Cumulative Experience of Educational Assets from Preschool through First Grade and the Social-emotional Well-being of English- and Spanish-Speaking Children

Children’s social and emotional experiences influence brain development and are therefore central to outcomes of behavior, learning, and health. The current study examined associations between children’s cumulative educational assets in the early grades and end of first grade social-emotional outcomes for children from English- and Spanish-speaking families. Data were drawn from a sample of preschool-aged children (N = 1,132) from low-income families in a large, culturally, and linguistically diverse sample followed annually from pre-kindergarten through first grade. A multi-method, multi-informant approach was used to assess predictor and outcome variables. Results indicate overall that cumulative experiences of educational assets (teacher-student interaction and relationships, parent-teacher communication) were associated with indicators of children’s social-emotional well-being and matter in similar ways for children from English- and Spanish-speaking families. However, we did find some evidence of significant interactions of Spanish as a home language with cumulative educational assets on children’s conduct problems and feelings about peers

Does Teaching Quality Cross Subjects? Exploring Consistency in Elementary Teacher Practice Across Subjects

Teacher evaluation systems treat instructional quality as generic. Principals often observe elementary teachers in one subject and generalize assessments to all subjects. However, there is little empirical work to justify these decisions. This study provides needed evidence about whether elementary teachers engage in comparable instruction across the school day. We draw on data from the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project, including student survey and classroom observational data from more than 500 elementary teachers. Findings indicate that there is moderate within-teacher, cross-subject consistency on the Tripod and Classroom Observation Scoring System (CLASS). Cross-subject correlations are higher on the Tripod scales (r values from 0.55 to 0.73) than the CLASS dimensions and domains (r values from 0.25 to 0.55). These findings suggest that teaching quality is not a uniform construct across subjects, even though current teaching evaluation systems largely treat it as such. Implications for elementary teacher preparation, professional development, and evaluation are discussed

The Quality of Toddler Child Care and Cognitive Skills at 24 Months: Propensity Score Analysis Results from the ECLS-B.

Over half of the toddlers in the U.S. experience routine nonparental care, but much less is known about early care than about preschool care. This study analyzed 2-year-old child care and child outcome data from the nationally representative ECLS-B sample of children born in 2001. At two-years of age, 51% of children experienced exclusive parental care, 18% relative care, 15% family child care, and 16% center care. More children in nonparental care were in medium quality care (61%) than in high quality (26%) or low quality (13%) care. Low-income children were more likely than non-low income children to be cared for by their parents and, when in care, were more often in lower quality care. The impact of toddler care quality on cognitive skills was estimated using propensity score adjustments to account for potential selection confounds due to family and child characteristics. Children's cognitive scores were higher in high or medium quality care than in low quality care, but no evidence emerged suggesting that poverty moderated the quality effects. Nevertheless, this suggests that increasing the proportion of low-income children in high quality care could reduce the achievement gap because low-income children are very unlikely to experience high quality care

Nucleoside analogs as a rich source of antiviral agents active against arthropod-borne flaviviruses

Nucleoside analogs represent the largest class of small molecule-based antivirals, which currently form the backbone of chemotherapy of chronic infections caused by HIV, hepatitis B or C viruses, and herpes viruses. High antiviral potency and favorable pharmacokinetics parameters make some nucleoside analogs suitable also for the treatment of acute infections caused by other medically important RNA and DNA viruses. This review summarizes available information on antiviral research of nucleoside analogs against arthropod-borne members of the genus Flavivirus within the family Flaviviridae, being primarily focused on description of nucleoside inhibitors of flaviviral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, methyltransferase, and helicase/NTPase. Inhibitors of intracellular nucleoside synthesis and newly discovered nucleoside derivatives with high antiflavivirus potency, whose modes of action are currently not completely understood, have drawn attention. Moreover, this review highlights important challenges and complications in nucleoside analog development and suggests possible strategies to overcome these limitations.status: publishe

Heterogeneity of student perceptions of the classroom climate: A latent profile approach

Student perceptions are a pivotal point of measurement for understanding why classroom learning environments are effective. Yet there is some evidence that student perceptions cannot be reliably aggregated at the classroom level and, instead, could represent idiosyncratic experiences of students. The present study examines whether heterogeneity in student perceptions of the classroom climate has implications for student achievement. We use data from 1428 seventh grade students in 75 mathematics classrooms from the Michigan Study of Adolescent and Life Transitions. Three dimensions of student perceptions of the classroom were measured: emotional support, autonomy support and performance focus. To obtain a measure of heterogeneity, we first reduced the data using latent profile analysis to describe profiles of students’ perceptions of the classroom. Next, we quantified the heterogeneity of student perceptions within classrooms using Simpson’s D. Classroom-level heterogeneity (Simpson’s D) of students’ perceptions was negatively associated with students’ mathematics achievement, even after controlling for individual- and classroom-level previous achievement, student’s prior perceptions and other variables. Findings suggest that measures of heterogeneity in student perceptions might be important for understanding classroom- and teacher-level effects on student outcomes

To the means and beyond: Understanding variation in students’ perceptions of teacher emotional support

Student perceptions of the classroom environment are used as a policy-relevant marker of teacher quality. Yet the influences on students' perceptions are less well understood. We examined (a) whether individual-level factors (achievement goals, perceptions of their previous classroom, and teacher ratings of ability) were associated with students' perceptions of teacher emotional support, and (b) whether classroom observations of teacher unfairness/unfriendliness predicted systematic within-classroom variation in students' reports of emotional support. Multilevel analysis of 1303 students in 80 7th grade mathematics classrooms indicated that students' perceptions of their 6th grade teacher, mastery orientation, and the teacher's perceptions of ability predicted end-of-the-year perceptions of emotional support. Although the observed level of teacher unsupportiveness did not predict mean-level of emotional support, students' perceptions of their teachers were more variable in classrooms observed as higher in unfairness/unfriendliness. Investigating heteroskedasticity highlights the importance of using methods for understanding variability in students' perceptions of the classroom

Structure-activity relationships of nucleoside analogues for inhibition of tick-borne encephalitis virus

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) represents one of the most serious arboviral neuro-infections in Europe and northern Asia. As no specific antiviral therapy is available at present, there is an urgent need for efficient drugs to treat patients with TBE virus (TBEV) infection. Using two standardised in vitro assay systems, we evaluated a series of 29 nucleoside derivatives for their ability to inhibit TBEV replication in cell lines of neuronal as well as extraneural origin. The series of tested compounds included 2'-C- or 2'-O-methyl substituted nucleosides, 2'-C-fluoro-2'-C-methyl substituted nucleosides, 3'-O-methyl substituted nucleosides, 3'-deoxynucleosides, derivatives with 4'-C-azido substitution, heterobase modified nucleosides and neplanocins. Our data demonstrate a relatively stringent structure-activity relationship for modifications at the 2', 3', and 4' nucleoside positions. Whereas nucleoside derivatives with the methylation at the C2' position or azido modification at the C4'position exerted a strong TBEV inhibition activity (EC50 from 0.3 to 11.1 μM) and low cytotoxicity in vitro, substitutions of the O2' and O3' positions led to a complete loss of anti-TBEV activity (EC50 > 50 μM). Moreover, some structural modifications of the heterobase moiety resulted in a high increase of cytotoxicty in vitro. High antiviral activity and low cytotoxicity of C2' methylated or C4' azido substituted pharmacophores suggest that such compounds might represent promising candidates for further development of potential therapeutic agents in treating TBEV infection.status: publishe

Student Engagement as a General Factor of Classroom Experience: Associations with Student Practices and Educational Outcomes in a University Gateway Course

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a model for considering general and specific elements of student experience in a gateway course in undergraduate Financial Accounting in a large university on the East Coast, USA. Specifically, the study evaluated a bifactor analytic strategy including a general factor of student classroom experience, conceptualized as student engagement as rooted in flow theory, as well as factors representing specific dimensions of experience. The study further evaluated the association between these general and specific factors and both student classroom practices and educational outcomes. The sample of students (N = 407) in two cohorts of the undergraduate financial accounting course participated in the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) measuring students' classroom practices, perceptions, engagement, and perceived learning throughout the one-semester course. Course grade information was also collected. Results showed that a two-level bifactor model fit the data better than two traditional (i.e., non-bifactor) models and also avoided significant multicollinearity of the traditional models. In addition to student engagement (general factor), specific dimensions of classroom experience in the bifactor model at the within-student level included intrinsic motivation, academic intensity, salience, and classroom self-esteem. At the between-student level, specific aspects included work orientation, learning orientation, classroom self-esteem, and disengagement. Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM) demonstrated that sitting in the front of the classroom (compared to the sitting in the back), taking notes, active listening, and working on problems during class had a positive effect on within-student variation in student engagement and attention. Engagement, in turn, predicted perceived learning. With respect to between-student effects, the tendency to sit in front seats had a significant effect on student engagement, which in turn had a significant effect on perceived learning and course grades. A significant indirect relationship of seating and active learning strategies on learning and course grade as mediated by student engagement was found. Support for the general aspect of student classroom experience was interpreted with flow theory and suggested the need for additional research. Findings also suggested that active learning strategies are associated with positive learning outcomes even in educational environments where possibilities for action are relatively constrained

Nucleoside inhibitors of Zika virus

There is growing evidence that Zika virus (ZIKV) can cause devastating infant brain defects and other neurological disorders in humans. However, no specific antiviral therapy is available at present. We tested a series of 2'-C- or 2'-O-methyl-substituted nucleosides, 2'-C-fluoro-2'-C-methyl-substituted nucleosides, 3'-O-methyl-substituted nucleosides, 3'-deoxynucleosides, derivatives with 4'-C-azido substitution, heterobase-modified nucleosides, and neplanocins for their ability to inhibit ZIKV replication in cell culture. Antiviral activity was identified when 2'-C-methylated nucleosides were tested, suggesting that these compounds might represent promising lead candidates for further development of specific antivirals against ZIKV.status: publishe