Is FeedForward the way forward? A comparison of the effects of FeedForward coaching and Feedback.

Objectives: The FeedForward Interview (FFI) is a means of structuring conversations (Kluger & Nir, 2006), such as performance appraisals, or indeed coaching in organisations. Conceptually situated in a positive psychological paradigm, FFI techniques build on appreciative inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987), positive psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002) and Feedback Intervention Theory (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). The objective of this research was to investigate how FFI affects individual outcomes compared to traditional feedback as part of a coaching session. Design: We conducted a quasi-experimental longitudinal study allocating 54 participants randomly to either a FFI or Feedback-based coaching intervention. Methods: We measured self-efficacy, mood and strengths-confidence as well goal attainment before and after each intervention. Results: Self-efficacy significantly increased following FFI compared to feedback; participants were more likely to obtain their goals in the FFI condition. There were no significant differences for mood; and no main effects for strengths-knowledge but a significant interaction by treatment condition. Conclusions: The results indicate that FFI appears a valid intervention to facilitate positive psychological change as part of a coaching session. We discuss the potential for further research including the evaluation of transfer of learning arising from FFI in experimental paradigms as well as behavioural observations

Is feedforward the way forward?

Objectives: The Feedforward Interview (FFI) is a means of structuring conversations (Kluger & Nir, 2006), such as performance appraisals, or indeed coaching in organisations. Conceptually situated in a positive psychological paradigm, FFI techniques build on appreciative inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987), positive psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002) and Feedback Intervention Theory ( Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). The objective of this research was to investigate how FFI affects individual outcomes compared to traditional feedback as part of a coaching session. Design: we conducted a quasi-experimental longitudinal study allocating Fifty four participants randomly to either a FFI or Feedback based coaching intervention. Methods: We measured self-efficacy, mood and strengths-confidence as well goal attainment before and after each intervention. Results: Self-efficacy significantly increased following FFI compared to feedback; participants were more likely to obtain their goals in the FFI condition. There were no significant differences for mood; and no main effects for strengths-knowledge but a significant interaction. Conclusions: The results indicate that FFI appears a valid intervention to facilitate positive psychological change as part of a coaching session. We discuss the potential for further research including the evaluation of transfer of learning arising from FFI in experimental paradigms as well as behavioural observations

Cross inoculation of rumen fluid to improve dry matter disappearance and its effect on bacterial composition using an in vitro batch culture model

Environmental pressures of ruminant production could be reduced by improving digestive efficiency. Previous in vivo attempts to manipulate the rumen microbial community have largely been unsuccessful probably due to the influencing effect of the host. Using an in vitro consecutive batch culture technique, the aim of this study was to determine whether manipulation was possible once the bacterial community was uncoupled from the host. Two cross inoculation experiments were performed. Rumen fluid was collected at time of slaughter from 11 Holstein-Friesian steers from the same herd for Experiment 1, and in Experiment 2 were collected from 11 Charolais cross steers sired by the same bull and raised on a forage only diet on the same farm from birth. The two fluids that differed most in their in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD; “Good,” “Bad”) were selected for their respective experiment. The fluids were also mixed (1:1, “Mix”) and used to inoculate the model. In Experiment 1, the mixed rumen fluid resulted in an IVDMD midway between that of the two rumen fluids from which it was made for the first 24 h batch culture (34, 29, 20 g per 100 g DM for the Good, Mix, and Bad, respectively, P < 0.001) which was reflected in fermentation parameters recorded. No effect of cross inoculation was seen for Experiment 2, where the Mix performed most similarly to the Bad. In both experiments, IVDMD increased with consecutive culturing as the microbial population adapted to the in vitro conditions and differences between the fluids were lost. The improved performance with each consecutive batch culture was associated with reduced bacterial diversity. Increases in the genus Pseudobutyrivibrio were identified, which may be, at least in part, responsible for the improved digestive efficiency observed, whilst Prevotella declined by 50% over the study period. It is likely that along with host factors, there are individual factors within each community that prevent other microbes from establishing. Whilst we were unable to manipulate the bacterial community, uncoupling the microbiota from the host resulted in changes in the community, becoming less diverse with time, likely due to environmental heterogeneity, and more efficient at digesting DM

Control of macrophytes by grass carp (ctenopharyngodon idella) in a Waikato drain, New Zealand

Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum L.) and other aquatic macrophytes have historically been mechanically removed from the Rangiriri drain and Churchill East drain to maintain drain efficiency. As an alternative control method for the high plant biomass that accumulates at the end of summer, the effect of stocking diploid grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella L.) on the aquatic vegetation was evaluated in these Waikato drainage systems. At the start of the trial, both drains had a low diversity of aquatic macrophytes, and of the nine species (including the emergents), seven were exotic. Two months after grass carp were released to Churchill East drain (the treated drain) the four submerged and floating macrophyte species became scarce in the main drain. Over the same period, these species increased in biomass in Rangiriri drain (the untreated drain), where hornwort became dense and surface-reaching and remained so for the duration of the trial. However, grass carp did not control submerged vegetation in smaller side drains or the shallow, upper parts of the main drain, or the marginal sprawling species and emergent species. The cost of leasing the grass carp was similar to the cost of clearing the drains mechanically, but grass carp provided continuous weed control. However, subsequent to this trial, 62 dead grass carp were found in Churchill East drain in February 2001, and weed cover subsequently increased. This illustrates that grass carp management in New Zealand agricultural drains can be problematic due to periodic fish kills

Freezing: Facts and Hypothesis

Hexagonal ice crystals formed in frozen biological specimens are large and branched. They can produce severe structural damage by solute segregation but there are also cases where they seem to cause only minor damage. When cooling is more rapid, cubic ice crystals can be formed. These are small and in general, they cause little damage. These observations can be readily explained with the hypothesis that large hexagonal ice crystals can originate from the rewarming induced transformation of a large number of cubic ice crystals. This transformation would take place without significant solute displacement

Distribution and abundance of fish and crayfish in a Waikato stream in relation to basin area

The aim of this study was to relate the longitudinal distribution of fish and crayfish to increasing basin area and physical site characteristics in the Mangaotama Stream, Waikato region, North Island, New Zealand. Fish and crayfish were captured with two-pass removal electroshocking at 11 sites located in hill-country with pasture, native forest, and mixed land uses within the 21.6 km2 basin. Number of fish species and lineal biomass of fish increased with increasing basin area, but barriers to upstream fish migration also influenced fish distribution; only climbing and non-migratory species were present above a series of small waterfalls. Fish biomass increased in direct proportion to stream width, suggesting that fish used much of the available channel, and stream width was closely related to basin area. Conversely, the abundance of crayfish was related to the amount of edge habitat, and therefore crayfish did not increase in abundance as basin area increased. Densities of all fish species combined ranged from 17 to 459 fish 100 m-2, and biomass ranged from 14 to 206 g m-2. Eels dominated the fish assemblages, comprising 85-100% of the total biomass; longfinned eels the majority of the biomass at most sites. Despite the open access of the lower sites to introduced brown trout, native species dominated all the fish communities sampled

The recognition of structured elements by a conserved groove distant from domains associated with catalysis is an essential determinant of RNase E

RNase E is an endoribonuclease found in many bacteria, including important human pathogens. Within Escherichia coli, it has been shown to have a major role in both the maturation of all classes of RNA involved in translation and the initiation of mRNA degradation. Thus, knowledge of the major determinants of RNase E cleavage is central to our understanding and manipulation of bacterial gene expression. We show here that the binding of RNase E to structured RNA elements is crucial for the processing of tRNA, can activate catalysis and may be important in mRNA degradation. The recognition of structured elements by RNase E is mediated by a recently discovered groove that is distant from the domains associated with catalysis. The functioning of this groove is shown here to be essential for E. coli cell viability and may represent a key point of evolutionary divergence from the paralogous RNase G family, which we show lack amino acid residues conserved within the RNA-binding groove of members of the RNase E family. Overall, this work provides new insights into the recognition and cleavage of RNA by RNase E and provides further understanding of the basis of RNase E essentiality in E. coli

A study relating the composition of follicular fluid and blood plasma from individual Holstein dairy cows to the in vitro developmental competence of pooled abattoir-derived oocytes

The fertility of high performance (high milk yield) dairy breeds such as the Holstein within the Australian dairy herd has been on the decline for the past two decades. The 12-month calving interval for pasture-based farming practises results in oocyte maturation coinciding with peak lactation, periods of negative energy balance and energy partitioning for lactation, causing energy deficiency in some organ systems, including the reproductive system. Oocyte developmental competence (the ability to undergo successful fertilisation, embryo development and establishment of pregnancy) is intrinsically linked with the composition of follicular fluid (FF). The aim of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the fat and carbohydrate levels in plasma and FF and the ability to support in vitro oocyte maturation (IVM). Plasma and FF were collected in vivo from eight Holstein cows between 52-151 days post-partum. Plasma glucose trended (P = 0.072) higher and triglyceride levels were significantly higher than in FF (P < 0.05) but there were no relationships between FF and plasma composition. Glucose FF concentration was negatively related to follicular lactate and NEFA levels and days post-partum. Conversely, FF triglyceride concentrations were positively related to FF NEFA levels and negatively related to milk fat and protein composition. Abattoir-derived cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured in either 50% FF (FF-IVM) or 50% plasma (plasma-IVM), with on time embryo development then assessed. While there were no differences between animals, blastocyst rates following FF-IVM were negatively related to plasma glucose and days post-partum and positively related to body condition score (BCS) and plasma NEFA levels. In comparison to previous studies, total NEFA levels in FF were not related to animal parameters and did not influence oocyte developmental competence in vitro. Results from this study suggest that days post-partum and BCS influence carbohydrate metabolism within the follicular environment and this may be attributed to the pasture-based feed system applied in the Australian dairy industry.Melanie L Sutton-McDowall, Robert Yelland, Keith L MacMillan, Rebecca L Robker & Jeremy G Thompso

Fluctuations and differential contraction during regeneration of Hydra vulgaris tissue toroids

We studied regenerating bilayered tissue toroids dissected from Hydra vulgaris polyps and relate our macroscopic observations to the dynamics of force-generating mesoscopic cytoskeletal structures. Tissue fragments undergo a specific toroid-spheroid folding process leading to complete regeneration towards a new organism. The time scale of folding is too fast for biochemical signalling or morphogenetic gradients which forced us to assume purely mechanical self-organization. The initial pattern selection dynamics was studied by embedding toroids into hydro-gels allowing us to observe the deformation modes over longer periods of time. We found increasing mechanical fluctuations which break the toroidal symmetry and discuss the evolution of their power spectra for various gel stiffnesses. Our observations are related to single cell studies which explain the mechanical feasibility of the folding process. In addition, we observed switching of cells from a tissue bound to a migrating state after folding failure as well as in tissue injury. We found a supra-cellular actin ring assembled along the toroid's inner edge. Its contraction can lead to the observed folding dynamics as we could confirm by finite element simulations. This actin ring in the inner cell layer is assembled by myosin- driven length fluctuations of supra-cellular {\alpha}-actin structures (myonemes) in the outer cell-layer.Comment: 19 pages and 8 figures, submitted to New Journal of Physic

Stability of the gauge equivalent classes in stationary transport

For anisotropic attenuating media, the albedo operator determines the scattering and the attenuation coefficients up to a gauge transformation. We show that such a determination is stable