In the Shadows of Autism: A Collective Case Study on Life with a Sibling with Autism in a Military Family

The purpose of this collective case study was to understand the typically developing (TD) sibling\u27s well-being and role in a military family with a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on a military post through the parent and TD sibling perspective. The three theories which guided this research include the social cognitive theory (Bandura, 2001a), self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000), and family system theory (Bowen, 1966). These theories were utilized to evaluate and better understand the motivations, characteristics, and the social development within the family when one child has a diagnosis of ASD. The research questions were: (1) How is the well-being of a typically developing child in a military family living on a military post impacted by having a sibling with autism in the home? (2) How does having a sibling with ASD impact the roles of the typically developing siblings in a military family who lives on a military post? (3) How do parent perspectives on the experiences of TD siblings compare and contrast to the TD siblings’ actual experiences and perceptions when one sibling has ASD on a military post? Each family had one sibling that had a diagnosis of ASD as well as a TD sibling. Data were collected through observations, photographs, and timelines to provide in-depth understanding of the siblings of children with autism in a military household. Interviews were conducted with four families, one parent and a TD sibling, all from the same military base. Data from interviews, timeline discussions, and photograph discussions were then coded for common themes. Eight themes were identified: protective nature of siblings over their sibling with ASD, separations create a change in lifestyle, the annoying little brother, reactions to home therapy, improvements of sibling relationships as they mature, fairness among siblings, anticipation for what the future holds for their children, and self-reflection of parent choices

The impact of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act in eastern Sussex. An intra-regional study c. 1800-1860

This study uses poor relief records for sixteen parishes across the period 1800 to 1860 in order to assess the number and profile of relief recipients and the nature of the support they received prior to, and following, the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act. There have been many studies of welfare in the last decades of the Old and the first years of the New Poor Laws; however, very few have considered the realities of relief at a local level longitudinally, and virtually none have undertaken an in-depth study of the impact of change on communities during the crucial transition period. The focus of the study is eastern Sussex in the southeast of England which was a predominantly agricultural region in the nineteenth century and included areas with exceptionally high spending on poor relief. The parishes, which became part of five New Poor Law unions, are located in geographically diverse areas and represent a range of economies in the Weald, the Downs and a county town, making it possible to consider relief at an intra-regional level. The New Poor Law aimed to impose a more deterrent relief system which would restrict the support available, notably to the able-bodied, and reduce the cost to ratepayers. In addition to making changes to the supply of poor relief, the legislation established a precedent whereby a Central Authority in London became involved with administration at a local level. This study is one of the first to discuss the interaction between local officials and the Central Commission and also the relationship between the poor and administrators at a local and central level and it identifies a strong sense of 'localism' within the parishes. The Sussex evidence reveals that spending on relief fell after 1834 and support to the able-bodied, notably agricultural labourers, was reduced. However, the impact was far greater in the wealden parishes where poverty was most apparent under the Old Poor Law. Comparisons are made with contemporary society and the study concludes that issues such as low wages, temporary employment and a failure to appreciate the range of problems faced by local economies were apparent in the nineteenth century and still prevail today

The role of the γ subunit in the photosystem of the lowest-energy phototrophs.

Purple phototrophic bacteria use a 'photosystem' consisting of light harvesting complex 1 (LH1) surrounding the reaction centre (RC) that absorbs far-red-near-infrared light and converts it to chemical energy. Blastochloris species, which harvest light >1000 nm, use bacteriochlorophyll b rather than the more common bacteriochlorophyll a as their major photopigment, and assemble LH1 with an additional polypeptide subunit, LH1γ, encoded by multiple genes. To assign a role to γ, we deleted the four encoding genes in the model Blastochloris viridis. Interestingly, growth under halogen bulbs routinely used for cultivation yielded cells displaying an absorption maximum of 825 nm, similar to that of the RC only, but growth under white light yielded cells with an absorption maximum at 972 nm. HPLC analysis of pigment composition and sucrose gradient fractionation demonstrate that the white light-grown mutant assembles RC-LH1, albeit with an absorption maximum blue-shifted by 46 nm. Wavelengths between 900-1000 nm transmit poorly through the atmosphere due to absorption by water, so our results provide an evolutionary rationale for incorporation of γ; this polypeptide red-shifts absorption of RC-LH1 to a spectral range in which photons are of lower energy but are more abundant. Finally, we transformed the mutant with plasmids encoding natural LH1γ variants and demonstrate that the polypeptide found in the wild type complex red-shifts absorption back to 1018 nm, but incorporation of a distantly related variant results in only a moderate shift. This result suggests that tuning the absorption of RC-LH1 is possible and may permit photosynthesis past its current low-energy limit

Inhibition of Intestinal Bile Acid Transporter Slc10a2 Improves Triglyceride Metabolism and Normalizes Elevated Plasma Glucose Levels in Mice

Interruption of the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids increases cholesterol catabolism, thereby stimulating hepatic cholesterol synthesis from acetate. We hypothesized that such treatment should lower the hepatic acetate pool which may alter triglyceride and glucose metabolism. We explored this using mice deficient of the ileal sodium-dependent BA transporter (Slc10a2) and ob/ob mice treated with a specific inhibitor of Slc10a2. Plasma TG levels were reduced in Slc10a2-deficient mice, and when challenged with a sucrose-rich diet, they displayed a reduced response in hepatic TG production as observed from the mRNA levels of several key enzymes in fatty acid synthesis. This effect was paralleled by a diminished induction of mature sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (Srebp1c). Unexpectedly, the SR-diet induced intestinal fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 15 mRNA and normalized bile acid synthesis in Slc10a2−/− mice. Pharmacologic inhibition of Slc10a2 in diabetic ob/ob mice reduced serum glucose, insulin and TGs, as well as hepatic mRNA levels of Srebp1c and its target genes. These responses are contrary to those reported following treatment of mice with a bile acid binding resin. Moreover, when key metabolic signal transduction pathways in the liver were investigated, those of Mek1/2 - Erk1/2 and Akt were blunted after treatment of ob/ob mice with the Slc10a2 inhibitor. It is concluded that abrogation of Slc10a2 reduces hepatic Srebp1c activity and serum TGs, and in the diabetic ob/ob model it also reduces glucose and insulin levels. Hence, targeting of Slc10a2 may be a promising strategy to treat hypertriglyceridemia and diabetes

Transformation kinetics of alloys under non-isothermal conditions

The overall solid-to-solid phase transformation kinetics under non-isothermal conditions has been modeled by means of a differential equation method. The method requires provisions for expressions of the fraction of the transformed phase in equilibrium condition and the relaxation time for transition as functions of temperature. The thermal history is an input to the model. We have used the method to calculate the time/temperature variation of the volume fraction of the favored phase in the alpha-to-beta transition in a zirconium alloy under heating and cooling, in agreement with experimental results. We also present a formulation that accounts for both additive and non-additive phase transformation processes. Moreover, a method based on the concept of path integral, which considers all the possible paths in thermal histories to reach the final state, is suggested.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures. To appear in Modelling Simul. Mater. Sci. En

New trends in globalization of science and engineering education

Three decades ago most research and design were conducted in each country independently. But the world has become quite different since then. Global changes in technology and society changed the concept of an engineer. There is the need for engineers who can work effectively in changing global and technical environments. Less interest has been paid to the globalization of science and technology. This article reviews the stimulus, that impact the engineering profession and gives the recommendations concerning the profession of engineering, the technology and innovation