Fostering Leadership Capacity in Three South Carolina High Schools: An Exploratory Study

Some states include fostering teacher leadership in principal evaluations, so principals need to provide opportunities and mentor or coach their staffs to assume leadership roles. Yet, less is known about the specific ways principals develop the leadership capacities of others. In this exploratory study we examined how principals in three South Carolina high schools intentionally fostered the capacities of leaders to enhance their schools’ organizational capacities. Our research questions were: 1) How are emerging leaders identified and selected by their principals? 2) How do principals foster leadership capacity in these leaders? Data collected for this multi-site qualitative study consisted of artifacts and semi-structured 60-90 minute interviews. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed by the research team inductively and deductively using NVivo 10. Our findings indicated that principals selected leaders who: indicated a desire to go into formal leadership roles; had good interpersonal skills and rapport with students and parents; demonstrated persistence and willingness; were effective teachers; had strong personalities; and had a particular skill or knowledge. Our findings for the second question indicate that principals fostered leadership by: mentoring and coaching others to leadership; scaffolding opportunities to lead; and trusting leaders to make the right decision

Dynamic telomerase gene suppression via network effects of GSK3 inhibition

<b>Background</b>: Telomerase controls telomere homeostasis and cell immortality and is a promising anti-cancer target, but few small molecule telomerase inhibitors have been developed. Reactivated transcription of the catalytic subunit hTERT in cancer cells controls telomerase expression. Better understanding of upstream pathways is critical for effective anti-telomerase therapeutics and may reveal new targets to inhibit hTERT expression. <b>Methodology/Principal Findings</b>: In a focused promoter screen, several GSK3 inhibitors suppressed hTERT reporter activity. GSK3 inhibition using 6-bromoindirubin-3′-oxime suppressed hTERT expression, telomerase activity and telomere length in several cancer cell lines and growth and hTERT expression in ovarian cancer xenografts. Microarray analysis, network modelling and oligonucleotide binding assays suggested that multiple transcription factors were affected. Extensive remodelling involving Sp1, STAT3, c-Myc, NFκB, and p53 occurred at the endogenous hTERT promoter. RNAi screening of the hTERT promoter revealed multiple kinase genes which affect the hTERT promoter, potentially acting through these factors. Prolonged inhibitor treatments caused dynamic expression both of hTERT and of c-Jun, p53, STAT3, AR and c-Myc. <b>Conclusions/Significance</b>: Our results indicate that GSK3 activates hTERT expression in cancer cells and contributes to telomere length homeostasis. GSK3 inhibition is a clinical strategy for several chronic diseases. These results imply that it may also be useful in cancer therapy. However, the complex network effects we show here have implications for either setting

Teaching during COVID-19: Relational-Cultural Theory in the Online Classroom

The sudden conversion from face-to-face to online instruction in Spring semester 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented. During this time instructors in helping professional training programs were engaged in the duality of being impacted in various degrees while simultaneously training students to assist clients in dealing with the resulting stress and emotional impact. Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) is a framework that can be used within online counselor education to consider the impact of the larger socio-cultural context on student learning, prioritizing fostering relational connections. In this article, online teaching approaches aligned with the video conferencing tool, Zoom, are described

Small scale vegetable oil extraction

The processes required to manufacture human food from oilseeds and nuts vary considerably, depending on the raw materials and the scale of the operation. Large-scale producers can select equipment from a range of manufacturers, but the choice for smaller manufacturers is generally limited. Small-Scale Vegetable Oil Extraction presents the options available for processing a range of common oilseeds from domestic to village scales of operation. Details are provided on the type and source of equipment, and the requirements for financial success are examined. The publication will be of interest both to entrepreneurs and NGOs considering setting up oilseed operations

Low temperature structural phase transition and incommensurate lattice modulation in the spin gap compound BaCuSi2O6

Results of high resolution x-ray diffraction experiments are presented for single crystals of the spin gap compound BaCuSi$_2$O$_6$ in the temperature range from 16 to 300 K. The data show clear evidence of a transition from the room temperature tetragonal phase into an incommensurately modulated orthorhombic structure below $\sim$100 K. This lattice modulation is characterized by a resolution limited wave vector {\bf q}$_{IC}$=(0,$\sim$0.13,0) and its 2$^{nd}$ and 3$^{rd}$ harmonics. The phase transition is first order and exhibits considerable hysteresis. This observation implies that the spin Hamiltonian representing the system is more complex than originally thought.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

KAAS: an automatic genome annotation and pathway reconstruction server

The number of complete and draft genomes is rapidly growing in recent years, and it has become increasingly important to automate the identification of functional properties and biological roles of genes in these genomes. In the KEGG database, genes in complete genomes are annotated with the KEGG orthology (KO) identifiers, or the K numbers, based on the best hit information using Smith–Waterman scores as well as by the manual curation. Each K number represents an ortholog group of genes, and it is directly linked to an object in the KEGG pathway map or the BRITE functional hierarchy. Here, we have developed a web-based server called KAAS (KEGG Automatic Annotation Server: http://www.genome.jp/kegg/kaas/) i.e. an implementation of a rapid method to automatically assign K numbers to genes in the genome, enabling reconstruction of KEGG pathways and BRITE hierarchies. The method is based on sequence similarities, bi-directional best hit information and some heuristics, and has achieved a high degree of accuracy when compared with the manually curated KEGG GENES database

Open data as open educational resources

Presentation slides from the 7th Open Education Working Group Call (webinar

Roughening of close-packed singular surfaces

An upper bound to the roughening temperature of a close-packed singular surface, fcc Al (111), is obtained via free energy calculations based on thermodynamic integration using the embedded-atom interaction model. Roughening of Al (111) is predicted to occur at around 890 K, well below bulk melting (933 K), and it should therefore be observable, save for possible kinetic hindering.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, embedded figure

Open Data as Open Educational Resources: Case studies of emerging practice

This collection presents the stories of our contributors’ experiences and insights, in order to demonstrate the enormous potential for openly-licensed and accessible datasets (Open Data) to be used as Open Educational Resources (OER). Open Data is an umbrella term describing openly-licensed, interoperable, and reusable datasets which have been created and made available to the public by national or local governments, academic researchers, or other organisations. These datasets can be accessed, used and shared without restrictions other than attribution of the intellectual property of their creators1.While there are various definitions of OER, these are generally understood as openly-licensed digital resources that can be used in teaching and learning. On the basis of these definitions, it is reasonable to assert that while Open Data is not always OER, it certainly becomes OER when used within pedagogical contexts. Yet while the question may appear already settled at the level of definition, the potential and actual pedagogical uses of Open Data appear to have been under-discussed. As open education researchers who take a wider interest in the various open ‘movements’, we have observed that linkages between them are not always strong, in spite of shared and interconnecting values. So, Open Data tends to be discussed primarily in relation to its production, storage, licensing and accessibility, but less often in relation to its practical subsequent uses. And, in spite of widespread understanding that use of the term ‘OER’ is actually context-dependent, and, therefore, could be almost all-encompassing, the focus of OER practice and research has tended to be on educator-produced learning materials. The search for relevant research literature in the early stages of this project turned up sources which discuss the benefits of opening data, and others advocating improving student engagement with data3, but on the topic of Open Data as an educational resource specifically, there appeared to be something of a gap