It\u27s a matter of principal: Examining relationships between leaders\u27 change facilitator style and students\u27 academic progress

At no other time in the history of American education have school principals been faced with as many challenges as today. The era of accountability has increased the daily pressures of leading a school, while responsibility for student achievement is at an all time high. Some studies have examined a leaders’ impact on teacher behaviors. Fewer studies have examined the possible impacts that principals have on student learning. In this study, leadership research was reviewed; not only in education, but in business, sports, and other fields. The traits and styles of leaders were explored in an attempt to define the characteristics and actions of successful and effective leaders. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between elementary school principals’ Change Facilitator Style and students’ performance on the Nevada Criterion Reference Tests, which determine schools’ Adequate Yearly Progress. Nine schools with majority minority student populations were selected. The principals had been in their schools for a minimum of three years. An expert panel developed consensus ratings of each principal’s Change Facilitator Style. Students who had attended the school for grades 3, 4 and 5 were identified as a Super Cohort. The statistical exploration of relationships between principals being more of an Initiator, Manager, or Responder and student levels of proficiency indicated that students in Responder led schools scored the lowest

The role of toll-like receptor 7 in the neuropathogenesis of retrovirus infection in neonates

Viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS) in infants are rare; however, they are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. These virus infections often induce strong innate immune responses in the brain including: the production of cytokines and chemokines, the activation of astrocytes and microglia and the recruitment of macrophages. Innate immune responses are often initiated by toll-like receptors (TLR). Several studies have demonstrated that toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) can be stimulated by single-stranded RNA from multiple viruses. In the current study, we examined the mechanism by which TLR7 contributes to neuroinflammation in the neonatal brain using a mouse model of polytropic retrovirus infection. We found that TLR7 deficiency had no effect on neurologic disease, viral replication, or induction of interferon beta mRNA. However, TLR7 deficiency significantly altered neuroinflammatory responses including proinflammatory cytokine production, astrocyte activation, and microglial/macrophage activation. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the necessity of TLR7 for innate immune responses to retrovirus infection in vivo. Additionally, this indicates that the immune response to retrovirus in the CNS may not be essential for disease pathogenesis in neonates

Environmental Studies at Newton Lake, Illinois: Tasks 4, 5, and 7

ID: 8658; issued March 1, 1991INHS Technical Report prepared for Marathon Oil Compan

Acute rotator cuff tendinopathy: does ice, low load isometric exercise, or a combination of the two produce an analgaesic effect?

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Parle PJ, Riddiford-Harland DL, Howitt CD, et al. 'Acute rotator cuff tendinopathy: does ice, low load isometric exercise, or a combination of the two produce an analgaesic effect?.' Br J Sports Med 2017;51:208-209, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096107.Rotator cuff tendinopathies are the most commonly diagnosed musculoskeletal shoulder conditions and are associated with pain, weakness and loss of function.1 Tendon swelling may be associated with tendinopathy and may result from acute overload.2–3 An increase in tendon cells (tenocytes) and upregulation of large molecular weight proteoglycans, such as aggrecan, may increase tendon water content.2 There is uncertainty as to whether the swelling is related to the pain or is instead an observed but unrelated phenomenon. Weakness detected clinically may be due to pain inhibition.4–5 Early treatment of acute rotator cuff tendinopathy involves patient education and relative rest, and may include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation. Subacromial corticosteroid injections are also used to achieve the same purpose. These techniques show low to moderate evidence of reducing short-term pain but they do not improve function.6 The medications have side effects such as gastrointestinal tract complaints,7 and corticosteroids may damage tendon tissue.8 Identifying alternative ways to control pain and inflammation may be warranted. Two clinical procedures to manage RC tendinopathy include ice wraps and isometric exercise, however, there are no empirical data supporting their use. This pilot study, conducted at the Illawarra Sports Medicine Clinic, NSW, Australia, was designed to test (1) the short term analgaesic effect of these interventions and (2) the feasibility of a larger clinical trial for adults diagnosed with acute rotator cuff tendinopathy (<12 weeks).Peer reviewe

Litter Breakdown in Mountain Streams Affected by Mine Drainage: Biotic Mediation of Abiotic Controls

Breakdown of plant litter in streams was studied as an example of a major ecological process subject to change through multiple stresses associated with mine drainage. Rates of litter breakdown were measured at 27 sites in streams of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA. Eight of the sites were pristine, and 19 were affected to varying degrees by mine drainage. The pH, concentrations of dissolved zinc, and deposition rates of metal oxides were measured in each stream. Rates of litter breakdown were estimated from changes in mass of willow leaves in litterbags. Biomass of shredding invertebrates in litterbags was monitored at each site, as was microbial respiration on litter. Of the abiotic variables, increased concentrations of zinc and increased deposition rates of metal oxides were most closely related to decreased rates of litter breakdown. Biomass of shredding invertebrates was negatively related to concentration of dissolved zinc and deposition of metal oxides and was more closely related to breakdown rates than was microbial respiration. Microbial respiration was related negatively to deposition rates of metal oxides and positively to nutrient concentrations. Shredder biomass and microbial respiration together accounted for 76% of the variation in breakdown rates. Remediation schemes for streams affected by mine drainage should take into account the distinct ecological effects of the multiple stresses caused by mine drainage (pH, high concentrations of dissolved metals, deposition of metal oxides); remediation of a single stress is likely to be ineffective

Funding Community Controlled Open Infrastructure for Scholarly Communication: The 2.5% Commitment Initiative

This paper describes the 2.5% Commitment Initiative and the work it has done to encourage contributions to shared digital infrastructure. It suggests a path forward and encourages libraries to participate and invest in open scholarly infrastructure

Interprofessional Education (IPE) between Medical and Dietetics Students: Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) Influencing Patient Care

Health Professions - Clinical (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)Inter-professional education (IPE) is a teaching process where students of various health professions work together and learn through engaging activities in-order to improve overall healthcare. Despite the growing need for IPE, a lack of data exists pertaining to IPE outcomes between students in domains of nutrition & medicine. The overall aim was to implement and evaluate didactic and experiential MNT for medical students (MS) and dietetic interns (DI). Medical Dietetics faculty taught key components of dietary risk assessment and MNT (specifically DASH, carbohydrate-controlled, gluten free, mineral-controlled for renal disease, and national cholesterol education program (NCEP)). Then, one DI paired with 2-6 MS and altered sample meals using evidence-based guidelines as specified in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition Care Manual. Each MS made suggestions for therapeutic alterations to meals. Each group discussed potential challenges facing patients following specific diets. Barriers and solutions for healthy eating discussed in each group included picky eaters, food insecurity, frequently eating out, cooking challenges, family dysfunctions, and food sensitivities. At end of session, Faculty debriefed the entire class with an overall discussion. Evaluations for MS included pre- and post-session 5-point Likert-surveys (least=1; most=5) rating perceived confidence & knowledge for: altering meals for MNT, suggesting healthy solutions, recognizing parameters of nutrition risk, and integrating MNT and the role of dietitians. DI gave post-session feedback to open-ended IPE questions. Analyses showed a significant change in pre and post survey scores for every question (p<0.05). MS rated the IPE session with highest marks for helpfulness of session to alter meals in accordance to MNT guidelines, address parameters to assess nutrition risk in acute care, and work alongside RDs. DI feedback underscored the role of RDs on the medical team. Future IPE work should include longitudinal assessment of impact once MS are in clinical and resident rotations.Academic Major: Medical Dietetic

Co-production of ethanol and squalene using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae ERG1 (squalene epoxidase) mutant and agro-industrial feedstock

Background: Genetically customised Saccharomyces cerevisiae that can produce ethanol and additional bio-based chemicals from sustainable agro-industrial feedstocks (for example, residual plant biomass) are of major interest to the biofuel industry. We investigated the microbial biorefinery concept of ethanol and squalene co-production using S. cerevisiae (strain YUG37- ERG1 ) wherein ERG1 (squalene epoxidase) transcription is under the control of a doxycycline-repressible tet0 7 -CYC1 promoter. The production of ethanol and squalene by YUG37- ERG1 grown using agriculturally sourced grass juice supplemented with doxycycline was assessed. Results: Use of the tet0 7 -CYC1 promoter permitted regulation of ERG1 expression and squalene accumulation in YUG37- ERG1, allowing us to circumvent the lethal growth phenotype seen when ERG1 is disrupted completely. In experiments using grass juice feedstock supplemented with 0 to 50 μ g doxycycline mL − 1 , YUG37- ERG1 fermented ethanol (22.5 [±0.5] mg mL − 1 ) and accumulated the highest squalene content (7.89 ± 0.25 mg g − 1 dry biomass) and yield (18.0 ± 4.18 mg squalene L − 1 ) with supplements of 5.0 and 0.025 μ g doxycycline mL − 1 , respectively. Grass juice was found to be rich in water-soluble carbohydrates (61.1 [±3.6] mg sugars mL − 1 ) and provided excellent feedstock for growth and fermentation studies using YUG37- ERG1 . Conclusion: Residual plant biomass components from crop production and rotation systems represent possible substrates for microbial fermentation of biofuels and bio-based compounds. This study is the first to utilise S. cerevisiae for the co-production of ethanol and squalene from grass juice. Our findings underscore the value of the biorefinery approach and demonstrate the potential to integrate microbial bioprocess engineering with existing agriculture