Women into Engineering: Perspectives on positive discrimination from the USA

This paper describes American schemes for the recruitment and support of women in undergraduate engineering programmes, graduate re‐entry schemes and vocational training. It discusses the need and provision for sex equity training in mathematics and computing. Some common themes which link the various schemes are explored, and comparisons are made between the United States and Britain.     

The Utility of Simulated Clients in Macro-Practice Courses

Over the past several decades, the use of simulated or standardized clients has been an important area of pedagogy for social work education in training students to work with individuals, families, and groups in practice settings, often in preparation for a practicum placement. Little in the extant literature, however, has focused on the possible utilization of this pedagogical tool in preparing students for engagement at the macro level, such as community development, organizing, policy practice, or other types of involvement with large systems. This article considers the possible strengths and benefits of simulated clients within macro-level courses—especially relative to experiential activities that don’t involve simulated clients—as well as important logistical considerations related to such use.     

An analysis of Social StoriesTM research using an evidence‐based practice model

The number of Social Stories^TM studies and reviews has increased in recent years, yet concerns regarding quality and effect sizes continue to be expressed. With the emphasis on evidence‐based practices (EBPs) for the education and treatment of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), this issue becomes of paramount importance as professionals and parents attempt to select interventions for the people with ASD in their care. The current study makes a unique contribution in its use of an extensive EBP evaluation model to examine 33 single‐subject studies across 13 peer‐reviewed journals, a 12‐year period, and a wide range of grouping variables. Using the Mayton, Wheeler, Menendez and Zhang (2010) EBP evaluation protocol, studies were investigated in terms of eight quality indicators comprised 23 operationally defined standards. Studies included in this analysis met the following criteria: (1) they were intervention studies using single‐subject research designs; (2) they included only participants with disorders on the autism spectrum; and (3) the primary intervention was the use of a Social Story. Findings included on‐ or above‐standard acceptability in EBP indicators related to important aspects of dependent variables within studies and below‐standard acceptability in indicators related to both internal and external validity of studies.     

Cognitive readiness assessment and reporting: An open source mobile framework for operational decision support and performance improvement

Cognitive readiness (CR) and performance for operational time‐critical environments are continuing points of focus for military and academic communities. In response to this need, we designed an open source interactive CR assessment application as a highly adaptive and efficient open source testing administration and analysis tool. It is capable of evaluating the CR of individual personnel and combining these results into intuitive, visually based summaries of readiness. The components, logic, and architecture are presented.     

新疆撒拉族历史迁徙与文化变迁研究

文章通过梳理相关历史文献并结合田野调查资料,描绘了新疆撒拉族的历史渊源和形成的历史过程;新疆撒拉族在迁徙的历史进程中,为了立足新的环境与周边民族文化进行了长期的互动、积极调适,社会文化发生了积极的变迁.     

Elucidating early mechanisms of developmental psychopathology: the case of prenatal smoking and disruptive behavior

There is a robust association between prenatal smoking and disruptive behavior disorders, but little is known about the emergence of such behaviors in early development. The association of prenatal smoking and hypothesized behavioral precursors to disruptive behavior in toddlers (N=93) was tested. Exposed toddlers demonstrated atypical behavioral patterns, including (1) escalating externalizing problems from 18 to 24 months and (2) observed difficulty modulating behavior in response to social cues. Specification of exposure-related behaviors is a first step toward generating testable hypotheses about putative mechanisms of effect. While it remains unclear whether prenatal exposure plays an etiologic role in the emergence of disruptive behavior, atypical exposure-related behavioral patterns are evident in the first years of life and demonstrate developmental coherence.