Science Letters： Simultaneous determination of fluoride, chloride, sulfate, phosphate, monofluorophosphate, glycerophosphate, sorbate, and saccharin in gargles by ion chromatography

Simple, reliable and sensitive analytical methods to determine anticariogenic agents, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners contained in commercial gargles are necessary for evaluating their effectiveness, safety, and quality. An ion chromatography （IC） method has been described to analyze simultaneously eight anions including fluoride, chloride, sulfate, phosphate, monofluorophosphate, glycerophosphate （anticariogenic agents）, sorbate （a preservative）, and saccharin （an artificial sweetener） in gargles. In this IC system, we applied a mobile phased gradient elution with KOH, separation by IonPac AS18 columns, and suppressed conductivity detection. Optimized analytical conditions were further evaluated for accuracy. The relative standard deviations （RSDs） of the inter-day＇s retention time and peak area of all species were less than 0.938% and 8.731%, respectively, while RSDs of 5-day retention time and peak area were less than 1.265% and 8.934%, respectively. The correlation coefficients for targeted analytes ranged from 0.999 7 to 1.000 0. The spiked recoveries for the anions were 90%-102.5%. We concluded that the method can be applied for comprehensive evaluation of commercial gargles.     

^—T（1,1,t＋1,t,1）和^—T（1,1,t＋2,t,1）的色唯一性

h（G,x）表示图G的伴随多项式,β（G）表示h（G,x）的最小负实根．证明了当t≥3时,r（1,1,t＋1,t,1）和T（1,1,t＋2,t,1）的补图的色唯一性。     

Simultaneous determination of fluoride, chloride, sulfate, phosphate,monofluorophosphate, glycerophosphate, sorbate, and saccharin in gargles by ion chromatography

Simple, reliable and sensitive analytical methods to determine anticariogenic agents, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners contained in commercial gargles are necessary for evaluating their effectiveness, safety, and quality. An ion chromatography (IC) method has been described to analyze simultaneously eight anions including fluoride, chloride, sulfate, phosphate,monofluorophosphate, glycerophosphate (anticariogenic agents), sorbate (a preservative), and saccharin (an artificial sweetener)in gargles. In this IC system, we applied a mobile phased gradient elution with KOH, separation by IonPac AS18 columns, and suppressed conductivity detection. Optimized analytical conditions were further evaluated for accuracy. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the inter-day's retention time and peak area of all species were less than 0.938% and 8.731%, respectively,while RSDs of 5-day retention time and peak area were less than 1.265% and 8.934%, respectively. The correlation coefficients for targeted analytes ranged from 0.999 7 to 1.000 0. The spiked recoveries for the anions were 90%～102.5%. We concluded that the method can be applied for comprehensive evaluation of commercial gargles.     

Cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of LC-1 ScFv with GFP tag

INTRODUCTION Because of its low molecular weight and ability to fluoresce independently (George, 1997), the new molecular tag, green fluorescent protein (GFP), has become more and more popular after Prasher et al.(1992) cloned its cDNA in 1992. There are many reports describing the co-expression of GFP and a specific antibody or cytokine gene, with the fusion protein expressing the fluorescent activity and bio-logical activity of the complement protein (Haraguchi et al., 1999; Mclean…     

P_n、C_n和S_n的r(2)点染色

提出了图的r(2)点染色的概念,研究了路Pn、环Cn、星Sn的r(2)点染色问题,并得到了它们的r(2)点色数.     

Samples of stimuli,responses, and reinforcers: Effect of incongruent sample type,serial position,and mode of presentation

In two matching-to-sample experiments, pigeons’ performance with samples of stimuli (red and green), number of responses (1 and 20), and reinforcers (food and no food) was assessed. Samples of red, 20 responses, and food were associated with the red comparison stimulus, and samples of green, 1 response, and no food were associated with the green comparison stimulus. On interference trials, three sample types were presented on each trial, and two of the samples (congruent) were associated with the correct comparison and the third sample (incongruent), with the incorrect comparison. Performance on interference trials was compared with that on control trials in which either two (Experiment 1) or three (Experiment 2) congruent samples were presented. It was found that presentation of an incongruent sample reduced matching accuracy markedly, and about equally, whether samples were presented successively or in compound. Although the type of sample that was incongruent was without effect, matching accuracy declined strongly as the recency of the incongruent sample increased. Serial position of the incongruent sample also influenced the shape of the retention function on interference trials. Presentation of the incongruent sample either first or second resulted in accuracy decreasing across the retention interval, whereas presentation of the incongruent sample last in the input sequence resulted in increasing accuracy across the retention interval. The theoretical implications of the findings are considered.     

Matters of HEARTS: health,experience of abuse,resilience, technology use,and safety of older adults

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess the HEARTS (Health, Experience of Abuse, Resilience, Technology use, and Safety) of older adults (OAs). More particularly, we aimed to assess three components of the HEARTS (health, experience of abuse, and resilience) of OAs and explore the relationships among health, resilience, the experience of abuse, and other demographic variables. Forty-two male and female OAs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA participated in the study. A correlational design was used in this study. The variables correlated were health, the experience of abuse, and the resilience of OAs. We used a community-engaged research approach in that participants were more than research volunteers but stakeholders in the research project. Findings showed that the means for more positive health features (physical function, and social roles) increased with increases in education, while more negative health features (anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain interference, and pain intensity) decreased with higher levels of education. Regression models indicated that above and beyond demographic features, resilience had a significant prediction of anxiety and depression. None of the other health outcomes were significantly predicted by either resilience or older adults’ abuse suspicion.

Adding health to years in older adults is a collaborative effort with healthcare providers, healthcare systems, families, and communities. This study has identified three components of HEARTS (Health, Experience of Abuse, and Resilience) that blend with successful aging and provide data and possible prevention and intervention strategies, and family and community education programs that could add health to years in older adults.     

Ethnicity,Effort, Self-Efficacy,Worry, and Statistics Achievement in Malaysia: A Construct Validation of the State-Trait Motivation Model

The relations between motivational constructs, effort, self-efficacy and worry, and statistics achievement were investigated in a sample of 360 undergraduates in Malaysia. Both trait (cross-situational) and state (task-specific) measures of each construct were used to test a mediational trait (r) state (r) performance (TSP) model. As hypothesized, all three traits were found to be empirically distinguishable from their state counterparts in a confirmatory factor analysis. In a structural equation model, each trait also had a direct effect on its corresponding state as hypothesized. Most importantly, state worry and state effort had significant direct effects on statistics achievement in the predicted direction. Gender and ethnic (Malay vs. Chinese) differences and other predictions related to social cognitive theories of motivation also were analyzed and are discussed. Overall, results provide strong evidence for the utility of the state-trait distinction as applied to motivational constructs and are consistent with findings from U.S. samples.     

In Defense of Core Competencies,Quantitative Change,and Continuity

J. Kagan (2008) urges contemporary developmentalists to (a) be cautious when attributing conceptual knowledge to infants based on looking‐time performance, (b) constrain their interpretation of infant performance with multiple methodologies, and (c) reconsider the possibility that qualitative development may be the path by which perceptual infants become conceptual adults. This commentary outlines an account of conceptual development that adheres to two of the three Kagan provisos. It is (a) circumspect in the core competencies attributed to infants and (b) grounded in convergent measures including looking time, event‐related potentials, computational modeling, and eye tracking, but (c) maintains that the transition from the perceptually based category representations of infants to the knowledge‐rich concepts of adult is a continuous developmental process marked by quantitative change.     

Life-Span Data on Continuous-Naming Speeds of Numbers,Letters, Colors,and Pictured Objects,and Word-Reading Speed

In this study, life-span developmental relations between naming and reading speed were addressed. More specifically, the aims of this research were (a) to determine how continuous-naming speeds for 4 stimulus types (letters, numbers, pictures, and colors) and reading speed for a word list increase across life span, (b) to investigate possible changes in the interrelations of naming speeds of these 4 stimulus types across the various age levels, and (c) to determine the development of naming and word-reading speed associations at the various age levels. Eight experimental samples of participants were pooled into 5 homogeneous age levels (sample size ranging from 82 to 174). Samples consisted of children from elementary Grades 2 (8-year-olds), 4 (10-year-olds), and 6 and 7 (12-year-olds); students from secondary education classes (16-year-olds); and 41 parent pairs (46-year-olds) to the 16-year-olds. Each continuous-naming task contained 50 items, and the average number of times unique stimuli were repeated in the tasks was 5.31. The reading task was to read in 1 min, as fast and accurately as possible, the unique and unrepeated words of a standardized word-reading test. Results indicate that word-reading speed and naming speeds of colors and pictures continue to increase into mature adulthood. For letter and number naming, asymptotes have been reached at around 16 years of age. Factor analyses indicate that interrelations of the naming-speed tasks are different for 10-year-old children (and younger) compared to 12-year-olds (and beyond). Whereas the latter groups show 2 factors (an Alphanumeric factor and a Color or Picture factor), these factors are not clearly identifiable at the younger age levels. Finally, regression analyses and correlations between naming factor scores and reading speed indicate a developmentally increasing relation between reading and alphanumeric-naming speeds, whereas unique contributions of color- and picture-naming speeds to reading speed are developmentally erratic. This is interpreted as supporting the theory that describes reading recognition development as a domain-specific learning process with reciprocally facilitating links to alphanumeric symbol-naming speed development.     

The scope of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse in a Bedouin-Arab community of female adolescents: The interplay of racism, urbanization, polygamy, family honor, and the social marginalization of women

OBJECTIVES: This is an exploratory study of the abuse-especially sexual-of female adolescents in a conservative and traditional Bedouin-Arab community in southern Israel. The objectives were (1) to examine the rate of sexual abuse, (2) to examine the rate of physical and psychological abuse, and (3) to develop regression models to predict these forms of abuse. METHODS: : A self-administered survey that measured demographic characteristics and psychological abuse was distributed to 217 female high-school students (aged 14-18 years). Sexual and physical abuse were measured via the Finkelhor's scale [Finkelhor, D. (1979). Sexually victimized children. New York: Free Press]. RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of the participants (n=149) reported no sexual abuse experiences, 16% reported one or two experiences, 11% reported three or four, and 4% reported more than four. Most participants indicated that they had been physically abused at least once by their father (37.1%), mother (43.7%), or siblings (44%) during the previous month. More than 50% of the participants reported being psychologically abused by members of their immediate families. Mother's age and closeness to mother significantly predicted physical abuse, and marital satisfaction and mother's age significantly predicted psychological abuse. CONCLUSION: This study addresses a topic that has never before been fully investigated--the maltreatment of females in a conservative, tribal Arab community. Although this was an exploratory study, the results attest that female abuse is a serious social problem in this community, and that the rate of abuse exceeds that of other Palestinian groups. These findings demonstrate an immediate need for professional intervention and prevention to address this problem.     

Correlates of Academic Overachievement,Nondiscrepant Achievement,and Learning Disability in ADHD,Autism, and General Population Samples

ABSTRACT

Little is known about the characteristics of academic overachievers, children whose achievement significantly exceeds IQ. Correlates of overachievement (achievement test scores ≥ 1 SD above IQ), nondiscrepant achievement, and learning disability (LD; achievement ≥ 1 SD below IQ) were analyzed in 1,543 children (739 ADHD, 285 autism, and 519 general population), 6–16 years of age. Significant correlates of the reading and math achievement groups were diagnosis (autism greatest overachievement, ADHD greatest LD), IQ (lowest in overachievers and highest in LD), and Working Memory scores relative to the child’s IQ (close to or exceeding IQ in overachievers and lower than IQ in LD). Demographics (age, sex, race, and parent occupation) and parent and teacher ratings of psychopathology (e.g., behavior problems, anxiety, and depression) and personality characteristics (e.g., motivation and self-confidence) did not contribute significantly more to predicting overachievement and LD beyond that explained by IQ, diagnosis, and working memory. These findings suggest an underlying neurobiological etiology for both overachievement and LD.     

汉语连—介词的来源及其语法化的路径和类型

本文所谓连—介词是指能够兼做并列连词的介词,汉语的连—介词至少有四个来源:(1)伴随义动词"和、跟、同"等;(2)使役义动词"唤、教";(3)给予义动词"与、给";(4)同位结构"我两个"中的数量词"两个"。文中描述了这四类连—介词语法化的动因和路径,归纳了它们语法化的三种类型;对相关的语言现象进行了具体的考证和解释;结合论题,对语法化的普遍规律进行了一些概括和说明。     

The unintended consequences of school inspection: the prevalence of inspection side-effects in Austria,the Czech Republic,England, Ireland,the Netherlands,Sweden, and Switzerland

It has been widely documented that accountability systems, including school inspections, bring with them unintended side effects. These unintended effects are often negative and have the potential to undo the intended positive effects. However the empirical evidence is limited. Through a European comparative study we have had the rare opportunity to collect empirical evidence and study the effects (both intended and unintended) of school inspections (a key system of accountability) in a systematic way, across seven countries. We present the findings of the unintended effects in this paper. Survey self-report responses from school principals in each country, with differing school inspection systems, are analysed to measure the prevalence of these unintended effects and to investigate the part played by pressure to do well in inspections. A key finding is that increasing pressure in school inspection systems is associated with the undesired effect of the narrowing and refocusing of the curriculum and instructional strategies. We also show that a proportion of school principals admit to misrepresenting the school in data sent to the inspectorate and show evidence for formalisation/proceduralisation (excessive focus on records) and ossification (fear of experimentation in teaching), although these factors are less related to changes in pressure.     

Serial learning,interitem associations,phrasing cues,interference, overshadowing,chunking, memory,and extinction

Two experiments indicated that two approaches to serial learning are too extreme—the classical view that it consists only of interitem associations and various recent views that it involves no interitem associations. The novel assumption introduced here was that phrasing cues, normally conceptualized as merely segregating long series into smaller units or chunks, may also enter into associations with items, thereby reducing interitem interference and facilitating serial learning. It was found that one item could become a signal for another item, an interitem association, or be overshadowed by a phrasing cue, such as a brightness and temporal cue, also signaling that item. The items were .045-g pellets. Rats traversed a runway for items arranged in ordered series, 14-7-3-1-0 pellets (Experiment 1) or 10-2-0-10 (Experiment 2). Complete tracking of, for example, the 10-2-0-10 series would consist of fastest running to 10 pellets and slowest running to 0 pellets. In both investigations, the interitem association overshadowed was that between 0 pellets and the subsequent rewarded item, 0 → 14 (Experiment 1) or 0 → 10 (Experiment 2). Either repetitions of the 14-7-3-1-0 subpattern (Experiment 1) or merely the terminal 10-pellet item (Experiment 2) were phrased, both methods producing identical results. Overshadowing the 0-pellet item produced superior serial learning, more rapid extinction, and, in Experiment 1, considerable elevation of responding when the brightness phrasing cue was introduced in extinction, an effect said to be conceptually identical to spontaneous recovery and one demonstrating directly that phrasing cues are in reality overshadowing cues. It was suggested that many effects attributed to forgetting may be due to unrecognized overshadowing of memory cues by phrasing cues, giving rise to exaggerated estimates of forgetting.     

The Highly Lawful Relationships Among Pseudoword Decoding,Word Identification,Spelling, Listening,and Reading

It has been theorized that there are highly lawful relationships among levels of pseudoword decoding, word identification, spelling, listening, and reading that can be represented by relatively simple mathematical formulas. This theory was tested by reanalyzing data collected from 55 parochial school students in Grades 3 to 6 (Study I) and 83 public school students in Grades 4 and 5 (Study II). These students were given a battery of reading-related tests that included measures relevant to the theory noted previously. The results from Study II replicated those from Study I, indicating that (a) level of word identification and level of spelling are equal, (b) level of pseudoword decoding (or word attack) and level of ability to pronounce unknown real words are equal, (c) level of word identification equals the average of the level of reading and the level of pseudoword decoding, and (d) level of reading equals the average of the level of listening and the level of word identification. These data, along with previously collected data, suggest that measures of the aforementioned reading-related variables are so closely connected that (a) highly reliable measures of spelling level and word attack level for a student could be used to estimate or predict that student's levels of reading, listening, and word identification, and (b) highly reliable measures of reading level and word identification level for a student could be used to estimate or predict that student's levels of listening, spelling, and word attack.     

汉、傣、哈尼、基诺学生性格发展比较研究

采用《中小学生12种性格因素量表》对云南西双版纳州汉族、傣族、哈尼族和基诺族623名中小学生进行调查研究,结果发现:(1)版纳学生部分性格因素得分与全国常模有一定差异;(2)性格因素总体上随年级的上升而发展;(3)不同民族学生性格的发展既有同步性也有非同步性;(4)少数民族学生性格发展存在显著性别差异。     

ISEI,ISCED, HOMEPOS,ESCS

Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es, verschiedene Indikatoren der sozialen Herkunft bei der Quantifizierung von sozialen Disparit?ten zu vergleichen. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei der in PISA eingesetzte Index für den Economic, Social and Cultural Status (ESCS). Dieser umfasst sozio?konomische und kulturelle Ressourcen des Elternhauses und deckt damit das theoretische Konstrukt umfassender ab als andere Indikatoren der sozialen Herkunft. Anhand der internationalen Schülerdaten aus PISA 2003 und aus der nationalen Erg?nzungsstudie (PISA-E) wurden Regressionsanalysen mit verschiedenen Herkunftsindikatoren gerechnet. Neben dem ESCS wurden als Pr?diktoren der sozio?konomische Status (HISEI), der h?chste Bildungsabschluss umgerechnet in Bildungsjahre (PARED) und ein Index für h?usliche Besitztümer (HOMEPOS) berücksichtigt. Es zeigt sich, dass der ESCS in allen Bildungssystemen deutlich mehr Varianz in der mathematischen Kompetenz aufkl?rt als die Einzelpr?diktoren HISEI, PARED oder HOMEPOS. Auch in einer anschlie?enden Analyse zu sozialen Disparit?ten der Bildungsbeteiligung lieferte der ESCS differenziertere Befunde als der HISEI. Insgesamt wird der ESCS als valider und theoretisch umfassender Index der sozialen Herkunft eingesch?tzt.     

Understanding Parenting Stress Among Young, Low-income, African-American, First-Time Mothers

The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model that examined the extent to which cognitive readiness to parent, perceived difficult child temperament, observed parenting behaviors, and positive coping styles predicted parenting stress among young, low-income, first-time, African-American mothers. One hundred and twenty African-American, first-time mothers who applied to the Early Head Start program were selected to participate in this study. Results based on structural equation modeling indicated that: (1) observed positive parenting behaviors were negatively related to parenting stress; (2) difficult child temperament was positively related to parenting stress; (3) positive coping styles did not buffer the relationship between difficult child temperament and parenting stress; (4) difficult child temperament was not directly associated with observed parenting behaviors; (5) cognitive readiness to parent was only indirectly related to parenting stress; and (6) observed parenting behaviors mediated the link between cognitive readiness to parent and parenting stress. Future research directions and implications of these findings for professionals working with young mothers are discussed.