Predicting educational attainment, occupational achievement, intellectual skill, and personal adjustment among gifted men and women.

The cognitive potential of many gifted children goes unfulfilled. This study was designed to isolate factors, other than cognitive skill, that might predict adult achievements and personal adjustment among the gifted. Subjects were 1,069 gifted men (n?=?595) and women (n?=?474) who have been followed for 60 years as part of the Terman Genetic Studies of Genius. Childhood personality traits, parental education, and early home environment variables were examined as predictors of educational and occupational achievement among adults. The final model depicted five longitudinal relationships that predicted educational attainment, intellectual skill, and personal adjustment among both men and women. Two additional paths explained occupational achievement. The implications of this final model are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Imitation milks from Cicer arietinum (L.), Vigna unguiculata (L.) walpers and Vigna radiata (L.) wilczek and other legumes

Vegetable milks were prepared in the laboratory from mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek], cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walpers] and chick-pea [Cicer arietinum (L.)] by homogenisation of a filtered aqueous extract of the ground legume with soya bean oil. Emulsions stable to pasteurisation were made from the first two. Pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.)] and black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper)] were found to be unsuitable as bases for milks prepared by simple processing. The nitrogen, oil, sugar and ash contents of the first three legumes, and of milks prepared from them, were determined. Imitation milks are intended to resemble animal milks nutritionally, and whilst the contents of potassium and phosphorus were acceptable, these vegetable milks were low in sodium, calcium and zinc. The trypsin inhibitory activity, whilst low in comparison with soya milk, was partially stable to pasteurisation. The amino acid composition indicated that it would be desirable to complement legume proteins with cereal proteins to prepare vegetable milks.     

A legitimacy challenge of a cross-cultural interorganizational information system

This paper studies the adoption and diffusion of a cross-cultural Interorganizational Information System (IOS), which is used to streamline the processing of financial transactions between European investment fund companies and Taiwanese banks. Drawing from institutional and organizational legitimacy theory, we argue that the adoption and implementation of technological innovation is contingent upon its alignment with three institutional pillars in different countries and the deployment of legitimation strategies by stakeholders. Departing from classical innovation diffusion theory, our empirical investigation reveals that the implementation of a cross-cultural IOS is a dynamic process involving the recognition, understanding, and management of the regulative, normative, and cognitive challenges arising in two different institutional settings. This paper contributes to the growing body of research that highlights the significance of social and institutional influences on the adoption of IOS in a global environment.     

Collaborative analytics-supported reflective Assessment for Scaffolding Pre-service Teachers’ collaborative Inquiry and Knowledge Building

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning - Helping pre-service teachers (PSTs) develop competencies in collaborative inquiry and knowledge building is crucial, but this...     

Developing a computer workshop to facilitate computer skills and minimize anxiety for early childhood educators.

Early childhood educators (n=133) were assigned to 1 of 3 instructional conditions (direct, guided discovery, or no-exposure control) to assess the impact of computer workshops on their level of computer anxiety, computer knowledge, and comfort with computer technology. Groups were matched for computer experience and anxiety, early childhood education (ECE) experience, and ECE center. The direct and guided discovery groups attended a 3-hr hands-on workshop covering hardware, software, and Internet material. Immediately after the workshops, computer anxiety was lower and comfort with computer technology increased. Six months later, the control group had reduced computer anxiety, but the other groups maintained greater knowledge and comfort. Direct instruction reduced computer anxiety slightly but did not promote the acquisition of information of the guided condition. Overall, workshops provided gains that could translate into more effective and efficient computer use in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding buyers' loyalty to a C2C platform: the roles of social capital,satisfaction and perceived effectiveness of e‐commerce institutional mechanisms

Drawing upon social capital theory, this study aims to investigate how different dimensions of social capital affect online buyers' satisfaction and ultimately boost their loyalty to a Consumer‐to‐Consumer (C2C) platform. Specifically, we propose that three dimensions of social capital (i.e., cognitive, structural and relational capital) contribute positively to the two types of online buyers' satisfaction (i.e., economic and social satisfaction). In addition, we posit that perceived effectiveness of e‐commerce institutional mechanisms (PEEIM) moderates the relationships between economic and social satisfaction and buyers' loyalty to the platform. Three hundred buyers on the Consumer‐to‐Consumer platform, TaoBao, were surveyed to test the proposed model. The results suggest that buyers' evaluation of social capital with the community of sellers can enhance their satisfaction with the sellers, which subsequently affect their loyalty to the platform. Furthermore, perceived effectiveness of e‐commerce institutional mechanisms negatively moderates the effect of economic satisfaction and positively moderates the effect of social satisfaction on buyers' loyalty to the platform. The theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.     

Environmental stress and recovery: the geochemical record of human disturbance in New Bedford Harbor and Apponagansett Bay,Massachusetts (USA)

Sediments record the history of contamination to estuaries. Analysis of the concentrations of toxic organic compounds, contaminant and crustal metals, organic carbon content and isotopic composition in sediment cores from two estuarine systems in Buzzards Bay allowed reconstruction of human impacts over 350 years. Vertical distributions of the contaminants correlate with changes in the nature of watershed/estuarine activities. All contaminants were highly enriched (tens to hundreds times background) in modern New Bedford Harbor sediments. Enrichment began around the turn of the 20th century for all but PCBs, which were first synthesized in the 1930s. An increase in organic carbon content and a shift of carbon isotopes toward a more terrestrial signature illustrates increasing anthropogenic impact in New Bedford as population grew along with the industrial base. Institution of environmental protection measures in the late 20th century was reflected in decreased, although still substantially elevated, concentrations of contaminants. A lack of industrial development in Apponagansett Bay resulted in much lower concentrations of the same indicators, although specific contaminants related to the early whaling industry increased significantly above background as early as the late 18th century. The similarity of indicators in older portions of cores from NBH and unimpacted Apponagansett Bay demonstrates that cores can be used to establish reference conditions as successfully as using separate sites judged a priori to represent the reference state. The historical reconstruction approach provides the basis for establishing relationships between environmental stressors and factors that drive the stressors, as well as a framework for the assessment of ecological response(s) to environmental stressors over a range of time and/or exposure scales.     

Effects of recent energy system changes on CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> projections for the United States

Recent projections of future US carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are considerably lower than projections made just a decade ago. A myriad of factors have contributed to lower forecasts, including reductions in end-use energy service demands, improvements in energy efficiency, and technological innovations. Policies that have encouraged these changes include renewable portfolio standards, corporate vehicle efficiency standards, smart growth initiatives, revisions to building codes, and air and climate regulations. Understanding the effects of these and other factors can be advantageous as society evaluates opportunities for achieving additional CO₂ reductions. Energy system models provide a means to develop such insights. In this analysis, the MARKet ALlocation (MARKAL) model was applied to estimate the relative effects of various energy system changes that have happened since the year 2005 on CO₂ projections for the year 2025. The results indicate that transformations in the transportation and buildings sectors have played major roles in lowering projections. Particularly influential changes include improved vehicle efficiencies, reductions in projected travel demand, reductions in miscellaneous commercial electricity loads, and higher efficiency lighting. Electric sector changes have also contributed significantly to the lowered forecasts, driven by demand reductions, renewable portfolio standards, and air quality regulations.