Orthographic processing – the ability to perceive, access, differentiate, and manipulate orthographic knowledge – is essential when learning to recognize words. Despite its critical importance in literacy acquisition, the field lacks a tool to assess this essential cognitive ability. The goal of this study was to design a computer-based assessment of orthographic processing and investigate its psychometric properties. The rationale for designing specific items was discussed, methods used to separate orthographic processing from word recognition and spelling ability were presented, and item suitability was examined. Person separation reliability was .91 for this assessment. Validity evidence was gathered and reported.

SummaryTelomerase activity is repressed in normal human somatic cells, but is activated in most cancers, suggesting that telomerase may be an important target for cancer therapy. In this study, we report that U-73122, an amphiphilic alkylating agent that is commonly used as an inhibitor for phospholipase C, is also a potent and selective inhibitor of human telomerase. The inhibition of telomerase by U-73122 was attributed primarily to the pyrrole-2,5-dione group, since its structural analog U-73343 did not inhibit telomerase. In confirmation, we observed that telomerase was inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide, but not N-ethylsuccinimide. The IC 50 value of U-73122 for the in vitro inhibition of telomerase activity is 0.2 lM, which is comparable to or slightly more sensitive than that for phospholipase C. The inhibitory action of U-73122 on telomerase appears to be rather selective since the presence of externally added proteins did not protect the inhibition and the IC 50 values for the other enzymes tested in this study were at least an order of magnitude higher than that for telomerase. Furthermore, we demonstrate that U-73122 can inhibit telomerase in hematopoietic cancer cells. The potent and selective inhibition of telomerase by U-73122 raises the potential exploitation of this drug and other alkylating agents as telomerase inhibitor.

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This study evaluated the effects of Al-coagulant sludge characteristics on the efficiency ofcoagulant recovery by acidification with H2SO4. Two sludge characteristics were studied: types of coagulant and textures of the suspended solid in raw water. The coagulant types are aluminium sulphate and polyaluminium chloride (PACl); the textures of the suspended solid are sand-based and clay-based. Efficiency of aluminium recovery at a pH of 2 was compared for different sludges obtained from water treatment plants in Taiwan. The results showed that efficiency of aluminium recovery from sludge containing clayey particles was higher than that from sludge containing sandy particles. As for the effect of coagulant types, the aluminium recovery efficiency for sludge using PACl ranged between 77% and 100%, whereas it ranged between 65% and 72% for sludge using aluminium sulphate as the coagulant. This means using PACl as the coagulant could result in higher recovery efficiency of coagulant and be beneficial for water treatment plants where renewable materials and waste reduction as the factors for making decisions regarding plant operations. However, other metals, such as manganese, could be released with aluminium during the acidification process and limit the use of the recovered coagulants. It is suggested that the recovered coagulants be used in wastewater treatment processes.

Writing is a critical literacy skill that emerges in kindergarten. The research literature has only addressed transcription skills of kindergarteners and has failed to address text generation. The purpose of this action-research study was to investigate the effect of oral language instruction that focused on narrative text structures on kindergarten students' ability to generate written narrative text. We conducted a concurrent multiple baseline design across three groups of students with two participants in each group. Students received six instructional sessions that involved the teacher modeling a story and supporting the students while they retold and generated oral stories. Pictures and icons were used to represent story grammar elements, but were faded within session to facilitate independent storytelling. The oral language instruction had an immediate positive effect on the narrative quality of students' writing. Individual and overall effects were significant and maintained three to four weeks later. Findings suggest an efficient causal relation between oral language instruction and writing quality.Writing is a critical 21st century literacy skill and plays a conspicuous role across the lifespan. As children age and move beyond expressing wants in holiday wish lists and signing their name in cards, writing becomes a method of influence and a measure of achievement. Students with proficient writing skills can effectively communicate to others what they know and how well they know it. Furthermore, student writing can serve as an indicator of post-secondary success. In an increasingly competitive application process, most colleges and universities require written narratives and exams, evaluating student preparedness for higher-level cognitive demands. In the workforce, 82% of employers list written communication as a highly requisite job skill and use resumes, emails, and applications to evaluate applicants' writing skills (National Association of Colleges & Employers, 2019). Sadly, 23% of U.S. eighth grade students and less than 33% of high school seniors demonstrate proficient writing skills (National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP], 2012 1 ). To prepare students with the literacy skills necessary for success in today's society, writing instruction must begin early and be effective for all students. Early writing instructionMost students are formally introduced to writing when they enter kindergarten. Very quickly, writing takes a prominent role in classroom activities and its importance is emphasized in grade