From Shifting Sands to Disappearing in Dunes: Using critically reflexive autoethnography to rethink place, position and purpose in general classroom music teacher education

My role as a university-based, general classroom music (GCM) teacher educator in England has become unclear, exacerbated by a number of policies that have undermined the field of classroom music (CM) in schools and the role of universities in teacher education. This research provided an opportunity to interrogate my professional practice and to rethink my place, position and purpose in the contemporary world of GCM teacher education. Critically reflexive autoethnography was used as a propaedeutic investigation for future critically reflexive action research (Weil, 1998; Hughes and Pennington, 2017). Concepts from Bourdieu (1977; 1986), particularly field, habitus and capital, were employed as theoretical lenses (Brookfield, 2017) through which to analyse personal perceptions of practice. Initial data was shared through purposeful autobiographic narratives (PANs). Each PAN in turn was analysed with reference to relevant literature to move my perspective from the personal, internal and autobiographic towards the social, external and ethnographic. A process of critiquing personal perspectives using relevant theoretical literature continued through a second stage of analysis, considering the key concepts of place, position and purpose using theoretical frameworks derived from Bourdieu and Bernstein. Theoretical perspectives from Biesta and Shulman then act as critical catalysts to initiate the framing of a signature pedagogy for GCM teacher education. Figures are used within the final chapters to frame personal theorising or contributions to knowledge. The concluding section was a process of integrated crystallisation where the rethinking or reconstructing of personal conceptual perceptions were acknowledged in light of new knowing gained from the research process

Flight service evaluation of an advanced composite empennage component on commercial transport aircraft. Phase 1: Engineering development

The empennage component selected for this program is the vertical fin box of the L-1011 aircraft. The box structure extends from the fuselage production joint to the tip rib and includes the front and rear spars. Various design options were evaluated to arrive at a configuration which would offer the highest potential for satisfying program objectives. The preferred configuration selected consists of a hat-stiffened cover with molded integrally stiffened spars, aluminum trussed composite ribs, and composite miniwich web ribs with integrally molded caps. Material screening tests were performed to select an advanced composite material system for the Advanced Composite Vertical Fin (ACFV) that would meet the program requirements from the standpoint of quality, reproducibility, and cost. Preliminary weight and cost analysis were made, targets established, and tracking plans developed. These include FAA certification, ancillary test program, quality control, and structural integrity control plans

Changes in lower body muscular performance following a season of NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse

The tactical and technical components of training become a primary emphasis, leaving less time for targeted development of physical qualities that underpin performance during the competition phase of a training program. A deemphasis on physical preparation during the in-season training phase may make athletes more susceptible to injury and decrease performance on the field. Two weeks prior to the start and one week following the conclusion of the 16-week collegiate lacrosse season, lower body force production was assessed in eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men's Lacrosse athletes. Lower body force production capabilities were determined via the performance of countermovement jumps (CMJ) and drop jumps (DJ) performed on a force plate and isokinetic strength testing of the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups across three velocities. Isokinetic strength of the hamstrings and the hamstring to quadriceps strength ratio were maintained or increased over the course of the competition phase of training. Relative peak force obtained from the CMJ and the reactive strength index from the DJ decreased significantly over the season. The maintenance of isokinetic strength and the decrease in CMJ and DJ performance may indicate the presence of neuromuscular fatigue that accumulated over the course of the season

Quantifying intra-seasonal variations in physical performance measures using player tracking data from an elite football (soccer) academy

Quantifying intra-seasonal variations in physical performance measures using player tracking data from an elite football (soccer) academ

Player tracking data analytics as a tool for physical performance management in football: A case study from Chelsea Football Club Academy

Background: Global positioning system (GPS) based player movement tracking data are widely used by professional football (soccer) clubs and academies to provide insights into activity demands during training and competitive matches. However, the use of movement tracking data to inform the design of training programmes is still an open research question. Objectives: The objective of this study is to analyze player tracking data to understand the activity level differences between training and match sessions, with respect to different playing positions. Methods: This study analyses per-session summary of historical movement data collected through GPS tracking to profile high speed running activity as well as distance covered during training sessions as a whole and competitive matches. We utilize 20913 data points collected from 53 football players aged between 18-23 at an elite football academy, across four full seasons (2014-2018). Through ANOVA analysis and probability distribution analysis, we compare the activity demands, measured by the number of high speed runs, amount of high speed distance and distance covered by players in key playing positions, such as Central Midfielders, Full Backs and Centre Forwards. Results and Implications: While there are significant positional differences of physical activity demands during competitive matches, the physical activity levels during training sessions does not show positional variations. In matches, the Centre Forwards face the highest demand for HSRs, compared to Central Midfielders and Full Backs. However on average the Central Midfielders tend to cover more distance than Centre Forwards and Full Backs. An increase in high speed work demand in matches and training over the past 4 seasons, also shown by a gradual change in the extreme values of high speed running activity was also found. This large-scale, longitudinal study makes an important contribution to the literature, providing novel insights from an elite performance environment about the relationship between player activity levels during training and match play, and how these vary by playing position

Regulation of Gene Expression in Plants through miRNA Inactivation

Eukaryotic organisms possess a complex RNA-directed gene expression regulatory network allowing the production of unique gene expression patterns. A recent addition to the repertoire of RNA-based gene regulation is miRNA target decoys, endogenous RNA that can negatively regulate miRNA activity. miRNA decoys have been shown to be a valuable tool for understanding the function of several miRNA families in plants and invertebrates. Engineering and precise manipulation of an endogenous RNA regulatory network through modification of miRNA activity also affords a significant opportunity to achieve a desired outcome of enhanced plant development or response to environmental stresses. Here we report that expression of miRNA decoys as single or heteromeric non-cleavable microRNA (miRNA) sites embedded in either non-protein-coding or within the 3′ untranslated region of protein-coding transcripts can regulate the expression of one or more miRNA targets. By altering the sequence of the miRNA decoy sites, we were able to attenuate miRNA inactivation, which allowed for fine regulation of native miRNA targets and the production of a desirable range of plant phenotypes. Thus, our results demonstrate miRNA decoys are a flexible and robust tool, not only for studying miRNA function, but also for targeted engineering of gene expression in plants. Computational analysis of the Arabidopsis transcriptome revealed a number of potential miRNA decoys, suggesting that endogenous decoys may have an important role in natural modulation of expression in plants

The CaMV transactivator/viroplasmin interferes with RDR6-dependent trans-acting and secondary siRNA pathways in Arabidopsis

Several RNA silencing pathways in plants restrict viral infections and are suppressed by distinct viral proteins. Here we show that the endogenous trans-acting (ta)siRNA pathway, which depends on Dicer-like (DCL) 4 and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR) 6, is suppressed by infection of Arabidopsis with Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV). This effect was associated with overaccumulation of unprocessed, RDR6-dependent precursors of tasiRNAs and is due solely to expression of the CaMV transactivator/viroplasmin (TAV) protein. TAV expression also impaired secondary, but not primary, siRNA production from a silenced transgene and increased accumulation of mRNAs normally silenced by the four known tasiRNA families and RDR6-dependent secondary siRNAs. Moreover, TAV expression upregulated DCL4, DRB4 and AGO7 that mediate tasiRNA biogenesis. Our findings suggest that TAV is a general inhibitor of silencing amplification that impairs DCL4-mediated processing of RDR6-dependent double-stranded RNA to siRNAs. The resulting deficiency in tasiRNAs and other RDR6-/DCL4-dependent siRNAs appears to trigger a feedback mechanism that compensates for the inhibitory effects

Testing an Empathy Model of Guest-Directed Citizenship and Counterproductive Behaviours in the Hospitality Industry: Findings from Three Hotels

This research proposes and tests an empathy model of guest-directed discretionary behaviors (i.e., citizenship and counterproductive behaviors) using two studies conducted in three hotels. Building on the two-stage model of empathic mediation, we examined the mediating role of empathic concern in the relationship between perspective taking and both forms of discretionary behaviors in Study 1. Support for this mediated model was found in relation to citizenship behaviors but not for counterproductive behaviors. Study 2 was conducted to extend these findings using peer-reports of discretionary behaviors, and to apply an interactional psychology perspective to predict guest-directed counterproductive behaviors. We drew upon trait activation theory to highlight the importance of situational triggers, in the form of interpersonal injustice from guests, in moderating the relationship between perspective taking and counterproductive behaviors, mediated through empathic concern. We found support for the hypothesized moderated mediation effect, such that perspective taking inhibited counterproductive behaviors through empathic concern only when interpersonal injustice was high, but not when injustice was low. Replicating the results in Study 1, perspective taking also positively predicted peer-reported citizenship behaviors, but this was not mediated by empathic concern. Research and practical implications from these findings are discussed. Practitioner Points: Highlights to organizations in the hospitality industry the importance of perspective taking in generating customer goodwill, through promoting employees’ citizenship behaviors toward guests, and in reducing their counterproductive behaviors in instances of guest injustice. Suggests ways in which organizations can develop employees’ perspective taking, such as appointing mentors or role models, providing training programs to help employees improve their interpersonal skills, and assessing job applicants’ trait empathy as part of the selection process

Large-Scale Identification of Mirtrons in Arabidopsis and Rice

A new catalog of microRNA (miRNA) species called mirtrons has been discovered in animals recently, which originate from spliced introns of the gene transcripts. However, only one putative mirtron, osa-MIR1429, has been identified in rice (Oryza sativa). We employed a high-throughput sequencing (HTS) data- and structure-based approach to do a genome-wide search for the mirtron candidate in both Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and rice. Five and eighteen candidates were discovered in the two plants respectively. To investigate their biological roles, the targets of these mirtrons were predicted and validated based on degradome sequencing data. The result indicates that the mirtrons could guide target cleavages to exert their regulatory roles post-transcriptionally, which needs further experimental validation