Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 41, No. 1

• Jacob Maentel: A Second Look • The Five-Plate Stove Revisited • The Life and Death of an Appalachian Farm • Henry Harbaugh, Quintessential Dutchman • In Memoriam: William T. Parsons, 1923-1991https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/1132/thumbnail.jp

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 40, No. 1

• Square Notching in the Log Carpentry Tradition of Pennsylvania Extended • Letters from Home to a Wandering Farm Boy • Parre Schtories • Handcrafts in Lancaster County • Johann Conrad Dieffenbach of Tulpehocken • Aldes un Neies (Old and New)https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/1129/thumbnail.jp

Psychiatric and psychosocial problems in adults with normal-intelligence autism spectrum disorders

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often display symptoms from other diagnostic categories. Studies of clinical and psychosocial outcome in adult patients with ASDs without concomitant intellectual disability are few. The objective of this paper is to describe the clinical psychiatric presentation and important outcome measures of a large group of normal-intelligence adult patients with ASDs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Autistic symptomatology according to the DSM-IV-criteria and the Gillberg & Gillberg research criteria, patterns of comorbid psychopathology and psychosocial outcome were assessed in 122 consecutively referred adults with normal intelligence ASDs. The subjects consisted of 5 patients with autistic disorder (AD), 67 with Asperger's disorder (AS) and 50 with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD NOS). This study group consists of subjects pooled from two studies with highly similar protocols, all seen on an outpatient basis by one of three clinicians.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Core autistic symptoms were highly prevalent in all ASD subgroups. Though AD subjects had the most pervasive problems, restrictions in non-verbal communication were common across all three subgroups and, contrary to current DSM criteria, so were verbal communication deficits. Lifetime psychiatric axis I comorbidity was very common, most notably mood and anxiety disorders, but also ADHD and psychotic disorders. The frequency of these diagnoses did not differ between the ASD subgroups or between males and females. Antisocial personality disorder and substance abuse were more common in the PDD NOS group. Of all subjects, few led an independent life and very few had ever had a long-term relationship. Female subjects more often reported having been bullied at school than male subjects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>ASDs are clinical syndromes characterized by impaired social interaction and non-verbal communication in adulthood as well as in childhood. They also carry a high risk for co-existing mental health problems from a broad spectrum of disorders and for unfavourable psychosocial life circumstances. For the next revision of DSM, our findings especially stress the importance of careful examination of the exclusion criterion for adult patients with ASDs.</p

Assessment of coastal management options by means of multilayered ecosystem models

This paper presents a multilayered ecosystem modelling approach that combines the simulation of the biogeochemistry of a coastal ecosystem with the simulation of the main forcing functions, such as catchment loading and aquaculture activities. This approach was developed as a tool for sustainable management of coastal ecosystems. A key feature is to simulate management scenarios that account for changes in multiple uses and enable assessment of cumulative impacts of coastal activities. The model was applied to a coastal zone in China with large aquaculture production and multiple catchment uses, and where management efforts to improve water quality are under way. Development scenarios designed in conjunction with local managers and aquaculture producers include the reduction of fish cages and treatment of wastewater. Despite the reduction in nutrient loading simulated in three different scenarios, inorganic nutrient concentrations in the bay were predicted to exceed the thresholds for poor quality defined by Chinese seawater quality legislation. For all scenarios there is still a Moderate High to High nutrient loading from the catchment, so further reductions might be enacted, together with additional decreases in fish cage culture. The model predicts that overall, shellfish production decreases by 10%–28% using any of these development scenarios, principally because shellfish growth is being sustained by the substances to be reduced for improvement of water quality. The model outcomes indicate that this may be counteracted by zoning of shellfish aquaculture at the ecosystem level in order to optimize trade-offs between productivity and environmental effects. The present case study exemplifies the value of multilayered ecosystem modelling as a tool for Integrated Coastal Zone Management and for the adoption of ecosystem approaches for marine resource management. This modelling approach can be applied worldwide, and may be particularly useful for the application of coastal management regulation, for instance in the implementation of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Database Development for Comparative Analysis of the Performance of Metalworking Fluids Based on Drilling Operations

Metalworking fluids (MWFs) play a significant role in machining operations. Despite their importance, the manufacturing industry lacks tools to make functionally sound and economical decisions about them. In this research project, a second generation drilling testbed was developed to evaluate the performance of MWFs with respect to lubricity and cooling capacity. A desktop drilling machine was used to make the testbed with a load cell sensor and a thermocouple located in the oil-hole of the drill. The testbed characterized MWFs based on torque, thrust, and temperature measurements. A standardized test procedure was developed to ensure that comparisons of fluids were accurate, repeatable, and representative of the actual differences in the fluids. System repeatability was found to be very good with a coefficient of variation well under 0.1. The system was found to determine differences within 1-2.9% for torque, 1.4-2.5% for thrust, and 2.7-8.2% for temperature based on five replicates per experimental condition and an ?? = 0.05 statistical analysis. Ten MWFs were chosen, representing a cross-section of soluble oils, semi-synthetics, and synthetic products from a variety of manufacturers. The performance of these fluids at a 10% concentration was analyzed based on a set of four separate comparative experiments designed to compare various drilling conditions and reveal how the MWFs performed based on changes of workpiece material, feedrate, and dilutent. The results were evaluated within each experiment by comparing how individual fluids performed within their type and how fluid types performed with respect to each other. Comparative analysis was also conducted among separate experiments to determine how changes in feedrate, workpiece material, and dilutent affect MWF performance. Conclusions based on the data analysis are presented. Additional MWF evaluation tests were used to further characterize the fluids. Tests for viscosity, surface tension, emulsion stability, and corrosion inhibition were conducted. These results were compared with the lubricity and cooling results to check for correlation. General trends indicated a correlation between fluid performance in lubrication and viscosity and surface tension results. Surface tension was found to be more a function of the emulsifiers and additives used in a fluid than the concentration of oil, while viscosity showed a definite correlation with oil content. It was also found that the synthetic fluids showed the most resistance to fluid breakdown due to hard water as measured by emulsion stability titration testing. There was no correlation found between type of fluid (soluble oil, semi-synthetic, and synthetic) and corrosion inhibition or surface tension.Illinois Sustainable Technology Center/Grant No. HWR07208published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Applicability of Microfiltration for Recycling Semi-Synthetic Metalworking Fluids

This research seeks to investigate the applicability of microfiltration technology by investigating the membrane fouling mechanisms at work in the system. It also aims to reduce fouling through adjustment of operating parameters and the design of a new semi-synthetic MWF that significantly reduces the impact of membrane fouling.Illinois Waste Management and Reearch Center/Contract No. HWR04186published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe