Autism spectrum disorders and romantic intimacy

Few would deny that romantic intimacy is an important part of the human experience. People with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) may face impairments in communication, social understanding, and emotional responsiveness; however, the importance of romantic intimacy in their lives is no less significant than it is for typically developing people. In response to the dearth of voice in the literature from people with ASD as well a lack of previous research investigating the romantic perceptions and experiences of people with ASD, I set out to explore the lived experiences of individuals and couples with ASD in regard to romantic intimacy. The lived experience of eight participants including one couple, four individuals, and three guardians of participants with ASD were explored through a qualitative methodology using a Hermeneutic phenomenological approach via a critical disability lens. Three main themes emerged through the data analysis including: What Makes it Work?, What is Challenging?, and How is Intimacy Experienced? Themes that emerged indicated that overall aspects of romantic intimacy are similar for people with ASD and typically developing individuals, including the experience of attraction and various expressions of intimacy. Challenges regarding romantic intimacy are likely to be experienced that stem from characteristics of the disorder including sensory/processing issues and social/communication difficulties. Additional challenges may result from circumstances beyond the individual\u27s control such as his or her living situation and societal messages/pressures. Although such challenges may impede on one\u27s ability to be romantically intimate, a number of features have been identified that may transcend such barriers. Such features have been identified through the compatibility of partners, dedication and hard work on the part of both partners, and through helpful external supports. Implications for support services, interventions, and future areas for research are discussed

A mixed methods approach to understanding the relationship between attachment and child outcomes: The connection of related findings, theory and cultural implications as explored through the perspectives and practices of attachment parents

In Chapter 2 of this paper, a quantitative analysis investigated the association between positive couple interaction and child outcomes (externalizing behavior and social competence) as mediated through positive parenting and a secure parent-child attachment. In Chapter 3, a qualitative approach was used to explore the perspectives and parenting behaviors of mothers who identify as attachment parents Additionally, the implications of attachment theory, evolutionary theory, and the societal context in which parenting practices are embedded are explored. A connection between the quantitative and qualitative findings of this study is drawn in Chapter 4 via the discussion section. In addition, consistencies and inconsistencies were explored between the results of both studies as well as between previous research findings and pre-established theory

How ageing changes the mnemonic bias of visual behaviour

Published online: 02 Jun 2017.Ageing is associated with deficits in cognitive control, including attention and working memory processes. However, how ageing influences the interactions between these cognitive systems is not well understood. The present study compared the oculomotor behaviour and search performance of two different age groups in a well-established memory-guided visual selection paradigm. The results show that ageing can lead to impairments in the way memory representations bias the control of attention, which notably dissociate in the early stages of oculomotor orientation in search and the later process of attentional disengagement from memory distracters. The implications of these findings for theories of cognitive ageing are discussed.DS acknowledges support from the Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres/Units of Excellence in R&D (SEV-2015-490) and project grant PSI2016-76443-P (METAAWARE) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)

Active normal faulting during the 1997 seismic sequence in Colfiorito, Umbria: Did slip propagate to the surface?

In order to determine whether slip during an earthquake on the 26th September 1997 propagated to the surface, structural data have been collected along a bedrock fault scarp in Umbria, Italy. These collected data are used to investigate the relationship between the throw associated with a debated surface rupture (observed as a pale unweathered stripe at the base of the bedrock fault scarp) and the strike, dip and slip-vector. Previous studies have suggested that the surface rupture was produced either by primary surface slip or secondary compaction of hangingwall sediments. Some authors favour the latter because sparse surface fault dip measurements do not match nodal plane dips at depth. It is demonstrated herein that the strike, dip and height of the surface rupture, represented by a pale unweathered stripe at the base of the bedrock scarp, shows a systematic relationship with respect to the geometry and kinematics of faulting in the bedrock. The strike and dip co-vary and the throw is greatest where the strike is oblique to the slip-vector azimuth where the highest dip values are recorded. This implies that the throw values vary to accommodate spatial variation in the strike and dip of the fault across fault plane corrugations, a feature that is predicted by theory describing conservation of strain along faults, but not by compaction. Furthermore, published earthquake locations and reported fault dips are consistent with the analysed surface scarps when natural variation for surface dips and uncertainty for nodal plane dips at depth are taken into account. This implies that the fresh stripe is indeed a primary coseismic surface rupture whose slip is connected to the seismogenic fault at depth. We discuss how this knowledge of the locations and geometry of the active faults can be used as an input for seismic hazard assessment

Evidence from high resolution topography for multiple earthquakes on high slip-to-length fault scarps: the Bilila-Mtakataka fault, Malawi

Geomorphological features such as fault scarps and stream knickpoints are indicators of recent fault activity. Determining whether these features formed during a single earthquake or over multiple earthquakes cycles has important implications for the interpretation of the size and frequency of past events. Here, we focus on the Bilila‐Mtakataka fault, Malawi, where the 20 m high fault scarps exceed the height expected from a single earthquake rupture. We use a high resolution digital elevation model (< 1 m) to identify complexity in the fault scarp and knickpoints in river profiles. Of 39 selected scarp profiles, 20 showed evidence of either multi‐scarps or composite scarps and of the seven selected river and stream profiles, five showed evidence for multiple knickpoints. A near uniform distribution of vertical offsets on the sub‐scarps suggests they were formed by separate earthquakes. These independent methods agree that at least two earthquakes have occurred with an average vertical offset per event of 10 and 12 m. This contrasts earlier studies which proposed that this scarp formed during a single event, and demonstrates the importance of high‐resolution topographic data for understanding tectonic geomorphology. We use a one‐dimensional diffusion model of scarp degradation to demonstrate how fault splays form multi‐scarps and estimate the diffusion age κt of the Bilila‐Mtakataka fault scarp to be 48 ± m25 m2, corresponding to 6400 ± 4000 years since formation. We calculate that a continuous rupture would equate to a MW 7.8 ± 0.3 earthquake, greater than the largest seismic event previously recorded in East Africa

Active fault scarps in southern Malawi and their implications for the distribution of strain in incipient continental rifts

The distribution of deformation during the early stages of continental rifting is an important constraint on our understanding of continental breakup. Incipient rifting in East Africa has been considered to be dominated by slip along rift border faults, with a subsequent transition to focussed extension on axial segments in thinned crust and/or with active magmatism. Here, we study high‐resolution satellite data of the Zomba Graben in southern Malawi, an amagmatic rift whose topography is dominated by the west‐dipping Zomba fault. We document evidence for five sub‐parallel fault scarps between 13 and 51 km long spaced ~10‐15 km apart. The scarps consist of up to five segments between 4‐18 km long, separated by minima in scarp height and river knickpoints. The maximum height of each fault scarp ranges from 9.5 ± 4.2 m to 35.3 ± 14.6 m, with the highest scarp measured on the intrabasin Chingale Step fault. We estimate that the scarps were formed by multiple earthquakes of up to Mw7.1, and represent a previously unrecognized seismic hazard. Our calculations show that 55 ± 24 % of extensional strain is accommodated across intrabasin faults within the ~50 km wide rift. This demonstrates that a significant proportion of displacement can occur on intrabasin faults during early stage rifting, even in thick continental lithosphere with no evidence for magmatic fluids

The Imaging X-Ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE) Mission System Using a Small Satellite

The goal of the Imaging X-Ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE) Mission is to expand understanding of high-energy astrophysical processes and sources. IXPE will add two new dimensions to on-orbit x-ray science: polarization measurements and detailed imaging. Polarization uniquely probes physical anisotropies that are not otherwise measurable—ordered magnetic fields, aspheric matter distributions, or general relativistic coupling to black-hole spin. Detailed imaging enables the specific properties of extended X-ray sources to be differentiated. The IXPE Observatory consists of spacecraft and payload modules built up in parallel to form the Observatory during system integration and test. The payload includes three polarization-sensitive, x-ray detector arrays paired with three x-ray mirror module assemblies (MMA). A deployable boom provides the correct separation (focal length) between the detector units and MMAs. MSFC provides the X-ray optics and Science Operations Center (SOC) along with mission management and systems engineering. Ball is responsible for the spacecraft, payload mechanical elements and flight metrology system and payload, spacecraft and system I&T along with launch and operations. The MOC is located at CU/LASP. IAPS/INAF and INFN provide the polarization-sensitive detector units (DU) and detectors service unit (DSU) via the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The Observatory communicates with the ASI-contributed Malindi ground station via S-band link. The science team generates and archives IXPE data products at the HEASARC. The IXPE “mission system” is made up of the flight segment, ground segment and launch segment – this paper briefly summarizes the IXPE mission science objectives, overviews the flight segment (the payload, spacecraft, and Observatory implementation concepts), and summarizes the expected operations concept. A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle was selected in June 2019 to launch the IXPE Observatory. Mission CDR occurred in June 2019 and the IXPE Project is now firmly in the build phase