Neuroticism and Depressive Symptomatology: The Mediating Influence of College Student Floccinaucinihilipilification

This study tested a mediation model between depression and neuroticism on 209 college students. Previous research suggests that students who appraise their lives as having no value or worth, which is known as floccinaucinihilipilification (flocci), may be prone to depressive symptoms because of a neurotic disposition. Results found flocci domains targeted at the self and relationships partially mediated the neuroticism–depression relation. Implications and recommendations for professionals are discussed.     

Erratum to: Urban High School Student Engagement through CincySTEM iTEST Projects

Journal of Science Education and Technology -     

The microfluidics of the eccrine sweat gland,including biomarker partitioning,transport, and biosensing implications

Non-invasive and accurate access of biomarkers remains a holy grail of the biomedical community. Human eccrine sweat is a surprisingly biomarker-rich fluid which is gaining increasing attention. This is especially true in applications of continuous bio-monitoring where other biofluids prove more challenging, if not impossible. However, much confusion on the topic exists as the microfluidics of the eccrine sweat gland has never been comprehensively presented and models of biomarker partitioning into sweat are either underdeveloped and/or highly scattered across literature. Reported here are microfluidic models for eccrine sweat generation and flow which are coupled with review of blood-to-sweat biomarker partition pathways, therefore providing insights such as how biomarker concentration changes with sweat flow rate. Additionally, it is shown that both flow rate and biomarker diffusion determine the effective sampling rate of biomarkers at the skin surface (chronological resolution). The discussion covers a broad class of biomarkers including ions (Na⁺, Cl⁻, K⁺, NH₄⁺), small molecules (ethanol, cortisol, urea, and lactate), and even peptides or small proteins (neuropeptides and cytokines). The models are not meant to be exhaustive for all biomarkers, yet collectively serve as a foundational guide for further development of sweat-based diagnostics and for those beginning exploration of new biomarker opportunities in sweat.     

A comparative study of cooperative and competitive achievement in two secondary biology classrooms: The group investigation model versus an individually competitive goal structure

Achievement in individually competitive and cooperatively reward-structured environments was examined in two high-school biology classrooms. Each was pretested and taught an identical unit of study, one in an individually competitive structure and the other using a cooperative group-investigation model. At the end of seven weeks both classes were posttested. A two-way within-subjects ANOVA was used to determine significant differences in pre- and post-test scores between the two treatment groups. The two groups were not significantly different from each other on the pretest. While both cooperative and competitive techniques obtained significantly (p < 0.05) higher posttest scores, neither treatment was superior over the other in producing academic achievement. Results are compared to previous studies which have examined differences among cooperatively, competitively, and individually structured classrooms.     

Preferences and aversions for stimuli paired with ethanol in hungry rats

Two experiments explored the reinforcing effect of ethanol on conditioned location and flavor preferences in hungry rats. In Experiment 1, rats were administered ethanol (.5, 1.0, or 2.0 g/kg, ig) prior to confinement in one side of a shuttlebox with access to a flavored solution. On control trials, H₂O was administered prior to confinement to the opposite side with a different flavored solution. Location choice tests revealed an overall aversion for the ethanol-associated side that was largest at the 2.0-g/kg dose. Flavor choice tests revealed an aversion for the ethanol-associated flavor at the 2.0-g/kg dose, no reliable difference at the 1.0-g/kg dose, and, of particular interest, a preference at the .5-g/kg dose. The results of Experiment 2 suggest that caloric restoration served as the reinforcing mechanism for the conditioned flavor preference. An isocaloric glucose solution conditioned a flavor preference of the same magnitude as that obtained with ethanol. Moreover, when ethanol provided no caloric advantage, the associated flavor was less preferred than a flavor associated with an isocaloric glucose solution.