Geolocation and Federalism on the Internet: Cutting Internet Gambling's Gordian Knot

Conventional wisdom dictates that the Internet is a medium in which federalism is destined to fail. By virtue of its decentralized design, the Internet naturally resists regulation by a diverse set of government actors. Indeed, courts have reasoned that federalism on the Internet is either technologically impossible or constitutionally prohibited. The emergence of geolocation technologies, which make it possible to quickly, cheaply, and accurately identify an Internet user's location, challenges this dominant understanding and opens the door to new approaches that could radically alter the way electronic commerce is governed. To illustrate this point, this Article explores the ways that such technologies could be used to make Internet gambling regulation more responsive to longstanding federalism principles. As demonstrated below, geolocation technologies have the potential to make Internet gambling law both more effective and more efficient by enabling each state to enforce its own substantive regulations

LaRC Aerothermodynamic Ground Tests in Support of BOLT Flight Experiment

A review is provided of recent aerothermodynamic ground-test contributions by NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to the BOLT flight test program. Several test entries into the Langley Aerothermodynamic Laboratory 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Tunnel are discussed. These entries were intended to support the development and design of flight hardware and instrumentation. Some trends and observations from these entries are provided. Also, a comparison of two different global heat transfer test techniques is included and discussed

Asymptotic safety of quantum gravity beyond Ricci scalars

We investigate the asymptotic safety conjecture for quantum gravity including curvature invariants beyond Ricci scalars. Our strategy is put to work for families of gravitational actions which depend on functions of the Ricci scalar, the Ricci tensor, and products thereof. Combining functional renormalization with high order polynomial approximations and full numerical integration we derive the renormalization group flow for all couplings and analyse their fixed points, scaling exponents, and the fixed point effective action as a function of the background Ricci curvature. The theory is characterized by three relevant couplings. Higher-dimensional couplings show near-Gaussian scaling with increasing canonical mass dimension. We find that Ricci tensor invariants stabilize the UV fixed point and lead to a rapid convergence of polynomial approximations. We apply our results to models for cosmology and establish that the gravitational fixed point admits inflationary solutions. We also compare findings with those from fðRÞ-type theories in the same approximation and pin-point the key new effects due to Ricci tensor interactions. Implications for the asymptotic safety conjecture of gravity are indicated

The effect of coaching intervention on elite fast bowling technique over a two year period

Fast bowling in cricket is an activity that is well recognised as having high injury prevalence and there has been debate regarding the most effective fast bowling technique. The aim of this study was to determine whether two-year coaching interventions conducted in a group of elite young fast bowlers resulted in fast bowling technique alteration. Selected kinematics of the bowling action of 14 elite young fast bowlers were measured using an 18 camera Vicon Motion Analysis system before and after two-year coaching interventions that addressed specific elements of fast bowling technique. Mann-Whitney tests were used to determine whether any changes in kinematic variables occurred pre- and post-intervention between those who had the coaching interventions and those who didn’t. The coaching interventions, when applied, resulted in a more side-on shoulder alignment at back foot contact (BFC) (p ¼ 0.002) and decreased shoulder counter-rotation (p ¼ 0.001) however, there was no difference in the degree of change in back and front knee flexion angles or lower trunk side-flexion. This study has clearly shown that specific aspects of fast bowling technique are changeable over a two-year period in elite level fast bowlers and this may be attributed to coaching intervention

Oxytocin attenuates phencyclidine hyperactivity and increases social interaction and nucleus accumben dopamine release in rats

The pituitary neuropeptide oxytocin promotes social behavior, and is a potential adjunct therapy for social deficits in schizophrenia and autism. Oxytocin may mediate pro-social effects by modulating monoamine release in limbic and cortical areas, which was investigated herein using in vivo microdialysis, after establishing a dose that did not produce accompanying sedative or thermoregulatory effects that could concomitantly influence behavior. The effects of oxytocin (0.03–0.3 mg/kg subcutaneous) on locomotor activity, core body temperature, and social behavior (social interaction and ultrasonic vocalizations) were examined in adult male Lister-hooded rats, using selective antagonists to determine the role of oxytocin and vasopressin V1a receptors. Dopamine and serotonin efflux in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of conscious rats were assessed using microdialysis. 0.3 mg/kg oxytocin modestly reduced activity and caused hypothermia but only the latter was attenuated by the V1a receptor antagonist, SR49059 (1 mg/kg intraperitoneal). Oxytocin at 0.1 mg/kg, which did not alter activity and had little effect on temperature, significantly attenuated phencyclidine-induced hyperactivity and increased social interaction between unfamiliar rats without altering the number or pattern of ultrasonic vocalizations. In the same rats, oxytocin (0.1 mg/kg) selectively elevated dopamine overflow in the nucleus accumbens, but not prefrontal cortex, without influencing serotonin efflux. Systemic oxytocin administration attenuated phencyclidine-induced hyperactivity and increased pro-social behavior without decreasing core body temperature and selectively enhanced nucleus accumbens dopamine release, consistent with activation of mesocorticolimbic circuits regulating associative/reward behavior being involved. This highlights the therapeutic potential of oxytocin to treat social behavioral deficits seen in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia

Individual variation in hunger, energy intake and ghrelin responses to acute exercise

Purpose This study aimed to characterize the immediate and extended effect of acute exercise on hunger, energy intake, and circulating acylated ghrelin concentrations using a large data set of homogenous experimental trials and to describe the variation in responses between individuals. Methods Data from 17 of our group's experimental crossover trials were aggregated yielding a total sample of 192 young, healthy males. In these studies, single bouts of moderate to high-intensity aerobic exercise (69% ± 5% V˙O2 peak; mean ± SD) were completed with detailed participant assessments occurring during and for several hours postexercise. Mean hunger ratings were determined during (n = 178) and after (n = 118) exercise from visual analog scales completed at 30-min intervals, whereas ad libitum energy intake was measured within the first hour after exercise (n = 60) and at multiple meals (n = 128) during the remainder of trials. Venous concentrations of acylated ghrelin were determined at strategic time points during (n = 118) and after (n = 89) exercise. Results At group level, exercise transiently suppressed hunger (P < 0.010, Cohen's d = 0.77) but did not affect energy intake. Acylated ghrelin was suppressed during exercise (P < 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.10) and remained significantly lower than control (no exercise) afterward (P < 0.024, Cohen's d = 0.61). Between participants, there were notable differences in responses; however, a large proportion of this spread lay within the boundaries of normal variation associated with biological and technical assessment error. Conclusion In young men, acute exercise suppresses hunger and circulating acylated ghrelin concentrations with notable diversity between individuals. Care must be taken to distinguish true interindividual variation from random differences within normal limits

<i>Plasmodium</i> dihydrofolate reductase is a second enzyme target for the antimalarial action of triclosan

Malaria, caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, leads to over half a million deaths per year, 90% of which are caused by Plasmodium falciparum. P. vivax usually causes milder forms of malaria; however, P. vivax can remain dormant in the livers of infected patients for weeks or years before re-emerging in a new bout of the disease. The only drugs available that target all stages of the parasite can lead to severe side effects in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency; hence, there is an urgent need to develop new drugs active against blood and liver stages of the parasite. Different groups have demonstrated that triclosan, a common antibacterial agent, targets the Plasmodium liver enzyme enoyl reductase. Here, we provide 4 independent lines of evidence demonstrating that triclosan specifically targets both wild-type and pyrimethamine-resistant P. falciparum and P. vivax dihydrofolate reductases, classic targets for the blood stage of the parasite. This makes triclosan an exciting candidate for further development as a dual specificity antimalarial, which could target both liver and blood stages of the parasite.This work was supported by: the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/F008228/1) and a contract from the European Commission under the FP7 Collaborative Programme, UNICELLSYS, both to S.G.O. and R.D.K.; the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation (Op1087646 to EB and SGO), São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP (2012/23306-5 to WLF, EFGC and GW and 2015/19103-0 and 2015/03553-6 to EB), the ERC (208813 to FH)

Reviewing research evidence and the case of participation in sport and physical recreation by black and minority ethnic communities

The paper addresses the implications of using the process of systematic review in the many areas of leisure where there is a dearth of material that would be admitted into conventional Cochrane Reviews. This raises important questions about what constitutes legitimate knowledge, questions that are of critical import not just to leisure scholars, but to the formulation of policy. The search for certainty in an area that lacks conceptual consensus results in an epistemological imperialism that takes a geocentric form. While clearly, there is a need for good research design whatever the style of research, we contend that the wholesale rejection of insightful research is profligate and foolhardy. A mechanism has to be found to capitalise on good quality research of whatever form. In that search, we draw upon our experience of conducting a review of the material available on participation in sport and physical recreation by people from Black and minority ethnic groups. The paper concludes with a proposal for a more productive review process that makes better use of the full panoply of good quality research available. © 2012 © 2012 Taylor & Francis

Three-dimensional black-blood T2 mapping with compressed sensing and data-driven parallel imaging in the carotid artery.

PURPOSE: To develop a 3D black-blood T2 mapping sequence with a combination of compressed sensing (CS) and parallel imaging (PI) for carotid wall imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 3D black-blood fast-spin-echo (FSE) sequence for T2 mapping with CS and PI was developed and validated. Phantom experiments were performed to assess T2 accuracy using a Eurospin Test Object, with different combination of CS and PI acceleration factors. A 2D multi-echo FSE sequence was used as a reference to evaluate the accuracy. The concordance correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman statistics were calculated. Twelve volunteers were scanned twice to determine the repeatability of the sequence and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was reported. Wall-lumen sharpness was calculated for different CS and PI combinations. Six patients with carotid stenosis >50% were scanned with optimised sequence. The T2 maps were compared with multi-contrast images. RESULTS: Phantom scans showed good correlation in T2 measurement between current and reference sequence (r=0.991). No significant difference was found between different combination of CS and PI accelerations (p=0.999). Volunteer scans showed good repeatability of T2 measurement (ICC: 0.93, 95% CI 0.84-0.97). The mean T2 of the healthy wall was 48.0±9.5ms. Overall plaque T2 values from patients were 54.9±12.2ms. Recent intraplaque haemorrhage and fibrous tissue have higher T2 values than the mean plaque T2 values (88.1±6.8ms and 62.7±9.3ms, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility of combining CS and PI for accelerating 3D T2 mapping in the carotid artery, with accurate T2 measurements and good repeatability.The project was supported by the Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust and the NIHR comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre award to Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Cambridge