Perceptions Of School By Two Teenage Boys With Asperger Syndrome And Their Mothers: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study aimed to develop an understanding of the challenges faced by teenage boys with Asperger syndrome and their mothers. A case study approach was used to collect data from two 13-year-old boys who have Asperger syndrome and their mothers in Queensland, Australia. Data were collected through the use of semi¬structured interviews. The words of the boys and their mothers provide a valuable insight into the personal experiences and feelings of the par¬ticipants. An inductive approach to data analysis identified four themes: (1) developmental differences; (2) problems associated with the general characteristics of Asperger syndrome (i.e. communication and social difficulties, restricted range of interests, a need for routine); (3) stress; and (4) 'masquerading'. The first three themes relate strongly to the current literature, but the emergence of masquerading is of particular interest in developing a fuller understanding of the experiences of individuals with Asperger syndrome at school

BDNF-TrkB signaling in striatopallidal neurons controls inhibition of locomotor behaviour

The physiology of brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in enkephalinergic striatopallidal neurons is poorly understood. Changes in cortical Bdnf expression levels, and/or impairment in brain-derived neurotrophic factor anterograde transport induced by mutant huntingtin (mHdh) are believed to cause striatopallidal neuron vulnerability in early-stage Huntington’s disease. Although several studies have confirmed a link between altered cortical brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling and striatal vulnerability, it is not known whether the effects are mediated via the brain-derived neurotrophic factor receptor TrkB, and whether they are direct or indirect. Using a novel genetic mouse model, here, we show that selective removal of brain-derived neurotrophic factor–TrkB signaling from enkephalinergic striatal targets unexpectedly leads to spontaneous and drug-induced hyperlocomotion. This is associated with dopamine D2 receptor-dependent increased striatal protein kinase C and MAP kinase activation, resulting in altered intrinsic activation of striatal enkephalinergic neurons. Therefore, brain-derived neurotrophic factor/TrkB signaling in striatopallidal neurons controls inhibition of locomotor behavior by modulating neuronal activity in response to excitatory input through the protein kinase C/MAP kinase pathway

From food waste to eco-friendly functionalized polymer composites: Investigation of orange peels as active filler

: The development of eco-friendly polymer composites with multifunctional properties aligns with the goals of the circular economy agenda, which aims to minimize waste and promote the sustainable use of resources by closing the loop of product life cycles. Eco-friendly polymer composites play a crucial role in achieving these objectives. The present work focuses on the preparation of fully biobased blends obtained by melt mixing a bio-polyester, poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA), with orange peels up to 20 wt%, to yield active polymer composites. Orange peels, employed here as natural filler, are largely available from food wastes, they are rich in phenolic compounds and possess antioxidant activity as shown by the experimental tests carried out. The thermal stability of the formulated composites is almost unchanged by the filler addition, showing only a slight decrease of the crystallization temperatures and crystalline fraction within the composites. The mechanical properties of the compounds evidence an increase in the elastic modulus together with a decrease in the tensile strength, while the elongation at break remains almost constant. The incorporation of the natural filler enabled the integration of antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which were absent in the original pristine polymer

Thromboembolism and anticoagulant therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: interim clinical guidance from the anticoagulation forum

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral infection that can, in severe cases, result in cytokine storm, systemic inflammatory response and coagulopathy that is prognostic of poor outcomes. While some, but not all, laboratory findings appear similar to sepsis-associated disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), COVID-19- induced coagulopathy (CIC) appears to be more prothrombotic than hemorrhagic. It has been postulated that CIC may be an uncontrolled immunothrombotic response to COVID-19, and there is growing evidence of venous and arterial thromboembolic events in these critically ill patients. Clinicians around the globe are challenged with rapidly identifying reasonable diagnostic, monitoring and anticoagulant strategies to safely and effectively manage these patients. Thoughtful use of proven, evidence-based approaches must be carefully balanced with integration of rapidly emerging evidence and growing experience. The goal of this document is to provide guidance from the Anticoagulation Forum, a North American organization of anticoagulation providers, regarding use of anticoagulant therapies in patients with COVID-19. We discuss in-hospital and post-discharge venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention, treatment of suspected but unconfirmed VTE, laboratory monitoring of COVID-19, associated anticoagulant therapies, and essential elements for optimized transitions of care specific to patients with COVID-19

The impact of emotions on practicum learning

Nine mature aged, experienced practitioners enrolled to gain a BSW qualification in social work were interviewed regarding a course requirement to complete the first placement. At the time of interview no recognition of prior learning for previous experience in the field was made possible for these students. As educators we had experienced considerable hostility from students who believed they should be exempt from completing this course requirement. This paper reports on interviews with the nine students, where we consider how student sentiment about completing the practice learning component might impact upon their learning experience. As anticipated, some students expressed strong negative views about being on placement. However, others were much more positive about the experience. These mixed views prompted us to explore further the relationship between emotion and practice learning. The article begins with a review of the literature concerning mature student engagement with tertiary education, followed by an overview of theory and research related to the ways feelings and emotion influence learning. Using passages from the interviews, expressions of participant anxiety, anger and excitement about the practicum are discussed with the view to extending discourse about practicum learning to include consideration of emotional intelligence and investment.<br /

SWOG S1400B (NCT02785913), a Phase II Study of GDC-0032 (Taselisib) for Previously Treated PI3K-Positive Patients with Stage IV Squamous Cell Lung Cancer (Lung-MAP Sub-Study).

BackgroundS1400B is a biomarker-driven Lung-MAP substudy evaluating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor taselisib (GDC-0032) in patients with PI3K pathway-activated squamous NSCLC (sqNSCLC).MethodsEligible patients had tumoral phosphatidylinositol-4,5-biphosphate 3 kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) alterations by next-generation sequencing and disease progression after at least one line of platinum-based therapy. Patients received 4-mg taselisib orally daily. The primary analysis population (PAP) was a subset of patients having substitution mutations believed to be associated with clinical benefit of PI3K inhibitors. Primary endpoint was response by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1; secondary endpoints included progression-free survival, overall survival and duration of response.ResultsTwenty-six patients treated with taselisib comprised the full evaluable population (FEP); 21 patients comprised the PAP. Median age for patients in the FEP was 68 years (range: 53-83 years), 19 were male (73%). The study was closed for futility at interim analysis with one responder in the PAP (5% response rate, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0%-24%). Two possibly treatment-related deaths (one respiratory failure, one cardiac arrest) were observed; one patient had grades 4 and 11 had grade 3 adverse events. Median progression-free survival and overall survival in the PAP group were 2.9 months (95% CI: 1.8-4.0 mo) and 5.9 months (95% CI: 4.2-7.8 mo), respectively. These numbers were nearly the same in the FEP.ConclusionsStudy S1400B evaluating taselisib in PIK3CA-altered sqNSCLC failed to meet its primary endpoint and was closed after an interim futility analysis. The trial is unique in cataloguing the diversity of PIK3CA mutations in sqNSCLC

Choice in the context of informal care-giving

Extending choice and control for social care service users is a central feature of current English policies. However, these have comparatively little to say about choice in relation to the informal carers of relatives, friends or older people who are disabled or sick. To explore the realities of choice as experienced by carers, the present paper reviews research published in English since 1985 about three situations in which carers are likely to face choices: receiving social services; the entry of an older person to long-term care; and combining paid work and care. Thirteen electronic databases were searched, covering both the health and social care fields. Databases included: ASSIA; IBSS; Social Care Online; ISI Web of Knowledge; Medline; HMIC Sociological Abstracts; INGENTA; ZETOC; and the National Research Register. The search strategy combined terms that: (1) identified individuals with care-giving responsibilities; (2) identified people receiving help and support; and (3) described the process of interest (e.g. choice, decision-making and self-determination). The search identified comparatively few relevant studies, and so was supplemented by the findings from another recent review of empirical research on carers' choices about combining work and care. The research evidence suggests that carers' choices are shaped by two sets of factors: one relates to the nature of the care-giving relationship; and the second consists of wider organisational factors. A number of reasons may explain the invisibility of choice for carers in current policy proposals for increasing choice. In particular, it is suggested that underpinning conceptual models of the relationship between carers and formal service providers shape the extent to which carers can be offered choice and control on similar terms to service users. In particular, the exercise of choice by carers is likely to be highly problematic if it involves relinquishing some unpaid care-giving activities

Rete di Pronto Intervento satellitare

Nell’ambito dell’attività di ricerca e monitoraggio dell’INGV, riveste notevole importanza la Rete Sismica Nazionale RSN, quale struttura di sorveglianza sismica del territorio italiano. La rete, che ad oggi conta più di 240 stazioni uniformemente distribuite su tutto il territorio italiano, si avvale di una rete di pronto intervento (RPI) che ha l’obiettivo primario di incrementare, in zona epicentrale, il numero di stazioni, per una migliore localizzazione della sequenza sismica in corso. Per giungere a quest’obiettivo, l’intera struttura utilizza dei sistemi di trasmissione dati dedicati, che permettono di trasmettere i dati in tempo reale presso il centro di acquisizione di Roma, affinché possano essere utilizzati ai fini del processo di localizzazione.PublishedTrieste, Italy1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionaleope

Accurate Detection of Recombinant Breakpoints in Whole-Genome Alignments

We propose a novel method for detecting sites of molecular recombination in multiple alignments. Our approach is a compromise between previous extremes of computationally prohibitive but mathematically rigorous methods and imprecise heuristic methods. Using a combined algorithm for estimating tree structure and hidden Markov model parameters, our program detects changes in phylogenetic tree topology over a multiple sequence alignment. We evaluate our method on benchmark datasets from previous studies on two recombinant pathogens, Neisseria and HIV-1, as well as simulated data. We show that we are not only able to detect recombinant regions of vastly different sizes but also the location of breakpoints with great accuracy. We show that our method does well inferring recombination breakpoints while at the same time maintaining practicality for larger datasets. In all cases, we confirm the breakpoint predictions of previous studies, and in many cases we offer novel predictions