title: An exploration of moral leadership: What are the personal attributes, dispositions and capacities of principals who lead with moral purpose within their school community?

authors: Elder, Jason Mark

subjects: Moral Leadership

abstract: Brundrett, Fitzgerald and Sommerfeldt (2006) argue that the role of a principal has been burdened by site based administrivia, and increasing accountability centred on teacher performance and student attainment. However, Notman (2012) has identified school principals who develop certain types of personal attributes, dispositions, and capacities to lead in a moral way. They also appear to have a broader view of education and society. This leads towards the notion of exploring principals’ who lead with moral purpose in the context of their school community. 

Literature suggests the best way to explore principals who lead with moral purpose is through the social constructivist paradigm and qualitative methodology (Bear-Lehman, 2002). As a result, six New Zealand principals were identified and interviewed using a semi-structured interview process. The data from these interviews was then analysed using an interpretivist approach.

Findings from the research illustrated how principals who lead with moral purpose have a deep conviction towards valuing human relationships within their school community. Moral purpose influences a principal to be driven by a social justice belief that every person in a community is entitled to a meaningful education and reasonable life. This understanding is further shaped by an ethical belief that the moral purpose of education is to ensure that the rights and aspirations of every community member, starting with their students, is protected and enhanced. 

This research has shown that principals who lead with moral purpose are more likely to be moral leaders, where their focus is on leading others in a moral way. They model and communicate ethical beliefs through their moral actions, which imbue a culture of high trust, collective responsibility and shared moral purpose. This has led to an authentic view of moral leadership which includes a moral leaders personal self-construct. Authentic moral principals have the capacity to critically self-reflect due to their developing ethical and moral intelligences.

text: An exploration of moral leadership: What are the personal attributes, dispositions and capacities of principals who lead with moral purpose within their school community? Brundrett, Fitzgerald and Sommerfeldt (2006) argue that the role of a principal has been burdened by site based administrivia, and increasing accountability centred on teacher performance and student attainment. However, Notman (2012) has identified school principals who develop certain types of personal attributes, dispositions, and capacities to lead in a moral way. They also appear to have a broader view of education and society. This leads towards the notion of exploring principals’ who lead with moral purpose in the context of their school community. 

Literature suggests the best way to explore principals who lead with moral purpose is through the social constructivist paradigm and qualitative methodology (Bear-Lehman, 2002). As a result, six New Zealand principals were identified and interviewed using a semi-structured interview process. The data from these interviews was then analysed using an interpretivist approach.

Findings from the research illustrated how principals who lead with moral purpose have a deep conviction towards valuing human relationships within their school community. Moral purpose influences a principal to be driven by a social justice belief that every person in a community is entitled to a meaningful education and reasonable life. This understanding is further shaped by an ethical belief that the moral purpose of education is to ensure that the rights and aspirations of every community member, starting with their students, is protected and enhanced. 

This research has shown that principals who lead with moral purpose are more likely to be moral leaders, where their focus is on leading others in a moral way. They model and communicate ethical beliefs through their moral actions, which imbue a culture of high trust, collective responsibility and shared moral purpose. This has led to an authentic view of moral leadership which includes a moral leaders personal self-construct. Authentic moral principals have the capacity to critically self-reflect due to their developing ethical and moral intelligences.

year: 2013

title: Identification of genes regulated by cold temperature - a study of mdtJI in E. coli O157:H7

authors: Urlich, Shelley

subjects: E. coli O157:H7

abstract: E. coli O157:H7, a serious food-borne pathogen, is capable of adapting to distinctly different environments, ranging from the ruminant, to soil and water.  Critical to the success of this pathogen, is the ability to adapt rapidly to changes in the environment. These changes rarely occur in isolation and bacteria, through regulatory networks, can respond to multiple challenges simultaneously, often through master regulators. Understanding the adaptive process of E. coli O157:H7, particularly in response to cold temperatures, is vital for elucidating the pathogens ability to persist during food processing. Of major concern to the meat industry, is the ability of E. coli O157:H7 to survive multiple hurdle intervention strategies that include both chilling and freezing. 

The aim of this project was to identify genes involved in the cold shock response of E. coli O157:H7 when exposed to refrigeration temperatures (4, 0, -1.5 C). We hypothesized that E. coli O157:H7 is able to withstand chill temperatures by up-regulating genes that allow survival in unfavorable conditions, for example, when the cell is expelled from the ruminant host, into soil or water environments. It is likely that E. coli O157:H7, utilizing similar adaptive mechanisms can withstand prolonged periods at refrigeration temperatures. Furthermore, we speculated that quorum sensing (QS) has overtime become integrated into these adaptive pathways, potentially forming an integrated component of the E. coli O157:H7 adaptive stress response, including the cold shock response.  

A number of genes were identified as being up-regulated in E. coli O157:H7 during incubation at 4 C on meat. Of these, four were of particular interest, as they had been previously linked to cell survival processes: slp (carbon starvation lipoprotein), hslJ (heat inducible protein), mdtI (multidrug efflux pump) and mdtJ (multidrug efflux pump). RT-PCR data showed that slp and the mdtJI complex are expressed more at refrigeration temperatures than at 37 C while hslJ expression was greatest at 37 C.  mdtJI was selected for further analysis, because mdtJI was the only gene that was not expressed at 37 C when grown on BHI media, plus these genes had, at the initiation of this project, not been annotated or assigned function. Using a luxCDABE promoter reporter, real time analysis of the effect of temperature downshift on mdtJI expression was confirmed. Furthermore, expression was demonstrated to increase at high cell density at 37 C, suggesting a regulatory connection to quorum sensing. This coupled with the finding that 400nt upstream of the mdtJI promoter was a gene encoding a transporter of AI-2, a QS autoinducer, suggested a link to the LuxS/AI-2 QS regulatory network. Data presented here was unable to confirm a regulatory link to AI-2 itself but it did reveal a link to LuxS.    

In conclusion, data presented in this thesis has confirmed that mdtJI is involved in the adaptive response, specifically adaptation to cold temperatures in E. coli O157:H7, and possibly, to growth cessation. The influence of LuxS on mdtJI expression in E. coli O157:H7 is most likely to be through metabolic activity, rather than via a QS mechanism.

text: Identification of genes regulated by cold temperature - a study of mdtJI in E. coli O157:H7 E. coli O157:H7, a serious food-borne pathogen, is capable of adapting to distinctly different environments, ranging from the ruminant, to soil and water.  Critical to the success of this pathogen, is the ability to adapt rapidly to changes in the environment. These changes rarely occur in isolation and bacteria, through regulatory networks, can respond to multiple challenges simultaneously, often through master regulators. Understanding the adaptive process of E. coli O157:H7, particularly in response to cold temperatures, is vital for elucidating the pathogens ability to persist during food processing. Of major concern to the meat industry, is the ability of E. coli O157:H7 to survive multiple hurdle intervention strategies that include both chilling and freezing. 

The aim of this project was to identify genes involved in the cold shock response of E. coli O157:H7 when exposed to refrigeration temperatures (4, 0, -1.5 C). We hypothesized that E. coli O157:H7 is able to withstand chill temperatures by up-regulating genes that allow survival in unfavorable conditions, for example, when the cell is expelled from the ruminant host, into soil or water environments. It is likely that E. coli O157:H7, utilizing similar adaptive mechanisms can withstand prolonged periods at refrigeration temperatures. Furthermore, we speculated that quorum sensing (QS) has overtime become integrated into these adaptive pathways, potentially forming an integrated component of the E. coli O157:H7 adaptive stress response, including the cold shock response.  

A number of genes were identified as being up-regulated in E. coli O157:H7 during incubation at 4 C on meat. Of these, four were of particular interest, as they had been previously linked to cell survival processes: slp (carbon starvation lipoprotein), hslJ (heat inducible protein), mdtI (multidrug efflux pump) and mdtJ (multidrug efflux pump). RT-PCR data showed that slp and the mdtJI complex are expressed more at refrigeration temperatures than at 37 C while hslJ expression was greatest at 37 C.  mdtJI was selected for further analysis, because mdtJI was the only gene that was not expressed at 37 C when grown on BHI media, plus these genes had, at the initiation of this project, not been annotated or assigned function. Using a luxCDABE promoter reporter, real time analysis of the effect of temperature downshift on mdtJI expression was confirmed. Furthermore, expression was demonstrated to increase at high cell density at 37 C, suggesting a regulatory connection to quorum sensing. This coupled with the finding that 400nt upstream of the mdtJI promoter was a gene encoding a transporter of AI-2, a QS autoinducer, suggested a link to the LuxS/AI-2 QS regulatory network. Data presented here was unable to confirm a regulatory link to AI-2 itself but it did reveal a link to LuxS.    

In conclusion, data presented in this thesis has confirmed that mdtJI is involved in the adaptive response, specifically adaptation to cold temperatures in E. coli O157:H7, and possibly, to growth cessation. The influence of LuxS on mdtJI expression in E. coli O157:H7 is most likely to be through metabolic activity, rather than via a QS mechanism.

year: 2009

title: Opening address

authors: Levy, Michelle Patricia

subjects: Maori

abstract: In 2002, the Māori and Psychology Research Unit at the University of Waikato made a valuable contribution to the teaching and practice of psychology in Aotearoa, via the Māori Graduates of Psychology Symposium. The symposium in 2002, with its theme of “Making a Difference” was designed to: provide an opportunity for exposure to role models; bring together Māori graduates of psychology to network and share information; and through the publication and dissemination of the Symposium proceedings provide a resource for teaching and practice in psychology. With over 100 delegates and 30 presentations, the 2002 symposium was widely acknowledged as a success. It resulted in the compilation of proceedings which have become a valuable resource in psychology. 
While there have been informal gatherings and ongoing networking over the past five years, there have been no formal gatherings since that time. We at the Māori and Psychology Research Unit consider it timely in 2007, five years on, to convene another Symposium. Our conversations with Pacific psychologists and recognition of the ties which exist between us as Pacific nations, saw our focus expand to include Pacific psychologists and psychologies.

text: Opening address In 2002, the Māori and Psychology Research Unit at the University of Waikato made a valuable contribution to the teaching and practice of psychology in Aotearoa, via the Māori Graduates of Psychology Symposium. The symposium in 2002, with its theme of “Making a Difference” was designed to: provide an opportunity for exposure to role models; bring together Māori graduates of psychology to network and share information; and through the publication and dissemination of the Symposium proceedings provide a resource for teaching and practice in psychology. With over 100 delegates and 30 presentations, the 2002 symposium was widely acknowledged as a success. It resulted in the compilation of proceedings which have become a valuable resource in psychology. 
While there have been informal gatherings and ongoing networking over the past five years, there have been no formal gatherings since that time. We at the Māori and Psychology Research Unit consider it timely in 2007, five years on, to convene another Symposium. Our conversations with Pacific psychologists and recognition of the ties which exist between us as Pacific nations, saw our focus expand to include Pacific psychologists and psychologies.

year: 2008