The Administrator Effect: How EL Education Principals Influence Teachers’ Ability to Overcome Challenge

Teacher attrition and movement are difficulties facing school systems today. A variety of concerns contribute to teacher attrition and movement including dissatisfaction, school staffing actions, classroom factors, lack of administrative support, lack of resources, and student performance factors. As a result, educators are prone to burnout due to the stresses of teaching, which in turn leads to attrition and movement. School principals can stem the tide of teacher dissatisfaction and attrition by providing technical and adaptive scaffolds for teachers. Leaders can begin to provide these supports by examining their own beliefs and actions around mindset, grittiness, and resistance to change. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how EL Education principals used growth mindset and grittiness to help teachers to overcome dissatisfaction and the stressors of school. The study focused on the experiences of administrators in EL Education schools and how their beliefs around grittiness and mindset helped to foster a stronger growth mindset and grittiness in teachers so that teachers would willingly change practice. Participants in the study reported that teachers in EL Education schools felt stress in three areas: reporting student achievement, lack of student grit, and revising / implementing learning expeditions. In response to these stressors, the EL Education principals shared that they focused efforts to nurture a culture of revision, a common definition of grittiness, and stronger instructional practices across the school. The participants also shared that they used storytelling and structures for honoring teachers’ struggles to alleviate teacher dissatisfaction

Biological Channeling of a Reactive Intermediate in the Bifunctional Enzyme DmpFG

It has been hypothesized that the bifunctional enzyme DmpFG channels its intermediate, acetaldehyde, from one active site to the next using a buried intermolecular channel identified in the crystal structure. This channel appears to switch between an open and a closed conformation depending on whether the coenzyme NAD(+) is present or absent. Here, we applied molecular dynamics and metadynamics to investigate channeling within DmpFG in both the presence and absence of NAD(+). We found that substrate channeling within this enzyme is energetically feasible in the presence of NAD(+) but was less likely in its absence. Tyr-291, a proposed control point at the channel's entry, does not appear to function as a molecular gate. Instead, it is thought to orientate the substrate 4-hydroxy-2-ketovalerate in DmpG before reaction occurs, and may function as a proton shuttle for the DmpG reaction. Three hydrophobic residues at the channel's exit appear to have an important role in controlling the entry of acetaldehyde into the DmpF active site

Biological Channeling of a Reactive Intermediate in the Bifunctional Enzyme DmpFG

AbstractIt has been hypothesized that the bifunctional enzyme DmpFG channels its intermediate, acetaldehyde, from one active site to the next using a buried intermolecular channel identified in the crystal structure. This channel appears to switch between an open and a closed conformation depending on whether the coenzyme NAD+ is present or absent. Here, we applied molecular dynamics and metadynamics to investigate channeling within DmpFG in both the presence and absence of NAD+. We found that substrate channeling within this enzyme is energetically feasible in the presence of NAD+ but was less likely in its absence. Tyr-291, a proposed control point at the channel's entry, does not appear to function as a molecular gate. Instead, it is thought to orientate the substrate 4-hydroxy-2-ketovalerate in DmpG before reaction occurs, and may function as a proton shuttle for the DmpG reaction. Three hydrophobic residues at the channel's exit appear to have an important role in controlling the entry of acetaldehyde into the DmpF active site

Enhancing polyimide\u27s water barrier properties through addition of functionalized graphene oxide

Graphene oxide produced by Tour\u27s method (GO) and GO functionalized with 4-4\u27 oxydianiline (ODAGO) are incorporated at 0.01 to 0.10 weight percent (wt%) into a polyimide (PI) made from 3,3\u27-benzophe-nonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 4-4\u27 oxydianiline (ODA). The performance properties of these two systems GO-PI and ODAGO-PI at extremely low GO concentrations are compared. ODAGO-PI nanocomposite\u27s performance properties are comparable to previous results citing concentrations 10 times higher and displayed significantly greater improvement than unfunctionalized GO-PI films. The 0.01 wt% ODAGO-PI film demonstrated a factor of ten decrease in water vapor permeability. The 0.10 wt% ODAGO-PI film displayed the maximum increase of 82% in Young\u27s modulus. The water vapor permeability results were fit to the Nielsen law. We found that the model yielded unphysically large aspect ratios for the 0.01 wt% ODAGO-PI, 100 times larger than the AFM-measured value. For the GO-PI, we observe less enhancement of the barrier properties. The large aspect ratio indicates tortuosity effects alone cannot explain the enhanced barrier properties. We propose that the improved barrier properties are also due to a stabilizing effect of the flakes on the polymer matrix, where reduced mobility of the PI chain reduces diffusion through the polymer matrix. ATR-FTIR, WAXS, Raman and T-g results support this view. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Strategies for a Successful PhD Program: Words of Wisdom From the \u3cem\u3eWJNR\u3c/em\u3e Editorial Board

Nursing doctoral programs prepare students for research-focused careers within academic settings. The purpose of this Editorial Board Special Article is to provide PhD students and advisors with suggestions for making the most of their doctoral experience. Editorial Board members provide their individual insights on the skills and attributes students must acquire during the course of their doctoral education in order to succeed. The authors provide practical tips and advice on how to excel in a PhD program, including how to select an advisor and a dissertation committee, the importance of attending conferences to increase visibility and develop a network of colleagues, presenting and publishing research while still a student, and balancing work and personal life. Students who take full advantage of the opportunities available to them during the course of their doctoral programs will graduate well prepared to take on the multiple responsibilities of research, teaching, and leadership

Graphene Oxide Reduces the Hydrolytic Degradation in Polyamide-11

Graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated into polyamide-11 (PA11) via in-situ polymerization. The GO-PA11 nano-composite had elevated resistance to hydrolytic degradation. At a loading of 1 mg/g, GO to PA11, the accelerated aging equilibrium molecular weight of GO-PA11 was higher (33 and 34 kg/mol at 100 and 120 C, respectively) compared to neat PA11 (23 and 24 kg/mol at 100 and 120 C, respectively). Neat PA11 had hydrolysis rate constants (kH) of 2.8 and 12 ( 10(exp -2) day(exp -1)) when aged at 100 and 120 C, respectively, and re-polymerization rate constants (kP) of 5.0 and 23 ( 10(exp -5) day(exp -1)), respectively. The higher equilibrium molecular weight for GO-PA11 loaded at 1 mg/g was the result of a decreased kH, 1.8 and 4.5 ( 10(exp -2) day(exp -1)), and an increased kP, 10 and 17 ( 10(exp -5) day(exp -1)) compared with neat PA11 at 100 and 120 C, respectively. The decreased rate of degradation and resulting 40% increased equilibrium molecular weight of GO-PA11 was attributed to the highly asymmetric planar GO nano-sheets that inhibited the molecular mobility of water and the polymer chain. The crystallinity of the polymer matrix was similarly affected by a reduction in chain mobility during annealing due to the GO nanoparticles' chemistry and highly asymmetric nano-planar sheet structure