“More than a mask”: A multidimensional model of autistic women’s experience of camouflaging

Autistic individuals may engage in various strategies to better align with non-autistic social stereotypes; most commonly termed camouflaging. Previous research has suggested that autistic women are more likely to camouflage than autistic men. However, there is debate concerning the nature of any gender differences, how best to define and measure camouflaging and its impact on health and well-being. This study explores how nine autistic women conceptualise, experience and engage in camouflaging. A narrative approach is used to analyse the data, in particular, thematic analysis and the narrative tools of broadening, burrowing and restorying.  Four over-arching themes were generated from looking at the women’s stories. The first theme was “camouflaging as a multifaceted and individualised process”, which captured the breadth and variety of each participant's camouflaging repertoire. The subthemes included methods of camouflaging, awareness of camouflaging, and individualised process. The second theme was “camouflaging and relationships”, with the subthemes of camouflaging inhibiting and enabling relationships, camouflaging within close relationships, and authenticity versus intimacy. The third theme was “societal pressure”, which explored the effect of sociocultural factors on the participants' camouflaging. The subthemes included, pressure to conform to a non-autistic majority, camouflaging as protection, and interaction between gender and camouflaging. The final theme was “diagnosis and camouflaging”, with the subthemes of pre-diagnosis experience of camouflaging, diagnosis revealing and reframing camouflaging, restorying the past, and future camouflaging. The findings support viewing camouflaging within a multidimensional and intersectional frame, that acknowledges how co-morbidity, gender, ethnicity, age (and other identity factors) affect the type of adaptive repertoire individuals use and their experience of it. The dynamic nature of camouflaging, and the women’s relationship to it, is captured, including the impact of diagnosis. Considering camouflaging in this multidimensional way may help clinicians to better assess and support autistic people. Further research is needed to consider how factors such as co-morbidity and socio-cultural background may influence camouflaging and impact mental health

Quantifying Initial Condition and Parametric Uncertainties in a Nonlinear Aeroelastic System with an Efficient Stochastic Algorithm

There is a growing interest in understanding how uncertainties in flight conditions and structural parameters affect the character of a limit cycle oscillation (LCO) response, leading to failure of an aeroelastic system. Uncertainty quantification of a stochastic system (parametric uncertainty) with stochastic inputs (initial condition uncertainty) has traditionally been analyzed with Monte Carlo simulations (MCS). Probability density functions (PDF) of the LCO response are obtained from the MCS to estimate the probability of failure. A candidate approach to efficiently estimate the PDF of an LCO response is the stochastic projection method. The objective of this research is to extend the stochastic projection method to include the construction of B-spline surfaces in the stochastic domain. The multivariate B-spline problem is solved to estimate the LCO response surface. An MCS is performed on this response surface to estimate the PDF of the LCO response. The probability of failure is then computed from the PDF. This method is applied to the problem of estimating the PDF of a subcritical LCO response of a nonlinear airfoil in inviscid transonic flow. The stochastic algorithm provides a conservative estimate of the probability of failure of this aeroelastic system two orders of magnitude more efficiently than performing an MCS on the governing equations

Finite-Difference Solution for Laminar or Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow over Axisymmetric Bodies with Ideal Gas, CF4, or Equilibrium Air Chemistry

A computer code was developed that uses an implicit finite-difference technique to solve nonsimilar, axisymmetric boundary layer equations for both laminar and turbulent flow. The code can treat ideal gases, air in chemical equilibrium, and carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), which is a useful gas for hypersonic blunt-body simulations. This is the only known boundary layer code that can treat CF4. Comparisons with experimental data have demonstrated that accurate solutions are obtained. The method should prove useful as an analysis tool for comparing calculations with wind tunnel experiments and for making calculations about flight vehicles where equilibrium air chemistry assumptions are valid

Greenbelt Community Project: Solar energy retrofit for a multi-family dwelling

A cooperative project was initiated between Goddard Space Flight Center and the nearby community of Greenbelt, Maryland. The purpose was to design, install and operate an experimental solar heating system on a group of four tandem town houses. The system was successfully developed and is operating. A description is given of the design, installation, system operation and performance as well as the important considerations for judging the economic feasibility of solar heating systems

On the discrete spectrum of quantum layers

Consider a quantum particle trapped between a curved layer of constant width built over a complete, non-compact, $\mathcal C^2$ smooth surface embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$. We assume that the surface is asymptotically flat in the sense that the second fundamental form vanishes at infinity, and that the surface is not totally geodesic. This geometric setting is known as a quantum layer. We consider the quantum particle to be governed by the Dirichlet Laplacian as Hamiltonian. Our work concerns the existence of bound states with energy beneath the essential spectrum, which implies the existence of discrete spectrum. We first prove that if the Gauss curvature is integrable, and the surface is weakly $\kappa$-parabolic, then the discrete spectrum is non-empty. This result implies that if the total Gauss curvature is non-positive, then the discrete spectrum is non-empty. We next prove that if the Gauss curvature is non-negative, then the discrete spectrum is non-empty. Finally, we prove that if the surface is parabolic, then the discrete spectrum is non-empty if the layer is sufficiently thin.Comment: Clarifications and corrections to previous version, conjecture from previous version is proven here (Theorem 1.5), additional references include

Developments in stem cell-derived islet replacement therapy for treating type 1 diabetes

The generation of islet-like endocrine clusters from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has the potential to provide an unlimited source of insulin-producing β cells for the treatment of diabetes. In order for this cell therapy to become widely adopted, highly functional and well-characterized stem cell-derived islets (SC-islets) need to be manufactured at scale. Furthermore, successful SC-islet replacement strategies should prevent significant cell loss immediately following transplantation and avoid long-term immune rejection. This review highlights the most recent advances in the generation and characterization of highly functional SC-islets as well as strategies to ensure graft viability and safety after transplantation

“Catch 22”: biosecurity awareness, interpretation and practice amongst poultry catchers

Campylobacter contamination of chicken on sale in the UK remains at high levels and has a substantial public health impact. This has prompted the application of many interventions in the supply chain, including enhanced biosecurity measures on-farm. Catching and thinning are acknowledged as threats to the maintenance of good biosecurity, yet the people employed to undertake this critical work (i.e. ‘catchers’) are a rarely studied group. This study uses a mixed methods approach to investigate catchers’ (n = 53) understanding of the biosecurity threats posed by the catching and thinning, and the barriers to good biosecurity practice. It interrogated the role of training in both the awareness and practice of good biosecurity. Awareness of lapses in biosecurity was assessed using a Watch-&-Click hazard awareness survey (n = 53). Qualitative interviews (n = 49 catchers, 5 farm managers) explored the understanding, experience and practice of catching and biosecurity. All of the catchers who took part in the Watch-&-Click study identified at least one of the biosecurity threats with 40% detecting all of the hazards. Those who had undergone training were significantly more likely to identify specific biosecurity threats and have a higher awareness score overall (48% compared to 9%, p = 0.03). Crucially, the individual and group interviews revealed the tensions between the high levels of biosecurity awareness evident from the survey and the reality of the routine practice of catching and thinning. Time pressures and a lack of equipment rather than a lack of knowledge appear a more fundamental cause of catcher-related biosecurity lapses. Our results reveal that catchers find themselves in a ‘catch-22′ situation in which mutually conflicting circumstances prevent simultaneous completion of their job and compliance with biosecurity standards

Advances toward engineering functionally mature human pluripotent stem cell-derived β cells

Human stem cell-derived β (SC-β) cells have the potential to revolutionize diabetes treatment through disease modeling, drug screening, and cellular therapy. SC-β cells are likely to represent an early clinical translation of differentiated human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC). In 2014, two groups generated the firs

Pictographic Porcelain

When I began graduate school I was very concerned with issues of functional pottery. I was interested in the experience of using the objects I created. However, I soon discovered that my conception of functional pottery was too narrow. I realized that I was becoming far more interested in how my work looked than in its utility. I wanted to explore how my pots could function conceptually, visually and theoretically rather than merely as vessels for food and drink. Most of the historical pots that interested me used imagery as a vehicle for expression. I realized that one way I could incorporate imagery into my pots was to use ceramic decals. I would be able to infuse my work with whatever kind of content I wanted, from photographs, etchings, and text to portraits and narrative. One of my main endeavors for the past two years has been to learn how to make and incorporate ceramic decals into my work. &nbsp;</p