A new species of mudfish, Neochanna (Teleostei: Galaxidae), from northern New Zealand

A new species of mudfish, Neochanna, is described from Northland. Neochanna heleios n.sp. is known from only three ephemeral wetland sites on the Kerikeri volcanic plateau and is abundant only at the type locality. The new species has a head resembling that of the brown mudfish, Neochanna apoda, and a caudal region resembling that of the black mudfish, Neochanna diversus. It can be distinguished from all Neochanna species in having a reduced number of principal caudal fin rays (13 or less). Morphometric and meristic comparisons with N. apoda and N. diversus are provided

Changing Lives, Changing Worlds – Inspiring Collaborations

THE SGCP 4th International Congress of Coaching Psychology 2014 will be held on Thursday 11 December and Friday 12 December at the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, London. Further information and registration details are available on the conference website: http://sgcp.eu We have interviewed Congress Stream Chairs and Keynote speakers via email for The Coaching Psychologist to find out more about them, seek their views on a range of different coaching psychology topics and also to learn more about their forthcoming congress sessions

CD40 is constitutively expressed on platelets and provides a novel mechanism for platelet activation

CD40 is a 48-kDa phosphorylated transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the TNF receptor superfamily. CD40 has been demonstrated on a range of cell types, and it has an important role in adaptive immunity and inflammation. CD40 has recently been described on platelets but platelet activation by CD40 has not been described. In the present study, we use flow cytometry and immunoblotting to confirm that platelets constitutively express surface CD40. CD40 mRNA was undetectable, suggesting that the protein is synthesized early in platelet differentiation by megakaryocytes. Ligation of platelet CD40 with recombinant soluble CD40L trimer (sCD40LT) caused increased platelet CD62P expression, -granule and dense granule release, and the classical morphological changes associated with platelet activation. CD40 ligation also caused ß3 integrin activation, although this was not accompanied by platelet aggregation. These actions were abrogated by the CD40L blocking antibody TRAP-1 and the CD40 blocking antibodies M2 and M3, showing that activation was mediated by CD40L binding to platelet CD40. ß3 integrin blockade with eptifibatide had no effect, indicating that outside-in signaling via IIbß3 was not contributing to these CD40-mediated effects. CD40 ligation led to enhanced platelet-leukocyte adhesion, which is important in the recruitment of leukocytes to sites of thrombosis or inflammation. Our results support a role for CD40-mediated platelet activation in thrombosis, inflammation, and atherosclerosis

Work-life Balance in the Police: The Development of a Self-management Competency Framework

Purpose Addressing a gap in the current work–life balance (WLB) literature regarding individual-focused approaches to inform interventions, we elicited behaviors used to self-manage WLB to draw up a competency-based WLB framework for relevant learnable knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs; Hoffmann, Eur J Ind Train 23:275–285, 1999) and mapping this against extant WLB frameworks. Design/Methodology/Approach Our participants were from a major UK police force, which faces particular challenges to the work–life interface through job demands and organizational cutbacks, covering a range of operational job roles, including uniformed officers and civilian staff. We took a mixed methods approach starting with semi-structured interviews to elicit 134 distinct behaviors (n = 20) and used a subsequent card sort task (n = 10) to group these into categories into 12 behavioral themes; and finally undertook an online survey (n = 356) for an initial validation. Findings Item and content analysis reduced the behaviors to 58, which we analyzed further. A framework of eight competencies fits the data best; covering a range of strategies, including Boundary Management, Managing Flexibility, and Managing Expectations. Implications The WLB self-management KSAs elicited consist of a range of solution-focused behaviors and strategies, which could inform future WLB-focused interventions, showing how individuals may negotiate borders effectively in a specific environment. Originality/Value A competence-based approach to WLB self-management is new, and may extend existing frameworks such as Border Theory, highlighting a proactive and solution-focused element of effective behaviors

UK managers’ conceptions of training and development

Purpose: The paper commences with a review of the practical and theoretical distinctions between training and development in the organizational psychology and HRD literature perspectiveto investigate the conceptual distinctions between training and development. We then investigate how managers responsible for the training and development function conceptualise these activities in practice, the factors which guide their decision making, how they evaluate the outcomes and they extent they perceive a relationship between training and development. Design/methodology/approach: Interview data from 26 UK managers were coded using Template. Findings: Managers conceptualisations of training and development vary. Formal training is prioritised due to a perceived more tangible demonstrable return on investment. Perceived success in training focuses on improvements to job related skills whereas success outcomes for development are more varied and difficult to measure. Managers consider training and development more valuable when combined. Implications for research: The findings highlight the need for further process driven research to understand the interrelationship between training and development and the need to develop methods that can be used by organisations to evaluate both. These need to go beyond those currently in use and include both qualitative and quantitative measures. Implications for practice: Managers may take a more proactive and directive role in facilitating development than the literature suggests, thus their role needs to be more actively considered in HRD learning strategies. Originality/value: This is one of the first qualitative studies to explore the conceptualisations of managers responsible for training and development, highlighting the interrelationship between training and development and the factors guiding decisions regarding these activitie

The endoribonucleolytic N-terminal half of Escherichia coli RNase E is evolutionarily conserved in Synechocystis sp. and other bacteria but not the C-terminal half, which is sufficient for degradosome assembly

Escherichia coli RNase E, an essential single-stranded specific endoribonuclease, is required for both ribosomal RNA processing and the rapid degradation of mRNA. The availability of the complete sequences of a number of bacterial genomes prompted us to assess the evolutionarily conservation of bacterial RNase E. We show here that the sequence of the N-terminal endoribonucleolytic domain of RNase E is evolutionarily conserved in Synechocystis sp. and other bacteria. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Synechocystis sp. homologue binds RNase E substrates and cleaves them at the same position as the E. coli enzyme. Taken together these results suggest that RNase E-mediated mechanisms of RNA decay are not confined to E. coli and its close relatives. We also show that the C-terminal half of E. coli RNase E is both sufficient and necessary for its physical interaction with the 3'-5' exoribonuclease polynucleotide phosphorylase, the RhlB helicase, and the glycolytic enzyme enolase, which are components of a "degradosome" complex. Interestingly, however, the sequence of the C-terminal half of E. coli RNase E is not highly conserved evolutionarily, suggesting diversity of RNase E interactions with other RNA decay components in different organisms. This notion is supported by our finding that the Synechocystis sp. RNase E homologue does not function as a platform for assembly of E. coli degradosome components

Developing a framework for assessing effective development activities

Purpose: This article compares four different employee activities, namely developmental appraisal, coaching, 360 degree feedback and development centres, offering a comparative framework and an integration of existing research evidence. Approach: We propose a unifying classification which combines existing dimensions derived from the literature, such as the degree of formality (e.g. Birdi et al., 1997), with further differences or communalities such as the degree of simulation, ownership of data and frequency of occurrence. This leads us to a review of the pertinent literature and research evidence for each of the four activities discussed, with particular reference to long-term outcomes, their social context as well as individual motivation. Research and practical implications: We propose that our classification framework could guide both the implementation and evaluation of diverse activities beyond those reviewed here. We argue that our framework may prove effective in making explicit and thus addressing the potentially conflicting expectations for prevalent activities from different parties involved. We propose that certain aspects of employee development, such as the employer-manager relationship may be more suited to investigation through qualitative paradigms, but that ultimately we also need more evidence for long term outcomes at different levels (e.g. the individual and the organization)