The importance of conflict characteristics for the diffusion of international mediation

This article argues that similar conflict characteristics form links between crises, which signal the relevant actors – that is, the belligerents and the potential mediator(s) – that a comparable approach in terms of third-party mediation could be suitable across these disputes – even if the relevant parties are not the same. Specifically, demand (antagonists) and supply-side actors (mediators) are likely to employ the heuristic of learning from and emulating the mediation behavior in similar crises. The empirical analysis, using data from the International Crisis Behavior project, shows that comparable patterns in violence, arguably the most visible and salient conflict characteristic, are associated with mediation traveling across crises; other dispute characteristics incorporated into spatial lags are not, however. Hence, particularly as domestic/unit-level (monadic) influences are controlled for, the effect of common exposure is taken into account, and different estimation strategies are used, the results emphasize that there is a genuine diffusion process via common levels of violence in the context of international mediation. </jats:p

The Spatial Allocation of Hospitals With Negative Pressure Isolation Rooms in Korea: Are We Prepared for New Outbreaks?

Background: Allocation of adequate healthcare facilities is one of the most important factors that public health policy-makers consider when preparing for infectious disease outbreaks. Negative pressure isolation rooms (NPIRs) are one of the critical resources for control of infectious respiratory diseases, such as the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. However, there is insufficient attention to efficient allocation of NPIR-equipped hospitals. Methods: We aim to explore any insufficiency and spatial disparity of NPIRs in South Korea in response to infectious disease outbreaks based on a simple analytic approach. We examined the history of installing NPIRs in South Korea between the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-Cov) in 2015 to evaluate the allocation process and spatial distribution of NPIRs across the country. Then, for two types of infectious diseases (a highly contagious disease like COVID-19 vs. a hospital-based transmission like MERS-Cov), we estimated the level of disparity between NPIR capacity and demand at the sub-regional level in South Korea by applying the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method.Results: Geospatial information system (GIS) mapping reveals a substantial shortage and misallocation of NPIRs, indicating that the Korean government should consider a simple but evidence-based spatial method to identify the areas that need NPIRs most and allocate funds wisely. The 2SFCA method suggests that, despite the recent addition of NPIRs across the country, there should still be more NPIRs regardless of the spread pattern of the disease. It also illustrates high levels of regional disparity in allocation of those facilities in preparation for an infectious disease, due to the lack of evidence-based approach.Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of evidence-based decision-making processes in allocating public health facilities, as misallocation of facilities could impede the responsiveness of the public health system during an epidemic. This study provides some evidence to be used to allocate the resources for NPIRs, the urgency of which is heightened in the face of rapidly evolving threats from the novel COVID-19 outbreak

Clarithromycin Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacterium avium Complex Using 2,3-Diphenyl-5-thienyl-(2)-tetrazolium Chloride Microplate Assay with Middlebrook 7H9 Broth

A series of 119 Mycobacterium avium complex isolates were subjected to clarithromycin susceptibility testing using microplates containing 2,3-diphenyl-5-thienyl-(2)-tetrazolium chloride (STC). Among 119 isolates, 114 (95.8%) were susceptible to clarithromycin and 5 were resistant according to the new and the standard method. STC counts the low cost and reduces the number of procedures needed for susceptibility testing

A Case of Santorinicele without Pancreas Divisum: Diagnosis with Multi-detector Row Computed Tomography

A santorinicele is defined as a focal cystic dilatation of the terminal portion of the dorsal pancreatic duct at the minor papilla. Most cases reported previously were associated with pancreas divisum and a santorinicele without pancreas divisum is known to be rare. We recently experienced a typical case of a santorinicele without pancreas divisum in a 67-yr-old woman with abdominal pain and hematochezia, subsequently proven to be the result of an ischemic colitis. The santorinicele was diagnosed incidentally with multi-detector row computed tomography using a minimum intensity projection technique, which clearly showed a cystic dilatation of the terminal portion of the dorsal pancreatic duct and a communication between the ventral and dorsal pancreatic ducts. This finding was also confirmed by a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography

Anticancer Effect of Nemopilema nomurai

Various kinds of animal venoms and their components have been widely studied for potential therapeutic applications. This study evaluated whether Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish venom (NnV) has anticancer activity. NnV strongly induced cytotoxicity of HepG2 cells through apoptotic cell death, as demonstrated by alterations of chromatic morphology, activation of procaspase-3, and an increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Furthermore, NnV inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K, PDK1, Akt, mTOR, p70S6K, and 4EBP1, whereas it enhanced the expression of p-PTEN. Interestingly, NnV also inactivated the negative feedback loops associated with Akt activation, as demonstrated by downregulation of Akt at Ser473 and mTOR at Ser2481. The anticancer effect of NnV was significant in a HepG2 xenograft mouse model, with no obvious toxicity. HepG2 cell death by NnV was inhibited by tetracycline, metalloprotease inhibitor, suggesting that metalloprotease component in NnV is closely related to the anticancer effects. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that NnV exerts highly selective cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells via dual inhibition of the Akt and mTOR signaling pathways, but not in normal cells

Silver Direct Electrodeposition on Ru Thin Films

Electrodeposition of Ag was performed on Ru thin films following electrochemical reduction of native Ru oxide. Oxide reduction in a tetramethylammonium hydroxide solution was critical for the formation of continuous Ag film, and a large overpotential was important for high-density nucleation. From a kinetics viewpoint, the thermal stability of the Ag film was improved by the application of a more negative potential, which suggested that better nucleation density at the initial stage of growth induced better substrate adhesion. Suppression of growth by addition of an organic additive generated a larger and more uniformly distributed initial population of Ag particles, and as a result a smooth film was obtained.This work was supported by KOSEF through the Research Center for Energy Conversion and Storage (RCECS), the Institute of Chemical Processing (ICP) in Seoul National University, and Dongbu HiTek

Two-step filling in Cu electroless deposition using a concentration-dependent effect of 3-N,N-dimethylaminodithiocarbamoyl-1-propanesulfonic acid

This paper describes electroless Cu filling of trenches with different widths ranging from 130 to 300 nm, using a concentrationdependent effect of 3-N,N-dimethylaminodithiocarbamoyl-1-propanesulfonic acid DPS . With a fixed DPS concentration, it is shown that these trenches with different dimensions cannot be superfilled simultaneously. This is presumably caused by different surface concentrations of the adsorbed additive, which depends on the feature size and surface area. A two-step filling method is employed to superfill those trenches, which is also effective in control of the deposited Cu amounts to obtain uniform growth front regardless of the trench dimensions.This work was supported by a Korea Research Foundation grant funded by the Korean Government MOEHRD grant no. KRF- 2006-352-D00052 . The authors are grateful for the support of the Research Center for Energy Conversion and Storage RCECS , Dongbu HiTek Company, Ltd., and the Institute of Chemical Processes ICP