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An evaluation of specialist mentoring for university students with autism spectrum disorders and mental health conditions
Mentoring is often recommended to universities as a way of supporting students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and/or mental health conditions (MHC), but there is little literature on optimising this support. We used mixed-methods to evaluate menteesâ and mentorsâ experiences of a specialist mentoring programme.
Mentees experienced academic, social and emotional support, although subtle group differences emerged between students with ASD and MHC. The quality of the mentee-mentor relationship was especially important. Mentors also reported benefits. Thematic analysis identified that effective mentoring requires a tailored partnership, which involves a personal relationship, empowerment, and building bridges into the university experience. Mentoring can effectively support students with ASD and/or MHC, but this is highly dependent on the development of tailored mentee-mentor partnerships
The disrupters: Lessons for low-carbon innovation from the new wave of environmental pioneers
We need disruptive forms of innovation 13 cheaper, easier-to-use alternatives to existing products or services, often produced by non-traditional players for previously ignored customers. This report tells the stories of eight such "disrupters" and draws wider lessons for low-carbon innovation.
Its recommendations include:
1. Government should provide an enabling policy framework within which low-carbon innovation ca
Charge environments around phosphorylation sites in proteins
Background: Phosphorylation is a central feature in many biological processes. Structural analyses
have identified the importance of charge-charge interactions, for example mediating
phosphorylation-driven allosteric change and protein binding to phosphopeptides. Here, we
examine computationally the prevalence of charge stabilisation around phosphorylated sites in the
structural database, through comparison with locations that are not phosphorylated in the same
structures.
Results: A significant fraction of phosphorylated sites appear to be electrostatically stabilised,
largely through interaction with sidechains. Some examples of stabilisation across a subunit
interface are evident from calculations with biological units. When considering the immediately
surrounding environment, in many cases favourable interactions are only apparent after
conformational change that accompanies phosphorylation. A simple calculation of potential
interactions at longer-range, applied to non-phosphorylated structures, recovers the separation
exhibited by phosphorylated structures. In a study of sites in the Phospho.ELM dataset, for which
structural annotation is provided by non-phosphorylated proteins, there is little separation of the
known phospho-acceptor sites relative to background, even using the wider interaction radius.
However, there are differences in the distributions of patch polarity for acceptor and background
sites in the Phospho.ELM dataset.
Conclusion: In this study, an easy to implement procedure is developed that could contribute to
the identification of phospho-acceptor sites associated with charge-charge interactions and
conformational change. Since the method gives information about potential anchoring interactions
subsequent to phosphorylation, it could be combined with simulations that probe conformational
change. Our analysis of the Phospho.ELM dataset also shows evidence for mediation of
phosphorylation effects through (i) conformational change associated with making a solvent
inaccessible phospho-acceptor site accessible, and (ii) modulation of protein-protein interactions
The Impact of Skill Mismatch among Migrants on Remittance Behaviour
This paper considers the issue of skill mismatch among immigrants and its impact on their remittance behaviour using cross-sectional data from two linked surveys in the Philippines: the Survey on Overseas Filipinos (SOF) and the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) for the years 1997, 2000, and 2003. Our main hypothesis is that skills mismatch - broadly defined here as the over-qualification of migrants in terms of educational attainment relative to occupation in their destination country - is prevalent among skilled migrants and exerts a downward pressure on the level of international remittances received by the sending economies. Accordingly, a high incidence of skill mismatch implies that the remittances expatriated would be significantly less compared to conditions of no skills mismatch. We find evidence of substantial skill mismatch, particularly among highly educated women, but there is also systematic variation in the incidence of skill mismatch by family characteristics and host country. In terms of remittances, we find that for women, higher education levels are associated with lower incidence of remittances but larger amounts remitted. However, negative skill mismatch leads to men and women both being more likely to remit money, but for women the amount is significantly less than it otherwise would have been.remittances, immigrants, education mismatch
Conservation Return on Investment Analysis: A Review of Results, Methods, and New Directions
Conservation investments are increasingly evaluated on the basis of their return on investment (ROI). Conservation ROI analysis quantitatively measures the costs, benefits, and risks of investments so conservancies can rank or prioritize them. This paper surveys the existing conservation ROI and related literatures. We organize our synthesis around the way studies treat recurring, core elements of ROI, as a guide for practitioners and consumers of future ROI analyses. ROI analyses involve quantification of a consistent set of elements, including the definition and measurement of the conservation objective as well as identification of the relevant baselines, the type of conservation investments evaluated, and investment costs. We document the state of the art, note some open questions, and provide suggestions for future improvements in data and methods. We also describe ways ROI analysis can be extended to a broader suite of conservation outcomes than biodiversity conservation, which is the typical focus.return on investment, conservation planning, reserve site selection
Optimal control of spatial-dynamic processes: The case of biological invasions
This study examines the spatial nature of optimal bioinvasion control. We develop and parameterize a spatially explicit two-dimensional model of species spread that allows for differential control across space and time, and we solve for optimal control strategies. We find that the qualitative nature of optimal strategies depend in interesting ways on aspects of landscape and invasion geometry. For example, we show that reducing the extent of exposed invasion edge, through spread, removal, or strategically employing landscape features, can be an optimal strategy because it reduces long-term containment costs. We also show that optimal invasion control is spatially and temporally âforward-lookingâ in the sense that strategies should be targeted to slow the spread of an invasion in the direction of greatest potential long-term damages. These and other novel findings contribute to the largely nonspatial literature on optimally controlling invasions and to understanding control of spatial-dynamic processes in general.invasive species, spatial-dynamic processes, spatial spread, reaction-diffusion, management, cellular automaton, eradication, containment, spatial control, integer programming, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q, Q1, Q2, Q5,
Intermunicipal Agreements: Case Studies in Durham and York Regions
This paper examines the extent and nature of intermunicipal partnerships in Durham Region and York Region based on an inventory of public partnerships in the two regions and case studies of five intermunicipal agreements. The findings reveal that if municipalities form public partnerships in certain service areas, cost savings can be achieved while still maintaining individual municipal control and accountability
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