Munchausen syndrome by proxy: A family affair

Munchausen syndrome by proxy is an unusual form of child abuse: a child presents with an illness that has been factitiously produced by a parent, typically the mother. A case of chronic illicit insulin administration to a one-year-old girl is described. Despite temporary separation of the child from the mother and long-term psychiatric intervention, factitious illnesses continued, including urine specimen contamination, laxative-induced diarrhea, suspected bladder catheterization, and suspected poisoning. Retrospective review of the medical records of the mother and two siblings demonstrated previously unrecognized evidence of factitious illnesses. The medical records contained evidence of 30 separate episodes of suspected or documented factitious illness in these four members of the same family. This unique family illustrates the significant morbidity of Munchausen syndrome by proxy and a poor response to psychiatric treatment.     

Advances in the application of information technology to sport performance

This paper overviews the diverse information technologies that are used to provide athletes with relevant feedback. Examples taken from various sports are used to illustrate selected applications of technology-based feedback. Several feedback systems are discussed, including vision, audition and proprioception. Each technology described here is based on the assumption that feedback would eventually enhance skill acquisition and sport performance and, as such, its usefulness to athletes and coaches in training is critically evaluated.     

中美青少年参加体育活动影响因素的比较研究

科学研究已证明:体育活动有助于身心健康。但事实表明,青少年参与体育活动的人数却在减少。本研究以中国东部沿海的浙江省和美国中北部的爱荷华州这两个经济、教育实力相对较为接近地区的青少年作为研究对象,把不同性别、不同年级等特征条件下,影响这两个地区青少年参与体育活动的因素作为研究内容进行比较分析,从比较中得出启迪,为我国青少年更好地开展体育活动,促进其身心健康提供一份依据。     

The Welfare to Work Transition in the United States: Implications for Work-Related Learning

This paper summarizes the legislation upon which the current welfare-to-work transition in the United States is based and describes characteristics of the former welfare population from which various tiers of employment options have emerged: unsubsidized-employed workers, subsidized-employed workers, subsidized-unemployed recipients, and unsubsidized-unemployed individuals. It also discusses current program emphases, and presents a format for directions for future program development which includes academic programs, situated cognition programs, integrated literacy/occupational skills programs, and integrated literacy/soft skills training.     

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A TAIWANESE COMMUNICATION PROGRESSION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

Common core standards, interdisciplinary education, and discipline-specific literacy are common international education reforms. The constructive–interpretative language arts pairs (speaking–listening, writing–reading, representing–viewing) and the communication, construction, and persuasion functions of language are central in these movements. This research developed and validated a communication progression in science education for elementary–secondary schooling in Taiwan. The framework for the communication progression was based on relevant literature, international curricula, and focus-group deliberations; it consisted of three dimensions: presentation, reaction, and negotiation. Delphi deliberations with questionnaires were applied to experts to evaluate the theoretical considerations and to experienced science teachers to evaluate the practical considerations. Results confirmed the importance of communications in science learning and the developmental nature of communications across elementary, middle, and secondary schools and validated the proposed framework and progression. The communication progression has application to other international education systems as they address common core standards and curricula in language and science.

     

宇宙中温度最低点

To an Eskimo(爱斯基摩人), the saying goes, hell is a very cold place, not a hot one. Now NASA and European astronomers have pictures of Eskimo hell: the coldest spot in the known universe. The place is 5, 000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus(人马座). It' s the Boomerang Nebula: a cloud of gases that are being expelled from a dying star.