School Leadership, Teachers’ Roles in School Decisionmaking, and Student Achievement

This working paper summarizes the results of a study of leadership in elementary and secondary schools. The study focused in particular on instructional leadership – the extent to which school leaders focus on the core activities of teaching and learning – and teacher leadership – the extent to which teachers have input into school decision-making. This paper is drawn from the full report of the study, entitled School Leadership Counts (Ingersoll, Dougherty and Sirinides 2017), available at www.newteachercenter.org

Leadership Matters: Teachers\u27 Roles in Decision Making and School Performance

Given the prominence of both instructional leadership and teacher leadership in the realms of school reform and policy, not surprisingly, both have also been the focus of extensive empirical research. But there have been limits to this research. It is, for example, unclear which of the many key elements of instructional leadership are more, or less, likely to be adopted in schools across the nation. Similarly, it is unclear which of these elements are more, or less, beneficial for school performance and for student learning and growth. Likewise, though the extent of teacher involvement in school decision making has been widely studied, there has been almost no solid empirical research on whether teacher leadership is beneficial for student learning and growth. These topics are the subject of a study the authors undertook, which this article summarizes

Effect of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy on Intraoperative Core Temperature in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Clinical evidence suggests that chemotherapeutic agents are associated with neuropathy and peripheral autonomic dysfunction. However, the possible effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on intraoperative temperature remain poorly characterised. METHODS: We evaluated patients who underwent a mastectomy for breast cancer between April 2016 and July 2020. Propensity scores were used to match patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with those who did not, and intraoperative core temperature patterns were analysed in the matched cohort. The independent associations between vasopressor use and heart rate during general anaesthesia in the matched cohort were also analysed. RESULTS: Data from 1764 patients were analysed (882 patients in each group). Both groups presented a similar pattern of heat redistribution and subsequent rewarming; however, the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group did not reach the same intraoperative plateau temperature as the group that did not receive prior chemotherapy, with differences of up to 0.4°C (95% confidence interval: 0.11-0.63°C; CONCLUSIONS: In patients with breast cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with lower plateau core temperatures, increased vasopressor use, and higher heart rates during general anaesthesia, which is more severe in the presence of neuropathy

Cisplatin and the Mu Opioid Receptor Antagonist Methylnaltrexone Inhibit Neurite Growth in Cultured Trigeminal Neurons

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp23/1040/thumbnail.jp

Pain Experience and Sensory Changes in Astronauts During and After Short-Lasting Commercial Spaceflight: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Space travel has been associated with musculoskeletal pain, yet little is known about the nociceptive changes and pain experience during spaceflight. This preliminary study aims to investigate the pain experience and sensory alterations in astronauts following a 17-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Axiom Space\u27s AX-1 commercial space flight. Two participants were enrolled, and data were collected pre-flight, in-flight, post-flight, and three-month post-flight. Validated pain questionnaires assessed anxiety, catastrophizing, impact on physical and mental health, disability, and overall pain experience. Qualitative interviews were conducted post-landing and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and quantitative sensory testing (QST) were performed. Both astronauts reported musculoskeletal pain during and after the flight, which was managed with anti-inflammatories and stretching techniques. Pain levels returned to baseline after three months. Pain questionnaires revealed heightened pain experiences in-flight and immediately post-flight, although their adequacy in assessing pain in space is uncertain. Qualitative interviews allowed astronauts to describe their pain experiences during the flight. Sensory changes included increased mechanical touch detection thresholds, temporal pain summation, heat pain thresholds, and differences in conditioned pain modulation post-flight. This preliminary study suggested that spaceflight may affect various aspects of sensory perception and regulation in astronauts, albeit in a variable manner. More data are needed to gain insight of on gain and loss of sensory functions during space missions. Further investigation into the multifactorial stressors affecting the somatosensory system during space travel could contribute to advancements in space and pain medicine

Inhibition of Ly-6A antigen expression prevents T cell activation

Antisense oligonucleotides complementary to the 5' end of the mRNA encoding the Ly-6A protein were used to block the expression of that protein. Using this approach we could inhibit the expression of Ly-6A by 60-80% in antigen-primed lymph node (LN) T cells as well as in the D10 T cell clone. Inhibition of Ly-6 expression resulted in the inability to restimulate in vitro, antigen-primed T cells. It also blocked the activation of normal spleen cells by Con A, monoclonal antibody (mAb) to CD3, and mAb to Ly-6. In contrast, stimulation of normal spleen cells with the pharmacological agents PMA + ionomycin were unaffected by the inhibition of Ly-6 expression. Similar results were obtained with the D10 T cell clone; stimulation with Con A + interleukin 1 (IL-1), antigen-presenting cells (APC), or the clonotypic antibody + IL-1 was greatly reduced in the presence of antisense oligonucleotides to Ly-6. Stimulation with PMA + ionomycin was again unaffected. We also studied the effect of antisense oligonucleotides on stimulation of preactivated D10 cells. Preactivation of D10 cells with Con A + IL-1 renders them receptive to secondary stimulation by other lymphokines. In this case, antisense oligonucleotides to Ly-6 had no effect on secondary activation with IL-2, IL-4 + IL-1, or PMA + ionomycin. We conclude from these studies that Ly-6 expression is required for T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated T cell activation

Internally driven large-scale changes in the size of Saturn’s magnetosphere

Saturn’s magnetic field acts as an obstacle to solar wind flow, deflecting plasma around the planet and forming a cavity known as the magnetosphere. The magnetopause defines the boundary between the planetary and solar dominated regimes, and so is strongly influenced by the variable nature of pressure sources both outside and within. Following from Pilkington et al. (2014), crossings of the magnetopause are identified using 7 years of magnetic field and particle data from the Cassini spacecraft and providing unprecedented spatial coverage of the magnetopause boundary. These observations reveal a dynamical interaction where, in addition to the external influence of the solar wind dynamic pressure, internal drivers, and hot plasma dynamics in particular can take almost complete control of the system’s dayside shape and size, essentially defying the solar wind conditions. The magnetopause can move by up to 10–15 planetary radii at constant solar wind dynamic pressure, corresponding to relatively “plasma-loaded” or “plasma-depleted” states, defined in terms of the internal suprathermal plasma pressure