Recognition of maternal axillary odors by infants

A series of 5 experiments was conducted to determine whether neonates, at approximately 2 weeks of age, can recognize their parents through axillary odors alone. Breast-feeding infants discriminated between their mother's axillary odor and odors produced by either nonparturient or unfamiliar lactating females. In contrast, breast-feeding infants displayed no evidence of recognizing the axillary odors of their father. Likewise, bottle-feeding infants appeared unable to recognize the odor of their mother when presented along with odors from a nonparturient female or an unfamiliar bottle-feeding female. Several hypotheses were presented in an attempt to account for the differential reactions to maternal odors by breast-feeding versus bottle-feeding infants. It was tentatively concluded that, while breast-feeding, infants are exposed to salient maternal odors and thereby rapidly become familiarized with their mother's unique olfactory signature.     

Visualising weekly learning outcomes (VWLO) and the intention to continue using a learning management system (CIU): the role of cognitive absorption and perceived learning self-regulation

Education and Information Technologies - This research, using goal setting theory, proposes a new educational intervention to improve the perceptions of a Learning management System (LMS) as an...     

Estimating Causal Effects of Education Interventions Using a Two-Rating Regression Discontinuity Design: Lessons From a Simulation Study and an Application

A valuable extension of the single-rating regression discontinuity design (RDD) is a multiple-rating RDD (MRRDD). To date, four main methods have been used to estimate average treatment effects at the multiple treatment frontiers of an MRRDD: the “surface” method, the “frontier” method, the “binding-score” method, and the “fuzzy instrumental variables” method. This article uses a series of simulations to evaluate the relative performance of each of these four methods under a variety of different data-generating models. Focusing on a two-rating RDD (2RRDD), we compare the methods in terms of their bias, precision, and mean squared error when implemented as they most likely would be in practice—using optimal bandwidth selection. We also apply the lessons learned from the simulations to a real-world example that uses data from a study of an English learner reclassification policy. Overall, this article makes valuable contributions to the literature on MRRDDs in that it makes concrete recommendations for choosing among MRRDD estimation methods, for implementing any chosen method using local linear regression, and for providing accurate statistical inferences.     

Using Publications Counts to Measure an Institution's Research Productivity

Studies that attempt to evaluate and rank institutions often overlook the research activities of an institution. In this article, we show how readily available data from the Institute of Scientific Inquiry (ISI) may be used to estimate the number of scholarly articles written by an institution's faculty. We show how institutions are ranked according to total publications and the ratio of publications to full-time faculty, how these measures vary by type of institution, and how they are correlated with other selected measures of research resources and institutional quality.     

Time for review: supporting the work of an advisory group

This paper raises methodological issues about the challenges and dilemmas of inclusive research practices reflecting on the work of an advisory group carrying out research on using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance community participation. The interests of three parties can be identified – the commissioning agent, the researchers and the researched – and these interplayed throughout the course of the research determining the outcomes. Given the relationship between inclusive research and advocacy, there were particular gains in enabling the voice of the advisory group to shape the way in which the research was conducted and to disseminate the findings both within the organisation and beyond. However, the fragility of these new structures required organisational changes for the research to be truly empowering. The experience of the group suggests the need for their involvement at all stages of the research process.     

The selection of good search terms

This paper tackles the problem of how one might select further search terms, using relevance feedback, given the search terms in the query. These search terms are extracted from a maximum spanning tree connecting all the terms in the index term vocabulary. A number of different spanning trees are generated from a variety of association measures. The retrieval effectiveness for the different spanning trees is shown to be approximately the same. Effectiveness is measured in terms of precision and recall, and the retrieval tests are done on three different test collections.     

Beyond the GRE: Using a Composite Score to Predict ?the Success of Puerto Rican Students in a Biomedical ?PhD Program

The use and validity of the Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE) to predict the success of graduate school applicants is heavily debated, especially for its possible impact on the selection of underrepresented minorities into science, technology, engineering, and math fields. To better identify candidates who would succeed in our program with less reliance on the GRE and grade point average (GPA), we developed and tested a composite score (CS) that incorporates additional measurable predictors of success to evaluate incoming applicants. Uniform numerical values were assigned to GPA, GRE, research experience, advanced course work or degrees, presentations, and publications. We compared the CS of our students with their achievement of program goals and graduate school outcomes. The average CS was significantly higher in those students completing the graduate program versus dropouts (p < 0.002) and correlated with success in competing for fellowships and a shorter time to thesis defense. In contrast, these outcomes were not predicted by GPA, science GPA, or GRE. Recent implementation of an impromptu writing assessment during the interview suggests the CS can be improved further. We conclude that the CS provides a broader quantitative measure that better predicts success of students in our program and allows improved evaluation and selection of the most promising candidates.     

COLLEGE MAJOR CHOICE: An Analysis of Person–Environment Fit

Although recent research suggests that congruence between students and their academic environment is critical for successful student outcomes, little research has been done on student college major choice. Using Holland’s theory of careers, we analyze college major choice using a multinomial logit model. We use the CIRP Freshman Survey and institutional data for three cohorts of first-year students at a selective liberal arts college to study the factors that affect college major choice, both at entry and at graduation.