Family experiences with accessing information, social, and resource supports as participants in services for their special needs child over three years of age

Families of children with special needs often experience substantial stress and an increased need for informational, social, or resource support throughout their child\u27s growth and development. However, supports for families of children older than three often report a severe shortage of supports and difficulty accessing and utilizing them. Using purposive sampling techniques, this phenomenological and mixed methods study recruited 6 mothers of children over the age of 3 years diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to participate in a single 2-hour focus group. Qualitative data was collected using open-ended and semi-structured questions to gain a deeper understanding of parent\u27s lived experiences with obtaining supports and the meanings they make of these experiences. A content analysis of qualitative data identified 7 categories and themes: the period of diagnosis, effects on marriage, community experiences, feelings of empowerment, interpersonal well-being, adaptation, benefit, hopefulness, and child and family future needs. Families\u27 statements were further categorized around four areas of influence referred to as SWOTs (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) and used to create a Likert-type Parent Support Survey questionnaire developed to quantitatively measure and compare participants\u27 perceptions of experiences. Analysis and comparison of participants\u27 group means ratings identified factors they perceived as helping or hindering their access to information, social support, and resources, as well as their attributions of control (internal or external) over these experiences. Analysis of similarities and differences among participants\u27 responses using a Ward Hierarchical Analysis method identified those factors that hang together. Bivariate data of participants\u27 group means ratings was plotted onto one of four SWOT quadrants of the IE2 SWOT Matrix Grid to visually illustrate factors perceived by parents as being strengths (internally controlled and enhancing), weaknesses (internally controlled and inhibiting), opportunities (externally controlled and enhancing), and threats (externally controlled and inhibiting). Multiple methods of collection and analysis (content analysis, numerical analysis, and graphical depiction) of participant responses provided a deeper understaning of those factors that are most helpful to families and therefore should be leveraged or exploited and those factors that act as barriers to family access to supports and should be confronted, mitigated or reduced

Mark-to-Market Accounting for United States Corporate Pensions: Implementation and Impact

This chapter explores a number of aspects of mark-to-market (MTM) accounting, to better understand the effects of a change in accounting method. Corporate plan sponsors have an ongoing management challenge with defined benefit (DB) pensions. Among the many issues is how to properly account for their associated assets and liabilities, and to provide clarity regarding the plan itself while not diluting transparency into the underlying business performance of the corporate plan sponsors. Traditional generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for pensions is an overly complex mechanism, attempting to balance these two often conflicting goals. There is an alternative approach: MTM accounting

Reaching the Hard to Reach: Mobile Development Screening Van to the Rescue

Currently more than 15% of children have an emotional, behavioral, or developmental concern. In spite of recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct universal developmental surveillance and screening with children at 9, 18, and 24 months of age, fewer than 30% of children under 6 years of age ever receive a developmental screening. Children in low-income and diverse communities are even less likely to be screened by a medical provider and/or referred for further diagnostic evaluation when predictive concerns are identified. As part of a cross-agency collaborative effort involving a family resource center, a child care resource and referral agency, a regional center for developmental disabilities, and a master's degree program in early childhood education, the Mobile Developmental Screening Van Project conducted outreach to provide free developmental screening with families of children 0-8 years of age in diverse and low-income communities within the greater Los Angeles County. Using the Parent Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) screening tool, 94 children were screened over the course of 6 months, with 33% showing 2 or more predictive concerns that resulted in referrals for further diagnostic evaluation. The feasibility of reaching families in hard to reach communities using a mobile screening van, as well as study limitations and recommendations for next steps, are discussed

Characterizing the Dynamics and Functional Role of Site-Specific Phosphorylation of G Protein-Coupled Receptors

Phosphorylation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) by GPCR kinases (GRKs) and the subsequent recruitment of arrestin is a well-established paradigm that initiates the process known as desensitization. However, an emerging theme in GPCR regulation is the possibility of differential regulation dictated by the phosphorylation pattern elicited by the different members of the GRK family. Therefore, we have used small interfering RNA-mediated knock down of the GRKs and arrestins in an attempt to better understand how phosphorylation regulates the activity and signaling of the M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M3 mAChR) and CXCR4, two receptors endogenously expressed in HEK293 cells. Using a two-pronged approach of assaying calcium mobilization and ERK activation, we were able to define and monitor changes in both the G protein- dependent and –independent signaling pathways. We found that GRK2, 3, and 6, and arrestin2 and 3 each has a distinct and separable role in regulating the activity of each receptor. Interestingly, knock down of GRK5 did not effect signaling via either receptor. Our studies with the M3 mAChR suggest that signaling is strictly through a G protein-dependent manner and relief of inhibitory constraints (GRKs and arrestins) subsequently enhances receptor function. In contrast, CXCR4 uses both a G protein-dependent and –independent (arrestin- dependent) means of signaling. Notably, arrestin-dependent signaling requires both GRK3 and 6

CASCO: Cosmological and AStrophysical parameters from Cosmological simulations and Observations -- I. Constraining physical processes in local star-forming galaxies

We compare the structural properties and dark matter content of star-forming galaxies taken from the CAMELS cosmological simulations to the observed trends derived from the SPARC sample in the stellar mass range $[10^{9}, 10^{11}]\,\textrm{M}_{\odot}$, to provide constraints on the value of cosmological and astrophysical (SN- and AGN-related) parameters. We consider the size-, internal DM fraction-, internal DM mass- and total-stellar mass relations for all the 1065 simulations from the IllustrisTNG, SIMBA and ASTRID suites of CAMELS, and search for the parameters that minimize the $\chi^{2}$ with respect to the observations. For the IllustrisTNG suite, we find the following constraints for the cosmological parameters: $\Omega_{\textrm{m}} = 0.27_{-0.05}^{+0.01}$, $\sigma_{8} = 0.83_{-0.11}^{+0.08}$ and $S_{8} = 0.78_{-0.09}^{+0.03}$, which are consistent within $1\sigma$ with the results from the nine-year WMAP observations. SN feedback-related astrophysical parameters, which describe the departure of outflow wind energy per unit star formation rate and wind velocity from the reference IllustrisTNG simulations, assume the following values: $A_{\textrm{SN1}} = 0.48_{-0.16}^{+0.25}$ and $A_{\textrm{SN2}} = 1.21_{-0.34}^{+0.03}$, respectively. Therefore, simulations with a lower value of outflow wind energy per unit star formation rate with respect to the reference illustrisTNG simulation better reproduce the observations. Simulations based on SIMBA and ASTRID suites predict central dark matter masses substantially larger than those observed in real galaxies, which can be reconciled with observations only by requiring values of $\Omega_{\textrm{m}}$ inconsistent with cosmological constraints for SIMBA, or simulations characterized by unrealistic galaxy mass distributions for ASTRID.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, 9 tables. Accepted by MNRAS for publication; Added a reference to sec. 4.

Spatial and Temporal Dust Source Variability in Northern China Identified Using Advanced Remote Sensing Analysis

The aim of this research is to provide a detailed characterization of spatial patterns and temporal trends in the regional and local dust source areas within the desert of the Alashan Prefecture (Inner Mongolia, China). This problem was approached through multi-scale remote sensing analysis of vegetation changes. The primary requirements for this regional analysis are high spatial and spectral resolution data, accurate spectral calibration and good temporal resolution with a suitable temporal baseline. Landsat analysis and field validation along with the low spatial resolution classifications from MODIS and AVHRR are combined to provide a reliable characterization of the different potential dust-producing sources. The representation of intra-annual and inter-annual Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) trend to assess land cover discrimination for mapping potential dust source using MODIS and AVHRR at larger scale is enhanced by Landsat Spectral Mixing Analysis (SMA). The combined methodology is to determine the extent to which Landsat can distinguish important soils types in order to better understand how soil reflectance behaves at seasonal and inter-annual timescales. As a final result mapping soil surface properties using SMA is representative of responses of different land and soil cover previously identified by NDVI trend. The results could be used in dust emission models even if they are not reflecting aggregate formation, soil stability or particle coatings showing to be critical for accurately represent dust source over different regional and local emitting areas

Air quality forecasting of along-route ship emissions in realistic meteo-marine scenarios

This study introduces a novel framework of metocean prediction and ship performance models that integrate multiple layers of modeling to evaluate the environmental impact of ship emissions. It enables scenario simulations that assess a ship's performance, estimates pollutant emissions, and simulate the fate of these pollutants in the atmosphere. The study analyzes the fate of NOx, SO2, and PM10 pollutants in the atmosphere using spatially distributed concentration maps. It provides a comprehensive approach to assessing the environmental effects of ships and their emissions and contributes to the field of environmental impact assessment. Case studies are presented to demonstrate the framework's functionalities, evaluating the interrelationships between adverse meteo-marine conditions, pollutant emissions, and resulting atmospheric diffusion characteristics