An illustration of local structural equation modeling for longitudinal data:Examining differences in competence development in secondary schools

In this chapter, we discuss how a combination of longitudinal modeling and local structural equation modeling (LSEM) can be used to study how students’ context influence their growth in educational achievement. LSEM is a nonparametric approach that allows for the moderation of a structural equation model over a continuous variable (e.g., socio-economic status; cultural identity; age). Thus, it does not require the categorization of continuous moderators as applied in multi-group approaches. In contrast to regression-based approaches, it does not impose a particular functional form (e.g., linear) on the mean-level differences and can spot differences in the variance-covariance structure. LSEM can be used to detect nonlinear moderation effects, to examine sources of measurement invariance violations, and to study moderation effects on all parameters in the model. We showcase how LSEM can be implemented with longitudinal of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) using the R-package sirt. In more detail, we examine the effect of parental education on math and reading competence in secondary school across three measurement occasions, comparing LSEM to regression based approaches and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Results provide further evidence of the strong influence of the educational background of the family. This chapter offers a new approach to study inter-individual differences in educational development.</p

Examining moderators of vocabulary acquisition from kindergarten through elementary school using local structural equation modeling

Parental socio-economic status (SES) is often found to be associated with children's language competence in the first decade of life. To examine the effect of SES on children's vocabulary development, as well as potential compensatory effects of schooling and learning-related activities, we examined the joint and unique effects of parental education, occupational status, and learning environment at home on children's receptive vocabulary competence and growth in early childhood. We used latent growth curve models to assess pre-school receptive vocabulary and growth across primary school. Analyses were based on data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), a large-scale longitudinal study assessing vocabulary competence and family background from Kindergarten to the 3rd grade of elementary school. To examine the moderating effects of parental education, occupational status, and learning environment at home, we used local structural equation modeling. Results revealed a moderate to strong positive association between parental education and children's receptive vocabulary competence, which fully explained the effect of occupational status on this language skill. With the exception of the activity of reading aloud, we found no effect of learning environment at home. Initially lower performing children showed steeper growth trajectories across school, but rank-orders were relatively stable across time. In summary, the results suggest large initial differences in receptive vocabulary between children from different educational backgrounds, which are reduced, but not fully overcome across elementary school

Extended criteria and predictors in college admission: Exploring the structure of study success and investigating the validity of domain knowledge

The utility of aptitude tests and intelligence measures in the prediction of the success in college is one of the empirically best supported results in ability research. However, the structure of the criterion “study success” has not been appropriately investigated so far. Moreover, it remains unclear which aspect of intelligence – fluid intelligence or crystallized intelligence – has the major impact on the prediction. In three studies we have investigated the dimensionality of the criterion achievements as well as the relative contributions of competing ability predictors. In the first study, the dimensionality of college grades was explored in a sample of 629 alumni. A measurement model with two correlated latent factors distinguishing undergraduate college grades on the one hand from graduate college grades on the other hand had the best fit to the data. In the second study, a group of 179 graduate students completed a Psychology knowledge test and provided available college grades in undergraduate studies. A model separating a general latent factor for Psychology knowledge from a nested method factor for college grades, and a second nested factor for “experimental orientation” had the best fit to the data. In the third study the predictive power of domain specific knowledge tests in Mathematics, English, and Biology was investigated. A sample of 387 undergraduate students in this prospective study additionally completed a compilation of fluid intelligence tests. The results of this study indicate as expected that: a) ability measures are incrementally predictive over school grades in predicting exam grades; and b) that knowledge tests from relevant domains were incrementally predictive over fluid intelligence. The results of these studies suggest that criteria for college admission tests deserve and warrant more attention, and that domain specific ability indicators can contribute to the predictive validity of established admission tests

Qualitative Stadtentwicklungsplanung unter neuen Anforderungen

Daß Stadtentwicklungsplanung immer schon veränderten Rahmenbedingungen und Anforderungen ausgesetzt war, zeigt der Vergleich von in der Vergangenheit zu diesem Thema erstellten Planwerken mit den tatsächlich eingetretenen Realitäten. Durch die Wiedervereinigung hat diese Unsicherheit eine zusätzliche Dimension und durch die aktuell negative Konjunkturentwicklung einen nicht gerade optimistischen Rahmen bekommen. Veränderte Anforderungen werden heute aber auch von Planern selbst an Entwicklungsplanung gestellt. Gerade vor dem Hintergrund der akuten Unübersichtlichkeit muß sie sich auf verschiedene mögliche Entwicklungsalternativen einstellen, kann nicht erst einen langen Planungszyklus abarbeiten und dann die Entwicklung auf sich zukommen lassen. Gerade jetzt sollte ein Plan nicht nur für das Bücherregal bestimmt sein. Stadtentwicklung will die Umsetzung mitdenken und angehen. Dazu wird diese Planung in Flensburg aktuell viel stärker als in der Vergangenheit als ein kommunikativer Prozeß organisiert, der in seinen Ansatz recht früh auch Akteure außerhalb der Verwaltung einzubinden sucht. Das Ziel, zu einer Kooperation zu kommen, soll in der Folge an konkreten Pilotprojekten quasi „erlernbar“ werden. Die vorhandenen Teilkonzepte zur Stadtentwicklung und Flächennutzungsplanung werden dabei selbst als Instrumente eingesetzt, indem bestimmte gewünschte Entwicklungsvorstellungen an private Kooperationspartner herangetragen und als Projekte konsequent angestoßen und angeschoben werden. Auf seiten der Verwaltung verschwimmt damit die klare Aufgaben- und Kompetenzunterscheidung von Stadtplanung und Stadtentwicklung, von Stadtentwicklungs- und Flächennutzungsplanung, von Planung, Moderation und Projektmanagement. Resultat ist ein komplexes Geflecht von Konzepten, Plänen und Projekten. Diese Tendenz wird in der aktuellen Diskussion um Stadtentwicklungsplanung als „Strategische Planung“ thematisiert, ein Ansatz, der sich noch stärker – und das ist nicht nur ein Nebeneffekt – an den vorhandenen Strukturen von Verwaltung reibt als die in der Vergangenheit schon nicht konfliktfreie Forderung nach interdisziplinärer, fach(ämter)übergreifender Planung und Problembearbeitung

Significance of the interconnectivity of intermetallic Laves phases on the mechanical behavior of Mg-Al-Ca alloys

As-cast Mg-Al-Ca alloys are among the most promising alloys for elevated temperature automotive applications (≤ 200 °C) due to their superior creep properties as compared to conventional AZ or AM series Mg alloys. The microstructure of Mg-Al-Ca alloys consist of an α-Mg matrix reinforced with hard interconnected intermetallic (IM) Laves phases. These IM Laves phases are the main reason for the better creep resistance of these alloys. In this study we show that the type, morphology and distribution of IM Laves phases and consequently also the mechanical properties can be manipulated by varying the Ca/Al ratio. An increase in Ca/Al ratio from 0.3 to 1.0 results in i) higher volume fraction of IM Laves phases in the microstructure, ii) improvement in the yield strength (YS), and iii) enhancement in creep resistance at a stress level of 50-70 MPa and a temperature of 170 °C of the as-cast alloys. Further, we investigate the deformation behavior of an Mg-3.7Al-3.8Ca alloy (Ca/Al ratio of 1.0) within a temperature range of 20-200 °C using three different nanoindentation techniques: constant strain rate tests, strain rate jump tests and creep tests all in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The hardness obtained for the α-Mg phase at all testing temperatures was lower than the hardness measured across α-Mg/Laves phase interfaces, presumably due to the higher intrinsic hardness of the Laves phases. The strain rate sensitivity, m, of the α-Mg phase increases with temperature, with values of 0.014 measured at 100 °C and 0.025 at 170 °C, respectively. The indents made across α-Mg/Laves phase interfaces exhibited m values close to and in some cases even higher than the m values of the α-Mg phase indicating significant thermal activation in the interfacial regions. The nanoindentation creep tests showed that the creep properties of the Mg2Ca Laves phase are intrinsically better than that of the α-Mg phase. However, creep tests on regions with a high fraction of interfaces revealed deformation by interfacial sliding resulting in similar creep properties as the α-Mg phase. Parallel slip lines along specific equivalent crystallographic planes were clearly visible on the surface of the Laves phase in and around the indents. Moreover, the local strain distribution and partitioning at the microstructural level occurring during high temperature tensile deformation (at ≈170 °C) was measured using quasi in-situ DIC in SEM revealing i) strain localisation at the α-Mg/Laves phase interfaces suggesting deformation by interfacial sliding, ii) strain concentration along basal slip lines and tensile twinned regions in the α-Mg matrix, and iii) fracture of Laves phases in regions of strain concentration

Mapping established psychopathology scales onto the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP)

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) organizes phenotypes of mental disorder based on empirical covariation, offering a comprehensive organizational framework from narrow symptoms to broader patterns of psychopathology. We argue that established self-report measures of psychopathology from the pre-HiTOP era should be systematically integrated into HiTOP to foster cumulative research and further the understanding of psychopathology structure. Hence, in this study, we mapped 92 established psychopathology (sub)scales onto the current HiTOP working model using data from an extensive battery of self-report assessments that was completed by community participants and outpatients (N = 909). Content validity ratings of the item pool were used to select indicators for a bifactor-(S-1) model of the p factor and five HiTOP spectra (i.e., internalizing, thought disorder, detachment, disinhibited externalizing, and antagonistic externalizing). The content-based HiTOP scales were validated against personality disorder diagnoses as assessed by standardized interviews. We then located established scales within the taxonomy by estimating the extent to which scales reflected higher-level HiTOP dimensions. The analyses shed light on the location of established psychopathology scales in HiTOP, identifying pure markers and blends of HiTOP spectra, as well as pure markers of the p factor (i.e., scales assessing mentalizing impairment and suspiciousness/epistemic mistrust)

BEFKI GC-K: eine Kurzskala zur Messung kristalliner Intelligenz

"In aktuellen Intelligenzstrukturmodellen gehört kristalline Intelligenz (gc) zu den am besten etablierten Fähigkeitsfaktoren. Dabei spiegelt gc die Einflüsse von Lernen und Akkulturation wider und umfasst somit alles Wissen, das Menschen im Laufe ihres Lebens erwerben und zum Problemlösen einsetzen. In diesem Beitrag beschreiben wir die Entwicklung einer Kurzskala zur Messung kristalliner Intelligenz mit fünfminütiger Bearbeitungszeit, die auf deklarativen Wissensfragen aus den Natur-, Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften beruht. Aus einem umfangreichen Itempool wurde ein 32 Fragen umfassender Wissenstest zusammengestellt und einer bundesweit repräsentativen Stichprobe von 1.134 Erwachsenen vorgelegt. Anhand psychometrischer Kennwerte und der Beziehungen zu Kovariaten erfolgte eine Auswahl von 12 Items für die Kurzskala. Ein eindimensionales Messmodell für diese Itemauswahl wies eine gute Passung und eine hohe Reliabilität des latenten Faktors auf. In der Zielpopulation der erwachsenen deutschen Bevölkerung wurden keine substanziellen Boden- oder Deckeneffekte beobachtet. Übereinstimmend mit der Langversion zeigten sich für die Kurzskala hohe Beziehungen zum Bildungsabschluss (ISCED-97) und sozioökonomischen Status (ISEI) sowie erwartungskonforme Korrelationen mit selbstberichtetem Wissen und den fünf Hauptdimensionen der Persönlichkeit (Big Five). Die Kurzskala ermöglicht folglich eine effiziente, reliable und valide Erfassung kristalliner Intelligenz im Rahmen der Umfrageforschung." (Autorenreferat)"Crystallized intelligence (gc) is a well-established cognitive ability factor that has been conceptualized as reflecting influences of learning, education, and acculturation. In this article, we describe the development of a short knowledge scale for the meas¬urement of gc in five minutes administration time using declarative knowledge items from the sciences, the humanities, and civics. Based on a large item pool we compiled a 32-item knowledge test that was subsequently presented to a nationally representative sample of 1,134 German adults. In the next step, this data were used to derive a short 12-item knowledge scale. A unidimensional measurement model had satisfactory model fit and showed high reliability of the latent factor. There were no substantial floor or ceiling effects in the adult German population. Similar to the full scale, the short scale correlated highly positively with education (ISCED-97) and socio-economic status (ISEI) and was meaningfully related to self-reported knowledge and the Big Five personality traits. Therefore, the short knowledge scale allows for an efficient and valid measurement of crystallized intelligence in survey research." (author's abstract

Biologische effecten van straling van 90sr op de modelplant ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA

Abstract (Nederlands) Het is belangrijk om te weten wat de effecten van beta-straling op planten zijn omdat zo achterhaald wordt hoe planten reageren op bijvoorbeeld routinelozingen of accidentele lozingen van kerncentrales of de NORM-producerende industrie. Deze studie werd uitgevoerd omwille van gaten in de literatuur in verband met dit onderwerp. In deze studie werden de effecten van beta-straling van het radioactieve strontium-90 (90Sr) op de modelplant Arabidopsis thaliana bestudeerd aan de hand van de morfologische parameters groei, bladoppervlakte en biomassa en de fysiologische parameters DNA-schade (aan de hand van GUS-activiteit, concentratie 8-OHdG, DNA-fragmentatie en gamma-H2AX) en chlorofyl, door de planten bloot te stellen aan een reeks activiteitsconcentraties van 90Sr (250 Bq/l, 2500 Bq/l, 25000 Bq/l en 250000 Bq/l). Vastgesteld wordt dat beta-straling een effect heeft op de groei van de plant. Planten vertonen een toenemende groei bij besmetting met hogere activiteitsconcentratie. Een hypothese is dat de groei veroorzaakt wordt door toename van celelongatie. Het is mogelijk dat toenemende celelongatie veroorzaakt wordt door rechtstreekse interactie van straling op de plant of onrechtstreeks door een systeem dat te maken heeft met de energiehuishouding van de plant. 90Sr kan mogelijks de celwanden van de plant aantasten als gevolg van rechtstreekse interactie van straling op de cellulosefibrillen en de pectinefractie van de celwand, wat leidt tot toename van celelongatie. Een andere mogelijkheid is dat de bladeren groter worden via toename van celelongatie door een signaal van de plant, om zo de energiehuishouding door fotosynthese in stand te houden, ondanks DNA-schade. Het is ook mogelijk dat beide oorzaken voor de toenemende celelongatie samen voorkomen. Planten kunnen mogelijks vanaf een bepaalde 90Sr activiteitsconcentratie een herstelmechanisme activeren voor DNA-schade en bij een hogere 90Sr activiteitsconcentraties het antioxidatief systeem optimaliseren, waardoor minder ROS wordt geproduceerd na interactie met straling. Deze systemen beschermen de planten tegen DNA-schade en sterfte. Abstract (Engels) It is important to know the effects of beta-radiation on plants. Therefore, plants are analysed to determine the reactions on routine or accidental discharge of nuclear plants or the NORM-producing industry. Because few is written in literature around this subject, this study is accomplished. The effects of beta-radiation of the radioactive strontium-90 (90Sr) on the modelplant Arabidopsis thaliana are analyzed with the morphological parameters growth, leaf area and biomass; and with the fysiological parameters DNA-damage (with GUS-activity, concentration 8-OHdG and gamma-H2AX) and chlorofyl, by exposing the plants to different 90Sr activity concentrations (250 Bq/l, 2500 Bq/l, 25000 Bq/l en 250000 Bq/l). Beta-radiation does have an effect on the growth of the plants. Plants show an increased growth when contaminated with higher activity concentration. A hypothesis is that the growth is caused by increased cell elongation. It is possible that increased cell elongation is caused directly by radiation of 90Sr on the plants or indirectly by a system that deals with the energy management of the plants. 90Sr can possibly affect the cell wall of the plants due to direct interaction of radiation on the cellulose fibrilles and the pectin fractions of these cell walls, which leads to an increased cell elongation. Another possibility is that leafs become bigger due to increased cell elongation as result of plant signaling. Due to this increased cell elongation, the energy management is maintained with the aid of photosynthesis, in spite of DNA damage. It is also possible that both causes of increased cell elongation appears together. Plants activate possibly a DNA damage repair system when contaminated with a specific 90Sr activity concentration. At a higher activity concentration, plants probably optimize the anti oxidative system, as a result of radiation. These systems protect the plants against DNA damage and plant death