Evaluation of the NAS-ILAB Matrix for Monitoring International Labor Standards: Project Report

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) engaged the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to recommend a method to monitor and evaluate labor conditions in a given country. The method focuses on 5 labor standards: freedom of association and collective bargaining, forced or compulsory labor, child labor, discrimination, and acceptable conditions of work

Potential role of remote sensing in disaster relief management

Baseline or predisaster data which would be useful to decision making in the immediate postdisaster period were suggested for the six areas of public health concern along with guidelines for organizing these data. Potential sources of these data are identified. In order to fully assess the impact of a disaster on an area, information about its predisaster status must be known. Aerial photography is one way of acquiring and recording such data

Screening for Parkinson’s Disease with Response Time Barriers: A Pilot Study

Background: Although significant response time deficits (both reaction time and movement time) have been identified in numerous studies of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), few attempts have been made to evaluate the use of these measures in screening for PD. Methods: Receiver operator characteristic curves were used to identify cutoff scores for a unitweighted composite of two choice response tasks in a sample of 40 patients and 40 healthy participants. These scores were then cross-validated in an independent sample of 20 patients and 20 healthy participants. Results: The unit-weighted movement time composite demonstrated high sensitivity (90%) and specificity (90%) in the identification of PD. Movement time was also significantly correlated (r = 0.59, p \u3c 0.025) with the motor score of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Conclusions: Measures of chronometric speed, assessed without the use of biomechanically complex movements, have a potential role in screening for PD. Furthermore, the significant correlation between movement time and UPDRS motor score suggests that movement time may be useful in the quantification of PD severity

Neutrino mass hierarchy and octant determination with atmospheric neutrinos

The recent discovery by the Daya-Bay and RENO experiments, that \theta_{13} is nonzero and relatively large, significantly impacts existing experiments and the planning of future facilities. In many scenarios, the nonzero value of \theta_{13} implies that \theta_{23} is likely to be different from \pi/4. Additionally, large detectors will be sensitive to matter effects on the oscillations of atmospheric neutrinos, making it possible to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and the octant of \theta_{23}. We show that a 50 kT magnetized liquid argon neutrino detector can ascertain the mass hierarchy with a significance larger than 4 sigma with moderate exposure times, and the octant at the level of 2-3 sigma with greater exposure.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Version published in Phys. Rev. Let

SUSY dark matter and lepton flavor violation

We study lepton flavor-violating (LFV) processes within a supersymmetric type-I seesaw framework with flavor-blind universal boundary conditions, properly accounting for the effect of the neutrino sector on the dark matter relic abundance. We consider several possibilities for the neutrino Yukawa coupling matrix and show that in regions of SUSY parameter space that yield the correct neutralino relic density, LFV rates can differ from naive estimates by up to two orders of magnitude. Contrary to common belief, we find that current LFV limits do not exclude neutrino Yukawa couplings larger than top Yukawa couplings. We introduce the ISAJET-M program that was used for the computations.Comment: 37 pages, 9 figures, 6 tables. Version to appear in PR

Production Technology and Competitiveness In the Hungarian Manufacturing Industry

Following the big transformations of the 1990s, enterprise structure and technological level seem to have become stabilised in Hungary. Under these circumstances it is especially interesting to identify the elements responsible for competitiveness in general, and the role technology plays in development in particular, according to managers experienced in production and marketing. This empirical study – based on in-depth interviews and field research – summarises characteristics of the technological level in the sectors examined, role of technology and labour in production, effects of foreign direct investment, relations between competition and firm-level factors determining competitiveness, and concludes by summing up those most frequently mentioned proposals that should be incorporated into economic policy according to managers. Main findings indicate that more qualified, more intensive and cheaper labour can be substituted for high technology. The competitiveness of an enterprise is not determined by technology alone, but rather by a combination of technology, the parameters of available labour and the costs of investment increasing productivity. The insufficiency of inter-company relations, together with a shortage of available assets necessary for investment constitute the major threat undermining the competitiveness of enterprises in present-day Hungary

Whey- vs Casein-Based Enteral Formula and Gastrointestinal Function in Children With Cerebral Palsy.

Objectives: Children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) commonly have gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction. Whey-based enteral formulas have been postulated to reduce gastroesophageal reflux (GOR) and accelerate gastric emptying (GE). The authors investigated whether whey-based (vs casein-based) enteral formulas reduce GOR and accelerate GE in children who have severe CP with a gastrostomy and fundoplication. Methods: Thirteen children received a casein-based formula for 1 week and either a 50% whey whole protein (50% WWP) or a 100% whey partially hydrolyzed protein (100% WPHP) formula for 1 week. Reflux episodes, gastric half-emptying time (GE t1/2), and reported pain and GI symptoms were measured. Results: Whey formulas emptied significantly faster than casein (median [interquartile range (IQR)] GE t1/2, 33.9 [25.3-166.2] min vs 56.6 [46-191] min; P = .033). Reflux parameters were unchanged. GI symptoms were lower in children who received 50% WWP (visual analog symptom score, median [IQR], 0[0-11.8]) vs 100% WPHP (13.0 [2.5-24.8]) (P = .035). Conclusion: This pilot study shows that in children who have severe CP with a gastrostomy and fundoplication, GE of the whey-based enteral formula is significantly faster than casein. The acceleration in GE does not alter GOR frequency, and there appears to be no effect of whey vs casein in reducing acid, nonacid, and total reflux episodes. The results indicate that enteral formula selection may be particularly important for children with severe CP and delayed GE. (JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2012;36:118S-123S

Recent Decisions

Comments on recent decisions by Lawrence A. Kane, Jr., Vernon O. Teofan, Thomas S. Calder, John Rogers, James Carroll Booth, Paul M. Kraus, Jack Economou, and Robert P. Gorman