A Theological Perspective on Heroic Leadership in the Context of Followership and Servant Leadership

This article aims to bring a theological perspective to the concept of heroic leadership, specifically from a theology of leadership grounded in Christian social teaching, and with a focus on leadership in the workplace. A rationale for bringing a theological perspective to the exploration of heroic leadership within heroism science is provided, and there is discussion on the importance of followership in any dialogue about leadership, as well as the significance of servant leadership. It is argued that a Christian theology of leadership aligns closely with much of what is portrayed by a renewed heroic leadership in the areas of Purpose, People and Praxis, particularly in the areas of working for the transformation of self and others

A theology of leadership: From social justice for transformation

In response to leadership in contemporary workplaces being under pressure from a neoliberal agenda, in which workers are often seen as economic subjects rather than persons entitled to fulfilling work, the purpose of this thesis was to develop a theology of leadership for Christian leaders. The study is placed within the theological sub-discipline of practical theology understood as bringing together, rather than being separate from, other sub-disciplines of theology such as systematic and moral theology. The intent of this practical theology is to support Christian leaders in enacting a theology of leadership that deepens their understanding of the kingdom of God and "what it means to be a people of God". Existing theology of leadership literature is explored to establish the elements of a theology of leadership. A conceptual framework is developed comprised of the three core concepts of purpose, people and praxis, within which are contained twelve essences. The content of this framework led to an investigation of Christian social teaching, as well as secular social justice, leadership and organisational literature, to judge whether these areas can fulfil and expand the elements of a theology of leadership. A model of a "theology of leadership: from social justice for transformation" is then presented. It is argued that this theology has the potential to guide and support the work of Christian leaders, in both faith-based and secular workplaces, for the purpose of individual and social transformation and the common good. Four contemporary business organisations are analysed using the model and it is argued that it is possible for this theology of leadership to be enacted in many contemporary workplaces. A further chapter identifies and discusses resources which can support the Christian leader in both the professional and personal realms in the enactment of a "theology of leadership: from social justice for transformation"

Biological and economical feasibility studies of using seaweeds Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta) in recirculation systems in abalone farming

Includes bibliographical references (p. 282-311).The aim of this study was to investigate whether a land-based recirculating seaweed-abalone integrated aquaculture system using Ulva lactuca was feasible as well as to test the differences between a commercial gravel bed recirculation system to an existing flow through system. These studies were carried out at two abalone farms: Danger Point (I & J) (140 km east of Cape Town) and at Jacobs Bay (JSP) (120 km north of Cape Town. South Africa). In both studies no significant difference in terms of water quality, abalone growth rates and abalone health were found. It was found that a seaweed /abalone recirculating system at the designed water exchange rates (25 %) was nitrogen limited and that the system as designed could be run at 75 % recirculation rate and remove a significant proportion of the dissolved nutrients (ammonium, phosphorus, nitrate and nitrite)

The cultivation of Ulva lactuca (chlorophyta) in an integrated aquaculture system, for the production of abalone feed and the bioremediation of aquaculture effluent

Significant effort has been put into the development of cost-effective abalone cultivation systems in South Africa, but the limited availability of suitable seaweed for abalone food is an obstacle to future development. The aim of this study was to investigate whether land-based integrated aquaculture (tank cultivation) and seaweed culture using Ulva lactuca in aquaculture effluent was feasible. This study was carried out at two abalone farms: Danger Point (I & J) (140 km east of Cape Town) and Jacobsbaai (JSP) (120 km north of Cape Town, South Africa). Both farms want to supplement the abalone feed with Ulva and investigate its potential for recirculation. Ulva is one of the simplest seaweeds to cultivate as it grows vegetatively. It would have a further benefit in its capacity to absorb nutrients and thus improve water quality of the aquaculture effluent. Results show that abalone effluent medium alone is insufficient for seaweed cultivation. Turbot effluent media has far more nutrients for seaweed but turbidity due to incomplete turbot feed pellet assimilation could be a problem. The most effective cultivation media on both farms is a fertilized effluent growth medium. This study established that water exchange rates are important in assuring an optimum nutrient supply for the seaweed. At high water exchange rates (20 Volume Exchanges (VE).d ·1), Specific Growth Rate (SGR) in turbot and seawater treatments were not significantly different despite a significant difference in water nutrient concentration. Maximum nutrient removal occurs at both 12 and 20 volume exchanges per day, using a stocking density of 3 kgm·2 on both farms. Approximately 70 % of the ammonium is removed during the day and 60 % at night at JSP in both turbot and abalone treatments, while at I & J in the abalone treatments, 90 % and 80 % of the ammonium is removed during the day and night respectively. The diel fluctuation in dissolved oxygen is above critical levels (6 mg.I) for abalone respiration at night, thus indicating that direct recirculation is possible. The seaweeds grown at a high water exchange rate at JSP were all phosphate limited except in winter, when background phosphate concentrations increased. Thus, fertilizers like Maxiphos can benefit the alga, especially if the phosphate ratio were to be increased in summer. Maintaining a pH below 9 is important in maintaining seaweed health and should become an integral part of the farm management protocol. Myrionema strangulans is an epiphyte newly recorded for South Africa during this project and has potentially devastating effects for culture of Ulva. Pulse fertilization of culture tanks combined with seasonal shading (late September to early February) using 20 % shade cloth controls epiphytic and fouling algal growth, particularly Myrionema. Shading also improves thallus condition, increases tissue nitrogen and decreases pH. Shading with a 50 % shade cloth however, has a significant reduction on uptake of ammonium and phosphate by the seaweed as well as decreasing the SGR and resulting in a species dominace switch from Ulva lactuca to Ulva capensis. There is a decrease in SGR when scaling up tank sizes, but this decrease can be optimized by cultivating the alga in pulse fertilized effluent water. Growing Ulva in effluent media increases its tissue nitrogen and thus protein content, increasing it above levels found in nature (average protein content in turbot= 49.8 %) and improving it as a source of protein for cultured abalone. A consistent relationship between tissue nitrogen and thallus colour was determined and can be used by mariculture farmers to assess the nutrient quality of Ulva as a food source for abalone which has important benefits for Ulva aquaculture. On the I & J farm the chosen stocking density (2 kg.m"2) produced maximum SGR and yields. At JSP the chosen stocking density {2 kg.m"2) was too high and a stocking density of 1 kg.m·2 would have optimized SGR. Seasonal effects on stocking density were not investigated. Addition of Kelpak ® concentration (commercial kelp extract) of 1: 2 500 pulse fed once a week, increases SGR. This study has shown that Kelpak® in addition to fertilizer may have commercial potential in the seaweed mariculture industry. These results confirm that Ulva is exceptionally suitable for intensive culture in different types of nutrient loaded water, and that its cultivation on an abalone farm could have significant economic benefits. For example, a 50 ton abalone farm feeding protein enriched Ulva could decrease the production time from 5 years to 3.6 year which equates to a savings of between R 800 000 - R1 300 000

Effects of El Nino on Local Hydrography and Growth of the Giant Kelp, Macrocystis Pyrifera, at Santa Catalina Island, California

Deepened isotherms associated with El Niño resulted in severe nutrient limitation and very low kelp productivity during the last half of 1983. Frond growth rates were so low that terminal blades formed before reaching the surface, eliminating the canopy. Frond initiation rates were also extremely low, resulting in significant reductions in mean plant size. Plants growing above 10m were more severely affected than plants at 20m. Nutrient pulses associated with internal waves are thus critical for survival of Macrocystis pyrifera in nutritionally marginal habitats in Southern California

Effects of wild and farm-grown macroalgae on the growth of juvenile South African abalone Haliotis midae Linnaeus

The effect of various macroalgal diets on the growth of grow-out (> 20 mm shell length) South African abalone Haliotis midae was investigated on a commercial abalone farm. The experiment consisted of four treatments: fresh kelp blades (Ecklonia maxima [Osbeck] Papenfuss) (~ 10 % protein); farmed, protein-enriched Ulva lactuca Linnaeus (~26 % protein) grown in aquaculture effluent; wild U. lactuca (~ 20 % protein); and a combination (mixed) diet of kelp blades + farmed U. lactuca. Abalone grew best on the combination diet (0.423 ± 0.02% weight dayˉ¹ SGR [specific growth rate]; 59.593 ± 0.02 µm dayˉ¹ DISL [daily increment in shell length]; 1.093 final CF [condition factor]) followed by the kelp only diet (0.367 ± 0.02 % weight dayˉ¹ SGR; 53.148 ± 0.02 µm dayˉ¹ DISL; 1.047 final CF), then the farmed, protein-enriched U. lactuca only diet (0.290 ± 0.02% weight dayˉ¹ SGR; 42.988 ± 0.03 µm dayˉ¹ DISL; 1.013 final CF) that in turn outperformed the wild U. lactuca only diet (-0.079 ± 0.01 % weight dayˉ¹ SGR; 3.745 ± 0.02 µm dayˉ¹ DISL; 0.812 final CF). The results suggest that protein alone could not have accounted for the differences produced by the varieties of U. lactuca and that the gross energy content is probably important.Web of Scienc

Presentation modality influences behavioral measures of alerting, orienting, and executive control

The Attention Network Test (ANT) uses visual stimuli to separately assess the attentional skills of alerting (improved performance following a warning cue), spatial orienting (an additional benefit when the warning cue also cues target location), and executive control (impaired performance when a target stimulus contains conflicting information). This study contrasted performance on auditory and visual versions of the ANT to determine whether the measures it obtains are influenced by presentation modality. Forty healthy volunteers completed both auditory and visual tests. Reaction-time measures of executive control were of a similar magnitude and significantly correlated, suggesting that executive control might be a supramodal resource. Measures of alerting were also comparable across tasks. In contrast, spatial-orienting benefits were obtained only in the visual task. Auditory spatial cues did not improve response times to auditory targets presented at the cued location. The different spatial-orienting measures could reflect either separate orienting resources for each perceptual modality, or an interaction between a supramodal orienting resource and modality-specific perceptual processing

Prescribing in the homeless population

Last month, the research roundup provided you with an overview of articles looking at concerning deprescribing (Robertson, 2022). This month, we will review articles looking at prescribing in the homeless population. The first article looks at prescription data from specialist homelessness general practices. The second article looks at opioid replacement therapy in a homeless population, while the final paper reviews a pharmacist outreach and non-medical prescribing service for homeless people

Podiatrist's prescribing practice

Last month's research roundup provided an overview of articles assessing the role and remit of physiotherapist prescribers (Robertson, 2022). This month, we will review papers concerning podiatrists and their prescribing practice. The first is a review of the progress made in podiatry prescribing in the UK, while the second reviews podiatric prescribing in Australia. The final paper examines UK podiatric surgery and the role of the prescribing podiatrist in this advanced field of practice