Self-regulation of unattainable goals in suicide attempters: the relationship between goal disengagement, goal reengagement and suicidal ideation

There is growing interest in models of adaptive self-regulation. Recent research suggests that goal disengagement and goal reengagement (i.e., goal adjustment) are implicated in the self-regulation of emotion. This study extends the self-regulation research to investigate the utility of goal adjustment in understanding suicidal risk. To this end, two hundred adults hospitalised following a suicidal episode completed a range of clinical and psychological measures in hospital and were followed up approximately 2.5 months after discharge (Time 2). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that goal reengagement predicted suicidal ideation at Time 2. In addition, the lack of goal reengagement was especially pernicious when reported concomitantly with high disengagement. These predictive effects were independent of baseline mood, attempt status and suicidal intent. The theoretical and clinical implications are discussed

Atmospheric Reentry Control for Low Lift/Drag Vehicles

The re-entry trajectory control of a low lift/drag (L/D) (L/D<1 sphere-cone shapes) re-entry vehicle is dealt with. The proposed control strategy is based on the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) design technique and on the variable structure systems (VSS) mathematical machinery. The LQR results from the solution of a differential Riccati equation based on the linearization of the equations of motion along a nominal re-entry trajectory. Its objective is the control of the vehicle in the altitude-velocity plane (vertical plane). Terminal control is performed taking into account the range to go in the LQR and by pointing the velocity vector towards the target via a VSS strategy. A single control variable is considered, namely the bank angle, while the angle of attack is kept constant to assure the required L/D. The proposed technique is applied to the assured crew return vehicle re-entry mission in presence of off-nominal aerodynamic and atmospheric and initial conditions. Extreme cases results and a Monte Carlo simulation are presented to test the robustness of the proposed control strategy, which show that the target point is reached with an accuracy of 1 km in more than 50% of the cases and the required 7.6-km maximum error is not exceeded with probability larger than 0.9

Expanding the comfort zones: Divergent practices of host and international university students

International audienceHost and international students evolve side-by side within the expanding internationalization of higher education. This study takes the complementary perspective of analysing 1,900 host and international students’ experiences at a high-ranking research university in France. We analyse and compare the mobility, language practices and practices related to university life of these two populations interacting within a common higher education setting. Despite common needs of language skills for professional needs, our results demonstrate significant differences in their declared concerns and practices, suggesting that each population remains largely within their diverging ‘comfort zones’. We find a lack of social interaction between host and international students, producing a two-way deficit, where many host students miss an opportunity to benefit from practicing foreign languages and discovering new socio-cultural perspectives, while many international students miss an opportunity for local social and institutional support, known to reduce stress. We conclude with suggestions for adapting university policies to remedy this deficiency

Educational system, income inequality and growth: the median voter's decision

I analyze a long run educational policy as a mechanism to close the income gap among low, median and high-income families. If the choice is made endogenous by the use of the median voter theorem, the results are as follow: i) public education system guarantees income convergence, however the income growth rate of the median voter is smaller; ii) the combination public and private (hybrid) educational system allows faster income growth rate, but income inequality is almost the natural outcome. The ending result is that the combination public and private system will prevail, since the income growth rate of the median voter is higher in this system. This might explain the persistence and differences of income inequality among the economies.<br>O objetivo deste artigo é analisar a utilização da política educacional no longo prazo como mecanismo para a redução da desigualdade de renda entre famílias de renda baixa, mediana e alta. Se a decisão sobre a política for endogeneizada, de acordo com o teorema do eleitor mediano, os resultados são os seguintes: i) o sistema educacional público para todos, apesar de garantir convergência de renda, produz uma menor taxa de crescimento da renda do eleitor mediano; ii) a combinação público-privado (sistema educacional híbrido) permite uma maior taxa de crescimento da renda do eleitor mediano, no entanto a desigualdade de renda é inerente a este sistema. Como resultado final, o eleitor mediano irá escolher o sistema público-privado, pois o crescimento da sua renda é maior, o que pode explicar a persistência e as diferenças na desigualdade de renda das economias