BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION FOR EATING AND EXERCISE CHALLENGES IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disability characterized by deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors relied on for social interactions, deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of interest and behavior, and sensitivity to certain sensory inputs. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder are at an increased risk for multiple medical health concerns when compared to typically developing individuals, including overweight and obesity. Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern in the U.S. While many efforts have been made to prevent childhood obesity, few have been designed to align with the unique challenges faced by individuals on the autism spectrum. The present program development model includes combined weekly in-clinic therapy sessions and daily participation in online activities for parent(s) of autistic children as well as the child who is on the autism spectrum. Using the “5-2-1-0 Healthy Numbers for Kentucky Kids” initiative as a basis for behavior goals, the present program proposes implementation of interventions with empirical support for treating this population. Importantly, this intervention is meant to be applicable to children with autism across the nation, not only those residing in Kentucky. While the original initiative (5-2-1-0 Healthy Numbers for Kentucky Kids) on which this intervention is based was created for Kentucky children, childhood obesity is a national concern (Vorkoper, Artega, Berrigan, Bialy, Bremer, Cotton, & Anand, 2021)

Art Educators’ Responsibility to Cultural Diversity: or “Where Are You Goin Wid Alla My Stuff?”

The responsibility of art educators to recognize and study the art and context of as many populations as possible is examined in this article. Examples of how artistic expressions have been borrowed, used in different contexts and otherwise removed from their original cultural context are given, and examples of ways that art teachers can help to recognize origins and the artistic functions of many cultures are suggested. By placing art in its context and studying it as it changes, students may begin to understand the artistic source, appreciate the importance of the creative context, and begin to see multi-cultural dimensions to artistic appreciation

BANKHEAD VERSUS BUCKHEAD: Analyzing the Environmental Justice Issues in Atlanta

Introduction: In Atlanta, minority and low-income communities have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. There are many factors that can contribute to the risk of these poor health outcomes. While these personal factors play a part, there are environmental factors that can contribute as well. In lower income and high minority communities, there is an abundance of fast food restaurants, convenience stores and broken or missing sidewalks but a scarcity of healthy food options and fewer parks or poorer access to parks within their communities. As more health officials realized the connection between built environmental factors, environmental justice movement was formed. Robert Bullard first documented the movement while investigating the correlation of environmental quality and race. Aim: This project examined the environmental justice issues with regards to a community’s food and physical activity built environment by comparing two areas, Bankhead and Buckhead. The Bankhead area is a high minority populated area with a median income of roughly $32,000. The Buckhead area has a majority white population with an average median income of about$63,000. Methods: Using the modified Retail Food Environment Index and the Physical Activity Resource Assessment, we surveyed the differences between the two areas in regards to food access and physical activity facilities. Statistical tests were performed to describe and compare the findings between the two areas. The study focused on: 1) measuring healthy food availability with the mRFEI; 2) comparing number of food stores and food restaurants; 3) measuring availability of physical activity resources; and 4) observing park amenities. Results: Findings confirmed low access to healthy food retailers as well as a high percentage of limited-service restaurants in the Bankhead area. Park access and availability was adequate for both areas and even showed a higher availability for the Bankhead area. However, park features were low for the parks located in the Bankhead area. The parks within the Buckhead area typically had several well-kept features such as basketball courts, tennis courts, soccer and baseball fields, etc. The Bankhead parks would usually have two of those features available but in adequate or poor conditions. Discussion: Findings were similar to prior studies and could be useful to guide changes in Atlanta. Policies were suggested in order to provide local government and community level interventions to address the environmental justice issues. Conclusions: These findings highlighted lack of food access and lack of park amenities using the mRFEI and PARA instruments. The results also brought to light a shortcoming of the tools. Although they can be used to examine the food and physical activity environments, they do not take population into account. Future work should look for tools that will take into account population to ensure equity is being properly addressed

Ethical Issues in a Networked Environment

The research objective was to provide a preliminary understanding of how USAF computer users perceive the ethical considerations of computer networks and how the USAF is addressing ethical issues of networked environments. A survey was undertaken to explore questions of ethics in the use of information networks. The literature review explored issues of ethics in the private sector and USAF guidance regarding use of official government resources. The sample population consisted of military members stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio. The responses regarding certain attitudes about behaviors and actions in a networked environment were consistent overall. A significant difference was observed between seven responses that addressed the issues of information privacy, unauthorized access, use of government software in the home, and personal use of government networks. Regardless of grade, age or level of command, respondents generally responded in a similar manner to different situations. The findings suggest that USAF members are aware of ethical considerations in networked environments. The results also indicate USAF management is attuned with the professional community pertaining to the guidance provided to USAF members

Combined Chondroitinase and KLF7 Expression Reduce Net Retraction of Sensory and CST Axons from Sites of Spinal Injury

Axon regeneration in the central nervous system is limited both by inhibitory extracellular cues and by an intrinsically low capacity for axon growth in some CNS populations. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are well-studied inhibitors of axon growth in the CNS, and degradation of CSPGs by chondroitinase has been shown to improve the extension of injured axons. Alternatively, axon growth can be improved by targeting the neuron-intrinsic growth capacity through forced expression of regeneration-associated transcription factors. For example, a transcriptionally active chimera of Krüppel-like Factor 7 (KLF7) and a VP16 domain improves axon growth when expressed in corticospinal tract neurons. Here we tested the hypothesis that combined expression of chondroitinase and VP16-KLF7 would lead to further improvements in axon growth after spinal injury. Chondroitinase was expressed by viral transduction of cells in the spinal cord, while VP16-KLF7 was virally expressed in sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia or corticospinal tract (CST) neurons. After transection of the dorsal columns, both chondroitinase and VP16-KLF7 increased the proximity of severed sensory axons to the injury site. Similarly, after complete crush injuries, VP16-KLF7 expression increased the approach of CST axons to the injury site. In neither paradigm however, did single or combined treatment with chondroitinase or VP16-KLF7 enable regenerative growth distal to the injury. These results substantiate a role for CSPG inhibition and low KLF7 activity in determining the net retraction of axons from sites of spinal injury, while suggesting that additional factors act to limit a full regenerative response

Acoustic phonon limited mobility in two-dimensional semiconductors: Deformation potential and piezoelectric scattering in monolayer MoS2 from first principles

We theoretically study the acoustic phonon limited mobility in n-doped two-dimensional MoS2 for temperatures T < 100 K and high carrier densities using the Boltzmann equation and first-principles calculations of the acoustic electron-phonon (el-ph) interaction. In combination with a continuum elastic model, analytic expressions and the coupling strengths for the deformation potential and piezoelectric interactions are established. We furthermore show that the deformation potential interaction has contributions from both normal and umklapp processes and that the latter contribution is only weakly affected by carrier screening. Consequently, the calculated mobilities show a transition from a high-temperature \mu T^{-1} behavior to a stronger \mu T^{-4} behavior in the low-temperature Bloch-Gruneisen regime characteristic of unscreened deformation potential scattering. Intrinsic mobilities in excess of 10^5 cm^2 V^{-1} s^{-1} are predicted at T 10^{11} cm^{-2}). At 100 K, the mobility does not exceed ~7 x 10^3 cm2 V^{-1} s^{-1}. Our findings provide new and important understanding of the acoustic el-ph interaction and its screening by free carriers, and is of high relevance for the understanding of acoustic phonon limited mobilities in general.Comment: Substantially revised version. 17 pages, 11 figure

Unraveling the acoustic electron-phonon interaction in graphene

Using a first-principles approach we calculate the acoustic electron-phonon couplings in graphene for the transverse (TA) and longitudinal (LA) acoustic phonons. Analytic forms of the coupling matrix elements valid in the long-wavelength limit are found to give an almost quantitative description of the first-principles based matrix elements even at shorter wavelengths. Using the analytic forms of the coupling matrix elements, we study the acoustic phonon-limited carrier mobility for temperatures 0-200 K and high carrier densities of 10^{12}-10^{13} cm^{-2}. We find that the intrinsic effective acoustic deformation potential of graphene is \Xi_eff = 6.8 eV and that the temperature dependence of the mobility \mu ~ T^{-\alpha} increases beyond an \alpha = 4 dependence even in the absence of screening when the full coupling matrix elements are considered. The large disagreement between our calculated deformation potential and those extracted from experimental measurements (18-29 eV) indicates that additional or modified acoustic phonon-scattering mechanisms are at play in experimental situations.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Structure—activity relationships for chloro‐ and nitrophenol toxicity in the pollen tube growth test

—Acute toxicity of 10 chlorophenols and 10 nitrophenols with identical substitution patterns is analyzed with the pollen tubegrowth (PTG) test. Concentration values of 50% growth inhibition (IC50) between 0.1 and 300 mg/L indicate that the absolutesensitivity of this alternative biotest is comparable to conventional aquatic test systems. Analysis of quantitative structure–activityrelationships using lipophilicity (log Kow), acidity (pKa), and quantum chemical parameters to model intrinsic acidity, solvation interactions,and nucleophilicity reveals substantial differences between the intraseries trends of log IC50. With chlorophenols, a narcotictyperelationship is derived, which, however, shows marked differences in slope and intercept when compared to reference regressionequations for polar narcosis. Regression analysis of nitrophenol toxicity suggests interpretation in terms of two modes of action:oxidative uncoupling activity is associated with a pKa window from 3.8 to 8.5, and more acidic congeners with diortho- substitutionshow a transition from uncoupling to a narcotic mode of action with decreasing pKa and log Kow. Model calculations for phenolnucleophilicity suggest that differences in the phenol readiness for glucuronic acid conjugation as a major phase-II detoxication pathway have no direct influence on acute PTG toxicity of the compounds