Lung volumes and maximal respiratory pressures in collegiate swimmers and runners

To determine whether respiratory muscle strength is related to pulmonary volume differences in athletes and nonathletes, 11 intercollegiate female swimmers, 11 female cross-country runners, and two nonathletic control groups, matched to the athletes in height and age, were evaluated for pulmonary parameters including maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax) and maximal expiratory pressure (PEmax). Swimmers exhibited larger (p less than .05) vital capacities (VC), residual lung volumes (RV), inspiratory capacities (IC), and functional residual capacities (FRC) than both the runners or the controls but no difference (p greater than .05) in either PImax or inspiratory flow (FIV 25%-75%). Timed expiratory volumes (FEV 0.5 and FEV 1.0) were significantly (p less than .05) lower in the swimmers than in the controls. These data suggest that an adaptational growth may be responsible, in part, for the augmented static lung volumes demonstrated in swimmers.     

Microfluidic conformal coating of non-spherical magnetic particles

We present the conformal coating of non-spherical magnetic particles in a co-laminar flow microfluidic system. Whereas in the previous reports spherical particles had been coated with thin films that formed spheres around the particles; in this article, we show the coating of non-spherical particles with coating layers that are approximately uniform in thickness. The novelty of our work is that while liquid-liquid interfacial tension tends to minimize the surface area of interfaces—for example, to form spherical droplets that encapsulate spherical particles—in our experiments, the thin film that coats non-spherical particles has a non-minimal interfacial area. We first make bullet-shaped magnetic microparticles using a stop-flow lithography method that was previously demonstrated. We then suspend the bullet-shaped microparticles in an aqueous solution and flow the particle suspension with a co-flow of a non-aqueous mixture. A magnetic field gradient from a permanent magnet pulls the microparticles in the transverse direction to the fluid flow, until the particles reach the interface between the immiscible fluids. We observe that upon crossing the oil-water interface, the microparticles become coated by a thin film of the aqueous fluid. When we increase the two-fluid interfacial tension by reducing surfactant concentration, we observe that the particles become trapped at the interface, and we use this observation to extract an approximate magnetic susceptibility of the manufactured non-spherical microparticles. Finally, using fluorescence imaging, we confirm the uniformity of the thin film coating along the entire curved surface of the bullet-shaped particles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of conformal coating of non-spherical particles using microfluidics.     

Globalisation and citizenship education: diversity in South Korean civics textbooks

This study examines how textbooks in the Republic of Korea incorporate liberal, Western notions of diversity and multiculturalism. Through a systematic analysis of 60 civics textbooks over time, this study shows that ideas of multiculturalism and diversity have dramatically increased in the South Korean intended curriculum. While in the past, textbooks depicted South Korean society as racially and ethnically homogenous with little or no mention of disadvantaged groups or ethnic minorities, starting in the 1990s, textbooks increasingly discuss the rights of diverse groups and the need to empower these groups to address problems of social inequality. Yet, traditional citizenship narratives of national homogeneity still remain, especially in textbooks that discuss prospects for the reunification of the Korean peninsula.     

Multiple Predictors of Asian American Children's School Achievement

Research Findings: A structural equation model (SEM) and multiple indicators and multiple causes (MIMIC) model were used to test family factors, parent psychological well-being, parent–child home activity, and parent school involvement in relation to children's school achievement. Data for this study were drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten (ECLS-K), conducted by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The sample for this study was 1,100 Asian American kindergartners and their parents. Practice or Policy: The results of this study are as follows: (a) Family factors, especially parental education levels and family income, were significantly associated with Asian American students' school achievement; (b) parent–child home activity was significantly related to students' school achievement but in a negative direction; (c) parental school involvement was not found to be significant in predicting students' school achievement; (d) parental psychological well-being was significantly associated with both parent–child home activity and students' school achievement; (e) family income was significantly associated with parental psychological well-being, parental school involvement, and children's school achievement; and (f) family structure was not significantly associated with school achievement.     

Racist Violations and Racializing Apologia in a Post-Racism Era

In theorizing the dialectic of public acts of white racial offenses and the in/sufficiency of apologia associated with white racial discourse, we examine racist violations and racializing apologia from 24 white public figures in the United States between 1996 and 2012. Analysis of racist violations reveals that each offense undermines race as a social and political marker, whereas racializing apologia makes explicit the constant force of racialization and latent nature of whiteness in apologia strategies. We view racializing apologia as potentially liberatory, capable of allowing for a defense of oneself and challenging reproduction of racial formations.     

Affordances of Item Formats and Their Effects on Test‐Taker Cognition under Uncertainty

The current study investigated how item formats and their inherent affordances influence test‐takers’ cognition under uncertainty. Adult participants solved content‐equivalent math items in multiple‐selection multiple‐choice and four alternative grid formats. The results indicated that participants’ affirmative response tendency (i.e., judge the given information as True) was affected by the presence of a grid, type of grid options, and their visual layouts. The item formats further affected the test scores obtained from the alternatives keyed True and the alternatives keyed False, and their psychometric properties. The current results suggest that the affordances rendered by item design can lead to markedly different test‐taker behaviors and can potentially influence test outcomes. They emphasize that a better understanding of the cognitive implications of item formats could potentially facilitate item design decisions for large‐scale educational assessments.     

The End of Nostradamus: Killing Predictive Check-In Without Feeling Guilty

Computer systems for receiving serial issues have existed for over 50 years. Their functionality has gradually become more complex and predictive. A new generation of check-in systems is currently being developed, some of which have decided to include less-complex check-in systems. The presenters discuss the history of check-in systems, and give case studies of two new systems that have chosen a simpler design for serials receiving.     

Is experience the best teacher? A multilevel analysis of teacher characteristics and student achievement in low performing schools

The study investigated several teacher characteristics, with a focus on two measures of teaching experience, and their association with second grade student achievement gains in low performing, high poverty schools in a Mid-Atlantic state. Value-added models using three-level hierarchical linear modeling were used to analyze the data from 1,544 students, 154 teachers, and 53 schools. Results indicated that traditional teacher qualification characteristics such as licensing status and educational attainment were not statistically significant in producing student achievement gains. Total years of teaching experience was also not a significant predictor but a more specific measure, years of teaching experience at a particular grade level, was significantly associated with increased student reading achievement. We caution researchers and policymakers when interpreting results from studies that have used only a general measure of teacher experience as effects are possibly underestimated. Policy implications are discussed.

梁启超在“开化期”韩国的影响

在近代韩国,梁启超的作品以及那些翻译其著作的译者启蒙和教化了大批进步人士。由于＂相似的语言、历史背景和国情＂以及＂梁启超对韩国国情的关注＂等特殊原因,他的著作及其思想言论受到近代韩国文人的大力支持。故而,梁启超的文章及论著在以＂直接登载论著的原文、翻译论著为译文、摘选原文或译述、书籍＂的形式传播到韩国之后,读他的文章成为韩国文人中的一种流行,并成为一股独特的社会风气,这是近代中韩比较文学史上不可淹没的痕迹。     

新世纪韩国的中国文学译介与研究——文情报告2001-2005

进入21世纪以来,中国文学的＂海外传播＂研究继续蓬勃发展。从发展的总体态势来看,＂海外传播＂研究的方向主要集中于西方主要国家的中国文学＂传播＂的情况,因而使得东方国家的文学情况研究处于边缘化的境遇,尤其是韩国国家的研究情况。这次以研究＂中国文学在韩国的译介与研究＂为切入点,一方面希冀对过去＂研究成果＂进行总结,另一方面更希望中韩文学的交流能在此基础上携手向着更深更远的方向发展。有鉴于此,文章认为有必要对21世纪韩国的中国文学译介与研究情况进行统计、分类等工作以对这一阶段的文学交流进行总结,使中韩文学交流的研究更加细致深入。