Leading Betwixt and Between: The Development of a Liminal Leadership Scale

Liminal Leadership is a new, adaptive leadership paradigm (Shaw-VanBuskirk, Lim, & Jeong, 2019). Liminal is a Latin word that means at a threshold or boundary; betwixt or between spaces. Liminal Leadership occurs when an individual leads ‘betwixt or between’ work units, culture, ethnicities, languages, generations, nations, time zones, and labor laws. Liminal Leadership is unique in that it seeks to articulate the extrinsic and intrinsic characteristics of those who lead in liminality. While liminality, used in the anthropological sense, is a temporary state between two thresholds (Hawkins & Edwards, 2015; Turner, 1969), organizational literature has now show that it is an ongoing or permanent state in many organizations (Cunha & Cabral-Cardos, 2006; Lindsay, 2010). This calls for individuals who can navigate the ambiguity of constant transition that exists in these organizations. It also heightens the need for the research undertaken to identify the characteristics in those individuals who can lead in these situations. The Liminal Leadership model was developed following an exhaustive, integrated literature review. Liminal Leadership was compared with other leadership models which bore similarities. From this comparison, a framework of characteristics was developed that organized into four dimensions; adaptive, directive, relational, and intrinsic. The Liminal Leadership Scale was developed utilizing a 43-item survey distributed via email, social media platforms, and mTurk. Two samples were drawn. Exploratory factor analysis was used on the first sample and Confirmatory factor analysis on the second sample. Additionally, correlation analysis was completed to look at the impact culture, generational affiliation, and educational background would have on the data. The final result is validation of a 43-item instrument Liminal Leadership Scale

Evaluating Gender Bias in Ratings of University Instructors’ Teaching Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to examine the gender bias in student ratings of effective teaching. Students in five colleges were invited to rate instructors on three factors: interpersonal characteristics, pedagogical characteristics, and course content characteristics. We analyzed group differences based on student gender, instructor gender, and student level. Ratings of pedagogical characteristics and course content characteristics yielded significant interactions between student gender and instructor gender, but no differences were found among groups on interpersonal characteristics. We concluded that gender bias plays a role in students’ views of effective teaching in terms of how students evaluate pedagogical and content characteristics and that this bias generalizes across student levels

Interferon gamma and lipopolysaccharide promote macrophage adherence to basement membrane glycoproteins

The ability of thioglycollate (TG)-elicited peritoneal macrophages, a population of recently recruited monocytes, to adhere to the basement membrane glycoproteins laminin and type IV collagen is not a constitutive function of these cells. Adherence can be induced, however, by treatment with IFN-gamma and LPS. In general, IFN-gamma is more potent than LPS in promoting this adherence. Maximal adherence, however, is observed when IFN-gamma (greater than or equal to 5 U/ml) is used together with LPS (2.0 ng/ml). These requirements parallel the conditions needed to obtain tumoricidal activation of TG-elicited macrophages. Adherence to laminin, in the presence of these stimuli, is transient, being maximal at 8 h after their addition and diminishing with longer periods of incubation. In contrast, adherence to type IV collagen does not appear to be transient and IFN-gamma and LPS induce a more prolonged association of macrophages with this substratum

Regulation of alpha 6 beta 1 integrin laminin receptor function by the cytoplasmic domain of the alpha 6 subunit

The alpha 6 beta 1 integrin is expressed on the macrophage surface in an inactive state and requires cellular activation with PMA or cytokines to function as a laminin receptor (Shaw, L. M., J. M. Messier, and A. M. Mercurio. 1990. J. Cell Biol. 110:2167-2174). In the present study, the role of the alpha 6 subunit cytoplasmic domain in alpha 6 beta 1 integrin activation was examined. The use of P388D1 cells, an alpha 6-integrin deficient macrophage cell line, facilitated this analysis because expression of either the alpha 6A or alpha 6B subunit cDNAs restores their activation responsive laminin adhesion (Shaw, L. S., M. Lotz, and A. M. Mercurio. 1993. J. Biol. Chem. 268:11401-11408). A truncated alpha 6 cDNA, alpha 6-delta CYT, was constructed in which the human cytoplasmic domain sequence was deleted after the GFFKR pentapeptide. Expression of this cDNA in P388D1 cells resulted in the surface expression of a chimeric alpha 6-delta CYT beta 1 integrin that was unable to mediate laminin adhesion or increase this adhesion in response to PMA under normal conditions, i.e., in medium that contained physiological concentrations of Ca++ and Mg++. The alpha 6A-delta CYT transfectants adhered to laminin, however, when Ca++/Mg++ was replaced with 150 microM Mn++. We also assessed the role of serine phosphorylation in the regulation of alpha 6A beta 1 integrin function by site-directed mutagenesis of the two serine residues present in the alpha 6A cytoplasmic domain because this domain is phosphorylated on serine residues in response to stimuli that activate the laminin receptor function of alpha 6 A beta 1. Point mutations were introduced in the alpha 6A cDNA that changed either serine residue #1064 (M1) or serine residue #1071 (M2) to alanine residues. In addition, a double mutant (M3) was constructed in which both serine residues were changed to alanine residues. P388D1 transfectants which expressed these serine mutations adhered to laminin in response to PMA to the same extent as cells transfected with wild-type alpha 6A cDNA. These findings provide evidence for a novel mode of integrin regulation that is distinct from that reported for other regulated integrins (O\u27Toole, T. E., D. Mandelman, J. Forsyth, S. J. Shattil, E. F. Plow, and M. H. Ginsberg. 1991. Science (Wash. DC). 254:845-847. Hibbs, M. L., H. Xu, S. A. Stacker, and T. A. Springer. 1991. Science (Wash. DC). 251:1611-1613), and they demonstrate that serine phosphorylation of the alpha 6A cytoplasmic domain is not involved in this regulation

Expression and function of the insulin receptor substrate proteins in cancer

The Insulin Receptor Substrate (IRS) proteins are cytoplasmic adaptor proteins that function as essential signaling intermediates downstream of activated cell surface receptors, many of which have been implicated in cancer. The IRS proteins do not contain any intrinsic kinase activity, but rather serve as scaffolds to organize signaling complexes and initiate intracellular signaling pathways. As common intermediates of multiple receptors that can influence tumor progression, the IRS proteins are positioned to play a pivotal role in regulating the response of tumor cells to many different microenvironmental stimuli. Limited studies on IRS expression in human tumors and studies on IRS function in human tumor cell lines and in mouse models have provided clues to the potential function of these adaptor proteins in human cancer. A general theme arises from these studies; IRS-1 and IRS-4 are most often associated with tumor growth and proliferation and IRS-2 is most often associated with tumor motility and invasion. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which IRS expression and function are regulated and how the IRS proteins contribute to tumor initiation and progression

Applying Virtual Makeup Using Makeup Detection and Recommendations

This publication describes systems and techniques for makeup detection on an electronic device that uses an image of a user’s desired look as an input to detect makeup. The detected makeup is mapped to a virtual makeup library and saved as virtual makeup in a corresponding user profile. The user can retrieve and apply the virtual makeup to their face in another image to achieve a desired look. The mapped virtual makeup can be displayed as a filter over an image to digitally create an appearance of the user wearing makeup. The user is able to adjust the strength, color, and/or style of the virtual makeup. Further, the user may be presented with one or more recommendations for virtual makeup based on attributes of an image (e.g., a background of an image, the user’s clothing, hairstyle, etc.). The recommendations for virtual makeup may be based on results of a machine-learned model that received training from a professional source (e.g., stylist, makeup artist, etc.). The recommendations for virtual makeup may display on a captured image or they may display in real time on a display of the electronic device. The user is able to adjust the strength, color, and/or style of the recommendations for virtual makeup to achieve a desired look

Early Evidence of Maya Hieroglyphic Writing at Kichpanha, Belize

Archaeological research, conducted intermittently at Kichpanha, Belize, from 1973 to 1983 was primarily limited to surveying and mapping. During the 1985 season, test excavations initiated in the 1983 season were continued (Gibson 1985a). House mounds and plazuela groups yielded further evidence of extensive use of the site from the Xe and early facet Mamom phases (relatively dated to approximately 900-700 B.C.), until its near total abandonment in the Early Postclassic (ca. A.D. 900-1000). In this paper we present some preliminary results of the 1985 season at Kichpanha in the context of our research foci which included economic relationships with the lithic industrial site of Colha to the south and identifying the subsistence base of Kichpanha

THE IMPACT OF MEASUREMENT ERROR ON CONTINUOUS TIME PANEL MODELS

Prior studies have shown that analyzing a continuous time panel model with the Exact Discrete Model (EDM) is less biased and more efficient than approximate methods such as Latent Differential Equations (LDE). Simulation models have included observed variables, latent variables, or a mix of the two types, but prior work has not examined the effects of measurement error on estimation when only a single observation is made at each occasion. This paper compares the performance of the EDM and LDE when measurement error is varied. Data conforming to a first order differential equation was generated for two variables across four time points using a variety of sample sizes, auto-effect values, and cross-effect values. EDM auto-effects were shown to be underestimated and become increasingly biased as measurement error increased while LDE estimates were positively biased, but addition of measurement error had little effect. Estimates for negative cross-effects had smaller absolute bias than positive cross-effects in both models, with LDE estimates closer to the true value than EDM. If expected measurement error is less than 10%, then EDM will produce more accurate estimates than LDE. For measurement error ranging from 10% - 15% each model produced some less biased and more efficient parameters than the other. For measurement error than exceeds 15%, LDE will provide less biased parameters for all but strongly negative cross-effects

Anatomically Correct: Implementing and Evaluating an Educational Digital Game for Applied Sciences Students

Digital games are a common form of entertainment in modern society and are increasingly prevalent in health education. However, little research has been conducted into their use for delivering anatomy and histology education for health students. This is surprising considering the difficulty many health students have learning anatomy and histology. The study used a mixed methodology, consisting of a controlled trial and qualitative evaluation of learner attitudes towards the digital game. The trial stratified learners into two groups: a digital game group and a multiple-choice quiz group, for one semester. At the end of semester final examination results from the two groups were compared to see if the digital game was a comparable means of revising anatomy and histology subject matter. Additionally, an online survey and semi-structured interviews were used to explore student attitudes towards the digital game. Findings demonstrated that a digital game could be as effective as alternative methods to support revision of anatomy subject matter. Further, results post-intervention survey (n=10) and semi-structured interviews (n=6) showed that students were interested in the use of digital games to support revision and enjoyed their experiences using the digital game during their studies