AN EXPLORATION OF PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF INCLUSIVE SERVICES AND SUPPORTS PROVIDED BY FAITH COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM AND THEIR FAMILIES

The purpose of the study was to explore the perspectives of parents of children diagnosed with ASD regarding the inclusive supports and services provided by their congregations. Identifying supports and services that are deemed helpful by the parents of ASD children may assist faith communities in developing programs and ministries that address the unique needs of these families. The quantitative study utilized a survey research method to address eight research questions. At two sites in Florida, parents of children diagnosed with ASD were invited to complete a survey assessing the helpfulness of nine inclusive supports. Additionally, the availability of these services, as well as the influence on the parent’s commitment level to the place of worship providing the supports, was evaluated. The nine inclusive supports identified in the survey were found to be helpful to parents of ASD children at a significant level. More specifically, the study’s participants perceived the helpfulness of a family resource center as the most important support. Additionally, parents who perceived the church as implementing helpful inclusive support services reported a higher level of an overall commitment to that church. Implications of the study include strategies for including ASD families in congregations and providing opportunities for spiritual growth

An improved microtiter plate assay to monitor the oxidative burst in monocot and dicot plant cell suspension cultures

BACKGROUND: A screening method for elicitor and priming agents does not only allow detecting new bioactive substances, it can also be used to understand structure–function relationships of known agents by testing different derivatives of them. This can not only provide new lead compounds for the development of novel, more environment-benign, bio-based agro-chemicals, it may eventually also lead to a better understanding of defense mechanisms in plants. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are sensitive indicators of these mechanisms but current assay formats are not suitable for multiplex screening, in particularly not in the case of monocot systems. RESULTS: Here we describe continuous monitoring of ROS in 96-well microtiter plates using the chemiluminescent probe L012, a luminol derivative producing chemiluminescence when oxidised by ROS like hydrogen peroxide, superoxide, or hydroxyl radical that can thus be used as an indicator for these ROS. We were able to measure ROS in both monocot (Oryza sativa) and dicot (Medicago truncatula) cell suspension cultures and record dose dependencies for the carbohydrate elicitors and priming agents ulvan and chitosan at low substrate concentrations (0.3–2.5 µg/ml). The method was optimized in terms of cell density, L012 concentration, and pre-incubation time. In contrast to the single peak observed using a cuvette luminometer, the improved method revealed a double burst in both cell systems during the 90-min measuring period, probably due to the detection of multiple ROS rather than only H2O2. CONCLUSION: We provide a medium throughput screening method for monocot and dicot suspension-cultured cells that enables direct comparison of monocot and dicot plant systems regarding their reaction to different signaling molecules.<br

The genetic status of Sorocea bonplandii in the highly fragmented forest in southern Brazil.

Sorocea bonplandii is a dioecious sub canopy plant species with an abundant and widespread distribution in the Atlantic Forest, Southern Brazil. It is traditionally used for art crafts and popular medicine. We have investigated the genetic status of S. bonplandii in one large and six small populations of the fragmented Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil. In spite of population fragmentation, the allozyme electrophoretic analysis involving 23 loci of 12 enzymes from 420 plants revealed unusually high frequencies of heterozygous genotypes and a balanced distribution, in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg proportions. Very little genetic differentiation among populations was detected. The observed excess of heterozygotes suggests that selection favors heterozygous plants. Although S. bonplandii is a dominant sub-canopy species which strongly depends on ombrophilous environmental conditions, its genetic structure and diversity do not appear to suffer with forest fragmentation. All of these characteristics, in addition to its medicinal uses, suggest that this species is a potential resource for sustainable management of tropical forests in southern Brazil

Magnetic moments of vector, axial, and tensor mesons in lattice QCD

We present a calculation of magnetic moments for selected spin-1 mesons using the techniques of lattice QCD. This is carried out by introducing progressively small static magnetic field on the lattice and measuring the linear response of a hadron's mass shift. The calculations are done on $24^4$ quenched lattices using standard Wilson actions, with $\beta$=6.0 and pion mass down to 500 MeV. The results are compared to those from the form factor method where available.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figure

Выбор оптимальных геолого-технических мероприятий для интенсификации притока нефти на Х нефтяном месторождении

Рассматриваемое месторождение находится на завершающем этапе разработки. На основании анализа его геологических условий и технологических показателей разработки и анализа выработки запасов нефти были определены факторы, негативно влияющие на процесс разработки месторождения: высокая обводненность, неравномерный профиль вытеснения, наличие высокопроницаемых высокобводненных каналов и слабопроницаемых участков пласта с невыработанными целиками нефти. В соответствии с условиями месторождения предложен комплекс геолого-технических мероприятий, направленный на борьбу с выявленными негативными факторами разработки: зарезка боковых стволов с многостадийным гидроразрывом пласта на добывающих скважинах, полимерное заводнение – на нагнетательных скважинах.The considered field is at the final stage of development. From the analysis of its geological conditions and technological indicators of development and analysis of the production of oil reserves, factors were identified that negatively affect the process of field development: high water cut, uneven displacement profile, the presence of highly permeable high-water-cut channels and poorly permeable reservoir sections with unexploited oil reserves. In accordance with the conditions of the field, a set of geological and technical measures was proposed aimed at combating the identified negative development factors: sidetracking with multi-stage hydraulic fracturing at production wells, polymer flooding at injection wells

Inverse relationship between chitobiase and transglycosylation activities of chitinase-D from Serratia proteamaculans revealed by mutational and biophysical analyses

Serratia proteamaculans chitinase-D (SpChiD) has a unique combination of hydrolytic and transglycosylation (TG) activities. The TG activity of SpChiD can be used for large-scale production of chito-oligosaccharides (CHOS). The multiple activities (hydrolytic and/or chitobiase activities and TG) of SpChiD appear to be strongly influenced by the substrate-binding cleft. Here, we report the unique property of SpChiD substrate-binding cleft, wherein, the residues Tyr28, Val35 and Thr36 control chitobiase activity and the residues Trp160 and Trp290 are crucial for TG activity. Mutants with reduced (V35G and T36G/F) or no (SpChiD&#916;30–42 and Y28A) chitobiase activity produced higher amounts of the quantifiable even-chain TG product with degree of polymerization (DP)-6, indicating that the chitobiase and TG activities are inversely related. In addition to its unprecedented catalytic properties, unlike other chitinases, the single modular SpChiD showed dual unfolding transitions. Ligand-induced thermal stability studies with the catalytically inactive mutant of SpChiD (E153A) showed that the transition temperature increased upon binding of CHOS with DP2–6. Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments revealed the exceptionally high binding affinities for E153A to CHOS with DP2–6. These observations strongly support that the architecture of SpChiD substrate-binding cleft adopted to control chitobiase and TG activities, in addition to usual chitinase-mediated hydrolysis

Physicochemical characterization of FRET-labelled chitosan nanocapsules and model degradation studies

Sub-micron o/w emulsions coated with chitosan have been used for drug delivery, quorum sensing inhibition, and vaccine development. To study interactions with biological systems, nanocapsules have been fluorescently labelled in previous works, but it is often difficult to distinguish the released label from intact nanocapsules. In this study, we present advanced-labelling strategies based on Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) measurements for chitosan-coated nanocapsules and investigate their dissolution and degradation. We used FRET measurements of nanocapsules loaded with equimolar concentrations of two fluorescent dyes in their oily core and correlated them with dynamic light scattering (DLS) count rate measurement and absorbance measurements during their disintegration by dissolution. Using count rate measurements, we also investigated the enzymatic degradation of nanocapsules using pancreatin and how protein corona formation influences their degradation. Of note, nanocapsules dissolved in ethanol, while FRET decreased simultaneously with count rate, and absorbance was caused by nanocapsule turbidity, indicating increased distance between dye molecules after their release. Nanocapsules were degradable by pancreatin in a dose-dependent manner, and showed a delayed enzymatic degradation after protein corona formation. We present here novel labelling strategies for nanocapsules that allow us to judge their status and an in vitro method to study nanocapsule degradation and the influence of surface characteristics