What I believe about leadership and education : a reflective essay

To be an effective leader, one needs to have many characteristics. She needs to be a leader of reflection, change, learning and service. When a principal reflects, she will be a better principal. She will know how to make better decisions. A leader that makes changes is an effective leader. With reflection, a principal can realize what needs to be changed to help students in her school. A principal needs to be constantly learning and encouraging her teachers to continue their learning. When principals and teachers continue learning, they can be better educators. Finally, principals need to be service oriented. When a student is well rounded in all aspects of life, including service learning in the community, they become a better educator. An effective leader encompasses all these qualities and effectively implements them

Understanding the Impact of Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection on Host Vesicular Trafficking

Chlamydia trachomatis is a highly evolved obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen. During infection, organisms reside within a host epithelial cell in a membrane-bound vacuole called the inclusion. The inclusion membrane contains both pathogen and host components, including unique chlamydial type III effector proteins called Incs and host lipids like cholesterol and sphingomyelin. The inclusion membrane serves as the main barrier between the bacteria and the host cytosol, and thus, functions as the platform supporting host-chlamydial interactions. Via the inclusion membrane, C. trachomatis intercepts components of host vesicular traffic including many host SNARE proteins, which are a conserved family of eukaryotic proteins that function in membrane fusion and are important for chlamydial development. Therefore, we hypothesize that Chlamydia intercept specific SNARE proteins to reroute host vesicular trafficking pathways to the chlamydial inclusion for optimal chlamydial growth. We further hypothesize this is accomplished via transient interactions with chlamydial Inc proteins to maximize interactions with various subcellular compartments to diversify nutrient acquisition thus minimizing stress to the host cell. Hence, it is likely that chlamydial infection influences trafficking of proteins that are not directly recruited to the inclusion. To test this, we examined the localization and function of three eukaryotic SNARE proteins, VAMP3, VAMP4, and syntaxin 10, and one SNARE adapter protein, PICALM, in chlamydial infected cells. All four eukaryotic proteins localize to the chlamydial inclusion but are also found in vesicles throughout host cells. We found that VAMP3 dynamically interacts with multiple chlamydial inclusion membrane proteins during infection with C. trachomatis serovar L2. We further found that infection with C. trachomatis L2 expands VAMP4’s protein network but does not alter the protein network of syntaxin 10. Lastly, we identified the functions of VAMP3, VAMP4, and PICALM in host protein trafficking to chlamydial inclusions and found that PICALM and VAMP3 function similarly in transferrin recycling during infection with C. trachomatis serovar L2. These studies highlight the complex and dynamic nature of the interactions with host vesicular traffic occurring at the chlamydial inclusion for Chlamydia to establish and maintain their unique intracellular niche

Research into the feasibility of thin metal and oxide film capacitors

Feasibility of thin metal and oxide film capacitor

Research into the feasibility of thin metal and oxide film capacitors Interim scientific report

Feasibility of thin metal and oxide film capacitor

Classification of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea Coast and estimation of carbon and sediment inputs from coastal erosion

A regional classification of shoreline segments along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea Coast was developed as the basis for quantifying coastal morphology, lithology, and carbon and mineral sediment fluxes. We delineated 48 mainland segments totaling 1,957 km, as well as 1,334 km of spits and islands. Mainland coasts were grouped into five broad classes: exposed bluffs (313 km), bays and inlets (235 km), lagoons with barrier islands (546 km), tapped basins (171 km) and deltas (691 km). Sediments are mostly silts and sands, with occasional gravel, and bank heights generally are low (2–4 m), especially for deltas (<1 m). Mean annual erosion rates (MAER) by coastline type vary from 0.7 m/year (maximum 10.4 m/year) for lagoons to 2.4 m/year for exposed bluffs (maximum 16.7 m/year). MAERs are much higher in silty soils (3.2 m/year) than in sandy (1.2 m/year) to gravelly (−0.3 m/year) soils. Soil organic carbon along eroding shorelines (deltas excluded) range from 12 to 153 kg/m2 of bank surface down to the water line. We assume carbon flux out from depositional delta sediments is negligible. Across the entire Alaskan Beaufort Sea Coast, estimated annual carbon input from eroding shorelines ranges from –47 to 818 Mg/km/year (Metric tones/km/year) across the 48 segments, average 149 Mg/km/year (for 34 nondeltaic segments), and total 1.8×105 Mg/year. Annual mineral input from eroding shorelines ranges from −1,863 (accreting) to 15,752 Mg/km/year, average 2,743 Mg/km/year, and totals 3.3 ×106 Mg/year