Sex Differences in Early Childhood Education Intervention Impacts on Cognitive Outcomes.

Several influential studies reported sex differences in early care and education (ECE) treatment on young adult IQ and academic outcomes. This paper extends that work by asking whether sex differences in impacts of the Carolina Abecedarian Project emerged during the treatment period or subsequently and whether sex differences were maintained into middle adulthood. The randomized clinical trial (98% Black, 51% female) followed 104 infants 5 to 45 years of age.

Evaluating the accuracy of automated processing of child and adult language production in preschool classrooms.

Young children's language and social development is influenced by the linguistic environment of their classrooms, including their interactions with teachers and peers. Measurement of the classroom linguistic environment typically relies on observational methods, often providing limited 'snapshots' of children's interactions, from which broad generalizations are made. Recent technological advances, including artificial intelligence, provide opportunities to capture children's interactions using continuous recordings representing much longer durations of time.

Peer-Mediated Intervention for Socially Isolated Preschoolers: An Early-Stage Feasibility Study.

Purpose: A common goal of peer-mediated interventions is to train peers to successfully initiate and maintain social and linguistic interactions with a target child in the classroom. Ample evidence indicates that peer-mediated interventions improve social and linguistic outcomes for students in the primary and later grades with developmental disabilities; however, relatively little work has focused on applying these approaches to socially isolated preschoolers who are vulnerable to academic and social challenges. In this early-stage feasibility study, we examined the potential of Promoting Early Engagement, Relationships, and Socialization (PEERS), a peer-mediated intervention designed to support socially isolated preschoolers.

Native American genetic ancestry and pigmentation allele contributions to skin color in a Caribbean population.

Our interest in the genetic basis of skin color variation between populations led us to seek a Native American population with genetically African admixture but low frequency of European light skin alleles. Analysis of 458 genomes from individuals residing in the Kalinago Territory of the Commonwealth of Dominica showed approximately 55% Native American, 32% African, and 12% European genetic ancestry, the highest Native American genetic ancestry among Caribbean populations to date. Skin pigmentation ranged from 20 to 80 melanin units, averaging 46.

Examining three hypotheses for pre-kindergarten fade-out.

Pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) programs typically improve early academic skills, but those gains too often disappear after children transition to elementary school. At least three hypotheses explain this "fade-out" of Pre-K effects: Pre-K does not focus on the "trifecta skills" that uniquely support subsequent learning and development; the quality of school-age experiences as "sustaining environments" are more important for Pre-K attenders than nonattenders; and kindergarten (K) teachers provide "redundant instruction" by teaching the same skills taught in preschool programs. The present sample included the second year of assessments on 455 children living in rural counties in the Southeast recruited from Pre-K classrooms and the first year of assessments for 246 K classmates without center-based preschool experience.

The Relation Between Classroom Age Composition and Children's Language and Behavioral Outcomes: Examining Peer Effects.

Grouping children of different ages in the same preschool classroom (i.e., mixed age) is widespread, but the evidence supporting this practice is mixed.

The Feasibility and Efficacy of a Brief Integrative Treatment for Adults With Depression and/or Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and suitability of a brief integrative intervention, Personalized Integrative Therapy (PI Therapy), for the treatment of adult depression and/or anxiety. In this 6-week, 3-arm, parallel-group, randomized trial, PI Therapy delivered alone or with nutritional supplements (PI Therapy + Supps) was compared to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in 48 adults with depression and/or anxiety. All treatments were delivered as a 1-day workshop plus 6 weeks of reminder phone text messages to reinforce topics and skills covered in the workshop.

Protection of rabbits against cutaneous papillomavirus infection using recombinant tobacco mosaic virus containing L2 capsid epitopes.

Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) and rabbit oral papillomavirus (ROPV) represent distantly related, cutaneous and mucosal tissue tropic papillomaviruses respectively that can infect the same host. These two viruses were used to test the effectiveness of an L2 peptide-based vaccine (aa 94-122) that was delivered on the surface of recombinant tobacco mosaic virus (rTMV) particles. Groups of NZW rabbits received combinations of CRPVL2, ROPVL2 and CRPV+ROPVL2 rTMV vaccines, and were then challenged with infectious CRPV and ROPV.