Commentary on the Special Issue on Parent Involvement/Engagement in Early Childhood Education

The articles in this special issue of the NHSA Dialog contribute to the growing body of literature on the importance of engaging parents in early childhood education for children’s development, learning and achievement. They highlight cultural factors that programs should take into consideration in their outreach to parents, and address a number of potential barriers to their involvement parents may face. Findings reported in this issue also provide evidence-based, innovative strategies for engaging parents. Additionally, the set of articles presents a robust range of ways that parent involvement and engagement in early childhood education can be conceptualized and operationalized. Hopefully by highlighting a diverse set of factors pertaining to parents’ involvement and engagement in their young children’s education, publication of this special issue can spur integrative scholarship on how Head Start and other early childhood programs can best engage all the families they serve

Longitudinal Relationships Between Parent Factors, Children’s Bullying, and Victimization Behaviors

Longitudinal data from NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development tested direct, indirect and reciprocal effects of maternal depressive symptoms, stress/support factors on child bullying and peer victimization through mother–child relationship quality at grades 3, 5, 6. Data from 828 mother-child dyads indicated small significant effects of some hypothesized pathways, including a small direct effect of maternal depressive symptoms at grade 3 on peer victimization at grade 5, but not on bullying behaviors. Mother–child relationship quality at grade 5 negatively predicted bullying at grade 6, but not peer victimization. There were small effects of bullying behaviors at grade 5 on decreased mother–child relationship quality at grade 6. Maternal employment at grade 3 predicted decreased bullying behaviors at grade 6 through mother–child relationship quality at grade 5. Findings are relevant for parent inclusive research and approaches to anti-bully intervention strategies and prevention policies

Student Engagement in After-School Programs, Academic Skills, and Social Competence among Elementary School Students

Research on the relationship between after-school program participation and student outcomes has been mixed, and beneficial effects have been small. Most recent studies suggest that participation is best characterized as a multidimensional concept that includes enrollment, attendance, and engagement, which help explain differences in student outcomes. The present study uses data from a longitudinal study of after-school programs in elementary schools to examine staff ratings of student engagement and school outcomes. The factor structure of the staff-rated measure of student engagement was examined by exploratory factor analysis. Multiple regression analyses found that student engagement in academic, youth development, and arts after-school program activities was significantly related to changes in teacher ratings of academic skills and social competence over the course of the school year and that students with the greatest increase in academic skills both were highly engaged in activities and attended the after-school program regularly. The results of this study provide additional evidence regarding the benefits of after-school programs and the importance of student engagement when assessing student outcomes

Membrane protein production in Escherichia coli cell-free lysates

AbstractCell-free protein production has become a core technology in the rapidly spreading field of synthetic biology. In particular the synthesis of membrane proteins, highly problematic proteins in conventional cellular production systems, is an ideal application for cell-free expression. A large variety of artificial as well as natural environments for the optimal co-translational folding and stabilization of membrane proteins can rationally be designed. The high success rate of cell-free membrane protein production allows to focus on individually selected targets and to modulate their functional and structural properties with appropriate supplements. The efficiency and robustness of lysates from Escherichia coli strains allow a wide diversity of applications and we summarize current strategies for the successful production of high quality membrane protein samples

Beschleunigte Knochenheilung durch frühe Vaskularisierung mittels Implantation von EPC und MSC auf beta-TCP im Knochendefektmodell der Ratte

Fragestellung: In einem ausgedehnten Knochendefekt kann das Einwachsen von knochenbildenden Zellen limitiert sein, da ohne Gefässe die Ernährung der regenerativen Zellen im Knochenkonstrukt insuffizient ist. Endotheliale Progenitorzellen (EPC) sind wichtig bei der Neovaskularisierung. Die frühe Vaskularisierung von grossen Knochendefekten kann für das Überleben und die Funktion von mesenchymalen Stammzellen (MSC) und knochenbildenden Zellen entscheidend sein. Kann die Implantation von EPC und MSC auf osteokonduktiven beta-Tricalciumphosphat (beta-TCP) in einem "critical-size" Knochendefekt des Femur von athymischen Ratten die frühe Vaskularisierung und die Knochenheilung in vivo verbessern? Methodik: Humane EPC wurden aus Buffy-Coat und humane MSC aus Knochenmarkaspirat durch Dichtezentrifugation isoliert. 2.5 x 105 kultivierte und differenzierte EPC und MSC wurden in vitro auf beta-TCP geladen. In 145 athymischen, männlichen Ratten wurde das Femur osteotomiert, ein 5 mm Knochendefekt erzeugt und mit Fixateur externe stabilisiert. Die Knochendefekte wurden mit beta-TCP (Gruppe 1), beta-TCP und MSC (Gruppe 2), beta-TCP und EPC (Gruppe 3), beta-TCP und EPC und MSC (Gruppe 4) oder autologem Knochen (Gruppe 5) gefüllt. Nach 1 Woche (n=40), 4 Wochen (n=40), 8 Wochen (n=40) und 12 Wochen (n=25) wurden die Ratten getötet. Bei Pinlockerung wurde die Ratte ausgeschlossen. Die (immun)histologische Analyse (Färbung mit HE, VEGF-R2, vWF) der Vaskularisierung und Knochenneubildung erfolgte mit Image-Analysis-System. Nach 8 und 12 Wochen erfolgte ein µCT und ein 4-Punkte-Biegungstest. Für die statistische Analyse wurde der Kruskal-Wallis-Test verwendet. Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerungen: Nach 1 Woche zeigte sich bei der Implantation von EPC/MSC und EPC allein signifikant mehr primitive vaskuläre Plexus (p=0.01;p=0.048) als in Vergleichsgruppen. Im Vergleich zur TCP Gruppe war in allen anderen Versuchsgruppen signifikant mehr Knochenneubildung zu sehen (p<0.01). Ausserdem war in der EPC/MSC-Gruppe signifikant mehr Knochenbildung zu erkennen als in der MSC-Gruppe (p=0.03). Nach 12 Wochen zeigten alle Gruppen eine knöcherne Durchbauung des Defektes, jedoch zeigten bereits 8 Wochen nach Implantation von MSC/EPC 83% der Defekte eine stabile, knöcherne Durchbauung. Bei der Implantation von MSC kam es in 18% der Knochendefekte zum knöchernen Durchbau. Alle anderen experimentellen Gruppen zeigten nach 8 Wochen keine knöcherne Durchbauung. Diese Resultate konnten im µCT, biomechanischen Test und in der Histologie quantifiziert werden. EPC scheinen die frühe Vaskularisierung innerhalb eines Knochenkonstrukt in vivo zu stimulieren und das Einwachsverhalten von MSC zu verbessern, was zu einer beschleunigten Knochenheilung im Knochendefektmodell der Ratte führt

Time Varying Predictor Model of Socialization Behavior in Children Diagnosed with Pediatric Brain Tumors

Medical advances have improved the survival rate of children with brain tumors, allowing research on long-term outcomes. Prior research suggests that social functioning is often negatively affected by brain insults, and social functioning may be related to childhood receptive vocabulary in children with traumatic brain injuries (Greenham et al., 2010). The current study addressed this hypothesis with children diagnosed with pediatric brain tumors longitudinally using latent growth curve modeling (LGCM). Our sample consisted of 154 children with 544 evaluations from 2 to 7 years post diagnosis. All children completed the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised (PPVT-R) and Vineland Socialization Scale. Participants were diagnosed with mixed tumor types and diverse tumor locations. The average time since diagnosis was used to determine the latent growth curve factor loading (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 years post diagnosis). Results indicated that the predictors (PPVT-R and radiation therapy) accounted for 41% of the variance of the slope of socialization behavior and 38% of the variance of the intercept. Socialization and PPVT-R scores were significantly positively correlated (intercept γ=.47,

Identifying Predictors of Diagnostic Instability of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Global Developmental Delay In Toddlers

Although Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is considered to be a lifelong condition, some toddlers experience diagnostic instability over time. In particular, some toddlers’ diagnosis changes between ASD and Global Developmental Delay (GDD). However, little is known about the subset of children who change diagnosis. In a total of 424 toddlers who either maintained or changed diagnosis, the current study identified predictors of change in diagnosis and severity in those who change from ASD to non-ASD (ASD-NON), ASD to GDD (ASD-GDD), non-ASD to ASD (NON-ASD), and GDD to ASD (GDD-ASD) between two years old and four years old. Initial ASD symptom severity and participation in intervention services were predictive of all transitions. Additionally, receptive language predicted ASD-NON transition and socioeconomic status predicted ASD-GDD transition. Implications for informing prognosis of children, identifying targets of intervention, refining of screening and diagnostic measures, and measuring change in severity regardless of categorical change are discussed

Psychosocial predictors of sexual initiation and high-risk sexual behaviors in early adolescence

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This longitudinal study examined psychosocial factors associated with risky sexual behavior in early adolescence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected through a self-report survey, the Social and Health Assessment (SAHA), which was administered in three waves between 2001 and 2003 to a cohort of incoming sixth grade students in the public school system (149 classes at 17 middle and high schools, N = 1,175) of a small northeastern city in the United States.</p> <p>We first examined whether internalizing and externalizing problems in sixth grade, and the rate of change in these factors during middle school, were predictive of sexual initiation two years later, when most of the sample was in eighth grade. We then assessed whether internalizing and externalizing problems in sixth grade, and the rate of change in these factors during middle school, were predictive of engaging in high risk sexual behavior over the subsequent two years.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Externalizing factors are more predictive of sexual risk in early adolescence than are internalizing factors. Specifically, substance use and violent delinquency over the course of middle school were associated with higher, while anxiety with lower, sexual initiation rates during middle school. Additionally, increased substance use over the course of middle school was associated with greater likelihood of engaging in high risk sexual behavior.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>By identifying particular psychosocial risk factors among young adolescents, the findings of this study have implications for designing multi-dimensional programs aimed at preventing health-compromising sexual behavior among young teens.</p

Short Report: The Role of Emotion Perception in Adaptive Functioning of People with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Cognitive functioning has historically been used to predict adaptive outcomes of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs); however, research shows that it is not a complete predictor. The current study explored whether emotion perception was a predictor of adaptive outcomes, and more specifically, hypothesized that emotion perception (DANVA-2 error scores) would mediate adaptive functioning of people with ASDs (Vineland-II). People with ASDs demonstrated significantly lower adaptive functioning and emotion perception skills compared to typically-developing individuals. Emotion perception acted as a significant mediator for socialization, but not communication or daily living skills, highlighting that in people with ASDs, lower socialization abilities is the result, in part, of emotion perception deficits. It was unexpected that emotion perception was not a mediator for communication skills. This may be related to sample restrictions, or the narrow focus on emotion perception. Future research should involve a larger, more inclusive ASD sample, broaden approaches to exploring relationships between social perception and adaptive outcomes, and relate findings to brain mechanisms underlying emotion perception