Evidence-based behavior interventions for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in inclusive secondary settings

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Using Self-Determination Theory to Improve College Access Among Minority Student Populations

College aspirations among high school students have increased substantially in recent years, but minority students are only making up a small portion of the total college population. Resulting from the disparities seen in enrollment among the minority populations, many college preparation programs have developed. These programs seek to motivate students to attend college through increasing competence, by developing feelings of community among other methods. Self-determination theory states that to inhibit motivation, three psychological needs are to be met: competence, connectedness and autonomy (Ryan & Deci, 2000a). Based upon this theory, it was believed that its application would increase the effectiveness of college access programs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the application of self-determination theory during a service learner’s experience while volunteering at college access events

Using Simple Self-Assembling Peptides to Attain Novel Protein-Like Functions

Proteins carry out many extremely efficient functions, including catalysis and biomolecule recognition. Underlying this efficiency is their extraordinary complexity and ability to fold into unique three-dimensional structures. Attempts to replicate this efficiency through de novo design have only shown moderate success, and it is unclear how modern-day proteins may have evolved. However, short peptides that alternate hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues can self-assemble into amyloid fibrils to achieve well-defined secondary structure. These aggregates may have served as a template from which the first proteins were derived. We designed self-assembling seven-residue peptides that are able to act as Zn2+-dependent esterases. Zn2+ acts to both help induce fibril formation and to serve as a metal cofactor to catalyze acyl ester hydrolysis. Furthermore, we developed a second set of peptides to recognize a target molecule with moderate specificity. The ability of this simple system to catalyze a chemical reaction and exhibit biomolecule recognition suggests that similar peptide aggregates may have been evolutionary precursors to modern-day proteins. Additionally, the ability to use a minimalistic design approach to generate functional fibrils could have implications for the development of simple nanostructured biomaterials. By using an alternating hydrophobic/hydrophilic template, novel functionality can be introduced into simple peptide aggregates

A Site-Suitability Analysis of a Mannequin Production Facility Near Seattle, Washington

This research presents the utility of a Site Suitability Analysis to help determine the viability of a business venture in a particular location. Specifically, we present the results of a case study that focuses on the area immediately around Seattle, Washington as providing a sufficient number of customers to warrant a new and sustainable mannequin production facility. Site Suitability Analysis provides a variety of statistical and analytical methods of analysis, which is commonly used in market research. This research presents the results of some of these methods, as applied to commonly-used datasets, and concludes that Site Suitability Analysis can provide valuable insight to consumer trends and potential spending patterns in a given area