Constrained action selection in children with developmental coordination disorder

The effect of advance (‘precue’) information on short aiming movements was explored in adults, high school children, and primary school children with and without developmental coordination disorder (n = 10, 14, 16, 10, respectively). Reaction times in the DCD group were longer than in the other groups and were more influenced by the extent to which the precue constrained the possible action space. In contrast, reaction time did not alter as a function of precue condition in adults. Children with DCD showed greater inaccuracy of response (despite the increased RT). We suggest that the different precue effects reflect differences in the relative benefits of priming an action prior to definitive information about the movement goal. The benefits are an interacting function of the task and the skill level of the individual. Our experiment shows that children with DCD gain a benefit from advance preparation in simple aiming movements, highlighting their low skill levels. This result suggests that goal-directed RTs may have diagnostic potential within the clinic

Development of aluminum alloy compounds for electroluminescent light sources

Aluminum alloy compounds as wide band gap semiconductors for electroluminescent light source

Population Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Ceftolozane-Tazobactam in Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patients Admitted with Acute Pulmonary Exacerbation

ABSTRACT Ceftolozane-tazobactam has potent activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a pathogen associated with cystic fibrosis (CF) acute pulmonary exacerbations (APE). Due to the rapid elimination of many antibiotics, CF patients frequently have altered pharmacokinetics. In this multicenter, open-label study, we described the population pharmacokinetics and safety of ceftolozane-tazobactam at 3 g every 8 h (q8h) in 20 adult CF patients admitted with APE. Population pharmacokinetics were determined using the nonparametric adaptive grid program in Pmetrics for R. A 5,000-patient Monte Carlo simulation was performed to determine the probability of target attainment (PTA) for the ceftolozane component at 1.5 g and 3 g of ceftolozane-tazobactam q8h across a range of MICs using a primary threshold exposure of 60% free time above the MIC ( fT >MIC). In these 20 adult CF patients, ceftolozane and tazobactam concentration data were best described by 2-compartment models, and ceftolozane clearance (CL) was significantly correlated with creatinine clearance ( r = 0.71, P MIC, ceftolozane-tazobactam regimens of 1.5 g and 3 g q8h should achieve PTAs of ≥90% at MICs up to 4 and 8 μg/ml, respectively. Ceftolozane-tazobactam at 3 g q8h was well tolerated. These observations support additional studies of ceftolozane-tazobactam for Pseudomonas aeruginosa APE in CF patients. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT02421120.

Staying true with the help of others: doxastic self-control through interpersonal commitment

I explore the possibility and rationality of interpersonal mechanisms of doxastic self-control, that is, ways in which individuals can make use of other people in order to get themselves to stick to their beliefs. I look, in particular, at two ways in which people can make interpersonal epistemic commitments, and thereby willingly undertake accountability to others, in order to get themselves to maintain their beliefs in the face of anticipated “epistemic temptations”. The first way is through the avowal of belief, and the second is through the establishment of collective belief. I argue that both of these forms of interpersonal epistemic commitment can function as effective tools for doxastic self-control, and, moreover, that the control they facilitate should not be dismissed as irrational from an epistemic perspective

Emergence: Key physical issues for deeper philosophical inquiries

A sketch of three senses of emergence and a suggestive view on the emergence of time and the direction of time is presented. After trying to identify which issues philosophers interested in emergent phenomena in physics view as important I make several observations pertaining to the concepts, methodology and mechanisms required to understand emergence and describe a platform for its investigation. I then identify some key physical issues which I feel need be better appreciated by the philosophers in this pursuit. I end with some comments on one of these issues, that of coarse-graining and persistent structures.Comment: 16 pages. Invited Talk at the Heinz von Foerster Centenary International Conference on Self-Organization and Emergence: Emergent Quantum Mechanics (EmerQuM11). Nov. 10-13, 2011, Vienna, Austria. Proceedings to appear in J. Phys. (Conf. Series

Fichte and Hegel on Recognition

In this paper I provide an interpretation of Hegel’s account of ‘recognition’ (Anerkennung) in the 1802-3 System of Ethical Life as a critique of Fichte’s account of recognition in the 1796-7 Foundations of Natural Right. In the first three sections of the paper I argue that Fichte’s account of recognition in the domain of right is not concerned with recognition as a moral attitude. I then turn, in section four, to a discussion of Hegel’s critique and transformation of Fichte’s conception of recognition. Hegel’s transformation consists, I argue, in the claim that a comprehensive account of recognition in the domain of right must be concerned with recognition as a moral attitude

Emergence: Key physical issues for deeper philosophical inquiries

A sketch of three senses of emergence and a suggestive view on the emergence of time and the direction of time is presented. After trying to identify which issues philosophers interested in emergent phenomena in physics view as important I make several observations pertaining to the concepts, methodology and mechanisms required to understand emergence and describe a platform for its investigation. I then identify some key physical issues which I feel need be better appreciated by the philosophers in this pursuit. I end with some comments on one of these issues, that of coarse-graining and persistent structures.Comment: 16 pages. Invited Talk at the Heinz von Foerster Centenary International Conference on Self-Organization and Emergence: Emergent Quantum Mechanics (EmerQuM11). Nov. 10-13, 2011, Vienna, Austria. Proceedings to appear in J. Phys. (Conf. Series