Analysis of reference sources used in drug-related Wikipedia articles

Objective

References from drug-related Wikipedia articles and a drug information database were compared.

Methods

Drugs in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) MedWatch alerts from January–July 2013 were searched in Wikipedia and Lexicomp to compare reference types and to assess the time for drug safety information to be incorporated into Wikipedia articles.

Results

Wikipedia most commonly cited peer-reviewed journal articles (49.2%) and news articles (12.0%). MedWatch citations were incorporated into Wikipedia on average in 5.9 days.

Conclusions

Wikipedia cited various sources but may not be a reliable, up-to-date resource for drug safety information.     

Language and preliteracy skills in bilinguals and monolinguals at preschool age: effects of exposure to richly inflected speech from birth

Language proficiency before school entry has proven to be a powerful predictor of literacy development. This longitudinal study examined how simultaneous exposure to two richly inflected languages from birth contributes to the development of language-related literacy precursors at preschool age compared to peers exposed to one language. The community language turned out to be the stronger language of the bilinguals by 4 years of age and to a great extent age-appropriate compared to monolingual peers. The same initial exposure conditions resulted in three bilingual and two monolingual language proficiency profiles. For the bilinguals changes in the proportion of exposure to two home languages and frequency of language-specific social interactions explained proficiency in each language, whereas for the monolinguals exposure did not explain language proficiency. Our findings give support for the primary impact of exposure on the development of bilingualism and preliteracy skills.     

Conquering the World: The ‘Martial’ Power of Japan Goes Global

Abstract

Throughout the twentieth century Japanese martial arts, or budo, in the West grew from a hardly visible practice for Japanese diasporas and a handful of Japanophiles to an integral part of Western culture. Today, when they have been joined by other cultural exports from Japan, and Karate has been recognized as an Olympic sport in the midst of the decline of traditional martial arts and the rise of Mixed Martial Arts culture, the question of what forces produce such powerful ‘waves’ of Japanese cultural expansion becomes relevant again. To answer this question, the article compares the forces behind the spread of three arguably most popular Japanese martial arts – Judo, Kendo, and Karate – in the West, mainly in America and Europe. Here I offer an analysis based on the division of these forces into those which ‘push’ Japanese culture beyond Japan’s borders (pushing forces) and those which stimulate its consumption in Western countries (pulling forces). Based on the results of the comparison, the article argues that there are certain repeating patterns in both types that form a unique mechanism of Japanese ‘martial’ expansion to the West, with the ‘pulling’ forces being just as, if not more, powerful, than the ‘pushing’ forces.     

Schematisation of Concepts. A teaching strategy for environmental education implementation in a water module third grade students in junior high school (gymnasium-15 years old)

This article reports how a teaching strategy schematisation of concepts could influence the learning capability of third grade junior high school students. The teaching was planned and implemented within the framework of environmental education. A water module, water and its relationship with nature and contemporary man, was chosen for the teaching session. The study involved the participation of 171 third grade junior high school students (15 years of age), attending public schools in Athens and Thessaloniki. The sample was divided into an experimental group (N =84) and a control group (N= 87). The results of the investigation showed that the teaching strategy schematisation of concepts had a positive influence on the capability of junior high school students to structure: (a) causal relations of one link; (b) successive linear causal relations of more than one link; and (c) complex causal relations.     

Multiculturalism,Diversity, and Social Advocacy: A 17‐Year Content Analysis of Counselor Education and Supervision

The authors summarized (a) data regarding multiculturalism, diversity, and social advocacy represented in Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) over a 17‐year period (1989–2005, Volumes 28–45); (b) type of articles (i.e., research vs. theory) represented; (c) research methodology and applications used; (d) journal editor and related terms; (e) primary contributors and related institutional affiliations; and (f) the breadth and scope of the data regarding key topics represented. Seventy‐eight articles met inclusion criteria. Data indicate the extent to which multiculturalism, diversity, and social advocacy were represented in CES.