Academic literature on the topic 'Sports=2018-12-09'

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model and to investigate the relationships among internal marketing, organizational commitment and job performance in sport and fitness services. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a questionnaire survey from 254 employees at each of 12 municipal sport centers in Taipei City and were analyzed primarily using structural equation modeling techniques. Findings The results indicated that internal marketing has positive effects on organizational commitment and job performance. Moreover, organizational commitment has a positive influence on job performance and plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between internal marketing and job performance. The findings identify the relationships among internal marketing, organizational commitment and job performance. Originality/value This study proposed and tested an empirical model linking internal marketing, organizational commitment and job performance in sport and fitness services. Moreover, this study further probed into the path of influence of internal marketing strategies on job performance of employees by including their organizational commitment in the mediating process. The findings of this study have insightful implications and emphasize the important role of internal marketing in the management of customer service in sports.

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disease and a common cause of joint pain, functional loss, and disability. We had conducted a randomized, double blind, multi-centric, Phase 3 study (Registered prospectively in Clinical Trial Registry of India: CTRI/2018/09/015785. Study has been approved by Drug Controller General - India) to assess the efficacy and safety of intra-articular administration of stempeucel® (Allogeneic, Bone Marrow derived, Pooled, Mesenchymal Stromal Cells) in Patients with Grade II and III Osteoarthritis of Knee. Methods: 146 patients of primary osteoarthritis having Grade II & III OA based on Kellgren and Lawrence radiographic criteria were randomized to stem cell and placebo group in a ratio of 1:1. Patients having subchondral sclerosis (by X ray), complete tear of ACL / PCL, grade 3 meniscal tears and exclusive patellofemoral arthritis (by MRI) were excluded from the study. 73 patients each received either a single intra-articular injection of stempeucel® (25 million cells) followed by 20mg hyaluronan or Placebo (saline) followed by 20mg hyaluronan under ultrasound guidance. These patients were followed up for 12 months with 7 visits. The primary end point was evaluation at one year follow up of WOMAC Composite Index score (score range 0 – 2400) as compared to the placebo arm. Secondary end points were – WOMAC sub-scores (pain [0-500], stiffness [0-200] & physical function [0-1700]), VAS [0-100] & MRI assessment (by 3T imaging) of the articular cartilage (T2 mapping [assessment of hydration & cartilage quality], volume [measured using dicom reader and calculated at midportion of medial and lateral tibiofemoral compartment] & thickness [measured at mid points of 20 predetermined sub-regions of two compartments]). Radiological evaluation was done by an Independent, blinded radiologist. Results: The mean weight and BMI of patients in stempeucel® and placebo arms were 67.1 kg & 26.5 and 65.4 kg and 26.2 respectively. Majority of patients in the study were females (Female vs Male: 64.4% vs. 35.6% for stempeucel® arm, 69.9% vs. 30.1% for placebo arm). Total 74 and 72 patients accounted from Grade II and Grade III OA respectively. 65 patients from stempeucel® and 68 patients from placebo arm completed 12 month follow up period. WOMAC composite index, the primary end point of the study, showed significant improvements in cell arm as compared to placebo at month 6 (mean difference: -349.91; 95% CI [-493.00, -206.81], P<0.0001; percentage change: -35%) and month 12 (mean difference: -632.74; 95% CI [-791.57 - -473.91], P<0.0001; percentage change: -44.3%) (Table 1, Figures 1 & 2). Additionally stempeucel® significantly improved WOMAC pain, stiffness, physical function and VAS scores at 6 and 12 months (P<0.0001 {for all parameters}) in stempeucel® arm as compared to placebo arm. Further Mixed Model Repeated Measures analysis was done and it was seen that the reduction in WOMAC total score in stempeucel® group was statistically significant when compared to placebo but MRI grade (Grade II or III) has no impact on the overall treatment effect (P=0.9658).T2 mapping shows that there is no worsening of the deep cartilage in the medial femoral tibial compartment of the knee in stempeucel® arm at month 12 follow up (change from baseline -0.6 ms, mean value 36.1 ms, P= 0.6188) within the group whereas in placebo arm there is significant and gradual worsening of the cartilage seen within the group at month 12 (change from baseline: 10.8 ms, mean value 47ms, P<0.0001) (Figure 3). Cartilage volume analyzed by Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) method shows there is increase in average cartilage total volume of 34.07 units (95% CI [-63.08, 131.22], P= 0.492) in stempeucel® arm as compared to placebo arm irrespective of time. No change in cartilage thickness (P=0.5776 at month 12) and morphological score (P=0.7115 at month 12) were seen. CTX – II (measure of C-terminal crosslinked telopeptide type II collagen secreted into urine and indicative of disease progression) showed decrease in levels (-7.79 pg/ml, 95% CI [-96.18, 80.60], P=0.863) in stempeucel® arm irrespective of time when analyzed using GEE method. Anti – inflammatory marker IL-10 in serum was measured and within the group, its levels in placebo group decreased by -0.228 pg/ml at month 12 (p=0.0156) whereas in the stempeucel® group it increased by 0.051 pg/ml (p=0.0625). The reduction in intake of analgesic were monitored and it was found that there is no significant difference in intake or reduction of analgesics in both the groups (11 patients from stempeucel® and 9 patients from placebo group had reduction in intake of analgesics). There was 49 AEs in 24 patients in the stempeucel® group and 33 AEs in 20 patients in the placebo group. 5 AEs (4 & 1 in stempeucel® & placebo arm respectively) were possibly / probably related to the study drug and were – injection site swelling and pain. These improved within one week of symptomatic therapy. No significant differences were found in other safety parameters like vital signs, ECG, physical examination and laboratory parameters. Conclusions: Allogeneic, pooled BM-MSCs (stempeucel®) has proven to be safe and effective for treatment of Grade II and Grade III Osteoarthritis of knee. The intervention is simple, easy to administer, does not require surgery, provides sustained relief of pain, stiffness, improves physical function, prevents worsening of cartilage quality and improves cartilage volume for at least 12 months follow up.

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Eine große Anzahl an Patienten mit Schulterinstabilität weisen kleine bis moderate Glenoiddefekte auf, die unterhalb der Grenze zur knöchernen Augmentation liegen, jedoch groß genug sind, die klinischen Ergebnisse der konventionellen Weichteilstabilisierung zu kompromittieren. Material und Methoden In einer prospektiven Studie werden 30 Patienten, die eine anteriore Schulterinstabilität mit kleinen Glenoiddefekten (maximal 15 % der Gelenkfläche) aufweisen, eingeschlossen und in der sog. Bankart-Plus-Technik operiert, welche eine Refixation des Kapsel-Labrum-Komplexes mithilfe von knotenlosen Ankern sowie die Augmentation mit einem Interponat aus demineralisierter spongiöser Knochenmatrix (DCBM) zwischen Labrum und Glenoid umfasst. Die Patienten werden prä- und postoperativ (6, 12 und 24 Monate) mit Erhebung des Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI), Rowe Score (RS) und Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV) klinisch untersucht. Die präoperative Bildgebung umfasst eine CT mit dreidimensionaler (3D-)Rekonstruktion zur Bestimmung des Glenoiddefekts (PICO-Methode). Nach 12 Monaten erfolgt eine MRT-Untersuchung der operierten Schulter zur Beurteilung der Einheilung des Labrums und Grafts. Ergebnisse Eingeschlossen wurden 30 Patienten (Durchschnittsalter 28 [Range 18–40] Jahre, n = 4 weiblich, n = 26 männlich) und in der vorbeschriebenen Technik zwischen 09/2018 und 10/2020 operiert. In 13 Fällen (43 %) wurde zusätzlich eine Remplissage durchgeführt. Präoperativ wurden die folgenden klinischen Scores erhoben (Mean): WOSI 45 ± 17 %, RS 56 ± 10 Punkte und SSV 57 ± 19 %. Die präoperativen CT-Untersuchungen ergaben einen Glenoiddefekt von durchschnittlich 7 ± 3 %. Bisher liegen bei 25 Patienten die klinischen und radiologischen Ergebnisse nach 12 Monaten vor und es zeigt sich eine signifikante Verbesserung verglichen mit den präoperativen Daten (p < 0,05): WOSI 81 ± 15 %, RS 91 ± 8 Punkte und SSV 87 ± 10 %. Bisher zeigten sich keine Rezidivluxationen und keine Komplikationen. Die MRT-Untersuchungen zeigten eine gute Integration des Labrums und Grafts am vorderen Glenoidrand mit Wiederherstellung der Konkavität. Schlussfolgerung Die Bankart-Plus-Operation zeigt vielversprechende klinische und radiologische Ergebnisse im kurzfristigen Follow-up und ist eine praktikable Behandlungsoption für Patienten mit Schulterinstabilität, die einen kleinen bis moderaten Glenoiddefekt aufweisen.

Abstract Background All-inside anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is a novel technique that has gained attention due to its minimally invasive and graft-saving properties. However, studies comparing MRI-based graft maturity between all-inside and standard ACLR are lacking. Purpose This study focused on the functional, knee laxity, and MRI-based graft maturity characteristics of all-inside and standard single-bundle ACLR. Study Design Randomized controlled trial (RCT). Methods Fifty-four patients were randomly assigned to an all-inside reconstruction group (n = 27) or standard reconstruction group (n = 27). Using the same rehabilitation strategy. The Tegner, International Knee Documentation Committee, and Lysholm scores were recorded at postoperative months 3, 6, and 12 to assess functional recovery. MRI was conducted to measure the signal/noise quotient (SNQ) of the intra-articular graft to assess the maturity. A higher SNQ indicates lower graft maturity. Knee laxity was assessed using GNRB arthrometer at the postoperative month 12. Results The graft SNQ of the all-inside group was significantly higher than that of the standard group at postoperative month 6 (p < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in graft SNQ between the two groups at postoperative months 3 and 12 (p > 0.05). Both groups exhibited the highest SNQ in the middle region of the graft, followed by the proximal region, and the distal region. Functional scores improved significantly for both groups and had no statistical difference (p > 0.05). The knee laxity was higher in the all-inside group (p < 0.05) at postoperative month 12. There was no correlation between the functional scores and graft maturity in both groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions All-inside and standard single-bundle ACLR show good functional outcomes; however, knee laxity was relatively higher in the all-inside ACLR group than in the standard ACLR group. Moreover, both techniques exhibited poor maturity in the middle graft region and the best in the distal region. Graft maturity with all-inside ACLR is inferior to that with standard ACLR in the early postoperative stages. There is no correlation between knee function and graft maturity. Trial registration Clinical trial registration numbers: ChiCTR1800018543. Date of registration: 09/23/2018.

Education is one of the main factors that provide social development and change in the desired direction. With this awareness, many parents take various courses that they think will benefit to their children. National and international reports show that Turkish students' mathematics achievement is very low. Our century requires understanding mathematics and being able to use it in daily life and business life. The aim of this study is to evaluate the 8th grade mathematics course applied in support and training courses (STC) in line with the opinions of students and parents. The research was designed in the multiple-case design of qualitative research. The study group of the research consists of 19 eighth grade students from 3 different public schools and 12 eighth grade student parents in the 2018-2019 academic year. Semi-structured interview method, one of the interview methods, was used in the study. The data were analyzed by creating themes, categories and codes using content analysis method. When the findings obtained as a result of the study were examined, it was found that 8th grade students found the mathematics lesson hours of the STC too many and the teachers gave excessive homework. Students stated that this situation caused them fatigue and low performance. In addition, it was stated that teachers generally used the method of direct instruction, question banks and acquisition tests as materials. According to the students, the fact that the lessons are not fun and not supported by sports activities decreases their participation in the courses. According to parents, teachers cannot seriously follow student development in courses and cannot provide class discipline. Parents stated that if this situation persists, they would stop taking additional lessons for their children. Keywords: Course, mathematics, teaching mathematics, supporting and training courses

Background The INFINITY total ankle prothesis remains the most widely used fourth-generation total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) system in the United States. The purpose of the present study was to assess radiographic outcomes for INFINITY at short-term follow-up. Methods All patients who underwent primary TAA with INFINITY between August 2015 and June 2018 at a single institution and who were at least 1 year postoperative were included. A total of 55 ankles with a mean follow up 22 months (range, 12-43 months) met the criteria. Weightbearing radiographs were assessed using coronal and sagittal alignment parameters preoperatively, at 6 to 8 weeks postoperatively, and at the most recent follow-up. Medical records and charts were reviewed and revisions, reoperations, and complications were classified according to the criteria established by Vander Griend et al and Glazebrook at el, respectively. Results Overall, INFINITY survivorship was 98.2%. Coronal and sagittal tibiotalar alignment improved after surgery ( P < .001, P = .09, respectively), and was maintained during the latest follow-up ( P = .62, P = .47, respectively). Only 1 ankle (1.8%) required early revision; while 5 (9.1%) indicated non-implant-related revision; 85.5% required no reoperation. In nineteen ankles (34.5%), postoperative periprosthetic lucency was observed; most were not progressive (17 ankles, 89.5%). Twelve complications (3 high grade, 3 intermediate, and 6 low grade) in 11 ankles (20%) were recorded according to the Glazebrook classification system. Conclusion INFINITY survivorship was 98.2% at a mean of 1.8 years of follow-up, and only 1 ankle required prosthetic revision. Additional studies with longer follow-up are warranted for fourth-generation TAA prostheses. Levels of Evidence: Level IV: Case series

Abstract Purpose To investigate clinical and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging results of patients undergoing patella stabilization with either open flake refixation (oFR) or autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and concomitant soft tissue patella stabilization after sustaining primary, acute patella dislocation with confirmed chondral and/or osteochondral flake fractures. It was hypothesized that refixation will lead to better results than ACI at mid-term follow-up. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify all patients undergoing oFR or ACI after sustaining (osteo-)chondral flake fractures and concomitant soft tissue patella stabilization following primary, acute patella dislocation between 01/2012 and 09/2018 at the author’s institution. Patients were excluded if they were aged < 14 years or > 30 and had previous knee surgeries at the index knee. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Tegner activity score, Kujala score, subjective IKDC score, and the KOOS score at a minimum follow-up of 24 months postoperatively. MR images were assessed using the Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) 2.0 knee score. Thirty patients were included in the study, with 16 patients assorted to the oFR group and 14 patients to the ACI group (Follow-up 81%). Results Demographic data did not show significant group differences (oFR: 6 females, 10 males; age 26.9 ± 5.6 years, FU: 57 months (27–97 months); ACI: 9 females, 5 males; age 25.5 ± 4.9 years, FU: 51 months (29–91 months); n.s.). Defect location was similar in both groups (oFR: 12 × patella/4 × lateral femoral condyle; ACI: 12/2; n.s.). Both groups showed excellent clinical outcomes, with no statistically significant difference between both the groups (oFR group vs. ACI group: Tegner: 5.1 ± 1.8 vs. 5.1 ± 1.4; Kujala: 86.1 ± 12.6 vs. 84.9 ± 9.1; IKDC: 83.8 ± 15.0 vs. 83.6 ± 11.3; KOOS: 83.3 ± 14.0 vs. 83.6 ± 12.0; n.s.). One patient in each group suffered a patella re-dislocation and needed revision surgery. The MOCART 2.0 score showed good results for the oFR group (68.2 ± 11.1) and the ACI group (61.1 ± 16.9) while no significant differences were noted between both the groups. The inter-rater reliability was excellent (0.847). Conclusion Open refixation of (osteo-)chondral fragments in patients after sustaining acute patella dislocation with (osteo)-chondral flake fractures led to good clinical and radiological results at a minimum follow of 24 months, showing that it is a good surgical option in the treatment algorithm. However, if open refixation is not possible, ACI may be an excellent fallback option in these younger patients with equally good clinical and radiological outcomes, but requiring a second minimally invasive surgery. Level of evidence III.

Abstract Background There is little evidence of the influence of dietary patterns on mortality risk among adults 80 years or older (“oldest-old”). We evaluated the association between the Simplified Healthy Eating index (SHE-index) and mortality among Chinese oldest-old. Methods Population-based cohort study from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS 1998–2014, n = 35 927), conducted in 22 Chinese provinces, were pooled for analysis. The first seven waves of the CLHLS (1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008–09, 2011–12, and 2013–2014) were utilized, with follow-up to the last wave (2018) (range 0–21 years). The SHE-index was collected in each wave, and was constructed from intake frequency of nine dietary variables, with a higher score indicating better diet quality. Cox proportional hazards model with dietary patterns as a time-varying exposure was employed to analyze the relationship between SHE-index and mortality. Results At baseline, the median age of all participants was 92 years (25th percentile, 85 years; 75th percentile, 100 years). In multivariable models, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for SHE-index quartile 2, quartile 3 and quartile 4 versus quartile1 were 0.91 (0.88, 0.93), 0.89 (0.86, 0.92) and 0.82 (0.78, 0.85), respectively. Results were generally consistent for men and women and in a large number of sensitivity analyses. Conclusions Healthier eating patterns were associated with a significant reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality among Chinese oldest-old, lending support to the importance of life-long adherence to healthy diet into advanced old age.

Introduction The proliferation of non-fungible tokens has transformed cryptocurrency artefacts into a legitimised art form now considered in mainstream art collecting as an emerging high-yield commodity based on scarcity. As photography was debated “of being art” in the late 19th century, video art in the 1960s, virtual reality in the 1990s, and augmented reality in the 2010s, NFT art is the next medium of artwork tied to emergent cultural forms. From the concept of “introducing scarcity from born-digital assets for the first time ever, NFTs or crypto or digital collectibles, as they are also referred to, have already shown glimpses of their potential'” (Valeonti et al. 1). Yet for NFT art, “numerous misconceptions still exist that are partly caused by the complexity of the technology and partly by the existence of many blockchain variants” (Treiblmaier 2). As the discussion of NFT art is still centred on questions of justifying the legitimacy of the medium and its financial trading, critical analysis outside of these key points is still limited to blogs and online articles as the mainstay of debate. To distance NFTs from a common assumption that they are in some form or another a populous digital fad, cryptocurrencies are intended primarily as currencies, even if they maintain some asset-like properties (Baur et al.). In a broader sense, NFTs have positioned digital art as a collectable staple as “the most common types are collectibles and artworks, objects in virtual worlds, and digitalised characters from sports and other games” (Dowling). As a point of origin "NFTs were originally developed using the Ethereum blockchain, [while] many other blockchain networks now facilitate trade and exchange of NFTs” (Wilson et al.). “Given NFTs link to underlying assets that are unique in some way and cannot be exchanged like for like” (Bowden and Jones), this article will consider how artists respond to this uniqueness, which separates the art as simply trading an artefact on a crypto platform, to instead consider a different approach that attests to legitimising the medium as a conceptual space. The concept of NFTs was first introduced in 2012 with Bitcoin’s “Colored Coins”, which referred to tokens that represent any type of physical asset “such as real estate properties, cars and bonds” (Rosenfeld). To that end, the origins of NFTs, as we know, attach themselves to rarities, much the same as any other luxury trading artefact. But where NFTs differ is, as a system, in the non-fungibility of their agency and, as an artefact, the singularity of their rarity and uniqueness. As an example in art, consider a Van Gogh painting where its rarity sustains its value, as there are only a certain number of Van Gogh paintings in circulation. Thus, the value of a Van Gogh painting in the domain of rarity is determined by its metadata with attention to the verification of the authenticity of the artefact and, among others, its subsequent details of the year it was painted. NFTs work along with the same premise: both the Van Gogh painting’s data and an NFT are non-fungible because they cannot be forged, but the painting is fungible because it can be forged. From here, there are two components to associate with NFT art. The first is the NFT, which is the data of a digital token registered on a blockchain. The second is the artefact associated with the NFT, which we know as NFT art. But the system by which NFTs exists as a blockchain is different from, say, buying shares listed in a stock market. Therefore, to find a conceptuality in NFT art, the idea of an NFT artwork as a singular tradable commodity needs to be rethought as not the artefact per se, but the effect of the condition brought about by a combination of the artefact, the currency, and nature of its transaction system. To think of these key points as an independent singularity dismantles any sense of a conceptual framework by which NFT art can exist beyond its form. As McLoughlin argues, “unlike the commercial gallery business model, NFTs are designed to cut out the need for art dealers, enabling artists to trade directly online, typically via specialist auction sites” (McLoughlin). With regards to the GLAM sector, the conceptuality of this disruption positions both the born-digital artefact and the system of trading of the artefact as inextricably linked together. Yet the way this link is considered, even by galleries and curators alike, invites further attention to see NFT art not as a fad, but as a beginning of an entirely new system of the digital genre. Background From an aesthetics perspective, recent hostility surrounding the acceptance of NFT art within the establishment has predictably taken issue with the low-brow nature of mainstream avatar-oriented NFT art; for example, Bored Ape Yacht Club and Cryptopunks not surprisingly have been at odds with “proper” art. More so, other artists who have used blockchain in their practice, including Kevin McCoy, Mitchel F. Chan, and Rhea Myers, contributed to early crypto art especially in the 2010s to be inclusive of the proliferation of NFT art as a fine arts medium. Yet despite these contributions, the polarising of NFT art within the art world, as Widdington asserts, has accounted for assumptions that NFT art is identified as being of populous kitsch, lowbrow images, where contemporary art is in opposition to the critique it subjectifies itself against. The art establishment’s disdain towards the aesthetics of NFTs is historically predictable. Early NFT art focussed on pop culture references that have significance within the crypto community (Pepe memes, collectible CryptoKitties), and similarly, in the 1980s, Jeff Koons forced the world of “high art” to confront and accept his works rejoicing in pop culture (Michael Jackson, Pink Panther; Widdington). A key point from Widdington’s claim can be attested for other art that came before Postmodernism, linked firmly to artists using identifiers as part of their studio practice. Moreover, the tying of artwork to a non-fungible identifier is not new. Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #793B Certificate (LeWitt) compounded his manifesto that “the idea becomes a machine that makes the art” (LeWitt). By adopting the practice that each of his artworks was accompanied by an authenticity certificate, where the identification code forced a fungible asset to be associated with a unique non-fungible asset, it is the ownership of a certificate of authenticity, or a smart contract on the blockchain in the case of an NFT, that makes the artist’s work unique and therein valuable (Widdington). The scarcity of born-digital assets drives demand for collecting NFT art and joins a financial aspect tied to the process of buying and selling crypto assets. This is obviously different from a crypto conceptuality which exists outside the process and thereby manifests in the idea of what intersects the process, and, in the case of NFT artworks, the subject of the image being traded. Just as LeWitt’s certificate of ownership was thought to raise questions about authenticity and uniqueness through abstract thinking, the concept of art derived from NFT art is fundamentally no different. Both use non-fungibility as a condition of their agency to first address what can be copied and what remains as unique. Second, the mechanism of a ledger that, for NFTs, is blockchain and, for a certificate of authenticity, is the assigned number of the unique identifier, regulates scarcity by using a system to define uniqueness. Adopting this manifesto invites a different way to consider NFT art when the main conversation about NFT art in popular journalism or blogging is a narrow discussion either about the legitimacy of NFTs as an authentic financial stock or about the amount of money they transact in collecting the artefacts. One such conceptuality is in the recent NFT artwork of Damien Hirst. NFT Art Damien Hirst’s The Currency “is composed of 10,000 NFTs linked to 10,000 individual spot paintings on paper” (Hawkins) which are inclusive of added security devices within the paper itself to make the physical asset unique. The purchaser can decide if they would like to own the NFT “or ... keep the physical work and relinquish rights to the blockchain-based artwork” (Goldstein). Perspectives of the project, despite the fact that “Hirst has become a renewed critical target in the left and left-liberal media” (White 197) for his NFT project, not to mention being lamented as “Thatcher’s Warhol” (Lemmey), range from indicating “greater fool theory” (Hawkins) to the questioning of a “responsibility to other NFT artists in the market” (Meyohas). However, discussion on the conceptuality created by The Currency, especially its ontology, is muted if not ignored altogether, which this article considers a fundamental oversight in any credible critical assessment of NFT art. Given that Hirst’s artwork has consistently been moulded around conceptual art, whereby the idea of art becomes the artwork not necessarily found in the hand-made aspect of the artefact itself, the idea of The Currency is to question the role and relationship of art and money through an allegory. One might argue that its conceptuality then affords the idea of the artwork being a currency in itself. It speaks to divisibility, just as the cryptocurrency used to purchase the artworks is divisible of its own tender. The disjuncture in this accord is that “NFTs are not currencies themselves, but rather more like records of ownership” (Cornelius 2). The dot paintings on paper are created as unique artefacts where their uniqueness makes them rare, and this uniqueness makes the rarity an increase in financial value. However, subverting this are Hirst’s physical creations, where the legal tender’s conceptuality is manufactured with watermarks, security embeds, and financial markings the same as traded bills. If this perspective is considered a concept, not a digital selling point, then The Currency prompts further debate on how NFT art can, on the one hand, disrupt the way we might think about the financial systems within cryptocurrencies, and on the other hand, fuel debate on how collecting art within traditional markets has been transformed through the emergence of cryptocurrencies. These once excluded forms of money, often thought of as scams, vapourware, and Ponzi schemes from collectable trade, now dwarf digital art auction sales at an exponential margin; see, for example, the recent Christie's sale of Beeple’s NFT art. When dissecting The Currency through a conceptuality, it is important to state that this is not the first time that artists have used currency to conceptualise social questions about money. At a system level, Marcel Duchamp created his work Monte Carlo Bond (Duchamp), which “advertised a series of bonds by which he claimed he would exploit a system he had developed to make money while at the roulette wheel in Monaco” (Russeth). At an artefact level, artist Mark Wagner “deconstructed dollar bills to make portraits of presidents, recreations of famous paintings and other collages” (Ryssdal and Hollenhorst). Most notoriously, “Jens Haaning was loaned 534,000 kroner ($116,106) in cash to recreate his old artworks using the banknotes [but] pocketed the money and sent back blank canvases with a new title: "Take the Money and Run" (ABC News). If anything, The Currency is merely one of many artists' responses in a long history of exploring art and money. Yet the conceptuality of Hirst’s tender lends itself to deploying a conceptual currency system that says more about the money transactions of the art world than it does about the art sold as a financial transaction. More so, a clever subversion by Hirst, whose ongoing thematic produces artworks about mortality, life, and death, places this thematic back on the purchasers of The Currency to decide if they will “kill” the tethered artwork; that is, if they accept the NFT and not the assigned NFT art, the artwork will be destroyed by an act of burning. Hirst’s conceptuality from The Currency forces the consumer to “play God” by deciding which component is destroyed or not, posing the moral question of how we value the immorality of destroying an artwork for the sake of profitability from a born-digital token. The twist at the end is that Hirst melds such a moral choice with “an experiment in the highly irrational economics of collectibles and blockchain technology” (Hawkins). While this article acknowledges that the extreme wealth of Hirst plays a determining factor in how The Currency has been received by the public, one might argue that such polarising opinions are of no value to the critical assessment of The Currency nor the conceptualities of NFT art when determining the mechanical aspects of the artworks. The same invalidation emerged in December 2021, when “a group of Wikipedia editors ... voted not to categorize NFTs as art—at least for now” (Artnews). This standpoint contradicts the New York Times, which referred to Beeple as the “third-highest-selling artist alive” after his Christie’s sale (Artnews). Bowden and Jones provide insight into this kind of hesitation in legitimising NFT art, saying that “the tension between innovation and incumbency also contributes to the scepticism that always surrounds such new technologies” (Bowden and Jones). Another example, Beautiful Thought Coins from Australian artist Shaun Wilson, is made up of 200 digital hand-drawn colour field NFT artworks that are an allegorical investigation into bureaucracy, emotion, and currency. “The project is complete with a virtual exhibition, digital art prints, art book, and a soundtrack of AI hosted podcasts exploring everything from NFTs to chihuahuas” (Lei). As with The Currency, Beautiful Thought Coins approaches a conceptuality about NFT art through its subject, but also in the embodiment of the currency embedded within the NFT digital ecosystem. Not surprisingly, the artwork depicts coins sharing a direct relationship to the roundel paintings of Jasper John and Peter Blake, but instead with the design proportions of the iconic Type C.1 roundels adopted by the Royal Air Force between 1942 and 1947. Merging these similarities between its pop-art heritage and historical references, the allegorical discussion in Beautiful Thought Coins centres around the pretext of bureaucracy that extends to the individual artwork’s metadata. As featured on its OpenSea sales window, each of the coins has substantial metadata that, when expanded to view, reveal a secondary narrative found in the qualities each NFT has linked to its identifier. Once compared with other tokens, these metadata expand into a separate story with the NFT artworks, using fictitious qualities that link directly to the titles of each artwork in the digital collection to describe how each of the coins is feeling. One might argue that in this instance, the linking of metadata narratives to the artworks functions as an ontological framework. Wilson’s coins draw similarly to philosophical questions raised by Cross, who asks “what, exactly, is the ontological status of an NFT in relation to the work linked to it?” (Cross). Likewise, in the exhibition catalogue of Beautiful Thoughts Coins, Church states that the ontology of this series appears to be linked to a conceptuality with more questions than answers about the ‘lifestyle’ bureaucracy attached to NFT art, where the branding of the artwork by a digital token will make you feel better with the promise to also make you potentially wealthy. (Church) When considering the nature of the artwork's divisibility, ontology plays a part in finding a link between its allegory and aesthetic. Given that each image of the roundels is identical, except for the colours that fill each of its four rings, the divisibility of the hue in the subject is likened to the divisibility of the cryptocurrency that purchases NFTs. Conclusion This article has discussed NFT art in the context of its emergent conceptuality. Through assessment of the crypto artwork of Hirst and Wilson, it has proposed a way of thinking about how this conceptuality can remove NFT art from a primary attachment to financial exchange, to instead give rise to considerations of the allegory surmounting both fungible and non-fungible artefacts linked to digital tokens. Both series of works draw allegorical commentary about the nature of currency. Hirst takes a literal approach to manufacture physical artworks as a mock currency linked to minted NFTs to discuss the transactions of money in art. Wilson manufactures digital artworks by creating images of coins linked to minted NFTs to discuss the transactions of AI-generated lifestyle bureaucracy controlling money. The assessment of both series has considered that each artist uses NFT art as modularity to represent their contexts, rather than a singularity lacking in conversation about the ontological implications of the medium. While NFT art is still in its infancy, this article invites a wider conversation about how artists can deploy crypto art in a conceptual space. It is by this factor that the plausibility of meaningful dialogue is active in determining the medium as a legitimised art form. At the same time, it explores the possibilities now and yet to come, to attest to defining a new dynamic art form, already changing the way artists think about their work as both a currency and a conceptual effect. References ABC News. “Danish Artist Takes Payment for Art, Sends Museum Blank Canvasses Titled Take the Money and Run.” 30 Sep. 2021. <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-30/danish-artist-jens-haaning-take-the-money-and-run/100502338>. ———. “What’s behind the NFT Digital Craze?” 19 Mar. 2021. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=_e7TOBV43y8>. Aharon, David Y., and Ender Demir. “NFTs and Asset Class Spillovers: Lessons from the Period around the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Finance Research Letters (Oct. 2021). <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102515>. Artnews. “Wikipedia Editors Have Voted Not to Classify NFTs as Art, Sparking Outrage in the Crypto Community.” 13 Jan. 2022. <https://news.artnet.com/market/wikipedia-editors-nft-art-classification-2060018>. Baur, Dirk. G., Kihoon Hong, and Adrian Lee. “Bitcoin: Medium of Exchange or Speculative Assets?” Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money 54 (2018): 117-89. Bowden, James, and Edward Thomas Jones. “NFTs Are Much Bigger than an Art Fad—Here’s How They Could Change the World.” The Conversation. 26 Apr. 2021. <https://theconversation.com/nfts-are- much-bigger-than-an-art-fad-heres-how-they-could-change-the-world-159563>. Church, Doug. Minting Conceptuality: Beautiful Thought Coins, GBiennale, 2022. <https://books.apple.com/us/book/beautiful-thought-coins/id1607731019>. The Conversation. “Damien Hirst Melds Art and NFT to Mess with Blockchain Investors.” 1 Sep. 2021. <https://thenextweb.com/news/damien-hirst-art-nft-blockchain-investors-syndication>. Cross, Anthony. “Beeple and Nothingness: Philosophy and NFTS.” Aestheticsforbirds, 18 Mar. 2021. <https://aestheticsforbirds.com/2021/03/18/beeple-and-nothingness-philosophy-and-nfts/>. Dowling, Michael. “Is Non-Fungible Token Pricing Driven by Cryptocurrencies?” Finance Research Letters 44 (Apr. 2021). <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102097>. Goldstein, Caroline. “Damien Hirst’s NFT Initiative, Which Asks Buyers to Choose Between a Digital Token and IRL Art, Has Already Generated $25 Million.” Artnews 25 Aug. 2021. <https://news.artnet.com/market/damien-hirst-nft-update-2002582>. Hirst, Damien 2021. “The Currency.” HENI. <https://opensea.io/collection/thecurrency>. Hawkins, John. “Damien Hirst’s Dotty ‘Currency’ Art Makes as Much Sense as Bitcoin.” The Conversation 31 Aug. 2021. <https://theconversation.com/damien-hirsts-dotty-currency-art-makes-as-much-sense-as-bitcoin-166958>. Lei, Celina. “Future of NFTs Depends on ‘Who’, Not ‘What’.” Arts Hub 9 Feb. 2022. <https://www.artshub.com.au/news/features/future-of-nfts-depends-on-who-not-what-2526154/>. Lemmey, Hue. “Thatcher's Warhol: Damien Hirst.” Verso 12 Mar. 2012. <https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/946-thatcher-s-warhol-damien-hirst>. LeWitt, Sol. “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art – Sol LeWitt.” Art Forum 5.10 (1967): 87. Meyohas, Sarah. “Damien Hirst’s ‘The Currency’ Is Just Like Money, But Is It Good Art?” Coindesk 15 Sep. 2021. <https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/09/15/damien-hirsts-the-currency-is-just-like-money-but-is-it-good-art/>. McLoughlin, Rosana. “I Went from Having to Borrow Money to Making $4m in a Day’: How NFTs Are Shaking Up the Art World.” The Guardian 6 Nov. 2021. <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/nov/06/how-nfts-non-fungible-tokens-are-shaking-up-the-art-world>. Price, Seth, and Michelle Kuo. “What NFTs Mean for Contemporary Art.” The Museum of Modern Art Magazine 29 Apr. 2021. <https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/547>. Rosenfeld, Meni. “Overview of Colored Coins.” 4 Dec. 2012. <https://bitcoil.co.il/BitcoinX.pdf>. Ryssdal, Kai, and Maria Hollenhorst. “This Artist Cuts Up Cash and Uses It for Collage.” 7 Apr. 2020. <https://www.marketplace.org/2017/04/07/artist-cuts-cash-and-uses-it-medium/>. Russeth, Andrew. “Hard Cash: A History of Artists Using Money as a Metaphor – and a Medium in Their Work.” Artnews 24 Mar. 2020. <https://www.artnews.com/feature/money-medium-artwork-history-1202680319/>. Samarbakhsh, Laleh. “What Are NFTs and Why Are People Paying Millions for Them?” The Conversation 24 Mar. 2021. <https://theconversation.com/what-are-nfts-and-why-are-people- paying-millions-for-them-157035>. Treiblmaier, Horst. “Beyond Blockchain: How Tokens Trigger the Internet of Value and What Marketing Researchers Need to Know about Them.” Journal of Marketing Communications 22 Nov. 2021. <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13527266.2021.2011375>. Valeonti, Foteini, Antonis Bikakis, Melissa Terras, Chris Speed, Andrew Hudson-Smith, and Konstantinos Chalkias. “Crypto Collectibles, Museum Funding and OpenGLAM: Challenges, Opportunities and the Potential of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).” Applied Sciences 21.11 (2021). <https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/21/9931>. White, Luke. “Flogging a Dead Hirst?” Events, Journal of Visual Culture 12.1 (2013): 195-199. Widdington, Richard. “NFTs as Conceptual Art? Why Not, Says MCA Denver.” Jing Culture & Commerce 27 Apr. 2021. <https://jingculturecommerce.com/mca-denver-nfts-wtf-webinar/>. Wilson, Kathleen Bridget, Adam Karg, and Hadi Ghaderi. “Prospecting Non-Fungible Tokens in the Digital Economy: Stakeholders and Ecosystem, Risk and Opportunity.” Science Direct Oct. 2021. <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007681321002019>. Wilson, Shaun. “Beautiful Thought Coins.” Open Sea 2022. <https://opensea.io/collection/beautiful-thought-coins>.