Professionalism, Golf Coaching and a Master of Science Degree: A commentary

As a point of reference I congratulate Simon Jenkins on tackling the issue of professionalism in coaching. As he points out coaching is not a profession, but this does not mean that coaching would not benefit from going through a professionalization process. As things stand I find that the stimulus article unpacks some critically important issues of professionalism, broadly within the context of golf coaching. However, I am not sure enough is made of understanding what professional (golf) coaching actually is nor how the development of a professional golf coach can be facilitated by a Master of Science Degree (M.Sc.). I will focus my commentary on these two issues

Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations

Cloreto de mepiquat, thidiazuron e ethephon aplicados no algodoeiro em Ponta Porã, MS Mepiquat chloride, thidiazuron and ethephon applied on cotton in Ponta Porã, MS, Brazil

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar os efeitos de diferentes dosagens de cloreto de mepiquat, thidiazuron e ethephon, aplicadas parceladamente no algodoeiro (Gossypium hirsutum L.) na Fazenda Itamarati, Ponta Porã, MS. As dosagens de cloreto de mepiquat foram: (0; 12,5 + 12,5 + 25,0 = 50; 25 + 25 + 25 = 75; 0 + 50 + 50 = 100; 12,5 + 62,5 + 50 = 125) g ha-1, com aplicações efetuadas aos 34, 47 e 62 dias após a emergência (DAE) em 1993/94, e aos 42, 60 e 73 DAE, em 1994/95, enquanto o thidiazuron foi aplicado quando 70% dos capulhos estavam abertos, nas dosagens de 0, 45, 60 e 75 g ha-1; já o ethephon foi aplicado sete dias após o thidiazuron, quando já se observava desfolha de 85%, nas dosagens de 0, 960 e 1.440 g ha-1. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados em faixa, com subparcelas subdivididas e quatro repetições. O cloreto de mepiquat proporcionou redução do número de frutos verdes, aumento do peso de 100 sementes e do peso médio de um capulho; a percentagem de desfolha aumentou com as dosagens de thidiazuron e ethephon; constatou-se que a interação cloreto de mepiquat x thidiazuron x ethephon foi significativa para percentagem de abertura de capulhos e produção de algodão em caroço.<br>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of doses of mepiquat chloride, thidiazuron and ethephon on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), applied in parcels, and were surveyed in Itamarati Farm at Ponta Porã county. The mepiquat chloride doses were: (0.0; 12.5 + 12.5 + 25.0 = 50.0; 25.0 + 25.0 + 25.0 = 75.0; 0.0 + 50.0 + 50.0 = 100.0; 12.5 + 62.5 + 50.0 = 125.0) g ha-1. The applications were made at 34, 47 and 63 days after emergence(DAE) in 1993/94 and at 42, 60 and 73 DAE in 1994/95. Thidiazuron was applied when 70% of bolls were opened at the doses 0.0, 45.0, 60.0 and 75.0 g ha-1. Ethephon was applied seven days after thidiazuron, when 85% defoliation was observed, in the doses of 0.0, 960.0 and 1,440.0 g ha-1. The experimental design used was strips with subdivided subparcelas. Mepiquat chloride decrease the number of unripe fruits, increased the weight of 100 seeds and the boll average weight. The defoliation percentage enhanced with increasing thidiazuron and ethephon doses. Mepiquat chloride x thidiazuron x ethephon interaction was significative to the percentage of opening bolls and production of cotton seed