Supertubes in Bubbling Backgrounds: Born-Infeld Meets Supergravity

We discuss two ways in which one can study two-charge supertubes as components of generic three-charge, three-dipole charge supergravity solutions. The first is using the Born-Infeld action of the supertubes, and the second is via the complete supergravity solution. Even though the Born-Infeld description is only a probe approximation, we find that it gives exactly the same essential physics as the complete supergravity solution. Since supertubes can depend on arbitrary functions, our analysis strengthens the evidence for the existence of three-charge black-hole microstate geometries that depend on an infinite set of parameters, and sets the stage for the computation of the entropy of these backgrounds. We examine numerous other aspects of supertubes in three-charge, three-dipole charge supergravity backgrounds, including chronology protection during mergers, the contribution of supertubes to the charges and angular momenta, and the enhancement of their entropy. In particular, we find that entropy enhancement affects supertube fluctuations both along the internal and the spacetime directions, and we prove that the charges that give the enhanced entropy can be much larger than the asymptotic charges of the solution. We also re-examine the embedding of five-dimensional black rings in Taub-NUT, and show that in different coordinate patches a ring can correspond to different four-dimensional black holes. Last, but not least, we show that all the three-charge black hole microstate geometries constructed so far can be embedded in AdS_3 x S^3, and hence can be related to states of the D1-D5 CFT.Comment: 60 pages, 2 figures, LaTe

Improving a Family’s Overall Quality of Life Through Parent Training in Pivotal Response Treatment

As the diagnoses of autism in young children continually increase, the need for families to have access to research-based treatment models that are effective and efficient has become clear. Current research demonstrates the demand for parent-delivered behavioral interventions. The aim of this single-case study, conducted as part of an integrated Masters in Education/Special Education Credential Program, was to examine the relationship between one parent trained in pivotal response treatment (PRT), her implementation of PRT techniques, and the correlated gains of behavioral compliance in her 6-year-old boy with high-functioning autism (HFA). Visual analysis of collected data as well as calculation of nonoverlapping data points suggest that a parent, when effectively trained, can utilize PRT to increase the rate of behavioral compliance of his or her own children

Family Perspectives on Problem Behavior

Abstract: Data from interviews with 17 families who have a member with mental retardation and problem behavior were reported. The interview was focused on the families ' definition of problem behavior, current challenges they face, and successful approaches for helping individuals with problem behavior and their families as well as suggestions from families about what kinds of information they believe would help them in addressing challenges. Key recommendations focus on the implications of this information for research, demonstration, and training activities. The mental retardation literature concerning problem behavior is primarily limited to documentation of families ' or service providers ' priorities an

The Perspectives of Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities and/or Autism on Their Lives and Their Problem Behavior.

The purpose of the study was 2-fold: (a) to explore the perceptions of individuals with cognitive disabilities and/ or autism regarding barriers and solutions they have experienced related to problem behavior, and (b) to elicit suggestions on areas viewed as most helpful in increasing quality of life while reducing or eliminating problem behavior. A qualitative method of inquiry using focus groups and individual interviews was used. Several themes emerged from the focus groups, including the difficulties participants experienced with communication; participants’ need for personal decision making and privacy; and the importance of recreation, employment, selection of living situations, and relationships with friends and family members. The article indicates the importance of listening carefully to individuals with disabilities as a first step in improving the quality of their lives

Stratification of cumulative antibiograms in hospitals for hospital unit, specimen type, isolate sequence and duration of hospital stay

Background Empirical antibiotic therapy is based on patients' characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility data. Hospital-wide cumulative antibiograms may not sufficiently support informed decision-making for optimal treatment of hospitalized patients. Methods We studied different approaches to analysing antimicrobial susceptibility rates (SRs) of all diagnostic bacterial isolates collected from patients hospitalized between July 2005 and June 2007 at the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland. We compared stratification for unit-specific, specimen type-specific (blood, urinary, respiratory versus all specimens) and isolate sequence-specific (first, follow-up versus all isolates) data with hospital-wide cumulative antibiograms, and studied changes of mean SR during the course of hospitalization. Results A total of 16 281 isolates (7965 first, 1201 follow-up and 7115 repeat isolates) were tested. We found relevant differences in SRs across different hospital departments. Mean SRs of Escherichia coli to ciprofloxacin ranged between 64.5% and 95.1% in various departments, and mean SRs of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to imipenem and meropenem ranged from 54.2% to 100% and 80.4% to 100%, respectively. Compared with hospital cumulative antibiograms, lower SRs were observed in intensive care unit specimens, follow-up isolates and isolates causing nosocomial infections (except for Staphylococcus aureus). Decreasing SRs were observed in first isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci with increasing interval between hospital admission and specimen collection. Isolates from different anatomical sites showed variations in SRs. Conclusions We recommend the reporting of unit-specific rather than hospital-wide cumulative antibiograms. Decreasing antimicrobial susceptibility during hospitalization and variations in SRs in isolates from different anatomical sites should be taken into account when selecting empirical antibiotic treatmen

Correlation between case mix index and antibiotic use in hospitals

Background To compare the quantitative antibiotic use between hospitals or hospital units and to explore differences, adjustment for severity of illness of hospitalized patients is essential. The case mix index (CMI) is an economic surrogate marker (i.e. the total cost weights of all inpatients per a defined time period divided by the number of admissions) to describe the average patients' morbidity of individual hospitals. We aimed to investigate the correlation between CMI and hospital antibiotic use. Methods We used weighted linear regression analysis to evaluate the correlation between in-hospital antibiotic use in 2006 and CMI of 18 departments of the tertiary care University Hospital Zurich and of 10 primary and 2 secondary acute care hospitals in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Results Antibiotic use varied substantially between different departments of the university hospital [defined daily doses (DDD)/100 bed-days, 68.04; range, 20.97-323.37] and between primary and secondary care hospitals (range of DDD/100 bed-days, 15.45-57.05). Antibiotic use of university hospital departments and the different hospitals, respectively, correlated with CMI when calculated in DDD/100 bed-days [coefficient of determination (R2), 0.57 (P = 0.0002) and 0.46 (P = 0.0065)], as well as when calculated in DDD/100 admissions [R2, 0.48 (P = 0.0008) and 0.85 (P < 0.0001), respectively]. Conclusions Antibiotic use correlated with CMI across various specialties of a university hospital and across different acute care hospitals. For benchmarking antibiotic use within and across hospitals, adjustment for CMI may be a useful tool in order to take into account the differences in hospital category and patients' morbiditie

Magnetic resonance imaging correlates of first-episode psychosis in young adult male patients: combined analysis of grey and white matter.

Background: Several patterns of grey and white matter changes have been separately described in young adults with first-episode psychosis. Concomitant investigation of grey and white matter densities in patients with first-episode psychosis without other psychiatric comorbidities that include all relevant imaging markers could provide clues to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis in schizophrenia. Methods: We recruited patients with first-episode psychosis diagnosed according to the DSM-IV-TR and matched controls. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis and mean diffusivity voxel-based analysis (VBA) were used for grey matter data. Fractional anisotropy and axial, radial and mean diffusivity were analyzed using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) for white matter data. Results: We included 15 patients and 16 controls. The mean diffusivity VBA showed significantly greater mean diffusivity in the first-episode psychosis than in the control group in the lingual gyrus bilaterally, the occipital fusiform gyrus bilaterally, the right lateral occipital gyrus and the right inferior temporal gyrus. Moreover, the TBSS analysis revealed a lower fractional anisotropy in the first-episode psychosis than in the control group in the genu of the corpus callosum, minor forceps, corticospinal tract, right superior longitudinal fasciculus, left middle cerebellar peduncle, left inferior longitudinal fasciculus and the posterior part of the fronto-occipital fasciculus. This analysis also revealed greater radial diffusivity in the first-episode psychosis than in the control group in the right corticospinal tract, right superior longitudinal fasciculus and left middle cerebellar peduncle. Limitations: The modest sample size and the absence of women in our series could limit the impact of our results. Conclusion: Our results highlight the structural vulnerability of grey matter in posterior areas of the brain among young adult male patients with first-episode psychosis. Moreover, the concomitant greater radial diffusivity within several regions already revealed by the fractional anisotropy analysis supports the idea of a late myelination in patients with first-episode psychosis