Seeking election: Evaluating a campaign for public school board trusteeship

Canadian public school board trustees are generally chosen by way of public ballot in civic elections. A comparison of board governance literature to a local narrative account of public school board elections exposes several gaps between espoused democratic ideals and the realities of public engagement in trustee selection. I investigate the nature and extent of this misalignment in order to establish a baseline for future inquiry into public perceptions of school board governance, engagement in school board elections, democratic representation in public school systems, and links between effective governance and educational outcomes.Key words : governance, school board, elections, trustee, democracy and educationLes conseillères et conseillers scolaires des écoles publiques canadiennes sont généralement choisis par scrutin public dans les élections municipales. Une comparaison entre la documentation provenant de la gouvernance d'un conseil scolaire et un compte rendu local sur les élections scolaires, révèle plusieurs écarts entre les idéaux démocratiques soutenus et les réalités de l'engagement du public dans le choix des conseillères et des conseillers. J'ai étudier la nature et l'ampleur de ce décalage dans le but d'établir une base pour les recherches futures sur les perceptions générales de la gouvernance des conseils scolaires, l'engagement dans les élections des conseils scolaires, la représentation démocratique dans le système des écoles publiques, et les liens entre une gouvernance efficace et les résultats scolaires.Mots-clés: gouvernance, conseil scolaire, élections, conseiller scolaire, démocratie et éducatio

Models of Organizational Values in the Administration of University Student Services

Values theorists across disciplines agree that understanding and applying the phenomenon of organizational values is integral to organizational effectiveness (Beck, 1990; Davidson, 2005; Francis & Woodcock, 1990; Lafleur, 1999; Richmon, 2003, 2004). Consensus on this issue is further evidenced by popular use of the phrase “organizational values” in management, school systems, and university administrative parlance, leading many to believe that organizational values have been thoroughly investigated in the field of educational administration and elsewhere (Richmon, 2004). However, research in this area tends to be superficial, and a review of pertinent literature reveals no clear definition of organizational values or consequent implications for practical application. Since the practice of articulating organizational values is commonly conducted as a part of strategic planning processes, much activity and substantial investment is then occurring without full understanding of the phenomenon at hand. The purpose of this study was to uncover the descriptive, non-negotiable reality of organizational values in a particular context: university student services and administration. A critical realist’s methodology informed the development and implementation of a three-phase study. The aims of this research at each phase were to: (a) investigate how the reality of the organizational values phenomenon has been depicted theoretically in interdisciplinary research and literature; (b) examine how the concept of organizational values has been expressed in policy-driven artefacts in university student services; and (c) explore how the theoretical characteristics of organizational values are expressed in context of individual, phenomenological experiences of university student services and administration. The methods of inquiry used at each respective phase of study were cluster analysis, textual analysis, and episodic narrative interview. Additionally, model development was utilized during each phase of study to analyze the research results, and a comparison of models was conducted at the conclusion of the study as an approach to triangulation. Five key findings emerged from the collective analysis of all three phases of study. First, there was an indication of linguistic and structural inadequacy pertaining to organizational values discourse. Second, the activity associated with the organizational values concept is most frequently located in terms of personal working relationships rather than in context of institutional strategic planning processes. Third, administrative leaders play a key role in ensuring consistency with respect to organizational values understanding and implementation in university student services and administration. Fourth, a deep reality of the organizational values phenomenon was demonstrated at all phases of research. Finally, the idea of organizational values is important enough to scholars, policy makers, and front-line staff alike to warrant a great deal of time, financial, and human resource effort invested to engage explicitly with the concept in some manner. The results of this study have significant implications for both theory and practice in university student services and administration. The results informed recommendations made with respect to the development of fluency in values-related language, re-situating the process of articulating organizational values in university administration, incorporating organizational values into day-to-day administrative practice, and the role of university administrative leaders in organizational values work

Coherent backscattering of light by cold atoms: theory meets experiment

Coherent backscattering (CBS) of quasi-resonant light by cold atoms presents some specific features due to the internal structure of the atomic scatterers. We present the first quantitative comparison between the experimentally observed CBS cones and Monte-Carlo calculations which take into account the shape of the atomic cloud as well as the internal atomic structure.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Eur. Phys. Let

Creating "good" leaders : exploring the integration of leadership and ethics in Canadian post-secondary education

An examination of leadership and ethics literature demonstrates that, given the theoretical and practical links between the two subjects, they should also be linked within the context of adult post-secondary education. However, very little documented information exists with regard to the ways in which such integration of subject areas is achieved, and there is scant documentation indicating the kinds of pedagogical approaches that are employed for such a purpose. This study examined how the subject areas of leadership and ethics are conceptualized and integrated within the context of undergraduate credit courses at the University of Saskatchewan. The methods used to collect original data for this study were content analysis and qualitative interviews. The data collected in this study demonstrated that the integration of leadership and ethics subject areas is occurring, both implicitly and explicitly, in a variety of undergraduate courses offered through professional colleges at the University of Saskatchewan. The subjects of leadership and ethics are conceptualized in many different ways by course instructors; however, instructors perceive links between the two subject areas and expect their students to demonstrate an understanding of those links. The findings of this study will serve as a program planning resource for instructors who practice, or who wish to practice, the integration of leadership and ethics subject areas in their post-secondary classroom settings. In addition, the researcher concluded with some broad-based recommendations for further study, and suggestions regarding approaches to integration of leadership and ethics education at the University of Saskatchewan

Specificity Between Lactobacilli And Hymenopteran Hosts Is The Exception Rather Than The Rule

Lactobacilli (Lactobacillales: Lactobacillaceae) are well known for their roles in food fermentation, as probiotics, and in human health, but they can also be dominant members of the microbiota of some species of Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps). Honey bees and bumble bees associate with host-specific lactobacilli, and some evidence suggests that these lactobacilli are important for bee health. Social transmission helps maintain associations between these bees and their respective microbiota. To determine whether lactobacilli associated with social hymenopteran hosts are generally host specific, we gathered publicly available Lactobacillus 16S rRNA gene sequences, along with Lactobacillus sequences from 454 pyrosequencing surveys of six other hymenopteran species (three sweat bees and three ants). We determined the comparative secondary structural models of 16S rRNA, which allowed us to accurately align the entire 16S rRNA gene, including fast-evolving regions. BLAST searches and maximum-likelihood phylogenetic reconstructions confirmed that honey and bumble bees have host-specific Lactobacillus associates. Regardless of colony size or within-colony oral sharing of food (trophallaxis), sweat bees and ants associate with lactobacilli that are closely related to those found in vertebrate hosts or in diverse environments. Why honey and bumble bees associate with host-specific lactobacilli while other social Hymenoptera do not remains an open question. Lactobacilli are known to inhibit the growth of other microbes and can be beneficial whether they are coevolved with their host or are recruited by the host from environmental sources through mechanisms of partner choice.National Science Foundation PRFB-1003133, DEB-0919519Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board 01923, National Institutes of Health GM067317Integrative BiologyCellular and Molecular BiologyCenter for Computational Biology and BioinformaticsBrackenridge Field Laborator

Stroke impact on mortality and psychologic morbidity within the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.

BackgroundPoor socioeconomic and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes in survivors of childhood cancer can lead to distress and overall negatively impact the lives of these individuals. The current report has highlighted the impact of stroke and stroke recurrence on mortality, psychological HRQOL, and socioeconomic outcomes within the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS).MethodsThe CCSS is a retrospective cohort study with longitudinal follow-up concerning survivors of pediatric cancer who were diagnosed between 1970 and 1986. Mortality rates per 100 person-years were calculated across 3 periods: 1) prior to stroke; 2) after first stroke and before recurrent stroke; and 3) after recurrent stroke. Socioeconomic outcomes, the standardized Brief Symptoms Inventory-18, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, and the CCSS-Neurocognitive Questionnaire also were assessed.ResultsAmong 14,358 participants (median age, 39.7 years), 224 had a stroke after their cancer diagnosis (single stroke in 161 patients and recurrent stroke in 63 patients). Based on 2636 deaths, all-cause late mortality rates were 0.70 (95% CI, 0.68-0.73) prior to stroke, 1.03 (95% CI, 0.73-1.46) after the first stroke, and 2.42 (95% CI, 1.48-3.94) after the recurrent stroke. Among 7304 survivors, those with stroke were more likely to live with a caregiver (single stroke odds ratio [OR], 2.3 [95% CI, 1.4-3.8]; and recurrent stroke OR, 5.3 [95% CI, 1.7-16.8]) compared with stroke-free survivors. Stroke negatively impacted task efficiency (single stroke OR, 2.4 [95% CI, 1.4-4.1] and recurrent stroke OR, 3.3 [95% CI, 1.1-10.3]) and memory (single stroke OR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.2-3.7]; and recurrent stroke OR, 3.5 [95% CI, 1.1-10.5]).ConclusionsStroke and stroke recurrence are associated with increased mortality and negatively impact HRQOL measures in survivors of pediatric cancer

Limited antigenic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 supports the development of effective multi-allele vaccines

BackgroundPolymorphism in antigens is a common mechanism for immune evasion used by many important pathogens, and presents major challenges in vaccine development. In malaria, many key immune targets and vaccine candidates show substantial polymorphism. However, knowledge on antigenic diversity of key antigens, the impact of polymorphism on potential vaccine escape, and how sequence polymorphism relates to antigenic differences is very limited, yet crucial for vaccine development. Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) is an important target of naturally-acquired antibodies in malaria immunity and a leading vaccine candidate. However, AMA1 has extensive allelic diversity with more than 60 polymorphic amino acid residues and more than 200 haplotypes in a single population. Therefore, AMA1 serves as an excellent model to assess antigenic diversity in malaria vaccine antigens and the feasibility of multi-allele vaccine approaches. While most previous research has focused on sequence diversity and antibody responses in laboratory animals, little has been done on the cross-reactivity of human antibodies.MethodsWe aimed to determine the extent of antigenic diversity of AMA1, defined by reactivity with human antibodies, and to aid the identification of specific alleles for potential inclusion in a multi-allele vaccine. We developed an approach using a multiple-antigen-competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to examine cross-reactivity of naturally-acquired antibodies in Papua New Guinea and Kenya, and related this to differences in AMA1 sequence.ResultsWe found that adults had greater cross-reactivity of antibodies than children, although the patterns of cross-reactivity to alleles were the same. Patterns of antibody cross-reactivity were very similar between populations (Papua New Guinea and Kenya), and over time. Further, our results show that antigenic diversity of AMA1 alleles is surprisingly restricted, despite extensive sequence polymorphism. Our findings suggest that a combination of three different alleles, if selected appropriately, may be sufficient to cover the majority of antigenic diversity in polymorphic AMA1 antigens. Antigenic properties were not strongly related to existing haplotype groupings based on sequence analysis.ConclusionsAntigenic diversity of AMA1 is limited and a vaccine including a small number of alleles might be sufficient for coverage against naturally-circulating strains, supporting a multi-allele approach for developing polymorphic antigens as malaria vaccines