The development of executive function in early childhood is inversely related to change in body mass index: Evidence for an energetic tradeoff?

A well‐established literature demonstrates executive function (EF) deficits in obese children and adults relative to healthy weight comparisons. EF deficits in obesity are associated with overeating and impulsive consumption of high calorie foods leading to excess weight gain and to problems with metabolic regulation and low‐grade inflammation that detrimentally affect the structure and function of prefrontal cortex. Here, we test a complementary explanation for the relation between EF and body mass index (BMI) grounded in the energy demand of the developing brain. Recent work shows that the brain accounts for a lifetime peak of 66% of resting metabolic rate in childhood and that developmental changes in brain energetics and normative changes in body weight gain are closely inversely related. This finding suggests a trade‐off in early childhood between energy used to support brain development versus energy used to support physical growth and fat deposition. To test this theorized energetic trade‐off, we analyzed data from a large longitudinal sample (N = 1,292) and found that change in EF from age 3 to 5 years, as a proxy for brain development in energetically costly prefrontal cortex, is inversely related to change in BMI from age 2 to 5 years. Greater linear decline in BMI predicted greater linear increase in EF. We interpret this finding as tentative support for a brain–body energetic trade‐off in early childhood with implications for lifetime obesity risk.     

Absence of Ankle Stiffening While Standing in Focus and Cognitive Task Conditions in Older Adults

Abstract

Research suggests that an external focus or cognitive task may improve postural control. Removing attention from movement production may promote automaticity, or the tasks may promote ankle stiffening. To investigate these two theories, twenty older adults stood while performing baseline standing, internal focus, external focus, and two cognitive tasks. Changes in postural control occurred in external focus and cognitive task conditions compared to baseline and internal focus, while no change occurred in cocontraction indices. This suggests that an external focus and cognitive task can improve postural control in older adults. Since no change occurred in cocontraction indices across conditions, this suggests that stiffening cannot explain these changes. Instead, changes could be due to automaticity of sway.     

儿童语言样本的分析技术

语言样本分析是评定儿童表达性语言能力发展的一个有效的广泛应用的方法,文章介绍了国外关于语言样本分析技术的发展情况,包括语言样本分析的程序、流行程度、语言样本的诱发方式,及其宏观结构和微观结构的分析指标;总结了国内在儿童语言样本分析领域的三方面的探索研究;未来的国内研究可以在宏观结构分析方面借鉴国外的经验,但在微观结构分析方面还需要基于汉语自身的特点,开发出适于中国儿童的语言样本分析指标。     

建立县级领导干部绩效结构和考核指标体系的思考

县级领导干部的绩效考核一直是党和国家关注的焦点,而实践中县级领导干部的绩效考核多年来一直是个难点问题。该文通过回顾国内外绩效考核的相关理论和文献,对应该如何建立科学有效的县级领导干部绩效结构及考核指标体系进行了探讨,并进一步提出了其研究的创新和意义所在。     

The relative contribution of profile body shape and weight to judgements of women's physical attractiveness in Britain and Malaysia

Ninety-six Malaysian and British men rated for physical attractiveness a set of photographs of real women in profile, with known body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Results showed that BMI accounted for the greater amount of variance in all settings. There were also significant differences in preferences for body weight, with low resource, low socioeconomic status (SES) raters preferring a significantly heavier partner than high resource, high SES raters. The disparity with previous findings using line drawings of women in profile was discussed in terms of the weaknesses of line-drawn stimuli.     

门静脉高压症的外科治疗观

门静脉高压症的外科治疗主要有门体静脉断流术和门体静脉分流术,这两种手术方式反映了唯物辩证法的对立统一规律。辩证唯物主义认为,人的认识过程是实践、认识、再实践、再认识,循环往复以至无穷的发展过程。随着实践的深入,医疗技术的进步,医疗设备的更新,近来兴起了分流加断流联合手术、TIPSS及肝移植术治疗门脉高压症。     

癫痫诊治中医患同盟建立的实践与策略

通过对肝硬化者行超声检测,预测食管静脉出血,结果显示,出血组门静脉及胃左静脉管径均增粗,但胃左静脉更明显,门静脉血流速减慢而胃左静脉增快;出血组胃左静脉均呈离肝血流,其分流指数明显增大。胃左静脉的管径及血流速与门静脉比较具有显著的变化,其分流指数和血流方向在预测出血方面具有更大的价值。     

Aggression in television programs in Finland

A detailed coding system was constructed to study the frequency and salience of aggression in TV programs broadcast on Finnish television. Salience of aggression was measured by the brutality index which consisted of ratings concerning the (1) program context, (2) seriousness, (3) justification, and (4) dramatization of aggressive acts. When compared to previous studies of TV-violence, the rate of aggression in Finnish TV was moderate with 3.5 aggressive acts per program hour. Only 14% of aggressive acts portrayed brutal aggression, which was mostly seen in fictional films and serials. A clear 9 pm watershed was not seen in Finland, since aggressive acts were distributed quite evenly during the TV time. Aggressiveness of a program was not related to its popularity among viewers. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc. ©1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

标准参照测验决策一致性指标研究的总结与展望

决策一致性指考生在两次平行测验中被一致归类的程度,是衡量标准参照测验质量的重要指标.到目前为止,基于经典测量模型和项目反应模型,研究者已经提出了数十种估计决策一致性指标的方法,并对这些方法的优劣进行了比较.由于模型基础和对分数分布的假设不同,各种方法适用于不同的测验情境.未来的研究应当对已有方法进行验证,并探讨决策一致性在教育测量中的应用途径,为教育和心理测量工作者估计测验的决策一致性指标提供凭据.     

强迫倾向个体的信息加工灵活性

摘 要 以高低强迫倾向个体为研究对象,考察其在不同概率情景设置的Flanker任务中的信息加工灵活性,研究结果表明：高强迫倾向个体的信息加工方式相对较缓慢、单一,以集中加工方式为主;高强迫倾向个体对情境的变化较少做出反应,在信息加工的灵活性上存在缺陷,而低倾向个体的信息加工方式相对较灵活;高强迫倾向个体不易受线索提示的影响,对信息加工方式的策略性调控能力不足。