Making mentoring work: The need for rewiring epistemology

To help produce expert coaches at both participation and performance levels, a number of governing bodies have established coach mentoring systems. In light of the limited literature on coach mentoring, as well as the risks of superficial treatment by coach education systems, this paper therefore critically discusses the role of the mentor in coach development, the nature of the mentor-mentee relationship and, most specifically, how expertise in the mentee may best be developed. If mentors are to be effective in developing expert coaches then we consequently argue that a focus on personal epistemology is required. On this basis, we present a framework that conceptualizes mentee development on this level through a step by step progression, rather than unrealistic and unachievable leap toward expertise. Finally, we consider the resulting implications for practice and research with respect to one-on-one mentoring, communities of practice, and formal coach education

Designing an educational tool to revitalise woven textile mending

Purpose: Due to advances in woollen woven textile manufacture, the occurrence of industrial textile mending has diminished. While the demand for the skill is still present in certain settings, the availability of learning resources is limited relating to this particular craft. The purpose of this project is to design and produce an effective educational learning tool to teach mending skills. Design/methodology/approach: To address the aims of this dissertation project, bricolage methodology and qualitative research methods have been employed. Using the findings from primary and secondary research, the educational, instructional video was developed in order to document and display the mending craft practice in a format that would endure and be accessible to anybody who wished to learn. After determining that the ability to understand woven pattern structures was key in learning mending skill, the visual tool was developed using two dimensional woven structure diagrams and animations to train pattern comprehension and recognition. Findings: The results of educational video tool testing confirmed that using two dimensional animated diagrams of woven structures was an effective method to teach pattern comprehension. Also, it was found that the trainee’s participation in the instructional video was effective in helping to teach other learners mending skills. The structure of the educational video made the learning more organized and comprehensible as it assisted in learning process through the combined media that reiterated the same information in different formats. Originality/value: Design technology was applied to provide a comprehensible educational resource that could be used to learn and revitalise mending skills. The principles and methods applied in this resource could be adapted to teach different textile disciplines or other craft practices

Do gray wolves (\u3ci\u3eCanis lupus\u3c/i\u3e) support pack mates during aggressive inter-pack interactions?

For group-living mammals, social coordination increases success in everything from hunting and foraging (Crofoot and Wrangham in Mind the Gap, Springer, Berlin, 2010; Bailey et al. in Behav Ecol Sociobiol 67:1–17, 2013) to agonism (Mosser and Packer in Anim Behav 78:359–370, 2009; Wilson et al. in Anim Behav 83:277–291, 2012; Cassidy et al. in Behav Ecol 26:1352–1360, 2015). Cooperation is found in many species and, due to its low costs, likely is a determining factor in the evolution of living in social groups (Smith in Anim Behav 92:291–304, 2014). Beyond cooperation, many mammals perform costly behaviors for the benefit of group mates (e.g., parental care, food sharing, grooming). Altruism is considered the most extreme case of cooperation where the altruist increases the fitness of the recipient while decreasing its own fitness (Bell in Selection: the mechanism of evolution. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008). Gray wolf life history requires intra-pack familiarity, communication, and cooperation in order to succeed in hunting (MacNulty et al. in Behav Ecol doi:10.1093/beheco/arr159 2011) and protecting group resources (Stahler et al. in J Anim Ecol 82: 222–234, 2013; Cassidy et al. in Behav Ecol 26:1352–1360, 2015). Here, we report 121 territorial aggressive inter-pack interactions in Yellowstone National Park between 1 April 1995 and 1 April 2011 ([5300 days of observation) and examine each interaction where one wolf interferes when its pack mate is being attacked by a rival group. This behavior was recorded six times (17.6 % of interactions involving an attack) and often occurred between dyads of closely related individuals. We discuss this behavior as it relates to the evolution of cooperation, sociality, and altruism

Decay of nuclear hyperpolarization in silicon microparticles

We investigate the low-field relaxation of nuclear hyperpolarization in undoped and highly doped silicon microparticles at room temperature following removal from high field. For nominally undoped particles, two relaxation time scales are identified for ambient fields above 0.2 mT. The slower, T_1s, is roughly independent of ambient field; the faster, T_1f, decreases with increasing ambient field. A model in which nuclear spin relaxation occurs at the particle surface via a two-electron mechanism is shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data, particularly the field-independence of T_1s. For boron-doped particles, a single relaxation time scale is observed. This suggests that for doped particles, mobile carriers and bulk ionized acceptor sites, rather than paramagnetic surface states, are the dominant relaxation mechanisms. Relaxation times for the undoped particles are not affected by tumbling in a liquid solution.Comment: related papers at http://marcuslab.harvard.ed

A trap-based pulsed positron beam optimised for positronium laser spectroscopy

We describe a pulsed positron beam that is optimised for positronium (Ps) laser-spectroscopy experiments. The system is based on a two-stage Surko-type buffer gas trap that produces 4 ns wide pulses containing up to 5 × 105 positrons at a rate of 0.5-10 Hz. By implanting positrons from the trap into a suitable target material, a dilute positronium gas with an initial density of the order of 107 cm−3 is created in vacuum. This is then probed with pulsed (ns) laser systems, where various Ps-laser interactions have been observed via changes in Ps annihilation rates using a fast gamma ray detector. We demonstrate the capabilities of the apparatus and detection methodology via the observation of Rydberg positronium atoms with principal quantum numbers ranging from 11 to 22 and the Stark broadening of the n = 2 → 11 transition in electric fields

Current definitions of “transdiagnostic” in treatment development: A search for consensus

Research in psychopathology has identified psychological processes that are relevant across a range of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) mental disorders, and these efforts have begun to produce treatment principles and protocols that can be applied transdiagnostically. However, review of recent work suggests that there has been great variability in conceptions of the term “transdiagnostic” in the treatment development literature. We believe that there is value in arriving at a common understanding of the term “transdiagnostic.” The purpose of the current manuscript is to outline three principal ways in which the term “transdiagnostic” is currently used, to delineate treatment approaches that fall into these three categories, and to consider potential advantages and disadvantages of each approachFirst author draf

Design for 'domestication': the decommercialisation of traditional crafts

This paper explores the contribution of design to the 'domestication' of traditional crafts: the reframing and support of such practices as amateur activities. Informed by twelve examples, six design strategies for the domestication of traditional crafts are identified and discussed. This issue emerges from a research project investigating the role of design in developing and revitalising culturally significant designs, products and associated practices. Within this paper, we focus on strategies that seek to revitalise traditional crafts by supporting domestic activity. This topic is introduced through a discussion of commercialisation, a more common approach to revitalisation. Two contemporary social trends support domestication: the strong interest – particularly in post-industrial countries – in provenance, local distinctiveness and authenticity; and the growth of maker culture and its ethos of amateur creativity. We gather twelve examples of various formats – such as books, kits, online communities, videos, workshops and holidays – which support amateur activity. The examples are analysed via a matrix, which considers their characteristics in terms of two variables: the way in which knowledge is exchanged, and the degree of experimentation facilitated by the activity. By categorising the examples, we identify six domestication strategies, each of which involves a different combination of design activities. Finally, we discuss domestication in terms of skill and innovation, arguing that amateur practice has much to offer in both respects

Is the Broad-Line Region Clumped or Smooth? Constraints from the H alpha Profile in NGC 4395, the Least Luminous Seyfert 1 Galaxy

The origin and configuration of the gas which emits broad lines in Type I active galactic nuclei is not established yet. The lack of small-scale structure in the broad emission-line profiles is consistent with a smooth gas flow, or a clumped flow with many small clouds. An attractive possibility for the origin of many small clouds is the atmospheres of bloated stars, an origin which also provides a natural mechanism for the cloud confinement. Earlier studies of the broad-line profiles have already put strong lower limits on the minimum number of such stars, but these limits are sensitive to the assumed width of the lines produced by each cloud. Here we revisit this problem using high-resolution Keck spectra of the H alpha line in NGC 4395, which has the smallest known broad-line region (~10^14 cm). Only a handful of the required bloated stars (each having r~10^14 cm) could fit into the broad-line region of NGC 4395, yet the observed smoothness of the H alpha line implies a lower limit of ~10^4-10^5 on the number of discrete clouds. This rules out conclusively the bloated-stars scenario, regardless of any plausible line-broadening mechanisms. The upper limit on the size of the clouds is ~10^12 cm, which is comparable to the size implied by photoionization models. This strongly suggests that gas in the broad-line region is structured as a smooth rather than a clumped flow, most likely in a rotationally dominated thick disk-like configuration. However, it remains to be clarified why such a smooth, gravity-dominated flow generates double-peaked emission lines only in a small fraction of active galactic nuclei.Comment: 12 pages, including 3 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

The potential for dietary factors to prevent or treat osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease for which there are no disease-modifying drugs. It is a leading cause of disability in the UK. Increasing age and obesity are both major risk factors for OA and the health and economic burden of this disease will increase in the future. Focusing on compounds from the habitual diet that may prevent the onset or slow the progression of OA is a strategy that has been under-investigated to date. An approach that relies on dietary modification is clearly attractive in terms of risk/benefit and more likely to be implementable at the population level. However, before undertaking a full clinical trial to examine potential efficacy, detailed molecular studies are required in order to optimise the design. This review focuses on potential dietary factors that may reduce the risk or progression of OA, including micronutrients, fatty acids, flavonoids and other phytochemicals. It therefore ignores data coming from classical inflammatory arthritides and nutraceuticals such as glucosamine and chondroitin. In conclusion, diet offers a route by which the health of the joint can be protected and OA incidence or progression decreased. In a chronic disease, with risk factors increasing in the population and with no pharmaceutical cure, an understanding of this will be crucial

The Formation of Broad Line Clouds in the Accretion Shocks of Active Galactic Nuclei

Recent work on the gas dynamics in the Galactic Center has improved our understanding of the accretion processes in galactic nuclei, particularly with regard to properties such as the specific angular momentum distribution, density, and temperature of the inflowing plasma. This information can be valuable in trying to determine the origin of the Broad Line Region (BLR) in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). In this paper, we explore various scenarios for the cloud formation based on the underlying principle that the source of plasma is ultimately that portion of the gas trapped by the central black hole from the interstellar medium. Based on what we know about the Galactic Center, it is likely that in highly dynamic environments such as this, the supply of matter is due mostly to stellar winds from the central cluster. Winds accreting onto a central black hole are subjected to several disturbances capable of producing shocks, including a Bondi-Hoyle flow, stellar wind-wind collisions, and turbulence. Shocked gas is initially compressed and heated out of thermal equilibrium with the ambient radiation field; a cooling instability sets in as the gas is cooled via inverse-Compton and bremsstrahlung processes. If the cooling time is less than the dynamical flow time through the shock region, the gas may clump to form the clouds responsible for broad line emission seen in many AGN spectra. Clouds produced by this process display the correct range of densities and velocity fields seen in broad emission lines. Very importantly, the cloud distribution agrees with the results of reverberation studies, in which it is seen that the central line peak responds slower to continuum changes than the line wings.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure