Androgen Receptor and Vasopressin Receptor (AVPR1a) Genetic Polymorphisms are not associated with Marital Status or Fertility among Ariaal Men of Northern Kenya

A growing body of scholarship implicates testosterone and vasopressin in male reproductive behavior, including in humans. Since hormones exert their effects through their respective receptors, an open question has been whether genetic polymorphisms in the androgen receptor and vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a) impact human male social behavior. Here, we sought to test for associations between polymorphisms in the coding region of the androgen receptor and promoter region of AVPR1a in relation to marital status and fertility among pastoralist Ariaal men of northern Kenya. None of the three polymorphisms were related to marital status (single, monogamously married, polygynously married) or fertility (number of current living children). We discuss these null findings in light of existing data

Adequacy of the Dicke model in cavity QED: a counter-"no-go" statement

The long-standing debate whether the phase transition in the Dicke model can be realized with dipoles in electromagnetic fields is yet an unsettled one. The well-known statement often referred to as the "no-go theorem", asserts that the so-called A-square term, just in the vicinity of the critical point, becomes relevant enough to prevent the system from undergoing a phase transition. At variance with this common belief, in this paper we prove that the Dicke model does give a consistent description of the interaction of light field with the internal excitation of atoms, but in the dipole gauge of quantum electrodynamics. The phase transition cannot be excluded by principle and a spontaneous transverse-electric mean field may appear. We point out that the single-mode approximation is crucial: the proper treatment has to be based on cavity QED, wherefore we present a systematic derivation of the dipole gauge inside a perfect Fabry-P\'erot cavity from first principles. Besides the impact on the debate around the Dicke phase transition, such a cleanup of the theoretical ground of cavity QED is important because currently there are many emerging experimental approaches to reach strong or even ultrastrong coupling between dipoles and photons, which demand a correct treatment of the Dicke model parameters

I felt that I could be whatever I wanted : Pre-service drama teachers\u27 prior experiences and beliefs about teaching drama

Pre-service drama teachers enter teacher training with established ideas and beliefs about teaching. These beliefs, based on experience, are informed by many hours spent in schools, and the pedagogies – both effective and ineffective – utilised by their teachers. This research explores the influence of some of these prior experiences on pre-service drama teachers’ beliefs about teaching drama, this being important in the way that not only shapes their practicum experiences, but also what will then influence their own teaching of drama. Individual interviews with four pre-service drama teachers revealed the complexity and dynamics of these participants’ lived experience with narrative portraits constructed as part of the process of inquiry. This process not only built on the ways that knowledge is constructed, and the beliefs and values that underscore these, but also how these are shared and made known. Three key beliefs emerged. First, drama both provides and creates a sense of belonging: belonging being key for students and integral to the work of drama teachers. Second, drama education can promote self-discovery and personal development, having therefore the potential to transform lives. Third, effective drama teachers are valued as hardworking, highly skilled professionals dedicated to bringing out their students’ potential. This paper emphasises the importance for pre-service drama teachers to be aware of how their beliefs and subjectivities both influence their own experiences, and consequently have influence over the ways they work with students in the drama space

Raising the Curtain: Investigating the Practicum Experiences of Pre-service Drama Teachers

The practicum is internationally recognised as a valuable component of teacher education. It is an opportunity for pre-service teachers to develop teaching skills in authentic ways and pursue professional inquiry into practice. While extensive research has been conducted into the practicum generally, little research focuses on the practicum experience for pre-service drama teachers. This article, investigates the preparation of drama teachers for the profession with a particular focus on the practicum component of pre-service education. Drawing on the experiences of 19 pre-service drama teachers from a Western Australian university, focus-groups were conducted in order to scope the key components of the enablers and constraints embedded in their practicum. Four key themes were identified: stress, self-efficacy, mentoring practices, and teaching craft. In addition, the dimensions of each theme in relation to the adequate preparation of drama teachers were further revealed. Particular to the research was the role played by the extra curricula demands associated with drama as a learning area, and the mismatch between participant’s experience of drama and the culture shock many experienced in contemporary times. The research further emphasised the highs and lows of practicum, illuminating conditions most conducive to a quality practicum where pre-service drama teachers are able to develop pedagogy and the self-efficacy necessary to be an effective drama teacher, and importantly, one who remains in the profession

Detection of coherent airstreams using cluster analysis: application to an extratropical cyclone

Flow in geophysical fluids is commonly summarized by coherent streams, for example conveyor belt flows in extratropical cyclones or jet streaks in the upper troposphere. Typically, parcel trajectories are calculated from the flow field and subjective thresholds are used to distinguish coherent streams of interest. This methodology contribution develops a more objective approach to distinguish coherent airstreams within extratropical cyclones. Agglomerative clustering is applied to trajectories along with a method to identify the optimal number of cluster classes. The methodology is applied to trajectories associated with the low-level jets of a well-studied extratropical cyclone. For computational efficiency, a constraint that trajectories must pass through these jet regions is applied prior to clustering; the partitioning into different airstreams is then performed by the agglomerative clustering. It is demonstrated that the methodology can identify the salient flow structures of cyclones: the warm and cold conveyor belts. A test focusing on the airstreams terminating at the tip of the bent-back front further demonstrates the success of the method in that it can distinguish fine-scale flow structure such as descending sting jet airstreams

The B_s and D_s decay constants in 3 flavor lattice QCD

Capitalizing on recent advances in lattice QCD, we present a calculation of the leptonic decay constants f_{B_s} and f_{D_s} that includes effects of one strange sea quark and two light sea quarks. The discretization errors of improved staggered fermion actions are small enough to simulate with 3 dynamical flavors on lattices with spacings around 0.1 fm using present computer resources. By shedding the quenched approximation and the associated lattice scale ambiguity, lattice QCD greatly increases its predictive power. NRQCD is used to simulate heavy quarks with masses between 1.5 m_c and m_b. We arrive at the following results: f_{B_s} = 260 \pm 7 \pm 26 \pm 8 \pm 5 MeV and f_{D_s} = 290 \pm 20 \pm 29 \pm 29 \pm 6 MeV. The first quoted error is the statistical uncertainty, and the rest estimate the sizes of higher order terms neglected in this calculation. All of these uncertainties are systematically improvable by including another order in the weak coupling expansion, the nonrelativistic expansion, or the Symanzik improvement program.Comment: 4 page

Androgen Receptor CAG Repeats and Body Composition Among Ariaal Men

To determine the population variation in the androgen receptor (AR) and its association with body composition in a subsistence population, we sampled 87 settled and 65 nomadic males ages 20+ among the Ariaal of northern Kenya. Anthropometric measures included height, body mass index, fat-free mass (FFM), upper arm muscle plus bone area (AMPBA), % body fat (%BF), suprailliac skinfold (SISF), and waist-to-hip ratio. Salivary testosterone (T) was determined from both morning (Am T) and afternoon (Pm T) samples. Hair roots were obtained for genotyping AR CAG repeat length. AR CAG repeat length did not vary between the two sub-groups (overall value = 22.6 ± 3.1). Multiple regression models, controlling for age and residence, indicate that Pm T was positively associated with all measures of body composition. AR CAG repeat length was a significant positive predictor of height, FFM, %BF, SISF and waist circumference. There was a significant negative Pm T by AR CAG repeat length interaction in predicting all anthropometric measures but AMPBA. These findings provide evidence for population variation in AR CAG repeat length and suggest that both T and AR CAG length play a role in body composition in this extremely lean population.AnthropologyHuman Evolutionary Biolog

Examined Lives: The Transformative Power of Active Interviewing in Narrative Approach

An unexamined life is not worth living Socrates (470-399 BC) In this article I reveal transformative experiences stemming from non-verbal communication in the context of active interviewing in narrative research. Drawing upon my recent experience interviewing positive veteran teachers about the relationships they believe vital in maintaining their passion and enthusiasm for teaching, I explore the unique nature of narrative research in fostering intra-personal transformation. The goal of the article is to highlight transformation as an outcome in narrative research, with particular focus upon non-verbal communication in active interviewing. The article is constructed to examine transformation in thinking and understanding within the relational nature of narrative research in education; to highlight the complexity of non-verbal communication in the context of narrative research; and, to consider the nature of personal reflective practice in examining one\u27s ontological and epistemological framework for establishing respectful and ethical relationships between researcher and participants in narrative research

Reappraising the AITSL Professional Engagement Domain: Clarifying Social Capacity Building for School Leaders to Enhance Overall Teacher Job Satisfaction and Career Longevity

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2018) stipulate what teachers should know and do through each career stage. School leaders are complicit in promoting the Standards are met by all staff, including Professional Engagement (Standards Six and Seven). While the Standards emphasise content and pedagogical capacity building, we contend that teaching is a social enterprise. Although social capacity building is implied in the Professional Engagement domain through terms such as ‘collegiality, collaboration and dialogue’, we question the degree to which it is understood by school leaders. We ask this in light of influential studies by Waldinger (2010) and Vaillant (1977) which highlight the importance of workplace social connection in terms of job satisfaction and career longevity. Using an Appreciative Inquiry lens, we interviewed a number of positive school leaders about social capacity building among their staff against the Professional Engagement domain. While interviews affirmed many inspiring examples of its application, we also uncovered a degree of uncertainty, lack of clarity and practical difficulties experienced by these exemplary leaders. As per our research approach, we do not suggest that there is any fundamental problem with the Professional Engagement domain per se. However, findings indicate value for AITSL in reappraising this domain in relation to its wording, implications and application. A more explicit emphasis on the social context may in turn help address some of the issues confronting Australia’s aging teaching workforce