School-University Partnerships in Action: Concepts, Cases and Concerns

A book review of School-University Partnerships in Action: Concepts, Cases and Concerns, edited Kenneth A. Sirotnik and John I. Goodlad

A Guidebook to Learning: For a Lifelong Pursuit of Wisdom

A book review of A Guidebook to Learning: For a Lifelong Pursuit of Wisdom, by Mortimer J. Adler

How to Eliminate the Educational Abdicators: Public Schools - What\u27s Broken and How to Fix It

A book review of How to Eliminate the Educational Abdicators: Public Schools - What\u27s Broken and How to Fix It, by Louis F. Welpert

Schools of the Future; The Great School Debate

Two book reviews: Schools of the Future: how American Business and Education Can Cooperate to Save Our Schools, by Marvin Cetron with Barbara Soriano and Margaret E. Gayle; and The Great School Debate: Which Way for American Education, by Beatrice and Ronald Gross

Black Children: Their Roots, Culture and Learning Styles.

A book review of Black Children: Their Roots, Culture and Learning Styles, by Janice Hale-Benson

College: The Undergraduate Experience in America

A book review of College: The Undergraduate Experience in America, by Ernest L. Boyer

Boys Together; Contemporary Approaches to Moral Education; and Foundations of Moral Education

Three books reviews: Boys Together: English Public Schools, 1800 -1864, by John Chandos; Contemporary Approaches to Moral Education: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Research, by James S. Leming; and Foundations of Moral Education: An Annotated Bibliography, by James S. Leming

Athletes' Attitudes Toward Seeking Sport Psychology Consultation: Development and Validation of the Sport Psychology Attitudes Questionnaire

The purpose of the study was to create a questionnaire to identify underlying dimensions of athletes' attitudes toward seeking sport psychology consultation. A total of 1138 athletes (625 males, 513 females) representing 36 sports from four levels of participation were used to develop the Sport Psychology Attitudes Questionnaire (SPAQ). In Study I, exploratory factor analysis produced a two-factor solution that accounted for 37.1% of the overall variance: (a) belief in the credibility of sport psychology (14 items) and (b) preference for similarity with a sport psychology consultant (SPC) (7 items). Three items were omitted following item analysis, and nine items were eliminated after failing to load higher than the cut-off value of .40 on either of the factors. In Study II, confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-factor model, and multigroup comparison in Study III demonstrated that the model fit well for both male and female samples. As for validity, the SPAQ factors predictably (a) distinguished between athletes with and without previous experience with a SPC, (b) related to ratings of helpfulness/satisfaction related to a previous experience with a SPC, and (c) correlated with willingness to see a SPC for help in the future. Also, the SPAQ factors were related, as predicted, to (a) belief that practicing sport psychology skills will lead to desirable outcomes, (b) interpersonal openness, and (c) affective prejudice toward identified outgroups but were not related to level of self-concept as hypothesized. Contrary to predictions, Gender X Race X SPC experience MANOVAs revealed no gender or racial differences in attitudes toward sport psychology consultation. It was concluded that the SPAQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing a set of important attitudinal dimensions with regard to seeking sport psychology consultation and a useful instrument for research and practice. Theoretical and empirical support for the interpretation of the SPAQ factor structure, directions for future research, and practical implications are discussed

Targeted infection of HIV-1 Env expressing cells by HIV(CD4/CXCR4) vectors reveals a potential new rationale for HIV-1 mediated down-modulation of CD4

BACKGROUND: Efficient targeted gene transfer and cell type specific transgene expression are important for the safe and effective expression of transgenes in vivo. Enveloped viral vectors allow insertion of exogenous membrane proteins into their envelopes, which could potentially aid in the targeted transduction of specific cell types. Our goal was to specifically target cells that express the T cell tropic HIV-1 envelope protein (Env) using the highly specific interaction of Env with its cellular receptor (CD4) inserted into the envelope of an HIV-1-based viral vector. RESULTS: To generate HIV-1-based vectors carrying the CD4 molecule in their envelope, the CD4 ectodomain was fused to diverse membrane anchors and inserted together with the HIV-1 coreceptor CXCR4 into the envelopes of HIV-1 vector particles. Independent of the type of CD4 anchor, all chimeric CD4 proteins inserted into HIV-1 vector envelopes and the resultant HIV(CD4/CXCR4) particles were able to selectively confer neomycin resistance to cells expressing the fusogenic T cell tropic HIV-1 Env protein. Unexpectedly, in the absence of Env on the target cells, all vector particles carrying the CD4 ectodomain anchored in their envelope adhered to various cell types without infecting these cells. This cell adhesion was very avid. It was independent of the presence of Env on the target cell, the type of CD4 anchor or the presence of CXCR4 on the particle. In mixed cell populations with defined ratios of Env(+)/Env(- )cells, the targeted transduction of Env(+ )cells by HIV(CD4/CXCR4) particles was diminished in proportion to the number of Env(- )cells. CONCLUSION: Vector diversion caused by a strong, non-selective cell binding of CD4(+)-vector particles effectively prevents the targeted transduction of HIV-1 Env expressing cells in mixed cell populations. This Env-independent cell adhesion severely limits the effective use of targeted HIV(CD4/CXCR4) vectors designed to interfere with HIV-1 replication in vivo. Importantly, the existence of this newly described and remarkably strong CD4-dependent cell adhesion suggests that the multiple viral efforts to reduce CD4 cell surface expression may, in part, be to prevent cell adhesion to non-target cells and thereby to increase the infectivity of viral progeny. Preventing CD4 down-modulation by HIV-1 might be an effective component of a multi-faceted antiviral strategy