Unmotivated or motivated to fail? A cross-cultural study of achievement motivation, fear of failure, and student disengagement

A classic distinction in the literature on achievement and motivation is between fear of failure and success orientations. From the perspective of self-worth theory, these motives are not bipolar constructs but dimensions that interact in ways that make some students particularly vulnerable to underachievement and disengagement from school. The current study employs the quadripolar model of need achievement (Covington, 1992; Covington & Omelich, 1988) to explore how these approach and avoidance orientations are related to self-handicapping, defensive pessimism, and helplessness in Eastern and Western settings. Although there have been numerous calls for research of this kind across cultures (Elliott & Bempechat, 2002; Jose & Kilburg, 2007; Pintrich, 2003), little exists in the field to date. In Study 1, with 1,423 Japanese high school students, helplessness and self-handicapping were found to be highest when students were low in success orientation and high in fear of failure. These findings were replicated in Study 2 with 643 Australian students and extended to measures of truancy, disengagement, and self-reported academic achievement. Consistent with self-worth theory, success orientation largely moderated the relationship between fear of failure and academic engagement in both cultures. These results suggest that in the absence of firm achievement goals, fear of failure is associated with a range of maladaptive self-protective strategies. The current project thus represents a unique application of self-worth theory to achievement dynamics and clarifies substantive issues relevant to self-handicapping and disengagement across cultures

Self-harm, substance use and psychological distress in the Australian general population

AIMS: To examine predictors of self-harm, especially substance use and psychological distress, in an Australian adult general population sample. DESIGN: Sequential-cohort design with follow-up every four years. SETTING: Australian general population. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of adults aged 20-24 and 40-44 years (at baseline) living in and around the Australian Capital Territory. MEASUREMENTS: Self-report survey including items on four common forms of self-harm. Psychological distress was indexed by the combined Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scale scores and alcohol problems by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). FINDINGS: 4,160 people (84% of baseline) were re-interviewed at eight years: 4126 reported their self-harm status. Past year self-harm was reported by 8.2% (95% CI 7.4-9.0%) of participants (males: 9.3% (8.0-10.6%), females: 7.3% (6.2-8.4%)). Several forms of substance use – smoking (odds ratio = 1.52), marijuana use (odds ratio = 1.77), and drinking alcohol at a level likely to cause dependence (AUDIT score > 20) (odds ratio = 2.08) – were independently predictive of past year self-harm. Additional key risk factors for self-harm in the past year were childhood sexual abuse by a parent (odds ratio = 3.07), bisexual orientation (odds ratio = 2.65), younger age (odds ratio = 2.23) and male gender (odds ratio = 1.86). Other independent predictors were years of education, adverse life events, psychological distress and financial strain. CONCLUSIONS: Self-harm in young and middle-aged adults appears to be associated with current smoking, marijuana and “dependent†alcohol use. Other independent predictors include younger age, male gender, bisexual orientation, financial strain, education level, psychological distress, adverse life events and sexual abuse by a parent

Use of ocean and estuarine habitats by young-of-year bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) in the New York Bight

Young-of-year (YOY) blue-fish (Pomatomus saltatrix) along the U.S. east coast are often assumed to use estuaries almost exclusively during the summer. Here we present data from 1995 to 1998 indicating that YOY (30–260 mm FL) also use ocean habitats along the coast of New Jersey. An analysis of historical and recent data on northern and southern ocean beaches (0.1–2 m) and the inner continental shelf (5–27 m) during extensive sampling in New Jersey waters from 1995 to 1998 indicated that multiple cohorts occurred (June–August) in every year. When comparable collections of YOY were made in the ocean and in an adjacent estuary, the abundance was 1–2 orders of magnitude greater on ocean beaches during the summer. The YOY were even more abundant in ocean habitats in the fall (September–October), presumably as a result of YOY leaving estuaries to join the coastal migration south. During 1999 and 2000, YOY bluefish were tagged with internal sequential coded wire microtags in order to refine our under-standing of habitat use and movement. Few (0.04%) of the fish tagged on ocean beaches were recaptured; however, 2.2% of the fish tagged in the estuary were recaptured from 2 to 27 days after tagging. Recaptured fish grew quickly (average 1.37 mm FL/d). On ocean beaches YOY fed on a variety of invertebrates and fishes but their diet changed with size. By approximately 80–100 mm FL, they were piscivorous and fed primarily on engraulids, a pattern similar to that reported in estuaries. Based on distribution, abundance, and feeding, both spring- and summer-spawned cohorts of YOY bluefish commonly use ocean habitats. Therefore, attempts to determine factors affecting recruitment success based solely on estuarine sampling may be inadequate and further examination, especially of the contribution of the summer-spawned cohort in ocean habitats, appears warranted

“Body bags ready”: Print media coverage of avian influenza in Australia

In 2006 the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus received considerable media coverage in Australia, as it did in many other countries. It is often argued that the media sensationalizes health crises, and experts cautioned about the risk of panic as a result of fear of avian influenza. The purpose of the present study was to systematically analyze Australian print media coverage of avian influenza in 2006 and to examine whether this coverage served the purpose of informing, rather than alarming, the general public. For the period January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006, 20 Australian newspaper titles were monitored for coverage of avian influenza. The identified articles were analyzed using aspects of protection motivation theory for theoretical direction to determine whether there were any consistent themes or perspectives in the coverage. A total of 850 articles were identified for analysis. Concerning vulnerability, 46% of articles reported the incidence of human cases, with 24% noting that avian influenza was a potential threat to Australia. The most common severity theme was “deadly” with over 50% of mentions, followed by “pandemic” with 35%. Only 11% of articles referred to any form of self-protection. We found that a considerable proportion of the articles reporting on avian influenza were framed in a way that had the potential to incite fear and panic amongst the public; the intensity of media coverage reduced over time; and, of particular concern, that there was little media coverage that focused on protective or preventative issues. Whether an influenza pandemic eventuates or not, it is prudent for governments and health authorities to continually develop appropriate resources and strategies to prepare the health system and the general public to respond to current, and future, infectious disease risks

Do self-reported stress and depressive symptoms effect endothelial function in healthy youth? The LOOK longitudinal study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endothelial dysfunction is thought to be an early indicator of risk for cardiovascular disease and has been associated with both stress and depression in adults and adolescents. Less is known of these relationships in younger populations, where the origins of CVD is thought to manifest. This study examined the effects of questionnaire derived psychosocial stress and depressive symptoms on endothelial function among children, following them through to adolescence. METHOD: Participants were 203 grade 2 children (111 girls; M age = 7.6 ± 0.3 years) from the LOOK longitudinal study, who were followed through to adolescence (16 years). Self-reported psychosocial stress and depression were assessed using the validated Children\u27s Stress Questionnaire and a modified and validated version of the Children\u27s Depression Inventory respectively; endothelial function was assessed using EndoPAT 2000 system at follow-up only; and adjustments were made for fitness, pubertal development and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Although all relationships occurred in the hypothesised direction, no cross-sectional or prospective evidence of early symptoms of psychological stress or depression being associated with endothelial dysfunction was found among our asymptomatic cohort of adolescents (all p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to previous findings in adolescents, our data provided little evidence of any relationship between current or previous psychosocial stress or depression and endothelial function in 16-year-old boys and girls. However, our data need to be interpreted alongside the potential limitations in the sensitivity associated with self-report methods for detecting psychological distress of children

Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation establishes a novel immune suppressive lipidome in skin-draining lymph nodes

The ability of ultraviolet radiation to suppress the immune system is thought to be central to both its beneficial (protection from autoimmunity) and detrimental (carcinogenic) effects. Previous work revealed a key role for lipids particularly platelet-activating factor and sphingosine-1-phosphate in mediating UV-induced immune suppression. We therefore hypothesized that there may be other UV-induced lipids that have immune regulatory roles. To assess this, mice were exposed to an immune suppressive dose of solar-simulated UV (8 J/cm2). Lipidomic analysis identified 6 lipids (2 acylcarnitines, 2 neutral lipids, and 2 phospholipids) with significantly increased levels in the skin-draining lymph nodes of UV-irradiated mice. Imaging mass spectrometry of the lipids in combination with imaging mass cytometry identification of lymph node cell subsets indicated a preferential location of UV-induced lipids to T cell areas. In vitro co-culture of skin-draining lymph node lipids with lymphocytes showed that lipids derived from UV-exposed mice have no effect on T cell activation but significantly inhibited T cell proliferation, indicating that the lipids play an immune regulatory role. These studies are important first steps in identifying novel lipids that contribute to UV-mediated immune suppression

The Holy Grail: A road map for unlocking the climate record stored within Mars' polar layered deposits

In its polar layered deposits (PLD), Mars possesses a record of its recent climate, analogous to terrestrial ice sheets containing climate records on Earth. Each PLD is greater than 2 ​km thick and contains thousands of layers, each containing information on the climatic and atmospheric state during its deposition, creating a climate archive. With detailed measurements of layer composition, it may be possible to extract age, accumulation rates, atmospheric conditions, and surface activity at the time of deposition, among other important parameters; gaining the information would allow us to “read” the climate record. Because Mars has fewer complicating factors than Earth (e.g. oceans, biology, and human-modified climate), the planet offers a unique opportunity to study the history of a terrestrial planet’s climate, which in turn can teach us about our own planet and the thousands of terrestrial exoplanets waiting to be discovered. During a two-part workshop, the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) hosted 38 Mars scientists and engineers who focused on determining the measurements needed to extract the climate record contained in the PLD. The group converged on four fundamental questions that must be answered with the goal of interpreting the climate record and finding its history based on the climate drivers. The group then proposed numerous measurements in order to answer these questions and detailed a sequence of missions and architecture to complete the measurements. In all, several missions are required, including an orbiter that can characterize the present climate and volatile reservoirs; a static reconnaissance lander capable of characterizing near surface atmospheric processes, annual accumulation, surface properties, and layer formation mechanism in the upper 50 ​cm of the PLD; a network of SmallSat landers focused on meteorology for ground truth of the low-altitude orbiter data; and finally, a second landed platform to access ~500 ​m of layers to measure layer variability through time. This mission architecture, with two landers, would meet the science goals and is designed to save costs compared to a single very capable landed mission. The rationale for this plan is presented below. In this paper we discuss numerous aspects, including our motivation, background of polar science, the climate science that drives polar layer formation, modeling of the atmosphere and climate to create hypotheses for what the layers mean, and terrestrial analogs to climatological studies. Finally, we present a list of measurements and missions required to answer the four major questions and read the climate record. 1. What are present and past fluxes of volatiles, dust, and other materials into and out of the polar regions? 2. How do orbital forcing and exchange with other reservoirs affect those fluxes? 3. What chemical and physical processes form and modify layers? 4. What is the timespan, completeness, and temporal resolution of the climate history recorded in the PLD

The Holy Grail: A road map for unlocking the climate record stored within Mars' polar layered deposits

In its polar layered deposits (PLD), Mars possesses a record of its recent climate, analogous to terrestrial ice sheets containing climate records on Earth. Each PLD is greater than 2 ​km thick and contains thousands of layers, each containing information on the climatic and atmospheric state during its deposition, creating a climate archive. With detailed measurements of layer composition, it may be possible to extract age, accumulation rates, atmospheric conditions, and surface activity at the time of deposition, among other important parameters; gaining the information would allow us to “read” the climate record. Because Mars has fewer complicating factors than Earth (e.g. oceans, biology, and human-modified climate), the planet offers a unique opportunity to study the history of a terrestrial planet’s climate, which in turn can teach us about our own planet and the thousands of terrestrial exoplanets waiting to be discovered. During a two-part workshop, the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) hosted 38 Mars scientists and engineers who focused on determining the measurements needed to extract the climate record contained in the PLD. The group converged on four fundamental questions that must be answered with the goal of interpreting the climate record and finding its history based on the climate drivers. The group then proposed numerous measurements in order to answer these questions and detailed a sequence of missions and architecture to complete the measurements. In all, several missions are required, including an orbiter that can characterize the present climate and volatile reservoirs; a static reconnaissance lander capable of characterizing near surface atmospheric processes, annual accumulation, surface properties, and layer formation mechanism in the upper 50 ​cm of the PLD; a network of SmallSat landers focused on meteorology for ground truth of the low-altitude orbiter data; and finally, a second landed platform to access ~500 ​m of layers to measure layer variability through time. This mission architecture, with two landers, would meet the science goals and is designed to save costs compared to a single very capable landed mission. The rationale for this plan is presented below. In this paper we discuss numerous aspects, including our motivation, background of polar science, the climate science that drives polar layer formation, modeling of the atmosphere and climate to create hypotheses for what the layers mean, and terrestrial analogs to climatological studies. Finally, we present a list of measurements and missions required to answer the four major questions and read the climate record. 1. What are present and past fluxes of volatiles, dust, and other materials into and out of the polar regions? 2. How do orbital forcing and exchange with other reservoirs affect those fluxes? 3. What chemical and physical processes form and modify layers? 4. What is the timespan, completeness, and temporal resolution of the climate history recorded in the PLD

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy