Affective And Motivational Components Of The Flow State: Rock Climbing Revisited

The affective and experiential components of the flow state, as outlined by Csikszentmihalyi (1975), have served as a basis for research into optimal experience over the past twenty years, and although adjustments have been made by various researchers, the description of the characteristics remain essentially the same. This study used qualitative methods to further explore this area . With the initial aim of enhancing our understanding of the optimal experiences of rock climbing participants, the present study purposefully sampled fifteen informants representative of the range of characteristics found in the setting. Questioning techniques and analysis methods used in this study sought to retain the individual meaning perspectives of informants and to address concerns with the decontextualization of data apparent in much of the previous research. In-depth interviews focused on characteristics of optimal experiences and emotional performance concomitants. Initially data were analyzed deductively using the characteristics of flow documented by Jackson (1996). Dimensions of flow which were associated with a total immersion in the activity of rock climbing were recognized by all informants, regardless of ability level or experiential background. Additionally, climbing was enjoyable for all informants, yet different opinions existed as to what constituted an enjoyable experience. Enjoyment often appeared unrelated to the fear, pain and strenuous muscular effort involved in the facilitation of the necessary focal intensity and was reported by all informants as a post hoc evaluation of a positive experience or outcome. Flow received endorsement as a motivational variable, yet was not necessarily equated with true intrinsic motivation. Particularly among sport climbers, both introjected and identified regulation (Deci & Ryan, 1985; 1991) were reported as concomitant with flow. Methodological and conceptual concerns are discussed in relation to reflections on techniques used and results obtained in this qualitative study

The emulation of fatty add synthetase genes in B.napus

The main aim of this work was to analyse a cloned ACP gene promoter, which had been shown to contain regulatory information that directed both spatial and temporal expression. Gel retardation assays were used initially to define protein binding sites within the ACP05 promoter. Following such analysis, a DNA motif that interacted with a sequence specific binding factor was identified. This factor was detected in embryo extracts and was not present in leaf extracts. The stability and binding characteristics of the ACP promoter binding protein were studied after heparin agarose chromatography, using gel retardation assays to follow the protein. A binding site oligonucleotide was synthesised and used as a probe to screen an expression library, in a "South Western" cloning experiment. A single positive clone, λBS2xi, was isolated. The DNA binding specificity of the recombinant protein was determined by gel retardation. The clone was confirmed to encode a functional sequence specific DNA binding domain. Northern hybridisations demonstrated the mRNA was expressed and in a tissue specific manner: levels of message were high in seed, low in root and not detected in leaf tissue. Endonuclease restriction of the lambda clone with EcoRI excised a 3.0kbp fragment that corresponded to the entire cDNA. The fragment was subcloned in pSK(^+) and several strategies were used to characterise and sequence it. A set of nested deletions was generated, but reliable sequence data was not obtained from the first half of the cDNA. A section of readable sequence data was obtained approximately 1.5Kbp from the 5' end of the deleted cDNA. Exhaustive databank searches using the sequence data demonstrated that it corresponded to β- galactosidase. Southern analysis further demonstrated that this sequence was present in λBS2xi. Further work required to characterise XBS2xi is discussed. A second related subject of this thesis concerns a second member of the FAS complex, enoyl- ACP reductase (ER). Prior to this work it was shown that there were four ER isoforms, expressed in both leaf and seed. The levels of expression of individual isoforms were different, there being two major forms and two minor forms. One leaf expressed clone, pERL8 had been isolated and characterised. A DNA probe that encompassed the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) was generated from pERL8 and used to screen a cDNA library generated from embryo. Eleven positives were isolated and ten were successfully subcloned by plasmid rescue. The clones were sequenced with internal primers. Exhaustive searches of databanks using the sequence data demonstrated that five clones corresponded to seed storage proteins and five were confirmed as ER. The ER clones were divided into two groups on the basis of sequence differences. One clone was identical to pERL8 and represented an isoform expressed in both leaf and seed. The sequences of the clones within a group was identical, apart from an "insert" present in the 3' UTR of one clone from both groups. Whether these inserts were real or artifacts could not be demonstrated conclusively as further sequencing showed both clones with inserts in the 3' UTR were 5' truncated. In order to determine whether all four ER isoforms had been isolated further work would-be required. This is also discussed

Linking administrative datasets about looked after children. Insights for policymakers and practitioners

The Scottish Government’s Looked After Children Data Strategy (2015) seeks to provide a robust and reliable body of data to realise the policy ambitions set out in the Scottish Government’s strategy Getting it right for looked after children and young people: Early Engagement, Early Permanence and Improving the Quality of Care. The Data Strategy specifically seeks to enhance knowledge of the outcomes for looked after children through linking administrative datasets to provide a broader evidence base and inform more effective interventions. The Permanently Progressing? Building secure futures for children in Scotland study is following the progress of all children who became looked after in Scotland aged five or under in 2012-2013 (n=1,836). In Phase One (2014-2018), the study tested the feasibility of linking administrative data from the Children Looked After Statistics (CLAS) with data from the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) and created a linked dataset. This briefing paper summarises key finding and contributes towards the discussion on how best to maximise the potential of rich data to underpin effective policymaking and interventions regarding looked after children in Scotland. Key findings Linkage of CLAS and SCRA data was possible, but time consuming and complex. Using date of birth, gender and local authority as identifiers, records were successfully matched for 1,000 children. Across the total sample, 67% of children had records which matched as expected, leaving 33% where records either did not match or matched unexpectedly. There was considerable variation across local authorities in the rate at which data matched; from 54% to 97%. Two fifths (418) of the 1,000 linked children had a previous referral recorded by SCRA. Almost 60% of the children who had a previous referral were under one year old at the time. For most (88%) of the 418 children, the previous referral did not lead to a Children’s Hearing. For one in five children there was an appeal to the sheriff, but for the majority (81%) there was no appeal

New academics’ experiences of induction to teaching: an Activity Theory approach

In this article we present findings of a research project investigating the experiences of new academics in the process of becoming effective teachers, using an Activity Theory framework (Engestrom, 2001 ). The research was undertaken in a post-92 university that has shifted from teaching and professional development to prioritise a new emphasis on research. However, all academics have a dual responsibility for teaching and research. The project brought us together as education developers who were involved in the induction of academics into teaching across six departments. We shared a common aim in trying to understand the issues faced by new academics in their various disciplines and departments, in order to improve their induction experience and provide an enhanced CPD offer

Cell surface immobilization of GABAARs in cerebellar granule cells depends on the M3/M4 cytoplasmatic loop of the alpha 1 subunit

Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate brain. The localization of GABA receptors type A (GABAARs) at strategically located domains of the neuronal membrane is of vital importance for fast inhibitory synapse transmission efficacy. We have shown before that the lateral mobility of GABAARs depends on subunit composition of the complex. To study the lateral mobility of GABAARs in living, cultured neurons, we transfected cerebellar granule cells with either the complete 1 GABAAR subunit or with a truncation of the 1 subunit that lacks the major intracellular loop (M3/M4). We examined the location and lateral mobility of receptors containing both versions of the 1 subunit in living neurons. From fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments we present novel evidences that the intracellular M3/M4 loop of the 1 subunit restricts the lateral mobility of GABAARs when expressed in neurons. In addition, our immunocytochemical studies suggested that receptors containing the truncated subunit seem to be unable to reach synaptic localizations. Here we show for the first time that the 1 intracellular loop (M3/M4) domain has a relevant role in controlling the lateral mobility of GABAARs in neurons, and we believe that this is a novel and important contribution in neurobiology of GABAA receptors

Pathways to Permanence for children who become looked after in Scotland. Insights for policymakers and practitioners

Statistics from 2018 (Scottish Government 2019) show that 14,738 children were looked after in Scotland (at 31st July 2018). Many children who become looked after away from home will return to their parents, but for some the decision is taken to permanently place them with kinship carers, long-term foster carers or adoptive parents. Until now little was known about children’s pathways through the looked after system in Scotland, the balance of voluntary and compulsory intervention, and how patterns of placement change over time. Permanently Progressing? Building secure futures for children in Scotland is increasing understanding by following the progress of all children who became looked after in Scotland aged five or under in 2012-2013 (n=1,836) and investigating decision making, permanence, progress, and outcomes over a four-year period (until 2016). This briefing paper, drawing on findings from Phase One of the project, provides insights into the pathways and timescales to permanence for looked after children in Scotland, with implications for policymakers and practitioners. Key findings There was a statistically significant association between levels of deprivation and local rates of children looked after. Local rates may also reflect variation in the approaches of local authorities, Children’s Hearings and local judiciary. Almost half of children looked after away from home were initially looked after under Section 25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (known as ‘voluntary’ accommodation). The majority of the children (87%) had a single continuous ‘episode’ of being looked after during the four-year period. However, an episode may include periods spent looked after at home and/or looked after away from home. As an episode may include placement moves, a ‘single episode’ does not necessarily mean the child experienced stability. The most common destination for children ceasing to be looked after away from home was a return home. The number of children looked after in kinship or foster care fell over the four years, reflecting a rise in the number of children who returned to parents, were placed with kin on Section 11 Orders or were adopted. Children who achieved permanence most quickly were those reunified with parents. A total of 212 children looked after away from home had been adopted by the end of Year 4. The adoption process was slow, with few children adopted before Year 3, and for half of the adopted children the adoption did not take place until three to four years after they started to be looked after. Children who were adopted or with prospective adopters by the end of the study were significantly younger when they started to be looked after away from home. For children looked after at home, the time spent on a Compulsory Supervision Order spiked at 9-12 months. This may reflect a response to legal requirements, as the maximum time a CSO can be in place without being reviewed by a Children’s Hearing is one year, suggesting that decision making may, in some cases, be system-driven rather than needs-led. For nearly one third of the children looked after away from home, there was no evidence that they were in a permanent placement three to four years after starting to be looked after

Pathways to permanence for children who become looked after in Scotland

As its name suggests, a key concern of the Permanently Progressing? Building secure futures for children in Scotland study is the question of permanence for children who become looked after away from home. The aim of permanency planning is to ensure that children have a permanent home which can provide them with the physical and relational stability, and the emotional security essential to child development. Depending on their histories and circumstances, children may find a permanent home through reunification with their parents, permanent placement with kin (or in some cases with friends) either within or outwith the looked after system, or through long-term fostering or adoption

Structurally dictated anisotropic "designer surface plasmons"

Copyright © 2011 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Applied Physics Letters 99 (2011) and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3655170The concept of pseudo-plasmonic surfaces at microwave frequencies is extended to include structures with a high degree of surface anisotropy. The experimental sample is fabricated by patterning a metal with a rectangular array of rectangular holes and is found to support structurally dictated surface plasmon-like modes; the anisotropic dispersion of which results from an ellipsoid of limiting frequencies. By exploiting the anisotropy of the unit cell, the family of higher order surface waves associated with the quantization of the electromagnetic fields within the holes is also explored

Permanently Progressing? Building Secure Futures for Children in Scotland: Linking two national datasets about looked after children in Scotland to enhance understanding of pathways to permanence

Background Permanently Progressing? is the first cohort study in Scotland aimed at understanding the factors associated with achieving settled and secure permanent homes for children. One part of this study involves analysing the national Children Looked After Statistics (CLAS) collected by the Scottish Government, to follow a group of children who became ‘looked after’ or ‘looked after and accommodated’ aged five or under. However, important decisions about these children are made at Children’s Hearings and the information about these decisions is stored in a database collated by the Scottish Children’s Reporters Administration (SCRA). Objectives As these two datasets have never before been linked, the researchers aim to test the feasibility and success of this linkage. In addition, analysis of the linked dataset will allow both a description of the pathways of children who became looked after in 2012-13, and a comparison of the pathways for children who have achieved permanence at the end of year 4 to those who are on a pathway to permanence, and those still accommodated with no evident permanence plan. Methods In this project, the anonymised CLAS data obtained from the Scottish Government are being brought together with anonymised data held by SCRA, using probabilistic linkage methodologies. Findings The linkage and analysis of this data is currently underway and will be discussed during this presentation. Conclusions If successful, this linkage will serve as a pilot study for future research, help inform policy and practice, and enable the researchers to gain a more in-depth picture of a child’s journey through the system and the factors associated with children achieving permanence. The success of this linkage and challenges encountered will be discussed

Linking two administrative datasets about looked after children: testing feasibility and enhancing understanding

This report on the linkage of Children Looked After Statistics (CLAS) with data from Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) is one strand of the Permanently Progressing? study. The study is the first in Scotland to investigate decision making, permanence, progress, outcomes and belonging for children who became ‘looked after’ at home, or away from home (with kinship carers, foster carers or prospective adopters) when they were aged five and under. Phase One ran from 2014-18 and is designed to be the first phase in a longitudinal study following a large cohort of young children into adolescence and beyond. Phase One was funded by a legacy and was undertaken by a team from the universities of Stirling, York and Lancaster in conjunction with Adoption and Fostering Alliance (AFA) Scotland