Important Conversations: Exploring Parental Experiences in Providing Sexuality Education for their Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Important Conversations: Exploring Parental Experiences in Providing Sexuality Education for their Children with Intellectual Disabilitie

V723 Cas (Nova Cassiopeiae 1995): MERLIN observations from 1996 to 2001

MERLIN observations of the unusually slow nova V723 Cas are presented. Nine epochs of 6-cm data between 1996 and 2001 are mapped, showing the initial expansion and brightening of the radio remnant, the development of structure and the final decline. A radio light curve is presented and fitted by the standard Hubble flow model for radio emission from novae in order to determine the values of various physical parameters for the shell. The model is consistent with the overall development of the radio emission. Assuming a distance of 2.39 (+/-0.38) kpc and a shell temperature of 17000 K, the model yields values for expansion velocity of 414 +/- 0.1 km s^-1 and shell mass of 1.13 +/- 0.04 * 10^-4 Msolar. These values are consistent with those derived from other observations although the ejected masses are rather higher than theoretical predictions. The structure of the shell is resolved by MERLIN and shows that the assumption of spherical symmetry in the standard model is unlikely to be correct.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Sakurai's Object: characterizing the near-infrared CO ejecta between 2003 and 2007

We present observations of Sakurai's Object obtained at 1–5 μm between 2003 and 2007. By fitting a radiative transfer model to an echelle spectrum of CO fundamental absorption features around 4.7 μm, we determine the excitation conditions in the line-forming region. We find 12C/13C = 3.5+2.0−1.5, consistent with CO originating in ejecta processed by the very late thermal pulse, rather than in the pre-existing planetary nebula. We demonstrate the existence of 2.2 × 10−6≤MCO≤ 2.7 × 10−6 M⊙ of CO ejecta outside the dust, forming a high-velocity wind of 500 ± 80 km s−1. We find evidence for significant weakening of the CO band and cooling of the dust around the central star between 2003 and 2005. The gas and dust temperatures are implausibly high for stellar radiation to be the sole contributor

The symbiotic star CH Cygni. III. A precessing radio jet

VLA, MERLIN and Hubble Space Telescope imaging observations of the extended regions of the symbiotic system CH Cygni are analysed. These extensions are evidence of a strong collimation mechanism, probably an accretion disk surrounding the hot component of the system. Over 16 years (between 1985 and 2001) the general trend is that these jets are seen to precess. Fitting a simple ballistic model of matter ejection to the geometry of the extended regions suggests a period of 6520 +/- 150 days, with a precession cone opening angle of 35 +/- 1 degrees. This period is of the same order as that proposed for the orbital period of the outer giant in the system, suggesting a possible link between the two. Anomalous knots in the emission, not explained by the simple model, are believed to be the result of older, slower moving ejecta, or possibly jet material that has become disrupted through sideways interaction with the surrounding medium.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

The onset of photoionization in Sakurai's Object (V4334 Sgr)

We investigate the reheating of the very late thermal pulse (VLTP) object V4334 Sgr (Sakurai's Object) using radio observations from the Very Large Array, and optical spectra obtained with the Very Large Telescope. We find a sudden rise of the radio flux at 5 and 8 GHz - from <= 90 micro-Jy and 80 +/- 30 micro-Jy in February 2005 to 320 micro-Jy and 280 micro-Jy in June 2006. Optical line emission is also evolving, but the emission lines are fading. The optical line emission and early radio flux are attributed to a fast shock (and not photoionization as was reported earlier) which occurred around 1998. The fading is due to post-shock cooling and recombination. The recent rapid increase in radio flux is evidence for the onset of photoionization of carbon starting around 2005. The current results indicate an increase in the stellar temperature to 12 kK in 2006. The mass ejected in the VLTP eruption is M_ej >= 1e-4 Msol, but could be as high as 1e-2 Msol, depending mainly on the distance and the clumping factor of the outflow. We derive a distance between 1.8 and 5 kpc. A high mass loss could expose the helium layer and yield abundances compatible with those of [WC] and PG1159 stars.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in A&A letter

Children with complex support needs in healthcare settings for prolonged periods: their numbers, characteristics and experiences

This report details the findings of research conducted in England and Scotland to identify how many children with complex support needs are spending longer than one month in healthcare settings in Scotland and England, how and why they are in hospital, why they have not been discharged home or to appropriate alternative community-based facilities, and how well the hospital or healthcare setting is meeting their emotional, social and educational needs. It finds that many of these children could and should be discharged but are not, for a variety of reasons: primarily the lack of appropriate resources in the community and poor discharge planning processes, coupled with the inability of their families to manage their care and supervision without intensive support. Hospitals and healthcare settings in many cases are not meeting their needs and these children are being denied the protection offered by UK legislation governing children's rights and welfare

An alternative index to ESP to explain dispersion occurring in Australian soils when Na content is low

Re-use of industrial and agricultural wastewater for irrigation can increase the concentration of potassium in soil and affect soil structure. However, investigations of clay dispersion have traditionally focused on soils with high exchangeable sodium, therefore exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) has been used to assess soil structural stability. Currently, Australian soils have been considered non-sodic or non-dispersive when the soil ESP <6. However, a few studies have demonstrated that potassium (K) ions in the exchange complex of soil can also assist clay dispersion even when the exchangeable sodium (Na) levels are minimal. The dispersion (as turbidity) and ESP were measured on 74 Australian soils. 17 of those soils showed a considerable level of dispersion, despite ESP <4.5. In all of these soils the Na to K ratio was <1. The relationships between ESP and turbidity were poor (R2= 0.23) indicating limitations of using the ESP for identifying potentially dispersive soils when K is present on the soil exchange sites. Therefore, we used exchangeable cation ratio (ECR), as an index alternative to ESP, but which takes into account effects of exchangeable K on clay dispersion. The good correlation obtained between ECR and the parameters like turbidity and zeta potential support its use in assessing soil structural stability when the appreciable amount of K present on exchange sites