The Rights of Man in the World Community: Constitutional Illusions Versus Rational Action

It is only from a perspective of centuries that the United Nations program for human rights can be accurately observed or rationally appraised. This program, too often thought to be at the periphery of the purposes of the United Nations, represents in fact the main core of rational objectives not only of the United Nations but of all democratic government. It represents the converging and integration on a global scale of many movements, movements hitherto restricted in areal diffusion but centuries-old and rooted deep in universal human nature and civilized culture. It is heir to all the great historic democratic movements—for constitutionalism, freedom, equality, fraternity, humanitarianism, liberalism, enlightenment, peace, opportunity, and so on It is the contemporary culmination of man\u27s long struggle for all his basic human values: for participation in the processes by which he is governed, equality before the law, and that wide sharing of power, both formal and real, which we call democracy; for sanctity of person, for freedom from arbitrary restraints and cruel and inhuman punishments, and for positive opportunity to develop latent talents for the enrichment and well-being of personality; for the enlightenment by which rational decisions can be made and for freedom of inquiry and opinion; for that fundamental respect for human dignity which both precludes discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, political opinion, or other ground irrelevant to capacity and provides positive recognition of common merit as a human being and special merit as an individual; for access to resources to produce the goods and services necessary to maintain rising standards of living and comfort; for acquisition of the skills necessary to express talent and to achieve individual and community values to the fullest; for freedom to explain life, the universe, and values, to fix standards of rectitude, and to worship God or gods as may seem best; for affection, fraternity, and congenial personal relationships in groups freely chosen; for, in sum, a security which includes not only freedom from violence and threats of violence but also full opportunity to preserve and increase all values by peaceful, noncoercive procedures

Diagnosis isn\u27t enough: Understanding the connections between high health care utilization, chronic conditions and disabilities among U.S. working age adults

Background Under the ACA, new programs are being developed to enhance care coordination and reduce health care costs among people with chronic conditions, disabilities, and high utilization of health care. However, the relationships between these groups are not well understood. Objectives Our aims were to (1) identify high utilizers of health care in the U.S. working age (18–64) population, (2) examine the overlap between this group and people with chronic conditions and/or disabilities, (3) identify predictors of high service use or cost among these subpopulations, and (4) recommend approaches for stratification of individuals with high health care utilization. Methods Using pooled national data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2006–2008), we created indices to identify elevated or high utilization and cost groups. We performed descriptive analyses, bivariate comparisons and multivariate analyses to examine the relations between these populations and individuals with chronic conditions and/or disabilities. Results While the large majority of persons with high use/cost had chronic conditions, the minority of persons with chronic conditions had high health care utilization. However, among persons with chronic conditions, disability was a significant predictor of high utilization. Annual expenditures were significantly elevated among people with disabilities, particularly when activities of daily living were limited. Conclusions We conclude that medical diagnosis alone is insufficient for the development of eligibility criteria for, or the evaluation of, programs intended to better the delivery or coordination of services for high utilizers of health care services. New approaches are needed to assess functional limitations and identify ongoing needs for services and supports

Acoustic characteristics of 1/20-scale model helicopter rotors

A wind tunnel test to study the effects of geometric scale on acoustics and to investigate the applicability of very small scale models for the study of acoustic characteristics of helicopter rotors was conducted in the United Technologies Research Center Acoustic Research Tunnel. The results show that the Reynolds number effects significantly alter the Blade-Vortex-Interaction (BVI) Noise characteristics by enhancing the lower frequency content and suppressing the higher frequency content. In the time domain this is observed as an inverted thickness noise impulse rather than the typical positive-negative impulse of BVI noise. At higher advance ratio conditions, in the absence of BVI, the 1/20 scale model acoustic trends with Mach number follow those of larger scale models. However, the 1/20 scale model acoustic trends appear to indicate stall at higher thrust and advance ratio conditions

Children\u27s Use of Dental Care in Medicaid: Federal Fiscal Years 2000-2012

This report presents with national and state-specific analyses about dental services received by children ages 1 to 20 under Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit in federal fiscal years (FFY) 2000-2012. These analyses are based on data reported by state Medicaid agencies using Form CMS-416 (Form 416); all data reflect updates received by CMS as of April 3, 2014. This report focuses on the number of children who received any dental service, any preventive dental service (e.g., dental cleaning or application of dental sealants) and any dental treatment service (e.g., filling a cavity). The national trend analyses at the beginning of this report focus on dental service trends for children ages 1 to 20 over the twelve-year period. (Data about children under 1 are excluded since teeth have just begun to erupt by that age and relatively little dental care is used before the first birthday.) To facilitate meaningful comparison over the study period, numbers reported by states for FFY 2010-2012 are adjusted to be more consistent with data from FFY 2000-2009, as described below. (Note: FFY 2012 data for Connecticut are not yet available as of April 3, 2014. We used FFY 2011 data as a conservative substitute, rather than omit that state.

Prognostic models in first-episode psychosis – Authors' reply

No abstract available