The community investment enterprise : uniting the for-profit and nonprofit worlds

A new kind of partnership is benefiting both nonprofits and for-profits by tapping the scale of investment and depth of data available in the for-profit world and applying 50 percent of returns to underserved communities.Community development ; Nonprofit organizations

Effects of Roads on Black Bear Distribution in Southern Vermont

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is a wide-ranging, large carnivore species that makes use of multiple habitat types throughout the year. In the northeastern US, black bears require large areas of relatively undisturbed forest and avoid development, such as urban and suburban areas. Roads represent another form of development that may affect the distribution of bears. However, the effects of roads remain largely unknown and represent a potential conservation concern. We sought to determine the relationship between roads and distribution of black bears in a forested region of southern Vermont. We examined the probability of occurrence of black bears using GPS-collar data (n = 30,179 locations) collected from a marked population of bears (n = 8 females, 15 males) from 2011 to 2014. We then constructed a set of 7 candidate models to explain occupancy that included combinations of three road types: secondary, vehicular, and local. Model selection techniques were used to determine the best model in the set. Models were performed separately for male and female bears, which have been shown to exhibit different distribution patterns elsewhere. The top model for each sex was the most complex in the set, and included the additive combination of all three road types. For males, vehicular and local roads positively affected occupancy, whereas secondary roads had a negative influence on occupancy. For females, vehicular and secondary roads positively affected occupancy, whereas local roads negatively affected occupancy. Our results indicate that small, low traffic, residential and ATV roads influence bear distribution; most likely by providing easy pathways to travel through the forested landscape and food resources not found elsewhere. Secondary and local roads also affect sexes differently, which could result in demographic and genetic consequences. Models provide a measure of the effect of different roads on bear distribution that can help inform decision-making about development in the forested landscapes of Vermont

Moving Beyond the Speech Room: Using Peer Mediated Instruction and Intervention (PMII) to Foster Social Skills Development

As diagnostic numbers within autism continue to climb, educators, parents, and other professionals have an ever-increasing demand to provide effective, empirically based programs that foster improvements across a variety of developmental, academic, and social needs. This study incorporated use of a Peer Mediated Instruction and Intervention (PMII) program within a general education classroom setting aimed to increase the number of initiations and conversational turn-takes in students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. The study also aimed to determine if such a program changed and enhanced the perspective of general education students towards their peers with disabilities. In addition, documenting if carryover of skills by participants towards those students not part of the PMII program occurred following treatment withdrawal. This study took place over a 7-week period within the third grade science/social studies classroom, and included one week for baseline data collection, 5- weeks of treatment, and a final week of maintenance data collections following withdrawal of treatment. Visual analysis across all phases for data sets of initiations and conversational turns revealed differences in level between the baseline and the treatment phases. The highest variability across the treatment phase indicated widely varying data points, combining to exhibit a “noneffect.” Keywords: PMII; Social Skills; Autism; Speech Therapy;Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1 -- Problem Statement 1 -- Statement of Purpose 3 -- Research Questions 4 -- Overview of Methodology 4 -- Rationale and Significance 6 -- Role of the Lead Researcher 7 -- Organization of the Dissertation 8 -- Chapter II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9 -- Introduction 9 -- History of Autism 10 -- Neuroscience and Autism 12 -- Heredity within Autism 12 -- Social Brain in Autism 13 -- Theory of Mind 14 -- Executive Function 14 -- Brain Responses 15 -- Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors 17 -- Biological Processes within Autism 17 -- Typical Skills Development and Autism Differences 19 -- Social Pragmatic Acquisition 20 -- Joint Attention 21 -- Social Attachments 22 -- Development of Play Skills 23 -- Autistic Differences in Development 24 -- Communication Development 24 -- Further Deficit Areas 25 -- Social Deviance 26 -- Joint Attention within Autism 28 -- Imitation and Play 28 -- Theoretical Explanations 29 -- Theory of Mind 29 -- Social Motivation Theory 31 -- Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder 32 -- Diagnostic Criterion Concerns 33 -- Family Reporting 34 -- Healthcare Provider Role 34 -- Racial Discrepancies in Diagnosis 35 -- Familial Perspectives and Culture 37 -- Defining Evidence-Based Practices and the Education of those with Autism 37 -- Evidenced-Based Practices in General and Special Education 38 -- Scientifically Based Interventions and Autism 39 -- EBP and Speech-Language Pathology 40 -- EBP and Autism 41 -- Effective Programming 41 -- Bridging the Gap: Use of Peer Mediated Interventions within Autism 43 -- Peer Mediated Instruction and Interventions (PMII) 44 -- Implementation Steps 45 -- Peer and Direct Training Approaches 46 -- Combining Approaches 47 -- Pivotal Response Training and Peer Models 51 -- Play Skills and Peer Models 52 -- Effects of Group Size 52 -- Whole Group 52 -- Small Group 54 -- Academics and Peer Models 55 -- Research Outcomes Specific to the Use of PMII 57 -- Research Across the Sexes 61 -- PMII with Adolescent Populations 62 -- Peer and Direct Training Approaches 63 -- Combining Approaches 64 -- Visual Scripts 64 -- Perseverative Interests 65 -- Academics and PMII 65 -- PMII with Older Adolescent and Young Adult Populations 66 -- Use of PMII within High School 67 -- Peer Networks 67 -- Community-Based PMII 69 -- Conclusion and Direction for Future Research 70 -- Limitations 70 -- Validity 71 -- Maintenance 71 -- Effective Peer Models 72 -- Concluding Thoughts and Study Purpose 73 -- Research Questions and Hypothesis 74 -- Chapter III: METHODOLOGY 76 -- Study Design 76 -- Participants 77 -- Table 1 78 -- Participant One 78 -- Participant Two 79 -- Participant Three 80 -- Parental and General Education Teacher Rating Scales 81 -- Table 2 82 -- Measures 83 -- Procedures 85 -- Baseline 85 -- Treatment 85 -- Maintenance 87 -- Data Analysis 87 -- Visual Analysis of Data 87 -- Inter-rater Reliability 89 -- Treatment Fidelity 89 -- Chapter IV: RESULTS 90 -- Introduction 90 -- Inter-rater Reliability 91 -- Special Education Paraprofessional 91 -- Second Rater 91 -- Participant Baseline Interviews 92 -- Dependent Variable Analysis Across Phases 92 -- Initiations 92 -- Figure 1. Participant initiations data 93 -- Conversational turns 94 -- Figure 2. Participant conversational turns data 95 -- General Education Peer Responses 97 -- Carryover to Untrained Peers 97 -- Chapter V: CONCLUSION 99 -- Overview 99 -- Review of EBP and Autism Treatments 100 -- Visual Inspection of the Data 102 -- Discussion of Research Question One 102 -- Discussion of Research Question Two 105 -- Discussion of Research Question Three 107 -- Discussion of Research Question Four 107 -- Limitations of the Study 108 -- Recommendations for Future Research 109 -- Conclusions 109 -- REFERENCES 111 -- APPENDIX A: IRB Approval Valdosta State University 122 -- APPENDIX B: Gwinnett County Public Schools Research Approval 124 -- APPENDIX C: Questionnaire for General Education Peers 126 -- APPENDIX D: Interview Questions for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder 128 -- APPENDIX E: Data Collection Form 130 -- APPENDIX F: Participant Visual Analysis Data Numbers for Initiations 132 -- APPENDIX G: Participant Visual Analysis Data Numbers for Conversational Turns. 134 APPENDIX H: Prodcural Checklist 136Carter, MatthewGorham-Rowan, MaryLamb, KatherineSchober-Peterson, DebraS.L.P.D.Speech-language Patholog

A new hydrogen economy for Japan.

Research was conducted on the vehicular fuel cell infrastructure in Japan. Reasons for the switch to a hydrogen economy were found; and the past, present and future roles of supporting organizations were determined. The results were analyzed and an estimate to Japan's progress toward a hydrogen economy was made