Professionalism, Golf Coaching and a Master of Science Degree: A commentary

As a point of reference I congratulate Simon Jenkins on tackling the issue of professionalism in coaching. As he points out coaching is not a profession, but this does not mean that coaching would not benefit from going through a professionalization process. As things stand I find that the stimulus article unpacks some critically important issues of professionalism, broadly within the context of golf coaching. However, I am not sure enough is made of understanding what professional (golf) coaching actually is nor how the development of a professional golf coach can be facilitated by a Master of Science Degree (M.Sc.). I will focus my commentary on these two issues

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Ground-Based Magnetic Patterns Across Selected Irish Rocks and Structures

Magnetic data acquired over a range of lithologies show the following: the Deer Park Complex of Clew Bay exhibits different magnetic characteristics east and west of Croagh Patrick. Very large magnetic signatures (4000-8000nT) occur in the west but the anomahlies are significantly lower in the east. In addition, the peak anomaly bounds the northern edge of the Deer Park Complex in the west but the southern edge to the east Lower Palaeozoic volcanics flanking the Leinster Granite yield anomalies of 300nT with a variance of 5-30nT, whereas those in the Kildare Inlier have a variance of 20-100nT and anomalies of 700nT. The background variation in magnetism for the Northern, Upper Liffey Valley and Lugnaquillia Units of the Leinster Gramnite is 2-5nT (similar to the Lower Palaeozoic sediments into which the gramnite is intruded) and structures are associated with anomalies of 30nT. The magnetic variance within the Dalradian in County Tyrone is about 5nT and peak anomalies of around 30nT have been obtained. Structures within Tertiary basalts and gabbros produce anomalies of a similar magnitude (1000-2000nT), but the variance for the basalts (300nT) is an order of magnitude greater than the variance of the gabbros. Structures in a range of hlithologies (including Carboniferous limestone) exhibit similar magnetic patterns, though the amplitude of the peak anomaly

Ground-Based Magnetic Patterns Across Selected Irish Rocks and Structures

Magnetic data acquired over a range of lithologies show the following: the Deer Park Complex of Clew Bay exhibits different magnetic characteristics east and west of Croagh Patrick. Very large magnetic signatures (4000-8000nT) occur in the west but the anomahlies are significantly lower in the east. In addition, the peak anomaly bounds the northern edge of the Deer Park Complex in the west but the southern edge to the east Lower Palaeozoic volcanics flanking the Leinster Granite yield anomalies of 300nT with a variance of 5-30nT, whereas those in the Kildare Inlier have a variance of 20-100nT and anomalies of 700nT. The background variation in magnetism for the Northern, Upper Liffey Valley and Lugnaquillia Units of the Leinster Gramnite is 2-5nT (similar to the Lower Palaeozoic sediments into which the gramnite is intruded) and structures are associated with anomalies of 30nT. The magnetic variance within the Dalradian in County Tyrone is about 5nT and peak anomalies of around 30nT have been obtained. Structures within Tertiary basalts and gabbros produce anomalies of a similar magnitude (1000-2000nT), but the variance for the basalts (300nT) is an order of magnitude greater than the variance of the gabbros. Structures in a range of hlithologies (including Carboniferous limestone) exhibit similar magnetic patterns, though the amplitude of the peak anomaly

A Porous Covalent Organic Framework with Voided Square Grid Topology for Atmospheric Water Harvesting

Atmospheric moisture is a ubiquitous water resource available at any time and any place, making it attractive to develop materials for harvesting water from air to address the imminent water shortage crisis. In this context, we have been exploring the applicability of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for water harvesting and report here a new porous, two-dimensional imine-linked COF with a voided square grid topology, termed COF-432. Unlike other reported COFs, COF-432 meets the requirements desired for water harvesting from air in that it exhibits an S-shaped water sorption isotherm with a steep pore-filling step at low relative humidity and without hysteretic behavior-properties essential for energy-efficient uptake and release of water. Further, it can be regenerated at ultra-low temperatures and displays exceptional hydrolytic stability, as demonstrated by the retention of its working capacity after 300 water adsorption-desorption cycles

The effect of different interdental cleaning devices on gingival bleeding

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of an oral irrigator (OI) with a prototype jet tip or a standard jet tip to floss as adjunct to daily toothbrushing on gingival bleeding. Methods: In this single masked, 3-group parallel, 4-week home use experiment, 108 subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) OI with a prototype jet tip; 2) OI with a standard jet tip; 3) waxed dental floss. All groups used their assigned product once a day as adjunct to twice daily toothbrushing for two minutes with a standard ADA reference toothbrush. Professional instructions were given by a dental hygienist in OI use or floss use according to written instructions. All subjects also received a toothbrush instruction leaflet (Bass technique). Subjects were assessed for both bleeding and plaque at baseline and after two weeks and four weeks and were instructed to brush their teeth approximately 2 to 3 hours prior to their assessment. Results: With respect to mean bleeding scores the ANCOVA analysis with baseline as covariate and week 4 as dependent variable showed a significant difference between groups in favor of both the oral irrigator groups. For plaque, however, no significant difference among groups was observed. Conclusion: When combined with manual toothbrushing the daily use of an oral irrigator, either with prototype or standard jet tip, is significantly more effective in reducing gingival bleeding scores than is the use of dental floss, as determined within the limits of this 4-week study design