Effects of ABRACADABRA Instruction on Spelling in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study explored the effects of an evidence-based literacy program, ABRACADABRA, on the spelling abilities of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty children with ASD aged 5–11 years were assigned to matched instruction and waitlist control groups. Children in the instruction group received 26 hrs of individualized, home-based instruction using ABRACADABRA over a 13-week period. Results showed no change in children’s conventional spelling accuracy skills following ABRACADABRA instruction. However, an analysis of spelling attempts using the Computerized Spelling Sensitivity System (Masterson & Hrbec, 2011) revealed statistically significant gains in linguistic spelling accuracy for children in the instruction group relative to the waitlist control group, with large effect sizes. These findings suggest that ABRACADABRA improves aspects of spelling ability in children with ASD and that the Computerized Spelling Sensitivity System is a useful tool for detecting changes in the spelling abilities of children with ASD following literacy instruction.     

The UK National Arts Education Archive: Ideas and Imaginings

The National Arts Education Archive (NAEA) is housed and maintained by the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), and managed by YSP coordinators and educators with a well‐established volunteer programme. This year, 2017, as part of the celebrations of the YSP's 40th anniversary, the Archive will hold its own exhibition entitled Treasures Revealed: a collection of items selected by people who have been involved in the Archive, whether as donors, volunteers, researchers, artists, trustees or steering group members. In parallel with the exhibition, this article aims to give voice to a selection of individuals and groups associated with the Archive, discussing their interests and experiences of it, and their thoughts on its value and importance as a repository of arts education materials, ideals and practices. Our primary motivations were to consider these different voices in relation to the purpose, direction and relevance of the NAEA today. These exchanges raise fundamental questions and debates about what art education is and what it might become, and how these historical collections, and creative engagements with it, might help to shape our contemporary thinking.     

Two-stage screening for math problem-solving difficulty using dynamic assessment of algebraic learning

The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of a dynamic assessment (DA) of algebraic learning in predicting third graders' development of mathematics word-problem difficulty. In the fall, 122 third-grade students were assessed on a test of math word-problem skill and DA of algebraic learning. In the spring, they were assessed on word-problem performance. Logistic regression was conducted to contrast two models. One relied exclusively on the fall test of math word-problem skill to predict word-problem difficulty on the spring outcome (less than the 25th percentile). The second model relied on a combination of the fall test of math word-problem skill and the fall DA to predict the same outcome. Holding sensitivity at 87.5%, the universal screener alone resulted in a high proportion of false positives, which was practically reduced when DA was included in the prediction model. Findings are discussed in terms of a two-stage process for screening students within a responsiveness-to-intervention prevention model.     

Gender and research publishing in India: Uniformly high inequality?

Women’s access to academic careers has been historically limited by discrimination and cultural constraints. Comprehensive information about gender inequality within disciplines is needed to understand the problem and target remedial action. India is the fifth largest research producer but has a low international index of gender inequality and so is an important case. This study assesses gender inequalities in Indian journal article publishing in 2017 for 186 research fields. It also seeks overall gender differences in interests across academia by comparing the terms used in 27,710 articles with an Indian male or female first author. The data show that there are at least 1.5 male first authors per female first author in each of 26 broad fields and 2.8 male first authors per female first author overall. Compared to the USA, India has a much lower share of female first authors but smaller variations in gender differences between broad fields. Dentistry, Economics and Maths are all more female in India, but Veterinary is much less female than in the USA. There is a tendency for males to research thing-oriented topics and for females to research helping people and some life science topics. More initiatives to promote gender equality in science are needed to address the overall imbalance, but care should be taken to avoid creating the larger between-field gender differences found in the USA.     

Label-free microfluidic characterization of temperature-dependent biomolecular interactions

We present a microfluidic approach to characterizing temperature-dependent biomolecular interactions. Solvated L-arginine vasopressin (AVP) and its immobilized RNA aptamer (spiegelmer) were allowed to achieve equilibrium binding in a microchip at a series of selected temperatures. Unbound AVP were collected and analyzed with matrix-assisted laser desorption∕ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), yielding melting curves that reveal highly temperature-dependent zones in which affinity binding (36–45 °C) or dissociation (25–33 °C and 50–65 °C) occurs. Additionally, temperature-dependent binding isotherms were constructed; from these, thermodynamic quantities involved in binding were extracted. The results illustrated a strong change in heat capacity of interaction for this system, suggesting a considerable thermodynamic influence controlling vasopressin-spiegelmer interaction.