Persistence and Superintendents: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological research study was to describe the lived experiences of public school superintendents with the phenomenon of persistence. Self-Determination Theory was used to describe the experiences of superintendents who have held the superintendency in the same school district for at least 5 consecutive years (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2002). The central research question guiding the study is: What are the lived experiences of superintendents who persist in the public school superintendency? Subquestions addressed various aspects of Self-Determination Theory and persistence, including sources of motivation and goal attainment (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2002). Participants were recruited from among the 33 current superintendents in the Commonwealth of Virginia who have served in their positions for 5 or more years. Data was collected using a questionnaire, face-to-face interviews, and participant journals. Moustakas’ (1994) method for analyzing phenomenological data was used to analyze the data collected in the research study. Themes from the analyzed data were used to craft the structural and textural descriptions of the participants’ lived experiences in an effort to arrive at the “essence” of their experiences with persistence

The Biological Action of Rotenone on the Lake Fauna

The powdered root of Derris elliptica, which contains the alkaloid, rotenone, has long been used by the natives of tropical countries as a fish and arrow poison. Recently it has been introduced in this country as an insecticide, and is being used by conservation workers to remove rough fish from waters which are to be stocked with game fish. Little or no consideration has been given to the possibility that the poison might kill other members of a lake fauna (thus breaking the food chain) and seriously affect the survival of any fish with which the waters might he restocked. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the effect of rotenone on various aquatic animals

Strategies for exploiting the immune system to achieve prevention and improve therapy of cancer

It has steadily become more recognized that even patients with progressively growing tumors are often mounting substantial immune responses against their tumor. The reasons why this immunity is unable to control the outgrowth of the tumor must be understood if we are to develop immunotherapeutic and preventative strategies against cancer. Experimental observations since the 1960s have suggested that cellular immunity generated against tumor antigens is protective, while some studies have led me to believe that humoral immunity may be associated with disease progression. This possibility has led me to test the hypothesis that the cause of immune failure is immune-deviation.The experimental system I chose employs the P815 mastocytoma and L5178Y lymphoma tumors, both of which are of DBA origin. I have demonstrated that primary resistance to tumors correlates with Th1 responses, while primary progressive tumor growth is associated with a mixed Th1/Th2 immune response generated against tumor antigens. Such correlates were defined directly by assessing tumor-dependent cytokine secretion by T cells, and indirectly by assessing the relative abundance of tumor-specific IgG2a and IgG1 antibodies by western blot and enzyme-linked immunoassays. Moreover, I have demonstrated, utilizing these assays, that low doses of gamma irradiation, which have previously been shown to induce immune-mediated regression of established tumors, is associated with a phenotypic ‘switch’ in the anti-tumor immune response from a mixed Th1/Th2 to a predominant Th1 response. The simplicity and reliability of using IgG isotypes to indirectly assess the Th1/Th2 nature of the anti-tumor immune response gives me hope that this work, in the long run, will result in a new way of guiding immunotherapy to effectively treat cancer

The Biological Action of Rotenone on Freshwater Animals

The physiological properties of rotenone have been extensively studied by Van Hasselt (1), Haag (2), and many others1. The history, distribution, and chemical properties of the alkaloid, which has been isolated as a white crystalline material (Greshoff, 5), are adequately reviewed by Leonard (4) and also by Van Hasselt and Haag. Rotenone first attracted scientific attention when it was found that preparations of powdered derris root had excellent insecticidal properties. Subsequent experiments were devised to test its action on various vertebrate animals, in order to make certain that the lethal concentration for insects would not be deleterious to humans, even after prolonged exposure. Recently, plant derivatives containing rotenone have been used for removing rough fish from ponds and lakes which were to be stocked with game fish. Little consideration has been given, however, to the possibility that the poison might kill other fresh-water animals (thus breaking the food chain) and seriously affect the survival of any fish with which the waters might be restocked. The present studies describe the mode of action of rotenone on typical fresh-water animals, principally invertebrate, and present data on the relative susceptibilities of these organisms to the drug

MS 066 Guide to the Howard B. Hamilton, MD, papers; 1945-1997

The Howard B. Hamilton, MD, papers, MS 66, includes material from 1945-1997 related to the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) and the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF). Hamilton was the Chief of Clinical Laboratories for the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission from 1956 until its dissolution in 1975. He served in the same capacity for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, which succeeded the ABCC, until 1984. This collection encompasses this period of time in Dr. Hamilton\u27s career, as well as his related scholarly work after his retirement from RERF. Dr. Hamilton donated his collection of letters, reprints, newspaper articles, photographs, memos, and ephemera to the John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center between 1985 and 2002. The collection is in good condition and consists of 3.75 cubic feet (10 boxes)

Exploring Gender and Race Biases in the NFT Market

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are non-interchangeable assets, usually digital art, which are stored on the blockchain. Preliminary studies find that female and darker-skinned NFTs are valued less than their male and lighter-skinned counterparts. However, these studies analyze only the CryptoPunks collection. We test the statistical significance of race and gender biases in the prices of CryptoPunks and present the first study of gender bias in the broader NFT market. We find evidence of racial bias but not gender bias. Our work also introduces a dataset of gender-labeled NFT collections to advance the broader study of social equity in this emerging market

Cultural Resources Survey for a 9.1-Acre Tract at Granbury, Hood County, Texas

This report documents the substantive findings and management recommendations of a cultural resources inventory conducted by AmaTerra Environmental, Inc. (AmaTerra) for the 9.1-acre tract in Granbury, Hood County, Texas. As a federal grant has been provided to the developer by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the project will be subject to the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended. The goal of the survey was to locate, identify, and assess any cultural resources that could be adversely affected by proposed development, and to evaluate such resources for their potential eligibility for listing in the National Register for Historic Places (NRHP) or eligibility for listing as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL). All work conformed to 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 800, and 13 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 26, which outline the regulations for implementing the Section 106 of the NHPA and the ACT, respectively. The cultural resources inventory was conducted by archeologist Joshua Hamilton and architectural historian Erica Howard on June 27, 2017. The entirety of the project area or Area of Potential Effects (APE) was subjected to visual inspection supplemented by shovel tests in order to evaluate the cultural resources located within the project area. During the survey, one prehistoric lithic scatter and one historic-aged cultural resource were documented within the 9.1-acre APE. Based on our research and field assessment, the prehistoric lithic scatter (41HD94) is recommended to be not eligible for listing on the NRHP or as a SAL. The historic-age resource is identified as the Old Ferry Master’s Cabin and is recommended as eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion A at the local level with Criteria Consideration B for a building removed from its original location. The cabin has historically been associated with the water and rural setting. Current development of the area does not include using the cabin nor moving it to another location, and the cabin has been donated to the City of Granbury for their use. The proposed HUD development project has been approved by the City. Even though the cabin will not be relocated, the proposed development construction would change the historic view shed of the cabin, the association with the water, and remote feel of the cabin. Thus, the integrity of association would be impacted by the proposed project. Since the proposed undertaking would result in direct impacts to the integrity of setting, feeling, association, a finding of adverse effects is recommended for the Old Ferry Master’s Cabin. Should the proposed project change in scope or design, the potential to affect the historic-age resource should be taking into consideration. No artifacts were collected as part of this survey. All records will be curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL). No further work is warranted; however, if any cultural resources, other than those documented within this report, are unearthed during construction, the operators should stop construction activities, and immediately contact the project environmental representative to initiate coordination with the THC prior to resuming any construction activities