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Robert Greenleaf: Changing Management to Change Society
Get PDFThis paper is a critique of the thought provoking, if not problematic, ideas presented in Robert Greenleaf’s pamphlet, The Servant as Leader (Greenleaf, 2008) which appeared in print in the 1970’s. This text constituted the seminal work upon which a progressive, transformational movement was created in the training of management cadres in North American companies, with the transition of the concept of a “leader boss” to that of “leader as a servant”. The limits of Greenleaf’s servant leadership model are tested against the capitalist society within which we live and found contradictory, but no less inspiring in its attempt to humanize both the leader and the corporate world. There is a clear contradiction in Greenleaf’s desire to eliminate the competition laws of the market while maintaining faith in capitalism. The principles of rehumanizing the corporate world are often more a process of corporate advertising, or virtue signaling, than the actual reality of the corporate world.
The very breadth of Greenleaf’s expansive insight provokes the need for two tests, or rather two critical approaches, which require further investigation. The two critical lines I propose are (i) on the spiritual principles of Servant Leadership and (ii) on the effectiveness of Servant Leadership as a governance tool within a competitive, capitalist environment
MANCOZEB EXPOSURE RESULTS IN OXIDATIVE STRESS AND DISRUPTION OF MITOCHONDRIAL COMPLEXES III & IV IN TRANSFORMED HUMAN COLON CELLS
Get PDFThe ethylene bisdithiocarbamate pesticides, a subclass of the dithiocarbamate pesticides, are broad spectrum organometallic fungicides used on a variety of crops. The fungicide Mancozeb is comprised of an ethylene bisdithiocarbamate backbone complexed to the metals manganese and zinc. Ingestion of food containing pesticide residue and occupational exposure are common routes of Mancozeb exposure. Previous work demonstrated that Mancozeb exposure to HT-29 colon cancer cells resulted in cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and disruption of mitochondrial complex I, II, and V activity. The current study investigated the effect of Mancozeb exposure on mitochondrial complex III and IV activity and oxidative stress parameters in the HT-29 cell line. Kinetic assays were used to evaluate and compare the effect of Mancozeb exposure on the activity of complexes III and IV. Complex III showed a significant decrease in activity at 60 µM and 100 µM Mancozeb. Activity of complex IV showed significant decreases at 60 µM, 100 µM, and 140 µM Mancozeb. Further mitochondrial disruption was seen in transmission electron micrographs that showed severe mitochondrial distortions at 100 µM Mancozeb. Significant loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (60 µM, 100 µM, and 140 µM Mancozeb) measured with use of a fluorescent mitochondrial potential dye, further confirmed mitochondrial disruption and induction of apoptosis. Scanning electron micrographs demonstrated cellular blebbing at concentrations of 80-140 µM Mancozeb. Quantification of cell blebbing from SEM micrographs revealed a significant increase in the mean percentage of blebbed cells at 100 µM Mancozeb. Oxidative stress parameters were measured to determine the role in mitochondrial dysfunction following Mancozeb exposure. Cellular reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial superoxide, and superoxide dismutase 2 levels were all significantly increased at concentrations of 100 µM and 140 µM Mancozeb. The antioxidant capacity of the cells was significantly decreased at 100 µM and 140 µM Mancozeb. Antioxidant pre-treatment and co-treatment with butylated hydroxy toluene and MitoQ failed to increase cell viability of cells exposed to 100 µM Mancozeb. The results indicate that the underlying mechanism of Mancozeb toxicity that contributes to mitochondrial dysfunction is oxidative stress in HT-29 cells
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY MODULE OF INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL.
Get PDFThis study examined the efficacy of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) module of Interpersonal Effectiveness compared to Traditional Assertiveness Training. In recent years, DBT has become one of the most effective psychotherapeutic treatments for individuals with borderline personality disorder (Linehan et al., 1991). DBT has been determined to be effective across inpatient, outpatient, and school settings and across multiple populations (i.e., BPD, PTSD, eating disorders, etc.). Traditional Assertiveness Training has been forgotten despite some of its skills being similar or identical to DBT (Goldfried et al., 2017). In the past, Assertiveness training was found to be effective across various populations. Given the effectiveness of both treatments, it is surprising that there needs to be more empirical evidence comparing specific components of DBT as a standalone treatment versus traditional assertiveness training. This study aimed to (1) add to what we already know about these evidence-based treatments and (2) shed some light on the forgotten assertiveness training. The design of this study was a randomized control trial that sought to answer the following research question: What is the difference between the efficacy of the DBT module of Interpersonal effectiveness compared to traditional assertiveness training? In a sample of 20 participants, ten were in the DBT trial, and ten were in the traditional assertiveness trial. The study compared the effectiveness of each treatment to determine if one treatment was more effective than the other. The results support the hypothesis that Interpersonal Effective is more effective than Assertiveness within the area of Avoidance Behaviors. There was no evidence found for a within-subjects effect of treatment amongst Nonassertive, Aggressive, and Social Problem Solving. Lastly, there was a significant effect for time for both treatments within the area of Fear relating to social interactions. These findings provide researchers with baseline empirical evidence for future replication studies in this area. These findings also provide practicing school psychologists with insight into the effectiveness of skills-based treatment as a standalone intervention
ADSORPTION OF CADMIUM AND LEAD IONS USING BIOWASTE ADSORBENTS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS WITH ION-SELECTIVE ELECTRODES AND ICP-OES
Get PDFUpon using low cost biowaste adsorbents as toxic metal ion removal substrates from aqueous solutions, it was found that they have a high potential of being used to generate a great environmental advantage. This thesis study evaluated pumpkin peels and potato peels for the adsorption of cadmium and lead ions. Chamomile tea residues, peanut shells, and ground coffee beans were also studied and showed less adsorption response for these heavy metals. The biowaste sorbents were treated with acid (HNO3) or base (NaOH). Batch experiments were carried by introducing a known concentration of metal ion solution into the biowaste sorbent at various pH levels. The pH and metal ions were monitored with a pH and cadmium or lead ion-selective electrode continuously for two hours, and the final concentration for the metal ions after 24 hours was measured with the ISE and then confirmed with ICP-OES. The characteristics of the biowaste sorbents were also studied with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and infrared spectra (FTIR). L-type isotherms were obtained that fit to Freundlich model. Adsorption isotherms showed chemical adsorption and kinetics following second order model. Equilibrium adsorption capacity is higher than 55 mg/g for both ions at pH 5.6 when the initial concentration is 500 ppm. Dynamic cadmium adsorption capacity is 12-15 mg/g from aqueous solution when the feed solution is 220 ppm. The biowaste materials can also be regenerated with acid washing. This work demonstrates that the ion-selective electrodes can provide simple and fast continuous determination of metal ion concentrations during the adsorption process
EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS AND LEARNING STYLES ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: THE MEDIATION EFFECTS OF LEARNING STYLES IN POST SECONDARY EDUCATION
Get PDFThe relationships between personality, learning styles, and their impact on academic achievement were explored. College students from St. John’s University in Queens, NY (91 undergraduates) completed the International Personality Item Pool Representation of the NEO PI-R (IPIP-NEO), the Inventory of Learning Processes (ILP), and reported their grade point average (GPA). Two of the Big Five traits, conscientiousness and extraversion, were positively correlated with all four learning styles (synthesis analysis, methodical study, fact retention, and elaborative processing), whereas neuroticism was negatively related with all four learning styles. In addition, openness and agreeableness were positively correlated with synthesis-analysis. Conscientiousness was the only personality factor positively correlated with GPA. The Big Five together explained 9% of the variance in GPA, and learning styles explained an additional 7%, which suggests both personality and learning styles contribute to academic achievement. Additionally, the relationship between conscientiousness and GPA was suppressed by elaborative processing. These results suggest that being dutiful and hardworking diminishes academic performance when students combine this work ethic with relating information to their personal experiences. Implications of these results are discussed in the context of school psychology and curriculum design
INSIGHT INTO ELEUTHERODACTYLUS COQUI RESILIENCE AND ANURAN HYPOXIA TOLERANCE UTILIZING PINCHO
Get PDFThe onset of high-throughput RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology allowed research into transcriptomics to accelerate exponentially aided by the rapid advancement of bioinformatic pipelines. The Pincho workflow, my first research endeavor, is a transcriptomic workflow developed to create an avenue of high-quality reconstructions from RNA-seq data. High-quality reconstruction standards entail longer transcripts, more complete transcripts, and more raw data utilization. We have discovered an ideal trio of assemblers between transABySS, rnaSPAdes and TransLiG that would best reconstruct next-generation sequencing data according to these standards. We utilized Pincho to drive two distinct experiments: (1) exploring the genetic basis for the successful invasion of Eleutherodactylus coqui (E. coqui) from Puerto Rico (PR) to mainland US and (2) exploring the genetic variation across anuran oxygen delivery and consumption systems. E. coqui is one of the top four invasive anurans in the US; described as a pest that has destabilized ecosystems and cost the taxpayers millions of dollars. Few researchers delve into the genetic explanations as to how and why E. coqui are so successful in colonizing locations outside PR. We discovered several differentially expressed defense response transcripts that differ between the two populations; with a focus on a novel cathelicidin sequence that is only expressed in native E. coqui. The absence of cathelicidin expression in invasive E. coqui leads us to attribute their successful invasion to entering a cleaner environment and subsequently having more energy to utilize on reproduction and expansion. As we further studied E. coqui cathelicidin we questioned how variability in transcript structure might be more widespread in anurans, especially within oxygen delivery and conservation systems. Anurans are described as hypoxia/anoxia resilient in literature, thus we hypothesized these systems would be highly conserved. Our results revealed that hemoglobin was instead under significant episodic diversifying selection. Sites neighboring crucial heme and oxygen binding sites were also found to be under positive selection leading us to believe that these changes could alter overall oxygen affinity and lead to hematological consequences. We speculate that even if anurans are hypoxia/anoxia resilient, resilience levels can differ between species as shown in the sequence divergence in anuran protein alignments
A RETURN TO THE WORD: DECREASING DIVISION AND CREATING COMMUNITY THROUGH SCRIPTURAL POETICS AND DISCOURSE
Get PDFIn this project, I seek to use models of thought by seventeenth century metaphysical poets to propose solutions to twenty-first century issues facing Christian faith communities. Biblical scholars, pastors, and theologians indicate pressing topics that affect people within faith communities and the perceptions that secular communities hold of faith communities: the perspective people of faith hold about science, the ways in which vulnerability, expression, and doubt are handled in the church, and the effects of misusing authority. Because of the scientific skepticism held by some believers, many assume faith communities are anti-science. Because people have been pushed away from faith communities because of expressing doubts, questions, and other vulnerabilities, many assume faith communities are inherently closed-off and leave no room for personal expression. And, because of religious leaders who use their position to manipulate scripture and to oppress congregants and seekers, many assume faith communities are inherently oppressive spaces that seek to diminish people rather than helping them to build and grow. These anti-scriptural practices must be remedied. Each of these issues and the assumptions they enable are results of scriptural misinterpretation/manipulation, abuse of power, and a lack of discourse that could promote finding answers and remedying issues. For these reasons, I turn to the metaphysical poets, literary scholars, pastors/theologians, and, most importantly, scripture itself for answers, clarity, and solutions. Scholars like Malcolm Guite, Stephen Sicari, and T.S. Eliot pose frameworks for applying a religious lens to texts. Pastors/theologians like David Kinnaman, Francis Chan, David Johnson, and Jeff VanVonderen describe issues pertaining to my topics of choice about current Christian faith communities. Poets Hester Pulter, George Herbert, and John Donne provide brilliant models of thought on science, vulnerability, and power respectively in the context of faith. In conversation with these thinkers and scripture, I propose methods of thinking more inclusively about science, vulnerability, expression, and appropriate use of power in context of the Christian faith and communities thereof, pointing to how readers can consider how scripture promotes this inclusive thinking and how the metaphysical poets provide innovative and relevant frames of thought on these ideas
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN COGNITIVE ABILITIES AND PATTERNS OF CHILDREN’S CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR AT AGE NINE
Get PDFTeacher reports are often used to indicate how well children perform in school and help clinicians identify behavioral problems, such as inattentiveness (Charach et al., 2009). However, various factors may have an effect on teacher ratings of children’s behavior, which can have downstream effects on children’s academic achievement (Teisl et al., 2001). Given teachers play a large role in identifying at-risk youth, it is important to understand how their reports of children’s behavior are associated with childhood outcomes such as cognitive development, which is closely tied to academic achievement (Metcalfe et al., 2013). The present study aimed to identify patterns of children’s behavior based on teacher report data, as well as test whether these patterns were associated with five domains of cognitive functioning. We hypothesized that there would be one low-risk pattern of behavior that would include children exhibiting low levels of behavioral issues, and moderate- to high-risk patterns that would include children with varying degrees of behavioral issues. We expected that children with greater performance across the cognitive domains would be more likely to exhibit the low-risk pattern of behavior compared to the moderate- and high-risk patterns of behavioral issues. Analyses were performed with data from wave 5 of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing study (N=2063). Latent class analysis revealed seven classes, with one low-risk class and six classes of varying risk level. Better performance on reading comprehension and mathematics assessments was associated with a greater likelihood of belonging to the low-risk class, even when controlling for significant demographic constructs. The present study suggests that teachers’ reports of children’s problematic classroom behavior may be useful for identifying children at risk for poor academic outcomes, leading to early intervention