Administrative Internship, Mt. Zion Community School District #3

Ideally, the best approach to learning administration for educational institutions is to observe the work of administrators in the field. While it is overly pretentious to advocate ascertaining all functions of one office, it is possible to develop a working knowledge of the primary responsibilities involved in several positions, namely, the central office administration. Under the direction of the Superintendent of Schools, the Assistant Superintendent, and the Director of Guidance for Mt. Zion Schools this writer has acquired such working knowledge. Although the basic theory for role development of each of these positions is transmitted in this paper, it is imperative that the reader be cognizant of the fact that each topic contained could indeed be expanded to a volume of its own. Foremost in this study is information as it pertains to three general areas: district operations, personnel procedures, and student services. Responsibility for district operations is, of course, vested in the Superintendent of Schools. For purposes of examining the superintendent\u27s role, the reader will find information on school board meetings, financial affairs, the school calendar, and professional negotiations. Activites of the Assistant Superintendent are reported on and discussed as they relate to employment of staff, evaluation of staff, district transportation, and student conduct codes. With the growing trend for utilization of data processing equipment, it is essential for the school administrator to be able to apply these systems as needed. The most valuable instance for computer input in schools over 500 enrollment involves the processing of data for registration and scheduling. Materials to support administrative operations are presented in the appendix for future use and development by an administrator. It is reasonable to assume that with this information, the potential administrator will be equipped with basic theory for successful operations of the central office

Administrative Internship, Mt. Zion Community School District #3

Ideally, the best approach to learning administration for educational institutions is to observe the work of administrators in the field. While it is overly pretentious to advocate ascertaining all functions of one office, it is possible to develop a working knowledge of the primary responsibilities involved in several positions, namely, the central office administration. Under the direction of the Superintendent of Schools, the Assistant Superintendent, and the Director of Guidance for Mt. Zion Schools this writer has acquired such working knowledge. Although the basic theory for role development of each of these positions is transmitted in this paper, it is imperative that the reader be cognizant of the fact that each topic contained could indeed be expanded to a volume of its own. Foremost in this study is information as it pertains to three general areas: district operations, personnel procedures, and student services. Responsibility for district operations is, of course, vested in the Superintendent of Schools. For purposes of examining the superintendent\u27s role, the reader will find information on school board meetings, financial affairs, the school calendar, and professional negotiations. Activites of the Assistant Superintendent are reported on and discussed as they relate to employment of staff, evaluation of staff, district transportation, and student conduct codes. With the growing trend for utilization of data processing equipment, it is essential for the school administrator to be able to apply these systems as needed. The most valuable instance for computer input in schools over 500 enrollment involves the processing of data for registration and scheduling. Materials to support administrative operations are presented in the appendix for future use and development by an administrator. It is reasonable to assume that with this information, the potential administrator will be equipped with basic theory for successful operations of the central office

The Relationship between Marital Status and Psychological Resilience in Chronic Pain

We examined the relationship between marital status and a 2-stage model of pain-related effect, consisting of pain unpleasantness and suffering. We studied 1914 chronic pain patients using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) to clarify whether marital status was a determinant factor in the emotional or ideational suffering associated with chronic pain after controlling for pain sensation intensity, age, and ethnicity. Marital status was unrelated to immediate unpleasantness (). We found a strong association with emotional suffering () but not with negative illness beliefs (). Interestingly, widowed subjects experienced significantly less frustration, fear, and anger than all other groups (married, divorced, separated, or single). A final MANCOVA including sex as a covariate revealed that the emotional response to pain was the same for both widow and widower. Only those individuals whose spouse died experienced less emotional turmoil in the face of a condition threatening their lifestyle. These data suggest that after experiencing the death of a spouse, an individual may derive some “emotional inoculation” against future lifestyle threat

Use of tritium and helium to define groundwater flow conditions in Everglades National Park

The concentrations of tritium (3H) and helium isotopes (3He and4He) were used as tracers of groundwater flow in the surficial aquifer system (SAS) beneath Everglades National Park (ENP), south Florida. From ages determined by 3H/3He dating techniques, groundwater within the upper 28 m originated within the last 30 years. Below 28 m, waters originated prior to 30 years before present with evidence of mixing at the interface. Interannual variation of the 3H/3He ages within the upper 28 m was significant throughout the 3 year investigation, corresponding with varying hydrologic conditions. In the region of Taylor Slough Bridge, younger groundwater was consistently detected below older groundwater in the Biscayne Aquifer, suggesting preferential flow to the lower part of the aquifer. An increase in 4He with depth in the SAS indicated that radiogenic 4He produced in the underlying Hawthorn Group migrates into the SAS by diffusion. Higher Δ4He values in brackish groundwaters compared to fresh waters from similar depths suggested a possible enhanced vertical transport of4He in the seawater mixing zone. Groundwater salinity measurements indicated the presence of a wide (6–28 km) seawater mixing zone. Comparison of groundwater levels with surface water levels in this zone indicated the potential for brackish groundwater discharge to the overlying Everglades surface water

Mycobacterium tuberculosis RNA Expression Patterns in Sputum Bacteria Indicate Secreted Esx Factors Contributing to Growth are Highly Expressed in Active Disease

To identify factors contributing to the ability of tubercle bacilli to grow in the lung during active infection, we analyzed RNA expression patterns in bacteria present in patient sputum. Prominent among bacterial transcripts identified were those encoding secreted peptides of the Esat-6 subfamily that includes EsxK and EsxL (Rv1197 and Rv1198). H37Rv esxKL and esxJI transcripts were differentially expressed under different growth conditions, and disruption of these genes altered growth phase kinetics in typical laboratory batch broth cultures. These growth defects, including the reduced intracellular growth of an ΔesxKL mutant in primary human macrophages, were reversed by either low multiplicity co-infection or co-culture with wild-type bacteria, demonstrating the ability of the secreted factors to rescue isogenic mutants. Complementing either only esxL or esxI alone (Rv1198 or Rv1037c) also reduced observed growth defects, indicating these genes encode factors capable of contributing to growth. Our studies indicate that the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Mtb9.9 family secreted factors EsxL and EsxI can act in trans to modulate growth of intracellular bacteria, and are highly expressed during active human lung infection

Nuclear Reactor Safeguarding with Neutrino Detection for MOX Loading Verification

The resurgence of interest in nuclear power around the world highlights the importance of effective methods to safeguard against nuclear proliferation. Many powerful safeguarding techniques have been developed and are currently employed, but new approaches are needed to address proliferation challenges from emerging advanced reactor designs and fuel cycles. Building on prior work that demonstrated monitoring of nuclear reactor operation using neutrino detectors, we develop and present a simple quantitative statistical test suitable for analysis of measured reactor neutrino data and demonstrate its efficacy in a semi-cooperative reactor monitoring scenario. In this approach, a moderate-sized neutrino detector is placed near the reactor site to help monitor possible MOX fuel diversion independent of inspection-based monitoring. We take advantage of differing time-dependent neutrino count rates during the operating cycle of a reactor core to monitor any deviations of measurements from expectations given a declared fuel composition. For a five-ton idealized detector placed 25m away from a hypothetical 3565 MWth reactor, the statistical test is capable of detecting the diversion of ~80kg plutonium at the 95% confidence level 90% of the time over a 540-day observation period.Comment: 35 pages, 24 figure

End-tidal and arterial carbon dioxide gradient in serious traumatic brain injury after prehospital emergency anaesthesia: a retrospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES: In the UK, 20% of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) receive prehospital emergency anaesthesia (PHEA). Current guidance recommends an end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) of 4.0-4.5 kPa (30.0-33.8 mm Hg) to achieve a low-normal arterial partial pressure of CO2 (PaCO2), and reduce secondary brain injury. This recommendation assumes a 0.5 kPa (3.8 mm Hg) ETCO2-PaCO2 gradient. However, the gradient in the acute phase of TBI is unknown. The primary aim was to report the ETCO2-PaCO2 gradient of TBI patients at hospital arrival. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of adult patients with serious TBI, who received a PHEA by a prehospital critical care team in the East of England between 1 April 2015 and 31 December 2017. Linear regression was performed to test for correlation and reported as R-squared (R2). A Bland-Altman plot was used to test for paired ETCO2 and PaCO2 agreement and reported with 95% CI. ETCO2-PaCO2 gradient data were compared with a two-tailed, unpaired, t-test. RESULTS: 107 patients were eligible for inclusion. Sixty-seven patients did not receive a PaCO2 sample within 30 min of hospital arrival and were therefore excluded. Forty patients had complete data and were included in the final analysis; per protocol. The mean ETCO2-PaCO2 gradient was 1.7 (±1.0) kPa (12.8 mm Hg), with moderate correlation (R2=0.23, p=0.002). The Bland-Altman bias was 1.7 (95% CI 1.4 to 2.0) kPa with upper and lower limits of agreement of 3.6 (95% CI 3.0 to 4.1) kPa and -0.2 (95% CI -0.8 to 0.3) kPa, respectively. There was no evidence of a larger gradient in more severe TBI (p=0.29). There was no significant gradient correlation in patients with a coexisting serious thoracic injury (R2=0.13, p=0.10), and this cohort had a larger ETCO2-PaCO2 gradient, 2.0 (±1.1) kPa (15.1 mm Hg), p=0.01. Patients who underwent prehospital arterial blood sampling had an arrival PaCO2 of 4.7 (±0.2) kPa (35.1 mm Hg). CONCLUSION: There is only moderate correlation of ETCO2 and PaCO2 at hospital arrival in patients with serious TBI. The mean ETCO2-PaCO2 gradient was 1.7 (±1.0) kPa (12.8 mm Hg). Lower ETCO2 targets than previously recommended may be safe and appropriate, and there may be a role for prehospital PaCO2 measurement

Effects of caustic cleaning on pore size of nanofiltration membranes and their rejection of trace organic chemicals

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of caustic cleaning on the rejection of three different trace organic chemical (TrOC) groups (i.e. neutral hydrophilic, neutral hydrophobic and negatively charged) by two nanofiltration (NF) membranes ‒ namely NF270 and NF90. Chemical cleaning was simulated by exposing virgin membrane samples to commercial caustic cleaning formulations as well as sodium hydroxide solutions containing analytical grade additives such as sodium dodecyl sulfate or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The membrane average pore size before and after exposure to a commercially available caustic cleaning formulation was determined based on the pore transport model. The results show that caustic chemical cleaning could cause an increase in the membrane pore size, leading to an increase in permeability and decrease in rejection of conductivity. The impact of caustic cleaning on the pore size and solute rejection was a function of the membrane active skin layer and the chemistry of the cleaning formulation. Caustic cleaning led to a small increase in pore size of the NF270 membrane and resulted in a notable increase in the permeability and salt passage. By contrast, the impact on the NF90 membrane was negligible. The influence of caustic cleaning on TrOC rejection was dependent on physical characteristics of each TrOC including their molecular size, charge, and hydrophobicity. The rejection of neutral and hydrophobic TrOC by the NF270 membrane decreased significantly after exposure to caustic cleaning formulation. However, because the rejection of negatively charged TrOC is governed mostly by electrostatic interaction, their rejection was not significantly affected by caustic cleaning