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How Parenting Kids With Disabilities Affects Marriage

  Parents of children with developmental disabilities experience varying levels of stress, but new research suggests that some key factors influence how much their kids’ needs affect their marriage. The study looked at the experiences of 213 couples living in the U.S. and Canada who were surveyed, about half of whom had a child with autism while the other half had a child with Down syndrome. Among parents of those with autism, nearly a quarter of mothers and 20% of fathers said their marriages were distressed. By contrast, in the families of children with Down syndrome, just 10% of mothers and 2% of fathers said the same. “There could be many reasons for these percentage differences,” said Tina Taylor of Brigham Young University, a co-author of the study published recently in the journal Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. “These data point to not only a ‘Down syndrome advantage’ but a possible ‘husband advantage.’ One possible explanation is that husbands may not be as direc

9 Top Tips for Stronger Bones

  The youth is a breezy story. Middle age is the real test. I don’t want to go beyond that. Health is wealth and I can’t stress enough on it. So here are  9 top tips for stronger bones  that don’t cost a dime. 9 Top Tips for Stronger Bones Ditch the escalator wherever possible. Try taking the stairs as much as possible. As you get stronger, increase your speed. Try balancing exercises like standing on one leg till you shake and then shift to the other. The shakiness challenges your balance and improves it. Park your car a little far in a car park to make yourself walk that much. Every step counts. Use a backpack to carry your stuff. This will lead to the pull on the muscles and bones, thus making them stronger. Brisk walk for 30 minutes minimum everyday to build your overall fitness. Exercise outside to get some fresh air and vitamin D. Get some sensible sunlight exposure but ensure you don’t get sunburnt. Combine walking and jogging. Walk for a few minutes and then follow it up with

The early design stage for building renovation with a novel loop-heat-pipe based solar thermal facade (LHP-STF) heat pump water heating system: Techno-economic analysis in three European climates

  Abstract Most of the building renovation plans are usually decided in the early design stage. This delicate phase contains the greatest opportunity to achieve the high energy performance buildings after refurbishment. It is therefore important to provide the pertinent energy performance information for the designers or decision-makers from multidisciplinary and comparative points of view. This paper investigates the renovation concept of a novel loop-heat-pipe based solar thermal facade (LHP-STF) installed on a reference residential building by technical evaluation and economic analysis in three typical European climates, including North Europe (represented by Stockholm), West Europe (represented by London) and South Europe (represented by Madrid). The aim of this paper is firstly to explore the LHP-STF's sensitivity with regards to the overall building socio-energy performance and secondly to study the LHP-STF's economic feasibility by developing a dedicated business model.

Female writers, directors take the spotlight at SATE's 6th Aphra Behn Festival

 S ATE returns to live, in-person performance with the sixth annual Aphra Behn Festival , to be presented April 29-May 1 at the Centene Center for the Arts. The festival kicks off the company’s 2022 “Season of Party.” Each night, the showcase for original plays written and directed by women will feature three short works: Hazel McIntire’s “Go Before I Do,” directed by LaWanda Jackson; Michelle Zielinski’s “Repurposed,” directed by Elizabeth Van Pelt; and Lize Lewy’s “The Super Fun Time Party Palace,” directed by Rae Davis. Last year, the festival named for a 17th-century English playwright was held virtually, and in 2020 it was presented in March just before the pandemic brought in-person staging to a halt. “We actually were able to do a live production,” says Ellie Schwetye, co-producer of SATE. “The next weekend, everything shut down.” Originally, the idea behind the festival was to provide women with opportunities to direct for the stage, she says. That idea was expanded to include