Infection markers and early signs of neonatal encephalopathy in the term infant

Recent evidence points to an association between intrauterine infection and cerebral palsy (CP) in the preterm as well as the term infant. The mechanisms that link these two conditions are unclear. Chorioamnionitis is a common clinical problem complicating 5-10% of pregnancies, whereas the incidence of CP attributed to intrapartum asphyxia is rare. Chorioamnionitis may result in brain injury as a result of interruption of placental blood flow (asphyxia), or via fever and/ or the cytokine release associated with infection. This review will attempt to establish the link between perinatal infection and brain damage in term infants. The characteristics of the perinatal inflammatory response, the potential mechanisms of brain injury associated with infection, and the clinical characteristics of neonatal encephalopathy will be discussed.     

The Greek ID Card Controversy: A Case Study of Religion and National Identity in a Changing European Union

This article presents the initial findings of a research project funded by the Leverhulme Trust from 2003 to 2005. It should be seen as the sequel to a pilot study originally conducted in 2002 and published in the Journal of Contemporary Religion in 2003 (Molokotos-Liederman, ”Identity Crisis“). The article examines the ID card controversy in Greece, setting it in its broader European context. Using data from newspaper articles and interviews, it maps the different opinion groups that emerge from this controversy and offers a preliminary analysis of these views. The final section indicates a range of topics that are emerging from this study and merit further investigation.     

Substance Abuse in Middle Eastern Adolescents Living in Two Different Countries: Spiritual,Cultural, Family and Personal Factors

It is estimated that the percentage of students using illicit substances by sixth grade has tripled over the last decade not only in developed countries but in developing countries as well probably due to the transition to a more Western society. Although much has been done to understand the mechanisms underlying substance abuse, few studies have been conducted with minority ethnic and religious groups such as Middle Eastern Youth. The primary goal of this study was to determine whether there are differences in factors contributing to substance abuse in adolescents from Lebanon versus the USA and to decipher the role of spirituality, religion, and culture among other factors that may influence substance abuse. A correlational cross-sectional design was used with adolescents living in two different countries: Los Angeles, California and Beirut, Lebanon. Muslim adolescents had significantly less rates of alcohol and substance use than Christians in both Lebanon and Los Angeles. More years lived in the USA increases the likelihood of abuse for both Muslims and Christians. Attachment to God and family was negatively associated with substance abuse. These results among others facilitate a better understanding of the influence of culture, religion, family and personal factors on substance abuse. Culturally sensitive interventions could benefit from the findings of this pilot study.     

Errors of Omission and Commission during Alternative Reinforcement of Compliance: The Effects of Varying Levels of Treatment Integrity

We conducted two experiments to evaluate the effects of errors of omission and commission during alternative reinforcement of compliance in young children. In Experiment 1, we evaluated errors of omission by examining two levels of integrity during alternative reinforcement (20 and 60 %) for child compliance following no treatment (baseline) versus treatment at full (i.e., 100 %) integrity. Results indicated that compliance varied according to the level of integrity in place. In addition, compliance in the 60 % integrity condition was high and stable when it followed baseline, but was substantially lower for one participant and slightly lower for a second participant when it followed the full integrity condition. In Experiment 2, we evaluated errors of commission. For three participants, we compared treatment at full integrity to a condition in which errors of commission were made on every trial (i.e., 0 % integrity). For one of these three participants, we also compared treatment at full integrity to baseline and to a condition in which errors of commission were made on 50 % of trials. Results of all four evaluations again indicate that compliance varied according to the level of integrity in place: compliance was low in both the 0 and 50 % integrity conditions, regardless of the preceding condition. These results suggest that during alternative reinforcement of compliance, the effect of occasional errors of omission may depend on the immediately preceding context but that errors of commission are more detrimental.     

A Developmental Psychopathology and Neurobiological Model of Borderline Personality Disorder in Adolescence

The antecedents and risk factors and for developing borderline personality disorder (BPD) are now well documented, but there is a paucity of developmental models to understand the key processes through which they impact on the development of BPD in adolescents. In this article, we present a developmental psychopathology model of BPD in adolescence and link the difficulties adolescents with BPD have with impulsivity and self regulation, with risk factors such as genetic vulnerability, parenting and trauma. We propose a number of psychological processes through which these risk factors undermine personal and interpersonal functioning, and makes it particularly difficult to engage with the challenges of adolescence. These key psychological processes undermine the integration of the self, with extreme unintegrated affects and extreme representations of self and others, undermining the capacity to mentalize. We then make links to possible neurobiological underpinnings of the disturbances in affect, Theory of Mind and interpersonal difficulties in adolescents with BPD.     

Parent Involvement in Secondary Special Education and Transition: An Exploratory Psychometric Study

An increased level of parent involvement in education has been identified as a predictor of positive postschool outcomes for students with disabilities who have traditionally experienced lower rates of employment and postsecondary education than their peers without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the factor structure of scales adapted from the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler Model of Parent Involvement that might be used to predict parent involvement in secondary special education. An iterative adaption process included adding and revising scale items to reflect parent beliefs and involvement activities related to transition planning and secondary education for parents of high school students with disabilities. Participants were 149 parents of students with disabilities, ages 16–21. Two exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the scales. Results of the EFA for involvement activities suggested a three-factor solution including: Future Planning; Home-based Involvement; and Agency/School-based Involvement. Results of the EFA for Motivators for Involvement suggested a seven-factor solution including: Parent Expectations for the Future; General School Invitations; Role Construction; Perceptions of Time and Energy; Knowledge, Skills, and Self-efficacy; Specific Child Invitations, and Specific Teacher Invitations. Implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Cultural differences in body dissatisfaction: Japanese adolescents compared with adolescents from China,Malaysia, Australia,Tonga, and Fiji

Cultural influences on the body image of 133 female and 99 male Japanese adolescents aged 12–18 years (M = 15.9, SD = 1.2) were compared to those of a databank of 1233 female and 1149 male adolescents also aged 12–18 years (M = 14.9, SD = 1.5) from five cultures – Chinese, Malaysian, Australian, Tongan, and indigenous Fijian – surveyed previously using identical body image measures (Fuller‐Tyszkiewicz et al., 2012). Japanese adolescents reported the highest levels of body dissatisfaction despite possessing among the lowest body mass index (BMI) and also reported among the highest levels of media influence on their body image. Subsequent path analyses revealed that for Japanese adolescents cultural identification with modern Japanese values were associated with increased body dissatisfaction, and that this association was mediated by level of media influence. These results highlight the importance of cultural influences, as well as individual differences in cultural values, in shaping Japanese adolescents' body image.     

类比比较样例对物理综合题学习迁移效果的影响

研究通过三个实验,比较了普通样例和类比比较样例在学习物理综合题中的效果,并在此基础上,进一步分析两种不同类型的类比比较样例对物理综合题学习的迁移效果以及“提示”这一样例设计方法的促进作用。结果发现:(1)通过类比比较样例学习物理综合题的效果优于普通样例;(2)相比于单综概念类比比较样例,综合概念类比比较样例能更好地提高物理综合题学习的近迁移成绩,但未提高其远迁移成绩;(3)提示能明显促进类比比较样例在物理综合题学习中的作用,但不同提示类型的影响无显著差异。该结果表明:类比比较样例是学习物理综合题的有效样例形式,而其中综合概念类比比较样例效果最佳;开放式提示和支架式提示均能较好地促进类比比较样例的学习。