Retest effects in matrix test performance: Differential impact of predictors at different hierarchy levels in an educational setting

If tests of cognitive ability are repeatedly taken, test scores rise. Such retest effects have been observed for a long time and for a variety of tasks. This study investigates retest effects on figural matrix items in an educational context. A short term effect is assumed for the direct retest administration in the same test session, and a long term effect is assumed for a retest interval of six months. Using multilevel modeling, we analyze if the magnitude of these effects is not only influenced by individual variation, but also by the cluster structure of students grouped within classrooms. We also investigate if the use of identical versus parallel tests has an impact on the size of the retest effects. Our main results show a negligible short term retest effect, but a large long term retest effect. Using parallel tests does not contribute to understanding individual differences in retest effects. The variation in retest effects is larger between classrooms than between students. Reasoning ability, as measured with a different test, and school grades significantly influences retest effects at the individual level, but at the classroom level, only reasoning ability is a significant predictor.     

Exploring the Potential of Collaboration on Cooperative Learning among Educators from Different Institutions in Sarawak,Malaysia

This article reports on a year‐long project involving the voluntary participation of 26 Mathematics and English teachers from 14 primary schools in Sarawak, Malaysia. The project had the objective of introducing participants to three important concepts in education: cooperative learning among students, cooperation among teachers and action research by teachers. Components of the ten sessions during which participants met with the project managers were input on cooperative learning and action research, sharing by participants of what they had tried in the classroom, small‐group reflection and planning for future lessons. Data is reported on participants’ responses to the project and on their use of cooperative learning.     

The Submaximal Lateral Shuffle Test: A reliability and sensitivity analysis

ABSTRACT

Lateral ankle stability and how it changes in different footwear has been investigated for years. Research, however, has shown a lack of reliability or sensitivity of available methodologies. This study aimed to evaluate the test-retest reliability and sensitivity of a novel lateral stability protocol, the Submaximal Lateral Shuffle Test (SLST). We recruited 11 and 40 participants to assess reliability and sensitivity of the SLST, respectively. Participants performed the SLST in footwear that differed in collar height and upper stiffness. ICC values showed good to excellent reliability in peak ankle angles and moments, ground reaction forces, impulses, stance time, and performance time. Significantly lower peak inversion and adduction angles and lower medio-lateral push off peak forces were found in the high cut shoes compared to the low cut shoes. The medio-lateral landing peak force showed lower forces in the high cut shoes. The smallest worthwhile change indicated meaningful differences in 70.0–82.5% of participants for inversion, adduction, medio-lateral landing peak, and push off peak forces. These results, however, were not systematic such that there was not a consistent direction of the difference for all participants. In conclusion, the SLST is a promising protocol to further investigate lateral stability in footwear.     

Book reviews

Bazzana, André; Cressier, Patrice; and Guichard, Pierre. Les châteaux ruraux d'al‐Andalus. Histoire et archéologie des husūn du sud‐est de l'Espagne. Preface by Pierre Toubert (Série Archéologie, XI). Madrid: Publications de la Casa de Velázquez, 1988. 326pp; illustrations (plates, maps, tables); bibliography, index.

Tāha, CAbdulwāhid Dhanūn. The Muslim Conquest and Settlement of North Africa and Spain (Exeter Arabic and Islamic Series, 3). London: Routledge, 1989. xiv + 280pp; £49.50.

Leaman, Oliver. Averroes and his Philosophy Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988. 204pp.; £25.

Mas^cūdî. The Meadows of Cold: the Abbasids. Ed. & tr. P. Lunde & C. Stone. London: Kegan Paul International, 1989. 469 pp., 2 maps; £30.

Sirat, Colette. La philosophie juive médiévale en terre d'Islam. Paris: Presses du CNRS, 1988. 278 pp.

Epalza, Míkel de and others. Baños Arabes en el país Valenciano. [Valencia], Generalitat Valenciana: Consellería de Cultura, Educado i Ciència, 1989.157 pp., plates, figures., maps (unnumbered).

Waines, David In a Caliph's Kitchen.Medieval Arabic Cooking for the Modern Gourmet. London: Riad el‐Rayyes Books, 1989. 112pp., many illustrations; £14.

Abed, Shukri B. Aristotelian Logic and the Arabic Language in Alfārābi. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991. xxv+201pp., two appendices, bibliography, index.

Meyerson, Mark D. The Muslims of Valencia in the Age of Fernando and Isabel: Between Coexistence and Crusade. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991. xi + 372 pp.

Zacour, Norman. Jews and Saracens in the Consilia of Oldradus de Ponte. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 1990. x+144pp., index; paperback.     

The relationship between technology, innovation, and firm performance—Empirical evidence from e-business in Europe

This article analyzes the relationship between the usage of Internet-based technologies, different types of innovation, and performance at the firm level. Data for the empirical investigation originates from a sample of 7302 European enterprises. The empirical results show that Internet-based technologies were an important enabler of innovation in the year 2003. It was found that all studied types of innovation, including Internet-enabled and non-Internet-enabled product or process innovations, are positively associated with turnover and employment growth. Firms that rely on Internet-enabled innovations are at least as likely to grow as firms that rely on non-Internet-enabled innovations. Finally, it was found that innovative activity is not necessarily associated with higher profitability. Possible reasons for this and implications are discussed.     

Maternal Separation Anxiety: Its Developmental Course and Relation to Maternal Mental Health

Maternal separation anxiety is a construct that describes a mother's experience of worry, sadness, or guilt during short-term separations from her child. This investigation examined potential differences in psychological correlates between mothers with high and low levels of anxiety when their children were 8 months, 3 1/2 years, and 6 years of age. High levels of maternal separation anxiety had different psychological correlates contingent upon the age of the child. Depressive symptomatology and separation anxiety were unrelated at times 1 and 2, but when the children were 6 years old, mothers who had the highest levels of anxiety tended to have more depressive symptomatology, fewer coping skills, a more negative representation of self, and embraced more traditional sex-role values. Study findings are discussed with respect to their relevance to the mother's role as developmental partner to the child and linked to major theoretical perspectives that address the mother-child relationship.     

Recognition memory for lists of visual stimuli in monkeys and humans

In Experiment 1, short-term memory for lists of visual stimuli was studied in four squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). A delayed-matching procedure was used in which a subject was presented with lists containing one, three, or six stimulus patterns, and memory for serial positions was probed by requiring the subject to choose between a list item and a nonlist item. The rate of item presentation was varied, as was the delay between the final item on a list and the retention test. In Experiment 2, the same procedures were used to compare recognition memory in four monkeys and four humans. Although differences in the levels and shapes of the serial-position curves appeared between species, both monkeys and humans showed primacy and recency effects. The presentation time of stimuli had a negligible effect on performance in both monkeys and humans, whereas delay significantly affected human retention but not monkey retention.     

Glycated nail proteins as a new biomarker in management of the South Kivu Congolese diabetics

Introduction

Diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa, based on blood analyses, are hampered by infrastructural and cultural reasons. The first aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of glycated nail proteins for diabetes mellitus. The second aim was to compare the course of short- and long-term glycemic biomarkers after 6 months of antidiabetic treatment. These objectives should support our hypothesis that glycated nail proteins could be used as an alternative glycemic biomarker.

Materials and methods

This case-control study consisted of 163 black diabetics and 67 non-diabetics of the South Kivu (Democratic Republic of Congo). Diagnostic accuracy of glycated nail proteins was evaluated using ROC curve analysis. At the start of the study, glycated nail protein concentrations were compared between diabetics and non-diabetics, using a nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) colorimetric method. In a subgroup of 30 diabetics, concentrations of glycated nail proteins, fasting glucose (Accu-Chek® Aviva), serum fructosamine (NBT) and HbA1c (DCA-2000+®) were measured at start and after 6 months.

Results

ROC analysis yielded an AUC of 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65-0.76) and a cut-off point of 3.83 μmol/g nail. Concentration of glycated nail proteins was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in diabetics in comparison with non-diabetics. After 6 months of antidiabetic treatment, a significant drop in the fasting glucose concentration (P = 0.017) and concentration of glycated nail proteins (P = 0.008) was observed in contrast to serum fructosamine and HbA1c.

Conclusions

Measurement of glycated nail proteins could be used to diagnose and monitor diabetes mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa.Key words: fasting glucose concentration, fructosamine, hemoglobin A1c protein, nails, sub-Saharan Africa, diabetes mellitus     

The fit of planning methods for the part manufacturing industry,a case study

This paper investigates the specific planning environment of an automotive part manufacturer and characterizes this environment based on variables regarding the product,its demand and the manufacturing process.The fit of different planning methods,namely material requirements planning,reorder point,cyclic planning,kanban,and heijunka to this specific planning environment is analyzed and evaluated by exploratory research.The results show that different product characteristics make it hard to apply a single planning method.None of the investigated methods show the ability to cover the complex requirements of a combined planning environment of two partly divergent product types with a deep value chain.     

Infants' Perception of Emotion From Body Movements

Adults recognize emotions conveyed by bodies with comparable accuracy to facial emotions. However, no prior study has explored infants' perception of body emotions. In Experiment 1, 6.5‐month‐olds (n = 32) preferred happy over neutral actions of actors with covered faces in upright but not inverted silent videos. In Experiment 2, infants (n = 32) matched happy and angry videos to corresponding vocalizations when the videos were upright but not when they were inverted. Experiment 3 (n = 16) demonstrated that infants' performance in Experiment 2 was not driven by information from the covered face and head. Thus, young infants are sensitive to emotions conveyed by bodies and match them to affective vocalizations, indicating sophisticated emotion processing capabilities early in life.