Leadership And Ethics: Grounded Theory Versus Today’s Fad

A universal code of ethics, in the context of corporate and institutional leadership, effectively functioning within the influences of a global culture, could be a powerful factor in positive differentiation, performance, and success. In the general absence of such a code, it is my opinion, consultants, entrepreneurs, and for-profit entities have resorted to applying interpretive knowledge without valid theory or research to fill this gap that I perceive to be left by the field of adult educational practice and scholarship. There is a need, an obligation, and an opportunity for the field of educational practice to reclaim a prominent position of influence in leadership and ethics particularly in the global domain of cross cultural knowledge development

MicroRNAs and ovarian function

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs which function in gene regulation with an important role in cell proliferation, maturation, and activity. The regulatory role of these small RNA molecules has recently begun to be explored in ovarian cells, uncovering their influence on gonadal development, steroidogenesis, apoptosis, ovulation, and corpus luteum development. This emerging area of research has extended and reshaped our understanding on how ovarian function is regulated. Here, we review the current understanding of miRNA biogenesis, the role and mechanism that miRNAs play in post-transcriptional gene expression regulation, and specifically the current evidence of miRNA involvement in ovarian development and function. Future comprehensive understanding of the role of miRNAs in the ovary in both physiological and pathological conditions may offer new treatment strategies for infertility and other ovarian disorders

Concept Mapping: A Neuro-Scientific Approach

Rarely if ever are the boundaries of any scholarly body of knowledge or theory integrated in an inter-disciplinary collaboration, yet there are arguably some situations where just such a symbiotic relationship is quite compelling. One such example was recognized in the remarkable similarities that exist between complex high-tech design and the logical function and design of the human brain. An even better example exists involving the processes of learning and the potential implication for collaboration between neuroscience and adult education

Improved impact performance of marine sandwich panels using through-thickness reinforcement: Experimental results

This paper presents results from a test developed to simulate the water impact (slamming) loading of sandwich boat structures. A weighted elastomer ball is dropped from increasing heights onto rigidly supported panels until damage is detected. Results from this test indicate that honeycomb core sandwich panels, the most widely used material for racing yacht hulls, start to damage due to core crushing at impact energies around 550 J. Sandwich panels of the same areal weight and with the same carbon/epoxy facings but using a novel foam core reinforced in the thickness direction with pultruded carbon fibre pins, do not show signs of damage until above 1200 J impact energy. This suggests that these will offer significantly improved resistance to wave impact. Quasi-static test results cannot be used to predict impact resistance here as the crush strength of the pinned foam is more sensitive to loading rate than that of the honeycomb core

Influence du vieillissement marin sur l'endommagement en sollicitation hors plan de bordé de bateau de course = Influence of sea water aging on damage development in racing boat hull under inplane shear loading.

National audienceNous avons étudié l'influence du vieillissement en eau de mer d'échantillons de stratifiés carbone/époxy provenant de la structure de voilier de course. D'abord, afin d'établir une référence pour la suite de l'étude, les cinétiques de prise de masse d'eau ont été déterminées à 5 températures (4°, 20°, 40°, 60°,80°C), ainsi que l'influence de l'immersion sur les propriétés mécaniques et sur l'endommagement. Ensuite différents domaines ont été étudiés : l'incidence de la protection de type peinture et enduit sur la prise de masse, l'évolution des propriétés mécaniques et l'endommagement de plaques issues de la même structure a été étudiée. Nous avons montré que la peinture époxy utilisée pour le revêtement des voiliers présentait des propriétés barrières retardant la diffusion de l'eau et la diminution des propriétés mécaniques. L'influence du nombre de couche de peinture n'est pas négligeable, allant même à légèrement modifier l'endommagement. En complément, une peinture anticorrosion couvrant les quilles des monocoques fut testée, on note que la diminution de propriété ne suit pas la prise de masse. Par ailleurs, des plaques protégées par un enduit ont également été vieillies et analysées

Etude de la liaison interfaciale fibre de lin/acide poly(L-lactique) = Study of interfacial bonding of Flax fibre/Poly(L-lactide)

National audienceL'utilisation de matériaux composites à matrice Polyester renforcés par des fibres de verre soulève de plus en plus de questions tant au niveau sanitaire qu'environnementale. Une alternative consiste à développer des composites entièrement bio-basé, recyclables en fin d'usage [1] et biocompostables en fin de vie [2], avec des propriétés mécaniques élevées [1, 3] et un impact environnementale faible. Peu de travaux décrivent les propriétés de la zone interfaciale de biocomposites alors que l'amélioration des performances mécaniques demande une meilleure compréhension de cette zone. Ainsi ce travail décrit la caractérisation interfaciale à l'échelle microscopique d'un système Fibre de lin/Poly(lactique) acide à l'aide du test de déchaussement de microgoutte. Différents traitements thermiques (refroidissement et recuit) sont réalisés afin de mieux cerner l'influence de la morphologie de la matrice et des contraintes résiduelles sur les propriétés interfaciales. Différents modèles micromécaniques sont utilisés pour évaluer la résistance de l'interface au cisaillement. Lorsque le refroidissement est lent, une amélioration des propriétés est observée Celle-ci est provoquée par une cristallisation importante ainsi que par la présence d'une phase transcristalline. Un recuit du PLLA (refroidit à l'air et donc quasi amorphe) est réalisé en dessous de sa température de transition vitreuse. Les contraintes internes résiduelles sont ainsi relaxées provoquant alors une diminution nette des propriétés de l'interface

Analysis of the film stacking processing parameters for PLLA/flax fibre biocomposites

International audienceNowadays, the market demand for environmentally friendly materials is rapidly increasing. Biodegradable fibres and biodegradable polymers mainly extracted from renewable resources are expected to be a major contribution to the production of new industrial high performance biodegradable composites, partially solving the problem of waste management. At the end of its lifetime, a structural biodegradable composite can be crushed and recycled through a controlled industrial composting process. Bodros et al. [1] showed that biodegradable PLLA (L-polylactide acid)/flax fibres mat composites exhibiting specific tensile properties equivalent to glass fibre polyester composites can be manufactured by an un-optimised film stacking process. In our study, the process has been investigated more extensively. Indeed, the compaction of flax mats requires a higher load than for glass mats of similar areal weight. The transverse permeability of flax mats has also been shown to be lower than for glass mats. In both cases, this is due to a higher degree of entanglement of the flax fibres within the mat. However, the range of permeability and compressibility values of the flax mats are well within the values that allow a good through-thethickness impregnation. Flax fibres cannot sustain long exposures at the impregnation temperature of the mats by PLLA resin. Through-the-thickness impregnation of flax mats processes such as film stacking are more suitable than in-plane impregnation processes such as Resin Transfer Molding because the flow of resin is limited on short distances and allows short times of impregnation

DNA Barcoding of the First Recorded American Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus americanus, in Clark County, Arkansas

The American Burying Beetle (ABB), Nicrophorus americanus, is a red-listed endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). We serendipitously recorded 3 individuals of this species during a forensic study in the summer of 2013. These specimens represent the first known records for Clark County, AR and the southeastern-most record in the State since the extirpation of the species from the region in the late 1800’s. Two males and one female were collected, photographed, sexed and measured. One male specimen was deceased upon discovery. The remaining two individuals were released. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was notified of the accidental catch and death of an endangered species as required and the specimen was awarded to Ouachita Baptist University for further study. The deceased specimen was used for DNA barcode sequence analysis. A 400bp section of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was amplified using gene specific primers and then sequenced using Sanger sequencing methods. Sequence analysis revealed the collected beetle to be 98.5% identical to the ABB voucher sequence and was 86% similar to other Nicrophorus species. Taken together the DNA sequence analysis results and taxonomic identification both support the identification of our specimen