Hamsters Protected from SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant Challenge after Two Doses of Adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Spike Protein (S-2P) and One Dose of Beta S-2P.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern negatively impact the effectiveness of vaccines. In this study, we challenge hamsters with the delta variant after 2- or 3-dose inoculations with SARS-CoV-2 vaccines constructed from stabilized prefusion spike proteins (S-2P) of Wuhan (W) and beta (B) variants. Compared to 3 doses of W S-2P, 2 doses of W S-2P followed by a third dose of B S-2P induced the highest neutralizing antibody titer against live SARS-CoV-2 virus and enhanced neutralization of omicron variant pseudovirus. Reduced lung live virus titer and pathology suggested that all vaccination regimens protect hamsters from SARS-CoV-2 delta variant challenge.

Latent Transitions of Learning Interests among Kindergarteners in Hakka Bilingual Teaching Programs.

The profiles of kindergarteners' learning interests in Hakka bilingual teaching programs are unclear and the effects of these programs on the transition of such interests over the long term are under investigation. This study analyzed the learning interest profiles of 112 kindergarteners (data gathered by kindergarten teachers) enrolled in immersion/non-immersion Hakka bilingual programs in Taiwan. Latent transitions in these profiles were analyzed based on pre- and post-implementation data. The results showed that two different subgroups were identified based on the kindergarteners' learning interest profiles before and after the implementation of the Hakka bilingual program. The pre-implementation subgroups contained the "moderate situational and low-to-moderate individual interest" and the "high situational and moderate-to-high individual interest" profiles. Post-implementation subgroups consisting of "moderate-to-high situational and moderate individual interest" and "high situational and individual interest" profiles were identified. Moreover, four patterns of transition in the kindergarteners' learning interest profiles were uncovered: (1) a slight increase in both learning interests, (2) a significant increase in both learning interests, (3) a slight regression in both, and (4) a maintenance of situational interest coupled with a slight increase in individual interest. Lastly, the non-immersion Hakka program showed significant and more positive effects on the "moderate situational and low-to-moderate individual interest" profile subgroup compared to the equivalent group from the Hakka immersion program. These results provide new evidence complementing previous findings reached via different analytical approaches and contribute to the overall conclusion that bilingual programs improve learning outcomes.

Inquiring about Loss Aversion of Achievement Value.

According to the achievement motivation theory, in achievement context, students may have to not only approach success/gain (e.g., strive to get a better grade) but also avoid failure/loss (e.g., avoid performing worse). However, these two types of achievement motivation have often been investigated separately. In contrast, loss aversion, a central argument in prospect theory, posits that avoiding losses has a greater impact on preferences than does approaching gains; suggesting that gain approach and loss avoidance should be treated as asymmetric forces that can be analyzed simultaneously to study approach to gain and avoidance to loss among students in terms of grades. The main purposes of this study were to propose an alternative measure to frame the dynamic evaluation process in the context of achievement that considers students' sensitivity to performance change, and to further investigate students' loss aversion in relation to grades through intrapersonal and interpersonal comparisons. A total of 41 and 72 college students participated in study 1 and study 2, respectively. One-way repeated measure ANOVA was conducted for the former sample while the single sample t-tests and independent sample ANOVA were used for the latter. Through the implementation of this alternative measure, the results revealed that (1) college students were more sensitive to performance changes than to their current or final performance, and (2) loss aversion was dependent on the referents. Students were averse to interpersonal loss, but not to intrapersonal loss. These findings indicate the usefulness of the proposed measure for investigating the asymmetric responses between two types of achievement motivation, and the proposed measure can be used to extend and revise the explanatory boundaries of prospect theory and self-discrepancy theory.

Effects of achievement goals on learning interests and mathematics performances for kindergarteners.

Background: Studies have investigated the effects of achievement goals on learning interests and mathematics performance above the elementary-school level. However, few studies have explored this topic among kindergarteners based on sound theoretical frameworks. Methods: Through the enrollment of 15 kindergarten teachers and 180 kindergarteners, this study re-validated newly developed measurements of kindergarteners' achievement goals and learning interests and used these measures to further clarify the effects of achievement goals on learning interests and mathematics performances using structural equation modeling. Results: The results indicate that (1) task-approach goals have positive effects on situational interest and advanced arithmetic performance, whereas task-avoidance goals have positive effects on individual interest. (2) Self-based goals have null effects on most learning interests and mathematics performance, but they have significant negative effects on numbering and counting performance. However, most of these null effects represent negative tendencies. (3) Other-approach goals have positive effects on situational interest and basic arithmetic performance, whereas other-avoidance goals have null effects on these outcomes but have an almost significant positive effect on numbering and counting performance. (4) Task-based goals and self-approach goals are generally beneficial for learning interests and mathematics performance. Conclusion: These results suggest that task-based goals and other-approach goals may be implemented with consideration of the potential long-term detrimental effects of social comparison on learning outcomes. Furthermore, possible negative effects of self-based goals must be monitored to prevent them from undermining learning outcomes. This study revealed consistent, inconsistent, and new evidence that, respectively, verifies, complements, and contradicts findings on the learning outcomes of students above the elementary-school level.

Latent Transition Analysis of Motor Development Patterns in Preschoolers.

In-group heterogeneity is often neglected during investigations of motor development patterns in children. Moreover, the variation in motor development patterns over time has seldom been examined. In this work, 1884 three-year-old preschoolers were selected from a panel study conducted in Taiwan called the National Longitudinal Study of Child Development and Care. A confirmatory factor analysis was applied to analyze the construct validity of the assessments of motor development used for these children. A latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis (LTA) were sequentially applied to clarify their motor development patterns at the ages of three and four years and their transitions between these two ages. The following findings were obtained: (1) The motor development assessment had good validity. (2) Considerable heterogeneity regarding motor development in preschoolers was observed, in which four and three subgroups displaying distinct levels of mastery with respect to their gross and fine motor skills were identified at the ages of three and four years, respectively. (3) From age three to age four, a large proportion of the preschoolers exhibited improvements or retentions in both gross and fine motor skills, whereas some of the preschoolers were classified into subgroups displaying "gross motor retention and fine motor progression," "gross motor progression and fine motor retention," "gross motor retention and fine motor regression," and "gross motor regression and fine motor progression." Few preschoolers exhibited "general motor regression." The present results suggest that there were considerable heterogeneous groups in the motor development in preschoolers in the middle of early childhood, and this phenomenon has rarely been addressed in former studies. The LTA results implied that effective interventions should be given sequentially to preschoolers in subgroups whose motor development presented regression and retention tendencies.

Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of Booster Dose with MVC-COV1901 or MVC-COV1901-Beta SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Adults: A Phase I, Prospective, Randomized, Open-Labeled Study.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines based on variant strains have been in use as booster doses to update immunity against circulating variants. Here we present the results of a phase one prospective, randomized, and open-labeled trial to study the safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose consisting of a subunit vaccine based on the stabilized prefusion SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, MVC-COV1901, or its Beta version, MVC-COV1901-Beta. Participants aged ≥18 and <55 years who received two or three prior doses of MVC-COV1901 vaccines were enrolled and were to receive a booster dose of either 15 mcg of MVC-COV1901, 15 mcg, or 25 mcg of MVC-COV1901-Beta in a 1:1:1 ratio. Adverse reactions after either MVC-COV1901 or MVC-COV1901-Beta booster doses after two or three doses of MVC-COV1901 were comparable and mostly mild and transient. At four weeks after the booster dose, participants with two prior doses of MVC-COV1901 had higher levels of neutralizing antibodies against ancestral SARS-CoV-2, Beta, and Omicron variants than participants with three prior doses of MVC-COV1901, regardless of the type of booster used. MVC-COV1901 and MVC-COV1901-Beta can both be effectively used as booster doses against SARS-CoV-2, including the BA.4/BA.5 Omicron variants.

Developing and Validating the Teacher Rating Scale of Learning Interest for Kindergarteners.

Studies have investigated learning interest based on either 2- or 4-factor theoretical framework. Empirical studies showed supportive evidence only toward the 2-factor learning interest model, but it was primarily demonstrated above the secondary level. It is unclear whether the dimensionality of the learning interest of kindergarteners is consistent with those studies conducted above the secondary level due to the absence of an instrument for measuring kindergarteners' learning interests. An effective and efficient learning interest scale was developed and validated for teachers' use to rate kindergarteners to provide useful information for improving teaching and learning in practice. A total of 132 5-year-old kindergarteners were rated by 5 teachers in the formal study. The results clearly showed: (1) the developed teacher rating scale of learning interest was valid for understanding kindergarteners' learning interests and was equally suitable for boys and girls. (2) The 2-factor learning interest model was the best theoretical viewpoint for understanding kindergarteners' learning interests across gender. The implications for learning interest research and practice are also discussed.

Investigating the Effect of the State, Stability, and Change in Deep Approaches to Learning From Kindergarten to Third Grade: A Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling Indicator-Specific Growth Model Approach.

Adopting deep approaches to learning can have a profound impact on learning outcomes. The extent of change in the learning approach could be attributed to the effect of contextual factors (e.g., instruction). After a substantive review, it was found that research interested in investigating the longitudinal effect of deep approaches to learning on learning outcomes were rarely directly concerned with the longitudinal state and trend of the approach itself. Moreover, the limitations of past analytical methods (e.g., using a single indicator to represent deep approaches to learning at each point in time), has not been appropriately acknowledged. This study examined deep approaches to learning in students from kindergarten to third grade using a multilevel structural equation modeling indicator-specific growth model (MSEM-ISGM). This was used to highlight the methodological issues (e.g., consider four indicators separately at each wave) to investigate the effect of context and the states, stability, and changes in deep approaches to learning over this developmental period. The current study comprised of a large-scale sample of 21,490 kindergarteners in kindergarten. Results showed: (1) there was a contextual effect on the longitudinal changes of deep approaches to learning; (2) deep approaches to learning was high but showed considerable individual differences; (3) most indicators relating to deep approaches to learning declined (however, one increased), whereas the trend were relatively stable over time. Corresponding suggestions were proposed at the end of this article.

The Effects of Chinese Parenting Belief on Preschoolers' Temperament and Secure Attachment.

In the past, there were a few studies investigating the effects of parenting belief on preschoolers' temperament and secure attachment. There were some inconsistencies; some effects were also unclear. A total of 2164 parents of three-year-old preschoolers were selected for a panel study named National Longitudinal Study of Child Development and Care. At first, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine construct validity of Chinese parenting belief, preschoolers' temperament, and secure attachment. Consecutively, the effects of Chinese parenting belief on preschoolers' temperament and secure attachment were investigated through structural equation modeling. Results showed: (1) construct validity of Chinese parenting belief (composed of Guan, Jiao, achievement, and Chi beliefs), preschoolers' temperament (composed of extraversion, effortful control, and negative affection temperament) and secure attachment were good. (2) The Guan belief showed no effects on all temperaments and secure attachment. (3) Only Jiao belief contributed to the development of extraversion, effortful control, negative affection, and secure attachment. (4) The Achievement belief had a detrimental effect on the development of secure attachment, but it had no effects on others. (5) The Chi belief can increase the development of negative affection temperament, but it had no effects on the rest.

Investigating the Discriminant Utility of Task-Based and Self-Based Goals in 3 × 2 Achievement Goal Model for Kindergarteners.

A decade ago, achievement goal theorists argued that mastery-based goals in the traditional theoretical framework can be theoretically differentiated into task-based goals and self-based goals; and they proposed the 3 × 2 achievement goal model to understand students' achievement motivation. This new theoretical model has received increasing attention, and it has been demonstrated by several empirical studies on school-aged student samples through analyzing concurrently derived data. Recently, researcher has preliminary demonstrated the new theoretical model on kindergarten sample. It is unclear whether there was a discriminant utility of these goals for kindergartener sample through analyzing their concurrent and predictive effects on learning outcomes. The main purposes of this study were to investigate discriminant utility of task-based goals and self-based goals through examining their concurrent and predictive effects on mathematics performances. A total of 59 kindergarteners aged 5 years consented to participating in this study. Results showed: (1) The discriminant utility of task-approach goal and self-approach goal was only demonstrated on predictive arithmetic performance. (2) The discriminant utility of task-avoidance goal and self-avoidance goal was demonstrated on both concurrent and predictive counting performances. Implications for advancing achievement goal theory, future research, and practice are discussed at the end of the article.

Constructing Counting and Arithmetic Learning Trajectories for Kindergarteners: A Preliminary Investigation in Taiwan.

Mathematics learning trajectories (LTs) for students above elementary school level are widely investigated. Recently, LTs for kindergarteners have also attracted attention, but in those studies the LTs were based on Western samples, and it is unclear whether they also involved culture and gender differences. Therefore, the purposes of this study were twofold: (1) construct a counting and arithmetic LT based on an Eastern sample and (2) show its similarities and differences by gender. The constructed LT contains 13 hypothesized levels of mathematical concepts according to previous research, and 59 kindergarteners (26 boys and 33 girls) participated in this study and completed a counting and arithmetic test to examine empirically the theoretical LT. The results showed that empirically, there were eight and nine conceptual levels for boys and girls, respectively, and boys and girls mastered concepts in a similar order (basic arithmetic→basic counting→advanced counting→mediocre arithmetic→advanced arithmetic), with the first part differing from the hypothesized LT. Within this developmental progression, girls showed a different path from advanced counting to mediocre arithmetic. The findings show gender and culture differences for the LTs for kindergarteners, which contradicts most previous research based on Western samples.

Examining the Effectiveness and Efficiency of an Innovative Achievement Goal Measurement for Preschoolers.

A large number of studies have investigated achievement goals and their related antecedents and consequences above elementary school level. However, few studies have implemented achievement goal assessment to investigate achievement goals and their relevance for preschoolers. In particular, no valid measurement has been developed for preschoolers' self-reporting of their achievement goals. The main purposes of this study were twofold: (1) To develop an innovative achievement goal measurement for preschoolers, and to investigate the best theoretical model for understanding preschoolers' achievement goal across gender. (2) To examine the effectiveness and efficiency of the pictorial and pure text measurement format and approaches (for young children's self-reporting and teachers' rating purposes, respectively). A total of 364 preschoolers aged 5 years participated in self-report activity, and 32 preschool teachers obtained consent to rate 193 out of 364 preschoolers. Results showed: (1) the developed achievement goal measurement was a valid tool for understanding preschoolers' achievement goals and was equally suitable for boys and girls. (2) The 6-factor achievement goal model was the best theoretical perspective for understanding preschoolers' achievement goals for both boys and girls. (3) The pictorial measurement format for preschoolers' self-reporting of achievement goals was a more effective but less efficient way to investigate preschoolers' achievement goals, while the opposite was the case for the pure text measurement format for teachers' ratings. Implications for achievement goal literature and future research are discussed.

Development of CpG-adjuvanted stable prefusion SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen as a subunit vaccine against COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide health emergency which calls for an unprecedented race for vaccines and treatment. In developing a COVID-19 vaccine, we applied technology previously used for MERS-CoV to produce a prefusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, S-2P. To enhance immunogenicity and mitigate the potential vaccine-induced immunopathology, CpG 1018, a Th1-biasing synthetic toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist was selected as an adjuvant candidate. S-2P in combination with CpG 1018 and aluminum hydroxide (alum) was found to be the most potent immunogen and induced high titer of neutralizing antibodies in sera of immunized mice against pseudotyped lentivirus reporter or live wild-type SARS-CoV-2. In addition, the antibodies elicited were able to cross-neutralize pseudovirus containing the spike protein of the D614G variant, indicating the potential for broad spectrum protection. A marked Th1 dominant response was noted from cytokines secreted by splenocytes of mice immunized with CpG 1018 and alum. No vaccine-related serious adverse effects were found in the dose-ranging study in rats administered single- or two-dose regimens of S-2P combined with CpG 1018 alone or CpG 1018 with alum. These data support continued development of CHO-derived S-2P formulated with CpG 1018 and alum as a candidate vaccine to prevent COVID-19 disease.

99m Tc-glycopeptide: synthesis, biodistribution and imaging in breast tumor-bearing rodents.

This study was aimed to develop a glycopeptide (GP) to be used as a carrier for anti-cancer drug delivery. GP was synthesized by conjugating glutamate peptide and chitosan using carbodiimide as a coupling agent. Elemental analysis and capillary electrophoresis confirmed the purity was >95%. GP was labeled with sodium pertechnetate (Na99m TcO4) for in vitro and in vivo studies. Rhenium-GP was synthesized to support the binding site of 99m Tc at the glutamate positions 3-5. In vitro cellular uptake of 99m Tc-GP was performed in breast cancer cells. Cytosol had 60% whereas nucleus had 40% uptake of 99m Tc-GP. When cancer cells were incubated with glutamate or aspartate, followed by 99m Tc-GP, there was decreased uptake in cells treated with glutamate but not aspartate. The findings indicated that cellular uptake of 99m Tc-GP was via glutamate transporters. In addition, 99m Tc-GP was able to measure uptake differences after cells treated with paclitaxel. Biodistribution and planar imaging were conducted in breast tumor-bearing rats. Biodistribution of 99m Tc-GP showed increased tumor-to-tissue ratios as a function of time. Planar images confirmed that 99m Tc-GP could assess tumor uptake changes after paclitaxel treatment. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated that GP could target tumor cells, thus, GP may be a useful carrier for anti-cancer drug delivery.

Highly permissive subclone of the porcine kidney cell line for porcine circovirus type 2 production.

This study established a highly permissive and decontaminated cell line for growing porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). A porcine kidney-15 cell line (PK-15) contaminated with porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1) was decontaminated by neutralizing with rabbit anti-PCV1 hyperimmune serum. Subsequently, by limiting dilution and cell subcloning, four PCV1-free monoclonal cells were grown to monolayers. Each cell clone and PK-15 cell were infected with PCV2. The PKKC cell clone yielded up to 10(6.8)TCID(50)/ml at 6 days post-infection. In addition, PKKC was free of extraneous viral contamination and exhibited a cytopathic effect (CPE) to PCV2 at 6 days post-infection. The advantages of the PKKC cell are that it can grow a high PCV2 titer and exhibit CPE; therefore, it can be used for PCV2 cultivation, vaccine production, and diagnostic purposes.