It's not who you know, It's how you know them:Support in formal and informal networks of people with mild intellectual disability

Onderzoek naar (familie)netwerken bij mensen met een lichte verstandelijke beperking Publiekssamenvatting Dit onderzoek bracht in kaart hoe mensen met een lichte verstandelijke beperking (LVB) de ondersteuning vanuit hun netwerk ervaren. Dit had als doel om te weten te komen hoe zorgprofessionals dat netwerk kunnen betrekken in hun ondersteuning. Voor mensen met een verstandelijke beperking is, net als voor ieder ander, hun familienetwerk vaak erg belangrijk. We hebben daarom gekeken hoe mensen met een LVB de ondersteuning vanuit hun familie ervaren. Hoe vinden zij dat hun familie hen ondersteunt? Met welke familieleden hebben ze contact, en hoe is hun band met deze mensen? Waar ondersteunen ze zelf bij? En kijken familieleden op dezelfde manier naar de relatie? Daarbij hebben we ook breder gekeken naar hoe het voor mensen met een LVB is om te wonen met begeleiding. Ouders en begeleiders Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat binnen de familie vaak vooral de ouders van mensen met een lichte verstandelijke beperking ondersteuning bieden. Als het erop aankomt, ligt de ondersteuning bij hen. Met broers en zussen hebben mensen met een lichte verstandelijke beperking wel contact, maar zij voelen voor hen vaker meer op afstand dan ouders. Dat is niet erg, maar als ouders ouder worden of overlijden is het belangrijk dat andere familieleden ondersteuning kunnen bieden. Ook begeleiders zijn voor sommige mensen met een lichte verstandelijke beperking heel belangrijk. Een begeleider helpt niet alleen met praktische zaken, maar is ook iemand die er altijd voor je is; om naar je te luisteren, je gerust te stellen, een praatje te maken of samen iets leuks te ondernemen. We ontdekten dat als een begeleider heel belangrijk is voor iemand, zo iemand zich vaker buitengesloten en eenzaam voelt in de samenleving, of last heeft van de vooroordelen van anderen. Voor begeleiders is het dus belangrijk dat zij zien welke belangrijke rol zij spelen en waarom dit zo is, zodat zij hun cliënten beter kunnen ondersteunen, bijvoorbeeld door het bieden van ondersteuning om nieuwe mensen te leren kennen. Wederkerigheid Het is belangrijk dat mensen met een beperking niet alleen ondersteuning krijgen, maar zelf ook iets betekenen voor anderen. Dat noemen we ‘wederkerigheid’. Wederkerigheid zorgt ervoor dat je eigenwaarde groeit. Mensen met een lichte verstandelijke beperking hebben vaak minder wederkerige relaties met hun familie. Hoewel ze zelf soms wel het gevoel hebben dat ze er bijvoorbeeld zijn voor hun oma, zien familieleden dat vaak anders. Zij hebben het gevoel dat ze vooral hun broer, zus of kind ondersteunen, en niet andersom. Opvallend was dat mensen met een lichte verstandelijke beperking niet zo vaak vrienden of een partner in hun netwerk hebben. Wel zagen we dat áls iemand vrienden heeft, die vriendschap veel kan opleveren. Dat komt doordat zo’n vriendschap vaak wel wederkerig is, in tegenstelling tot familierelaties. Zij willen ook graag meer vrienden of een partner. Twee kanten Als we kijken naar het netwerk van mensen met een verstandelijke beperking, is het belangrijk dat we oog hebben voor beide kanten van het verhaal. Het is mooi als mensen met een lichte verstandelijke beperking het gevoel hebben dat ze er zijn voor anderen. Maar het is belangrijk dat een begeleider ook checkt of die anderen dat ook zo zien. Een begeleider kan zijn cliënt helpen om zijn sociale relaties te onderhouden. Daarbij geldt dat alle beetjes helpen. Soms kun je op simpele manieren een relatie al wederkeriger maken. Bijvoorbeeld door in de gaten te houden met wie een cliënt contact heeft, door je cliënt aan te moedigen om mensen thuis uit te nodigen of door hem te helpen een kaartje te sturen naar zijn familie

High sensitive quasi freestanding epitaxial graphene gassensor on 6H-SiC

We have measured the electrical response to NO$_2$, N$_2$, NH$_3$ and CO for epitaxial graphene and quasi freestanding epitaxial graphene on 6H-SiC substrates. Quasi freestanding epitaxial graphene shows a 6 fold increase in NO2 sensitivity compared to epitaxial graphene. Both samples show a sensitivity better than the experimentally limited 1 ppb. The strong increase in sensitivity of quasi freestanding epitaxial graphene can be explained by a Fermi-energy close to the Dirac Point leading to a strongly surface doping dependent sample resistance. Both sensors show a negligible sensitivity to N$_2$, NH$_3$ and CO

Quantum resistance metrology in graphene

We have performed a metrological characterization of the quantum Hall resistance in a 1 $\mu$m wide graphene Hall-bar. The longitudinal resistivity in the center of the $\nu=\pm 2$ quantum Hall plateaus vanishes within the measurement noise of 20 m$\Omega$ upto 2 $\mu$A. Our results show that the quantization of these plateaus is within the experimental uncertainty (15 ppm for 1.5$\mu$A current) equal to that in conventional semiconductors. The principal limitation of the present experiments are the relatively high contact resistances in the quantum Hall regime, leading to a significantly increased noise across the voltage contacts and a heating of the sample when a high current is applied

Splitting of critical energies in the nn=0 Landau level of graphene

The lifting of the degeneracy of the states from the graphene $n$=0 Landau level (LL) is investigated through a non-interacting tight-binding model with random hoppings. A disorder-driven splitting of two bands and of two critical energies is observed by means of density of states and participation ratio calculations. The analysis of the probability densities of the states within the $n$=0 LL provides some insights into the interplay of lattice and disorder effects on the splitting process. An uneven spatial distribution of the wave function amplitudes between the two graphene sublattices is found for the states in between the two split peaks. It is shown that as the splitting is increased (linear increasing with disorder and square root increasing with magnetic field), the two split levels also get increasingly broadened, in such a way that the proportion of the overlapped states keeps approximately constant for a wide range of disorder or magnetic field variation.Comment: 6 figure

Social capital and the reciprocal nature of family relationships : the perspective of individuals with mild intellectual disability

Even though family plays a significant role in the lives of individuals with intellectual disability, little research has included their own views about their families. This study examined how 138 people with mild intellectual disability describe their family group, with a focus on the reciprocal nature of the emotional support in relationships with family members. Participants reported “significant” family members beyond the nuclear family, and parents were seen as the main provider of support. Only half of participants had a support relationship with siblings and just 13% of participants reported partners. About 30% of support was reciprocal, and reciprocity varied greatly with the types of family connection (e.g., siblings, peers). Implications for future research as well as practice are discussed

Perceptions of people with mild intellectual disability and their family members about family-based social capital in the Netherlands

Families play an important role in the lives of people with intellectual disability as they do for everyone. However, little research has addressed the views of people with intellectual disability about their families by using self-report. Individual family members may hold different views about their family relationships. Therefore, we used a social capital theoretical perspective to examine (a) how perceptions of people with mild intellectual disability (MID) about their family support networks compare to those of their family members and (b) what factors are associated with any diverging perceptions. Randomly selected participants with MID (n = 111) and their family members (n = 111) were interviewed individually at their homes using the Family Network Method-Intellectual Disability (FNM-ID). The FNM-ID examines how people define their family groups and how they perceive existing supportive relationships within this group. The findings showed that participants with MID perceived that they had somewhat denser family networks (i.e., bonding social capital) than family members perceived them to have and were more likely to report bridging social capital. They reported more relationships that involved them providing support to family members. This difference in estimation was greater when the participant with MID displayed higher levels of externalizing behaviour problems. They also perceived more reciprocity in their relationships with family. No differences were found in the estimated numbers of significant family members and relationships in which support was received. It is concluded that people with MID and their family members have different perceptions on several aspects of the family support network. Family professionals and services should seek the views of people with intellectual disability and their family members when carrying out assessments or organizing supports. [Abstract copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Health and Social Care in the Community published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Coexistence of electron and hole transport in graphene

When sweeping the carrier concentration in monolayer graphene through the charge neutrality point, the experimentally measured Hall resistivity shows a smooth zero crossing. Using a two- component model of coexisting electrons and holes around the charge neutrality point, we unambiguously show that both types of carriers are simultaneously present. For high magnetic fields up to 30 T the electron and hole concentrations at the charge neutrality point increase with the degeneracy of the zero-energy Landau level which implies a quantum Hall metal state at \nu=0 made up by both electrons and holes.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

The value of competitive employment:In-depth accounts of people with intellectual disabilities

Background Increasing the societal participation of people with intellectual disabilities via competitive employment requires a full understanding of what this means to them. This paper aims to provide an in‐depth examination of the lived experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in competitive employment. Method Interviews were conducted with six participants with mild intellectual disability or borderline functioning and good verbal communication skills. Interviews were analysed according to the guidelines of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Member checks were conducted. Results Analysis yielded three main themes: (a) Building on my life experiences, (b) My place at work and (c) Being a valuable member of society, like everyone else. Conclusions Competitive employment could make a substantial contribution to the sense of belonging to society and quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. Nevertheless, they must cope with stigma‐related obstacles and feelings of being dependent on others in the work environment

Tilted-Cone Induced Cusps and Nonmonotonic Structures in Dynamical Polarization Function of Massless Dirac Fermions

The polarization function of electrons with the tilted Dirac cone found in organic conductors is studied using the tilted Weyl equation. The dynamical property is explored based on the analytical treatment of the particle-hole excitation. It is shown that the polarization function as the function of both the frequency and the momentum exhibits cusps and nonmonotonic structures. The polarization function depends not only on the magnitude but also the direction of the external momentum. These properties are characteristic of the tilted Dirac cone, and are contrast to the isotropic case of grapheme. Further, the results are applied to calculate the optical conductivity, the plasma frequency and the screening of Coulomb interaction, which are also strongly influenced by the tilted cone.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figures, to be published in Journal of the Physical Society of Japan Vol. 79 (2010) No. 1

Graphene as a quantum surface with curvature-strain preserving dynamics

We discuss how the curvature and the strain density of the atomic lattice generate the quantization of graphene sheets as well as the dynamics of geometric quasiparticles propagating along the constant curvature/strain levels. The internal kinetic momentum of Riemannian oriented surface (a vector field preserving the Gaussian curvature and the area) is determined.Comment: 13p, minor correction