High Performance Group Research Articles

Framework of Strategic Management Model for Strategy Europe 2020: Diachronic Analysis and Proposed Guidelines

Since the beginnings of 1957, the European Union has always been aimed at promoting the development and cohesion of the Member States. Competitiveness as well as sustainable development have therefore long been focal points among strategic goals of the European Union. These goals were therefore documented in some strategies, namely European Single Market programme, the Lisbon Strategy and the Europe 2020. The Lisbon Strategy was aimed at turning the European Union into the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion by 2010. However, it was obvious that the Lisbon goals have not been achieved and a new strategy, Europe 2020, was hence initiated. Many Lithuanian and foreign authors analyzed (Tamosiuniene et al., 2007; Daugeliene, 2008; Grybaite, Tvaronaviciene, 2008; Melnikas, 2008; Tvaronaviciene et al., 2008; Martinkus et al., 2009; Kirch, 2010; Balezentis et al., 2010) the situation of Lithuania and other Baltic states in a global economic system during the processes of globalization and European Union (EU) integration. However, the need for the evaluation of the Lisbon Strategy's outcomes and proposal of guidelines for ongoing strategy Europe 2020 is still topical. Hence this study focuses on the improvement of the open method of co­ordination and thus the implementation of strategy Europe 2020 by integrating quantitative methods with respect to the experience gained during the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy. This study is aimed at proposing a framework for a strategic management model dedicated to successful implementation of the new strategy Europe 2020. This article is organized in four sections according to the following tasks defined in order to achieve the aim: 1) to overview main the strategies dedicated to promoting competitiveness of the European Union, namely the Lisbon Strategy and strategy Europe 2020; 2) to assess efforts of the EU Member States in seeking Lisbon goals applying multi-criteria evaluation method MULTIMOORA; 3) to evaluate reliability of selected structural indicators applying multiple correspondence analysis; and 4) to summarize the proposed guidelines for the new strategy Europe 2020 according to the results of this study and other works. The novelty of this study lies in the fact that it introduces the application of multi-criteria decision making methods in EU policy making procedures. Multi-criteria evaluation method MULTIMOORA as well as multiple correspondence analysis were the most important methods of the research. Analysis of EU Member States performance in the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy resulted in describing three groups of states and structural indicators: high performance group, medium performance group, and low performance group. Moreover, indicators of youth education attainment level, business investment and employment rate of older workers, are not highly correlated with economic performance of certain Member States and therefore can be regulated uniformly at the European level. These findings can be considered as the premises for successful EU-level targets translation into those for certain groups of countries. The synthesis of proposals for target-setting and transformation methodology resulted in framework for strategic management model dedicated to successful implementation of strategy Europe 2020. The model should encompass: 1) selection of targets for the EU, certain groups of states and separate Member States; 2) mutual learning enabling to transfer the best practice among member States; 3) development of appropriate structural indicators, equally identifying all dimensions of sustainable development; 4) benchmarking (selectonovation) principles applied for an effective distribution of EU support among Member States. Multi-criteria methods (e. g. MULTIMOORA) can be successfully applied in such benchmarking.http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.22.3.517

A Study on the Effectiveness of e-Trade Marketing for Export Performance

The objective of this study is to improve export performance using e-Trade marketing systems. The use of e-Trade has been increasing but there is some controversy about the performance of e-Trade marketing for Small-to-Medium enterprises (SME). The research construct for determining the export performance is suggested and five factors are introduced in this paper such as: B2B relationship and cooperation, product complexity, online fitness, level of internationalization, and use of e-Trade marketing. Sample data were collected from the companies who are familiar with the e-Trade systems. The result shows that the use of e-Trade marketing mostly contributes to the increase of export performance. The regression and cluster an머sis shows that both variables of e-Trade marketing and on-line fitness are significant to high export performance group. The implication for SMEs is that the use of e-Trade marketing methods could contribute to the increase of export performance and more analytical works need to be made for future study.

The Running Efficiency of Ultramarathon Runners

It revealed that kinematics and physiological factors such as maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), running economy (RE), biomechanical parameters and fractional utilization of maximal oxygen uptake (%VO2max) effect the ultramarathon runners' running performance (URRP). Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the running efficiency, the kinematics and physiological efficiency of the ultramarathon runners (UR) to improve the URRP. PURPOSE: To investigate if the URs with better performance have higher kinematics and physiological efficiency. METHODS: Ten runners in 12-hour race of the 2007 Taipei international ultramarathon competition were recruited in this study. Five of them with the record higher than 96.2km are classified as high performance group (HPG), and the other fives as low performance group (LPG). They performed a treadmill running test with O2 & CO2 gas analysis recording. The running speeds changed every 5 minutes at 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 14 km/hr. A mini wireless 3D accelerometer was put on each runner to collect 3 axis acceleratory velocities, step frequency, step lengths and running stages during the test. RESULTS: This study showed (1) the significant correlation between performance and kinematic variables in sum of the vectors(r=-0.7572), percentage of VO2max at 8 km/hr(r=-0.6379) and running economy at mean velocity with percentage of VO2max (RE%VO2max) (r=0.6911), (2) the RE%VO2max with minor discrepancy between HPG and LPG (t=1.84), (3) the %VO2max at 8, 9, 10km/hr with minor discrepancy between HPG and LPG (t=-1.61,-1.82,-1.78), and (4) the performance significantly related to XYZ8 by the standard regression analysis (R2=0.5734; P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The HPG URs have higher kinematics and physiological efficiency than LPG URs.

Does the Veterans Affairs Depression Performance Measure Predict Quality Care?

In 2000, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) instituted a performance measure to improve the quality of depression care. The measure evaluated adequacy of follow-up for depressed patients but was removed from clinic directors' performance plans in fiscal year (FY) 2009 because it had not been empirically validated. The VA depression performance measure was compared with an empirically validated model for assessing adherence to important depression treatment processes. VA medical centers (VAMCs) whose performance on the VA depression measure was in the top or bottom quartile nationally for all four quarters in FY2008 were selected for inclusion. A blinded interviewer attempted to contact clinical directors of both primary care and mental health at each VAMC and conducted telephone interviews using a protocol designed to employ the 3-Component Model (3CM) fidelity measure, which assesses domains of evidence-based depression care. There were 9 sites in the "high-performing" group and 10 sites in the "low-performing" group. At least one interview was completed at 8 of the 9 sites in the high-performing group and 9 of the 10 sites in the low-performing group. There was a significant difference in the percentage of patients meeting the VA depression performance measure between the high- and low-performing groups (47.5% versus 14.7%; chi2 = 837.5, p < .001). The adapted version of the 3CM fidelity scale detected a significant difference in process of depression care between the high- and low-performing sites (82.3 versus 71.4; z = 2.4, p = .018). The highest-performing sites on the VA depression performance measure adhered to important care processes more often than did the lowest-performing sites.

Competitive State Anxiety and Performance in Young Female Rhythmic Gymnasts

The study was designed to examine the competitive state anxiety and self-confidence of rhythmic gymnasts participating in the Greek national competition. 86 participants, ages 11 and 12 years, completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, 1 hr. before competition. The athletes, classified by performance (high and low performance) and participation in the finals (finalists and nonfinalists), responded to the three subscales: Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, and Self-confidence. Analyses indicated differences in Self-confidence between high versus low performance groups and finalists versus nonfinalists. No significant differences were found on Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety. In a regression analysis, Self-confidence was the only significant predictor of performance for this sample. Implications refer to the development of strategies to enhance self-confidence in order to improve the gymnast's performance during competition.

Alleviating memory impairment through distraction

Event Abstract Back to Event Alleviating memory impairment through distraction Nathan Cashdollar1*, Nilli Lavie1 and Emrah Duzel1 1 Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, University College of London, UK., United Kingdom Distracting information typically interferes with memory for recent events. This negative effect upon memory retention is heightened with higher memory load and patients with existing memory impairment are particularly vulnerable to distractor interference. In contrast, using a delayed match-to-sample (DMS) task with photographs of natural scenes, we establish a beneficial effect for distractor presentation. Short-term memory recognition was significantly improved with the presentation of a distractor face during the delay for both patients with memory impairment due to bilateral hippocampal lesions and healthy adults with low memory performance. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings in the theta frequency range (4-8 Hz) as an indicator of active maintenance (i.e. rehearsal), we show that healthy controls display enhanced bi-frontal synchrony throughout the delay period for the high-load compared to the low-load DMS conditions. A performance-based median split revealed that this synchrony pattern was robust in the low but not the high performing individuals. These MEG results suggest that ongoing rehearsal is associated with low levels of performance when memory load is high. Furthermore, theta synchrony in low performers was markedly reduced immediately following distractor presentation suggesting that distractor presentation disrupted ongoing rehearsal. In contrast, distractors had no effect on theta synchrony in the high performance group. Our results suggest that under conditions where active memory rehearsal reduces memory performance, distraction can improve memory. Keywords: MEG, memory and learning Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Neural Bases of Memory and Learning Citation: Cashdollar N, Lavie N and Duzel E (2011). Alleviating memory impairment through distraction. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00210 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 21 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Nathan Cashdollar, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, University College of London, UK., London, United Kingdom, nate.cashdollar@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Nathan Cashdollar Nilli Lavie Emrah Duzel Google Nathan Cashdollar Nilli Lavie Emrah Duzel Google Scholar Nathan Cashdollar Nilli Lavie Emrah Duzel PubMed Nathan Cashdollar Nilli Lavie Emrah Duzel Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Age- and performance related modulations in spectral event-related dynamics during a working memory task

Event Abstract Back to Event Age- and performance related modulations in spectral event-related dynamics during a working memory task Thomas Fischer1*, Alexander Strobel1 and Sergei Schapkin2 1 Technical University of Dresden, Germany 2 Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Germany Age-dependent changes in event-related spectral perturbations (ERSP) and decrements in performance have previously been reported for several cognitive paradigms. However, the relationship between ERSP modulations, performance and age has not been well documented until now. Using a 2-back working memory task, we compared ERSPs between 44 healthy younger subjects (aged 29±3 years) and 44 older subjects (aged 55±3 years). Based on the d’ scores in the 2-back condition participants of each age group were divided into high and low performers. For event-related beta synchronization (ERS; 800-1000 ms after target), the ANOVA showed significant main effects for the factor age and the factor performance in the left frontal cluster (F3, FC3). The beta ERS was significantly larger in the high-performer group (the younger and older subjects taken together) than in the low-performer group as well as larger in younger than in older adults. No interaction effects were obtained. Additionally, age differences in the alpha event-related desynchronisation (ERD; 600-800 ms after target) in the parietal cluster (P3; Pz, P4) were found: the alpha ERD increased in younger adults as compared to older adults. Moreover, alpha ERS was larger in low performers than in high performers.Our results show that working memory processes are associated with left frontal event-related beta-synchronization and suggest that frontal beta synchronization could be an informative indicator for age-related changes in neuronal processes underlying working memory. Keywords: Aging, ERSP Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Cognitive Aging Citation: Fischer T, Strobel A and Schapkin S (2011). Age- and performance related modulations in spectral event-related dynamics during a working memory task. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00547 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 15 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Thomas Fischer, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany, fischer.tho@googlemail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Thomas Fischer Alexander Strobel Sergei Schapkin Google Thomas Fischer Alexander Strobel Sergei Schapkin Google Scholar Thomas Fischer Alexander Strobel Sergei Schapkin PubMed Thomas Fischer Alexander Strobel Sergei Schapkin Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

EASY-DIF

Practitioners are increasingly becoming interested in Differential Item Functioning (DIF) forimproving the validity of test and scale interpretations. Among the statistical procedures availableto assess DIF in dichotomous and polytomous items, the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square (1959) andother standardization proceduresmay beparticularly attractive to practitioners.Some of the statis-tics associated with Mantel-Haenszel procedure can be performed using specific software such asEZ-DIF (Waller, 1998), DIFAS (Penfield, 2005), and MH-DIF (Fidalgo, 1994). However, usingthese programs requires being familiar with the statistics of DIF procedures in order to understandoutput. In addition, key characteristics of the Mantel-Haenszel procedures, such as the matchingstrategy (thick or thin), purification of the matching criteria, and so on, are not currently availablein all statistical software packages. As a result, EASY-DIF was developed to provide easy-to-usesoftware for performing the most common and useful MH and standardization procedures, witha view to guiding practitioners through the analyses and helping them interpret the output.EASY-DIFanalyzesuniformandnonuniformDIFforthetotalsampleandseparatelyforlow-performing and high-performing groups (Clauser, Mazor, & Hambleton, 1994). Users canexplore possible cancellation and amplification DIF effects by establishing different cut scoresfor each group. Up to six different matching strategies based on total score distributions can beimplemented: thinmatching,equal interval, percentage of totalsample, percentage of focalsam-ple, censored matching, and minimum cell frequency (Donoghue & Allen, 1993). In addition,users can use a procedure purification of matching criteria through the selection of a validsubtest.For dichotomous items, EASY-DIF computes the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square (Holland T Mantel & Haenszel, 1959), the Mantel-Haenszel common odds ratio (CamilliSMantel&Haenszel,1959),theMH-DeltaDIF,thestandarderrorofMH-DeltaComputer Program Exchange

Economic performance clubs in the Americas: 1955-2003

The aim of this paper is to study the economic dynamics of a set of countries of the Americas during the 1955-2003 period. It does this by introducing an alternative concept of economic performance based on the idea of dynamic regimes. These regimes are defined by the level and growth rate of per capita gross domestic product (gdp). By introducing a non-parametric clustering method, the study identifies two main performance clubs whose evolution is studied. One of them, identified as the club of high-performing countries, displays a relatively homogeneous structure. The second group, conversely, presents a high level of dispersion in performances, suggesting the existence of subclusters with a degree of divergence between them. The study also finds that there is mobility between the low- and high-performing groups and that the distance between clusters increases over time.

Successful physiological aging and episodic memory: A brain stimulation study

Functional neuroimaging studies have shown that younger adults tend to asymmetrically recruit specific regions of an hemisphere in an episodic memory task (Hemispheric Encoding Retrieval Asymmetry—HERA model). In older adults, this hemispheric asymmetry is generally reduced as suggested by the Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction for OLDer Adults—HAROLD-model. Recent works suggest that while low-performing older adults do not show this reduced asymmetry, high-performing older adults counteract age-related neural decline through a plastic reorganization of cerebral networks that results in reduced functional asymmetry. However, the issue of whether high- and low-performing older adults show different degrees of asymmetry and the relevance of this process for counteracting aging have not been clarified. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to transiently interfere with the function of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during encoding or retrieval of associated and non-associated word pairs. A group of healthy older adults was studied during encoding and retrieval of word pairs. The subjects were divided in two subgroups according to their experimental performance (i.e., high- and low-performing). TMS effects on retrieval differed according to the subject's subgroup. In particular, the predominance of left vs. right DLPFC effects during encoding, predicted by the HERA model, was observed only in low-performing older adults, while the asymmetry reduction predicted by the HAROLD model was selectively shown for the high-performing group. The present data confirm that older adults with higher memory performance show less prefrontal asymmetry as an efficient strategy to counteract age-related memory decline.

Metacognitive strategies that enhance critical thinking

The need to cultivate students’ use of metacognitive strategies in critical thinking has been emphasized in the related literature. The present study aimed at examining the role of metacognitive strategies in critical thinking. Ten university students with comparable cognitive ability, thinking disposition and academic achievement but with different levels of critical thinking performance participated in the study (five in the high-performing group and five in the low-performing group). They were tested on six thinking tasks using think-aloud procedures. Results showed that good critical thinkers engaged in more metacognitive activities, especially high-level planning and high-level evaluating strategies. The importance of metacognitive knowledge as a supporting factor for effective metacognitive regulation was also revealed. The contribution of metacognitive strategies to critical thinking and implications for instructional practice are discussed.

What Determines High-and Low-Performing Groups?. The Superstar Effect

The notion that greater learning outcomes will be achieved if the cognitive work is distributed amongst a group of individuals working together versus working alone has received mixed support when explored empirically (e.g., Daiute &amp; Dalton 1993;Johnson &amp; Johnson, 1991). This study examined the relationship between small-group collaborative learning structures and the potential predictors of groups' overall academic performance. We sought to identify specific factors that distinguished high-performing groups from low-performing groups in the classroom. Class attendance and individual-level academic performance were positively related to group-level academic performance. Further, it was predicted that groups consisting of an exceptionally high-performing member, or superstar, would achieve greater group-level academic performance than groups consisting of members who performed similarly. However, the greater the distance between the highest-performing member's score and the average of the other group members' scores on individual-level tasks, the lower the score on group-level tasks. This difference between the highest scoring group member and the rest of the members is referred to as the Superstar Difference Score. Qualitative and quantitative analyses indicated that the Superstar Difference Score is a reliable, negative predictor of group-level academic performance. Practical implications for classroom instructors and future directions for education research resultant from this study's superstar effect are discussed.

Comparative analysis of academic achievement of UME and ex-remedial students: Case study of University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria

This study was undertaken with the objective of carrying out a comparative analysis of academic achievement of UME and ex-Remedial students with University of Agriculture, Makurdi as a case study to assist Government and policy makers in educational sector reform decisions as to the suitability or otherwise of domiciling remedial programmes in the Universities. The comparative assessment was based on Senate approved results for the 1st semester of the 2004/2005 session by arranging the academic achievement in terms of Grade Point Average (GPA) into mode of entry (Direct entry, UME and Remedial). Based on a population of 511 ex-Remedial and 428 UME students spread across 28 programmes, 17 academic Departments and 8 Colleges, the data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel computer software in terms of range, mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis so as to provide leading answers to the questions initiating the research. Comparative analysis of data indicate that the lowest GPAs were recorded by UME in 76.9% of the programmes, 76.5% of the Departments and 75% of the Colleges with two recorded cases of GPA of 0.00. Highest GPAs were recorded by UME in 76.9% of the programmes, 73.3% of the Departments and 100% of the Colleges with overall maximum of 4.72. However, smaller range recorded by ex-Remedial in 88.9% of the programmes, 93.8% of the Departments and 100% of the Colleges shows that remedial achievements were more consistent than the UME which indicates unpredictability. Higher mean and smaller standard deviations were recorded for Remedial in 44.4 and 96% of the programmes, 41.2 and 94.1% of the Departments and 50 and 100% of the Colleges respectively indicating that ex-Remedial GPAs were clustered more closely to the means (which were comparatively competitive) than UME. Desirable skewness and kurtosis behavior was recorded in 58.3 and 25% for the programmes, 70.6 and 36.4% of the Departments and 62.5 and 40.0% of the Colleges respectively indicating that more of the ex-Remedial students are in the high performance group than UME. T-test at 5% level of significance showed that there was no significant difference between the achievements of ex-Remedial and UME students in 92.6% of the programmes, 88.2% of the Departments and 87.5% of the Colleges. However, the University-wide test showed significant difference. The ex-Remedial students were found to have higher, consistent and predictable achievement than the UME. Based on findings, it is recommended that Remedial programme should be allowed to stay as a means of meeting up admission quota and addressing issues of imbalance, post-JAMB test introduced by Universities should be sustained, ex-Remedial students should be given time to remedy their deficiencies before graduation and placement of ex-Remedial students should be officially published in JAMB brochure and accepted by NUC as part of the admission requirements in Nigerian Universities. Key words: Academic achievement, comparative analysis, UME, ex-remedial, university education, Nigeria.

SPEC MPI2007an application benchmark suite for parallel systems using MPI

The SPEC High-Performance Group has developed the benchmark suite SPEC MPI2007 and its run rules over the last few years. The purpose of the SPEC MPI2007 benchmark and its run rules is to further t...

Effect of performance level on pacing strategy during a 10-km running race

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the performance level of athletes on pacing strategy during a simulated 10-km running race, and the relationship between physiological variables and pacing strategy. Twenty-four male runners performed an incremental exercise test on a treadmill, three 6-min bouts of running at 9, 12 and 15 km h(-1), and a self-paced, 10-km running performance trial; at least 48 h separated each test. Based on 10-km running performance, subjects were divided into terziles, with the lower terzile designated the low-performing (LP) and the upper terzile designated the high-performing (HP) group. For the HP group, the velocity peaked at 18.8 +/- 1.4 km h(-1) in the first 400 m and was higher than the average race velocity (P < 0.05). The velocity then decreased gradually until 2,000 m (P < 0.05), remaining constant until 9,600 m, when it increased again (P < 0.05). The LP group ran the first 400 m at a significantly lower velocity than the HP group (15.6 +/- 1.6 km h(-1); P > 0.05) and this initial velocity was not different from LP average racing velocity (14.5 +/- 0.7 km h(-1)). The velocity then decreased non-significantly until 9,600 m (P > 0.05), followed by an increase at the end (P < 0.05). The peak treadmill running velocity (PV), running economy (RE), lactate threshold (LT) and net blood lactate accumulation at 15 km h(-1) were significantly correlated with the start, middle, last and average velocities during the 10-km race. These results demonstrate that high and low performance runners adopt different pacing strategies during a 10-km race. Furthermore, it appears that important determinants of the chosen pacing strategy include PV, LT and RE.

Preserved executive function in high-performing elderly is driven by large-scale recruitment of prefrontal cortical mechanisms.

High-density electrical mapping of event-related potentials was used to investigate the neural processes that permit some elderly subjects to preserve high levels of executive functioning. Two possibilities pertain: (1) high-performance in elderly subjects is underpinned by similar processing mechanisms to those seen in young adults; that is, these individuals display minimal functional decay across the lifespan, or (2) preserved function relies on successfully recruiting and amplifying control processes to compensate for normal sensory-perceptual decline with age. Fifteen young and nineteen elderly participants, the latter split into groups of high and low performers, regularly alternated between a letter and a number categorization task, switching between tasks every third trial (AAA-BBB-AAA...). This allowed for interrogation of performance during switch, repeat, and preparatory pre-switch trials. Robust effects of age were observed in both frontal and parietal components of the task-switching network. Greatest differences originated over prefrontal regions, with elderly subjects generating amplified, earlier, and more differentiated patterns of activity. This prefrontal amplification was evident only in high-performing (HP) elderly, and was strongest on pre-switch trials when participants prepared for an upcoming task-switch. Analysis of the early transient and late sustained activity using topographic analyses and source localization collectively supported a unique and elaborated pattern of activity across frontal and parietal scalp in HP-elderly, wholly different to that seen in both young and low-performing elderly. On this basis, we propose that preserved executive function in HP-elderly is driven by large-scale recruitment and enhancement of prefrontal cortical mechanisms.

Individual differences in ERPs during mental rotation of characters: Lateralization, and performance level

The cognitive process of imaging an object turning around is called mental rotation. Many studies have been put forward analyzing mental rotation by means of event-related potentials (ERPs). Event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured during mental rotation of characters in a sample ( N = 82) with a sufficient size to obtain even small effects. A bilateral ERP amplitude modulation as a function of angular displacement was observed at parietal leads without any lateralization. Sex had no effect on mental rotation of characters, neither with respect to performance nor with respect to brain potentials. When the sample was split into groups of high- and low-performers, however, the results indicated (a) in line with the idea of neural efficiency substantially larger amplitudes for low-performers; (b) that the smaller amplitudes of the high-performers involved larger parietal networks; and (c) a left-parietal disengagement of neural activity for high-performers but a right-parietal disengagement for low-performers. The latter finding became evident through an analysis of internal consistencies of ERP amplitudes across conditions and performance levels, showing that internal consistencies were reduced at all three leads in the high-performance group for the biggest rotation angle, relative the other conditions and the low-performing group.

Exercise capacity is related to calcium transients in ventricular cardiomyocytes

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Ca2+ handling and contractility properties of cardiomyocytes isolated from rats with high intrinsic aerobic exercise capacity. Standard-performance (SP) and high-performance (HP) rats were categorized with a treadmill progressive exercise test according to the exercise time to fatigue (TTF). The SP group included rats with TTF between 16.63 and 46.57 min, and the HP group included rats with TTF>46.57 min. Isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes were dissociated from the hearts of SP and HP rats, and intracellular global Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) transients were measured. The [Ca2+]i transient peak was increased in the HP group relative to the SP group (5.54+/-0.31 vs. 4.18+/-0.12 F/F0; P<or=0.05) and was positively correlated with the TTF attained during the progressive test (r=0.81). We also performed contractility measurements in isolated cardiomyocytes and found higher amplitude of contraction in the HP group compared with the SP group (6.7+/-0.2 vs. 6.0+/-0.3% resting cell length; P<or=0.05). To reinforce the intrinsic differences between SP and HP rats, we performed Western blot experiments and observed increased expression of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase type 2a (1.30+/-0.07 vs. 1.74+/-0.18 arbitrary units; P<or=0.05) and ryanodine receptor type 2 (1.86+/-0.13 vs. 3.57+/-0.12 arbitrary units; P<or=0.05) in HP rats. In summary, our data showed important intrinsic differences in cardiomyocyte properties that could explain some of the divergence observed in rats with high intrinsic aerobic exercise capacity.

Five-Step Model of Professional Excellence

The bone marrow transplantation program at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ, has successfully developed and implemented a process model using the theory of Novice to Expert for the education of its nurses. The five-step model of excellence provides a fluid and individualized framework for the professional development of the healthcare providers working in the oncology program and a method to measure progress. In addition, the requirements for education and a method to measure progress are clear for nurses who would be considered experts in the unit. As a result of the implemented process model, 65 of 96 RNs (68%) met the criteria for expert compared to 18% prior to the implementation, 58 of 79 RNs (73%) are oncology certified (OCN) compared to 24% prior to implementation, and 42 of 96 RNs (44%) are mentors compared to 19% prior to implementation. The five-step model has helped foster a culture of staff and leadership development with engaging, motivating, and high-performing work groups that promote career progression within the workforce.

Conscientiousness, achievement striving, and intelligence as performance predictors in a sample of German psychology students: Always a linear relationship?

Studies on the interface between cognitive ability (intelligence) and personality in the prediction of academic performance have yielded mixed results so far. Especially an interaction between conscientiousness (and its facet achievement striving) and intelligence has been investigated. The hypothesis is that conscientiousness enhances the impact of intelligence on performance. Based on findings supporting the idea of a non-linear relationship between conscientiousness and performance the present study aimed at a clarification of the mixed results. Given such a non-linear relationship, studies investigating a possible moderating effect should pay attention to the performance level. A sample of N = 271 students completed a conscientiousness and an intelligence measure. Moderated regression analyses revealed a moderation for conscientiousness but not its facet achievement striving in the total sample. However, splitting the sample into a low and a high performer group revealed an enhancing effect of achievement striving for low performers and a buffering effect for high performer. Practical as well as theoretical implications are discussed.