Showing papers by "University of North Carolina at Greensboro published in 2000"

Are Recessions Good For Your Health

Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between economic conditions and health. Total mortality and eight of the ten sources of fatalities examined are shown to exhibit a procyclical fluctuation, with suicides representing an important exception. The variations are largest for those causes and age groups where behavioral responses are most plausible, and there is some evidence that the unfavorable health effects of temporary upturns are partially or fully offset if the economic growth is long-lasting. An accompanying analysis of microdata indicates that smoking and obesity increase when the economy strengthens, whereas physical activity is reduced and diet becomes less healthy.

The Wheel of Wellness Counseling for Wellness: A Holistic Model for Treatment Planning

Abstract: A holistic model of wellness and prevention over the life span was presented by T. J. Sweeney and J. M. Witmer (1991) and J. M. Witmer and T. J. Sweeney (1992). Recent advances in research and theory related to wellness support modifications of the original model. The foundation for the model is examined, research related to each component is explored, and implications for use of the model as a basis for counseling interventions are presented.

Physiological and behavioral regulation in two-year-old children with aggressive/destructive behavior problems.

Abstract: A sample of 99 two-year-old children was selected on the basis of parents' responses to two administrations of the Child Behavior Checklist for two- to three-year-olds. Forty-nine of these children displayed symptoms of aggressive/destructive (externalizing) problems that were in the borderline clinical range (labelled “high risk”) and 50 children displayed few such symptoms (“low risk”). The children were assessed in a series of laboratory procedures that were intended to be emotionally and behaviorally challenging, during which time heart rate was recorded and behavior was observed. To assess physiological regulation, resting measures of heart period and respiratory sinus arrythmia (RSA), and heart period change and RSA suppression were derived from these procedures. To assess emotional and behavioral regulation, children's affect and on-task versus types of off-task behaviors were measured. Results indicated that children in the high-risk group did not differ from children in the low-risk group on the resting measure of heart period. Boys displayed lower heart rate than did girls, regardless of risk group. However, boys in the low-risk group differed from boys in the high-risk group in terms of resting measures of RSA. Children in the high-risk group did display significantly and consistently lower RSA suppression (physiological regulation) during the challenging situations than did the children in the low-risk group. High-risk children displayed more negative affect and dysregulated emotion regulation behaviors than did the low risk children. These findings are discussed in terms of the development of behavioral and emotional regulation that underlie adaptive versus maladaptive behavior.

Physical activity for the chronically ill and disabled.

Abstract: Exercise prescription principles for persons without chronic disease and/or disability are based on well developed scientific information. While there are varied objectives for being physically active, including enhancing physical fitness, promoting health by reducing the risk for chronic disease and ensuring safety during exercise participation, the essence of the exercise prescription is based on individual interests, health needs and clinical status, and therefore the aforementioned goals do not always carry equal weight. In the same manner, the principles of exercise prescription for persons with chronic disease and/or disability should place more emphasis on the patient's clinical status and, as a result, the exercise mode, intensity, frequency and duration are usually modified according to their clinical condition. Presently, these exercise prescription principles have been scientifically defined for clients with coronary heart disease. However, other diseases and/or disabilities have been studied less (e.g. renal failure, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, cerebral palsy). This article reviews these issues with specific reference to persons with chronic diseases and disabilities.

Ten years of The leadership quarterly

Abstract: This article reviews the founding of The Leadership Quarterly (LQ) and the 188 articles published in its first decade. Multiple methods were used to prepare this review including interviews with former and current LQ editors; quantitative techniques; and qualitative analysis to examine the themes, methods, and contributions of the journal during its first decade. Directions for future research are provided, which integrate a decade of LQ author directives with interviews of prominent leadership scholars and the current authors’ opinions grounded in the literature review.

Physical activity, self-esteem, and self-efficacy relationships in older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract: A randomized controlled trial examined the growth and form of multidimensional self-esteem over a 12-month period (6-month exercise intervention and 6-month follow-up) in 174 older adults engaged in either a walking or stretching/toning program. The extent to which changes in physical fitness parameters and physical self-efficacy were related to changes in perceptions of attractive body, strength, physical conditioning, and physical self-worth was also determined. Latent growth curve analyses showed a curvilinear pattern of growth in esteem with significant increases at all levels of self-esteem upon completion of the intervention followed by significant declines at 6 months poistintervention in both groups. Frequency of activity and changes in physical fitness, body fat, and self-efficacy were related to improvements in esteem perceptions relative to attractive body, strength, and physical condition. Model fitting procedures suggested that the best fit of the data was to a model in which the influence of changes in efficacy and physical parameters on physical self-worth were mediated by perceptions of attractive body and physical conditions.

Multi‐method Psycho‐educational Intervention for Preschool Children with Disruptive Behavior: Preliminary Results at Post‐treatment

Abstract: Annual screenings of preschool children at kindergarten registration identified 158 children having high levels of aggressive, hyperactive, impulsive, and inattentive behavior. These "disruptive" children were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions lasting the kindergarten school year: no treatment, parent training only, full-day treatment classroom only, and the combination of parent training with the classroom treatment. Results showed that parent training produced no significant treatment effects, probably owing largely to poor attendance. The classroom treatment produced improvement in multiple domains: parent ratings of adaptive behavior, teacher ratings of attention, aggression, self-control, and social skills, as well as direct observations of externalizing behavior in the classroom. Neither treatment improved academic achievement skills or parent ratings of home behavior problems, nor were effects evident on any lab measures of attention, impulse control, or mother-child interactions. It is concluded that when parent training is offered at school registration to parents of disruptive children identified through a brief school registration screening, it may not be a useful approach to treating the home and community behavioral problems of such children. The kindergarten classroom intervention was far more effective in reducing the perceived behavioral problems and impaired social skills of these children. Even so, most treatment effects were specific to the school environment and did not affect achievement skills. These findings must be viewed as tentative until follow-up evaluations can be done to determine the long-term outcomes of these interventions.

Barriers Inhibiting Industry from Partnering with Universities: Evidence from the Advanced Technology Program

Abstract: This paper describes a small, unique set of project data that was assembled as part of a larger study on universities as research partners. Herein, we summarize, to the extent possible, our interpretation of what the project data reveal about barriers, intellectual property (IP) concerns in particular, inhibiting industry from partnering with universities.

Families With Young Children: A Review of Research in the 1990s

Abstract: Research conducted in the past decade on families with young chidren concentrated on 5 broad topics: (a) the transition to parenthood,' (b) the importance of maternal sensitivity for children's attachment security and subsequent adjustment and social competence; (c) the effectiveness of particular parenting styles and practices; (d) interparental, familial, and broader societal factors influencing parenting behaviors and child adjustment; and (e) the impact of family structure and household composition on children's well-being. Our review documents substantial diversity in family structures, parenting arrangements, and childrearing values and practices both within and across ethnic and racial groups. Collectively, the evidence suggests that in most families with young children, parents and children seem to be doing well. We conclude that substantial work is required to expand the study of families with young children beyond mother-child dyads in White, middle-class, two-parent, first-marriage families.

Effects of epigallocatechin gallate and quercetin on oxidative damage to cellular DNA.

Abstract: Phenolic phytochemicals are thought to promote optimal health, partly via their antioxidant effects in protecting cellular components against free radicals. The aims of this study were to assess the free radical-scavenging activities of several common phenolic phytochemicals, and then, the effects of the most potent phenolic phytochemicals on oxidative damage to DNA in cultured cells. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) scavenged the stable free radical, alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), most effectively, while quercetin was about half as effective. Genistein, daidzein, hesperetin, and naringenin did not scavenge DPPH appreciably. Jurkat T-lymphocytes that were pre-incubated with relatively low concentrations of either EGCG or quercetin were less susceptible to DNA damage induced by either a reactive oxygen species or a reactive nitrogen species, as evaluated by the comet assay. More specifically, control cells had a comet score of only 17+/-5, indicating minimal DNA damage. Cells challenged with 25 microM hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or 100 microM 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1, a peroxynitrite generator) had comet scores of 188+/-6 and 125+/-12, respectively, indicating extensive DNA damage. The H(2)O(2)-induced DNA damage was inhibited with 10 microM of either EGCG (comet score: 113+/-23) or quercetin (comet score: 82+/-7). Similarly, the SIN-1-mediated DNA damage was inhibited with 10 microM of either EGCG (comet score: 79+/-13) or quercetin (comet score: 72+/-17). In contrast, noticeable DNA damage was induced in Jurkat T-lymphocytes by incubating with 10-fold higher concentrations (i.e., 100 microM) of either EGCG (comet score: 56+/-17) or quercetin (comet score: 64+/-13) by themselves. Collectively, these data suggest that low concentrations of EGCG and quercetin scavenged free radicals, thereby inhibiting oxidative damage to cellular DNA. But, high concentrations of either EGCG or quercetin alone induced cellular DNA damage.

Development of Real-Time PCR Assays for Rapid Detection of Pfiesteria piscicida and Related Dinoflagellates

Abstract: Pfiesteria complex species are heterotrophic and mixotrophic dinoflagellates that have been recognized as harmful algal bloom species associated with adverse fish and human health effects along the East Coast of North America, particularly in its largest (Chesapeake Bay in Maryland) and second largest (Albermarle-Pamlico Sound in North Carolina) estuaries. In response to impacts on human health and the economy, monitoring programs to detect the organism have been implemented in affected areas. However, until recently, specific identification of the two toxic species known thus far, Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae (sp. nov.), required scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM is a labor-intensive process in which a small number of cells can be analyzed, posing limitations when the method is applied to environmental estuarine water samples. To overcome these problems, we developed a real-time PCR-based assay that permits rapid and specific identification of these organisms in culture and heterogeneous environmental water samples. Various factors likely to be encountered when assessing environmental samples were addressed, and assay specificity was validated through screening of a comprehensive panel of cultures, including the two recognized Pfiesteria species, morphologically similar species, and a wide range of other estuarine dinoflagellates. Assay sensitivity and sample stability were established for both unpreserved and fixative (acidic Lugol's solution)-preserved samples. The effects of background DNA on organism detection and enumeration were also explored, and based on these results, we conclude that the assay may be utilized to derive quantitative data. This real-time PCR-based method will be useful for many other applications, including adaptation for field-based technology.

The Impact Of Collectivism And In-Group/Out-Group Membership On The Evaluation Generosity Of Team Members

Abstract: In a scenario-based study using Mexican and US samples, when a team member was perceived to be an in-group (rather than an out-group) member, collectivists evaluated that member significantly mor

Conjugated linoleic acid suppresses triglyceride accumulation and induces apoptosis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

Abstract: Four sets of experiments were conducted to examine the influence of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers during proliferation and differentiation of cultures of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes using physiological culturing conditions. Cultures treated with either albumin [bovine serum albumin (BSA) vehicle] or linoleic acid (LA) served as controls. For the proliferation study (Expt.1), cells were cultured in media containing a crude mixture of CLA isomers or pure LA at 0, 10, 50, or 200 microM for 4 d. Preadipocyte proliferation (cell number, 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA) decreased as the level of CLA increased in the cultures. In contrast, LA had no impact on DNA synthesis. In Experiment 2a, postconfluent cultures were grown in media containing a crude mixture of CLA isomers or LA at 0, 10, 50, or 200 microM for the next 6 d. Postconfluent cultures supplemented with 50-200 microM CLA had less triglyceride (TG) and were smaller in size than cultures supplemented with similar amounts of LA. In Experiment 2b, postconfluent cultures supplemented with 200 microM of a crude mixture of CLA isomers or LA were harvested on days 1, 3, 6, or 9. Differences in TG content of cultures supplemented with 200 microM CLA compared to control and LA-supplemented cultures became apparent after 3 d of culture. Experiments 3a and 3b examined whether the fatty acid vehicle (BSA vs. ethanol) or the vitamin E status (+/-0.2 mM alpha-tocopherol) of the cultures altered CLA's impact on preadipocyte TG content. In Experiment 3a, ethanol-treated cultures had more TG than non-ethanol-treated cultures regardless of the fatty acid treatment. In Experiment 3b, cultures treated with 100 microM of either a crude mixture of CLA or the trans-10,cis-12 CLA isomer without supplemental vitamin E for 6 d had less TG than CLA-treated cultures containing vitamin E. In Experiment 4, postconfluent cultures were grown in media containing 100 microM LA or either a crude mixture of CLA isomers or the trans-10,cis-12 CLA isomer for 24-96 h to assess CLA's influence on the cell cycle and indices of apoptosis. Cultures treated with 100 microM CLA for 24-96 h had more apoptotic cells than BSA- or LA-treated cultures. Furthermore, cultures treated for 48 h with CLA had fewer cells in the S-phase than control cultures. The effects of the trans-10,cis-12 CLA isomer were more pronounced than those of the crude mixture of CLA isomers. These data suggest that CLA may exert its antiobesity effects by inhibiting proliferation, attenuating TG content, and/or inducing apoptosis in (pre)adipocytes.

The effect of weight loss in overweight, lactating women on the growth of their infants.

Abstract: Background The retention of weight gained during pregnancy may contribute to obesity. Lactation should promote weight loss, but weight loss is highly variable among lactating women. The risks associated with the restriction of energy intake during lactation have not been adequately evaluated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether weight loss by women during lactation affects the growth of their infants. Methods We randomly assigned 40 breast-feeding women who were overweight (defined as a body-mass index [the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters] of 25 to 30) at 4 weeks post partum either to restrict their energy intake by 500 kcal per day and to exercise for 45 minutes per day for 4 days per week (the diet-and-exercise group) or to maintain their usual dietary intake and not exercise more than once per week for 10 weeks (the control group). We measured the weight and fat mass of the women and the weight and length of the infants before, during, and at the end of ...

Relationship between delay in performing direct coronary angioplasty and early clinical outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Abstract: Background—Time to treatment with thrombolytic therapy is a critical determinant of mortality in acute myocardial infarction. Little is known about the relationship between the time to treatment with direct coronary angioplasty and clinical outcome. The objectives of this study were to determine both the time required to perform direct coronary angioplasty in the Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Arteries in Acute Coronary Syndromes (GUSTO-IIb) trial and its relationship to clinical outcome. Methods and Results—Patients randomized to direct coronary angioplasty (n=565) were divided into groups based on the time between study enrollment and first balloon inflation. Patients randomized to angioplasty who did not undergo the procedure were also analyzed. The median time from study enrollment to first balloon inflation was 76 minutes; 19% of patients assigned to angioplasty did not undergo an angioplasty procedure. The 30-day mortality rate of patients who underwent balloon inflation ≤60 minutes after...

Emotions in the workplace: the neglect of organizational behavior

Abstract: This paper addresses itself to a long-neglected topic in organizational behavior: emotions in the workplace Possible reasons for this neglect are presented, as well as emerging reasons for its consideration It is proposed that the workplace is a rich arena for the manifestation of human emotions, both positive and negative An examination of emotions in the workplace has both a theoretical and practical appeal, and may serve to help bridge the scientist–practitioner gap Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Myths and Misunderstandings About Professional Collaboration

Abstract: attention at the turn of the millenium when they asserted that the truly significant inventions of the 20th century, including modern aviation technology, personal computers, and even feature-length animated films, were all produced by collaborative efforts occurring in work environments that not only respected such initiatives, but fostered an ethic of sharing. Even a cursory look at current trends and issues in education and special education illustrates that these disciplines also embrace collaboration. Middle school models are premised on creating opportunities for instructional collaboration among teachers. Collaboration is exhorted as a critical knowledge and skill area for school leadership personnel, especially principals. It is extolled as a means for conducting staff development, working with families, addressing student behavior, and responding to reform initiatives. In addition, virtually every treatise on inclusive practices, whether conceptual, anecdotal, qualitative, or quantitative, concludes that inclusion’s success in large part relies on collaboration among staff members and with parents and others, and that failures can

How Runaway and Homeless Youth Navigate Troubled Waters: Personal Strengths and Resources

Abstract: Little attention has been paid to how runaway or homeless adolescents are able to make successful transitions into adulthood This article reports on partial findings from an exploratory study of the research question, “How do formerly runaway and homeless adolescents navigate the troubled waters of leaving home, living in high-risk environments, and engaging in dangerous behaviors, to make successful developmental transitions into young adulthood?” This qualitative study involved interviews with 12 formerly runaway or homeless youth Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method This paper reports on findings related to the personal strengths and resources that enabled youth to make successful transitions: learning new attitudes and behaviors, personal attributes, and spirituality Recommendations for program development and intervention with homeless or at-risk youth are discussed

The rereading effect: metacomprehension accuracy improves across reading trials.

Abstract: Guided by a hypothesis that integrates principles of monitoring from a cue-based framework of metacognitive judgments with assumptions about levels of text representation derived from theories of comprehension, we discovered that rereading improves metacomprehension accuracy. In Experiments 1 and 2, the participants read texts either once or twice, rated their comprehension for each text, and then were tested on the material. In both experiments, correlations between comprehension ratings and test scores were reliably greater for participants who reread texts than for participants who read texts only once. Furthermore, in contrast to the low levels of accuracy typically reported in the literature, rereading produced relatively high levels of accuracy, with the median gamma between ratings and test performance being +.60 across participants from both experiments. Our discussion focuses on two alternative hypotheses—that improved accuracy is an artifact of when judgments are collected or that it results from increased reliability of test performance—and on evidence that is inconsistent with these explanations for the rereading effect.

The First R Yesterday and Today: U.S. Elementary Reading Instruction Practices Reported by Teachers and Administrators

Abstract: This study was a modified replication of Austin and Morrison's classic 1963 study of the status of U.S. public school elementary reading instruction, The First R: The Harvard Report on Reading in Elementary Schools. Surveys modeled after those used in The First R were distributed to a national sample of elementary classroom teachers, building administrators, and district administrators. Results reveal some similarities between reading instruction in the 1960s and today. Teachers of today and yesterday both (a) work with self-contained, heterogeneously assigned classes; (b) dedicate significant time for reading instruction; (c) provide explicit instruction in phonic analysis; (d) are not overly satisfied with their preservice training in reading instruction; (e) administer mandated standardized tests; and (f) report accommodating struggling or underachieving readers as their greatest challenge. Important differences are also noted. Teachers today have more professional training than peers of the past, and they adopt a balanced, eclectic perspective, in contrast to a strong skillsbased emphasis in the past. The three-group reading plan has been replaced by considerable whole-class instruction, and programs using both basals and trade books are the norm now compared to the exclusive reliance on basals in the 1960s. An emergent literacy perspective has replaced a reading readiness view, synthetic phonics has supplanted analytic phonics, and alternative reading assessments are in regular use today. School and classroom libraries in the 1990s are more prevalent and better equipped, and changes in programs and philosophy are common today, unlike the static state of reading instruction in the 1960s. Este estudio es una version modificada del estudio clasico de Morrison de 1963, El Primer R: Informe Harvard acerca de la Lectura en la Escuela Elemental, acerca de la situacion de la ensenanza de la lectura inicial en la escuela publica de los Estados Unidos. Se distribuyeron encuestas disenadas en base a las del Primer R a una muestra nacional de docentes de grados iniciales, administradores de escuelas y administradores de distritos. Los resultados revelan algunas similitudes entre la ensenanza de la lectura en los anos 60 y en la actualidad. Tanto los docentes de hoy como los de ayer: (a) trabajan con cursos cerrados asignados en forma heterogenea, (b) dedican un tiempo significativo a la ensenanza de la lectura, (c) proporcionan ensenanza explicita de analisis fonico, (d) no estan enteramente satisfechos con su capacitacion previa en ensenanza de la lectura, (e) administran tests estandarizados y (f) informan que el mayor desafio es nivelar a los lectores de bajo desempeno. Tambien se hallaron importantes diferencias. Los docentes de hoy tienen mas capacitacion profesional que sus pares del pasado y adoptan una perspectiva eclectica balanceada, en contraste con el enfasis en el desarrollo de habilidades, tipico del pasado. El plan de lectura en tres grupos ha sido reemplazado por la ensenanza que involucra a todo el curso. Asimismo los programas que utilizan tanto libros de lectura como otros tipos de libro actualmente constituyen la norma, a diferencia del uso exclusivo de los libros de lectura en los 60. La perspectiva de la alfabetizacion emergente ha reemplazado al concepto de aprestamiento para la lectura, la sintesis fonica ha suplantado al analisis fonico y hoy se utilizan regularmente metodos alternativos de evaluacion de la lectura. Las bibliotecas de las escuelas y las aulas en los 90 se usan mas y estan mejor equipadas y, son comunes los cambios en programas y filosofia, a diferencia del estado estatico de la ensenanza de la lectura en los 60. Diese Studie ging aus einer modifizierten Nachvollziehung von Austins und Morrisons klassischer Studie von 1963 uber den Stand der Leseanweisungen in U.S. amerikanischen Grundschulen hervor: Das erste R: Der Harvard Bericht uber das Lesen in Grundschulen. Erhebungen, modelliert nach jenen, die im Das erste R angewandt wurden, verschickte man an einen nationalen Querschnitt von Lehrern in Grundschulklassen, Schulverwaltern, und an Kreisschulrate. Die Ergebnisse lassen einige Ahnlichkeiten zu den Leseanweisungen in den 60ern und heute erkennen. Die Lehrer gleichermasen von heute und gestern (a) arbeiten mit eigenstandigen, heterogenen ihnen zugeteilten Klassen; (b) verbringen erhebliche Zeit mit Leseanweisungen; (c) erteilen ausfuhrliche Anweisungen beim phonetischen Erklaren; (d) sind nicht sonderlich mit ihrer vorangegangenen Lehrausbildung im Lesen zufrieden; (e) wenden pflichtmasig verordnete Standardtests an; und (f) berichten, das das Eingliedern und Anpassen von sich abmuhenden und unterhalb der Leistung liegenden Lesern als ihre groste Herausforderung gelten kann. Wichtige Unterschiede werden ebenfalls vermerkt. Heutige Lehrer haben eine mehr fachgerechte Ausbildung als ihre Kollegen in der Vergangenheit, und sie nehmen eine abgewogenere, begeisternde Perspektive an, ganz im Kontrast zu einer strengen, ubungsorientierten Betonung in der Vergangenheit. Der Drei-GruppenLeseplan wurde durch fordernde Ganzheitsklassenanweisungen ersetzt und Programme, die beides-sowohl angefertigtes Grundlagenmaterial und vom Fachhandel bezogene Bucher-benutzen, sind jetzt die Norm geworden, im Vergleich zu der exklusiven Abhangigkeit von Grundlagenmaterial in den 60ern. Eine neu auftretende Lese- und Schreibperspektive hat Ansichten einer Lesevorherrschaft ersetzt, synthetische Phonetik hat analytische Phonetik verdrangt, und alternative Leseaufgaben werden heute regelmasig im Unterricht verwandt. Schul- und Klassenraumbuchereien sind in den Jahren nach 1990 wesentlich statthafter und besser ausgerustet, und Veranderungen in Programmen und der Lehrphilosophie sind heute haufig anzutreffen, ungleich der statischen Verharrung in den Leseanweisungen, wie es in den Jahren um 1960 ublich war. Cette etude est une replication modifiee de l'etude classique d'Austin et Morrison de 1963 relative au statut de l'enseignement de la lecture dans les ecoles publiques aux Etats-Unis, Le premier R: le rapport de Harvard sur la lecture dans les ecoles publiques. Des questionnaires, concus sur le modele de ceux du premier R, ont ete distribues a un echantillon national d'enseignants d'ecoles elementaires, d'administrateurs centraux, et d'administrateurs locaux. Les resultats montrent des similitudes entre l'enseignement de la lecture dans les annees 60 et aujourd'hui. Les enseignants d'hier et d'aujourd'hui (a) travaillent avec des classes autonomes, constituees de maniere heterogene; (b) consacrent un temps important a l'enseignement de la lecture; (c) effectuent un enseignement explicite d'analyse phonique; (d) ne sont pas trop satisfaits de leur formation initiale pour l'enseignement de la lecture; (e) administrent des tests standardises obligatoires; et (f) indiquent que leur principal probleme est celui des eleves en difficulte ou moins performants. On note aussi d'importantes differences. Les enseignants d'aujourd'hui recoivent davantage de formation professionnelle que leurs pairs dans le passe, et ils adoptent une perspective equilibree et eclectique, qui contraste avec l'accent mis fortement par le passe sur les competences de base. L'organisation en trois groupes de lecture a ete remplacee par un tres fort enseignement en groupe-classe, et les programmes utilisant a la fois des manuels et des albums sont maintenant la norme par comparaison avec la confiance dont jouissaient les manuels dans les annees 60. La perspective de l'entree dans l'ecrit a remplace la conception de la maturite pour l'apprentissage, la phonetique synthetique a pris la place de la phonetique analytique, et on trouve couramment aujourd'hui differentes formes d'evaluation de la lecture. Les bibliotheques d'ecole et de classe sont plus repandues et mieux equipees dans les annees 90, et les changements de programmes et de philosophie sont courants aujourd'hui, ce qui contraste avec le caractere statique de l'enseignement de la lecture dans les annees 60.

Intimate partner aggression--what have we learned? Comment on Archer (2000)

Abstract: This commentary on J. Archer (2000) identifies limitations at the level of the primary data, the formal meta-analysis, and the interpretations of the results. Highlighted are concerns with the conceptual dichotomy that is the foundation of the analysis, how aggression was conceptualized and defined, and the methodological problems in the studies included in the database that were not neutralized by the meta-analysis. These include inadequate measurement of contextual factors and injury outcomes, scaling issues, and sampling concerns. The authors question the degree to which the field is advanced by this meta-analysis when the results are placed in the context of these limitations. Following American Association for the Advancement of Science directives (I. Lerch, 1999), the authors believe that inadequate attention was paid to the policy implications of the conclusions raising the potential to undermine societal efforts to eradicate violence against women.

Mothers' Implicit Theories of Early Literacy Instruction: Implications for Children's Reading and Writing.

Abstract: Subjects in this exploratory study were 19 five‐ to six‐year‐old children and their mothers. Mothers completed surveys of family literacy practices and beliefs about early reading Instruction and children's emergent literacy skills were assessed. Results showed that one group of mothers held implicit theories that resembled whole language models of literacy Instruction. A second group of mothers held views that resembled a phonics orientation, while a smaller group of mothers had more varied and idiosyncratic beliefs. Mothers’ implicit theories were associated with their modeling of literacy behaviors, helping their children write, and with their children's independent exploration of writing and current levels of literacy skill. Results point to the importance of parents’ implicit developmental theories and the heed to understand how parental belief systems affect the roles that families play in literacy acquisition.

Estimation of carotenoid bioavailability from fresh stir-fried vegetables using an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture model.

Abstract: We previously developed an in vitro model to estimate the relative bioavailability of carotenoids from a meal prepared using commercial baby foods. The general applicability of this model was tested using a stir-fried meal consisting of fresh spinach, fresh carrots, tomato paste, and vegetable oil. After in vitro digestion of the cooked meal, the aqueous fraction was separated from residual oil droplet and solids by centrifugation to quantify micellarized carotenoids. The percentages of lutein, lycopene, α-carotene, and β-carotene transferred from the meal to the micellar fraction were 29.0 ± 0.6, 3.2 ± 0.1, 14.7 ± 0.3, and 16.0 ± 0.4, respectively. Carotenoid transfer from the meal to the aqueous fraction was inhibited when bile extract was omitted from the intestinal phase of digestion. The bioavailability of the micellarized carotenoids was validated using differentiated cultures of Caco-2 human intestinal cells. All four carotenoids were accumulated in a linear manner throughout a 6-hr incubation period. Metabolic integrity was not compromised by exposure of cultures to the diluted aqueous fraction from the digested meal. The addition of 500 μmol/L α-tocopherol to test medium significantly improved the stability of the micellar carotenoids within the tissue culture environment. These results support the utility of the in vitro digestion procedure for estimating the bioavailability of carotenoids from foods and meals.