Synergistic Supervision: Impacts on Student Affairs Employee Job Satisfaction

Supervision is a critical component of any employee’s professional life, but it can be especially impactful to a student affairs professional. The foundation of the student affairs field is to help a student grow and develop as a whole person. This concept carries on to student affairs professionals as well, as supervisors should strive to develop the whole professional creating a positive work environment. This study analyzed the use of synergistic supervision techniques on student affairs employees’ job satisfaction. An anonymous, electronic survey was emailed to student affairs professionals at public, private and community colleges across the nation. One hundred fifty-one participants in various positions within the field took the survey. Synergistic supervision, created by Winston & Creamer (1997), and the human resource theory served as the conceptual and theoretical framework for this study. The findings from this study indicate that the use of synergistic supervision techniques predicts job satisfaction. These results inform practice involving training in supervision for student affairs divisions from the top down, and revision of staffing models and the professional development opportunities offered by guiding professional organizations

KINEMATICS AND ANGULAR MOMENTUM CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TOE-ON TKACHEV ON UNEVEN BARS IN FEMALE GYMNASTICS

The purpose of this study was to explain the mechanics of the Toe-on Tkachev on Uneven Bars, and identify whether this variant creates the release characteristics needed to perform more complex aerial body positions (e.g. straight). Images of 5 Toe-on Tkachev’s performed at the 2007 World Championships were recorded with twin video cameras (50Hz). Digitising and 3D DLT techniques were combined with inertia modelling to develop customised profiles for the gymnasts. Greater flight time and angular momentum (L) suggest this variant may provide the gymnast with the opportunity to perform more complex aerial shapes. The dominant roll of the hip in the creation of L was highlighted

DEVELOPING THE KOVACS ON HIGH BAR

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tucked Kovacs as a preparatory activity for the development of the more complex straight and full twisting Kovacs. Twin video images of Kovacs (tucked n=7; straight n=3; and full twisting n=5) were collected at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. 3D_DLT analyses were used to determine joint angular kinematics and combined with customised body segment inertia parameters to determine normalised angular momenta. Angular kinematic similarities were found between the three Kovacs variants but there were large differences in normalised angular momentum between the tucked and straight Kovacs. Identifying appropriate preparatory activities is desirable to make training more effective, and in particular when trying to increase angular momentum in order to develop the straight from the tucked Kovacs

BIOMECHANICS OF LONGSWINGS PRECEDING TKACHEV ON UNEVEN BARS

Changes in the rules governing the separation of uneven bars have allowed female gymnasts to perform the Tkachev in both directions. The aim of this study was to compare the similarities in the preparatory longswing during the outward (O) and inward (I) Tkachevs. Video recordings of the Tkachevs (O=5, I=5) were collected from the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. A 37° greater range of movement was found at the hips during the I Tkachev. In the more conventional O technique changes in the hip angle were smaller (23°) and occurred over a greater circle angle. This study has identified differences in what appear to be very similar skills. Further inter-segmental coordination and joint kinetic analyses may provide insight into the performance of these release and regrasp skills

BIOMECHANICS OF TECHNIQUE SELECTION IN WOMEN’S ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

This research aimed to determine effective technique selection for the female longswing through four themes: contemporary trend (T1), biomechanical conceptual (T2), musculoskeletal (T3) and energetic (T4) approaches. 3D video data at two elite competitions provided high ecologically validity. T1 identified the straddle Tkachev as the ideal vehicle with three distinct preparatory techniques (arch, pike, straddle) preceding it. Significant joint kinematic differences were not replicated in release parameters (T2) although joint kinetics highlighted greater physical demands in the pike (T3), with an energetics effectiveness score highlighting the arch as a technique promoting skill development (T4). Increasing knowledge and understanding allows coaches to optimise technique selection

Gendered occupations and career pursuit correlates : contribution of self-and other-directed attitudes for women

My thesis explored whether women???s career expectations for an average ingroup member depend on one or both of the following: (a) career type (stereotypical masculine vs. stereotypical feminine) and (b) attitudes about women in general. The sample (N = 155; all female, 154 cis women, 1 trans woman; all U.S. residents) completed explicit\ud measures of ambivalent sexism and gender-based stigma consciousness and ratings of career expectations of an average woman. Results indicated that women have more\ud negative career expectations for an average woman in a stereotypical masculine career\ud than in a stereotypical feminine career. Also, benevolent sexism may promote women???s\ud tendency to pursue gender stereotypical careers and stigma consciousness may interfere with women???s desire to pursue gender non-stereotypical careers. These findings highlight the role of women???s ingroup gender attitudes in predicting biased career expectations, contributing to the larger psychological understanding of women???s career development

Influence of longswing technique on the kinematics and key release parameters of the straddle Tkachev on uneven bars

Tkachev on uneven bars is a release and re-grasp skill performed using variations of preparatory longswing techniques; the reasons why different techniques are chosen remains unclear. This study examined kinematic and key release parameters specific to three distinct techniques with the aim of understanding the relative benefits of each. During two international artistic gymnastics competitions six arch, straddle and pike longswings preceding the straddle Tkachev were recorded using twin video cameras. Calibration and movement images were digitised and reconstructed using 3D DLT. Shoulder and hip angular kinematics, angular momentum and key release parameters were compared between techniques. In the arch longswing, the first and second hip functional phases began significantly earlier than the straddle or pike. No significant differences were established for release parameters although large effect sizes for horizontal release velocity and angular momenta about the mass centre and bar were reported between the arch and other two variants. Therefore, the arch variant may provide the opportunity to develop more complex combinations following the Tkachev. Providing insight into mechanical advantages of specific longswing techniques, and highlighting those that elicit desirable characteristics offers the potential to provide coaches with objective data on technique selection and ultimately skill development

Functional phases and angular momentum characteristics of Tkatchev and Kovacs

Understanding the technical requirements and underlying biomechanics of complex release and re-grasp skills on high bar allows coaches and scientists to develop safe and effective training programmes. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in the functional phases between the Tkatchev and Kovacs skills and to explain how the angular momentum demands are addressed. Images of 18 gymnasts performing 10 Tkatchevs and 8 Kovacs at the Olympic Games were recorded (50 Hz), digitised and reconstructed (3D Direct Linear Transformation). Orientation of the functional phase action, defined by the rapid flexion to extension of the shoulders and extension to flexion of the hips as the performer passed through the lower vertical, along with shoulder and hip angular kinematics, angular momentum and key release parameters (body angle, mass centre velocity and angular momentum about the mass centre and bar) were compared between skills. Expected differences in the release parameters of angle, angular momentum and velocity were observed and the specific mechanical requirement of each skill were highlighted. Whilst there were no differences in joint kinematics, hip and shoulder functional phase were significantly earlier in the circle for the Tkatchev. These findings highlight the importance of the orientation of the functional phase in the preceding giant swing and provide coaches with further understanding of the critical timing in this key phase

Phylogeny of Iridaceae Subfamily Crocoideae Based on a Combined Multigene Plastid DNA Analysis

The phylogeny of Crocoideae, the largest of four subfamilies currently recognized in Tridaceae, has eluded resolution until sequences of two more plastid DNA regions were added here to a previously published matrix containing sequences from four DNA plastid regions. Sister to the core Nivenioideae, the woody Klattia, Nivenia, and Witsenia, Crocoideae are a climax group in lridaceae, comprising some 995 species, slightly more than half of the total in the family. Synapomorphies of Crocoideae include pollen exine perforate, pollen aperture operculate, ovule campylotropous (or hypotropous), root xylem vessels with simple perforations, cormous rootstock, inflorescence a spike, and plants deciduous. The six DNA region analysis here that includes examples of 27 of the 28 genera of the subfamily shows the southern African Tritoniopsis sister to the remaining genera, which resolve into four well-supported clusters (bootstrap support \u3e85%). Each of these major clades is treated as a tribe, the synapomorphies of which are discussed in light of the molecular phylogenetic analyses. Original embryological and seed developmental studies largely support the tribal classification. Tritoniopsideae alone has the inner floral bracts not forked apically, and a hypotropous ovule, while this tribe and Watsonieae have axillary corm development. The remaining three tribes have apical corm development, and together with Watsonieae have a campylotropous ovule, and the inner layer of the inner integument crushed at maturity

Superfluid Friction and Late-time Thermal Evolution of Neutron Stars

The recent temperature measurements of the two older isolated neutron stars PSR 1929+10 and PSR 0950+08 (ages of $3\times 10^6$ and $2\times 10^7$ yr, respectively) indicate that these objects are heated. A promising candidate heat source is friction between the neutron star crust and the superfluid it is thought to contain. We study the effects of superfluid friction on the long-term thermal and rotational evolution of a neutron star. Differential rotation velocities between the superfluid and the crust (averaged over the inner crust moment of inertia) of $\bar\omega\sim 0.6$ rad s$^{-1}$ for PSR 1929+10 and $\sim 0.02$ rad s$^{-1}$ for PSR 0950+08 would account for their observed temperatures. These differential velocities could be sustained by pinning of superfluid vortices to the inner crust lattice with strengths of $\sim$ 1 MeV per nucleus. Pinned vortices can creep outward through thermal fluctuations or quantum tunneling. For thermally-activated creep, the coupling between the superfluid and crust is highly sensitive to temperature. If pinning maintains large differential rotation ($\sim 10$ rad s$^{-1}$), a feedback instability could occur in stars younger than $\sim 10^5$ yr causing oscillations of the temperature and spin-down rate over a period of $\sim 0.3 t_{\rm age}$. For stars older than $\sim 10^6$ yr, however, vortex creep occurs through quantum tunneling, and the creep velocity is too insensitive to temperature for a thermal-rotational instability to occur. These older stars could be heated through a steady process of superfluid friction.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Ap