A PETase enzyme synthesised in the chloroplast of the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is active against post-consumer plastics

Polyethylene terephthalate hydrolases (PETases) are a newly discovered and industrially important class of enzymes that catalyze the enzymatic degradation of polyethylene terephatalate (PET), one of the most abundant plastics in the world. The greater enzymatic efficiencies of PETases compared to close relatives from the cutinase and lipase families have resulted in increasing research interest. Despite this, further characterization of PETases is essential, particularly regarding their possible activity against other kinds of plastic. In this study, we exploited for the first time the use of the microalgal chloroplast for more sustainable synthesis of a PETase enzyme. A photosynthetic-restoration strategy was used to generate a marker-free transformant line of the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in which the PETase from Ideonella sakaiensis was constitutively expressed in the chloroplast. Subsequently, the activity of the PETase against both PET and post-consumer plastics was investigated via atomic force microscopy, revealing evidence of degradation of the plastics

The experience of being a father of a son or daughter with an intellectual disability: older fathers’ perspectives

Background: As life expectancy for people with an intellectual disability increases, there is a growing cohort of older father carers. This study aimed to gain a more in‐depth understanding of older father carers’ experiences of parenting. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 7 older fathers (M = 63.9 years) and analysed using constructivist grounded theory. Results: Three conceptual categories were identified. “Wearing different hats: how fathers’ sense of identity had altered over the years. “Family comes first”: importance placed on the family unit. “Getting on in years”: the challenges faced by ageing fathers parenting their son/daughter. Conclusions: Fathers re‐evaluated their priorities and found a new identity in their parenting role, although they continued to see themselves as secondary carers. Fathers worried about the future as their health declined but drew strength from the benefits they had derived and the challenges that they had overcome to do their best for their son/daughter and their family

Siblings of children with autism:The Siblings Embedded Systems Framework

Purpose of review: a range of interacting factors/mechanisms at the individual, family, and wider systems levels influences siblings living in families where one sibling has autism. We introduce the Sibling Embedded Systems Framework which aims to contextualise siblings’ experience and characterise the multiple and interacting factors influencing family and, in particular, sibling outcomes.Recent findings: findings from studies that have reported outcomes for siblings of children with autism are equivocal, ranging from negative impact, no difference, to positive experience. This is likely due to the complex nature of understanding the sibling experience. We focus on particular elements of the framework and review recent novel literature to help guide future directions for research and practice including the influence of culture, methodological considerations, and wider participatory methods.Summary: the Siblings Embedded System Framework can be used to understand interactive factors that affect sibling adjustment and to develop clinically, educationally and empirically based work that aims to enhance and support sibling adjustment, relationships, and well-being in families of children with autism.<br/

Siblings with disabilities: a duoethnography on the intersections between a sibling relationship and disability

A growing body of research examines the intersections between sibling relationships and disability. However, much of this research focuses on non-disabled siblings and how the disabled sibling affects them, thereby continuing to center able-bodiedness while further marginalizing disabled people. This research centers the voices of two siblings who are both disabled. Using duoethnography, the researchers engaged in a dialog interrogating how disability has played a role in our sibling relationship. Our dialog demonstrated the complexity of our experiences as siblings and as disabled people. We found that physical disability, a status we do not share, created role asymmetry and power differentials in our relationship. Conversely, we discussed how our shared experience of having psychiatric disabilities had a positive influence on our closeness, and enhanced our ability to provide mutual support and engage in reciprocity. This duoethnography has important implications for the inclusion of disabled siblings in future research