Finite Generation of Algebras Associated to Powers of Ideals

We study generalized symbolic powers and form ideals of powers of ideals and compare their growth with the growth of ordinary powers, and we discuss the question of when the graded rings attached to symbolic powers or to form ideals of powers are finitely generated.Comment: 17 pages. The only change in this version is to add new reference

Methodology to Promote Physical Activity Monitoring Adherence in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: Objective physical activity (PA) monitoring via accelerometry is both costly and time consuming. Furthermore, overall adherence to a monitoring protocol is often complicated by disability. Therefore it is essential that strategies for supporting accelerometer wear for youth with disabilities are maximized. The purpose of this perspective was to provide researchers a set of efficacious PA monitoring strategies based on the retrospective examination of support methodology on adherence rates for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Method: Accelerometer data was collected for 163 participants with ASD in three independent cohorts. Each cohort was provided a varying set of support strategies to help maximize adherence. Chi-square analysis was used to determine differences in adherence between each cohort.Results: Adherence rates significantly increased from 51.9% in cohort 1 to 88.7% in cohort 2 [X2(1) =18.333, p<0.001] and again from 88.7% in cohort 2 to 97.4% in cohort 3 [X2(1) =2.663, p=0.103]. The greatest increase in adherence was observed from 51.9% in cohort 1 to 97.4% in cohort 3 [X2(1) =19.837, p<0.001]. Support strategies associated with these increases included: 1) social story; 2) incentive; 3) concealing techniques; and 4) 24 hrs/day wear instructions. Conclusions: Adherence to PA measurement increased when additional support strategies were utilized in combination with a traditional protocol. We recommend these support methodology be considered as preliminary best-practices when measuring objective PA in youth with ASD with likely success in other disability populations

The relationship of motor skills and adaptive behavior skills in young children with autism spectrum disorders

Objective: To determine the relationship of motor skills and the core behaviors of young children with autism, social affective skills and repetitive behaviors, as indicated through the calibrated autism severity scores. Design: The univariate GLM tested the relationship of gross and fine motor skills measured by the gross motor scale and the fine motor scale of the MSEL with autism symptomology as measured by calibrated autism severity scores. Setting: Majority of the data collected took place in an autism clinic. Participants: A cohort of 159 young children with ASD (n=110), PDD-NOS (n=26) and non-ASD (developmental delay, n=23) between the ages of 12- 33 months were recruited from early intervention studies and clinical referrals. Children with non-ASD (developmental delay) were included in this study to provide a range of scores indicted through calibrated autism severity. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measures in this study were calibrated autism severity scores. Results: Fine motor skills and gross motor skills significantly predicted calibrated autism severity (p < 0.01). Children with weaker motor skills displayed higher levels of calibrated autism severity. Conclusions: The fine and gross motor skills are significantly related to autism symptomology. There is more to focus on and new avenues to explore in the realm of discovering how to implement early intervention and rehabilitation for young children with autism and motor skills need to be a part of the discussion.Keywords: Motor skills, Young children, Autism, Calibrated severit

Intelligent Design Environment for Second-Order Positioning Systems

From the designer perspective, in real-time applications as mechatronic systems - the control algorithm has to be easy to understand and to implement, easy to optimize and last but not least, to ensure the best possible behavior for the controlled system. The paper presents a design environment which provides the possibility to choose between a classical control algorithm (as state feedback stabilization represents) and a new approach (interpolative controllers) with the possibility to modify the designed parameters such as to obtain the optimum behavior for the controlled system. This opportunity is given through the inner structure and operating laws of the algorithm and exploited using genetic algorithm-based techniques. Interpolative-type controller category covers the controllers based on fuzzy, neural and pure interpolative algorithms, due to their common capability to make an approximate reasoning. The first ones, fuzzy and neural algorithms, are already well-known in the control area. A pure interpolative controller presumes to contain at least one block, placed no matter where in his structure, in which interpolation as mathematical operation to have place. The approach presented in the present paper uses this kind of blocks to reproduce and to optimize the behavior of an already existing controller (in this case the state feedback one) [1]. This type of controllers meets all the requirements stated at the beginning: they are easy to implement, easy to understand, they need reduced calculus time and gives notable results in specific cases. The above mentioned kind of controllers will be presented with all the necessary details in the paper. The design environment is presented as a collection of MATLAB functions, SIMULINK configurable schemes and a user interface. A case study ends the presentation with some experimental results obtained through a simulation for a specific second order positioning system

The employee as 'Dish of the Day’:human resource management and the ethics of consumption

This article examines the ethical implications of the growing integration of consumption into the heart of the employment relationship. Human resource management (HRM) practices increasingly draw upon the values and practices of consumption, constructing employees as the ‘consumers’ of ‘cafeteria-style’ benefits and development opportunities. However, at the same time employees are expected to market themselves as items to be consumed on a corporate menu. In relation to this simultaneous position of consumer/consumed, the employee is expected to actively engage in the commodification of themselves, performing an appropriate organizational identity as a necessary part of being a successful employee. This article argues that the relationship between HRM and the simultaneously consuming/consumed employee affects the conditions of possibility for ethical relations within organizational life. It is argued that the underlying ‘ethos’ for the integration of consumption values into HRM practices encourages a self-reflecting, self-absorbed subject, drawing upon a narrow view of individualised autonomy and choice. Referring to Levinas’ perspective that the primary ethical relation is that of responsibility and openness to the Other, it is concluded that these HRM practices affect the possibility for ethical being

A Boron Dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-Based Cu-II-Bipyridine Complex for Highly Selective NO Detection

[EN] A BODIPY-containing Cu-II-bipyridine complex for the simple selective fluorogenic detection of NO in air and in live cells is reported. The detection mechanism is based on NO-promoted Cu-II to Cu-I reduction, followed by demetallation of the complex, which results in the clearly enhanced emission of the boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) unit.The authors thank the DGICYT and European FEDER funds (MAT2012-38429-C04-01 and MAT2012-38429-C04-02) and the Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEOII/2014/047) for support. SCSIE (Universidad de Valencia) is gratefully acknowledged for all the equipment employed.Juárez, LA.; Barba Bon, A.; Costero Nieto, AM.; Martínez Mañez, R.; Sancenón Galarza, F.; Parra Álvarez, M.; Gaviña Costero, P.... (2015). A Boron Dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-Based Cu-II-Bipyridine Complex for Highly Selective NO Detection. CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL. 21(44):15486-15490. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201502191S1548615490214

Feeding versus Feedback in NGC 4151 probed with Gemini NIFS. I. Excitation

We have used the Gemini Near-infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) to map the emission-line intensity distributions and ratios in the Narrow-Line Region (NLR) of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 in the Z, J, H and K bands at a resolving power ~ 5000, covering the inner 200 pc x 300 pc of the galaxy at a spatial resolution of 8 pc. We present intensity distributions I(r) in 14 emission lines. (1) For the ionized gas, I(r) is extended to ~ 100 pc from the nucleus along pos. angle PA=60/240 deg-- NE--SW), consistent with an origin in the known biconical outflow; while for the recombination lines I(r) ~ r^-1, for the forbidden lines I(r) is flat (r^0). (2) The H_2 emission lines intensity distributions avoid the region of the bicone, extending to r ~ 60 pc, perpendicular to the bicone axis, supporting an origin for the H_2-emitting gas in the galaxy plane. (3) The coronal lines show a steep intensity profile, described by r^-2. Using the line-ratio maps [Fe II]1.644/1.257 and Pa_b/Br_g we obtain a reddening of E(B-V)~0.5 along the NLR and E(B-V)>1 at the nucleus. Our line-ratio map [Fe II] 1.257/[P II] 1.189 is the first such map of an extragalactic source. Together with the [Fe II]/Pa_b map, these line ratios correlate with the radio intensity distribution, mapping the effects of shocks produced by the radio jet, which probably release the Fe locked in grains and produce the enhancement of the [Fe II] emission observed at ~ 1 arcsec from the nucleus. At these regions, we obtain densities N_e ~4000 cm^-3 and temperatures T_e ~ 15000K for the [Fe II]-emitting gas. For the H_2-emitting gas we obtain T ~ 2100K. The distinct intensity distributions, physical properties and locations of the ionized and molecular gas suggest that the H_2-emitting gas traces the AGN feeding, while the ionized gas traces its feedback.Comment: 22 pages. 14 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Assessing the Satisfaction and Acceptability of an Online Parent Coaching Intervention: A Mixed-Methods Approach

BackgroundParent-mediated intervention (PMI) has been studied in promoting skill acquisition or behavior change in the children with autism spectrum disorder. Most studies emphasize on the improvement of child’s core symptoms or maladaptive behaviors, making parental perceived competence and self-efficacy secondary. Yet, the evaluations of intervention implementation are under-reported, especially when translating such interventions into a new population or context. This research investigated the intervention implementation of a 12-week parent coaching intervention which was delivered through telehealth and tailored to Chinese population. The intervention was based on the Parent-mediated Early Start Denver Model with culturally adapted lectures, manuals, and demonstration and commentary videos. This study aimed to evaluate the intervention implementation by assessing parents’ satisfaction, acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility.MethodA randomized controlled trial was conducted with two telehealth conditions: self-directed and web+group therapy. Parents in the self-directed condition received intervention individually through the online learning platform. The web+group therapy condition navigated the same program with weekly 1.5-h group coaching sessions via videoconferencing. This mixed-methods study used a concurrent convergent design to evaluate the intervention implementation at post-intervention. The quantitative data was collected from the Program Evaluation Survey and the qualitative data was collected from five focus groups.ResultsParents in self-directed group reported significantly lower scores in total perceived competence than parents in web+group therapy condition, while there was no group difference on the total self-efficacy. Tailored feedback, demonstration and commentary videos, peer commenting, live coaching, and guided reflection were the top-five acceptable telehealth strategies that were strongly endorsed by parents. Family centered care, home-based intervention, strategies relative to daily activities, the remote learning platform, and the program-based community were elements that parents considered when evaluating the program’s appropriateness. Parent modeling, step-by-step instructions, and tailored feedback were key components in making intervention strategies feasible for parents to implement at home.ConclusionFindings indicate the application of telehealth was acceptable, appropriate, and feasible for Chinese parents. Group-based parent coaching intervention via videoconferencing could be a promising home-based service model to increase parental perceived competence. A large-scale RCT is needed to investigate the effectiveness of group-based PMI via telehealth

The effects of baseline characteristics, glycaemia treatment approach, and glycated haemoglobin concentration on the risk of severe hypoglycaemia: post hoc epidemiological analysis of the ACCORD study

Objectives To investigate potential determinants of severe hypoglycaemia, including baseline characteristics, in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial and the association of severe hypoglycaemia with levels of glycated haemoglobin (haemoglobin A1C) achieved during therapy