Source of improvement in balance control after a training program for ankle proprioception

Previous research on healthy individuals reported improvements in balance control following a purported ankle proprioception-training program. The training may have resulted in a general rather than a specific enhancement of ankle proprioception. To test this hypothesis, subjects were constrained at the hips and trunk with a custom-made thoracolumbosacral orthosis and performed a one-leg standing test with eyes closed and head tilted back, so that they had to rely primarily on their ankle musculature to keep their balance. Subjects were retested after training on the BAPS three times a week for 4 weeks, following the training recommendations of the manual. Subjects' bodies were not constrained during the training. Analysis showed that subjects made improvements during training in performing more difficult tasks on the board. On the one-leg test, however, there were no improvements in sway velocity, number of touchdowns, or falls relative to pretest scores. Improvements observed during training likely resulted from diffuse enhancement of proprioception in other body segments such as the knees, hips, spine, and upper extremities. A training program in control of general balance does not specifically target ankle proprioception.     

A confirmatory factor analytic approach on perceptions of knowledge and skills in teaching (PKST)

This paper reports the cross-validation of the factor pattern of the Perceptions of Knowledge and Skills in Teaching (PKST) survey, which was used to assess the self-perceived pedagogical knowledge and skills of pre-service and beginning teachers. The sample comprised 323 pre-service teachers enrolled in a 1-yr. post-graduate teacher education program in Singapore. The survey had 37 items distributed across six scales: student learning, lesson planning, instructional support, accommodating diversity, classroom management, and care and concern. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to cross-validate the survey's factor pattern. The results showed that the model was an acceptable fit to the data. The PKST survey can thus be adapted by different teacher education programs to assess pre-service and beginning teachers' progress in developing their pedagogical knowledge and skills.     

The effect of manipulated sympathy and anger on left and right frontal cortical activity

The present research extended past research demonstrating that approach-motivated anger is associated with greater left than right frontal cortical activity. Because past research had examined difference scores between left and right frontal activity, it was unable to test whether approach-motivated anger increased left activity, decreased right activity, or both. In addition, the present research examined a potential moderator of the effect of insult on left frontal activity. That is, it tested whether sympathy for an insulting person would reduce the left frontal activity that occurs following being insulted. Results indicated that left frontal activity was increased and right frontal activity was decreased by the insult. Moreover, these effects were inhibited when high levels of sympathy were first aroused.     

从《世说新语》看晋宋之际道教的发展

作为记载魏晋间名士风流的集子《世说新语》,其对佛、道区别对待的态度,固然有各种外在因素的影响,但最根本的还是僧人、道士各自的价值取向,即僧人凭借清谈、雅致与高门士人周旋,而道士凭借技术、操作向上层渗透,造成了这种偏差和分野。道教的这种取向,是历史传统、地域影响的结果;从史籍的记载,以及道士受到的教育能明显地看出这一微妙的变迁。而这一转变极大地影响了此后道教的发展进程。     

人口逆淘汰及其预防

对人口逆淘汰必须全面、动态地加以认识.必须阻止人口逆淘汰,提高人口质量,变"人口"为"人力".教育是关键措施,医疗卫生和环境改善十分重要,但决不能鼓励高学历人口多生育而限制农村人口的出生.