Sorting Second-Grade Students: Differentiating Those Retained From Those Promoted.

A cohort of 2nd-grade students provided comparisons of academic and social competence based on school retention/promotion decisions. Sample groups were (a) retained, (b) at risk for retention, (c) special education, and (d) promoted. Findings suggested most children with academic deficiencies are identified by schools early and are sorted into educational treatments differing in intensity that represent a continuum of competence. The authors provide empirical evidence counter to the assumptions that retained students have the requisite ability to catch up and have more problem behaviors than other low-achieving students. The relevance of high-stakes test scores for promotion/retention decisions and the parallels between schools' implementation of retention policy and implementation of regulations for identifying children with disabilities are included in the discussion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perspectives on Design and Innovation

A series of studies of top European and other firms has revealed patterns of design management associated with commercial success. Firms that invest resources and professional expertise in product and industrial design in traditional and new industries have been commercially more successful than firms that pay less attention to these aspects of design. As an industry matures there is a shift in emphasis from design associated with technological innovation, to designs supporting technical improvements, and then to supporting user needs, fashion and product variants. These issues are illustrated through the history of the evolution of the bicycle.     

Technology transfer projects in developing countries—furthering the Project Management perspectives

This paper attempts to broaden the analysis of the technology transfer phenomenon by refocusing research attention on the level of performance assessment of technology transfer projects. An holistic evaluation framework based on the considerations of an extended Project Life Cycle model is proposed to overcome some of the shortcomings of conventional approaches to project evaluation. This also reinforces the need for open systems thinking in assessing and managing risk of technology transfer projects. The discussion is based on two case studies which articulate the experiences with two integrated mechanisms of technology transfer used in Algeria from 1965 to 1990: turnkey and “product-in-hand”. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the processes of technology transfer and to contribute to the improvement of associated managerial practices in developing economies.     

Creating a Student Centered Learning Environment at the University of Denver

A team of faculty members at the University of Denver changed the learning environment in key courses in the Department of Engineering from predominately teacher centered to student centered. Through this funded project new grading methods were implemented, classrooms were renovated and wired with studio layouts to facilitate learning, the Engineering Circuits Laboratory was rewired and instrumented for automated data acquisition and reporting, and two new pedagogical approaches were developed. At the onset of the project, six goals were established related to student learning. The introduction of industry standard hardware and software provided students with unprecedented hands‐on experience and project related activities stimulated faculty innovations in other current and future courses. Assessment results indicate that the new grading system improved the clarity of expectations for students before assignments were given resulting in increased reported motivation for learning in many courses. Even though course GPAs did not always reflect higher achievement on graded work, faculty members firmly believe that deeper understanding was achieved because more complex material was assimilated.     

A longitudinal examination of the social-cognitive model applied to high school girls' choices of nontraditional college majors and aspirations.

This study tested a partial version of R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, and G. Hackett's (1994) social-cognitive career theory model. Among 204 high school girls who attended science, math, and engineering (SME) career conferences, the authors used a 4-year longitudinal design to predict the choice of an SME college major and SME self-efficacy and outcome expectations in college. In addition, among students who had declared SME majors, variables assessed in high school and college were used to predict aspirations to become leaders in SME fields. The results generally provided empirical validation of the model. Regression analyses revealed that college SME outcome expectations were associated with plans to become a leader in an SME field. Implications for research and interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Non-functional variants of yeast mitochondrial ATP synthase subunit 8 that assemble into the complex

Myocardial and pulmonary beta-adrenoceptors can be imaged with 2-(S)-(-)-(9H-carbazol-4-yl-oxy)-3-[1-(fluoromethyl)ethyl]amino-2- propanol (S-1'-[18F]fluorocarazolol, I). Quantification of unmodified fluorocarazolol in plasma is necessary for analysis of PET images in terms of receptor densities. We have determined I and its radioactive metabolites in rat, sheep and human plasma, using (1) solid-phase extraction (C18) followed by reversed-phase HPLC and (2) direct injection of untreated plasma samples on an internal-surface reversed-phase (ISRP) column. The two methods were in good agreement. Unmodified I decreased from over 99% initially to less than 5%, 5-10% and 20% at 60 min post-injection in rats, sheep and human volunteers, respectively. Protein binding in sheep and human plasma was determined by ultrafiltration. The fraction of total plasma radioactivity bound to protein and the fraction representing unmodified radioligand were linearly correlated, suggesting that fluorocarazolol was more than 70% protein-bound, whereas its metabolites showed negligible protein binding. Direct injection of plasma on an ISRP column seems a convenient method for quantification of lipophilic radioligands such as fluorocarazolol.     

Refinements in validity generalization methods: Implications for the situational specificity hypothesis.

Using a large database, this study examined 3 refinements of validity generalization procedures: (1) a more accurate procedure for correcting the residual standard deviation (SD) for range restriction to estimate SDp, (2) use of r? instead of study-observed rs in the formula for sampling error variance, and (3) removal of non-Pearson rs. The 1st procedure does not affect the amount of variance accounted for by artifacts. The addition of the 2nd and 3rd procedures increased the mean percentage of validity variance accounted for by artifacts from 70 to 82%, a 17% increase. The cumulative addition of all 3 procedures decreased the mean SDp estimate from .150 to .106, a 29% decrease. Six additional variance-producing artifacts were identified that could not be corrected for. In light of these it was concluded that the obtained estimates of mean SDp and mean validity variance accounted for were consistent with the hypothesis that the true mean SDp value is close to zero. These findings provide further evidence against the situational specificity hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)