Using Whole-Group Metabolic Rate and Behaviour to Assess the Energetics of Courtship in Red-Sided Garter Snakes

Reproductive effort is an important aspect of life history as reproductive success is arguably the most important component of fitness. Males tend to compete for access to females and, in the process, expend their energetic capital on mate searching, maleemale competition and courtship rather than directly on offspring. Red-sided garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis, are an exceptional model for studying energetic costs of courtship and mating as they fast during the spring mating season, which segregates the cost of energy acquisition from the cost of courtship and mating. However, measuring an individual male\u27s metabolic rate during courtship is complicated by the fact that male courtship behaviour in redsided garter snakes is dependent on both the detection of a female sexual attractiveness pheromone and on facilitated courtship (i.e. vigorous courtship is only exhibited in the presence of other males). Thus, traditional techniques of placing a mask over the head of individuals would prevent male courtship behaviour, and single animals placed in a flow-through chamber would not yield ecologically realistic levels of courtship, which are only seen in the context of a mating aggregation in this species. Because of these difficulties, we placed groups of males in a flow-through metabolic chamber together with a single female whose respiratory gases were vented outside the chamber to yield a whole-group metabolic rate during competitive courtship. We also measured the standard metabolic rates (SMR) of the males individually for comparison with active metabolic rates. Conservative estimates of peak group metabolic rates during courtship are 10e20 times higher than resting group metabolic rate, which was 1.88 times higher than SMR. These measurements, coupled with the fact that these males are aphagous during the breeding, indicates that costs of courtship may be high for males and has implications for the male mating tactics in this system

The Relationship Between On-Going Factors of Parent Satisfaction in Private Christian Schools in a Southwestern State

School choice has become more prominent in national discourse as competition for students increases. Parent satisfaction is a complex, yet critical, component for school administrators and board members to understand in order to determine the degree to which parent demographics contribute to overall satisfaction among private Christian school parents. This predictive, correlational study investigated perceptions of school choice in the context of consumerism and customer satisfaction to determine the degree to which predictors, namely parent demographics, contribute to overall parental satisfaction among private Christian school parents. The parents in the study represent those who chose a Christian school environment for their children in the Southwestern United States. Parental satisfaction elements were measured by the Customer Satisfaction Survey. The instrument was administered to parents whose children attend private Christian schools in a United States southwestern state. Satisfaction survey data was collected and analyzed via IBM’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Multiple regression analysis was used to predict the values of parental satisfaction elements based upon parental demographic factors. The analysis indicated that there was not a statistically significant predictive relationship between parent demographic factors and overall parent satisfaction. The researcher failed to reject the null hypothesis given the analysis results. Further research is needed in the area of parent satisfaction within Christian education to determine the factors that drive parent satisfaction

Evolution of YY1, YY2, REX1 and DNA-binding motifs in vertebrate genomes

Transcription factors are important for many aspects of gene regulation in eukaryotes. YY1 (Yin-Yang 1) is a particularly interesting example of a highly conserved zinc-finger transcription factor, involved in transcriptional activation, repression, initiation, and in chromatin modification. YY1 is ubiquitously expressed in mammals, and its binding sites are found in ~10% of human genes as well as in repetitive elements. It is a targeting protein of the Polycomb complex and is involved in mammalian genomic imprinting. First, we explored the evolutionary history of YY1 using 62 species and formation of its paralogs, YY2 and REX1, which are found in mammals, and Pho and Phol, which are found in Drosophila. We confirmed the specificity of the consensus YY1 binding site and the differences of the target binding motifs of YY2 and REX1 which are reflected in their amino acid sequences. We found that the core motif, CCAT, is conserved for all three homologs and that YY2 and REX1 were produced via retrotransposition events early in the mammalian lineage. Second, we identified unusual clusters of YY1-binding motifs found in the coding regions of olfactory receptor genes (OLFRs) in mammals but not in fish. Olfactory genes provide scent detection and are the largest class of genes in mammals. Statistical analysis indicates that the core of the YY1-binding motifs cannot be acounted for by conserved amino acid motifs or overall protein homology. Thus selection has acted at the DNA level rather than at the protein level in preserving these YY1-binding sites within coding regions. Therefore, YY1 is likely to play a crucial role in regulating the expression of OLFRs. Third, we produced a new method of microarray data analysis predicated on the positions of genes along a chromosome as well as their expression levels. This technique is supplementary to traditional microarray data analysis and adds a new dimension to finding target genes of interest by looking for co-regulation. Overall, this work provides a coherent background to the evolution of YY1 and its homologs. It provides strong evidence that coding sequences of genes can encode information both at the DNA level and the protein level

A Relationship Among Public School Leadership, Ethics, and Student Achievement

ABSTRACT Historically, it has always been important for school leaders to possess and adhere to high ethical standards. Ethical standards, when demonstrated by school leaders, inspire trust within students, parents and the community in general. This in turn builds support for the school and establishes an environment that is conducive to success. However, with the advent of NCLB and high stakes testing, the pressure on schools to demonstrate improved student achievement has accelerated. Hence, the need for ethical leadership practices within public schools has never been greater. Yet, while much has been done to examine the relationship of various instructional methodologies, staff development programs and curriculum initiatives to student achievement; little has been done to examine the relationship between leadership ethics and student performance at the campus level. This exploratory correlational doctoral study through Walden University examined the relationship between the ethical training of elementary campus principals and student performance within their schools. The study found that a significant relationship exists between the level of ethics training of principals and student performance. The findings pose significant implications for programs that prepare educational leaders and for institutions that develop policy or provide training and on-going staff development for educational leaders

A Relationship Among Public School Leadership, Ethics, and Student Achievement

ABSTRACT Historically, it has always been important for school leaders to possess and adhere to high ethical standards. Ethical standards, when demonstrated by school leaders, inspire trust within students, parents and the community in general. This in turn builds support for the school and establishes an environment that is conducive to success. However, with the advent of NCLB and high stakes testing, the pressure on schools to demonstrate improved student achievement has accelerated. Hence, the need for ethical leadership practices within public schools has never been greater. Yet, while much has been done to examine the relationship of various instructional methodologies, staff development programs and curriculum initiatives to student achievement; little has been done to examine the relationship between leadership ethics and student performance at the campus level. This exploratory correlational doctoral study through Walden University examined the relationship between the ethical training of elementary campus principals and student performance within their schools. The study found that a significant relationship exists between the level of ethics training of principals and student performance. The findings pose significant implications for programs that prepare educational leaders and for institutions that develop policy or provide training and on-going staff development for educational leaders

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Assessment Teams for First Responders in Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) Missions

Immediately following a natural disaster requiring Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR), a myriad of organizations respond. Typically, these early responders send small assessment teams to determine critical needs, which are then paired with the resources available. The needs can range from basic subsistence (food, shelter, and water) to transportation and infrastructure, yet the paramount factor among each team is the need to communicate. To assist in this effort, an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) assessment team using standardized tactics, techniques, procedures and training to maximize effectivenessand comprised of members from multiple organizationscould provide a shared prospective among member groups that could ultimately produce a more objective and complete communications assessment. This in turn, could be transmitted immediately to the global response community via appropriate information sharing portals. As no such model exists at present, our research attempts to pioneer and explore this concept and capability by exploring and providing an outline of an ICT assessment team model. In this thesis, we examine its potential structure, methodologies, and equipment, as well as discuss prospective funding sources, and include in the appendices, checklists derived from our findings, thus improving and hastening early responders understanding of a disasters communications situation.http://archive.org/details/informationndcom109456768Lieutenant, United States Nav

UNCITRAL Considers Electronic Reverse Auctions, as Comparative Public Procurement Comes of Age in the U.S.

This article reports on the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) review of electronic reverse auctions in procurement systems around the world. The article describes the U.S. experience, including the stalled regulatory initiative regarding reverse auctions. Drawing on the literature and on UNCITRAL studies from procurement systems in Asia, Europe and Latin America, the article cites lessons from other nations\u27 use of reverse auctions. In particular, the article discusses the European Union\u27s new rule on reverse auctions, which is probably the best example, worldwide, of a careful attempt to regulate reverse auctions. The article discusses traditional questions in reverse auctions - when is it appropriate to use reverse auctions - and also addresses the more difficult question of when it is probably inappropriate to use reverse auctions. Given these recurring problems, and the pitfalls inherent in reverse auctions, the authors argue that, on balance, reverse auctions should be regulated, and should not be left to proliferate without guidance and structure. Finally, they suggest that the reverse auctions debate itself marks a watershed in U.S. procurement policy: perhaps for the first time, thanks to advances in communications and comparative study, U.S. policymakers will be able to draw directly on other nations\u27 successes and failures in addressing a complex and difficult issue of procurement policy