Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous and complex group of life-long neurodevelopmental disorders. How this clinical condition impacts an individual’s intellectual, social and emotional capacities, contributing to alterations in the proprioceptive and sensory systems and increasing their selective attitude towards food, is well described in the literature. This complex condition or status exposes individuals with ASD to an increased risk of developing overweight, obesity and non-communicable diseases compared with the neurotypical population. Moreover, individuals with ASD are characterised by higher levels of inflammation, oxidative stress markers and intestinal dysbiosis. All these clinical features may also appear in zinc deficiency (ZD) condition. In fact, zinc is an essential micronutrient for human health, serving as a structural, catalytic and regulatory component in numerous physiological processes. The aim of this narrative review is to explore role of ZD in ASD. Factors affecting zinc absorption, excretion and dietary intake in this vulnerable population are taken into consideration. Starting from this manuscript, the authors encourage future research to investigate the role of ZD in ASD. The perspective is to potentially find another missing piece in the ‘ASD clinical puzzle picture’ to improve the health status of these individuals.

In the decades immediately following the Vietnam War, there were no significant conflicts with free speech resulting from major policy or military action. In contrast, the global war on terror following the events of September 11, 2001, mirror in many ways where prior conflicts and government action clashed with Free Speech. Forty-five days after the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, Congress enacted the USA PATRIOT Act. In the months and years that followed, American forces fought abroad and opponents of and advocates for the Act fought at home. This article will review the implementation of the Patriot Act and two provisions, section 215 and 805, to follow the actions of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government and those of civil liberties advocacy groups to review America’s efforts to meet the challenges of providing security for the homeland and protecting Free Speech.

An investigation of sample 41647 from the Platinum Placer of Ugol'nyi Ruchei, Norilsk Cu–Ni deposit, Russia, stored in the systematic collection of the Fersman Mineralogical Museum, revealed that it contained a mineral that can be identified as the original stannopalladinite described in 1947. As the literature information on the latter is controversial, the mineral was re-investigated using modern analytical techniques. Stannopalladinite occurs as spherical and ovoid-shaped grains up to 0.08 mm, closely intergrown with tetraferroplatinum as part of flattened, prismatic crystals up to 6 mm long. The micro-indentation hardness of stannopalladinite (VHN, 30 g load) is 244 kg/mm2 (range 233–266, n = 4), corresponding to a Mohs hardness of 4. The calculated density is 9.781 g/cm3. In reflected light, stannopalladinite is pale pink. The bireflectance is noticeable only in oil immersion. In crossed nicols the mineral exhibits strong anisotropy with colour effects changing from reddish purple to greyish blue and polysynthetic twinning of grains. The reflectance curves show distinct anomalous dispersion. The chemical composition (wt.%, electron microprobe data, mean of 11 analyses) is: Cu 8.48, Pd 61.21, Pt 0.89, Sn 25.87, Pb 3.70, total 100.15. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 4 atoms per formula unit is (Pd2.42Cu0.56Pt0.02)Σ3.00(Sn0.92Pb0.08)Σ1.00. The ideal chemical formula of stannopalladinite is therefore proposed as (Pd,Cu)3Sn instead of Pd3Sn2 used in the official IMA List of Minerals. The strongest powder X-ray diffraction lines are [dobs, Å (I, %) (hkl) ]: 2.292 (42) (231), 2.166 (100) (331), 2.034 (10) (710), 1.916 (15) (141) and 1.851 (15) (630). The powder X-ray data are indexed in the orthorhombic unit cell with a = 14.634(2), b = 8.5253(6), c = 4.5946(3) Å and V = 573.24(7) Å3 (Z = 8). Stannopalladinite can be reliably identified among all other minerals belonging to the binary Pd–Sn and ternary Pd–Cu–Sn systems by a combination of chemical, optical and X-ray data.

In the 1790s, the United States faced a series of crises—both domestic and foreign—which many believed threatened the nation’s very existence. These culminated in the Quasi-War with France beginning in 1796. The Federalist majority identified the greatest threats to the Republic as foreigners and their willing or unwitting American allies. Thus, they enacted the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798 and other laws to allay these threats. Throughout the ensuing debates, Federalists emphasized the dangers of foreign nations who sought to separate the American people from their government. Republicans challenged Federalists’ fears as overblown and defined the real threat as the Federalists themselves who justified the expansion of the general government’s power and the infringement of individual rights in the name of national security. Americans engaged in their first debate about the meaning and limits of liberty and security.

This review presents evidence related to the postprandial responses after consumption of dairy products focusing on the effect of the dairy matrix and lipid response, which was also presented as part of a speech at the Nutrition Society Winter Conference, January 2023. The key findings are that the dairy product(s) that differentiate from others in the postprandial TAG response are products with a semi-solid structure. There were no differences in lipid responses between cheese and butter. The main factors viscosity, fat globule size and milk fat globule membrane do not seem to explain the effect of the dairy matrix in the acute postprandial response. In summary, it is very difficult to investigate the effects of the dairy matrix per see and with the few studies conducted to date, no clear cause and effect can be established. Future research should focus on the semi-solid dairy matrix, and studies investigating specifically the yoghurt matrix are warranted.

The diagnosis of dementia poses several challenges, as a consequence of which the condition has been widely reported to be underdiagnosed in the general population. Currently, there is no single diagnostic test for dementia and the clinical judgement of primary care physicians is therefore a key determinant in identifying which patients are referred to specialist services for further assessment. This month's Cochrane Corner review found that the clinical judgement of general practitioners is more specific (58–99%) than sensitive (34–91%) in diagnosing dementia, although the data were limited by small sample size and significant heterogeneity. This commentary provides a critical appraisal of this systematic review and attempts to extrapolate conclusions relevant to current clinical practice, including potential areas of further research, to facilitate appropriate and timely referral of patients with suspected dementia to specialist services.

Theories about state-led Islamisation tend to attribute the phenomenon to domestic dynamics, such as political competition, institutional co-optation, and changing social norms. When exogenous factors are considered, they usually refer to imported ideologies. Moreover, Islamisation is often depicted as a firm rejection of the West. This article seeks to complicate those explanations. Using insights from the ontological security literature in International Relations, I argue that Malaysia's state-led Islamisation cannot be understood comprehensively without looking at macro-historical factors, particularly Malaysia's postcoloniality and its elites’ perception of the global order. Instead of being a manifestation of anti-West sentiments, I argue that the initial receptivity towards Islamisation by Malaysia's largely secular ethnonationalist elites constitutes a quest for recognition within an international order within which the Muslim identity is racialised and stigmatised. This is most obvious in Mahathir Mohamad's ideas on Islam, in that his calling for a developmentalist Islam has as its (imagined) respondent the stigmatising ‘West’. I argue that the forms of Islamisation undertaken during the Mahathir administration reflected this drive to catch up with the West while simultaneously securing recognition for Islam; and that such a leitmotif persisted even into the post-September 11, post-Barisan Nasional world.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdowns disproportionately affect older people where most suffer from social isolation and loneliness, which translate into higher rates of depression and anxiety. This study aimed to explore the accessibility, outcomes, and challenges of social technology use among community-dwelling older adults, older adults in long-term care, older adults with neurocognitive disorder, and older adults with pre-frailty and frailty, to help guide future research in this area. A rapid review was conducted, and articles were retrieved from four online databases, including Medline, AgeLine, EconLit and CINAHL, and grey literature from Google Scholar. Of the 131 articles retrieved, 24 were included in this review. The positive outcomes of social technology use include improved mental and physical health, reduced health disparities, and increased autonomy. Adverse outcomes include furthering the digital divide. More research surrounding the economic impacts of social technologies is warranted.

In chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), individuals experience dietary inadequacies complicated by an understudied research area. Our objectives were to assess (1) the agreement between methods of estimating energy requirement (EER) and estimated energy intake (EEI) and (2) whether dietary protein intake met SCI-specific protein guidelines. Persons with chronic SCI (n = 43) completed 3-day food records to assess EEI and dietary protein intake. EER was determined with the Long and Institute of Medicine (IOM) methods and the SCI-specific Farkas method. Protein requirements were calculated as 0·8–1·0 g/kg of body weight (BW)/d. Reporting accuracy and bias were calculated and correlated to body composition. Compared with IOM and Long methods (P < 0·05), the SCI-specific method did not overestimate the EEI (P = 0·200). Reporting accuracy and bias were best for SCI-specific (98·9 %, −1·12 %) compared with Long (94·8 %, −5·24 %) and IOM (64·1 %, −35·4 %) methods. BW (r = –0·403), BMI (r = –0·323) and total fat mass (r = –0·346) correlated with the IOM reporting bias (all, P < 0·05). BW correlated with the SCI-specific and Long reporting bias (r = –0·313, P = 0·041). Seven (16 %) participants met BW-specific protein guidelines. The regression of dietary protein intake on BW demonstrated no association between the variables (β = 0·067, P = 0·730). In contrast, for every 1 kg increase in BW, the delta between total and required protein intake decreased by 0·833 g (P = 0·0001). The SCI-specific method for EER had the best agreement with the EEI. Protein intake decreased with increasing BW, contrary to protein requirements for chronic SCI.

This article analyzes the second-century Acts of John 56–57, in which Antipatros seeks healing for his twin sons whom he claims he cannot support as he ages. I argue that this passage turns on a layered critique of Antipatros. First, the text censures medical commerce. Second, it uses his threat of murder, economic circumstances, and name to undermine Antipatros as both father and inquiring disciple. The episode thus leverages criticism of a character whose negative attitudes lead him to contemplate destruction of those with infirmities. However, it retains a mixed message: while the character of the apostle John comes to focus on the sons, the narrative silences them. Ultimately, the text emphasizes what the critique means for the flawed male, elite father, rather than the experience of the impaired sons. Such dynamics warrant close attention as we continue to expand our understanding of attitudes to disability in sources from antiquity.

This study explores the link between stylized forms of language and the construction of social identities in performance in the Beijing hip hop community. It focuses on the indexical process by which rappers rely on existing characterological figures and local linguistic variables in Beijing Mandarin (i.e. rhotacized syllable finals, lenited retroflexes, interdentalized dental sibilants, and fronted palatals) to construct hip hop affiliated identities. A variationist analysis provides evidence of style-shifting between two generations of Beijing male rappers, who employ these socially salient linguistic features to different degrees, but always in a semiotically coherent package, in their performance. The analysis further demonstrates how the rappers maintain street credibility through a cultural alignment between hip hop and local social types. By examining the indexicality of these variables, the study highlights the interplay of hip hop ideology, local linguistic features, and local social types in stylistic practices and personae construction. (Hip hop, indexicality, iconicity, performance, Mandarin Chinese)*