The impact of leadership on student outcomes: An analysis of the differential effects of leadership types

El propósito de este estudio fue examinar el impacto relativo de los diferentes tipos de liderazgo en los resultados académicos y no académicos de los estudiantes. La metodología consistió en el análisis de los resultados de 27 estudios publicados sobre la relación entre liderazgo y resultados de los estudiantes. El primer meta-análisis, que incluyó 22 de los 27 estudios, implicó una comparación de los efectos de la transformación y liderazgo instructivo en los resultados de los estudiantes. Con el segundo meta-análisis se realizó una comparación de los efectos de cinco conjuntos derivados inductivamente de prácticas de liderazgo en los resultados de los estudiantes. Doce de los estudios contribuyeron a este segundo análisis. El primer meta-análisis indicó que el efecto promedio de liderazgo instructivo en los resultados de los estudiantes fue de tres a cuatro veces la de liderazgo transformacional. La inspección de los elementos de la encuesta que se utilizaron para medir el liderazgo escolar reveló cinco conjuntos de prácticas de liderazgo o dimensiones: el establecimiento de metas y expectativas; dotación de recursos estratégicos, la planificación, coordinación y evaluación de la enseñanza y el currículo; promoción y participan en el aprendizaje y desarrollo de los profesores, y la garantía de un ambiente ordenado y de apoyo. El segundo meta- análisis reveló fuertes efectos promedio para la dimensión de liderazgo que implica promover y participar en el aprendizaje docente, el desarrollo y efectos moderados de las dimensiones relacionadas con la fijación de objetivos y la planificación, coordinación y evaluación de la enseñanza y el currículo. Las comparaciones entre el liderazgo transformacional y el instructivo y entre las cinco dimensiones de liderazgo sugirieron que los líderes que focalizan sus relaciones, su trabajo y su aprendizaje en el asunto clave de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje, tendrán una mayor influencia en los resultados de los estudiantiles. El artículo concluye con una discusión sobre la necesidad de que liderazgo, investigación y práctica estén más estrechamente vinculados a la evidencia sobre la enseñanza eficaz y el aprendizaje efectivo del profesorado. Dicha alineación podría aumentar aún más el impacto del liderazgo escolar en los resultados de los estudiantesThe purpose of this study was to examine the relative impact of different types of leadership on students’ academic and nonacademic outcomes. The methodology involved an analysis of findings from 27 published studies of the relationship between leadership and student outcomes. The first meta-analysis, including 22 of the 7 studies, involved a comparison of the effects of transformational and instructional leadership on student outcomes. The second meta-analysis involved a comparison of the effects of five inductively derived sets of leadership practices on student outcomes. Twelve of the studies contributed to this second analysis. The first meta-analysis indicated that the average effect of instructional leadership on student outcomes was three to four times that of transformational leadership. Inspection of the survey items used to measure school leadership revealed five sets of leadership practices or dimensions: establishing goals and expectations; resourcing strategically; planning, coordinating, and evaluating teaching and the curriculum; promoting and participating in teacher learning and development, and ensuring an orderly and supportive environment. The second meta-analysis revealed strong average effects for the leadership dimension involving promoting and participating in teacher learning and development and moderate effects for the dimensions concerned with goal setting and planning, coordinating, and evaluating teaching and the curriculum. The comparisons between transformational and instructional leadership and between the five leadership dimensions suggested that the more leaders focus their relationships, their work, and their learning on the core business of teaching and learning, the greater their influence on student outcomes. The article concludes with a discussion of the need for leadership research and practice to be more closely linked to the evidence on effective teaching and effective teacher learning. Such alignment could increase the impact of school leadership on student outcomes even furthe

Learning to prescribe - pharmacists' experiences of supplementary prescribing training in England

Background: The introduction of non-medical prescribing for professions such as pharmacy and nursing in recent years offers additional responsibilities and opportunities but attendant training issues. In the UK and in contrast to some international models, becoming a non-medical prescriber involves the completion of an accredited training course offered by many higher education institutions, where the skills and knowledge necessary for prescribing are learnt. Aims: to explore pharmacists' perceptions and experiences of learning to prescribe on supplementary prescribing (SP) courses, particularly in relation to inter-professional learning, course content and subsequent use of prescribing in practice. Methods: A postal questionnaire survey was sent to all 808 SP registered pharmacists in England in April 2007, exploring demographic, training, prescribing, safety culture and general perceptions of SP. Results: After one follow-up, 411 (51%) of pharmacists responded. 82% agreed SP training was useful, 58% agreed courses provided appropriate knowledge and 62% agreed that the necessary prescribing skills were gained. Clinical examination, consultation skills training and practical experience with doctors were valued highly; pharmacology training and some aspects of course delivery were criticised. Mixed views on inter-professional learning were reported – insights into other professions being valued but knowledge and skills differences considered problematic. 67% believed SP and recent independent prescribing (IP) should be taught together, with more diagnostic training wanted; few pharmacists trained in IP, but many were training or intending to train. There was no association between pharmacists' attitudes towards prescribing training and when they undertook training between 2004 and 2007 but earlier cohorts were more likely to be using supplementary prescribing in practice. Conclusion: Pharmacists appeared to value their SP training and suggested improvements that could inform future courses. The benefits of inter-professional learning, however, may conflict with providing professionspecific training. SP training may be perceived to be an instrumental 'stepping stone' in pharmacists' professional project of gaining full IP status

Assessment of Urban Flood Vulnerability Using theSocial-Ecological-Technological Systems Framework in Six US cities

As urban populations continue to grow through the 21 st century, more people are projected to be at risk of exposure to climate change-induced extreme events. To investigate the complexity of urban floods, this study applied an interlinked social-ecological-technological systems (SETS) vulnerability framework by developing an urban flood vulnerability index for six US cities. Indicators were selected to reflect and illustrate exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to flooding for each of the three domains of SETS. We quantified 18 indicators and normalized them by the cities’ 500-yr floodplain area at the census block group level. Clusters of flood vulnerable areas were identified differently by each SETS domain, and some areas were vulnerable to floods in more than one domain. Results are provided to support decision-making for reducing risks to flooding, by considering social, ecological, and technological vulnerability as well as hotspots where multiple sources of vulnerability coexist. The spatially explicit urban SETS flood vulnerability framework can be transferred to other regions facing challenging urban floods and other types of environmental hazards. Mapping SETS flood vulnerability helps to reveal intersections of complex SETS interactions and inform policy-making for building more resilient cities in the face of extreme events and climate change impacts

Potentiation of curing by a broad-host-range self-transmissible vector for displacing resistance plasmids to tackle AMR

Plasmids are potent vehicles for spread of antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial populations and often persist in the absence of selection due to efficient maintenance mechanisms. We previously constructed non-conjugative high copy number plasmid vectors that efficiently displace stable plasmids from enteric bacteria in a laboratory context by blocking their replication and neutralising their addiction systems. Here we assess a low copy number broad-host-range self-transmissible IncP-1 plasmid as a vector for such curing cassettes to displace IncF and IncK plasmids. The wild type plasmid carrying the curing cassette displaces target plasmids poorly but derivatives with deletions near the IncP-1 replication origin that elevate copy number about two-fold are efficient. Verification of this in mini IncP-1 plasmids showed that elevated copy number was not sufficient and that the parB gene, korB, that is central to its partitioning and gene control system, also needs to be included. The resulting vector can displace target plasmids from a laboratory population without selection and demonstrated activity in a mouse model although spread is less efficient and requires additional selection pressure

Seeking Abraham: A Report of Furman University\u27s Task Force on Slavery and Justice

After more than a year of study, the Furman University Task Force on Slavery and Justice presents its findings in this report. The report includes the Task Force’s values and process, a presentation of the history of Furman’s early ties to slavery, a number of short vignettes by individual Task Force members, and a number of recommendations for the university to address. Members of the Task Force represent diverse students and alumni, as well as faculty and staff. The report is the result of commissioning a history, activating student research projects, hosting scholars who consulted with the Task Force, creating oral histories and curating viewpoints, and attending Universities Studying Slavery, a consortium headquartered at the University of Virginia with more than 40 international colleges and universities. The university has made a commitment to serious consideration of the entire report

Comparative primary paediatric nasal epithelial cell culture differentiation and RSV-induced cytopathogenesis following culture in two commercial media

The culture of differentiated human airway epithelial cells allows the study of pathogen-host interactions and innate immune responses in a physiologically relevant in vitro model. As the use of primary cell culture has gained popularity the availability of the reagents needed to generate these cultures has increased. In this study we assessed two different media, Promocell and PneumaCult, during the differentiation and maintenance of well-differentiated primary nasal epithelial cell cultures (WD-PNECs). We compared and contrasted the consequences of these media on WD-PNEC morphological and physiological characteristics and their responses to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. We found that cultures generated using PneumaCult resulted in greater total numbers of smaller, tightly packed, pseudostratified cells. However, cultures from both media resulted in similar proportions of ciliated and goblet cells. There were no differences in RSV growth kinetics, although more ciliated cells were infected in the PneumaCult cultures. There was also significantly more IL-29/IFNλ1 secreted from PneumaCult compared to Promocell cultures following infection. In conclusion, the type of medium used for the differentiation of primary human airway epithelial cells may impact experimental results.</p

Eu-Social Science: The Role of Internet Social Networks in the Collection of Bee Biodiversity Data

Background Monitoring change in species diversity, community composition and phenology is vital to assess the impacts of anthropogenic activity and natural change. However, monitoring by trained scientists is time consuming and expensive. Methodology/Principal Findings Using social networks, we assess whether it is possible to obtain accurate data on bee distribution across the UK from photographic records submitted by untrained members of the public, and if these data are in sufficient quantity for ecological studies. We used Flickr and Facebook as social networks and Flickr for the storage of photographs and associated data on date, time and location linked to them. Within six weeks, the number of pictures uploaded to the Flickr BeeID group exceeded 200. Geographic coverage was excellent; the distribution of photographs covered most of the British Isles, from the south coast of England to the Highlands of Scotland. However, only 59% of photographs were properly uploaded according to instructions, with vital information such as ‘tags’ or location information missing from the remainder. Nevertheless, this incorporation of information on location of photographs was much higher than general usage on Flickr (∼13%), indicating the need for dedicated projects to collect spatial ecological data. Furthermore, we found identification of bees is not possible from all photographs, especially those excluding lower abdomen detail. This suggests that giving details regarding specific anatomical features to include on photographs would be useful to maximise success. Conclusions/Significance The study demonstrates the power of social network sites to generate public interest in a project and details the advantages of using a group within an existing popular social network site over a traditional (specifically-designed) web-based or paper-based submission process. Some advantages include the ability to network with other individuals or groups with similar interests, and thus increasing the size of the dataset and participation in the project

A direct role for SNX9 in the biogenesis of filopodia.

Filopodia are finger-like actin-rich protrusions that extend from the cell surface and are important for cell-cell communication and pathogen internalization. The small size and transient nature of filopodia combined with shared usage of actin regulators within cells confounds attempts to identify filopodial proteins. Here, we used phage display phenotypic screening to isolate antibodies that alter the actin morphology of filopodia-like structures (FLS) in vitro. We found that all of the antibodies that cause shorter FLS interact with SNX9, an actin regulator that binds phosphoinositides during endocytosis and at invadopodia. In cells, we discover SNX9 at specialized filopodia in Xenopus development and that SNX9 is an endogenous component of filopodia that are hijacked by Chlamydia entry. We show the use of antibody technology to identify proteins used in filopodia-like structures, and a role for SNX9 in filopodia

Establishing What Constitutes a Healthy Human Gut Microbiome: State of the Science, Regulatory Considerations, and Future Directions.

On December 17, 2018, the North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI North America) convened a workshop "Can We Begin to Define a Healthy Gut Microbiome Through Quantifiable Characteristics?" with &gt;40 invited academic, government, and industry experts in Washington, DC. The workshop objectives were to 1) develop a collective expert assessment of the state of the evidence on the human gut microbiome and associated human health benefits, 2) see if there was sufficient evidence to establish measurable gut microbiome characteristics that could serve as indicators of "health," 3) identify short- and long-term research needs to fully characterize healthy gut microbiome-host relationships, and 4) publish the findings. Conclusions were as follows: 1) mechanistic links of specific changes in gut microbiome structure with function or markers of human health are not yet established; 2) it is not established if dysbiosis is a cause, consequence, or both of changes in human gut epithelial function and disease; 3) microbiome communities are highly individualized, show a high degree of interindividual variation to perturbation, and tend to be stable over years; 4) the complexity of microbiome-host interactions requires a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research agenda to elucidate relationships between gut microbiome and host health; 5) biomarkers and/or surrogate indicators of host function and pathogenic processes based on the microbiome need to be determined and validated, along with normal ranges, using approaches similar to those used to establish biomarkers and/or surrogate indicators based on host metabolic phenotypes; 6) future studies measuring responses to an exposure or intervention need to combine validated microbiome-related biomarkers and/or surrogate indicators with multiomics characterization of the microbiome; and 7) because static genetic sampling misses important short- and long-term microbiome-related dynamic changes to host health, future studies must be powered to account for inter- and intraindividual variation and should use repeated measures within individuals