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Based on Messick's (1995) framework of construct validity and responses from 521 teachers in the United States and 580 teachers in China, this study provided evidence of the generalizability aspect of construct validity for the "Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands" (CARD) questionnaire originally developed in the United States. Confirmatory factor analysis, factorial invariance testing, and differential item functioning were employed to examine the systematic variation of interpretation by the Chinese and US elementary school teachers with respect to the 65 items in the CARD. Results suggested that responses to CARD follow the same structure from both Chinese and US teachers, and that 83% of items showed no difference. Differences in Chinese and US teachers' interpretations of certain items were discussed with implications to school psychology, school counseling, teacher education, educational administration, and policy research.

Metacognition is a powerful predictor for learning performance, and for problem-solving. But how metacognition works for cognitive strategies and learning performance is not clear. The present study was designed to explore how metacognition affected the cognition (learning strategies and problem solving strategies) and different kinds of learning performance involving the development of metacognition for adolescents. In a first study, we explored the structure of metacognition by examining multiple theoretical frameworks and the psychometric characteristics of metacognition. The Bifactor model confirmed the two processes modeling of domain-general versus domain-specific monitoring for different tasks in reading and mathematics. In a second study, a path model was used to explore the effect of metacognition on learning strategies, problem-solving strategies, and performance of reading and mathematics. The relationships in the model were tested controlling gender and age. Results showed that problem-solving was the only mediator between general metacognition and learning performance. It is suggested that the subcomponents of metacognition be involved in future studies.

"Low-lying" posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms require great attention in surgical clipping due to their distinct anatomical characteristics. In this study, we propose an easy method to immediately recognize "low-lying" PCoA aneurysms in neurosurgical practice. A total of 89 cases with "low-lying" PCoA aneurysms were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent preoperative digital subtraction angiography (DSA) examinations and microsurgical clipping. Cases were classified into the "low-lying" and regular groups based on intraoperative findings. The distance- and angle-relevant parameters that reflected the relative location of the aneurysms and tortuosity of the internal carotid artery were measured using 3D-DSA images. The data were sequentially integrated into a mathematical analysis to obtain the prediction model. Finally, we proposed a novel mathematical formula to preoperatively predict the existence of "low-lying" PCoA aneurysms with great accuracy. Neurosurgeons might benefit from this model, which enables them to directly identify "low-lying" PCoA aneurysms and make appropriate surgical decisions accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands (CARD) was designed to evaluate teacher stress based on subjective evaluations of classroom demands and resources. However, the CARD has been mostly utilized in western countries. The aim of the current study was to provide aspects of the validity of responses to a Chinese version of the CARD that considers Chinese teachers' unique vocational conditions in the classroom. A sample of 580 Chinese elementary school teachers (510 female teachers and 70 male teachers) were asked to respond to the Chinese version of the CARD. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the data fit the theoretical model very well (e.g., CFI: 0.982; NFI: 0.977; GFI: 0.968; SRMR: 0.028; RMSEA: 0.075; where CFI is comparative fit index, NFI is normed fit index, GFI is goodness of fit, SRMR is standardized root mean square residual, RMSEA is root mean square error of approximation), thus providing evidence of construct validity. Latent constructs of the Chinese version of the CARD were also found to be significantly associated with other measures that are related to teacher stress such as self-efficacy, job satisfaction, personal habits to deal with stress, and intention to leave their current job.

Endothelial cell apoptosis driven by inflammation (TNF‐α) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, but the exact molecular mechanisms are not clearly elucidated. MicroRNA (miR)‐29 families (a/b/c) take important roles in pathophysiological processes of atherosclerosis, also the underlying mechanisms have not been fully clarified. The aims are to explore whether or not miR‐29 families mediate the apoptotic effects of TNF‐α on endothelial cells and uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, MTT assay and flow cytometer analysis were employed respectively to determine the proliferation and apoptosis of human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) under TNF‐α exposure. Real‐time quantitative PCR and western blot were performed to detect the levels of target RNAs and proteins/their phosphorylation in HUVECs. TNF‐α could inhibit HUVEC proliferation and induce HUVEC apoptosis in a positive dose‐ and time‐dependent manner, with a similar way of miR‐29a upregulation, but no effects on miR‐29b/c. Upregulation of miR‐29a with its mimics enhanced the apoptotic effect of TNF‐α on HUVECs, but downregulation of miR‐29a using anti‐miR‐29a blocked up its apoptotic effect. MiR‐29a inhibited the expression of PI3Kp85α and Bcl‐2 and blocked up the signal transduction of PI3K/AKT/Bcl‐2 axis to mediate the apoptotic effect of TNF‐α on HUVECs. Mediating the inflammation‐driven endothelial cell apoptosis is an important biology mechanism by which miR‐29a promotes atherosclerosis and its complications. MiR‐29a will be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases; it is worthwhile to further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the baseline characters that influence 3-month clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after thrombolytic therapy. Methods: We consecutively enrolled 241 AIS patients who are treated with thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. Baseline characters were measured on admission including the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST), risk factors, platelet indices, and lipid parameters. The subjects were divided into good or poor functional outcomes based on modified Rankin Scale at 3 months. The multivariate logistic regression was performed to explore the association between baseline factors and outcomes. Pearson correlation was used to investigate whether linear associations existed between platelet indices in different outcomes. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the NIHSS, TOAST classification, diabetes, mean platelet volume (MPV) are important factors for predicting clinical outcomes after 3 months in AIS patients. We found a correlation between elevated MPV and worse outcome at 3 months, particularly in large-artery atherosclerosis stroke patients. MPV and platelet count are negative correlated (r = −0.375, p = 0.000). MPV and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (r = 0.83, p = 0.000), MPV and platelet distribution width (PDW) (r = 0.820, p = 0.000) both have highly positive linear correlations in patients with good outcome. Conclusions: Overall, lower NIHSS and MPV levels on admission were predictors of good functional outcomes in patients with AIS after undergoing thrombolytic therapy. The correlations between MPV, PDW, and PLR may be helpful to evaluate prognosis in stroke patients and deserve further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine educational equity status in China through exploring the relationships between students' language performance and family socioeconomic status (SES) at the individual, school, and district levels. Furthermore, the current study mainly investigated how the interaction among SES at three levels influenced students' language performance. The sample included 26,997 pupils from 994 schools situated in 79 districts. The three‐level multilevel analysis found that language performance was positively associated with SES at all three levels, and that there were three kinds of significant interactive effects. Specifically, the relationship between individual‐level SES and language performance became stronger in schools with higher SES. Moreover, in districts with higher SES, the interactive effect of school‐level SES and individual‐level SES on language performance grew weaker. In addition, the relationship between school‐level SES and average language performance became weaker in districts with higher levels of SES. These findings uncovered the full picture of the intra‐school and intra‐district educational equity and revealed that high school‐level SES worsened the intra‐school individual equity while high district‐level SES enhanced the intra‐school and intra‐district equity. Implications for educational equity and quality in China are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Messick's (1995) framework of construct validity and responses from 521 teachers in the United States and 580 teachers in China, this study provided evidence of the generalizability aspect of construct validity for the Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands (CARD) questionnaire originally developed in the United States. Confirmatory factor analysis, factorial invariance testing, and differential item functioning were employed to examine the systematic variation of interpretation by the Chinese and US elementary school teachers with respect to the 65 items in the CARD. Results suggested that responses to CARD follow the same structure from both Chinese and US teachers, and that 83% of items showed no difference. Differences in Chinese and US teachers' interpretations of certain items were discussed with implications to school psychology, school counseling, teacher education, educational administration, and policy research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction There is a dearth of literature on the incidence of dementia in China. Methods Using a stratified, multistage, cluster-sampling method, 16,921 nondemented participants ≥55 years were recruited from four regional centers in China in 1997 and followed up to 4.5 years. Cases were identified through a three-step protocol, according to standardized criteria for dementia, Alzheimer's dementia (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD). Results The crude incidence in persons ≥65 years was 12.1/1000 person-years for dementia, 8.2/1000 person-years for AD, and 3.1/1000 person-years for VaD. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, older age and lower education were associated with a higher risk of incident dementia, AD and VaD; regional difference was associated mainly with incidence of VaD (north vs. south: hazard ratio [HR] = 3.59); modestly with AD (east vs. west: HR = 1.55). Discussion The incidence of dementia in Chinese population is comparable with that in Europe and United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]