The experiences of parents who have a child with an intellectual disability

Parenting a child with an intellectual disability is associated with high levels of challenges and increased parental stress. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is a qualitative research methodology that has been increasingly used to explore the experiences of parents of children with intellectual disabilities. The first paper is a systematic review which identifies the range of IPA research exploring the experiences of parents who have a child with an intellectual disability and evaluates the quality of papers. Twenty studies were identified, findings of which were critiqued and synthesised. The review found that parents of a child with an intellectual disability experience a range of difficult emotions and practical difficulties, and that the level of parent coping is related to external support. Studies showed strengths in most areas of methodological rigour pertinent to the quality of IPA. Areas for improvement included reflexivity, ethical considerations, justification of research design, and use of an inclusion and exclusion criteria in participant sampling. Future research should be conducted across a wider number of countries and cultures and with an increased focus on the experiences of fathers and older parents. The second paper presents an IPA study that explored the lived experiences of parents who had a child with an intellectual disability transitioning to adulthood. Transition to adulthood is an important life stage for young people and may be particularly challenging for people with intellectual disabilities. Ten parents were interviewed. The interviews were analysed and revealed three superordinate themes. These captured parents’ experiences of difficulties and uncertainty related to their role, their child’s independence, navigating services for their child, and accessing support for themselves. Increased collaboration and consistency from statutory services is required in addition to providing emotional support to parents and facilitating parent support networks

The Uncinate Processes in Birds and their Implications for the Breathing Mechanics of Maniraptoran Dinosaurs

The breathing mechanics of dinosaurs and the connected implications for lung structure (Perry 1983) and metabolism is currently a focus of intense and sometimes controversial discussion (Perry in press). Rubens et al (1997) have proposed a hepatic piston model for breathing in dinosaurs, where the liver is pulled back during inspiration, in a similar manner to what is found in crocodilians. However this hepatic piston model has attracted substantial criticism due to the implication that the evolution of an air-sac system, similar to that found in birds, would be impossible. However, the presence of an air-sac system in dinosaurs can be hypothesized from a phylogenetic viewpoint, as birds are the sister group of some Theropod dinosaurs, the Dromaeosaurs. In a sense birds can be seen as the surviving theropods and as such all questions on breathing and physiology of dinosaurs must be viewed against a background of the evolutionary transition from some dinosaurs to birds. The uncinate processes on the thoracic ribs are one of the most important osteological characters, which can be used to gain insight into breathing. Osteological characters are important as they allow for direct comparison with the fossil record. Uncinate processes are generally viewed as a character specific to birds, however this name is also used for some cartilaginous rib appendices of extant Lepodosaurs (Sphenadon) as well as some Crocodylia. This is despite the fact that little or nothing is known about the homology of these rib appendices. Despite the wide interest in the presence or absence of uncinate processes only one hypothesis (Zimmer 1935), based on a two dimensional model, exists which seeks to make any prediction about the possible role and function these processes may have in breathing. The length of the uncinate processes does not vary phylogenetically but with the locomoter mode of the birds. Electromyographic experiments confirmed that the associated appendicocostalis muscle was active during inspiration while the process itself may act as a brace for the attachment of the external oblique muscle which is active during expiration. Uncinate processes are an integral component of the breathing mechanics in birds. The uncinate processes of birds and maniraptoran dinosaurs are not homologous.Die Hakenfortsätze der Vögel und ihre Bedeutung für die Atmungsmechanik der maniraptoren Dinosaurier Die Atmungsmechanismen der Dinosaurier und die damit verbundenen Implikationen für Lungenstruktur (Perry 1983) und Stoffwechselrate sind heute Brennpunkt intensiver und oft kontroverser Diskussion (Perry im Druck). Ruben et al. (1977) schlugen für Dinosaurier das Leberkolbenmodell vor, wobei die Leber wie beim Krokodil während der Einatmung zurückgezogen wird. Gerade dieses Modell wurde jedoch stark kritisiert, weil es die Evolution eines Luftsacksystems wie das der Vögel ausschließt. Luftsäcke sind aber für die Dromaeosaurier auf Grund ihrer phylogenetischen Position als Schwestergruppe der Vögel zu erwarten. Vögel können gewisser Massen als die letzten überlebende Theropoden angesehen werden und deswegen müssen alle Fragen über die Atmung und Physiologie der Dinosaurier vor dem Hintergrund des evolutiven Übergangs zwischen Dinosaurier und Vögel betrachtet werden. Die Hakenfortsätze der thorakalen Rippen stellen eine der wichtgsten osteologischen Merkmale dar und können verwendet werden, um Aufschluß über Atmung zu bekommen. Osteologische Merkmale sind deswegen wichtig, weil sie einen direkten Vergleich mit dem Fossilbericht erlauben. Hakenfortsätze gelten im allgemeinen als vogelspezifische Merkmale. Der Name wird allerdings auch für knorplige Fortsätze an den Rippen von einem heute noch lebenden Lepidosauier (Sphenodon) und von Krokodilen benutzt, obwohl so gut wie nichts über die Homologie dieser Strukturen bekannt ist. Trotz des Interesses über das Vorkommen von Hakenfortsätzen existiert eine einzige Hypothese (Zimmer, 1935), die auf Grund eines zweidimensionalen Modells eine Erklärung der Funktion im Bezug auf die Atmung liefert. Die Länge eines Hakenfortsatzes steht in keiner Beziehung zur phylogenetischen Stellung der Gruppe, sondern ist mit der Art der Fortbewegung korreliert. Elektromyographische Untersuchungen bestätigten, daß die mm. appendicocostales während der Einatmung aktiv sind und, daß der Fortsatz selber als Ansatzstelle des für die Ausatmung wichtige m. obliquus externus dient. Hakenfortsätze sind wichtige Bestandteile der Atmungsmechanik der Vögel. Die Hakenfortsätze der Vögel sind mit denjenigen der maniraptoren Dinosaurier nicht homolog

The effect of alterations in activity and body temperature on the pulmonary surfactant system in the lesser long-eared bat Nyctophilus geoffroyi

Pulmonary surfactant is a mixture of phospholipids, neutral lipids and proteins that controls the surface tension of the fluid lining the lung. It is critical for lung stability and function. The amount and composition of surfactant are influenced by physiological variables such as metabolic rate, body temperature and ventilation. We investigated the plasticity of the pulmonary surfactant system in the microchiropteran bat Nyctophilus geoffroyi throughout a natural 24 h cycle. Bats were housed at 24 degrees C on a fixed (8 h:16 h) light:dark photoperiod. At 4 h intervals throughout the 24 h period, bats were lavaged and the surfactant analysed for absolute and relative amounts of total phospholipid (PL), disaturated phospholipid (DSP) and cholesterol (Chol). N. geoffroyi experienced two peaks of activity, at 18:00 h and 06:00 h. The amount of surfactant increased 1.5-fold upon arousal from torpor. The proportion of DSP to PL in the surfactant remained constant. Similarly, the Chol/PL and Chol/DSP ratios remained relatively constant. Surfactant cholesterol content did not increase during torpor in N. geoffroyi. Cholesterol does not appear to control surfactant fluidity during torpor in these bats, but instead the cholesterol content exactly mirrored the diurnal changes in body temperature.Nicola C. Slocombe, Jonathan R. Codd, Philip G. Wood, Sandra Orgeig and Christopher B. Daniel

An introduction to Graph Data Management

A graph database is a database where the data structures for the schema and/or instances are modeled as a (labeled)(directed) graph or generalizations of it, and where querying is expressed by graph-oriented operations and type constructors. In this article we present the basic notions of graph databases, give an historical overview of its main development, and study the main current systems that implement them

Breathing and locomotion in birds

Birds are a diverse group of vertebrates, with over 10,000 extant species. Diversification into volant, aquatic and terrestrial environmental niches has precipitated a remarkable morphological diversity between species. Birds have a unique respiratory system consisting of a rigid lung connected to an air sac system. Air is pumped into the respiratory system via movements of the ribcage and sternum. Previous research identified the uncinate processes, ossified projections extending from the vertebral ribs, as critical respiratory and locomotor structures. Uncinate processes facilitate inspiration and expiration through associated muscles that displace the ribs and therefore sternum. External intercostal muscles project from the processes and function during locomotion to stabilise body roll. Therefore uncinate processes provide a link between breathing and locomotion in birds. The objective of my PhD is to extend beyond this basic research on uncinate processes to investigate how diversity in avian body morphology relates to the fundamental functions of breathing and locomotion.While the function of uncinate processes in respiration has been identified, the mechanism whereby ventilatory movements are elicited is not known. Therefore I present a model that demonstrates how respiratory movements of the skeleton are facilitated by the lever action of uncinate processes. Furthermore, variation in process and sternal morphology is driven by adaptation to different forms of locomotion. Therefore fundamental differences in breathing mechanics may be associated with specialisation to locomotor behaviour. Detailed developmental studies of the uncinate processes in birds are almost nonexistent. I provide the first detailed description of developmental changes in the uncinate processes in the turkey. Ossification of the uncinate processes begins around the time of hatch. However, the base is cartilaginous upon hatching and so the lever action of the processes may be compromised in the chick. I provide further evidence for a functional link between process length and respiratory physiology, since elongated processes support an elevated resting metabolic rate in birds. This link was further explored in physiological experiments where the energetic cost of walking in the barnacle goose was manipulated by load carrying. Carrying extra mass on the sternum is more energetically costly than an equivalent back load indicating that the cost of breathing increased. A directly proportional relationship exists between increasing mass of back load and metabolic rate, while sternal loads were approximately twice as expensive to carry during locomotion. Leg loads incurred the greatest increase in metabolism. Finally, I demonstrate how uncinate processes functioned as respiratory structures in basal avian species and a theropod ancestor of modern birds. Development of the uncinate processes may have been an important step in the evolution of the avian lung - air sac system.The principal findings of the five first author research articles presented in this PhD thesis shed important new light on the ventilatory mechanics in birds and highlight interactions between breathing and locomotion. Diversity in avian body morphology driven by adaptation to various locomotor behaviours has resulted in modification of the respiratory system.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Borderline vs. unknown: comparing three-valued representations of imperfect information

International audienceIn this paper we compare the expressive power of elementary representation formats for vague, incomplete or conflicting information. These include Boolean valuation pairs introduced by Lawry and González-Rodríguez, orthopairs of sets of variables, Boolean possibility and necessity measures, three-valued valuations, supervaluations. We make explicit their connections with strong Kleene logic and with Belnap logic of conflicting information. The formal similarities between 3-valued approaches to vagueness and formalisms that handle incomplete information often lead to a confusion between degrees of truth and degrees of uncertainty. Yet there are important differences that appear at the interpretive level: while truth-functional logics of vagueness are accepted by a part of the scientific community (even if questioned by supervaluationists), the truth-functionality assumption of three-valued calculi for handling incomplete information looks questionable, compared to the non-truth-functional approaches based on Boolean possibility–necessity pairs. This paper aims to clarify the similarities and differences between the two situations. We also study to what extent operations for comparing and merging information items in the form of orthopairs can be expressed by means of operations on valuation pairs, three-valued valuations and underlying possibility distributions

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Ontogeny of sex differences in the energetics and kinematics of terrestrial locomotion in leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Sex differences in locomotor performance may precede the onset of sexual maturity and/or arise concomitantly with secondary sex characteristics. Here, we present the first study to quantify the terrestrial locomotor morphology, energetics and kinematics in a species, either side of sexual maturation. In domestic leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) sexual maturation brings about permanent female gravidity and increased male hind limb muscle mass. We found that the sexes of a juvenile cohort of leghorns shared similar maximum sustainable speeds, while in a sexually mature cohort maximum sustainable speeds were greater by 67% (males) and 34% (females). Furthermore, relative to that in juveniles of the same sex, the absolute duration of leg swing was longer in mature males and shorter in mature females. Consequently, the proportion of a stride that each limb was in contact with the ground (duty factor) was higher in sexually mature females compared to males. Modulation of the duty factor with the development of secondary sex characteristics may act to minimize mechanical work in males; and minimise mechanical power and/or peak force in females. A greater incremental response of mass-specific metabolic power to speed in males compared to females was common to both age cohorts and, therefore, likely results from physiological sexual dimorphisms that precede sexual maturation

Testing the form-function paradigm: body shape correlates with kinematics but not energetics in selectively-bred birds

A central concept of evolutionary biology, supported by broad scale allometric analyses, asserts that changing morphology should induce downstream changes in locomotor kinematics and energetics, and by inference selective fitness. However, if these mechanistic relationships exist at local intraspecific scales, where they could provide substrate for fundamental microevolutionary processes, is unknown. Here, analyses of selectively-bred duck breeds demonstrate that distinct body shapes incur kinematic shifts during walking, but these do not translate into differences in energetics. A combination of modular relationships between anatomical regions, and a trade-off between limb flexion and trunk pitching, are shown to homogenise potential functional differences between the breeds, accounting for this discrepancy between form and function. This complex interplay between morphology, motion and physiology indicates that understanding evolutionary links between the avian body plan and locomotor diversity requires studying locomotion as an integrated whole and not key anatomical innovations in isolation

Turning turtle: scaling relationships and self-righting ability in Chelydra serpentina

From The Royal Society via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-01-26, accepted 2021-01-28, pub-electronic 2021-03-03, pub-print 2021-03-10Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Leverhulme Trust; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000275; Grant(s): RPG-2019-104Testudines are susceptible to inversion and self-righting using their necks, limbs or both, to generate enough mechanical force to flip over. We investigated how shell morphology, neck length and self-righting biomechanics scale with body mass during ontogeny in Chelydra serpentina, which uses neck-powered self-righting. We found that younger turtles flipped over twice as fast as older individuals. A simple geometric model predicted the relationships of shell shape and self-righting time with body mass. Conversely, neck force, power output and kinetic energy increase with body mass at rates greater than predicted. These findings were correlated with relatively longer necks in younger turtles than would be predicted by geometric similarity. Therefore, younger turtles self-right with lower biomechanical costs than predicted by simple scaling theory. Considering younger turtles are more prone to inverting and their shells offer less protection, faster and less costly self-righting would be advantageous in overcoming the detriments of inversion