High-quality early childhood programs have been shown to have substantial benefits in reducing crime, raising earnings, and promoting education. Much less is known about their benefits for adult health. We report on the long-term health effects of one of the oldest and most heavily cited early childhood interventions with long-term follow-up evaluated by the method of randomization: the Carolina Abecedarian Project (ABC). Using recently collected biomedical data, we find that disadvantaged children randomly assigned to treatment have significantly lower prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in their mid-30s. The evidence is especially strong for males. The mean systolic blood pressure among the control males is 143 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), whereas it is only 126 mm Hg among the treated. One in four males in the control group is affected by metabolic syndrome, whereas none in the treatment group are affected. To reach these conclusions, we address several statistical challenges. We use exact permutation tests to account for small sample sizes and conduct a parallel bootstrap confidence interval analysis to confirm the permutation analysis. We adjust inference to account for the multiple hypotheses tested and for nonrandom attrition. Our evidence shows the potential of early life interventions for preventing disease and promoting health.

/pdf/early-childhood-investments-substantially-boost-adult-health-1pqafd7dmm.pdf

Early childhood investments substantially boost adult health

In this meta-analysis, we systematically reviewed research on digital games and learning for K-16 students. We synthesized comparisons of game versus nongame conditions (i.e., media comparisons) and comparisons of augmented games versus standard game designs (i.e., value-added comparisons). We used random-effects meta-regression models with robust variance estimates to summarize overall effects and explore potential moderator effects. Results from media comparisons indicated that digital games significantly enhanced student learning relative to nongame conditions ([Formula: see text] = 0.33, 95% confidence interval [0.19, 0.48], k = 57, n = 209). Results from value-added comparisons indicated significant learning benefits associated with augmented game designs ([Formula: see text] = 0.34, 95% confidence interval [0.17, 0.51], k = 20, n = 40). Moderator analyses demonstrated that effects varied across various game mechanics characteristics, visual and narrative characteristics, and research quality characteristics. Taken together, the results highlight the affordances of games for learning as well as the key role of design beyond medium.

Digital Games, Design, and Learning A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

To develop a carrier for the controlled release of biologically-active growth factors, biodegradable hydrogels were prepared through glutaraldehyde cross-linking of gelatin with isoelectric points (IEP) of 5.0 and 9.0, i.e. 'acidic' and 'basic' gelatins, respectively. Radioiodinated growth factors were used to investigate their sorption and desorption from the hydrogel of both types of gelatin. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) were well sorbed with time to the acidic gelatin hydrogel, while less sorption was observed for the basic gelatin hydrogel. This could be explained in terms of the electrostatic interaction between the growth factors and the acidic gelatin. However, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), though their IEPs are higher than 7.0, were sorbed to the acidic gelatin hydrogel to a smaller extent than the two other growth factors. Under in vitro non-degradation conditions, approximately 20% of the incorporated bFGF and TGF-beta1 was desorbed from the hydrogels within the initial 40 min, followed by no further substantial desorption, whereas large initial desorption was observed for BMP-2 and VEGF. When implanted in the back subcutis of mice, gelatin hydrogels were degraded over time. Each growth factor was retained in vivo being incorporated in the acidic gelatin hydrogel: the smaller the in vitro desorption amount from the hydrogel, the longer the in vivo retention time. The in vivo profile of bFGF and TGF-beta1 retention was in good accordance with that of the hydrogel. These findings indicate that the growth factor immobilized to the acidic gelatin hydrogel through ionic interaction was released in vivo as a result of hydrogel degradation.

Controlled release of growth factors based on biodegradation of gelatin hydrogel

http://maltawildplants.com/ASTR/Docs/CLDBC/Leish.pdf

Plant natural products with leishmanicidal activity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that in developing nations, there are three million cases of agrochemical poisoning. The prolonged intensive and indiscriminate use of agrochemicals adversely affected the soil biodiversity, agricultural sustainability, and food safety, bringing in long-term harmful effects on nutritional security, human and animal health. Most of the agrochemicals negatively affect soil microbial functions and biochemical processes. The alteration in diversity and composition of the beneficial microbial community can be unfavorable to plant growth and development either by reducing nutrient availability or by increasing disease incidence. Currently, there is a need for qualitative, innovative, and demand-driven research in soil science, especially in developing countries for facilitating of high-quality eco-friendly research by creating a conducive and trustworthy work atmosphere, thereby rewarding productivity and merits. Hence, we reviewed (1) the impact of various agrochemicals on the soil microbial diversity and environment; (2) the importance of smallholder farmers for sustainable crop protection and enhancement solutions, and (3) management strategies that serve the scientific community, policymakers, and land managers in integrating soil enhancement and sustainability practices in smallholder farming households. The current review provides an improved understanding of agricultural soil management for food and nutritional security.

Impact of Agrochemicals on Soil Microbiota and Management: A Review

[Smarter Pest Control Special Issue Index][1]

Pesticides—a vast range of chemicals that kill insects, weeds, fungi, and other organisms humans would rather do without—bring some great benefits to society. They have made it possible to feed a growing human population, and they protect millions from malaria and other insect-borne diseases. They also support important economic sectors such as the cotton and flower industries and help make our lives easier and more enjoyable; for instance, by reducing mosquito, ant, and cockroach populations. Yet the potentially serious threats they pose to human health and the environment have led to a series of bans on the most dangerous chemicals and to calls to go much further. This spring, the European Union took a new step by issuing a partial ban on three neonicotinoids, a widely used group of insecticides suspected of harming bees, butterflies, and other nontarget species.

Although science is guiding some policy changes, there is still room for major improvement when it comes to pesticides, by more carefully tracking their effects, using them more judiciously, reducing their negative impacts, and finding alternatives. Scientists are making strides in precisely understanding the effects of the chemicals now in our arsenal, including the myriad ways in which they are broken down in the environment and the harm they cause to wildlife. Meanwhile, cohort studies in the United States are beginning to map out their troubling effects on the young developing brain.

Reducing the negative fallout from pesticides is possible in many ways. Australia's wheat farmers are tackling one of the worst weed problems in the world (a crisis that, ironically, partly arose from overreliance on herbicides) by using a more diverse set of tools. Pesticide overuse is a big problem in Asia, too; although cheap, they hurt the farmer's bottom line in the long run. Vietnam has developed a pioneering program that is paying dividends to farmers who spray less. Also in Asia, scientists are tackling one of the biggest problems: More than 300,000 people are believed to commit suicide every year by swallowing pesticides.

Others, meanwhile, are looking ahead. New synthetic chemicals to protect crops hold the promise of stronger and more specific protection with less collateral damage. And some crops won't need pesticides at all: Scientists are developing plants whose immune systems can ward off fungal, bacterial, or viral diseases, and they are using RNA interference to help plants fight insects—a new technology that could hit the market before the decade ends.

We may never be able to abandon pesticides altogether, but as this collection of Reviews, News stories, and research papers shows, pest control can become much smarter, and science has a major role to play.

 [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/site/special/pesticides/index.xhtml

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/341/6147/728.full.pdf

The Pesticide Paradox

Neurodevelopment
When brain development goes awry, whether in genes or cells or circuits, neurodevelopmental disorders ensue. Klingler et al. review how disrupted development leads to clinical symptoms, with a particular focus on the linkage between cortical malformations and neuropsychiatric disorders. The complexity of the developmental process may underlie the variability in symptoms.

Science , this issue p. [eaba4517][1]

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aba4517

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/371/6527/358.10.full.pdf

From development to disease

![Figure][1] 

CREDIT: ALEXEY CHUVARKOV/GETTY IMAGES

How often have you had your eyes pass over a text, only to realize some time later that you absorbed nothing of it? Or spent an hour listening at a seminar, only to walk away unclear about what the most important advance was? Is this entirely your fault, or is the design of the text or the seminar partly to blame?

In this special issue, we have collected a variety of articles that focus on literacy in science. The term represents two angles of the problem: knowing what science has discovered and being able to communicate in the language of science. And the value is twofold, as well: Good literacy skills make it easier to learn science, but science topics can also be used to teach literacy skills that will translate well to other subjects.

As Snow points out (p. [450][2]), the language used in science is different from the language used in everyday conversation. The focus on details, the exclusion of ambiguous interpretations, and the complexity of the vocabulary all present the reader with challenges different from those found in fictional texts. But as van den Broek discusses (p. [453][3]), strategies taken by the writer or speaker can help the novice through the language barrier. Webb (p. [448][4]) discusses the kinds of supports that are helpful when the language of school is not the native language of the students. Krajcik and Sutherland (p. [456][5]) analyze how scientific texts are best used in a classroom setting and how to design curricula that support life-long science literacy skills. Taking the view that not all literacy is about writing, Osborne (p. [463][6]) discusses how argumentation skills are critical for understanding why some ideas are wrong and others right. Pearson and colleagues (p. [459][7]) describe the integration of literacy and science training through professional development for teachers, innovative curricula, and enhanced classroom materials. And research reported by Taylor et al. (p. [512][8]) analyzes how both genetics and the teachers available affect a child's literacy skills.

In the Education Forum, Schleicher (p. [433][9]) discusses how literacy skills required for participation in increasingly sophisticated societies have evolved and how meaningful international assessments can be conducted. In the 20 and 27 April issues, Science Signaling presents a set of Teaching Resources by Thatcher, each of which is a pair of short animations of a canonical signaling pathway; student-authored Journal Clubs cover topics ranging from signaling in cells of the immune system to signaling in plants.

Science is about generating and interpreting data. But it is also about communicating facts, ideas, and hypotheses. Scientists write, speak, debate, visualize, listen, and read about their specialties daily. For students unfamiliar with the language or style of science, the deceptively simple act of communication can be a barrier to understanding or becoming involved with the science.

 [1]: pending:yes
 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1182597
 [3]: /lookup/volpage/328/453?iss=5977
 [4]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1182596
 [5]: /lookup/volpage/328/456?iss=5977
 [6]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1183944
 [7]: /lookup/volpage/328/459?iss=5977
 [8]: /lookup/volpage/328/512?iss=5977
 [9]: /lookup/volpage/328/433?iss=5977

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/328/5977/447.full.pdf

Learning to Read, Reading to Learn

![Figure][1] 

CREDIT: PHOTO MONTAGE (TOP TO BOTTOM) JUPITER IMAGES, ISTOCK PHOTO

A student in Scotland investigates the effects of pollution on the Yangtze River in China. Students in Colorado learning from classroom discussions register their progress using clickers, or individual response systems. And when they're not in school, an astounding number of students spend their off hours playing technology-based games, either in immersive environments that millions of users share or individually on a cell phone. Opportunities abound for squeezing in a bit of learning along with the game-playing.

Although technology can be grand fun, the gee-whiz effect is only part of the story. Its real value lies in the underlying learning effects. Technologies that emphasize peer interactions can aid a collaborative approach to learning, as when soldiers build team function across distances using interactive training simulations. And technologies that place knowledge in the context of what a student already knows can aid learning. But technology is not a magic bullet for education: A fancy bit of electronics distributed without context and support may leave the laptop functioning as a doorstop.

 Nor is it easy to know what works. A peer-reviewed national science education digital library initiative, supported for nearly a decade by the U.S. National Science Foundation, has made scant progress in getting the technology into the classroom and training teachers to use it. And when today's students are immersed in technology, how does one tease out the impact of such interventions? Even a proven success can be undermined by the ever-changing nature of the ways in which we communicate: Today's best practices may soon be embedded in antiquated technology.

In this special issue, we have collected a range of articles in the research, opinion, news, and book review sections that examine how education is changing in the face of technology. Related videos and podcasts feature interviews with some of the authors. As examples, we explore what one can learn from video games, how large-scale testing might be improved by technology, where cognitive science meets education, and what resources are being developed to facilitate a more effective use of technology.

There are both exciting opportunities and challenges in this fast-moving field, and we view this special issue as only the beginning of our exploration of the frontiers of learning for the next generation of scientists—and citizens.

 [1]: pending:yes

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/323/5910/53.1.full.pdf

Adding a T to the Three R's

T he initial phase of a revolution in agriculture has already occurred. Large areas of genetically modified (GM) crops of soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola have been successfully grown in the Western Hemisphere. In the United States in 1999, of the total of 72 million acres (29 million hectares)

Pamela J. Hines

Papers

The Pesticide Paradox

From development to disease

Learning to Read, Reading to Learn

Adding a T to the Three R's

The Plant Revolution