The aim of this study was to understand parents' perspectives on how children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) benefit from a relationship with companion animals. Parents were invited to participate in focus-group discussions. One open-ended question with follow-up questions was asked and the parents' responses were subsequently categorized. Three main themes emerged: the quali

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore a particular philosophical underpinning for Information Systems (IS) research – critical systemic thinking (CST). Drawing upon previous work, the authors highlight the principal features of CST within the tradition of critical research and attempt to relate it to trends in the Italian school of IS research in recent years, as exemplified by the wor

To understand the evolutionary history of Lymantriinae and test the present higher-level classification, we performed the first broad-scale molecular phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily, based on 154 exemplars representing all recognized tribes and drawn from all major biogeographical regions. We used two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S ribosomal RNA) and six nuclear

There is a pressing need to address the current major gaps in epilepsy treatment, in particular drug-resistant epilepsy, antiepileptogenic therapies, and comorbidities. A major concern in the development of new therapies is that current preclinical testing is not sufficiently predictive for clinical efficacy. Methodologic limitations of current preclinical paradigms may partly account for this dis

Reference panels from the 1000 Genomes (1000G) Project Consortium provide near complete coverage of common and low-frequency genetic variation with minor allele frequency ≥0.5% across European ancestry populations. Within the European Network for Genetic and Genomic Epidemiology (ENGAGE) Consortium, we have undertaken the first large-scale meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), s

Iterative reconstruction has a wide spectrum of proven advantages in the field of conventional X-ray absorption-based computed tomography (CT). In this paper, we report on an algebraic iterative reconstruction technique for grating-based differential phase-contrast CT (DPC-CT). Due to the differential nature of DPC-CT projections, a differential operator and a smoothing operator are added to the i

Although several studies have demonstrated that stereotypes can be mixed in terms of warmth and competence (e.g., cold but competent), the possibility of mixed discrimination has received very little attention so far. To this end, the present study investigated mixed discriminatory judgments of individuals. In two studies, the participants judged the empathic (warmth) and the cognitive (competence

Mucin 4 (MUC4) is a cell surface glycoprotein that is overexpressed in most pancreatic tumors. The aim of the present study was to characterize MUC4 expression in experimental pancreatic cancer in order to clarify the correlation between MUC4 and pancreatic cancer histology in vivo.

This article presents an on-line tool and its accompanying software resources for the numerical solution of basic radiation transfer out of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). State-of-the-art stationary iterative methods such as Accelerated Lambda-iteration and Gauss-Seidel schemes, using a short characteristics-based formal solver are used. We also comment on typical numerical experiments ass

The most critical safety barrier in a nuclear power plant, the concrete containment, is prestressed by hundreds of tendons, both horizontally and vertically. The main purpose of the containment is to prevent radioactive discharge to the environment in the case of a serious internal accident. Due to creep and shrinkage of concrete and relaxation of the prestressing steel, tendon forces decrease wit

The adsorption of 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDCA) molecules on the Ag(110), Cu(110), and Ag(111) surfaces at room temperature has been studied by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). Further supporting results were obtained using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). On the Ag(110) support, which had an average terrace width of only

During the last decade there has been an increase in the use of horizontal organizational relationships (HORs) such as strategic alliances, shared services, and outsourcing. Studies accentuate the unstable, fragile nature of HORS and the importance of directing attention to how these arrangements are formed and how and why they change. The aim in this study is to explore control problems of HORs a

The systematic change of shell structure in both weakly bound and resonant neutron one-particle levels in nuclei towards the neutron drip line is exhibited, solving the coupled equations derived from the Schrodinger equation in coordinate space with the correct asymptotic behaviour of wave functions for r -> infinity. The change comes from the behaviour unique in the one-particle motion with low o

De novo differentiation of CD4(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (induced (i) Tregs) occurs preferentially in the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT). We addressed the contribution of background genetic factors in affecting the balance of iTreg, T helper type 1 (Th1), and Th17 cell differentiation in GALT in vivo following the transfer of naive CD4(+) CD45RB(high) T cells to strains of RAG2-defici

We address the influence of clustering on the ultra-fast dissociation of bromomethane. Valence and core photo-electron spectroscopy, partial electron yield absorption, and resonant Auger spectroscopy have been used together with ab initio calculations to investigate the properties of the ultra-fast dissociation. The ratio of ultra-fast dissociation of molecules in clusters as compared to free mole

1. Animals that use flight as their mode of transportation must cope with the fact that their migration and orientation performance is strongly affected by the flow of the medium they are moving in, i.e. by the winds. Different strategies can be used to mitigate the negative effects and benefit from the positive effects of a moving flow. The strategies an animal can use will be constrained by the

The First International Research Workshop on Mesoamerican Nephropathy (MeN) met in Costa Rica in November 2012 to discuss how to establish the extent and degree of MeN, examine relevant causal hypotheses, and focus efforts to control or eliminate the disease burden. MeN describes a devastating epidemic of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin predominantly observed among young male sugarcane cu

Large scale, homogeneous quasi-free standing monolayer graphene is obtained on cubic silicon carbide, i.e., the 3C-SiC(111) surface, which represents an appealing and cost effective platform for graphene growth. The quasi-free monolayer is produced by intercalation of hydrogen under the interfacial, (6 root 3 x 6 root 3)R30 degrees-reconstructed carbon layer. After intercalation, angle resolved ph