Affective education in guangzhou, China: A case study

While the affective domain is believed globally to be one of the main areas of human experience and development, affective education is interpreted differently in different countries, and its manifestation varies from region to region. It is argued that affective education is culturally contextualized. The present paper reports a qualitative case study attempting to investigate how affective education is conceptualized and implemented in contemporary China. A middle school in Guangzhou, the biggest city in South China, was chosen as the case school. The study was conducted via semi-structured interviews (both individual and group), analysis of textbooks and school documents, and on-site observations. Findings show that perceived aims and contents of affective education were closely related to character formation, traditional Chinese values and political ideology. Affective education was also interpreted as a response to the rapid social changes in modern China. These findings highlight the influences of Chinese cultural values and political ideology on the conceptualization and interpretation of affective education. Our findings suggest that affective education from the Chinese perspective is 'value-oriented' rather than 'affect-oriented' and it serves as the means to promote the well-being of the collective rather than that of the individual. © Common Ground, Kai Yuen Cheng, Eadaoin K. P. Hui.published_or_final_versio

Multivariate cluster analysis of some major and trace elements distribution in an unsaturated zone profile, Densu river basin, Ghana

This study comprises soils formed on Paleoproterozoic Birimian Basement rocks (poorly graded silty sand, gravely sand and silty clays) from the unsaturated zone of the Densu River Basin, taken from a five meter depth. Elemental analysis of the soils samples were carried out by Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) to ascertain the levels of major and trace elements (K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Zr, Sr, Y, Pb, V, Cr, Ga, Ni and Rb) and to determine by statistical analysis the soil components which control the vertical distribution and the geochemical processes associated with the migration of the elements. The results indicated that there was general leaching of the base cations (K and Ca) near the surface 25 to 75cm depth while Fe and Ti concentrations remained fairly constant. Iron was the most abundant element found in the soil with concentrations ranging from 23.84g/kg to 143.70g/kg. The physicochemical analysis on soils shows moderately acidic to alkaline (pHH2O range 5.6 to 8.3) and reducing properties, Eh (mV) ranged from -107.1 to +50.2. Enrichment factor calculations show the metals were depleted or of minimal enrichment (EF values between 0 to 12.14) due to human activities. Cluster analysis of the samples shows only one sample is needed from depths characterised by similar physical properties of texture and colour.Key words: Unsaturated zone, energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence, vertical distribution, enrichment factor, cluster analysis

Developing a career development self-efficacy instrument for Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong

A 24-item measure, the Career Development Self-Efficacy Inventory (CD-SEI), was developed to assess career development self-efficacy among adolescents in Hong Kong. The CD-SEI covered six domains representing competencies needed by high school students transiting from school to work in Hong Kong. The confirmatory factor analyses of the responses from 6776 Grades 10-13 students showed that the six primary factors with one higher order factor model was the best fit to the data, though the one general factor model yielded an adequate fit. Reliability analyses showed that the total scale and subscales were internally consistent. The data suggested that Hong Kong adolescents had some, but not strong confidence in their career development. Students with plans to study at a university had more confidence in their career development than those who did not have such plans. This is the first study to develop and validate a career development self-efficacy measure for Chinese adolescents. Issues related to comprehensive guidance programming and assessment instrument development from a cross-cultural perspective were discussed. © Springer 2005.postprin

Forgiveness and interpersonal relationships: A nepalese investigation

The present study examined the practice of forgiveness in Nepal. A model relating collectivism and forgiveness was examined. Participants (N = 221) completed measures of collectivism, individualism, forgiveness, conciliatory behavior, and motivations for avoidance and revenge toward the offender. Collectivism was positively related to forgiveness. Forgiveness was strongly related to conciliatory behavior and motivations for avoidance and revenge toward the offender. Decisional forgiveness was a stronger predictor of motivations for revenge than was emotional forgiveness. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.postprin

Mannose-binding lectin in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection

Little is known about the innate immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV) infection. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a key molecule in innate immunity, functions as an ante-antibody before the specific antibody response. Here, we describe a case-control study that included 569 patients with SARS and 1188 control subjects and used in vitro assays to investigate the role that MBL plays in SARS-CoV infection. The distribution of MBL gene polymorphisms was significantly different between patients with SARS and control subjects, with a higher frequency of haplotypes associated with low or deficient serum levels of MBL in patients with SARS than in control subjects. Serum levels of MBL were also significantly lower in patients with SARS than in control subjects. There was, however, no association between MBL genotypes, which are associated with low or deficient serum levels of MBL, and mortality related to SARS. MBL could bind SARS-CoV in a dose- and calcium-dependent and mannan-inhibitable fashion in vitro, suggesting that binding is through the carbohydrate recognition domains of MBL. Furthermore, deposition of complement C4 on SARS-CoV was enhanced by MBL. Inhibition of the infectivity of SARS-CoV by MBL in fetal rhesus kidney cells (FRhK-4) was also observed. These results suggest that MBL contributes to the first-line host defense against SARS-CoV and that MBL deficiency is a susceptibility factor for acquisition of SARS. © 2005 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

The counselling self-estimate inventory (COSE): Does it work in Chinese counsellors?

Counselling self-efficacy is an important construct for research and evaluation in counsellors' competencies and training effectiveness. Larson et al. developed the Counselling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE) for counsellors in America and examined its factor structure using exploratory factor analysis. They recommended a five-factor model (microskills, counselling process, difficult client behaviour, cultural competence, and awareness of values) and the use of the COSE for future research. However, little research has investigated the validity of the COSE in the context of counselling Chinese students in schools. In the present study, the factor structure of responses to the Chinese version of the Counselling Self-Estimate Inventory in a sample of 578 Hong Kong secondary school guidance teachers was examined using the EQS approach to confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed that while a five-factor model was fairly able to fit the data, the deletion of items related to the awareness of values factor yielded a better fitting model. The discussion of potential uses and limitations of the C-COSE in the context of preparing and supervising school guidance personnel in student counselling is relevant to counselling psychologists and researchers in Hong Kong and other parts of the world.postprin

Gene Expression Profiling in Cells with Enhanced γ-Secretase Activity

BACKGROUND: Processing by gamma-secretase of many type-I membrane protein substrates triggers signaling cascades by releasing intracellular domains (ICDs) that, following nuclear translocation, modulate the transcription of different genes regulating a diverse array of cellular and biological processes. Because the list of gamma-secretase substrates is growing quickly and this enzyme is a cancer and Alzheimer's disease therapeutic target, the mapping of gamma-secretase activity susceptible gene transcription is important for sharpening our view of specific affected genes, molecular functions and biological pathways. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To identify genes and molecular functions transcriptionally affected by gamma-secretase activity, the cellular transcriptomes of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with enhanced and inhibited gamma-secretase activity were analyzed and compared by cDNA microarray. The functional clustering by FatiGO of the 1,981 identified genes revealed over- and under-represented groups with multiple activities and functions. Single genes with the most pronounced transcriptional susceptibility to gamma-secretase activity were evaluated by real-time PCR. Among the 21 validated genes, the strikingly decreased transcription of PTPRG and AMN1 and increased transcription of UPP1 potentially support data on cell cycle disturbances relevant to cancer, stem cell and neurodegenerative diseases' research. The mapping of interactions of proteins encoded by the validated genes exclusively relied on evidence-based data and revealed broad effects on Wnt pathway members, including WNT3A and DVL3. Intriguingly, the transcription of TERA, a gene of unknown function, is affected by gamma-secretase activity and was significantly altered in the analyzed human Alzheimer's disease brain cortices. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Investigating the effects of gamma-secretase activity on gene transcription has revealed several affected clusters of molecular functions and, more specifically, 21 genes that hold significant potential for a better understanding of the biology of gamma-secretase and its roles in cancer and Alzheimer's disease pathology

Polymorphisms of PTPN11 coding SHP-2 as biomarkers for ulcerative colitis susceptibility in the Japanese population.

OBJECTIVE: To identify genetic determinants of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we examined an association between polymorphisms of both the programmed cell death 1 gene (PDCD1) and the src homology 2 domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase 2 gene (PTPN11) and susceptibility to IBD. METHODS: Study subjects comprised 114 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 83 patients with Crohn\u27s disease, and 200 healthy control subjects. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PDCD1 and PTPN11 were detected by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism. Subsequently, haplotypes composed of the two SNPs in PTPN11 were constructed. RESULTS: The frequencies of the Hap 1 haplotype and its homozygous Hap 1/Hap 1 diplotype of PTPN11 were significantly increased in UC patients compared to control subjects (P = 0.011 and P = 0.030, respectively). While no association was found for PDCD1 for UC or CD and none for PTPN11 for CD. CONCLUSION: PTPN11 is a genetic determinant for the pathogenesis of UC, and haplotyping of PTPN11 may be useful as a genetic biomarker to identify high-risk individuals susceptible to UC