Regulating Eternal Inflation II: The Great Divide

In a previous paper, two of the authors presented a "regulated" picture of eternal inflation. This picture both suggested and drew support from a conjectured discontinuity in the amplitude for tunneling from positive to negative vacuum energy, as the positive vacuum energy was sent to zero; analytic and numerical arguments supporting this conjecture were given. Here we show that this conjecture is false, but in an interesting way. There are no cases where tunneling amplitudes are discontinuous at vanishing cosmological constant; rather, the space of potentials separates into two regions. In one region decay is strongly suppressed, and the proposed picture of eternal inflation remains viable; sending the (false) vacuum energy to zero in this region results in an absolutely stable asymptotically flat space. In the other region, we argue that the space-time at vanishing cosmological constant is unstable, but not asymptotically Minkowski. The consequences of our results for theories of supersymmetry breaking are unchanged.Comment: JHEP3, 19 Pages, 7 Figure

Effects of 7-day repeated treatment with the 5-HT2A inverse agonist/antagonist pimavanserin on methamphetamine vs. food choice in male rhesus monkeys

Background Preclinical drug vs. food choice is an emerging group of drug self-administration procedures that have shown predictive validity to clinical drug addiction. Emerging data suggest that serotonin (5-HT)2A receptors modulate mesolimbic dopamine function, such that 5-HT2A antagonists blunt the abuse-related neurochemical effects of monoamine transporter substrates, such as amphetamine or methamphetamine. Whether subchronic 5-HT2A antagonist treatment attenuates methamphetamine reinforcement in any preclinical drug self-administration procedure is unknown. The study aim was therefore to determine 7-day treatment effects with the 5-HT2A inverse agonist/antagonist pimavanserin on methamphetamine vs. food choice in monkeys. Methods Behavior was maintained under a concurrent schedule of food delivery (1 g pellets, fixed-ratio 100 schedule) and intravenous methamphetamine injections (0–0.32 mg/kg/injection, fixed-ratio 10 schedule) in male rhesus monkeys (n = 3). Methamphetamine choice dose-effect functions were determined daily before and during 7-day repeated pimavanserin (1.0–10 mg/kg/day, intramuscular) treatment periods. Results Under control conditions, increasing methamphetamine doses resulted in a corresponding increase in methamphetamine vs. food choice. Repeated pimavanserin administration failed to attenuate methamphetamine choice and produce a reciprocal increase in food choice in any monkey up to doses (3.2–10 mg/kg) that suppressed rates of operant responding primarily during components where behavior was maintained by food pellets. Conclusions Repeated 5-HT2A receptor inverse agonist/antagonist treatment did not attenuate methamphetamine reinforcement under a concurrent schedule of intravenous methamphetamine and food presentation in nonhuman primates. Overall, these results do not support the therapeutic potential of 5-HT2A inverse agonists/antagonists as candidate medications for methamphetamine addiction

Effectiveness of tax incentives to boost (retirement) saving: theoretical motivation and empirical evidence

The adequacy of household saving for retirement has become a policy issue all around the world. The UK and US have been in the vanguard of those countries that have tried to encourage retirement saving by providing tax-favoured treatment for particular savings accounts. We consider empirical evidence from these two countries regarding the extent to which funds in some specific tax advantaged accounts (IRAs in the US, TESSAs and ISAs in the UK) represent new savings. Our best interpretation of this evidence is that: only relatively small fractions of these funds can be considered to be "new" saving and so these policies have been an expensive means of encouraging saving; there has been some deadweight loss from the policies associated with "reshuffling" of existing savings. Continuing improvements in data on individual financial behaviour create scope for future empirical analysis of incentives to save, both within the standard economic framework that we explain and exploit, and by considering extensions to and adaptations of it.Saving, tax incentives to save, lifecycle model, household behaviour

Senior Recital:Matthew A. Banks, Tuba

Kemp Recital Hall Saturday Afternoon April 24, 1999 4:00p.m

Emerging technologies in endoscopic imaging

Endoscopic imaging is in part responsible for the recent drop in deaths from gastrointestinal cancers and also for detecting pre-cancerous and non-cancerous conditions and allowing them to be treated effectively, although techniques are far from perfect. Endoscopic imaging has evolved considerably from fiber optic systems 50 years ago to high resolution and high definition systems used at present. Moreover, image enhancement using filters and processors has led to the technique of ‘electronic chromoendoscopy’ to visualize mucosal blood vessels and surface pit patterns clearly. Magnification by optical zoom or confocal laser microscopy has enabled real time diagnosis and ‘virtual histology’. These techniques have contributed to the early detection, assessment and treatment of various gastrointestinal pathologies. The focus of future research is directed towards molecular targeted imaging

Family and Peer Influences on Substance Attitudes and Use among Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth

Juvenile justice-involved youth experience high rates of substance use, which is concerning given associated negative consequences, including health and functional deficits. Family and peer factors are associated with a high risk of substance use among justice-involved youth. It is hypothesized that this risk process operates through pro-drug attitudes. However, limited research has been conducted on the mechanisms through which family and peer factors increase risk for substance use among juvenile justice involved youth. The current study examined both the direct and indirect effects of family and peer substance use on youth's substance use (alcohol and illicit drug use). We also examined whether this relationship differs by race. 226 detained youth (81.9% male; 74.3% Black) were recruited from an urban county in the Midwest and completed a clinical interview and substance use assessment battery. A direct effect of family/peer risk on illicit drug use was found for all youth, though the effect was stronger among White youth. Results also supported the indirect effect pathway from family/peer risk to both illicit drug use and alcohol use through pro-drug attitudes. This pathway did not vary by race. These findings suggest that interventions should focus on targeting both family/peer risk and pro-drug attitudes to reduce substance use. Given the racial difference in the direct effect of family/peer risk on illicit drug use, there may be other factors that influence risk more strongly for White youth, which warrants further investigation

I\u27m Engaged! Maximizing the Online Learning Experience

How do we engage learners online? In this poster, we present design and teaching solutions to help engage students in online learning.https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2016/1062/thumbnail.jp

Substance use disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder symptomology on behavioral outcomes among juvenile justice youth

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Substance use behaviors have been identified as a risk factor that places juveniles at greater risk for engaging in delinquent behaviors and continual contact with the juvenile justice system. Currently, there is lack of research that explores comorbid factors associated with substance use, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, that could help identify youth who are at greatest risk. The aim of the present study was to examine if PTSD symptomology moderated the relationship between substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms and externalizing behaviors and commission of a violent crime; hypothesizing that risk would be heightened among youth with elevated SUD and PTSD symptomology compared to those with elevated SUD symptoms but lower PTSD symptoms. METHOD: The study included 194 predominantly male (78.4%), non-White (74.2%) juvenile justice youth between the ages of 9-18 (M = 15.36). Youth provided responses to assess PTSD symptoms, SUD symptoms, and externalizing behaviors. Commission of a violent crime was based on parole officer report. RESULTS: Findings indicated that SUD symptomology was associated with greater externalizing behaviors at high levels of PTSD symptomology. At low levels of PTSD symptomology, SUD symptoms were inversely associated with externalizing behaviors. An interactive relationship was not observed for commission of violent crimes. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the association between SUD symptoms and externalizing behaviors among juvenile offenders may be best explained by the presence of PTSD symptomology. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Addressing PTSD rather than SUD symptoms may be a better target for reducing risk for externalizing behaviors among this population of youth (Am J Addict 2019;28:29-35)

Gravitational Wave Backgrounds from Colliding ECOs

Long baseline atom interferometers offer an exciting opportunity to explore mid-frequency gravitational waves. In this work we survey the landscape of possible contributions to the total 'gravitational wave background' in this frequency band and advocate for targeting this observable. Such an approach is complimentary to searches for resolved mergers from individual sources and may have much to reveal about the Universe. We find that the inspiral phases of stellar-mass compact binaries cumulatively produce a signal well within reach of the proposed AION-km and AEDGE experiments. Hypothetical populations of dark sector exotic compact objects, harbouring just a tiny fraction of the dark energy density, could also generate signatures unique to mid- and low-frequency gravitational wave detectors, providing a novel means to probe complexity in the dark sector.Comment: 32 pages, 5 figure