superior ability of highly skilled players to adjust their technique to achieve consistent task-relevant parameters and a successful shot.     

Sporting reunions,contemporary collections and collective biographies: a case study of Harry Batt’s 1971 England team

ABSTRACT

This article centres on a reunion held at the National Football Museum in 2018 of women football players active before 1993, particularly the England team for the unofficial Women's World Cup in 1971. After outlining the organisation of the tournament, the experience of the three youngest England players is articulated using oral history case studies. Finally the argument suggests that social strategies, such as reunions, enable a degree of reminiscence therapy and provide museum and archives with potential material, currently in the private domain, to build contemporary collections, provided that players are willing to gift or loan their items.     

The long tail: a usage analysis of pre-1993 print biomedical journal literature

Objective: The research analyzes usage of a major biomedical library''s pre-1993 print journal collection.Methodology: In July 2003, in preparation for a renovation and expansion project, the Biomedical Library at the University of California, San Diego, moved all of its pre-1993 journal volumes off-site, with the exception of twenty-two heavily used titles. Patrons wishing to consult one of these stored volumes could request that it be delivered to the library for their use. In the spring of 2006, an analysis was made of these requests.Results: By July of 2006, 79,827 journal volumes published in 1992 or earlier had been requested from storage. The number of requests received declined with age of publication. The usage distribution exhibited a “long tail”: 50% of the 79,827 requests were for journal volumes published before 1986. The availability of electronic access dramatically reduced the chance that corresponding print journal volumes would be requested.Conclusions: The older biomedical print journal literature appears to be of continued value to the biomedical research community. When electronic access was provided to the older literature, demand for older print volumes declined dramatically.

Highlights

• Analysis of requests for stored biomedical journal volumes published prior to 1993 indicates that older biomedical journal literature receives substantial use: during this 3-year study, there were nearly 80,000 requests for journal volumes published in 1992 or earlier, with half the requests for volumes published from 1986–1992 and 40% of the request for volumes published from 1970–1985. These results indicate that retaining older print volumes, or providing easy access to the older literature through electronic journals or other means, will likely be required to meet user information needs.
• Use of older journal volumes varies by title and by user population, and a small number of journal titles were responsible for most of the use.
• Requests for older print biomedical journal titles dropped significantly when electronic access became available.

Implications

• Biomedical libraries should carefully consider implications of eliminating on-site access to older journal literature for users and budgets.
• Removing access to older journal literature may result in higher demand for interlibrary loan and document delivery services.
• Biomedical libraries can safely substitute reliable electronic access to older literature to meet ongoing needs for this information, thereby creating space for other purposes.