School Racial Climate and the Academic Achievement of African American High School Students: The Mediating Role of School Engagement

African American students in K-12 education experience pervasive disparities in academic outcomes across all areas of the schooling experience. In order to understand the factors that promote academic achievement among individuals who face adversity, researchers have sought to examine how school environmental factors hold influence over students\u27 academic adjustment. Drawing from an integrative model of development for ethnic minority children and a process model of engagement, this investigation explored whether three dimensions of school engagement, behavioral, emotional and cognitive, mediated relationships between school racial climate and academic performance and educational aspirations. These relationships were explored in a sample of 139 (79 girls, 60 boys) African American adolescent youth recruited from a high school in the southeastern region of the United States. Findings revealed an indirect effect of perceptions of racial fairness on academic achievement indicators though behavioral and cognitive engagement. Behavioral and cognitive engagement also mediated relationships between youths\u27 perceived peer discrimination and academic achievement indicators. Interestingly, the mediating role of emotional engagement in these relationships was found to be dependent on the predicted achievement outcome. No significant indirect effects of teacher discrimination on academic achievement through school engagement dimensions were found. Study limitations, future research directions and implications are discussed

Individual differences in emotional processing and autobiographical memory:Interoceptive awareness and alexithymia in the fading affect bias

The capacity to perceive internal bodily states is linked to emotional awareness and effective emotional regulation. We explore individual differences in emotional awareness in relation to the fading affect bias (FAB), which refers to the greater dwindling of unpleasant compared to pleasant emotions in autobiographical memory. We consider interoceptive awareness and alexithymia in relation to the FAB, and private event rehearsal as a mediating process. With increasing interoceptive awareness, there was an enhanced FAB, but with increasing alexithymia, there was a decreased FAB. Further, the effects of interoceptive awareness were partially mediated by private rehearsal of pleasant events. We provide novel evidence that capacity for emotional awareness and thus effective processing is an important factor predictive of the FAB. Moreover, our results imply an important role for maintaining positive affect in the FAB. Our findings offer new insights into the effects of interoception and alexithymia on autobiographical memory, and support concepts of the FAB emerging as a result of adaptive emotional regulation processes

Cross-age effects on forensic face construction

The own-age bias (OAB) refers to recognition memory being more accurate for people of our own age than other age groups (e.g., Wright and Stroud, 2002). This paper investigated whether the OAB effect is present during construction of human faces (also known as facial composites, often for forensic/police use). In doing so, it adds to our understanding of factors influencing both facial memory across the life span as well as performance of facial composites. Participant-witnesses were grouped into younger (19–35 years) and older (51–80 years) adults, and constructed a single composite from memory of an own- or cross-age target face using the feature-based composite system PRO-fit. They also completed the shortened version of the glasgow face matching test (GFMT; Burton et al., 2010). A separate group of participants who were familiar with the relevant identities attempted to name the resulting composites. Correct naming of the composites revealed the presence of an OAB for older adults, who constructed more identifiable composites of own-age than cross-age faces. For younger adults, age of target face did not influence correct naming and their composites were named at the same level as those constructed by older adults for younger targets. Also, there was no reliable correlation between face perception ability and composite quality. Overall, correct naming was fairly good across the experiment, and indicated benefit for older witnesses for older targets. Results are discussed in terms of contemporary theories of OAB, and implications of the work for forensic practice

Conversational Patterns and Listener Responses Associated with an Enhanced Fading Affect Bias after Social Disclosure

The fading affect bias (FAB) is a phenomenon of autobiographical memory whereby negative emotions associated with event memories fade in intensity over time more than positive emotions. Social disclosure enhances the FAB and listener responsiveness during social disclosure is an important facet, however, little is known about the nature of listener verbal responses that facilitate an enhanced FAB. In this study, we used discourse analysis to explore listener verbal responses and conversational patterns associated with an enhanced FAB after social disclosure: backchanneling, in which the listener shows they are paying attention to the story underway; displays of understanding whereby the listener shows awareness of the speaker’s emotional state; and positive facilitation, characterized by mutual development of positive interpretations of both pleasant and unpleasant experiences. We suggest that such listener responses are similar to those described in the verbal person-centered framework, and the emotional benefits of social disclosure are in part collaboratively created by conversationalists

PPARγ agonists do not directly enhance basal or insulin-stimulated Na+ transport via the epithelial Na+ channel

Selective agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) are anti-diabetic drugs that enhance cellular responsiveness to insulin. However, in some patients, fluid retention, plasma volume expansion, and edema have been observed. It is well established that insulin regulates Na(+) reabsorption via the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) located in the distal tubule. Therefore, we hypothesized that these agonists may positively modulate insulin-stimulated ENaC activity leading to increased Na(+) reabsorption and fluid retention. Using electrophysiological techniques, dose-response curves for insulin-mediated Na(+) transport in the A6, M-1, and mpkCCD(cl4) cell lines were performed. Each line demonstrated hormone efficacy within physiological concentration ranges and, therefore, can be used to monitor clinically relevant effects of pharmacological agents which may affect electrolyte transport. Immunodetection and quantitative PCR analyses showed that each cell line expresses viable and functional PPARgamma receptors. Despite this finding, two PPARgamma agonists, pioglitazone and GW7845 did not directly enhance basal or insulin-stimulated Na(+) flux via ENaC, as shown by electrophysiological methodologies. These studies provide important results, which eliminate insulin-mediated ENaC activation as a candidate mechanism underlying the fluid retention observed with PPARgamma agonist use

The influence of cluster emission and the symmetry energy on neutron-proton spectral double ratios

Emissions of free neutrons and protons from the central collisions of 124Sn+124Sn and 112Sn+112Sn reactions are simulated using the Improved Quantum Molecular Dynamics model with two different density dependence of the symmetry energy in the nuclear equation of state. The constructed double ratios of the neutron to proton ratios of the two reaction systems are found to be sensitive to the symmetry terms in the EOS. The effect of cluster formation is examined and found to affect the double ratios mainly in the low energy region. In order to extract better information on symmetry energy with transport models, it is therefore important to have accurate data in the high energy region which also is affected minimally by sequential decays.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

The Effects Of Caffeine On Early Second Half Sprint Performance In NCAA DIII Women’s Soccer Players

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of caffeine on early second half sprint performance in 21 NCAA DIII women’s soccer players. The caffeine dosage attempted to approximate a liquid dosage many student athletes typically consume. Design In a randomized double blind repeated measures design, subjects began the protocol after ingestion of caplets containing 3 mg.kg-1 of caffeine (CAF) and after ingestion of placebo (PLA) caplets. Pre-game, warm-up, and first half conditions were designed to maximize external validity. Methods An adapted version of the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test was applied to replicate first half activity. Sprint performance was measured with the Running Based Anaerobic Sprint Test. Mean power, maximum power, and minimum power, were assessed under each condition. Repeated measures MANOVA was used to determine if there were significant mean vector differences between the trials. Results Although mean, maximum, and minimum power in the CAF trial increased 3.2%, 3.4%, and 4% respectively, MANOVA results showed no statistically significant differences in the mean vector for power variables (Λ = .752, p \u3e .05). Conclusions The lack of statistical significance in this study is likely attributed to the relationship between a small, although contextually plausible, relative caffeine dosage and an extended exercise time. The results also suggest caffeine ingestion of 3 mg.kg-1 should not be considered capable of improving sprint performance at the start of the second half

In-beam γ\gamma-ray spectroscopy at the proton dripline: 40^{40}Sc

We report on the first in-beam $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy of the proton-dripline nucleus $^{40}$Sc using two-nucleon pickup onto an intermediate-energy rare-isotope beam of $^{38}$Ca. The $^{9}$Be($^{38}$Ca,$^{40}$Sc$+\gamma$)X reaction at 60.9 MeV/nucleon mid-target energy selectively populates states in $^{40}$Sc for which the transferred proton and neutron couple to high orbital angular momentum. In turn, due to angular-momentum selection rules in proton emission and the nuclear structure and energetics of $^{39}$Ca, such states in $^{40}$Sc then exhibit $\gamma$-decay branches although they are well above the proton separation energy. This work uniquely complements results from particle spectroscopy following charge-exchange reactions on $^{40}$Ca as well as $^{40}$Ti EC/$\beta^+$ decay which both display very different selectivities. The population and $\gamma$-ray decay of the previously known first $(5^-)$ state at 892 keV and the observation of a new level at 2744 keV are discussed in comparison to the mirror nucleus and shell-model calculations. On the experimental side, this work shows that high-resolution in-beam $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy is possible with new generation Ge arrays for reactions induced by rare-isotope beams on the level of a few $\mu$b of cross section.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.

2010 AAPP Monograph Series: African American Professors Program

The African American Professors Program (AAPP) at the University of South Carolina is proud to publish the tenth edition of its annual monograph series. The program recognizes the significance of offering its scholars a venue to engage actively in research and to publish papers related thereto. Parallel with the publication of their refereed manuscripts is the opportunity to gain visibility among scholars throughout institutions in international settings. Scholars who have contributed papers for this monograph are to be commended for recognizing the value of including this responsibility within their academic milieu. Writing across disciplines adds to the intellectual diversity of these papers. From neophytes, relatively speaking, to an array of very experienced individuals, the chapters have been researched and comprehensively written. Founded in 1997 through the Department of Educational Leadership and Policies in the College of Education, AAPP was designed to address the under-representation of African American professors on college and university campuses. Its mission is to expand the pool of these professors in critical academic and research areas. Sponsored by the University of South Carolina, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the South Carolina General Assembly, the program recruits doctoral students for disciplines in which African Americans currently are underrepresented among faculty in higher education. The continuation of this monograph series is seen as responding to a window of opportunity to be sensitive to an academic expectation of graduates as they pursue career placement and, at the same time, one that allows for the dissemination of products of scholarship to a broader community. The importance of this monograph series has been voiced by one of our 2002 AAPP graduates, Dr. Shundele LaTjuan Dogan, formerly an Administrative Fellow at Harvard University, a Program Officer for the Southern Education Foundation, and a Program Officer for the Arthur M. Blank Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia. She is currently a Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs Manager for IBM-International Business Machines in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Dogan wrote: One thing in particular that I want to thank you for is having the African American Professors Program scholars publish articles for the monograph. I have to admit that writing the articles seemed like extra work at the time. However, in my recent interview process, organizations have asked me for samples of my writing. Including an article from a published monograph helped to make my portfolio much more impressive. You were \u27right on target\u27 in having us do the monograph series. (AAPP 2003 Monograph, p. x) The African American Professors Program continues its tradition as a promoter of scholarship in higher education as evidenced through the inspiration from this group of interdisciplinary manuscripts. I hope that you will accept these published papers as serving an invaluable contribution to your own professional and career development. John McFadden, Ph.D. The Benjamin Elijah Mays Distinguished Professor Emeritus Director, African American Professors Program University of South Carolinahttps://scholarcommons.sc.edu/mcfadden_monographs/1001/thumbnail.jp