Servant Leadership and Its Impact on Ethical Climate

Many leaders in intercollegiate athletics are under attack due to an overemphasis on winning and revenue generation. In response, some have recommended a transition to a servant leadership approach because of its focus on the well-being of followers and ethical behaviors (Burton & Welty Peachey, 2013; Welty Peachey, Zhou, Damon, & Burton, 2015). The purpose of this study was to examine athletic directors’ potential demonstration of servant leadership and possible contribution to an ethical climate in NCAA Division III institutions. Participants were 326 athletic staff members from NCAA Division III institutions. Results indicated athletic staff members believed athletic directors displayed characteristics of servant leadership. Athletic department employees perceived athletic directors exhibited servant leadership characteristics of accountability, standing back, stewardship, authenticity, humility, and empowerment most often. Staff members who perceived athletic directors displayed servant leadership characteristics were more likely to report working in an ethical climate. If athletic directors choose to model the characteristics of servant leaders, they could promote more fully the NCAA Division III philosophy of prioritizing the well-being of others, being a positive role model for employees, and fostering ethical work climates within their athletic departments

Evaluating Classroom Time through Systematic Analysis and Student Feedback

The purpose of this action research was to examine the use of class time through classroom observation and student feedback. Students’, the teacher’s, and whole class activities during class were categorized every two minutes. Students also were given pre- and post-course surveys to assess perceptions on lecture time, impact of learning strategies, and enjoyment of learning strategies. Results indicated students spent the majority of class time actively engaged in their learning instead of passively listening to lectures. However, their views of the optimal amount of lecture time did not change. Even though students overwhelmingly enjoyed engaging learning activities and found them helpful, they still believed teachers should lecture more than 60% of the time, even though the teacher in this course only lectured 30% of the time. Evaluating the way class time was spent was very useful to the teacher for course assessment and planning

Comparison of Sport Tourist and Local Participants’ Sponsorship and Charity Recall and Intentions

Running events have proliferated in the last decade and rely on sponsorships for income. However, more needs to be discovered about how effective these sponsorships are in encouraging purchase behavior and connecting to charity organizations. This study aims to develop a stronger understanding of running event participants and their attitudes toward sponsorships and charity organizations. Local participants were compared to sport tourists to determine if differences existed in the recall or potential use of the sponsor’s product. Also, this study used self-determination theory to determine the impact of motivation on sponsorship recall and purchase intentions. A total of 201 respondents completed a survey at a major running event. Results indicated sport participants were likely to recall sponsors with a high level of perceived fit. Additionally, participants intended to purchase products from the running shoe company. Participants also had a high level of recall for the main charity and intended to donate money. Local participants were more likely to donate time to charity and purchase sponsor products than sport event tourists. Finally, autonomously motivated participants were more likely to recall sponsors. Keywords: Sport, Sponsorship, Charit

Piscine (Sparus aurata) transthyretin cDNA cloning and characterization

Transthyretin (TTR) is one of the three plasma proteins that participate in the transport of thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3); it is also involved in the carriage of retinol through the mediation of retinol-binding protein.1 The liver and choroid plexus are the major sites of TTR synthesis in mammals, birds, and diprotodont marsupials; in reptiles, TTR is only synthesized in the choroid plexus. 2 cDNA coding for TTR has been cloned from several mammalian, reptilian, and avian species and is highly conserved especially in the domains involved in binding to thyroid hormones.3 TTR expression has never been reported in fish, in which albumin is considered to be the main carrier for T3 and T4.2 We report the cloning of a TTR cDNA from sea bream (Sparus aurata) and demonstrate the presence of TTR mRNA in the liver of this fish

Addressing the “My Students Cannot Write” Dilemma: Investigating Methods for Improving Graduate Student Writing

Improved writing can help students in their academic and professional careers, thus this action research project examined the use of three revision strategies in a graduate course by collecting three sources of data. One-sample t-tests revealed no significant differences across paper scores. However, students indicated rough drafts and rewrites were helpful because they were able to make changes to receive a better grade. Students did not find peer reviews helpful. To help students improve their writing, faculty should train them to become effective peer reviewers and give them multiple options for revising their writing

Servant as Leader: The Effects of Servant-Leaders on Trust, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intentions in Intercollegiate Athletics

This study examined the possible influence of servant leadership in NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics. Using a survey research design, 326 athletic department employees were asked to provide their perceptions of their athletic directors’ servant leadership characteristics and respond to questions on trust in leader, turnover intentions, and job satisfaction. Results from structural equation modeling suggested servant-leaders significantly and positively impacted perceptions of trust in leader and job satisfaction. Additionally, there was a significant effect of perceptions of servant leadership on turnover intentions as mediated by job satisfaction. Sport leaders taking a servant leadership approach in their organizations could help nurture a trusting, collaborative, and more satisfying work environment

Modulation of Immunity by Lymphatic Dysfunction in Lymphedema

The debilitating condition known as secondary lymphedema frequently occurs after lymphadenectomy and/or radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer. These therapies can damage lymphatic vessels leading to edema, fibrosis, inflammation and dysregulated adipogenesis, which result in profound swelling of an affected limb. Importantly, lymphedema patients often exhibit impaired immune function which predisposes them to a variety of infections. It is known that lymphadenectomy can compromise the acquisition of adaptive immune responses and antibody production; however the cellular mechanisms involved are poorly understood. Here we discuss recent progress in revealing the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying poor immune function in secondary lymphedema, which has indicated a key role for regulatory T cells in immunosuppression in this disease. Furthermore, the interaction of CD4+ T cells and macrophages has been shown to play a role in driving proliferation of lymphatic endothelial cells and aberrant lymphangiogenesis, which contribute to interstitial fluid accumulation in lymphedema. These new insights into the interplay between lymphatic vessels and the immune system in lymphedema will likely provide opportunities for novel therapeutic approaches designed to improve clinical outcomes in this problematic disease

Coalition building and consensus in the Council of the European Union

peer-reviewedAlthough qualified-majority voting is possible, member states in the Council of the European Union (EU) still adopt most policies by consensus. The agent-based model of coalition building in multilateral negotiations presented here addresses this puzzle. The model demonstrates that consensual decisions may emerge as an unintended by-product of government representatives' desire to form blocking coalitions. A qualitative case study demonstrates the plausibility of the model's assumptions and resulting coalition-building dynamics. Moreover, a quantitative test shows that the model's predictions correspond closely to the observed consensus rates. Finally, computational experiments predict a positive effect of the voting threshold but no effect of increases in membership on winning coalition size, which has important practical implications for institutional design and enlargement policy.ACCEPTEDpeer-reviewe

Targeting lymphangiogenesis to prevent tumour metastasis

Recent studies involving animal models of cancer and clinicopathological analyses of human tumours suggest that the growth of lymphatic vessels (lymphangiogenesis) in or nearby tumours is associated with the metastatic spread of cancer. The best validated molecular signalling system for tumour lymphangiogenesis involves the secreted proteins vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and VEGF-D that induce growth of lymphatic vessels via activation of VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) localised on the surface of lymphatic endothelial cells. In this review, we discuss the evidence supporting a role for this signalling system in the spread of cancer and potential approaches for blocking this system to prevent tumour metastasis