The Galactic Millisecond Pulsar Population

Among the current sample of over 2000 radio pulsars known primarily in the disk of our Galaxy, millisecond pulsars now number almost 200. Due to the phenomenal success of blind surveys of the Galactic field, and targeted searches of Fermi gamma-ray sources, for the first time in over a decade, Galactic millisecond pulsars now outnumber their counterparts in globular clusters! In this paper, I briefly review earlier results from studies of the Galactic millisecond pulsar population and present new constraints based on a sample of 60 millisecond pulsars discovered by 20 cm Parkes multibeam surveys. I present a simple model of the population containing $\sim 30,000$ potentially observable millisecond pulsars with a luminosity function, radial distribution and scale height that matches the observed sample of objects. This study represents only a first step towards a more complete understanding of the parent population of millisecond pulsars in the Galaxy and I conclude with some suggestions for further study in this area.Comment: Proceedings of IAUS 291 "Neutron Stars and Pulsars: Challenges and Opportunities after 80 years", J. van Leeuwen (ed.); 6 pages, 1 figur

The influence of role and gender in the empathic accuracy of coaches and athletes

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the empathic accuracy of coaches and athletes in relation to the gender of the dyad member occupying each role in the coach-athlete relationship. Method: The empathic accuracy of fifty-six coach-athlete dyads was assessed using actual recordings of their own training sessions (see Lorimer & Jowett, 2009a; 2009b). Participants viewed selected video footage of discrete interactions that had occurred during these training sessions. Participants reported what they remembered thinking and feeling while making inferences about what their partner’s had thought and felt at those points. Comparison of partners self-reports and inferences allowed their empathic accuracy to be calculated. Results: It was found that female coaches were more accurate than male coaches. Additionally, for athletes, the highest accuracy scores were displayed by female athletes working with male coaches, and the least by female athletes working with female coaches. Conclusions: The results are discussed in terms of Social Role Theory and suggest that the interaction between the expectations of coach and athlete roles and gender play a key part in how accurately coaches and athletes perceive each other

Feedback of information in the empathic accuracy of sport coaches

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the empathic accuracy of sport coaches in relation to feedback of information. Coaches' experience and qualification level were also considered. Method Sixty badminton coaches were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. All coaches watched a video of an athlete's technical training session with her coach. At designated segments of the video all coaches were asked to make inferences about what the athlete's thoughts and feelings had been. Only the coaches in the experimental group were given corrective feedback on the athlete's thoughts and feelings following their inference. Empathic accuracy was estimated by comparing these inferences with the athlete's own self-reported thoughts and feelings. Results It was shown that both groups' empathic accuracy improved over the course of watching the video; however, the experimental group improved significantly more. It was found that coaches' experience was significantly associated with empathic accuracy for the control group only. Conclusions The results suggest that continued exposure to an athlete increases a coach's empathic accuracy and that this can be significantly improved with accurate feedback about that athlete

Reflect – renew – refresh

No abstract available

Are coach education programmes the most effective method for coach development?

The purpose of this study is to establish whether coaches from a multi-sport context develop most effectively through coach education programmes and whether formal learning is fostering coach effectiveness. A sample of eight qualified male multi-sports’ coaches participated with an age range of 24 to 52 years (M = 32.6, ± = 8.9) and 9 to 18 years coaching experience (M = 12.6, ± = 3.8). Qualitative semi structured interviews were employed, lasting approximately 30 to 60 minutes. The data then underwent a thematic analysis process reducing the data into six overarching themes: values of the coach; the coach’s role on athlete development; forms of learning; barriers regarding coach education; role of governing bodies; coaches career pathway. The findings of the study indicated coaches access a wide range of sources to enhance their practice, but informal learning was preferred (interacting with other coaches and learning by doing). This resulted from numerous barriers experienced surrounding the delivery, cost and access to coach education programmes preventing coaches from progressing through the pathway. However, coaches in the study feel coach education should be a mandatory process for every coach. The findings have implications for policymakers and sport organisations in developing their coach education structure

How else can we detect Fast Radio Bursts?

We discuss possible electromagnetic signals accompanying Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) that are expected in the scenario where FRBs originate in neutron star magnetospheres. For models involving Crab-like giant pulses, no appreciable contemporaneous emission is expected at other wavelengths. Magnetar giant flares, driven by the reconfiguration of the magnetosphere, however, can produce both contemporaneous bursts at other wavelengths as well as afterglow-like emission. We conclude that the best chances are: (i) prompt short GRB-like emission; (ii) a contemporaneous optical flash that can reach naked eye peak luminosity (but only for a few milliseconds); (iii) a high energy afterglow emission. Case (i) could be tested by coordinated radio and high-energy experiments. Case (ii) could be seen in a coordinated radio-optical surveys, \eg\ by the Palomar Transient Factory in a 60-second frame as a transient object of $m=15-20$ magnitude with an expected optical detection rate of about 0.1~hr$^{-1}$, an order of magnitude higher than in radio. Shallow, but large-area sky surveys such as ASAS-SN and EVRYSCOPE could also detect prompt optical flashes from the more powerful Lorimer-burst clones. The best constraints on the optical-to-radio power for this kind of emission could be provided by future observations with facilities like LSST. Case (iii) might be seen in relatively rare cases that the relativistically ejected magnetic blob is moving along the line of sight

Reproductive Compatibility Within and Among Spruce Budworm (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Populations

Spruce bud worm moths collected as larvae from two species of host trees in four populations were mated in single pairs in two years. In 1980 but not 1981, more of the intra-population matings than the inter-population matings were fertile. Host tree origin was not a significant factor in the level of sterility