bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examination of vibration control of linear oscillatory actuator
Authors: Yinggang Bu , Aotsuka Ryota , Mizuno Tsutomu
Published: December 2011

Linear oscillatory actuators (LOAs) are widely used in linear motor shavers, electric toothbrushes, and mobile phone vibrators as high‐speed oscillatory driving devices. The maximum amplitude of the motor is obtained at a resonant frequency that is determined from the spring constant and the mass of the motor. However, there is a problem with these actuators: the amplitude decreases sharply when the driving frequency differs from the resonant frequency in a mechanical vibration system with minimal damping. In this paper, we propose a control method for the resonant frequency in which the thrust, which shows the characteristics of a spring, is generated on the basis of the displacement of the mover and the damping factor, in which the thrust, which shows the characteristics of damping, is generated based on the velocity of the mover. The proposed method assures that the resonant frequency always corresponds to the driving frequency and that rapid changes in the amplitude are avoided. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 178(4): 55–62, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.21172
Influence of voltage rise time on oxidation treatment of NO in simulated exhaust gas by polarity‐reversed pulse discharge
Authors: Shinmoto Kazuya , Kadowaki Kazunori , Nishimoto Sakae , Kitani Isamu
Published: December 2011

This paper describes an experimental study of NO removal from a simulated exhaust gas by repetitive surface discharge on a glass barrier subjected to polarity‐reversed voltage pulses. The very fast polarity‐reversal with a rise time of 20 ns is caused by direct grounding of a charged coaxial cable 10 m in length. The influence of the voltage rise time on energy efficiency for NO removal is studied. The results of NO removal using a barrier‐type plasma reactor with a screw‐plane electrode system indicate that the energy efficiency of very fast polarity reversal caused by direct grounding is higher than that of slower polarity reversal caused by grounding through an inductor at the cable end. The energy efficiency of direct grounding is approximately 80 g/kWh for a 50% NO removal ratio and approximately 60 g/kWh for a 100% NO removal ratio. Very intense discharge light is observed at an initial time of 10 ns for fast polarity reversal, whereas the intensity of the initial discharge light for slower polarity reversal is relatively small. To confirm the effectiveness of the polarity‐reversed pulse application, a comparison of the energy efficiency of polarity‐reversed voltage pulses and an AC 60‐Hz voltage is presented. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 178(4): 32–38, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.21215
The CBFA2T3/ACSF3 locus is recurrently involved in IGH chromosomal translocation t(14;16)(q32;q24) in pediatric B‐cell lymphoma with germinal center phenotype
Authors: Salaverria Itziar , Akasaka Takashi , Gesk Stefan , Szczepanowski Monika , Burkhardt Birgit , Harder Lana , Damm‐Welk Christine , Oschlies Ilske , Klapper Wolfram , Dyer Martin J. S. , Siebert Reiner
Published: December 2011

Translocations involving immunoglobulin (IG) loci are the hallmarks of several subtypes of B‐cell lymphoma. Common to these translocations is that cellular proto‐oncogenes come under the influence of IG regulatory elements leading to deregulated expression. In case of a breakpoint in the IGH switch region, oncogene activation can take place on both derivative chromosomes, which means that in principle one translocation can result in concurrent activation of two genes. By fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we identified a case of leukemic B‐cell lymphoma in a child with an IGH break and unknown partner. Subsequent long‐distance inverse PCR revealed fusion of IGH Sμ in 14q32 and the 5′ region of CBFA2T3 in 16q24.3, suggesting presence of the t(14;16)(q32;q24.3). Candidate oncogenes targeted through this translocation are CBFA2T3 and ACSF3, which could be activated on der(16) and der(14), respectively. FISH screening of a population‐based cohort of B‐cell lymphomas from a prospective trial for the treatment of lymphoma in childhood (BFM‐NHL) identified additionally a follicular lymphoma Grade 3/diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma with IGH‐CBFA2T3/ACSF3 juxtaposition. Both lymphomas shared expression of CD10 and CD20 in the absence of TdT, suggesting a germinal center (GC) B‐cell origin. Our data indicate that the CBFA2T3/ACSF3 locus is a novel recurrent oncogenic target of IGH translocations, which might contribute to the pathogenesis of pediatric GC‐derived B‐cell lymphoma. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Aberrant expression of miR‐196a in gastric cancers and correlation with recurrence
Authors: Tsai Kuo‐Wang , Liao Yu‐Lun , Wu Chew‐Wun , Hu Ling‐Yueh , Li Sung‐Chou , Chan Wen‐Ching , Ho Meng‐Ru , Lai Chun‐Hung , Kao Hsiao‐Wei , Fang Wen‐Liang , Huang Kuo‐Hung , Lin Wen‐Chang
Published: December 2011

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs (˜22 nt) that play important roles in the pathogenesis of human diseases by negatively regulating gene expression. Here, we examined the relationship between miR‐196a and gastric cancer. By the analysis of 72 gastric cancer samples, we found that the expression level of miR‐196a microRNA significantly increased in primary gastric cancer tissues versus adjacent normal tissues. In addition, extracellular miR‐196a detected in conditioned medium was strongly correlated with its cellular expression status and increased circulating miR‐196a in patient serum was associated with gastric cancer disease status and relapse. Furthermore, ectopic expression of miR‐196a microRNA promoted the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition and migration/invasion capabilities of transfected cells, suggesting its oncogenic potential in gastric cancer progression. Altogether, our data demonstrate that miR‐196a exerts an oncogenic role in gastric cancer and miR‐196a may be a novel biomarker for detecting gastric cancer and for monitoring disease recurrence. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Behavioural and neural correlates of visceral pain sensitivity in healthy men and women: Does sex matter?
Authors: Benson S. , Kotsis V. , Rosenberger C. , Bingel U. , Forsting M. , Schedlowski M. , Gizewski E.R. , Elsenbruch S.
Published: December 2011

Introduction

We assessed sex differences in behavioural and neural responses to rectal pain stimuli in healthy subjects.

Methods

In age‐ and body mass index‐matched healthy subjects (n = 15 men, 15 women), rectal sensory and pain thresholds were assessed with a pressure‐controlled barostat device. The blood oxygen level‐dependent response during cued anticipation and painful stimulation was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Retrospective pain evaluations were accomplished with visual analogue scales. For fMRI data, region‐of‐interest (ROI) analyses and additional whole‐brain analyses were carried out.

Results

There were no sex differences in rectal thresholds or pain ratings. ROI analyses revealed comparable distension‐induced activation of the thalamus, somatosensory cortex, insula and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Only in additional whole‐brain analyses did we find increased activation in women in DLPFC and middle temporal gyrus during pain anticipation and in the cerebellum and medial frontal gyrus during pain. A significant inverse association between rectal pain threshold and distension‐induced activation in virtually all ROIs was found in women. In men, pain thresholds and insula activation were positively correlated, as were pain ratings and anterior cingulate cortex activation.

Conclusions

Healthy men and women do not differ in behavioural measures of visceral pain sensitivity. The pattern of neural activation is comparable in the majority of pain‐processing brain regions, although women may differ in the activation of DLPFC which could reflect sex differences in cognitive–emotional pain regulation. Women with lower pain thresholds showed greater neural responses, which may be relevant in the pathophysiology of visceral hyperalgesia.
Amitriptyline prolongs the antihyperalgesic effect of 2‐ or 100‐Hz electro‐acupuncture in a rat model of post‐incision pain
Authors: Fais R.S. , Reis G.M. , Silveira J.W.S. , Dias Q.M. , Rossaneis A.C. , Prado W.A.
Published: December 2011

The mechanisms through which electro‐acupuncture (EA) and tricyclic antidepressants produce analgesia seem to be complementary: EA inhibits the transmission of noxious messages by activating supraspinal serotonergic and noradrenergic neurons that project to the spinal cord, whereas tricyclic antidepressants affect pain transmission by inhibiting the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin at the spinal level. This study utilized the tail‐flick test and a model of post‐incision pain to compare the antihyperalgesic effects of EA at frequencies of 2 or 100 Hz in rats treated with intraperitoneal or intrathecal amitriptyline (a tricyclic antidepressant). A gradual increase in the tail‐flick latency (TFL) occurred during a 20‐min period of EA. A strong and long‐lasting reduction in post‐incision hyperalgesia was observed after stimulation; the effect after 2 Hz lasting longer than after 100‐Hz EA. Intraperitoneal or intrathecal amitriptyline potentiated the increase in TFL in the early moments of 2‐ or 100‐Hz EA, and the intensity of the antihyperalgesic effect of 100‐Hz EA in both the incised and non‐incised paw. In contrast, it did not significantly change the intensity of the antihyperalgesic effect of 2‐Hz EA. The EA‐induced antihyperalgesic effects lasted longer after intraperitoneal or intrathecal amitriptyline than after saline, with this effect of amitriptyline being more evident after 100‐ than after 2‐Hz EA. The synergetic effect of amitriptyline and EA against post‐incision pain shown here may therefore represent an alternative for prolonging the efficacy of EA in the management of post‐surgical clinical pain.
One‐year evaluation of the effect of physical therapy for masticatory muscle pain: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Craane B. , Dijkstra P.U. , Stappaerts K. , De Laat A.
Published: December 2011

Physical therapy is widely used to decrease pain and restore function in patients suffering from masticatory muscle pain. Controlled studies on its efficacy are scarce. This study evaluated the 1‐year effect of a 6‐week physical therapy programme in a single blind, randomized, controlled trial. Fifty‐three subjects were randomly assigned to either a physical therapy group [n = 26; 19 women, mean age (SD) 36.6 years (15.5 years)] or a control group [n = 27; 20 women, mean age (SD) 42.9 years (15.1 years)]. In the physical therapy group, the patients received education, muscle stretching, exercises and homework for nine treatments in 6 weeks. In the control group, the patients received education on the evaluation days only. At baseline and after 3, 6, 12, 26 and 52 weeks, pain and masticatory function were evaluated using visual analogue scales, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, pressure pain thresholds of the masseter and temporalis muscles, the mandibular function impairment questionnaire, and active and passive maximal mouth opening. All pain rating variables decreased and all function variables increased significantly over time in both groups. No significant differences in improvement between the groups (time–treatment interaction) were found. These data suggest that the long‐term decrease in pain and the improvement of function are not related to active physical therapy.
Electroacupuncture reduces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in inflamed skin tissues through activation of cannabinoid CB2 receptors
Authors: Su T.‐F. , Zhao Y.‐Q. , Zhang L.‐H. , Peng M. , Wu C.‐H. , Pei L. , Tian B. , Zhang J. , Shi J. , Pan H.‐L. , Li M.
Published: December 2011

Endogenous cannabinoids and peripheral cannabinoid CB2 receptors (CB2Rs) are involved in the antinociceptive effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on inflammatory pain. However, it is not clear how CB2R activation contributes to the antinociceptive effect of EA. The major proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and IL‐6, are involved in inflammatory pain. Here we determined the effects of CB2R activation and EA on the expression level of IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF‐α in inflamed skin tissues. Inflammatory pain was induced by injection of complete Freund's adjuvant into the left hindpaw of rats. Thermal hyperalgesia was tested with a radiant heat stimulus, and mechanical allodynia was quantified using von Frey filaments. The mRNA and protein levels of IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF‐α in inflamed skin tissues were measured using real‐time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively. Local injection of the selective CB2R agonist AM1241 or EA applied to GB30 and GB34 significantly reduced thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia induced by tissue inflammation. The specific CB2R antagonist AM630 significantly attenuated the antinociceptive effect of EA. Furthermore, EA or AM1241 treatment significantly decreased the mRNA and protein levels of IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF‐α in inflamed skin tissues. In addition, pretreatment with AM630 significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of EA on these cytokine levels in inflamed skin tissues. Our results suggest that EA reduces inflammatory pain and proinflammatory cytokines in inflamed skin tissues through activation of CB2Rs.
Attention focus, trait anxiety and pain perception in patients undergoing colposcopy
Authors: Kola S. , Walsh J.C. , Hughes B.M. , Howard S.
Published: December 2011

Few studies have compared the relative efficacy of attention‐focus strategies in reducing clinical pain. Colposcopy, a medical diagnostic examination performed to identify premalignant cervical cell changes, elicits both anxiety and pain in patients, while allowing little or no behavioural control over the event. Employing a multi‐group experimental design, the present study sought to investigate how different types of attention‐focus strategies impacted upon pain perception, state anxiety and affect, in a sample of 123 colposcopy patients. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: sensory focusing, active distraction and undirected control. Psychometric measures of pre‐colposcopy pain expectancy and dispositional trait anxiety were also taken, in order to assess whether these factors further contributed to outcomes. Overall, when controlling for pain expectancy and trait anxiety, self‐reported pain intensity, sensory pain and affective pain did not differ across groups. Further, there were no significant between‐group differences in colposcopy‐related state anxiety or affect. However, pre‐colposcopy psychometric measures were found to be predictive of a range of outcomes. Pre‐colposcopy pain expectancy, but not trait anxiety, was found to be positively related to colposcopy‐related pain. It was further demonstrated that heightened state anxiety following colposcopy was due to experienced pain and pain unpleasantness, rather than to aspects of the pre‐colposcopy prediction of pain. The results have implications for management of acute clinical pain.
A randomized, placebo‐controlled trial of levetiracetam in central pain in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Falah M. , Madsen C. , Holbech J.V. , Sindrup S.H.
Published: December 2011

Levetiracetam is an anticonvulsant which is assumed to act by modulating neurotransmitter release via binding to the vesicle protein SV2A. This could have an impact on signalling in the pain pathway. The aim of this study was to test the analgesic effect of levetiracetam in central pain in multiple sclerosis. This was a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over trial with levetiracetam 3000 mg/day versus placebo (6‐week treatment periods). Patients with multiple sclerosis, symptoms and signs complying with central neuropathic pain and pain symptoms for more than 6 months, as well as pain intensity of more than 4 on a 0 to 10‐point numeric rating scale were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was pain relief at the end of each treatment period as measured on a 6‐point verbal scale. Eighty‐nine patients were screened for participation and 30 patients entered the study. Twenty‐seven patients were included in the data analysis. There were no differences in the ratings of pain relief (levetiracetam 2.4 vs. placebo 2.1, p = 0.169), total pain intensity (levetiracetam 5.3 vs. placebo 5.7, p = 0.147) or any of the other outcome measures (p = 0.086–0.715) in the total sample of patients. However, there was significant reduction of pain, increased pain relief and/or more favourable pain relief with levetiracetam than with placebo in patients with lancinating or without touch‐evoked pain (p = 0.025–0.046). This study found no effect of the anticonvulsant levetiracetam in non‐selected patients with central pain in multiple sclerosis, but an effect in subgroups with specific pain symptoms was indicated.
Energizing The Creative Potential in Future Engineers
Authors: OFFNER DAVID H.
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT Three agents needed for energizing the creative process in future engineers are realistic challenge, creative involvement, and relevant constraints. Two conditions for continuing the reaction are a reservoir of knowledge and experience, and an integrated conceptual framework. Curricula and courses can be structured to emphasize these agents and conditions.
Personality Characteristics of Innovative Physics Teachers
Authors: WALBERG HERBERT J. , WELCH WAYNE W.
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT Innovative physics teachers scored higher on theoretical and aesthetic values than other male high school teachers, but lower on economic, religious, and political values. The innovative teachers scored much higher on a physics achievement test than physics teachers in three summer institutes. While they are close to the norm for male secondary school teachers on teaching attitudes, they have a lower need for affiliation than this group. Compared with other male high‐school science teachers, they are less abasing and affiliative, but more autonomous and heterosexual. Because of their relatively high intellectual and artistic values, and needs for autonomy and social independence, their profiles resemble those of creative scientists. Two personality variables suggesting a “warm, outgoing teaching attitude factor” are significantly correlated with the teachers' knowledge of physics. The teachers who have a firm grasp of their subject not only have more positive attitudes toward teaching, but appear to be less intraceptive.
Creativity in Science Through Visualization*
Authors: WALKUP LEWIS E.
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT The fact that attempts to gain insight into the creative process have been so unsuccessful suggests that they have overlooked at least one basic ingredient in the process. This ingredient may lie in the way the individual mind goes about remembering and manipulating data. The hypothesis is advanced that the creative persons appear to have stumbled onto and then developed to a high degree of perfection the ability to visualize—almost hallucinate—in the area in which they are creative. And their visualizations seem to be of a sort that lend themselves to easy manipulation in the thinking process. This is illustrated by reports from many of the great inventors of the past and it is easy to demonstrate that individuals differ enormously in the kind and degree of their ability to think in such manipulatable visualizations. If correct, this view of creativity suggests many research attacks and many potential changes in education for creative activity.
Assessing Creative Persons*
Authors: MACKINNON DONALD W.
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT Personality assessment, in contrast to psychodiagnosis, psychological testing, and the measurement of individual differences, attempts to delineate the person as a whole through the use of a multiplicity of procedures and emphasizes the more favorable and positive aspects of personality and its potentialities for effective functioning. Developed during World War II, the method has been most extensively used by the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research, University of California. Berkeley, in its studies of highly creative persons. In these researches the characteristics of such persons have been effectively revealed, e.g., through the use of life history interviews, personality trait ratings, an adjective check list, and the Q‐sort method, and their level of creativeness predicted by multiple regression analyses.
A Framework for a Preschool Curriculum Based on Some Piagetian Concepts1
Authors: KAMII CONSTANCE K. , RADIN NORMA L.
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT The position is taken that compensatory preschools must build a solid foundation for further intellectual development by going back to the sensory motor period, as delineated by Jean Piaget, and making certain that intermediate stages are not skipped or only partially achieved. Portions of Piaget's theory which appear to be essential for future academic achievement are conceptualized into a framework for a preschool curriculum particularly geared to the needs of disadvantaged children. Two areas of cognitive development necessary for logical thinking are described in detail. One area concerns the representation of objects; the second area concerns the understanding of relationships among objects. The implications of these concepts for teaching are discussed, with stress placed upon the importance of mastery of prerequisites.
English, Engineering, and Creativity
Authors: QUARTERMAIN PETER A. , WATSON J.
Published: December 2011

An analysis of creativity in English and Engineering Departments in the University, which suggests that the quest for academic respectability has forced the teacher of English in his research to pursue the goal of analysis, a goal which he in fact denies in his teaching. His teaching remains flexible in its attempts to elicit a creative response on the part of the student, while his research (if it is to be publishable) must adhere to a fairly rigid pattern of orthodoxy. The physicist is often driven in his teaching (simply by the demands of the very bulk of physical knowledge) to emphasise the analytical, the instrument‐nature of knowledge, while in his research he remains—or tries to remain—essentially creative, far less rigid than in his teaching. The engineer, who has only recently learned to lionise the analytical and essentially rigid aspects of his work (he has only recently, after all, become a member of the University), is perhaps in fact more creative both in his teaching and his research than either of the others, though there is an increasing pressure in the University to make him conform to standards of “respectability”.
General Systems Theory: A Brief Commentory*
Authors: LEVY RONALD
Published: December 2011

* At the broadest level, a general system might be considered as man's interrelationship with the total universe. The general system theorist attempts to describe in an increasingly comprehensive manner man's interrelationship with the vastness of the universe. General systems and creativity relate in the way that each deals with seeing the totality of a situation. Creative problem‐solving processes develop ways of gaining new insights or perspectives as to how seemingly unassociated factors are relevently related to a problem. Similarly, the general system approach attempts to gain the most comprehensive view of a set of circumstances by interrelating them in new and meaningful ways.
The Point of Creative Frustration and the Creative Process: A New Look at an Old Model
Authors: SAPP D. DAVID
Published: December 2011

An extension of Graham Wallas's model of the creative process is presented. Wallas's stages of preparation, Incubation, Illumination and Verification are reviewed, extended and integrated with the present model. Periods of Problem‐Solving, Incubation and Growth are established with specific points of Initial Idea Inception, Creative Frustration and Illumination. The idea that a specific point of creative frustration occurring within the creative process is introduced. Responses to the Point of Creative Frustration are proposed: Denial, Rationalization, Acceptance of Stagnation and New Growth. The significance of the extended model is discussed.
Faculty Perceptions of College Creativity Courses
Authors: BALOCHE LYNDA , MONTGOMERY DIANE , BULL KAY S. , SALYER B. KEITH
Published: December 2011

If you were going to teach a college‐level course in creativity, would you be interested in what other instructors believe about such courses? Would you like to know their views about planned outcomes, evaluation and course content? These are some of the areas addressed in this report.

The study orginated discussions at the First National Conference on Creativity in American Colleges and Universities.1 The conference was promoted by the work of McDonough and McDonough (1987),2 and was held in July of 1990 at the Alden B. Dow Creativity Center of the Northwood Institute in Midland, Michigan. It was an exciting opportunity for university‐level teachers of creativity to get together and talk. To facilitate discussions, most participants brought with them copies of their course syllabi. Much of the ensuing discussion centered around the purposes of creativity courses, appropriate course experiences, required products, and the evaluation of student participation and learning. While the diversity of opinion of those present soon become clear, many participants were left questioning if the opinions heard and syllabi offered at this conference were representative of what was being done nationally. The present study is born from that question.
Innovative Appraoches To Meeting Entrepreneurial Informational Needs: SBA Enters The XXI Century
Authors: SOLOMON GEORGE T. , FERNALD LLOYD W.
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT The need to take advantage of changes in information technology has never been more important. Because small business entrepreneurs will have to become more efficient and productive, the G.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) envisioned a means to ensure that small business entrepreneurs have access to the latest domestic and global information. Utilizing its vast network of resources, SBA launched two new innovative initiatives — the national Bulletin Board System (SBA On‐Line) and the Business Information Centers (BICs). This article describes the critical importance up‐to‐date information is to small business entrepreneurs and describes the two new innovative initiatives identified above.
Managing Creative People
Authors: YONG LEONARD M. S.
Published: December 2011

This article discusses three essential steps that are necessary for effective managing of creative people. It recommends that attention be paid to understand the nature of the creative process. It also suggests steps that can lead to better appreciation of the creative person. Thirdly, the paper outlines action that can assist to encourage a creative work climate.
Discovery As A Process
Authors: LOEHLE CRAIG
Published: December 2011

The study of the discovery process in science is inhibited by the assumption that discovery is an event of short duration, not subject to internal scrutiny, and by the focus on empirical studies as being the most scientific. The argument is made that discoveries are often made by a pattern recognition process. The discovery process, however, also includes the elaboration of a perceived pattern so that it may be communicated and tested. The elaboration process includes development of a descriptive vocabulary, elucidation of mathematical relations and measures, development of instruments and techniques for measurement, and deduction of testable hypotheses. Thus discovery as a process can be very elaborate and prolonged and should be amenable to explicit study. Implications of this analysis for the practice of science and for science policy are also discussed.
Creative Problem‐Solving in Art: A Model for Idea Inception and Image Development
Authors: SAPP D. DAVID
Published: December 2011

A model for creative problem‐solving specific to the creation of art is proposed. The development of the Osborn‐Parnes and Isaksen‐Treffinger models are reviewed. An adaptation of the Osborn‐Parnes/Isaksen‐Treffinger models is presented. The Model for Idea Inception and Image Development in Art is presented with five primary stages: Associative Exploration, Problem Parameter Exploration, Multiple Focus Exploration, Primary Focus Exploration and Refinement. Transitional stages are delineated. The significance and implications of the model for artists, students and instructors in art education are discussed.
Suggestive Parallels between Kirton's A‐I Theory of Creative Style and Koestler's Bisociative Theory of the Creative Act
Authors: MUDD SAMUEL
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT Kirton's Adaption‐Innovation (A‐I) theory of cognitive style was reviewed with particular regard to the three factors [Sufficiency of Originality, Efficiency, and Rule/Group Conformity] assumed to underlie the basic (AI) continuum. The basic additive model (AI = SO + E + R) set out by Kirton was then related to Koestler's bisociative theory of the creative act. The compatibility of the two theories offered mutual support for both.

The intent of this paper is to explore connections between Kirton's Adaption‐Innovation Theory and Koestler's theory of the creative act. In Koestler's distinctive term, the “bisociation” of the two theories offers interesting possibilities for reciprocal illumination.

Kirton's work, initiated by the publication (Kirton, 1976) of his measure of creative style, the Kirton Adaption‐Innovation Inventory (KAI), will be sketched first, followed by a brief overview of Koestler's 1963 monograph (Koestler, 1967). Parallels between the two theories will be suggested in a final section that casts the three Kirton factor/traits into the conceptual framework of the creative act set out by Koestler.
Clue‐Efficiency and Insight: Unveiling the Mystery of Inductive Leaps
Authors: BAKER‐SENNETT JACQUELYN , CECI STEPHEN J.
Published: December 2011

Results from two investigations examine the relationship between problem solving strategies (leaping and flexibility) and measures of insight and scholastic aptitude. In Study 1, university students were asked to use minimal information to solve perceptual and linguistic items on a clue‐efficiency task. Results reveal a significant relationship between both leaping and insight scores and flexible‐leaping and scores on the quantitative subtest of the SAT. A second study examined the developmental trajectory of flexibility, leaping, and clue‐efficiency. Developmental declines, notably between fifth and sixth grades, are reported in the use of flexibility and leaping. These developmental declines do not result from shifts to more sophisticated (e.g., efficient) strategies, as no developmental differences in efficiency were observed.
The Effects of Task‐Specific Divergent‐Thinking Training
Authors: BAER JOHN
Published: December 2011

Although there is a growing body of evidence indicating that divergent‐thinking skills may be very task specific, there has been no research testing how narrowly divergent‐thinking training can be targeted. Seventy‐nine seventh‐grade students received training in poetry‐relevant divergent‐thinking skills. These subjects and a matched control group later wrote poems and stories, the creativity of which was judged by experts. There was a significantly greater impact on poetry‐writing creativity. Implications for creativity theory and training programs are discussed.

Numerous research reports (Baer, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994a, 1994b, in press‐a; Runco, 1987, 1989) have shown that the skills underlying creative performance may be quite task specific, and this suggests possible limitations on the potential benefits of divergent‐thinking training. One response to this task‐specific understanding of divergent thinking has been to design divergent‐thinking training programs that include practice in a wide range of task‐specific divergent‐thinking skills. This approach has been shown to have a general effect of enhancing creativity in diverse domains (Baer, 1988, 1992, 1993). An alternate approach would be to target training to specific kinds of creativity; however, there has been no research investigating just how narrowly such divergent‐thinking training can be targeted.

The present investigation was designed to test what effect divergent‐thinking training focusing on a single task would have on creative performance on that task and on a different, but closely related, task. The larger goals were (a) to help creativity researchers better understand the nature of divergent thinking as it impacts creative performance and (b) to be of practical value in helping educators design training programs better suited to specific training objectives.

Seventh‐grade students were trained in divergent‐ thinking skills hypothesized to be related to poetry — writing creativity. Following this training, trained subjects and a matched sample of untrained subjects wrote both poems and stories in their regular English classes. Poems and stories were judged for creativity by experts who did not know the subjects. It was predicted that training in poetry‐relevant divergent thinking would result in a greater increase in creativity on a poetry‐writing task than on a story‐writing task.
Taoistic Psychology of Creativity
Authors: KUO YOU‐YUH
Published: December 2011

In this paper, Lao Tzu's Tao is psychologically reinterpreted in terms of Taoistic cognition, Taoistic objectivity, and Taoistic creativity. All of these three domains are interrelated and are characterized by the attitude of let‐be. Taoistic cognition is mainly a kind of intuition or personal knowledge. Taoistic objectivity is interpreted by will‐free motivation which allow others to be and to obtain insight. Taoistic creativity involves incubation, syntectic thinking, and the unification through the opposites. Lao Tzu's Taoism is mainly related to artistic creativity, but its influence on mental health and scientific creativity is also discussed.
Organizational Development Interventions for Enhancing Creativity in the Workplace
Authors: BASADUR MIN
Published: December 2011

In an era of rapidly accelerating change, many organizations which developed during a more stable era that demanded bureaucratic efficiency find themselves in a crisis of adaptability and commitment. Effective organizations are those which can mainstream both adaptability and efficiency and strike an appropriate balance between the two. This paper evaluates traditional organizational development (OD) approaches to this problem, then presents a new approach to OD based on organizational creativity. Organizational creativity is defined as a deliberate and continuous change‐making process of problem generation and formulation, problem solving, and solution implementation, and as synonymous with adaptability and innovation. Unlike traditional OD approaches that lack a strategic perspective and that rely on single interventions, OD should be employed as an innovation process requiring thinking skills in change‐making and incorporating interventions as tools. Under the new approach, organizations can learn to mainstream adaptability by doing two things: encouraging employees to master new thinking skills which increases their creativity, motivation, and commitment; and creating an infrastructure that ensures that these skills will be used regularly. Research is reviewed supporting the new approach, and future research directions are suggested.
Divergent Thinking As a Function of Time and Prompting to “Be Creative” in Undergraduates
Authors: JOHNS GREGG A. , MORSE LINDA W.
Published: December 2011

This study examined divergent thinking in undergraduates as a function of gender, time, and test instruction conditions. Differences were examined in male and female undergraduates when tested on a divergent thinking test with or without prompting to “be creative” and with or without time limitations imposed. Subject groups were assigned to one of the following four conditions: standard instructions/four minute time limit; standard instructions/no time limit; creative instructions/four minute time limit; and creative instructions/no time limit. The no time limit condition resulted in significantly higher mean traditional fluency and flexibility divergent production scores. Males were found to have significantly higher mean divergent production scores on fluency. This study supported previous research findings regarding the lack of enhanced traditional divergent production scores for females resulting from creative instructions.
Personal Explicit Theories of Creativity
Authors: RUNCO MARK A. , NEMIRO JILL , WALBERG HERBERT J.
Published: December 2011

In this investigation 143 creativity researchers completed a survey to rate the importance of various traits and developmental influences on creative achievement. They also rated the importance of various topics for future research. Sixteen composite variables were formed from the traits and developmental factors. Behaviors in the Motivational Composite were rated as most important for recognized creative achievement, followed by Problem Finding and Questioning Skills, and traits reflecting Adaptive Cognition. The ratings of the Developmental survey items suggested that Education and Learning were most important for achievement, followed by Cultural and Social factors, and then Family and Early Background. The top five ranked topics for future research included actual creative behavior, motivation and drive, imagery, imagination, and creative products. Group differences were explored, but few differences were found in, comparisons of ratings from researchers who had experience; teaching creativity courses and those who had published a book or article, and those who had not. Similarly, only slight group differences were found for ratings of important research topics. Differences in self‐reported creative interests (i.e., writing and music) were related to selected ratings of creative achievement variables and important research topics. In general, the results suggested that researchers believe creativity to be a complex or syndrome which draws from cognitive, affective, social, and perhaps even physical realms. The lack of group differences implies a homogeneity of opinion and consensus with respect to the importance of traits, developmental factors, and research topics.
Cognitive Mechanisms in Human Creativity: Is Variation Blind or Sighted?
Authors: STERNBERG ROBERT J.
Published: December 2011

It is argued that the cognitive mechanisms in human creativity are, for the most part, sighted rather than blind. The article opens with a review of attempts to apply evolutionary ideas to psychology. It continues with an argument that blind‐variation ideas seem to apply well in some areas of psychology, but that the psychology of human creativity is not one of these areas. An alternative sighted‐variation framework is then proposed. It is argued, nevertheless, that the blind‐variation system of biological evolution itself shows emergent creative properties, even though this system does not serve as an appropriate model for human creativity.
Gameplay Decisions of University Badminton Students
Authors: EVERHART BRETT , KERNODLE MICHAEL , TURNER ED , HARSHAW CLAY , ARNOLD DAN
Published: December 2011

This study used a modified multiple baseline approach across groups to determine the effects of a creative problem‐solving intervention series on the game‐play decision making of university badminton students. All subjects were videotaped five times (once per week) in five‐minute game play sessions with the same partner each time. One group (experimental) underwent creative problem‐solving interventions on a weekly basis. Following the interventions and videotaping, each five‐minute segment was coded via computer for frequencies of occurring tactical decisions. Results suggest that although certain categories did not generate positive support, the experimental intervention tended to continually improve decision‐making in the most strategic categories (running opponents and jamming them) during game play in badminton.
The Qatar Creativity Conference: Research and Recommendations for School, Family, and Society1
Authors: DAVIS GARY A. , KOGAN NATHAN , SOLIMAN ABDALLA M.
Published: December 2011

A conference on creativity and its development was held at the University of Qatar in Doha, drawing approximately 75 participants from various Arab universities plus two American speakers. Research and theoretical papers focused on models of creativity development, factors related to strengthening and measuring creative abilities, the role of the family and educational and social institutions, and fostering creative development in educational technology, arts education, and physical education. Reports and discussions also considered obstacles to creative development in Arab settings. In addition, participants itemized recommendations in the areas of creativity in general, the schools, the family, and society. The present authors noted potential difficulties related to language differences, the role of women, and frequently‐mentioned authoritarian teaching practices, plus a current opportunity for Arab creativity research related to recent worldwide media influence.
Using Torrance's Problem Identification Techniques to Increase Fluency and Flexibility in the Classroom
Authors: KURTZBERG RICHARD L. , REALE AMELIA
Published: December 2011

This study was conducted to determine if it is possible to increase students' creative output by teaching a portion of the Future Problem Solving (FPS) process, the identification of problems, as part of a regular middle school curriculum. Subject were 43 13‐ and 14‐year old 8th graders in two heterogeneous physical science classes. Participants were given a pre‐test and showed no differences in fluency and flexibility, using the FPS evaluation system. Students in one class were trained in specific techniques designed to increase fluency and flexibility, using new material directly from the physical science curriculum. A posttest revealed significant differences between control and experimental groups in four measures: number of problems, number of relevant problems, number of different categories, and total score. The results supported the hypothesis that fluency and flexibility can be taught by utilizing the Future Problem Solving process. This study provides experimental evidence that thinking skills can be taught systematically in a content‐based curriculum
Stimulating Children's Creativity and Curiosity: Does Content and Medium Matter?
Authors: RUBENSTEIN DOROTHY J.
Published: December 2011

Effects of print, television and content on children's creativity, and measures of possibility and curiosity were examined. Eight science TV programs were identified as low or high creative and eight illustrated booklets were developed to mirror the programs' content. Fifth and sixth on‐grade‐level‐readers were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: High Content TV, Low Content TV, High Content Print or Low Content Print. Students then completed the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, The Possibilities Index and The Children's Science Curiosity Scale. Low Content significantly outscored High Content on Visual Originality and High Content significantly outscored Low Content on measures of possibility and curiosity. Results suggest content has more effect on creativity and attitude than media.
Indexing Creativity Fostering Teacher Behavior: A Preliminary Validation Study
Authors: SOH KAY‐CHENG
Published: December 2011

Research on teachers' creativity fostering behavior has been much neglected in spite of the important role teachers play in developing student creativity. One possible reason for this is the lack of a suitable measure of teachers' creativity fostering behavior. A 45‐item self‐rating scale based on nine creativity fostering behaviors identified by Cropley (1997) was developed and validated with self‐describing adjectives checklist. Analysis shows adequate construct and concurrent validities. Specific teachers' creativity fostering behaviors were found to correlate with sex and ethnicity. Further work is suggested.
Perfectionism and Creative Strivings
Authors: GALLUCCI NICHOLAS T. , MIDDLETON GEORGE , KLINE ADAM
Published: December 2011

Samples of gifted children in Louisiana (N = 44) and Connecticut (N = 34) were administered the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) and the Khatena‐Torrance Creative Perception Inventory (KTCPI). The KTCPI consisted of two biographical measures, the Something About Myself (SAM) and What Kind of Person Are You (WKOPAY) subtests. The results for the WKOPAY were generally consistent with predictions. Higher scores on the scales of the MPS associated with neurotic perfectionism, the Overall MPS, Doubts About Actions (D), Organization (O), and Parental Criticism (PC), were associated with lower scores on the WKOPAY. Inconsistent with predictions, the Concern over Mistakes (CM) and Personal Standards (PS) scales of the MPS were not significantly correlated with the WKOPAY. Results for the SAM were inconsistent with predictions, with the exception of the significant positive correlation between the PS scale and the SAM.
Domain Specificity in Creativity Testing: A Comparison of Performance on a General Divergent‐Thinking Test and a Parallel, Content‐Specific Test
Authors: DIAKIDOY IRENE‐ANNA N. , SPANOUDIS GEORGE
Published: December 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which domain‐specific components, such as content and type of task, influence divergent thinking and creativity by comparing the performance of 112 ninth‐grade students on two parallel divergent‐thinking tests. The Verbal Forms of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) represented the domain‐independent measures, while two forms of a Creativity in History Test (CHT), whose items corresponded closely to those of the TTCT, served as the content‐specific measures. The results indicated that both content‐specific and task‐specific factors have significant effects on divergent‐thinking and creative performance. Implications concerning the definition of creativity as a construct and its measurement are discussed.
Createativity and Mood: Towards a Model of Cognitive Mediation
Authors: PAPWORTH MARK A. , JAMES IAN A.
Published: December 2011

Empirical and biographical evidence reveals that the highly creative are more likely to experience mental health problems; most commonly depression and particularly within artistic fields. Cognitive theories of creative thinking suggest that artistic creativity may be associated with a divergent style of thinking, which is distinguished by specific differences with respect to logical appraisal skills. As similar patterns of appraisal are frequently found in those experiencing depression, it is suggested that appraisal may be a mediating feature between creativity and affect. This hypothesis is tested in the present study. Creativity, cognitive appraisal patterns and mood were measured in 104 undergraduate students (N = 36 art and 68 science) by standardised assessments. In keeping with predictions, art students were found to be more creative, experienced lower mood, and displayed greater degrees of distortion and bias in their appraisals.