Theatre Communications Class: Impact on Students With and Without Autism

This study evaluated an inclusive Theatre Communications Class implemented at a suburban high school. The class is designed to target social and communication skills in students with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) using role playing theatre activities with students without ASD that are prepared and performed for the class. Caregivers of 2 students with ASD completed the Autism Social Skills Profile prior to enrollment. Two students without ASD completed the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale to assess their attitudes towards individuals with autism prior to enrollment. In December of 2011, after a semester in the program, they completed the measures again. Analyses revealed that the social skills of students with ASD increased positively, while the high school students attitudes towards individuals with autism were impacted positively in the areas of cognition and affect.B.A. (Bachelor of Arts

AIA\u27s Special Bulletin Series and its early guidance on tax issues related to depreciation, 1920-1929

When the final state ratified the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1913, levying taxes directly on individual incomes became a reality and opened up expanded taxation on businesses. For example, the supporting legislation allowed for the deduction of wear and tear on equipment as a business expense based on the service lives. Unfortunately for the tax preparer, there was no clear meaning of wear and tear and the interpretation of the of service lives in the legislation. With little or no guidance to CPA tax preparers and their clients, it was inevitable that Bureau of Internal Revenue examiners would question returns with such deductions. To help its members to understand better, the new law and the ever-increasing complexity of accounting issues related to it, the American Institute of Accountants began to publish the Special Bulletin Series in January 1920. Many of the answers present in the Bulletins between 1920 and 1929 solved accounting and tax problems in ways still used nearly a century later

Survival and seed transmission of Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium proliferatum, and Fusarium subglutinans in maize

The roles of residue size and burial depth were assessed in the survival of Fusarium moniliforme, F. proliferatum, and F. subglutinans in inoculated maize stalk residue. Stalk pieces (small or large sizes) were soaked in a spore suspension of F. moniliforme, F. proliferatum, or F. subglutinans and placed on the field soil surface or buried at 15 or 30 cm. Residue pieces were recovered periodically, cultured on a selective medium, and microscopically examined for the presence of the inoculant Fusarium species. After 21 months, Fusarium species were recovered from 0-50% of inoculated stalk pieces in a long-term, continuous maize field, from 0-28% of inoculated stalk pieces placed in a maize/soybean/oat rotation field, and from 0-25% of noninoculated stalk pieces at both locations. Residue size and residue depth were significant, and the strain x time and depth x time interactions were significant. However, there were also significant interactions among time, strain and depth at one location. After 12 months, Fusarium recovery was generally higher from buried residues, but after 21 months, recovery was generally higher from surface residues. Linear regression slopes for fungus survival in the surface residues over time were less steep than those for survival in buried residues. Coefficients of determination ranged from 0.35 to 0.82 for the surface residues, and 0.81 to 0.98 for the buried residues. Decline in survival over time followed a linear pattern in buried residues, but not in surface residues. Vegetative compatibility tests confirmed that F. moniliforme, F. proliferatum, F. subglutinans strains can survive at least 21 months in surface or buried maize residue. Results showed that maize residue can act as a long-term source of inoculum for Fusarium infection of maize plants. Seeds of inbred maize line LH82, infested with one of six (1995) or nine (1996) Gibberel/a fujikuroi anamorph strains (Fusarium moniliforme [mating population A], F. proliferatum [mating pop. D], or F. subglutinans [mating pop. El), were planted in field plots near Ames, Iowa. Plant samples were taken at V3, V10, R3 and harvest maturity. Recovered Fusarium strains were paired with the respective inoculants in vegetative compatibility tests. The inoculated Fusarium strains were isolated from the crowns, mesocotyls, third nodes, sixth nodes, ear shoots, ear shanks and kernels. lnoculant strains were recovered from 45-90% of plants at growth stage V3, 0-40% of V1 0 plants, 30-44% of plants sampled at stage R3, and 10-30% of maize ears sampled at maturity. lnoculant strains infected 0.5-3.3% of the kernels at maturity. Seed transmission and systemic infection by the F. subglutinans strains was less frequent than with the F. moniliforme or F. proliferatum strains. Vegetatively compatible isolates were not recovered from the noninoculated controls until after pollination. Results showed that strains of F. moniliforme, F. proliferatum, and F. subglutinans can grow systemically in maize plants and can be transmitted through asymptomatic seed

Stereospecific analysis of soybean oil triacylglycerols

Few studies have looked at the effects of altered fatty acid composition on triacylglycerol structure from soybean germplasm lines. From these studies there has been little evidence of glyceride structure anomalies. The objectives of the present study were to see if glyceride structure deviants could be identified in soybean oil, to see if this method could give faster analyses than older methods that were based on enzyme specificities, and to correlate the amounts of disaturated TAGs with measures of physiological vigor

Doença de Machado-Joseph na ilha do Pico (Açores)

XII Expedição Científica do Departamento de Biologia - Pico 2005.A doença de Machado-Joseph (DMJ) é uma doença neurodegenerativa, de transmissão autossómica dominante e de início tardio (média de 40 anos) (Coutinho, 1992), causada pela expansão do tripleto CAG, num gene localizado em 14q32.1 (Kawaguchi et al., 1994). A DMJ constitui nos Açores, dada a sua elevada prevalência, um problema de Saúde Pública. As famílias afectadas dos Açores são originárias das ilhas das Flores, S. Miguel, Terceira e Graciosa, sendo nas ilhas das Flores (1 em cada 106 habitantes é doente) e em S. Miguel (1 em cada 3148 é doente) que se encontra a maior concentração de doentes (Lima et al., 1997). Existem, contudo elementos das referidas famílias em praticamente todas as ihas açorianas, nomeadamente na ilha do Pico. Um conhecimento detalhado da epidemiologia da DMJ nos Açores assume a maior importância, por permitir uma melhor intervenção assistencial, que inclui não só o apoio aos doentes, como se estende aos indivíduos em risco (filhos de um doente DMJ), através da disponibilização do Programa de Aconselhamento Genético e Teste Preditivo

Reduction in squamous cell carcinomas in mouse skin by dietary zinc supplementation.

Inadequate dietary Zn consumption increases susceptibility to esophageal and other cancers in humans and model organisms. Since Zn supplementation can prevent cancers in rodent squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) models, we were interested in determining if it could have a preventive effect in a rodent skin cancer model, as a preclinical basis for considering a role for Zn in prevention of human nonmelanoma skin cancers, the most frequent cancers in humans. We used the 7,12-dimethyl benzanthracene carcinogen/phorbol myristate acetate tumor promoter treatment method to induce skin tumors in Zn-sufficient wild-type and Fhit (human or mouse protein) knockout mice. Fhit protein expression is lost in \u3e50% of human cancers, including skin SCCs, and Fhit-deficient mice show increased sensitivity to carcinogen induction of tumors. We hypothesized that: (1) the skin cancer burdens would be reduced by Zn supplementation; (2) Fhit(-/-) (Fhit, murine fragile histidine triad gene) mice would show increased susceptibility to skin tumor induction versus wild-type mice. 30 weeks after initiating treatment, the tumor burden was increased ~2-fold in Fhit(-/-) versus wild-type mice (16.2 versus 7.6 tumors, P \u3c 0.001); Zn supplementation significantly reduced tumor burdens in Fhit(-/-) mice (males and females combined, 16.2 unsupplemented versus 10.3 supplemented, P = 0.001). Most importantly, the SCC burden was reduced after Zn supplementation in both strains and genders of mice, most significantly in the wild-type males (P = 0.035). Although the mechanism(s) of action of Zn supplementation in skin tumor prevention is not known in detail, the Zn-supplemented tumors showed evidence of reduced DNA damage and some cohorts showed reduced inflammation scores. The results suggest that mild Zn supplementation should be tested for prevention of skin cancer in high-risk human cohorts

Every Garden Tells a Story: Sustainable Development in a Newly Emergent Community Garden

Gardens, by their very nature, have the ability to speak to us about the role they play in the communities in which they are placed. Each story is unique and tied to the perspectives of those involved in the sowing, planting, and harvesting in each garden site. Community gardens shape the lives of the people who tend them as the people who tend them shape the life of the garden, and through the garden, the broader community. Thus, the interaction of people with the natural environment helps to create a garden's story. The central research questions addressed in this case study are: In what ways might newly emergent community gardens impact sustainability? What are economic, social, and/or environmental sustainability outcomes of a community garden within the first two-three years of existence? Finally, can a young community garden space become a catalyst for greater community involvement and the perpetuation of food security? For this research project I applied a case study approach, considering the case of Community of Hope Neighborhood Garden (COHNG), a newly emergent community garden in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Employing an inductive qualitative case study methodology, I utilized participant observation and semi-structured one-on-one and group audio-recorded interviews, exploring food security and sustainable development within the local space of the community garden through a political ecology approach. Findings indicated that the relatively low capital costs of gardening, perceived lower personal food costs, and expanded access to organic plant food contributed to economic sustainability. The garden raised awareness of environmental issues and environmental constraints through organic gardening, habitat preservation and environmental conservation, contributing to environmental sustainability. Social sustainability outcomes included: life-enhancement, education, and promotion of collective efficacy, social capital, diversity, and inclusion. COHNG became a catalyst for greater community involvement and the perpetuation of food security through the integration of the "Tables to Go" food outreach and improved food access to gardeners and persons in recovery from addiction. The case study of COHNG affirmed that newly emergent community gardens have the potential ability to enhance sustainable development and become catalysts for greater community involvement and the perpetuation of food security.Environmental Sciences Progra

Identifying Essential Fisheries Competencies to Link to School Curriculum: Supporting Nez Perce Students’ STEM Identity

This study examined the process to identify required competencies for an entry-level position in the Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resource Management located in the Pacific Northwest. The overall goal was to provide content for a pedagogical framework to support Nez Perce students in the development of their STEM identity and to consider careers in natural resources and fisheries. The DACUM process was used to analyze the job, Fisheries Technician. The process involved a focus group of six expert workers in the Department of Fisheries Resource Management and was led by a facilitator. The experts identified 48 competencies categorized as technical and professional for fisheries technician. Seven cultural competencies were also identified as important for the successful accomplishment of work and the quality of work life. Competencies will provide content for the middle and high school culture, science, and technology curriculums, and there is the potential to connect technical and professional competencies to a career and technical education microcredentialing system