Exploring the Experiences of Bangladeshi Parents Whose Children Have Been Diagnosed with Autism

This research sought to explore the subjective experiences of Bangladeshi parents of a child with a diagnosis of autism. The study was underpinned by a social constructivist research perspective, an exploratory design and a narrative methodology. Unstructured interviews were used with five Bangladeshi participants who were asked to share their experiences and perceptions. Participants’ interviews were ‘restoryed’ using Clandinin & Connelly’s (2000) Three-Dimensional Framework. This offered a rich and in-depth insight into parental experiences. In the second phase of analysis, narrative themes and sub-themes that featured across parental stories were discussed. The findings indicate that participants are not only navigating and making sense of their child’s diagnosis themselves but also facilitating the understanding of extended family members. Participants employed multiple and varied explanatory models that suited their context. Not having a word in Bengali for autism was a barrier to sharing the diagnosis with Bengali speaking family members; in addition, the variation in the presentation of autism also created mistrust in the label. The lack of intergenerational understanding was identified by participants as a key barrier, however, all participants expressed a desire for raising awareness in the Bengali community and saw this as a way to address perceived difficulties. Having a child with a diagnosis of autism required all participants to advocate for their child in the domestic sphere, sometimes challenging culturally expected roles in the wider family and school context. The research illustrates the complexity of experiences associated with being a Bangladeshi parent of a child with autism. The thesis concludes by discussing the implications for Educational Psychology practice

Demarcation and definition: explicating the meaning and scope of ‘decolonisation’ in the social and political sciences

Decolonisation of the curriculum is a burgeoning yet controversial project of radical change, gaining slow but steady traction in higher education politics departments across the country. At its heart is the acknowledgement and systematic unravelling of colonial and imperial practices in the UK university system. This article pins down what decolonisation is and is not, highlighting the barriers and tentative opportunities to effective decolonisation work. This is discussed in the context of the structural constraints that critical scholars of race — particularly those at the intersection of marginalised racial and gender identities — work against in the academy

Diagnosing nutrient limitations to lentil and chickpea in acid soils of Bangladesh

Lentil and chickpea are dietary staple crops in Bangladesh but their local production has been markedly declining in recent decades, mainly due to competition with irrigated cereals. However, in northern Bangladesh, an additional problem to their cultivation is acid surface soil conditions, potentially causing deficiencies of molybdenum (Mo) and boron (B), and toxicities of aluminium (Al), manganese (Mn) or hydrogen ion (H+). In an attempt to rehabilitate lentil and chickpea in northern Bangladesh on-farm trials were conducted to determine the response of these crops to Mo, B, and lime and Rhizobium inoculation. Despite earlier reports of widespread B deficiency in the region a response to B was only found in chickpea. Responses to Mo and Rhizobium, applied through seed priming, were found. There were responses to lime even after B, Mo, and Rhizobium had been applied, suggesting Al toxicity. Recommendations for fertilizer requirement, to fit into an overall integrated crop management package for lentil and chickpea, were modified accordingly

Restrained Shrinkage of Fly Ash Based Geopolymer Concrete and Analysis of Long Term Shrinkage Prediction Models

The research presented in this manuscript describes the procedure to quantify the restrained shrinkage of geopolymer concrete (GPC) using ring specimen. Massive concrete structures are susceptible to shrinkage and thermal cracking. This cracking can increase the concrete permeability and decrease the strength and design life. This test is comprised of evaluating geopolymer concrete of six different mix designs including different activator solution to fly ash ratio and subjected to both restrained and free shrinkage. Test results obtained from this experimental setup was plotted along with the available empirical equation to observe the shrinkage strain of GPC and a model was suggested to predict the shrinkage strain of GPC. It was found from this study that along with activator solution to fly ash ratio the final compressive strength of GPC plays an important role on shrinkage strai

The 2022 Conservative leadership campaign and post-racial gatekeeping

The Conservative party leadership contest that took place in the summer of 2022 was unprecedented for, amongst other things, its level of ethnic diversity. This paper argues that this doesn’t indicate a sharp, contemporary liberal turn within the party. It argues the opposite, in fact, that recent senior ethnic minority cabinet members and leadership contenders represent some of the party’s most right-wing ideologues in years. Through critical discourse analysis of narrative related to race, borders, immigration and the ‘nation’ in selected media appearances made by ethnic minority leadership contenders Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid, Nadhim Zahawi, Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch as part of their campaigns, this paper positions these individuals – in distinct yet interrelated ways – as ethnic minority post-racial gatekeepers, continuing yet intensifying a long trend within the Conservative party of the reproduction of the racial status quo legitimised through nominal ethnic minority representation

Near-infrared light increases ATP, extends lifespan and improves mobility in aged Drosophila melanogaster.

Ageing is an irreversible cellular decline partly driven by failing mitochondrial integrity. Mitochondria accumulate DNA mutations and reduce ATP production necessary for cellular metabolism. This is associated with inflammation. Near-infrared exposure increases retinal ATP in old mice via cytochrome c oxidase absorption and reduces inflammation. Here, we expose fruitflies daily to 670 nm radiation, revealing elevated ATP and reduced inflammation with age. Critically, there was a significant increase in average lifespan: 100-175% more flies survived into old age following 670 nm exposure and these had significantly improved mobility. This may be a simple route to extending lifespan and improving function in old age

Effectiveness of commercial versus homemade sports drinks on fluid balance and exercise capacity during high-intensity intermittent exercise

Commercial sports drinks are used widely by athletes involved in high-intensity intermittent (HII) exercise. However, little has been reported on their relative effectiveness compared to simple homemade drink formulations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different sports drink formulations (commercial v homemade), water and no drink on fluid balance and exercise capacity during HII exercise. Twelve trained men (age: 27 ± 2.1 y) performed a 90-min HII running protocol designed to simulate activity experienced during a football match. The protocol was arranged in six 15-min stages where running speeds ranged between 55% and 120% of VO2max. The HII protocol included half-time and a run to fatigue post 90 min. Using a single-blind, randomized, cross-over design, participants ingested a preload of 5 mlkg-1 10 min before HII exercise and 3 mlkg-1 every 15 min of either Isostar® (ISO), a homemade sports drink (CHO), placebo (P) or no drink (ND). Blood lactate (Hla), blood glucose (Bgluc), heart rate (HR) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured before, during (every 15 min) and after the 90-min HII protocol. Changes in plasma volume were measured at half-time and post 90 min. Sweat rate and fluid balance were calculated post each trial. Time to fatigue (TTF) was recorded at exhaustion. In the ND trial, TTF decreased by approximately 17%, 28% and 43% compared to P, CHO and ISO, respectively (p0.05). No differences were noted in HLa, RPE, PV or SR between the trials (p>0.05) but there were significant effects of time (p<0.05). Bgluc peaked at 30 minutes in ISO and CHO, but dropped by ~27% in ISO and by ~30% in CHO after half time. Absence of fluid ingestion surprisingly had no significant effect on altering plasma volume or decreasing sweat rate despite causing noticeable decreases in exercise capacity. The homemade drink improved exercise capacity in a similar manner to that of the commercial drink, but neither sports drink achieved superior hydration compared to water. Ingestion of exogenous carbohydrate through sports drink consumption caused an exercise-induced glycemic response when exercise was restarted after half-time. This decline in blood glucose after half-time appears to be marginally attenuated in P trial. A possible suggestion for team sports could be to drink water rather than sports drink prior to half-time period

A Socio-Clinical Profile Of Cases Of Laparoscopic Sterilization Performed At Institution And Camps

Research Question: What is the socio-clinical profile of cases of laparoscopic sterilization performed at the insti­tution and camps. Objectives: To study the (1) socio-clinical aspect of laparoscopic ligations. (2) complications and the failure rate. Study Design: Longitudinal study. Setting: Females coming for sterilization at the O-.P.D. and post-partum centre. Participants: 9088 females of reproductive age group. Study Variables: Age group, social class, residence, education, number of living children. Outcome Variables: Proportion of women who came for sterilization, ligations performed at hospital. Results: Demographic characteristics showed that 5658 (62.2%) and 3430 (37.8%) were from rural and urban areas respectively. Socio-economically , 80% cases be­longed to low socio-enonomic class. As regards the literacy status, 5500 (60.5%) of the patients were illiterate and 2600 (28.6%) of them had received only primary education. The age group which commonly accepted sterilization in 5056 cases (55.6%) was 31-35 years. The parity in our study showing highest incidence of laparoligation. i.e. 36.17% was 5. Our complication rate was 0.5% and failure rate 0.6%. Conclusions: Our experience of about 15 years shows that laparoscopic sterilization is a simple, safe, easy method and acceptable to the rural and even illiterate masses in this region. In the event of pregnancy, this permanent method is more acceptabl

DECOLOURIZATION OF TRIPHENYLMETHANE DYES AND DYE INDUSTRY EFFLUENT BY STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS ISOLATED FROM DYE CONTAMINATED SITE

Objective: The objectives of the present study were a) to isolate and screen bacteria for dye removal from synthetic solution b) to optimize various variables such as pH, static/shaking and initial dye concentration on degradation of triphenyl methane dyes namely basic violet 3 and basic green 4 by isolated Staphylococcus aureus c) to analyse enzymes involved in the biodegradation of triphenylmethane dyes d) to treat real leather dyeing wastewater with newly isolated strain of Staphylococcus aureus e) to characterize untreated and treated leather dyeing wastewater f) to study the effects of real and treated effluent on plants and Rhizobium.Methods: Isolation of bacteria from sludge was carried out by spread plate method and the bacteria was identified by morphological and biochemical characterization. The isolated bacterium was screened for dye decolorization potential of triphenylmethane dyes basic violet 3 and basic green 4 The effects of parameters were studied by varying pH (from 3 to 9), temperature (from 15-45 °C), and initial dye concentration (from 10-500 mg/l). The enzyme involved in biodegradation was studied in intracellular extract. Real leather dyeing wastewater was treated with the bacteria and characterized. The treated wastewater was tested on plants and Rhizobium for toxicity. Results: Dye decolorization potential of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus isolated from wastewater for leather dyes basic violet 3 and basic green 4 were evaluated. Dye decolorization using bacteria was found to be dependent on physicochemical parameters (shaking, pH and initial dye concentration). Enzymes NADH-DCIP reductase and MG reductase were found to play dominant role during biodegradation of synthetic dyes. Application oriented studies using growing bacteria in pure cultures were carried out with leather dyeing wastewater collected from DKS prime tanners. Analysis of raw leather dyeing wastewater showed high pollution load in terms of color, Total solids, Total suspended solids, Total dissolved solids and Biological oxygen demand whereas the leather dyeing wastewater treated with pure culture of Staphylococcus aureus showed considerable decrease in Total solids, Total suspended solids, Total dissolved solids and Biological oxygen demand values which were within the permissible limits. Phytotoxicity and microbial toxicity studies confirmed the non-toxic nature of treated leather dyeing wastewater. Conclusion: Our study proved that Staphylococcus aureus can serve as a potential remediation agent for the treatment of leather dyeing wastewater