The Doha Declaration and Beyond: Giving a Voice to Non-Trade Concerns Within the WTO Trade Regime

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has been a significant force in the liberalization of trade across international borders since its inception in 1995. Commentators suggest that its reforms have converted the focus of international trade policy from removal of barriers to positive policy-making--a field historically occupied by domestic authorities. And although largely successful in the promotion of international trade, the Authors suggest that the binding provisions of the WTO ignore non-trade concerns such as environmental protection, consumer rights, labor rights, and state sovereignty. The Agreement\u27s inattention to these related concerns is the primary locus of criticism of the WTO, culminating in the breakdown of the 1999 Ministerial Meeting in Seattle, Washington. The Article examines the relationship between the Agreement and environmental, consumer protection, and labor policy, as well as the implications of WTO membership on state sovereignty. The Authors conclude that to improve the WTO\u27s treatment of non-trade concerns, the WTO must increase participation to include non-trade stakeholders, develop and support expertise within the WTO to address non-trade concerns, and follow the blueprint articulated in the Ministerial Declaration at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha. The Declaration recognizes the importance of non-trade concerns and suggests a course of action that is likely to require the WTO to more squarely address the relationship between trade and non-trade policy

Commentary on Linda Mealey (1995), The sociobiology of sociopathy: An integrated evolutionary model

[SFS] When Genotype × Environment (G × E) interactions are present, heritability estimates are not interpretable. Mealey cites abundant evidence for G × E interactions in the etiology of sociopathy, thereby completely undermining estimates of the heritability of sociopathy which form the foundation of her model. Without proper evidence for a genetic basis of sociopathy, Mealey’s sociobiological model collapses under its own great weight. [LM] It is impossible to discuss the constructs “heritability,” “theory of mind,” and “normality” in a single coherent essay. The following three rejoinders address each of these exceedingly complex constructs individually, as each relates to the two-path model of sociopathy and psychopathy

Associations among types of impulsivity, substance use problems and \u3ci\u3eNeurexin-3\u3c/i\u3e polymorphisms

Background—Some of the genetic vulnerability for addiction may be mediated by impulsivity. This study investigated relationships among impulsivity, substance use problems and six neurexin-3 (NRXN3) polymorphisms. Neurexins (NRXNs) are presynaptic transmembrane proteins that play a role in the development and function of synapses. Methods—Impulsivity was assessed with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), the Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS) and the TIME paradigm; alcohol problems with the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST); drug problems with the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-20); and regular tobacco use with a single question. Participants (N = 439 Caucasians, 64.7% female) donated buccal cells for genotyping. Six NRXN3 polymorphisms were genotyped: rs983795, rs11624704, rs917906, rs1004212, rs10146997 and rs8019381. A dual luciferase assay was conducted to determine whether allelic variation at rs917906 regulated gene expression. Results—In general, impulsivity was significantly higher in those who regularly used tobacco and/or had alcohol or drug problems. In men, there were modest associations between rs11624704 and attentional impulsivity (p = .005) and between rs1004212 and alcohol problems (p = .009). In women, there were weak associations between rs10146997 and TIME estimation (p = .03); and between rs1004212 and drug problems (p = .03). The dual luciferase assay indicated that C and T alleles of rs917906 did not differentially regulate gene expression in vitro. Conclusions—Associations between impulsivity, substance use problems and polymorphisms in NRXN3 may be gender specific. Impulsivity is associated with substance use problems and may provide a useful intermediate phenotype for addiction

Associations among types of impulsivity, substance use problems and \u3ci\u3eNeurexin-3\u3c/i\u3e polymorphisms

Background—Some of the genetic vulnerability for addiction may be mediated by impulsivity. This study investigated relationships among impulsivity, substance use problems and six neurexin-3 (NRXN3) polymorphisms. Neurexins (NRXNs) are presynaptic transmembrane proteins that play a role in the development and function of synapses. Methods—Impulsivity was assessed with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), the Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS) and the TIME paradigm; alcohol problems with the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST); drug problems with the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-20); and regular tobacco use with a single question. Participants (N = 439 Caucasians, 64.7% female) donated buccal cells for genotyping. Six NRXN3 polymorphisms were genotyped: rs983795, rs11624704, rs917906, rs1004212, rs10146997 and rs8019381. A dual luciferase assay was conducted to determine whether allelic variation at rs917906 regulated gene expression. Results—In general, impulsivity was significantly higher in those who regularly used tobacco and/or had alcohol or drug problems. In men, there were modest associations between rs11624704 and attentional impulsivity (p = .005) and between rs1004212 and alcohol problems (p = .009). In women, there were weak associations between rs10146997 and TIME estimation (p = .03); and between rs1004212 and drug problems (p = .03). The dual luciferase assay indicated that C and T alleles of rs917906 did not differentially regulate gene expression in vitro. Conclusions—Associations between impulsivity, substance use problems and polymorphisms in NRXN3 may be gender specific. Impulsivity is associated with substance use problems and may provide a useful intermediate phenotype for addiction

Training Models in Counseling Psychology: Scientist-Practitioner Versus Practitioner-Scholar

Considerable discussion has occurred through the years regarding models of training. With the recent accreditation of counseling psychology programs espousing the practitioner-scholar model, the importance of reexamining the merits of this as well as the traditional scientist-practitioner is now very important for the future of the field. This article consists of two positions: One pro practitioner-scholar and the other pro scientist-practitioner and con practitioner-scholar. The first position (first part of the article) by Biever, Patterson, and Welch argues for inclusion of the practitioner-scholar model as an alternative for training in counseling psychology. The second position (in the second part of the article) by Stoltenberg, Pace, and Kashubeck reviews concerns with two competing models. These authors conclude that the scientist-practitioner model is a better fit for training in counseling psychology. Recommendations for training within models are presented.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Supervisors’ Experiences of Providing Difficult Feedback in Cross-Ethnic/Racial Supervision

Seventeen clinical supervisors were interviewed regarding their experience of providing difficult feedback in cross-ethnic/racial supervision, and their responses were analyzed using consensual qualitative research (CQR). European American supervisors described supervisees of color who had difficulty in their clinical work with culturally different clients. These supervisors then shared with supervisees their concern that supervisees’ interpersonal skills may negatively affect their clinical and/or supervision work. Supervisors of color described European American supervisees who exhibited insensitivity toward clients of color in session or during supervision. These supervisors shared their concern that supervisees’ lack of cultural sensitivity may negatively affect their clinical work. These contrasting feedback experiences had a profound effect on supervisory relationships and the processes within supervision

Remission, continuation and incidence of eating disorders during early pregnancy: a validation study in a population-based birth cohort

Background—The objective of this study was to validate previously published rates of remission, continuation, and incidence of broadly defined eating disorders during pregnancy. The previous rate modeling was done by our group (Bulik et al. 2007) and yielded participants halfway into recruitment of the planned 100,000 pregnancies in the Norwegian Mother and Child (MoBa) Cohort at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. This study aimed to internally validate the findings with the completed cohort. Methods—77267 pregnant women enrolled at 17 weeks gestation between 2001 and 2009 were included. Participants were split into a “training” sample (n=41243) based on participants in the MoBa version 2 dataset of the original study and a “validation” sample (n=36024) comprising individuals in the MoBa version 5 dataset that were not in the original study (Bulik et al. 2007). Internal validation of all original rate models involved fitting a calibration model to compare model parameters between the “training” and “validation” samples as well as bootstrap estimates of bias in the entire version 5 dataset. Results—Remission, continuation, and incidence estimates from the “training” sample remained stable when evaluated via a split sample validation procedure. Pre-pregnancy prevalence estimates in the “validation” sample were 0.1% for anorexia nervosa, 1.0% for bulimia nervosa (BN), 3.3% for binge eating disorder (BED), and 0.1% for purging disorder (EDNOS-P). In early pregnancy, estimates were 0.2% for BN, 4.8% for BED, and <0.01% for EDNOS-P. Consistent with the original study, incident BN and EDNOS-P during pregnancy were rare. For BED, the adjusted incidence rate in the “validation” sample was 1.17 per 1000 person-weeks. The highest rates were for full or partial remission for BN and EDNOS-P, and continuation for BED. Conclusions—This study provides evidence of validity of previously estimated rates of remission, continuation, and incidence of eating disorders during pregnancy. Eating disorders during pregnancy were relatively common, occurring in nearly 1 in every 20 women, although almost all were cases of BED. Pregnancy was a window of remission from BN but a window of vulnerability for onset and continuation of BED. Training to detect the signs and symptoms of eating disorders by obstetricians/gynecologists and interventions to enhance pregnancy and neonatal outcomes warrant attention

Molecular dynamics symulation of hydrogen diffusion in palladium

In the present work, the diffusion of hydrogen atoms in the crystal lattice of palladium was investigated using the molecular dynamics. The diffusion coefficients, activation energies and preexponential factors were determined for structures with different hydrogen concentration. It is determined that the diffusion coefficients decrease and the activation energy of diffusion grows with increasing concentrations of hydrogen

Feasibility of a standardized ultrasound examination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A quality improvement among rheumatologists cohort.

BACKGROUND: Quality improvement is important to facilitate valid patient outcomes. Standardized examination procedures may improve the validity of US. The aim of this study was to investigate the learning progress for rheumatologists during training of US examination of the hand in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Rheumatologists with varying degrees of experience in US were instructed by skilled tutors. The program consisted of two days with hands-on training followed by personal US examinations performed in their individual clinics. Examinations were sent to the tutors for quality control. The US examinations were evaluated according to a scoring sheet containing 144 items. An acceptable examination was defined as > 80% correct scores. RESULTS: Thirteen rheumatologists participated in the study. They included a total of 104 patients with RA. Only few of the initial examinations were scored below 80%, and as experience increased, the scores improved (p = 0.0004). A few participants displayed decreasing scores. The mean time spent performing the standardized examination procedure decreased from 34 min to less than 10 minutes (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: With systematic hands-on training, a rheumatologist can achieve a high level of proficiency in the conduction of US examinations of the joints of the hand in patients with RA. With experience, examination time decreases, while the level of correctness is maintained. The results indicate that US may be applied as a valid measurement tool suitable for clinical practice and in both single- and multi-centre trials