How might we do it better? Applying educational curriculum theory and practice in talent development environments

Although Talent Development is a key function for sports organisations, too little work has focused on the establishment of evidence-grounded methods for optimising progress. Drawing principally on the work of Tyler (1949) and Kelly (2009), our aim is to examine constructs from the field of curriculum studies to establish a range of educational concepts and frameworks that would support talent pathway coaches. Using four fundamental questions concerning curriculum design suggested by Tyler (1949) as a frame, i.e. purpose, content, methods or procedures, and evaluation, we present a range of tangible and robust frameworks and ideas that might be applied to talent pathways. Additionally, we have found accordance between several concepts from curriculum theory and practice and existing practices within talent development pathways. Having an awareness of when and where congruency exists would afford practitioners and scholars the opportunity to refine and cultivate more coherent, purposeful and justifiable talent development environments

Non-explosive actuation for the ORBCOMM (TM) satellite

Spool-based non-explosive actuator (NEA) devices are used for three important holddown and release functions during the establishment of the ORBCOMM (TM) constellation. Non-explosive separation nuts are used to restrain and release the 26 individual satellites into low earth orbit. Cable release mechanisms based on the same technology are used to release the solar arrays and antenna boom

Preparation For Fatherhood: A Role For Olfactory Communication During Human Pregnancy?

There is evidence across a range of bi-parental species that physiological changes may occur in partnered males prior to the birth of an infant. It has been hypothesised that these hormonal changes might facilitate care-giving behaviours, which could augment infant survival. The mechanism that induces these changes has not been identified, but evidence from several species suggests that odour may play a role. The current study investigated this in humans by recording testosterone and psychological measures related to infant interest and care in men (n=91) both before and after exposure to odours from either pregnant women or non-pregnant control women. We found no evidence for an effect of odour cues of pregnancy on psychological measures including self-reported sociosexual orientation and social dominance scores, ratings of infant or adult faces, or testosterone levels. However, we found that brief exposure to post-partum odours significantly increased the reward value of infant faces. Our study is the first to show that the odour of peri-partum women may lead to upregulation of men’s interest in infants