An Entity Theory of Intelligence Predicts Higher Cortisol Levels When High School Grades Are Declining

Grades often decline during the high school transition, creating stress. The present research integrates the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat with the implicit theories model to understand who shows maladaptive stress responses. A diary study measured declines in grades in the first few months of high school: salivary cortisol (N = 360 students, N = 3,045 observations) and daily stress appraisals (N = 499 students, N = 3,854 observations). Students who reported an entity theory of intelligence (i.e., the belief that intelligence is fixed) showed higher cortisol when grades were declining. Moreover, daily academic stressors showed a different lingering effect on the next day's cortisol for those with different implicit theories. Findings support a process model through which beliefs affect biological stress responses during difficult adolescent transitions.     

Development as education for social justice

Asia Pacific Education Review - The correlation between education and development, with time, went through many changes along with the changes of perspectives. Since both of these concepts...     

Proposing an Effective Action Learning Process Model: Introducing the PAIR Model

Action learning differentiates itself from other inquiry‐based learning approaches in that it requires learners to take actions based on project outcomes. While implementing their plans and reflecting on consequences of their actions, learners are given more and varied learning opportunities. Despite the apparent benefits of action learning, it entails a more complex process and a higher level of involvement from top management than do ordinary training programs. This article seeks to identify benefits and limitations of action learning and proposes a process model that enhances its benefits and helps to overcome its limitations. Thirty‐one research studies from academic journals were reviewed to identify espoused benefits and limitations of action learning. Those findings were used as the foundation for development of the PAIR model.     

Multiple regression data using the WISC-R and the Woodcock-Johnson tests of cognitive ability

Using a sample of 100 behavior disordered male adolescents, correlations between the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJTCA) were computed. All WISC-R subtests correlated with the W-J Broad Cognitive Ability score at the .0001 level. Analysis of the forward selection multiple regression procedure resulted in the inclusion of only WISC-R Verbal subtests for the first six steps. Implications of such results were discussed and a predictive equation reported.     

The influence of lower limb amputation level on the approach in the amputee long jump

In this study, we investigated the adjustments to posture, kinematic and temporal characteristics of performance made by lower limb amputees during the last few strides in preparation for long jump take-off. Six male unilateral trans-femoral and seven male unilateral trans-tibial amputees competing in a World Championships final were filmed in the sagittal plane using a 100-Hz digital video camera positioned so that the last three strides to take-off were visible. After digitizing using a nine-segment model, a range of kinematic variables were computed to define technique characteristics. Both the trans-femoral and trans-tibial athletes appeared to achieve their reduction in centre of mass during the flight phase between strides, and did so mainly by extending the flight time by increasing stride length, achieved by a greater flexion of the hip joint of the touch-down leg. The trans-tibial athletes appeared to adopt a technique similar to that previously reported for able-bodied athletes. They lowered their centre of mass most on their second last stride (-1.6% of body height compared with -1.4% on the last stride) and used a flexed knee at take-off on the last stride, but they were less able to control their downward velocity at touch-down (-0.4 m x s(-1)). Both this and their restricted approach speed (8.9 m x s(-1) at touch-down), rather than technique limitations, influenced their jump performance. The trans-femoral athletes lowered their centre of mass most on the last stride (-2.3% of body height compared with -1.6% on the second last stride) and, as they were unable to flex their prosthetic knee sufficiently, achieved this by abducting their prosthetic leg during the support phase, which led to a large downward velocity at touch-down (-0.6 m x s(-1)). This, combined with their slower approach velocity (7.1 m x s(-1) at touch-down), restricted their performance.     

Injectable hybrid inorganic nanoscaffold as rapid stem cell assembly template for cartilage repair

Cartilage injuries are often devastating and most cannot be cured because of the intrinsically low regenerative capacity of cartilage tissues. Although stem-cell therapy has shown enormous potential for cartilage repair, the therapeutic outcome has been restricted by low survival rates and poor chondrocyte differentiation in vivo. Here, we report an injectable hybrid inorganic (IHI) nanoscaffold that facilitates fast assembly, enhances survival and regulates chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells. IHI nanoscaffolds that strongly bind to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins assemble stem cells through synergistic 3D cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions, creating a favorable physical microenvironment for stem-cell survival and differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, chondrogenic factors can be loaded into nanoscaffolds with a high capacity, which allows deep, homogenous drug delivery into assembled 3D stem-cell-derived tissues for effective control over the soluble microenvironment of stem cells. The developed IHI nanoscaffolds that assemble with stem cells are injectable. They also scavenge reactive oxygen species and timely biodegrade for proper integration into injured cartilage tissues. Implantation of stem-cell-assembled IHI nanoscaffolds into injured cartilage results in accelerated tissue regeneration and functional recovery. By establishing our IHI nanoscaffold-templated 3D stem-cell assembly method, we provide a promising approach to better overcoming the inhibitory microenvironment associated with cartilage injuries and to advance current stem-cell-based tissue engineering.     

Beyond the Blockbuster: Good Exhibitions in Small Packages

Many American and European art museums are now featuring small, highly-focused shows in their exhibition programs. In 1990, the Indianapolis Museum of Art organized an exhibition that reunited, for the first time in a century, the four landscape paintings created by neo-impressionist Georges Seurat during the last summer of his life. Using Seurat at Gravelines: The Last Landscapes as an example, this article addresses the advantages — for museums and their visitors — of the small temporary exhibition.     

Curriculum-based measures of written expression for learning-disabled and nondisabled students

This study examined differences in written expression between a sample of learning-disabled and nondisabled middle school students, matched by grade and sex, using eight curriculum-based measures. All of the learning-disabled students had been identified as having written language deficits as part of their handicapping conditions. The nondisabled students showed superior written expression skills, especially on the production-independent measures. Implications of these results are discussed in relation to psycho educational assessment, the use of CBM for ongoing assessment of written expression, and future studies.