Consistency of Principal Ratings by Central Office Administration Across Various Job Related Factors

Given the emphasis placed on strong leadership as a condition for high performing schools, identifying and assessing the characteristics of effective school leaders have become essential tasks for local jurisdictions, state departments of education, and the federal government. However, many forms of appraisal have failed to assess the daily work of principals. The conventional form of evaluation in the field of educational leadership has focused on a process whereby a central office administrator, traditionally the direct supervisor, rates principals on some form of evaluation instrument. Among the criticisms of this process is the lack of input from multiple sources. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ratings of principals utilizing multiple perspectives and raters. The study sought to examine the consistency to which central office administrators evaluate principals across a number of job related responsibilities. For this study, six central office administrators employed by a mid to large urban school district were asked to rate 29 building principals in the same district. Principals were rated on eleven leadership responsibilities associated with student achievement using a 5 point Likert scale. Rater agreement was established through the use of a one-way ANOVA and Pearson's Correlation Coefficient. Measures of central tendency and variation were also calculated. Results indicate central office administrators in this study varied significantly in their ratings of principals across job related responsibilities. The magnitude of variation was indicative of an inadequate level of agreement regarding the evaluation of principal performance. This research has important implications for the evaluative process of educational leadership. If central office administrators vary considerably in terms of their ratings of principals, the whole notion of accurate evaluations of principals from central office administration is called into question. Recommendations for future research, as well as alternative appraisal processes are included

Effects of Hypoxia on Blood Osmolarity in Antarctic Fish Species

Temperature is increasing in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica and as a result, oxygen levels are also decreasing, potentially affecting native fish species. I am measuring blood osmolarity to determine if hypoxia affects the ability of Antarctic fish to regulate blood osmolarity

Is level of prematurity a risk/plasticity factor at three years of age?

Children born preterm have poorer outcomes than children born full-term, but the caregiving environment can ameliorate some of these differences. Recent research has proposed that preterm birth may be a plasticity factor, leading to better outcomes for preterm than full-term infants in higher quality environments. This analysis uses data from two waves of an Irish study of children (at 9 months and 3 years of age, n=11,134 children) and their caregivers (n=11,132 mothers, n=9,998 fathers) to investigate differences in how caregiving affects social, cognitive, and motor skills between full-term, late preterm, and very preterm children. Results indicate that parental emotional distress and quality of attachment are important for child outcomes. Both being born very preterm and late preterm continue to be risk factors for poorer outcomes at 3 years of age. Only fathers’ emotional distress significantly moderated the effect of prematurity on infants’ cognitive and social outcomes – no other interactions between prematurity and environment were significant. These interactions were somewhat in line with diathesis stress, but the effect sizes were too small to provide strong support for this model. There is no evidence that preterm birth is a plasticity factor

Genetic variation in CFH predicts phenytoin-induced maculopapular exanthema in European-descent patients

Objective To characterize, among European and Han Chinese populations, the genetic predictors of maculopapular exanthema (MPE), a cutaneous adverse drug reaction common to antiepileptic drugs. Methods We conducted a case-control genome-wide association study of autosomal genotypes, including Class I and II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles, in 323 cases and 1,321 drug-tolerant controls from epilepsy cohorts of northern European and Han Chinese descent. Results from each cohort were meta-analyzed. Results We report an association between a rare variant in the complement factor H–related 4 (CFHR4) gene and phenytoin-induced MPE in Europeans (p = 4.5 × 10–11; odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 7 [3.2–16]). This variant is in complete linkage disequilibrium with a missense variant (N1050Y) in the complement factor H (CFH) gene. In addition, our results reinforce the association between HLA-A*31:01 and carbamazepine hypersensitivity. We did not identify significant genetic associations with MPE among Han Chinese patients. Conclusions The identification of genetic predictors of MPE in CFHR4 and CFH, members of the complement factor H–related protein family, suggest a new link between regulation of the complement system alternative pathway and phenytoin-induced hypersensitivity in European-ancestral patients

Tremor-rich shallow dyke formation followed by silent magma flow at Bárdarbunga in Iceland

The Bárdarbunga eruption in Iceland in 2014 and 2015 produced about 1.6 km3 of lava. Magma propagated away from Bárdarbunga to a distance of 48 km in the sub-surface beneath Vatnajökull glacier, emerging a few kilometres beyond the glacier's northern rim. A puzzling observation is the lack of shallow (<3 km deep), high-frequency earthquakes associated with shallow dyke formation near the subaerial and subglacial eruptive sites, suggesting that near-surface dyke formation is seismically quiet. However, seismic array observations and seismic full wavefield simulations reveal the presence and nature of shallow, pre-eruptive, long-duration seismic tremor activity. Here we use analyses of seismic data to constrain the relationships between seismicity, tremor, dyke propagation and magma flow during the Bárðarbunga eruption. We show that although tremor is usually associated with magma flow in volcanic settings, pre-eruptive tremor at Bárdarbunga was probably caused by swarms of microseismic events during dyke formation, and hence is directly associated with fracturing of the upper 2–3 km of the crust. Subsequent magma flow in the newly formed shallow dyke was seismically silent, with almost a complete absence of seismicity or tremor. Hence, we suggest that the transition from temporarily isolated, large, deep earthquakes to many smaller, shallower, temporally overlapping earthquakes (< magnitude 2) that appear as continuous tremor announces the arrival of a dyke opening in the shallow crust, forming a pathway for silent magma flow to the Earth's surface

Suitability of four injectable anesthetic protocols for percutaneous synovial fluid aspiration in healthy swine under field conditions and assessment of lameness seven days post procedure

Objective: To compare the suitability of four anesthetic protocols for ante-mortem percutaneous synovial fluid aspiration from healthy swine in field conditions. A supplemental objective was to assess the iatrogenic impact of ante-mortem joint sampling by monitoring lameness and joint swelling after the procedure and assessing synovium histology at day seven post treatment. Materials and methods: Twenty-four finisher pigs (mean weight 86.1 kg ± 10.6) were each randomly allocated to receive one of four intramuscularly administered anesthetic protocols: telazol-ketamine-xylazine (TKX); telazol-ketamine-acepromazine (TKA); ketamine-acepromazine with lidocaine epidural (KAL); or telazol-acepromazine with lidocaine epidural (TAL). Synovial fluid was collected aseptically from one carpus and tarsus joint per anesthetized pig. The anesthetic protocols were evaluated in terms of successful general anesthesia, time to sternal recumbency and time to standing recovery, and protocol cost. Joint swelling and lameness assessments were completed on days two, four, and seven post sampling. On day seven, pigs were euthanized and synovium was collected from each sampled joint for histologic evaluation. Results: The TKX and TAL treatments were the only anesthetic combinations that provided an adequate anesthesia depth for fluid collection to occur. Mean (SD) time to sternal recumbency for TKX was 125 (26) minutes and for TAL was 198 (28) minutes. There was no evidence of post-aspiration infection in any sampled joints. Implications: The TKX treatment was the most effective anesthetic protocol for ante-mortem joint fluid collection. Ante-mortem joint fluid collection was not associated with significant joint tissue damage and can be a useful diagnostic tool for infectious arthritis

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe

Severe early onset preeclampsia: short and long term clinical, psychosocial and biochemical aspects

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific disorder commonly defined as de novo hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks gestational age. It occurs in approximately 3-5% of pregnancies and it is still a major cause of both foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide1. As extensive research has not yet elucidated the aetiology of preeclampsia, there are no rational preventive or therapeutic interventions available. The only rational treatment is delivery, which benefits the mother but is not in the interest of the foetus, if remote from term. Early onset preeclampsia (<32 weeks’ gestational age) occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies. It is, however often associated with maternal morbidity as the risk of progression to severe maternal disease is inversely related with gestational age at onset2. Resulting prematurity is therefore the main cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in patients with severe preeclampsia3. Although the discussion is ongoing, perinatal survival is suggested to be increased in patients with preterm preeclampsia by expectant, non-interventional management. This temporising treatment option to lengthen pregnancy includes the use of antihypertensive medication to control hypertension, magnesium sulphate to prevent eclampsia and corticosteroids to enhance foetal lung maturity4. With optimal maternal haemodynamic status and reassuring foetal condition this results on average in an extension of 2 weeks. Prolongation of these pregnancies is a great challenge for clinicians to balance between potential maternal risks on one the eve hand and possible foetal benefits on the other. Clinical controversies regarding prolongation of preterm preeclamptic pregnancies still exist – also taking into account that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Netherlands5 - a debate which is even more pronounced in very preterm pregnancies with questionable foetal viability6-9. Do maternal risks of prolongation of these very early pregnancies outweigh the chances of neonatal survival? Counselling of women with very early onset preeclampsia not only comprises of knowledge of the outcome of those particular pregnancies, but also knowledge of outcomes of future pregnancies of these women is of major clinical importance. This thesis opens with a review of the literature on identifiable risk factors of preeclampsia

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Facilitating and Improving Environmental Research Data Repository Interoperability

Environmental research data repositories provide much needed services for data preservation and data dissemination to diverse communities with domain specific or programmatic data needs and standards. Due to independent development these repositories serve their communities well, but were developed with different technologies, data models and using different ontologies. Hence, the effectiveness and efficiency of these services can be vastly improved if repositories work together adhering to a shared community platform that focuses on the implementation of agreed upon standards and best practices for curation and dissemination of data. Such a community platform drives forward the convergence of technologies and practices that will advance cross-domain interoperability. It will also facilitate contributions from investigators through standardized and streamlined workflows and provide increased visibility for the role of data managers and the curation services provided by data repositories, beyond preservation infrastructure. Ten specific suggestions for such standardizations are outlined without any suggestions for priority or technical implementation. Although the recommendations are for repositories to implement, they have been chosen specifically with the data provider/data curator and synthesis scientist in mind