Importance of emotional intelligence in conceptualizing collegial leadership in education

We focus on the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) in conceptualizing collegial leadership in education. Research findings, both nationally and internationally, strongly suggest that a technocratic (managerial) approach to leadership is in conflict with the visionary, people-centred approach of modern organisations, including educational institution s at school level. Research on leadership over the past two decades indicates that the emotional intelligence of leaders matters twice as much as cognitive abilities such as IQ or technical expertise. EIis not in opposition to IQ bu t it is an extension of the human’s potential to succeed in a people-orientated environment. Traditional cognitive intelligence (IQ) is combined with no n-cognitive intelligence (EI) to help leaders perform at their best and inspire their followers to be successful and happy. Although the principal’s leadership is an essential element in the success of a school, current research indicates that the complexities o f schools require a new focus on collaborative (collegial) leadership. This research on EI, collegial leadership, and job satisfaction is illustrated in the Triumvirate Leadership Grid. It strongly suggests th at a personal and emotional accountability system is essential for positive human development within the learning environment

Driver and Driving Assessment Issues Associated with the Application of a Secondary Task Technique: A Case Study

A review of experimental methodology can uncover the shortcomings of a particular driving assessment technique, providing insight for the development and refinement of this assessment technique, and its application for further studies. By employing a case study as the backdrop for such a review, a context is created within which the specific application of the assessment technique can be examined and discussed. This paper presents the results of the examination of the driver assessment techniques as applied to the case study which investigated the relationship between conversation intensity while using a cell phone and driver performance. A secondary task technique was applied to study the influence of the intensity of conversation on the degradation of driving performance attributed to using a cellular telephone. Forty participants drove through simulated driving environments and engaged in cellular telephone conversations with the experimenter. After driving through each environment participants provided a rating of the workload experienced during the cellular telephone conversation during the drive. Accelerator input, speed, steering input, and lane position measurements were recorded while participants drove through particular sections of the simulated driving environments. Results of the study indicated the variation of steering input increased when the cellular telephone was used. As far as differences between the male participants and females participants, the males generally drove faster and the females responded more quickly to a situation requiring a sudden braking or steering maneuver. Overall, the drivers perceived the workload to be greater when using a cellular telephone. However, the use of the case study to examine the driver assessment and secondary task techniques indicated there were several positive and negative attributes which need to be considered in future research where such techniques are to be applied. For example, an analysis of the performance measures revealed that changes in the horizontal alignment of the roadway created lasting perturbations in the data. In particular, increased variations in steering input and lane position were observed for a considerable distance and time after a participant exited a curved section of roadway. These perturbations subsequently interfered with the application of the secondary task. Results of this case study will be discussed in terms of the positive and negative attributes of employing the driving assessment techniques and secondary techniques, how to enhance the utility of these techniques, and the theoretical and practical application of these techniques for on-road and simulated driving environment research

Do team processes really have an effect on clinical performance? A systematic literature review

Summary There is a growing literature on the relationship between team processes and clinical performance. The purpose of this review is to summarize these articles and examine the impact of team process behaviours on clinical performance. We conducted a literature search in five major databases. Inclusion criteria were: English peer-reviewed papers published between January 2001 and May 2012, which showed or tried to show (i) a statistical relationship of a team process variable and clinical performance or (ii) an improvement of a performance variable through a team process intervention. Study quality was assessed using predefined quality indicators. For every study, we calculated the relevant effect sizes. We included 28 studies in the review, seven of which were intervention studies. Every study reported at least one significant relationship between team processes or an intervention and performance. Also, some non-significant effects were reported. Most of the reported effect sizes were large or medium. The study quality ranged from medium to high. The studies are highly diverse regarding the specific team process behaviours investigated and also regarding the methods used. However, they suggest that team process behaviours do influence clinical performance and that training results in increased performance. Future research should rely on existing theoretical frameworks, valid, and reliable methods to assess processes such as teamwork or coordination and focus on the development of adequate tools to assess process performance, linking them with outcomes in the clinical settin

Estimating flexibility preferences to resolve temporal scheduling conflicts in activity-based modelling

This paper presents a novel activity-based demand model that combines an optimisation framework for continuous temporal scheduling decisions (i.e. activity timings and durations) with traditional discrete choice models for non-temporal choice dimensions (i.e. activity participation, number and type of tours, and destinations). The central idea of our approach is that individuals resolve temporal scheduling conflicts that arise from overlapping activities, e.g. needing to work and desiring to shop at the same time, in order to maximise their daily utility. Flexibility parameters capture behavioural preferences that penalise deviations from desired timings. This framework has three advantages over existing activity-based modelling approaches: (i) the time conflicts between different temporal scheduling decisions including the activity sequence are treated jointly; (ii) flexibility parameters follow a utility maximisation approach; and (iii) the framework can be used to estimate and simulate a city-scale case study in reasonable time. We introduce an estimation routine that allows flexibility parameters to be estimated using real-world observations as well as a simulation routine to efficiently resolve temporal conflicts using an optimisation model. The framework is applied to the full-time workers of a synthetic population for the city of Lausanne, Switzerland. We validate the model results against reported schedules. The results demonstrate the capabilities of our approach to reproduce empirical observations in a real-world case study

Location and group size influence decisions in simulated intergroup encounters in banded mongooses

In social species that cooperatively defend territories the decision to retreat or attack in contests between groups is likely to depend on ecological and social factors. Previous studies have emphasized the importance of the encounter location or the size of competing groups on the outcome. In addition, the identity of the intruder, whether familiar or stranger, may also play a role. To test whether the same factors affect the resident group's decisions already at the beginning of contests, we simulated intergroup encounters in banded mongooses (Mungos mungo). When spotting rival groups banded mongooses emit "screeching calls” which lead group members to bunch up. With playbacks of these calls, we tested how the groups' response was affected by the following factors: 1) the location of the playback in relation to their territory (exclusive use vs. overlap); 2) the number of resident individuals; and 3) the origin of calls (neighbor vs. stranger) used. Subjects were more likely to approach the loudspeakers and arrive within 1 m of the speakers in the exclusive use zone than in the overlap zone. Moreover, larger groups tended to be more likely to move toward the loudspeakers and were also more likely to arrive there. The origin of calls used in the playbacks did not affect the groups' responses. These findings exemplify the importance of the combined effect of location and group size on group decisions during impending intergroup contes

Normal Induction but Attenuated Progression of Germinal Center Responses in BAFF and BAFF-R Signaling–Deficient Mice

The factors regulating germinal center (GC) B cell fate are poorly understood. Recent studies have defined a crucial role for the B cell–activating factor belonging to TNF family (BAFF; also called BLyS) in promoting primary B cell survival and development. A role for this cytokine in antigen-driven B cell responses has been suggested but current data in this regard are limited. A BAFF receptor expressed by B cells (BAFF-R/BR3) is defective in A/WySnJ mice which exhibit a phenotype similar to BAFF-deficient (BAFF−/−) animals. Here, we show that although GC responses can be efficiently induced in both A/WySnJ and BAFF−/− mice, these responses are not sustained. In BAFF−/− mice, this response is rapidly attenuated and accompanied by perturbed follicular dendritic cell development and immune complex trapping. In contrast, analysis of the A/WySnJ GC response revealed a B cell autonomous proliferative defect associated with reduced or undetectable Ki67 nuclear proliferation antigen expression by GC B cells at all stages of the response. These data demonstrate a multifaceted role for the BAFF pathway in regulating GC progression

Sex-independent senescence in a cooperatively breeding mammal.

Researchers studying mammals have frequently interpreted earlier or faster rates of ageing in males as resulting from polygyny and the associated higher costs of reproductive competition. Yet, few studies conducted on wild populations have compared sex-specific senescence trajectories outside of polygynous species, making it difficult to make generalized inferences on the role of reproductive competition in driving senescence, particularly when other differences between males and females might also contribute to sex-specific changes in performance across lifespan. Here, we examine age-related variation in body mass, reproductive output and survival in dominant male and female meerkats, Suricata suricatta. Meerkats are socially monogamous cooperative breeders where a single dominant pair virtually monopolizes reproduction in each group and subordinate group members help to rear offspring produced by breeders. In contrast to many polygynous societies, we find that neither the onset nor the rate of senescence in body mass or reproductive output shows clear differences between males and females. Both sexes also display similar patterns of age-related survival across lifespan, but unlike most wild vertebrates, survival senescence (increases in annual mortality with rising age) was absent in dominants of both sexes, and as a result, the fitness costs of senescence were entirely attributable to declines in reproductive output from mid- to late-life. We suggest that the potential for intrasexual competition to increase rates of senescence in females-who are hormonally masculinized and frequently aggressive-is offset by their ability to maintain longer tenures of dominance than males, and that these processes when combined lead to similar patterns of senescence in both sexes. Our results stress the need to consider the form and intensity of sexual competition as well as other sex-specific features of life history when investigating the operation of senescence in wild populations

The frequency of gaseous debris discs around white dwarfs

A total of 1–3 per cent of white dwarfs are orbited by planetary dusty debris detectable as infrared emission in excess above the white dwarf flux. In a rare subset of these systems, a gaseous disc component is also detected via emission lines of the Ca ii 8600 Å triplet, broadened by the Keplerian velocity of the disc. We present the first statistical study of the fraction of debris discs containing detectable amounts of gas in emission at white dwarfs within a magnitude and signal-to-noise ratio limited sample. We select 7705 single white dwarfs spectroscopically observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Gaia with magnitudes g ≤ 19. We identify five gaseous disc hosts, all of which have been previously discovered. We calculate the occurrence rate of a white dwarf hosting a debris disc detectable via Ca ii emission lines as 0.067±0.0420.025 per cent. This corresponds to an occurrence rate for a dusty debris disc to have an observable gaseous component in emission as 4 ± 42 per cent. Given that variability is a common feature of the emission profiles of gaseous debris discs, and the recent detection of a planetesimal orbiting within the disc of SDSS J122859.93+104032.9, we propose that gaseous components are tracers for the presence of planetesimals embedded in the discs and outline a qualitative model. We also present spectroscopy of the Ca ii triplet 8600 Å region for 20 white dwarfs hosting dusty debris discs in an attempt to identify gaseous emission. We do not detect any gaseous components in these 20 systems, consistent with the occurrence rate that we calculated