Theology, News and Notes - Vol. 41, No. 02

Theology News & Notes was a theological journal published by Fuller Theological Seminary from 1954 through 2014.https://digitalcommons.fuller.edu/tnn/1120/thumbnail.jp

Instructional Leadership Practices and School Leaders\u27 Self-Efficacy

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate instructional leadership practices and the degree to which these practices predict the leadership self-efficacy of school leaders while controlling for years of experience as a school leader. With educational reform focused on school accountability, principals must attend to tasks that lead to school improvement. Identifying such tasks as instructional leadership practices and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of instructional leadership practices through leadership self-efficacy may contribute to school improvement. The methodology utilized a survey and the participants were 100 principals and assistant principals of public schools in the southeastern United States, spanning 18 school districts and 180 schools. The findings revealed that supervising and evaluating instruction and monitoring student progress were significant positive predictors of leadership self-efficacy for the entire sample of respondents whereas coordinating curriculum was only approaching significance. This pattern shifted, however, when the sample was divided between principals and assistant principals. For practical implications, educational leaders and key constituents may consider these results for reflection on practice as well as planning professional learning for skill development to attain school improvement. Recommendations for future research include expansion of the population to include participants in other locations as well as the inclusion of additional instructional leadership practices

The Effect of School Tasks on Principals\u27 and Assistant Principals’ Leadership Self-Efficacy

The pressure to lead schools effectively while fulfilling instructional leadership and school management tasks could impact school administrators’ perceptions of their leadership capabilities. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to identify the relationship between the varied tasks of school administrators as related to their leadership self-efficacy. Data were collected from 73 school administrators to ascertain leadership self-efficacy of principals and assistant principals based upon the completion of instructional leadership tasks and school management tasks. The major findings of the study indicated a positive, linear relationship between leadership self-efficacy and the instructional leadership tasks and school management tasks of school administrators. The practical application of this study provides insight into the types of tasks that impact the leadership self-efficacy of principals and assistant principals and could drive the professional learning of school administrators and the delegation of their tasks

Instructional Leadership Practices and School Leaders\u27 Self-Efficacy

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate instructional leadership practices and the degree to which these practices predict the leadership self-efficacy of school leaders while controlling for years of experience as a school leader. With educational reform focused on school accountability, principals must attend to tasks that lead to school improvement. Identifying such tasks as instructional leadership practices and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of instructional leadership practices through leadership self-efficacy may contribute to school improvement. The methodology utilized a survey and the participants were 100 principals and assistant principals of public schools in the southeastern United States, spanning 18 school districts and 180 schools. The findings revealed that supervising and evaluating instruction and monitoring student progress were significant positive predictors of leadership self-efficacy for the entire sample of respondents whereas coordinating curriculum was only approaching significance. This pattern shifted, however, when the sample was divided between principals and assistant principals. For practical implications, educational leaders and key constituents may consider these results for reflection on practice as well as planning professional learning for skill development to attain school improvement. Recommendations for future research include expansion of the population to include participants in other locations as well as the inclusion of additional instructional leadership practices

The site of Leki Wakik, Manatuto District, Timor‑Leste

Leki Wakik is a large hilltop site with several large stone walls and circular stone arrangements located within the Manatuto district in the central region of Timor-Leste. It is similar to other hilltop sites in the area whose function and occupation time frame have been subject to debate (e.g. Lape and Chao 2008; O’Connor et al. 2012). In August 2011, a team from The Australian National University (ANU) supported by Timorese workers mapped the site and excavated five test pits intended to assess site use and occupation time frame. A substantial artefact assemblage was recovered that includes lithics, earthenware pottery, ceramics and faunal remains, which provides evidence of the use of the site and the surrounding landscape and, particularly, whether unusual circular stone arrangements demarcate special activity or occupation areas. A series of radiocarbon dates from an unusual area surrounded on three sides by large stone walls provide chronological context for the site

A p53-dependent mechanism underlies macrocytic anemia in a mouse model of human 5q- syndrome.

The identification of the genes associated with chromosomal translocation breakpoints has fundamentally changed understanding of the molecular basis of hematological malignancies. By contrast, the study of chromosomal deletions has been hampered by the large number of genes deleted and the complexity of their analysis. We report the generation of a mouse model for human 5q- syndrome using large-scale chromosomal engineering. Haploinsufficiency of the Cd74-Nid67 interval (containing Rps14, encoding the ribosomal protein S14) caused macrocytic anemia, prominent erythroid dysplasia and monolobulated megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. These effects were associated with defective bone marrow progenitor development, the appearance of bone marrow cells expressing high amounts of the tumor suppressor p53 and increased bone marrow cell apoptosis. Notably, intercrossing with p53-deficient mice completely rescued the progenitor cell defect, restoring common myeloid progenitor and megakaryocytic-erythroid progenitor, granulocyte-monocyte progenitor and hematopoietic stem cell bone marrow populations. This mouse model suggests that a p53-dependent mechanism underlies the pathophysiology of the 5q- syndrome

A scalable big data approach for remotely tracking rangeland conditions

Rangelands, covering half of the global land area, are critically degraded by unsustainable use and climate change. Despite their extensive presence, global assessments of rangeland condition and sustainability are limited. Here we introduce a novel analytical approach that combines satellite big data and statistical modeling to quantify the likelihood of changes in rangeland conditions. These probabilities are then used to assess the effectiveness of management interventions targeting rangeland sustainability. This approach holds global potential, as demonstrated in Mongolia, where the shift to a capitalist economy has led to increased livestock numbers and grazing intensity. From 1986 to 2020, heavy grazing caused a marked decline in Mongolia’s rangeland condition. Our evaluation of diverse management strategies, corroborated by local ground observations, further substantiates our approach. Leveraging globally available yet locally detailed satellite data, our proposed condition tracking approach provides a rapid, cost-effective tool for sustainable rangeland management

The Ews-ERG Fusion Protein Can Initiate Neoplasia from Lineage-Committed Haematopoietic Cells

The EWS-ERG fusion protein is found in human sarcomas with the chromosomal translocation t(21;22)(q22;q12), where the translocation is considered to be an initiating event in sarcoma formation within uncommitted mesenchymal cells, probably long-lived progenitors capable of self renewal. The fusion protein may not therefore have an oncogenic capability beyond these progenitors. To assess whether EWS-ERG can be a tumour initiator in cells other than mesenchymal cells, we have analysed Ews-ERG fusion protein function in a cellular environment not typical of that found in human cancers, namely, committed lymphoid cells. We have used Ews-ERG invertor mice having an inverted ERG cDNA cassette flanked by loxP sites knocked in the Ews intron 8, crossed with mice expressing Cre recombinase under the control of the Rag1 gene to give conditional, lymphoid-specific expression of the fusion protein. Clonal T cell neoplasias arose in these mice. This conditional Ews gene fusion model of tumourigenesis shows that Ews-ERG can cause haematopoietic tumours and the precursor cells are committed cells. Thus, Ews-ERG can function in cells that do not have to be pluripotent progenitors or mesenchymal cells

Crop Updates 2002 - Weeds

This session covers fifty eight papers from different authors: 1. INTRODUCTION Vanessa Stewart, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT IWM system studies / demonstration sites 2. Major outcomes from IWM demonstration sites, Alexandra Douglas Department of Agriculture 3. Integrated weed management: Katanning, Alexandra Douglas Department of Agriculture 4. Integrated weed management: Merredin, Vanessa Stewart Department of Agriculture 5. Long term resistance site: Get ryegrass numbers low and keep them low! Peter Newman and Glen Adams Department of Agriculture 6. Using pastures to manage ryegrass populations, Andrew Blake and Natalie Lauritsen Department of Agriculture Weed biology and competition 7. Understanding the weed seed bank life if important agricultural weeds, Sally Peltzer and Paul Matson Department of Agriculture 8. Consequence of radish competition on lupin nutrients in wheat-lupin rotation, Abul Hashem and Nerys Wilkins Department of Agriculture 9. Consequence of ryegrass competition on lupin nutrients in a wheat-lupin rotation, Abul Hashem and Nerys Wilkins Department of Agriculture 10. Brome grass too competitive for early sown wheat in a dry year at Mullewa, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam Department of Agriculture Crop establishment and weed management 11. Seeding rate, row spacing and herbicides for weed control, David Minkey Department of Agriculture 12. Effect of different seeding methods on wheat and ryegrass, Abul Hashem, Glen Riethmuller and Nerys Wilkins Department of Agriculture 13. Role of tillage implements and trifluralin on the effectiveness of the autumn tickle for stimulating annual ryegrass emergence, Tim Cusack1, Kathryn Steadman1 and Abul Hashem2,1Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA; 2Department of Agriculture, 14. Timing of autumn tickle in important for non-wetting soils, Pippa Michael1, Peter Newman2 and Kathryn Steadman 2, 1Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA, 2Department of Agriculture 15. Early investigation into weed seed burial by mouldboard plough, Sally Peltzer and Alex Douglas Department of Agriculture 16. Rolling post-emergent lupins to improve weed emergence and control on loamy sand, Paul Blackwell, Department of Agriculture and Dave Brindal, Strawberry via Mingenew IWM tools 17. Crop topping in 2001: How did we do? Peter Newman and Glenn Adam Department of Agriculture 18. Wickwipers work! Peter Newman and Glenn Adam Department of Agriculture 19. Wild radish and ryegrass seed collection at harvest: Chaff carts and other devices, Michael Walsh Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA and Wayne Parker Department of Agriculture 20. Improving weed control in grazed pastures using legumes with low palatability, Clinton Revell, Giles Glasson Department of Agriculture, and Dean Thomas Faculty of Agriculture, University of Western Australia Adoption and modelling 21. Grower weed survey, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam Department of Agriculture 22. Agronomist survey, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam Department of Agriculture 23. Ryegrass RIM model stands the test of IWM field trial data, Alister Draper Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA and Bill Roy, Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA Agricultural Consulting and Research Services 24. Multi-species RIM: An update, Marta Monjardin1,2, David Pannell2 and Stephen Powles 1, 1Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA, 2 ARE, University of Western Australia 25. RIM survey feedback, Robert Barrett-Lennard and Alister Draper Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA 26. Effect of historic input and product prices on choice of ryegrass management strategies, Alister Draper1 and Martin Bent2, 1Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA, 2Muresk Institute of Agriculture 27. Living with ryegrass – trading off weed control and economic performance, Martin Bent1 and Alister Draper2 , 1Muresk Institute of Agriculture, Curtin University, 2Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA HERBICIDE RESISTANCE 28. Glyphosate resistance in WA and Australia: Where are we at? Paul Neve1, Art Diggle2, Patrick Smith3, Mechelle Owen1, Abul Hashem2, Christopher Preston4and Stephen Powles1,1Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia, 2Department of Agriculture, 3CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, 4CRC for Australian Weed Management and Department of Applied and Molecular Ecology, Waite Campus, University of Adelaide 29. We need you weeds: A survey of knockdown resistance in the WA wheatbelt, Paul Neve1, Mechelle Owen1, Abul Hashem2 and Stephen Powles1 1Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia, 2Department of Agriculture 30. A test for resistance testing, Mechelle Owen, Tracey Gillam, Rick Llewellyn and Steve Powles,Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia 31. In field testing for herbicide resistance, a purpose built multi-treatment spray boom with results from 2001, Richard Quinlan, Elders Ltd 32. Advantages and limitations of a purpose built multi-treatment spray boom, Richard Quinlan, Elders Ltd 33. Group F resistant wild radish: What’s new? Aik Cheam, Siew Lee Department of Agriculture, and Mike Clarke Aventis Crop Science 34. Cross resistance of Brodal® resistant wild radish to Sniper®, Aik Cheam and Siew Lee, Department of Agriculture 35. Managing a biotype of wild radish with Group F and Group C resistance, Aik Cheam, Siew Lee, David Nicholson, Peter Newman Department of Agriculture and Mike Clarke, Aventis Crop Science HERBICIDE TOLERANCE 36. Herbicide tolerance of new wheat varieties, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper and David Nicholson, Agriculture Western Australia 37. Response of barley varieties to herbicides, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper, Department of Agriculture 38. Tolerance of barley to phenoxy herbicides, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper, Department of Agriculture and Chad Sayer, Nufarm Australia Limited 39. Response of Durum wheats to herbicides, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper, Department of Agriculture 40. Response of new field pea varieties to herbicides, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper and David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture 41. Herbicide tolerance of Desi chickpeas on marginal soil, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper and David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture 42. Herbicide tolerance of newer lupin varieties, Terry Piper, Harmohinder Dhammu and David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture 43. Herbicide tolerance of some annual pasture legumes, Clinton Revell and Ian Rose, Department of Agriculture 44. Herbicide tolerance of pasture legumes, Andrew Blake, Department of Agriculture HERBICIDES – NEW PRODUCTS/PRODUCT USES; USE 45. Knockdown herbicides do not reliably kill small grass weeds, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture 46. ‘Hair Cutting’ wheat with Spray.Seed®: Does it work? Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture 47. ‘Haircutting’: Does the number one cut work? Robert Barrett-Lennard1 and Jerome Critch2,1WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of WA, 2Student, University of WA 48. Hammer EC (Carfentrazone-ethyl): A mixing partner for glyphosate to enhance the control of difficult broadleaf weeds, Gordon R. Cumming, Crop Care Australasia 49. Marshmallow control in reduced tillage systems, Sam Taylor, Wesfarmers Landmark 50. Herbicide options for summer germinating marshmallow, Vanessa Stewart, Department of Agriculture 51. Dual Gold® safe in a dry year at Coorow, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture 52. The effect of glyphosate, paraquat and diquat as a crop topping application on the germination of barley, John Moore and Roslyn Jettner, Department of Agriculture 53. Herbicide options for melon control, Vanessa Stewart, Department of Agriculture 54. Herbicide options for the control of Chloris truncate (windmill grass) Vanessa Stewart, Department of Agriculture 55. Allelopathic effects of crop, pasture and weed residues on subsequent crop and pasture establishment, Stuart Bee1, Lionel Martin1, Keith Devenish2 and Terry Piper2, 1Muresk Institute of Agriculture, Curtin University of Technology, Northam, Western Australia, 2Centre for Cropping Systems, Department of Agriculture WEED ISSUES 56. Role of Roundup ReadyÒ canola in the farming system, Art Diggle1, Patrick Smith2, Paul Neve3, Felicity Flugge4, Amir Abadi5 and Stephen Powles3, 1Department of Agriculture; 2CSIRO, Sustainable Ecosystems; 3Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative; 4Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture; 5Touchstone Consulting 57. ’Weeds for Feed’ and livestock enterprise structures: A feasibility study and farmer survey in the north-easern wheatbelt, Duncan Peter and Stuart McAlpine, Department of Agriculture and Liebe Group, Buntine 58. e-weed, Vanessa Stewart, Agriculture Western Australi

Genetic diversity and demographic instability in Riftia pachyptila tubeworms from eastern Pacific hydrothermal vents

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animals occupy patchy and ephemeral habitats supported by chemosynthetic primary production. Volcanic and tectonic activities controlling the turnover of these habitats contribute to demographic instability that erodes genetic variation within and among colonies of these animals. We examined DNA sequences from one mitochondrial and three nuclear gene loci to assess genetic diversity in the siboglinid tubeworm, <it>Riftia pachyptila</it>, a widely distributed constituent of vents along the East Pacific Rise and Galápagos Rift.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Genetic differentiation (<it>F</it>_<it>ST</it>) among populations increased with geographical distances, as expected under a linear stepping-stone model of dispersal. Low levels of DNA sequence diversity occurred at all four loci, allowing us to exclude the hypothesis that an idiosyncratic selective sweep eliminated mitochondrial diversity alone. Total gene diversity declined with tectonic spreading rates. The southernmost populations, which are subjected to superfast spreading rates and high probabilities of extinction, are relatively homogenous genetically.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Compared to other vent species, DNA sequence diversity is extremely low in <it>R. pachyptila</it>. Though its dispersal abilities appear to be effective, the low diversity, particularly in southern hemisphere populations, is consistent with frequent local extinction and (re)colonization events.</p