bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Should We End Military Recruiting in High Schools as a Matter of Child Protection and Public Health?
Authors: Hagopian Amy , Barker Kathy
Published: November 2010

Recruiters for the various US armed forces have free access to our nation's high schools, as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. Military recruiter behaviors are disturbingly similar to predatory grooming.

Adults in the active military service are reported to experience increased mental health risks, including stress, substance abuse, and suicide, and the youngest soldiers consistently show the worst health effects, suggesting military service is associated with disproportionately poor health for this population.

We describe the actions of a high school parent teacher student association in Seattle, Washington, which sought to limit the aggressive recruitment of children younger than 18 years into the military.
The Differential Association Between Education and Infant Mortality by Nativity Status of Chinese American Mothers: A Life-Course Perspective
Authors: Li Qing , Keith Louis G.
Published: November 2010

Objectives. Integrating evidence from demography and epidemiology, we investigated whether the association between maternal achieved status (education) and infant mortality differed by maternal place of origin (nativity) over the life course of Chinese Americans.

Methods. We conducted a population-based cohort study of singleton live births to US-resident Chinese American mothers using National Center for Health Statistics 1995 to 2000 linked live birth and infant death cohort files. We categorized mothers by nativity (US born [n = 15 040] or foreign born [n = 150 620]) and education (≥ 16 years, 13–15 years, or ≤ 12 years), forming 6 life-course trajectories. We performed Cox proportional hazards regressions of infant mortality.

Results. We found significant nativity-by-education interaction via stratified analyses and testing interaction terms (P < .03) and substantial differentials in infant mortality across divergent maternal life-course trajectories. Low education was more detrimental for the US born, with the highest risk among US-born mothers with 12 years or less of education (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.39; 95% confidence interval = 1.33, 4.27).

Conclusions. Maternal nativity and education synergistically affect infant mortality among Chinese Americans, suggesting the importance of searching for potential mechanisms over the maternal life course and targeting identified high-risk groups and potential downward mobility.
Dynamic Treatment Regimes for Managing Chronic Health Conditions: A Statistical Perspective
Authors: Chakraborty Bibhas
Published: November 2010

Dynamic treatment regimes are an emerging and important methodological area in health research, particularly in the management of chronic health conditions. This paradigm encompasses the ideological shift in research from the acute care model to the chronic care model. It allows individualization of treatment (type, dosage, timing) at each stage of intervention. Constructing evidence-based dynamic treatment regimes requires implementation of cutting-edge design and analysis tools. Here I briefly discuss some of these modern tools, namely the sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) design and a regression-based analysis approach called Q-learning.
Inverting Capacitive Resistivity (Line Electrode) Measurements with Direct Current Inversion Programs
Authors: Neukirch Maik , Klitzsch Norbert
Published: November 2010

The capacitive resistivity (CR) method is a time‐ and labor‐saving alternative to traditional direct current (DC) resistivity methods. The line electrode variant of CR suffers from the absence of data inversion programs as available for the DC resistivity method. Direct current inversion programs were applied to determine the resistivity distribution from CR measurements using an approximately equivalent four‐point dipole–dipole configuration. We optimized configurations to minimize the systematic error applying DC inversion programs to CR, using data based on the comparison of the two‐dimensional sensitivities of the proposed DC approximations. The optimal four‐point dipole–dipole geometry has a dipole length of 80%.
Recent Progress of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Applications in Sandstones and Carbonate Rocks
Authors: Song Yi-Qiao
Published: November 2010

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has become an increasingly important technique in recent years for the characterization of porous materials. In particular, its importance in petroleum exploration has been enhanced by new NMR well‐logging techniques for the characterization of both rocks and natural fluids. Such advanced techniques have been accepted as one of the most valuable logging services. There are several areas currently being developed in the study of pore structure and rock heterogeneity including the physics of internal magnetic fields, the two‐dimensional NMR paradigm, heterogeneity decomposition, and the mathematics of Laplace inversion. Although the methods have been developed for rocks, they are generally applicable to partially saturated porous media such as the vadose zone.
Potential of Wireless Sensor Networks for Measuring Soil Water Content Variability
Authors: Bogena H.R. , Herbst M. , Huisman J.A. , Rosenbaum U. , Weuthen A. , Vereecken H.
Published: November 2010

Soil water content (SWC) plays a key role in partitioning water and energy fluxes at the land surface and in controlling hydrologic fluxes such as groundwater recharge. Despite the importance of SWC, it is not yet measured in an operational way at larger scales. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of wireless sensor network technology for the near‐real‐time monitoring of SWC at the field and headwater catchment scales using the recently developed wireless sensor network SoilNet. The forest catchment Wüstebach (∼27 ha) was instrumented with 150 end devices and 600 EC‐5 SWC sensors from the ECH2O series by Decagon Devices. In the period between August and November 2009, more than six million SWC measurements were obtained. The observed spatial variability corresponded well with results from previous studies. The very low scattering in the plots of mean SWC against SWC variance indicates that the sensor network data provide a more accurate estimate of SWC variance than discontinuous data from measurement campaigns, due, e.g., to fixed sampling locations and permanently installed sensors. The spatial variability in SWC at the 50‐cm depth was significantly lower than at 5 cm, indicating that the longer travel time to this depth reduced the spatial variability of SWC. Topographic features showed the strongest correlation with SWC during dry periods, indicating that the control of topography on the SWC pattern depended on the soil water status. Interpolation results indicated that the high sampling density allowed capture of the key patterns of SWC variation.
Water Flow Monitored by Tracer Transport in Natural Porous Media Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Haber-Pohlmeier S. , Bechtold M. , Stapf S. , Pohlmeier A.
Published: November 2010

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was applied to the study of flow processes in model and natural soil cores. Flow velocities in soils are mostly too slow to be monitored directly by MRI flow velocity imaging. Therefore, we used for the first time diethylenetriaminepentaacetate in the form Gd‐DTPA2−as a tracer in spin echo multislice imaging protocols with strong weighting of longitudinal relaxation timeT1for probing slow flow velocities in soils. Apart from its chemical stability, the main advantage of Gd‐DTPA2−is the anionic net charge in neutral aqueous solution. We showed that this property hinders adsorption at soil mineral surfaces and therefore retardation. We found that Gd‐DTPA2−is a very convenient conservative tracer for the investigation of flow processes in model and natural soil cores. With respect to the flow processes in the coaxial model soil column and the natural soil column, we observed totally different flow patterns. In the first case, the tracer plume moved quite homogeneously in the inner highly conductive core only and the migration into the outer fine material was very limited. A numerical forward simulation based on independently obtained parameters showed good agreement between experiment and simulation and thus proves the convenience of Gd‐DTPA as a tracer in MRI for soil physical investigations. The natural soil core, in contrast, showed a flow pattern characterized by preferential paths, avoiding dense regions and preferring loose structures. In the case of the simpler model column, the local flow velocities were also calculated by applying a peak tracking algorithm.
Phosphorus Adsorption by Ceramic Suction Lysimeters
Authors: Kiggundu Nicholas , Li Yuncong , Migliaccio Kati W.
Published: November 2010

Ceramic tension lysimeters are often used to sample soil water; however, the chemical composition and adsorption capability of the ceramic cup material may introduce uncertainties in the P concentration of the leachate being sampled. The goal of this study was to test a methodology for evaluating ceramic tension lysimeters to sample soil water containing PO4–P. Our results indicated varying chemical composition of the three ceramic materials evaluated (referred to here as Ceramics A, B, and C) with Ceramic A having the greatest P, Al, Ca, Mg, and K concentrations. Phosphorus sorption for Ceramics A and C was best described by the Freundlich isotherm, while the P sorption of Ceramic B was best described by the Langmuir isotherm. Ceramic A accurately estimated solutions of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 20 mg P kg−1, while Ceramics B and C accurately estimated only the 20 mg P kg−1 solution. Ceramics B and C underestimated the 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg P kg−1 solutions by 23 to 89%. This underestimation of the P concentration was attributed to P adsorption due to the presence of Al, Fe, Ca, and Mg in the ceramics. These findings imply that before ceramic lysimeters are used to collect soil water samples, the effect of the ceramic samplers on the composition of the water sample should be assessed to explore the P concentration range appropriate for a given ceramic lysimeter.
The Saint John's Bible Project: What's It Worth?
Authors: Patella Michael , Franklin John , Mongeau Gilles
Published: November 2010

Abstract:

This paper explains how The Saint John's Bible Project relates to the life of faith. The project is more than the practice of calligraphy or the illuminating of sacred texts with decorative miniatures and colourful initials. For those who come to view it, it can ignite the spiritual imagination and engage the cognitive abilities in a transformative way. Sacred word and thought require for that transformation something more than being bombarded by digital images. They occasion what they demand—a pause or slow reading that Benedictine monks recognize as lectio divina for the heart and eye to become open to beauty and lived truth. Sacred text as work of art, no different from divine liturgy, holds out the possibility of breaking up illusions that get in the way of the Christian life.
“Perfect Peace for Mind and Will”: How Dutch Neo-Calvinists Did (Not) Remember John Calvin
Authors: Paul Herman
Published: November 2010

Abstract:

Ever since the sixteenth century, John Calvin has been remembered and commemorated in the context of what scholars call “collective memory cultures.” But what exactly was collective about such collective memories? With examples drawn from Dutch neo-Calvinism, this article shows that Calvin representations brought in circulation by high-profile “memory managers,” such as Abraham Kuyper, were not always appropriated as intended. In fact, in a number of autobiographies and other ego-documents written by non-elite members of Kuyper's neo-Calvinism, the name of the Reformer is even entirely absent. This suggests, first, that scholars must be sensitive to how individuals appropriated Calvin, how they challenged and changed the repertoires of Calvin images, and how they related their memories to each other. Second, it suggests that, despite all neo-Calvinist rhetoric, Calvin may have played a less important role in how Kuyper's followers understood themselves than the politician and church leader himself might have wished.
Seventeenth-Century Dutch Reformed, Mennonites, and Spiritualists on One Another, Jews, and Muslims
Authors: Waite Gary K.
Published: November 2010

Abstract:

This paper examines religious identity in the early-modern Netherlands by comparing attitudes between Calvinists and Mennonites toward each other and toward the Arminian Reformed (Remonstrants), Jews, and Muslims. Opting for a national Reformed Church without mandatory membership, the Dutch regents generally did not interfere in the private religious culture of dissenting sects and restricted the exclusionary demands of Reformed preachers, allowing law-abiding Mennonites and Jews a remarkable degree of freedom of conscience and practice. Outsiders thought the Dutch Republic's toleration to be very un-Protestant, although when the Remonstrants and Counter-Remonstrants threatened to destroy the unity of the national church, the regents intervened. Many regents clearly favoured the spiritualists' emphasis on personal piety and unity over confession and ritual, and showed considerable respect for Muslim officials and Jewish residents. Foreign Calvinists, who feared that the Netherlands' unusual form of religious toleration was including Jews and Muslims, were not entirely off base.
Balancing the Extremes: Calvinism as a Mediatory Socio-Cultural Vision
Authors: Shin Kuk-Won
Published: November 2010

Abstract:

While the Korean church, particularly in its Presbyterian branches, experienced remarkable growth in the last half century, that growth has now flattened, and competitiveness and division characterize the life of churches focused on personal evangelism and church growth. During its 120-year history, the Korean church had its greatest impact on society and culture when it balanced evangelical faith with robust social engagement. The adoption of an authentic Calvinist vision can lead to a recovery of this balance, and already three neo-Calvinist, socio-religious movements give evidence of such a recovery: the Christian world view movement, the Korean Association for Christian Scholarship, and the Christian Ethics Movement Society.
Location Choice Model for Logistic Firms with Consideration of Spatial Effects
Authors: Nguyen Y Cao , Sano Kazushi
Published: November 2010

An overview is presented of a location choice model for logistic firms that takes into account spatial effects. A modeling framework is developed to analyze decisions about location choice for logistic firms by using mixed logit models. In this framework, spatial effects such as the correlation between firms in deterministic terms and the spatial correlation among zones in the error term are captured by mixed logit models. In addition, the dynamics of the consumption of commodities between consumers and suppliers is considered. In a case study, the developed framework is applied to the Tokyo metropolitan area. The model is tested for retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. The results of the study indicate that for location choice, the number of employees is a more important determinant for manufacturers than it is for retailers and product wholesalers. Additionally, the results indicate that the spatial effects and the land prices in a given zone strongly affect the decision-making process of all the firms in the metropolitan area.
Large-Scale Agent-Based Combined Traffic Simulation of Private Cars and Commercial Vehicles
Authors: Joubert Johan W. , Fourie Pieter J. , Axhausen Kay W.
Published: November 2010

The number of independent and interdependent freight actors (firms), the complex supply chain structures between them, and the sensitivity of shipment data are some reasons that the modeling of freight traffic is lagging its public and private transit counterparts. An agent-based approach was used to reconstruct commercial activity chains and simulate them, along with private vehicles, for a large-scale scenario in Gauteng, South Africa. The simulated activities were compared with the actual observed activities of 5,196 vehicles that were inferred from Global Positioning System logs covering approximately 6 months. The results show that the reconstructed activity chains are both spatially and temporally accurate, especially in areas of high activity density. Freight vehicles are a major contributor to traffic congestion and emissions, and the new approach bridges the gap between the person and the state of the art in commercial transport modeling.
Investigation of Inland Freight Transport Modal Choice in Greece
Authors: Moschovou T. P. , Giannopoulos G. A.
Published: November 2010

The process and criteria for freight modal choice behavior in Greece were investigated in research between 2004 and 2009. The work involved a large-scale survey of various freight transport actors in Greece; a full statistical analysis of the results and a presentation to determine priorities, preferences, and detailed rankings of mode choice criteria; and a modeling exercise to produce models that depict the mode choice behavior of Greek firms. This paper discusses the questionnaire survey, characteristics of the participating firms, the decision-making process used for choosing the mode of transport, and the criteria used for mode choice decision making in Greece. The results contain conclusions and data that can be used to describe mode choice behavior in freight transport not only in Greece but also in other countries. These are summarized as reliability and quality of transport services, transport cost, characteristics of the transport chain, and the prevailing governmental policy and its corresponding legal framework for operation of the transport market. A future paper will contain the results of the modeling exercise and the various models of freight mode choice behavior that were formed.
Coping with Disruptions
Authors: Giesen Ricardo , Mahmassani Hani S. , Jaillet Patrick
Published: November 2010

In real-time distribution operations, it is generally assumed that demand process parameters can be precisely estimated. However, this is rarely the case, particularly for products with a short life cycle. Experiments were done to investigate the performance of various strategies for online distribution operations under disruptions caused by surges in demand patterns at a particular facility. Two sets of strategies are considered: (a) optimization-based strategies, in which an off-line optimization problem is formulated and used to update routing and inventory allocation plans, and (b) fixed-tour strategies, in which a priori sets of routes to provide retailers with recourse actions depending on different degrees of real-time information capabilities for controlling the system are used. These are compared against two benchmark policies. Simulation results for two scenarios (high and low inventory holding cost products) show that strategies that use real-time information to update delivery plans systematically outperform strategies in which routes are not modified after the vehicle leaves the depot. The differences tend to be higher in scenarios of products with low inventory holding costs. For replanning strategies, the benefits of en route plan updates are significant, in particular the possibility of diverting the vehicle. In the case of fixed-tour strategies, the possibility of updating tour intervals provides potentially great savings. Replanning strategies systematically outperform fixed-tour strategies.
Conceptual Framework and Trucking Application for Estimating Impact of Congestion on Freight
Authors: Eisele William L. , Schrank David L.
Published: November 2010

Few analytical techniques fully incorporate freight aspects into transportation system monitoring, system evaluation, and project selection. Transportation investment decisions are frequently based on typical performance measures of travel time and delay for passenger travel, and little, if any, attempt is made to incorporate goods movement into such analysis. Research was performed by the Texas Transportation Institute for a better understanding of freight mobility and reliability issues. The research developed a conceptual framework to help transportation professionals communicate, visualize, and understand factors affecting freight mobility and reliability; a methodology with which to estimate congestion for the conceptual framework; and two applications of the methodology to truck freight (one in Austin, Texas, and one in Denver, Colorado). The conceptual framework visually incorporates the effects of geographic area, commodity type, and time period on freight mobility and reliability. This framework provides a method to communicate freight congestion, mobility, and reliability and can be expanded to include all freight modes (truck, rail, maritime, air, and pipeline). The conceptual framework and methodology can help transportation professionals to better communicate, understand, and make planning-level decisions based on the factors that affect freight mobility and reliability.
Exclusive Truck Facilities in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Authors: Roorda Matthew J. , Hain Michael , Amirjamshidi Glareh , Cavalcante Rinaldo , Abdulhai Baher , Woudsma Clarence
Published: November 2010

Segregation of truck traffic from passenger traffic through implementation of exclusive truck facilities in key economic corridors can lead to improvements in traffic flow characteristics, safety, and freight efficiency in congested corridors. A model of the 400 series highways around Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assesses alternative configurations of exclusive truck facilities. The demands are based on passenger travel data from a household travel survey, intercity truck travel information from a roadside survey, and urban truck travel information from a three-stage model based on shipper survey data. Origin–destination (O-D) flows are assigned to a regional road network by using a generalized cost multiclass user equilibrium model, and preliminary ramp-to-ramp matrices are extracted from the results of the traffic assignment model. Ramp-to-ramp matrices are improved by using O-D matrix updating. After the O-D matrix updating, observed freeway volumes by vehicle type are replicated very closely in the base case. Converting a lane of mixed traffic to an exclusive truck lane on Highway 401 results in an increase in truck demand and lower truck travel times. Construction of a new exclusive truck highway in an existing hydro corridor through Toronto improves travel times moderately for passenger cars and significantly for medium and heavy trucks.
Building Resilience into Freight Transportation Systems
Authors: Ta Chilan , Goodchild Anne V. , Ivanov Barbara
Published: November 2010

The management of transportation systems for resilience has received significant attention in recent years. Resilience planning concerns the actions of an organization that reduce the consequences of a disruption to the system the organization manages. Little exploration has been made into the connections between resilience planning and the actions of a state department of transportation (DOT) that contribute to resilience of a freight transportation system. Conclusions are presented from collaborative research between the Washington State DOT Freight Systems Division (WSDOT FSD) and researchers at the University of Washington. Activities of the WSDOT FSD that contribute to resilience are identified, and one such activity undertaken by WSDOT to improve communication with system users is described. This and other activities can be undertaken by other DOTs that want to improve the resilience of their freight transportation systems at relatively low cost.
Comparison of mannitol and hypertonic saline in the treatment of severe brain injuries
Authors: Sakellaridis Nikolaos , Pavlou Elias , Karatzas Stylianos , Chroni Despina , Vlachos Konstantinos , Chatzopoulos Konstantinos , Dimopoulou Eleni , Kelesis Christos , Karaouli Vasiliki
Published: November 2010

Object

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of mannitol and hypertonic saline in doses of similar osmotic burden for the treatment of intracranial hypertension in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Methods

The authors used an alternating treatment protocol to compare the effect of hypertonic saline with that of mannitol given for episodes of increased intracranial pressure in patients treated for severe head injury at their hospital during 2006–2008. Standard guidelines for the management of severe traumatic brain injury were followed. Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) was treated either with mannitol or hypertonic saline. Doses of similar osmotic burden (mannitol 20%, 2 ml/kg, infused over 20 minutes, or saline 15%, 0.42 ml/kg, administered as a bolus via a central venous catheter) were given alternately to the individual patient with severe brain injury during episodes of increased pressure. The dependent variables were the extent and duration of reduction of increased ICP. The choice of agent for treatment of the initial hypertensive event was determined on a randomized basis; treatment was alternated for every subsequent event in each individual patient. Reduction of ICP and duration of action were recorded after each event. Results obtained after mannitol administration were statistically compared with those obtained after hypertonic saline administration.

Results

Data pertaining to 199 hypertensive events in 29 patients were collected. The mean decrease in ICP obtained with mannitol was 7.96 mm Hg and that obtained with hypertonic saline was 8.43 mm Hg (p = 0.586, equal variances assumed). The mean duration of effect was 3 hours 33 minutes for mannitol and 4 hours 17 minutes for hypertonic saline (p = 0.40, equal variances assumed).

Conclusions

No difference between the 2 medications could be found with respect to the extent of reduction of ICP or duration of action.
Copper Transporter 2 Content Is Lower in Liver and Heart of Copper-Deficient Rats
Authors: Bertinato Jesse , Duval Sébastien , L’Abbé Mary R.
Published: November 2010

Copper (Cu) transporter 2 (Ctr2) is a transmembrane protein that transports Cu across cell membranes and increases cytosolic Cu levels. Experiments using cell lines have suggested that Ctr2 expression is regulated by Cu status. The importance of changes in Ctr2 expression is underscored by recent studies demonstrating that lower Ctr2 content in cells increases the cellular uptake of platinum-containing cancer drugs and toxicity to the drugs. In this study, we examined whether Ctr2 expression is altered by a nutritional Cu deficiency in vivo. Ctr2 mRNA and protein in liver and heart from rats fed a normal (Cu-N), moderately deficient (Cu-M) or deficient (Cu-D) Cu diet was measured. Rats fed the Cu-deficient diets showed a dose-dependent decrease in liver Ctr2 protein compared to Cu-N rats. Ctr2 protein was 42% and 85% lower in Cu-M and Cu-D rats, respectively. Liver Ctr2 mRNA was 50% lower in Cu-D rats and unaffected in Cu-M rats. In heart, Ctr2 protein was only lower in Cu-D rats (46% lower). These data show that Cu deficiency decreases Ctr2 content in vivo.
La question de l'anxiété chez les enfants d'âge scolaire. Méthodologie et essai expérimental.
Authors: Zlotowicz Michel
Published: November 2010

Nous nous sommes livré à une analyse de la technique d'appréciation par questionnaire de l'anxiété chez l'enfant.

Cette technique nous a paru présenter trois types de difficultés liées à la définition du concept d'anxiété, à un type de mesure qui ne tient compte que de la fréquence des symptômes et non de leur intensité, enfin à l'influence de l'attitude des sujets face au questionnement de l'anxiété.

Nous avons critiqué la notion d'échelles de « mensonges » et montré que celle de Sarason ne permettait pas de détecter les attitudes des sujets.

Nous avons proposé de substituer aux échelles de « mensonges » une procédure expérimentale.

Cette procédure, qui consiste en une variation systématique des conditions de passation du questionnaire d'anxiété générale de Sarason, permet d'agir sur les attitudes des sujets. Elle tend à accentuer l'attitude initiale, positive ou négative, de l'enfant face au questionnement de l'anxiété. Elle permet aussi de décrire la stabilité de son comportement dans la situation expérimentalement définie et conduit à la notion de contrôle de l'anxiété.

Le contrôle de l'anxiété, ainsi défini, est en relation avec l'efficience intellectuelle.
Compréhension et généralisation des explications
Authors: Hurtig M.
Published: November 2010

Pour une expérience sur les effets de l'explication sur le raisonnement de l'enfant et de ses possibilités de transfert, deux séries parallèles de matrices analogiques (matrices multiplicatives) ont été préparées : l'une est composée de dessins géométriques, l'autre de dessins représentatifs. Deux méthodes d'explications ont été proposées : explications verbales simples, explications programmées. Six groupes de cinq sujets normaux de 7 à 8 ans échouant à ces problèmes ont étp utilisés (deux groupes contrôle, quatre groupes expérimentaux permettant de vérifier l'effet de la méthode d'explication, en faisant varier l'ordre de présentation des séries). Pour les deux méthodes d'explication, et quelle que soit la série sur laquelle l'explication était donnée, il y a apprentissage (utilisation directe des explications) et transfert (réussite partielle à la série parallèle). Le transfert est particulièrement net lorsque les explications ayant porté sur les dessins concrets, le mécanisme devait être « transféré » aux problèmes géométriques. Enfin, s'il n'y a pas de différence significative entre les deux méthodes d'explications pour l'utilisation immédiate, un retest effectué deux mois après l'expérience montre que les groupes d'enfants ayant bénéficié des explications programmées maintiennent leur performance, alors que les autres retrouvent un niveau comparable au niveau de départ.

Laboratoire de Psycho-biologie de l'Enfant
Comparaison des données longitudinales de cinq échantillons européens
Authors: Hindley Colin B.
Published: November 2010

Le principal intérêt des études longitudinales est de permettre la mise en évidence des modifications individuelles au cours du développement. Et, en second lieu, les informations obtenues sont souvent plus précises que dans les études rétrospectives. Les comparaisons internationales confirment le caractère général des faits découverts, et permettent d'examiner des hypothèses concernant les effets sur le développement de différents facteurs culturels.

On discute ici des difficultés méthodologiques que présentent ces comparaisons, et on en conclut qu'il est souvent souhaitable de comparer, plutôt que les données de base, les relations trouvées entre variables à l'intérieur de chaque échantillon.

Un certain nombre de résultats sont examinés, en provenance de cinq recherches coordonnées dans différents pays d'Europe par le Centre International de l'Enfance. On constate de considérables différences dans la durée et la fréquence de l'allaitement au sein, en relation avec le milieu social dans certains échantillons, mais non dans d'autres. L'usage du biberon est variable, et n'est pas en rapport étroit avec la durée de l'allaitement au sein. Les différences sont considérables pour l'âge où débute l'éducation de la propreté. Malgré les différences entre échantillons, il existe entre les distributions des similitudes sous-jacentes.

On trouve des différences significatives entre les échantillons pour l'âge de la marche, mais aucune différence significative liée au sexe ou au milieu social. En gros, les courbes d'âge du début de la marche se distribuent normalement par rapport au logarithme de l'âge. Pendant les années pré-scolaires, dans trois des échantillons on trouve, à mesure que les enfants grandissent, une relation croissante entre aptitudes et milieu social. Les raisons possibles de cet état de fait sont discutées.

Référence est faite à la nécessité de trouver les paramètres qui mettent îe mieux en évidence les relations entre données.
Problèmes théoriques et méthodologiques de la croissance mentale
Authors: Kagan Jérôme
Published: November 2010

Prenons comme variable dépendante une production cognitive manifeste (score à un test, score d'apprentissage, degré d'aisance dans l'acquisition des premiers éléments de géométrie) et demandons-nous quelles sont les variables prédictives pertinentes. Nous tiendrons compte (a) de l'organisation hiérarchique des unités cognitives de règles et de vocabulaire, (b) des modes d'élaboration de l'information (évaluation, attitudes perceptives globalisantes ou analytiques), et du tempo d'élaboration, (c) des déterminants de l'investissement attention nel, parmi lesquels les normes, les motivations, les conflits et les violations de schemes. L'investissement attentionnel, les modes d'.éla- boration de l'information et le stock de règles et de vocabulaire représentent les variables essentielles dont l'intrication et l'interaction déterminent la qualité et la variété des productions intellectuelles. Si nous voulons comprendre le détail du développement conceptuel, il nous faudra tenir compte de toute cette série de variables, soit en les mesurant toutes, soit en les contrôlant. Car il existe bien des stades du développement conceptuel, et ces stades se caractérisent chacun par leur propre organisation hiérarchique des concepts, des règles, des modes d'élaboration de l'information qui facilitent ou empêchent l'investissement attentionnel. La tâche qui nous attend est de décrire et de comprendre l'évolution génétique de ces hiérarchies.
L'intuition probabiliste chez l'enfant
Authors: Fischbein Efraim , Pampou Ileana , Minzat Ion
Published: November 2010

On présentait aux sujets {enfants de 6-14 ans) répartis en cinq niveaux d'âge, des canaux ramifiés situés en plans inclinés.

Un bille était supposée glisser sur ces cananux, suivant des tracés aléatoires. Les sujets devaient se rendre compte de l'égalité des chances de certains tracés ou indiquer les tracés les plus probables quand il s'agissait de chances différentes. On constate que, en ce qui concerne les situations à équiprobabilité, les pourcentages des réponses correctes diminuent avec l'âge, les enfants les plus âgés étant fréquemment tentés d'opter pour un tracé déterminé. Quant aux tracés à probabilités inégales, les réponses s'améliorent avec l'âge.
La ténacité musculaire en travail statique chez l'enfant de 7 à 12 ans.
Authors: Nadel Jacqueline
Published: November 2010

A partir d'une épreuve de travail statique, réalisée sur dynamographe, on étudie l'évolution génétique des possibilités qualitatives et quantitatives de ténacité musculaire chez les garçons et les filles de 7, 9 et 12 ans.

L'épreuve est décrite selon un modèle cybernétique mettant principalement en évidence deux feed-backs négatifs volontaires, l'un proprioceptif et l'autre visuel. A cette distinction correspondra la détermination d'indices traduisant la qualité de la performance à partir des enregistrements graphiques. Pour traduire l'aspect quantitatif de la performance, on doit introduire la dimension temporelle, le temps de tenue, qui traduit un autre niveau de contrôle, contrôle délibéré du sujet sur son activité.

Les résultats communiqués concernent la dimension temporelle : ils indiquent une augmentation spectaculaire du temps de tenue à 12 ans, et, à tous les âges, une supériorité des filles.
Apprentissage verbaux et activités intellectuelles
Authors: Turquin Patrick
Published: November 2010

Par une étude à 4 niveaux d'âge (6-7 ans, 8-9 ans, 10-11 ans, étudiants en psychologie), nous avons essayé de déterminer le moment où le langage est susceptible d'intervenir comme médiateur dans le fonctionnement des activités mentales. Nous avons choisi pour cela un problème simple (une épreuve de figures lacunaires) et avons fait précéder sa présentation par un apprentissage de couples de mots.

Nos hypothèses étaient :

— Que l'apprentissage de couples associant des mots représentant des objets présents dans les figures lacunaires à des réponses à ces figures modifierait de manière importante les fréquences des réponses observées dans un groupe de contrôle ;

— Que l'apprentissage de couples associant des mots représentant des objets non présents dans les figures lacunaires à des réponses à ces figures aurait une influence faible, ou nulle, sur la modification des fréquences de réponses.

Ces hypothèses sont confirmées par les résultats à 10-11 ans et chez les étudiants, et en partie à 8-9 ans. Dans notre situation, le langage ne pourrait donc intervenir comme médiateur que vers 8-9 ans.

En conclusion, nous présentons quelques remarques sur le rôle que pourrait jouer le langage dans des activités psychologiques complexes et les avantages que l'on pourrait tirer, sur un plan psycho-pédagogique, de la connaissance des modalités de son intervention.
Influence du nombre de différences sur les réponses « pas pareil » chez l'enfant d'âge pré­scolaire.
Authors: Berthoud Myriam , Vurpillot Éliane
Published: November 2010

L'expérience avait pour objet d'étudier l'évolution des critères d'identité et de différence dans une tâche de différenciation perceptive chez des enfants de 4 et 5 ans, indépendamment des insuffisances de leur exploration visuelle.

5 niveaux de différenciation (0, 1, 2, 3, ou 4 différences) étaient introduits entre les 2 objets à comparer.

Les résultats montrent que les enfants adoptent, dans ces comparaisons, des critères d'identité de plus en plus exigeants : la majorité des plus jeunes enfants répondent « pareil » quel que soit le nombre de différences entre les 2 objets ; par la suite les jugements semblent varier en fonction de la densité relative des différences ; enfin à 5 ans beaucoup d'enfants adoptent le critère adulte.

Toutefois l'interprétation des résultats fait apparaître le problème de la relation entre l'information recueillie par l'enfant et l'information réellement utilisée.
Un pré-requis auditivo-phonétique pour l'apprentissage du langage écrit : l'analyse syllabique.
Authors: Leroy-Boussion A. , Martinez Françoise
Published: November 2010

A requisite auditory skill in children beginning to write : « syllabic analysis ». A longitudinal developmental study from 5 to 8.

Purpose. This paper is concerned with a specific auditory difficulty in normal young pupils when they begin to learn to write from a teacher's dictation, when they have to analyse the sound of spoken syllabes. They are not still able to understand, to « hear », that, in the spoken syllabe /to/ (for instance) there are first the elementary sound /t/ and the elementary sound /o/. The lack of maturity in this phonetic analysis, even with very simple spoken syllabes, stopes the children learning dictation and writting in school ; an important auditory pre-requisite to perform dictation exercices is not still present among these young children. We have called this skill : « Syllabic Analysis ».

Method. Using the longitudinal method we studied the development of this auditory capacity in children during three consecutive years 5 to 6, 6 to 7, 7 to 8. The sample consists of 224 unselected pupils. Our test is composed of 42 loud-voiced simple syllabes (1 consonnant + 1 vowel). This test is only in the auditory modality : children have nothing to read. Control tests have been applied, designed to eliminate all errors which might be ascribed to defects of discrimination and pronunciation.

Results. This auditory analysis skill develops progressively during pre-school and school age. When entering in elementary school at the age of six, most of the children are not sufficiently matured. The lower the Q.I., the more serious is the lack of maturity. In children whose Q.I. is below .100 this difficulty persists during a long time.
Dysharmonie des conduites intellectuelles et problèmes de contrôle de l'activité chez des élèves en difficulté de 11 à 14 ans.
Authors: Gilly Michel , Solari Marie-José , Billerach Claire
Published: November 2010

Discrepant cognitive behaviors and poor activity control among 11-14 Old students meeting difficulties - A systematic survey was conducted among about sixty students experiencing academic failure. This survey tested cognitive behaviors and activity control. The results show a number of discrepancies to be compared with the ones found previously among the « mentally retarded » and various subjects with poor control efficiency in psychomotor tasks. These results are discussed with special consideration of those dealing with the different rates of development in the same cognitive profiles, and with the poor speed and accuracy regalution. This discussion involves the underlying mechanisms and hypothetical determinants.
L'évolution du comportement de conformité supérieure de soi chez des adolescents de 12 à 18 ans.
Authors: Codol Jean-Paul
Published: November 2010

Par « conformité supérieure de soi » on désigne le comportement, maintes fois observé chez des sujets adultes, selon lequel chacun, lorsqu'il se compare à autrui, a tendance à se présenter personnellement comme plus conforme aux normes de la situation sociale dans lequel il est impliqué que ne le sont les autres participants de la même situation.

On s'interroge dans cet article sur l'existence et l'évolution d'un tel comportement chez les adolescents de 12 à 18 ans.

411 adolescents (204 filles et 207 garçons) ont ainsi à comparer leurs propres caractéristiques à celles de leurs camarades de classe, en relation avec les caractéristiques jugées les plus normatives au sein de la classe.

Conformément à l'hypothèse faite, on montre notamment qu'à un âge donné, le comportement de conformité supérieure de soi est d'autant plus important que les sujets de cet âge ont davantage tendance à vouloir se différencier d'autrui, tout en recherchant simultanément les contacts sociaux. with the characteristics which are judged as the most normative in the form.

In agreement with an explanatory hypothesis of the superior conformity of self behavior, results show that PIP effect appears more strongly for the ages where are both present :

— an intense social activity leading to conformist behavior,

— and, simultaneously, an important development of the research of personal identity and autonomy, leading to social différenciation.
L'infirme dans la littérature italienne destinée à l'enfance et à la jeunesse. Analyse typologique de 57 œuvres.
Authors: Lachal René-Claude
Published: November 2010

La littérature italienne pour la jeunesse accorde une place importante au thème de l'infirme. Par son abondance, son but éducatif, l'âge de ses lecteurs, elle offre d'utiles matériaux pour l'analyse de la représentation collective de l'infirme et de son évolution.

Cette étude propose un premier essai de classement des images de l'infirmité vécue contenue dans 57 œuvres (dues à 23 auteurs) parues entre 1782 et 1971. D'après leurs réactions face au handicap et leurs attitudes envers autrui, il est possible de dégager, parmi les 77 héros infirmes (dont près des 3/4 appartiennent aux milieux les plus pauvres), 7 types de comportement. On constate que les personnages accablés par l'épreuve, les personnages heureux et sereins et ceux qui luttent et triomphent de l'adversité sont, de loin, les plus nombreux. Par contre, les écrivains ne mettent que plus rarement en relief (mais avec vigueur) la supériorité, la bonté ou la douceur de l'infirme et ne le dépeignent qu'exceptionnellement comme un être agressif ou foncièrement méchant.

Si ces diverses représentations ne tombent jamais dans l'invraisemblance psychologique flagrante, la vision globale de l'infirmité vécue n'est pas, pour autant, pleinement objective. Les auteurs ont méconnu ou minimisé certains aspects de la réalité afin de créer des images-guides dans une intention moralisante. Le thème de l'infirme, dans les œuvres étudiées, sert principalement, en effet, à propager une éthique et une conception de la société inspirées par le christianisme et conformes aux intérêts de la bourgeoisie.
L'organisation temporelle des réponses verbales dans l'appréhension de l'image chez l'enfant de six ans
Authors: Nanpon Hubert
Published: November 2010

Dans le but d'étudier la stratégie d'exploration perceptive par le biais de l'organisation temporelle des réponses verbales, on soumet un groupe d'enfants d'une grande section de Maternelle à une tâche de description de dessins au trait.

On a pu ainsi souligner des différences de fréquence dans l'appréhension des divers éléments de l'image. Ceux-ci sont distingués entre éléments globaux ayant caractère d'unités, qui sont les plus fréquents, et les parties de ces éléments. D'autre part, une corrélation est constatée entre la fréquence des éléments et la priorité de leur appréhension. Des explications portant à la fois sur la fréquence et la priorité d'appréhension sont proposées. Elles font intervenir des caractéristiques psycholinguistiques et /ou des propriétés plus élémentaires de la perception.
Pensée naturelle et pensée mathématique
Authors: Levasseur Jacqueline , Pelnard-Considère J
Published: November 2010

Pensée naturelle et pensée mathématique : Un essai d'interprétation des principales difficultés de l'acquisition des bases logico-mathématiques en sixième.

Actuellement, en sixième, un programme de « Mathématique moderne » est enseigné et, en fin d'année scolaire, les élèves doivent avoir acquis plusieurs notions se référant à la théorie des ensembles.

A l'aide d'exercices mathématiques résolus par des enfants de sixième, les auteurs présentent un essai d'interprétation des facteurs différenciant les situations proposées dans le programme et permettant de mettre en évidence les différents processus intervenant dans l'acquisition de ces notions.

Le thème « Forme et contenu » de la théorie de Piaget sous-tend la réflexion de l'exposé. La pensée formelle est caractérisée par la possibilité, pour le sujet, d'opérer sur des catégories abstraites. Dans l'enseignement qu'il reçoit, l'élève est entraîné à la « formalisation » par la manipulation de modèles abstraits (symboles, schémas, etc..) pour résoudre des problèmes de contenus assez semblables auxquels il applique les mêmes opérations. Les analyses ont montré que les contenus et la structuration des situations utilisées comme support aux notions présentées, avaient un poids important dans la réussite des élèves : une situation concrète fortement structurée favorise une appréhension exacte du concept, une situation plus abstraite a l'effet inverse. D'autre part, en fin de sixième une hiérarchie est apparue dans le degré d'acquisition des différentes notions. Cependant peu d'élèves de sixième ont vraiment acquis les notions enseignées ; il semble que les propriétés ne soient pas appréhendées globalement et que les concepts ne soient pas perçus dans toute leur intégralité : à chaque concept se rattacheraient plusieurs situations particulières et plusieurs propriétés indépendantes les unes des autres. Cette dissociation pourrait s'expliquer par le fait que de nombreux enfants à ce niveau scolaire n'ont pas encore atteint le stade de la pensée hypothético-déductive. Ceux-ci n'ont, par conséquent, pas pris conscience des divers processus de raisonnement utilisables, et n'ont pas les structures mentales nécessaires pour effectuer d'eux-mêmes le transfert des propriétés perçues dans des cas particuliers à des cas généraux, et stabiliser ainsi leur maîtrise des notions enseignées.