In this paper I critically investigate an unorthodox attempt to metaphysically explain in virtue of what there are states of affairs. This is a suggestion according to which states of affairs exist thanks to, rather than, as is the common view, in spite of, the infinite regress their metaphysical explanation seems to engender. I argue that, no matter in which form it is defended, or in which theor

For several reinforcement learning models in strategic-form games, convergence to action profiles that are not Nash equilibria may occur with positive probability under certain conditions on the payoff function. In this paper, we explore how an alternative reinforcement learning model, where the strategy of each agent is perturbed by a strategy-dependent perturbation (or mutations) function, may e

Background Few lifestyle intervention studies examine long-term sustainability of dietary changes. Objective To describe sustainability of dietary changes over 9 years in the Diabetes Prevention Program and its outcomes study, the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study, among participants receiving the intensive lifestyle intervention. Design One thousand seventy-nine participants were enrolle

When a Bose-Einstein-condensed cloud of atoms is given some angular momentum, it forms vortices arranged in structures with a discrete rotational symmetry. For these vortex states, the Hilbert space of the exact solution separates into a "primary" space related to the mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii solution and a "complementary" space including the corrections beyond mean field. Considering a weakly

BACKGROUND: Although several studies have investigated the association of the Mediterranean diet with overall mortality or risk of specific cancers, data on overall cancer risk are sparse. METHODS: We examined the association between adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern and overall cancer risk using data from the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and nutrition, a multi-centre pr

Introduction The intensity and duration of childhood cancer treatment may disrupt psychosocial development and thereby cause difficulties in transition into adulthood. The study objective was to assess social outcomes in early adulthood after successful treatment for childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Wilms tumor (WT) and infratentorial astrocytoma (IA). Methods Nordic patients treated for AM

The psychometric properties of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) were examined in 2 samples. Sample 1 (N 185, ages 6–17 years) consisted of children recruited from hospitals after accidental injury, assault, and road traffic trauma, and assessed 6 months posttrauma. Sample 2 (N 68, ages 6–17 years) comprised treatment-seeking children who had experienced diverse traumas. In both samples psychome

Background: Self-injury, a manifestation of severe psychological distress, is increased in cancer-bereaved youths. Little is known about the potential influence on the risk for self-injury of factors that could be clinically relevant to and modifiable by the health-care professionals involved in the care of the dying parent. Methods: In a nationwide population-based anonymous study, 622 (73.1%) yo

Objective: Compare the impact of two interventions, a web-based support and a folder support, for young persons who care for people who suffer from mental illness. Methods: This study was a randomized control trial, following the CONSORT statements, which compared the impact of two interventions. Primary outcome variable was stress, and secondary outcome variables were caring situation, general se

Using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) we resolve the temperature-, time-, and flake size-dependent intercalation phases of oxygen underneath graphene on Ir(111) formed upon exposure to molecular oxygen. Through the applied pressure of molecular oxygen the atomic oxygen created on the bare Ir terraces is driven underneath graphene flakes. The importanc

The brown tail moth (BTM) Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus 1758) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) is a forest and ornamental pest in Europe and the United States. Its extreme polyphagy, and documented phenological shift associated with host use suggest the presence of distinct host-races. To test this hypothesis, we sampled BTM infesting different host species in several locations along its distribution, a

TnBgl1A from the thermophile Thermotoga neapolitana is a dimeric beta-glucosidase that belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1), with hydrolytic activity through the retaining mechanism, and a broad substrate specificity acting on beta-1,4-, beta-1,3- and beta-1,6-linkages over a range of glyco-oligosaccharides. Three variants of the enzyme (TnBgl1A_E349G, TnBgl1A_E349A and TnBgl1A_E349S), mu

Previous studies on healthy subjects have shown that the intake of 6 g Cinnamomum cassia reduces postprandial glucose and that the intake of 3 g C. cassia reduces insulin response, without affecting postprandial glucose concentrations. Coumarin, which may damage the liver, is present in C. cassia, but not in Cinnamomum zeylanicum. The aim of the present study was to study the effect of C. zeylanic

Recent investigations have indicated that different solvation methods give qualitatively different results for the nonpolar solvation contribution to ligand-binding affinities. Therefore, we have calculated the nonpolar solvation contribution to the free energy of benzene binding to the T4 lysozyme Leu99Ala mutant using thermodynamic integration (TI) and three approximate methods. The total bindin

Much of the Baltic Sea is currently classified as 'affected by eutrophication'. The causes for this are twofold. First, current levels of nutrient inputs (nitrogen and phosphorus) from human activities exceed the natural processing capacity with an accumulation of nutrients in the Baltic Sea over the last 50-100 years. Secondly, the Baltic Sea is naturally susceptible to nutrient enrichment due to

Blue mussels and reeds were explored as a new biomass type in the Kalmar County of Sweden to improve renewable transport fuel production in the form of biogas. Anaerobic digestion of blue mussels and reeds was performed at a laboratory-scale to evaluate biogas production in a two-stage dry digestion system. The two-stage system consisted of a leach bed reactor and an upflow anaerobic sludge blanke

Background Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a cell-mediated autoimmune disease characterized by destruction of the pancreatic islet cells. The use of cryopreserved cells is preferable to the use of freshly isolated cells to monitor clinical trials to decrease assay and laboratory variability. Methods The T-Cell Workshop Committee of the Immunology of Diabetes Society compared two widely accepted T-cell fr

Enantioselective hydrogenation of tiglic acid effected by diastereomers of the general formula [(μ-H)2Ru3(μ3-S)(CO)7(μ-P-P*)] (P-P* = chiral Walphos diphosphine ligand) strongly supports catalysis by intact Ru3 clusters. A catalytic mechanism involving Ru3 clusters has been established by DFT calculations.