Carrying a Big Carrot: Linking Multilateral Disarmament and Development Assistance

This article proposes, as a new element of the liberal internationalism that should characterize the post-Cold War world, a simultaneous solution to these three problems. The nations of the world should negotiate a series of multilateral agreements to stop the spread of advanced weaponry, and include in each of them, as an overt incentive for developing states to accept the disarmament and verification obligations, provisions that explicitly require the affluent, developed states to make specified monetary and in-kind transfers to the third world parties. The new regime should also provide stronger-than-customary treaty procedures for clarifying ambiguities, adjudicating claims, and resolving disputes, and should designate one or more multilateral administrative and enforcement agencies dedicated to furthering the agreements. In short, the wealthy countries, which stand to benefit the most from the establishment of a more stable international military environment, should be willing to pay for it. They should provide aid and commercial grants to the developing states that, in turn, should agree to accept significant, verifiable limitations, particularly on high-technology armaments, as an explicit condition for these important financial advantages. While this package approach will not by itself solve all the security difficulties of the next century, it offers the best hope for gaining control over some of them and for channeling our collective energies into productive and mutually beneficial enterprises. The argument of the article is developed in the following six parts. Part I examines the problem of multilateral disarmament, summarizing the progress registered to date and the areas in which more needs to be done. It also demonstrates that the coming decades, even after the ending of the Cold War, will present stark new threats to United States security and world peace, threats that existing arms control institutions and treaty regimes have been unable to anticipate and preempt. Part II addresses the problems of economic development, drawing on the literature describing the importance of judicious foreign assistance in promoting sound economic growth in marginal economies, and assessing the international community\u27s currently inadequate response to this need. It describes the third world\u27s stake in economic development and presents the case for the advanced societies to do more--out of sheer economic and political self-interest, if nothing else. Part III then suggests that future arms control imperatives will present challenges and dangers that are systematically different from those that the world has confronted--and resolved inadequately--in the past. It marshals the evidence for the propositions that the world\u27s current strategies for dampening international conflict through existing types of treaty regimes are already insufficient, and that the trend is worsening. Part IV presents our proposal for a tradeoff, with the developed states frankly buying the arms control they need, and paying for it with guaranteed levels of development assistance that the poor states need. This Part then outlines seven principles that underlie the proposal as a whole and presents some of the nuts and bolts that could make it operational. While the suggestion may seem radical at first blush--legalized bribery or economic imperialism in some eyes--we think it offers a realistic, efficient solution to otherwise intractable global threats. Part V deals with some of the most serious objections that might be raised against our strategy, discussing the morality of the tradeoff, its political acceptability, the precedents for it, and possible alternatives to it. Finally, the Conclusion offers some observations about the proposal as one component in an overdue, more subtle, conceptualization of national security. The author’s thesis is that international agreements linking multilateral disarmament and economic development, though novel and potentially risky, offer the most promising way out of the international community\u27s emerging security impasse. Their program would give both developed and developing states what they need. It would fashion a flexible, enforceable scheme for dealing with the complex fears and incentives that are otherwise unaddressed or confined to under-the-table bargaining. Explicit trading may not seem palatable at first, but equipping future treaties with both positive incentives and negative sanctions, rather than relying exclusively upon negative sanctions alone, could prove to be far more tolerable than any of the alternatives

Theoretical analysis of the electrical aspects of the basic electro-impulse problem in aircraft de-icing applications

A method of modelling a system consisting of a cylindrical coil with its axis perpendicular to a metal plate of finite thickness, and a simple electrical circuit for producing a transient current in the coil, is discussed in the context of using such a system for de-icing aircraft surfaces. A transmission line model of the coil and metal plate is developed as the heart of the system model. It is shown that this transmission model is central to calculation of the coil impedance, the coil current, the magnetic fields established on the surfaces of the metal plate, and the resultant total force between the coil and the plate. FORTRAN algorithms were developed for numerical calculation of each of these quantities, and the algorithms were applied to an experimental prototype system in which these quantities had been measured. Good agreement is seen to exist between the predicted and measured results

What contributes to depression in Parkinson's disease?

Background: Depression is a common problem in patients with Parkinson's disease, but its mechanism is poorly understood. It is thought that neurochemical changes contribute to its occurrence, but it is unclear why some patients develop depression and others do not. Using a community-based sample of patients with Parkinson's disease, we investigated the contributions of impairment, disability and handicap to depression in Parkinson's disease. Methods: Ninety-seven patients seen in a population-based study on the prevalence of Parkinson's disease completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Clinical and historical information on symptoms and complications of Parkinson's disease were obtained from the patients by a neurologist. In addition, clinician and patient ratings of disability on the Schwab and England scale were obtained and a quality of life questionnaire was completed. Results: Moderate to severe depression (BDI [gt-or-equal, slanted] 18) was reported by 19·6% of the patients. Higher depression scores were associated with advancing disease severity, recent self-reported deterioration, higher akinesia scores, a mini-mental score of 50% of the variance of depression scores. Conclusions: Depression in patients with Parkinson's disease is associated with advancing disease severity, recent disease deterioration and occurrence of falls. Regression analysis suggests that depression in Parkinson's disease is more strongly influenced by the patients' perceptions of handicap than by actual disability. The treatment of depression should therefore be targeted independently of treatment of the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and consider the patients' own perception of their disease

Theoretical analysis of the electrical aspects of the basic electro-impulse problem in aircraft de-icing applications

A summary of modeling the electrical system aspects of a coil and metal target configuration resembling a practical electro-impulse deicing (EIDI) installation, and a simple circuit for providing energy to the coil, was presented. The model was developed in sufficient theoretical detail to allow the generation of computer algorithms for the current in the coil, the magnetic induction on both surfaces of the target, the force between the coil and target, and the impulse delivered to the target. These algorithms were applied to a specific prototype EIDI test system for which the current, magnetic fields near the target surfaces, and impulse were previously measured

Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease - What Is It?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Mild cognitive impairment is a common feature of Parkinson’s disease, even at the earliest disease stages, but there is variation in the nature and severity of cognitive involvement and in the risk of conversion to Parkinson’s disease dementia. This review aims to summarise current understanding of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. We consider the presentation, rate of conversion to dementia, underlying pathophysiology and potential biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. Finally, we discuss challenges and controversies of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Large-scale longitudinal studies have shown that cognitive involvement is important and common in Parkinson’s disease and can present early in the disease course. Recent criteria for mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s provide the basis for further study of cognitive decline and for the progression of different cognitive phenotypes and risk of conversion to dementia. SUMMARY: Improved understanding of the underlying pathology and progression of cognitive change are likely to lead to opportunities for early intervention for this important aspect of Parkinson’s disease

Electro-impulse de-icing testing analysis and design

Electro-Impulse De-Icing (EIDI) is a method of ice removal by sharp blows delivered by a transient electromagnetic field. Detailed results are given for studies of the electrodynamic phenomena. Structural dynamic tests and computations are described. Also reported are ten sets of tests at NASA's Icing Research Tunnel and flight tests by NASA and Cessna Aircraft Company. Fabrication of system components are described and illustrated. Fatigue and electromagnetic interference tests are reported. Here, the necessary information for the design of an EIDI system for aircraft is provided

Limb amputations in fixed dystonia: a form of body integrity identity disorder?

Fixed dystonia is a disabling disorder mainly affecting young women who develop fixed abnormal limb postures and pain after apparently minor peripheral injury. There is continued debate regarding its pathophysiology and management. We report 5 cases of fixed dystonia in patients who sought amputation of the affected limb. We place these cases in the context of previous reports of patients with healthy limbs and patients with chronic regional pain syndrome who have sought amputation. Our cases, combined with recent data regarding disorders of mental rotation in patients with fixed dystonia, as well as previous data regarding body integrity identity disorder and amputations sought by patients with chronic regional pain syndrome, raise the possibility that patients with fixed dystonia might have a deficit in body schema that predisposes them to developing fixed dystonia and drives some to seek amputation. The outcome of amputation in fixed dystonia is invariably unfavorable

Pro Free Will Priming Enhances "Risk-Taking" Behavior in the Iowa Gambling Task, but not in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task : Two Independent Priming Studies

Studies indicated that people behave less responsibly after exposure to information containing deterministic statements as compared to free will statements or neutral statements. Thus, deterministic primes should lead to enhanced risk-taking behavior. We tested this prediction in two studies with healthy participants. In experiment 1, we tested 144 students (24 men) in the laboratory using the Iowa Gambling Task. In experiment 2, we tested 274 participants (104 men) online using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. In the Iowa Gambling Task, the free will priming condition resulted in more risky decisions than both the deterministic and neutral priming conditions. We observed no priming effects on risk-taking behavior in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. To explain these unpredicted findings, we consider the somatic marker hypothesis, a gain frequency approach as well as attention to gains and / or inattention to losses. In addition, we highlight the necessity to consider both pro free will and deterministic priming conditions in future studies. Importantly, our and previous results indicate that the effects of pro free will and deterministic priming do not oppose each other on a frequently assumed continuum

Repositioning the Catalytic Triad Aspartic Acid of Haloalkane Dehalogenase: Effects on Stability, Kinetics, and Structure

Haloalkane dehalogenase (DhlA) catalyzes the hydrolysis of haloalkanes via an alkyl-enzyme intermediate. The covalent intermediate, which is formed by nucleophilic substitution with Asp124, is hydrolyzed by a water molecule that is activated by His289. The role of Asp260, which is the third member of the catalytic triad, was studied by site-directed mutagenesis. Mutation of Asp260 to asparagine resulted in a catalytically inactive D260N mutant, which demonstrates that the triad acid Asp260 is essential for dehalogenase activity. Furthermore, Asp260 has an important structural role, since the D260N enzyme accumulated mainly in inclusion bodies during expression, and neither substrate nor product could bind in the active-site cavity. Activity for brominated substrates was restored to D260N by replacing Asn148 with an aspartic or glutamic acid. Both double mutants D260N+N148D and D260N+N148E had a 10-fold reduced kcat and 40-fold higher Km values for 1,2-dibromoethane compared to the wild-type enzyme. Pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of the D260N+N148E double mutant showed that the decrease in kcat was mainly caused by a 220-fold reduction of the rate of carbon-bromine bond cleavage and a 10-fold decrease in the rate of hydrolysis of the alkyl-enzyme intermediate. On the other hand, bromide was released 12-fold faster and via a different pathway than in the wild-type enzyme. Molecular modeling of the mutant showed that Glu148 indeed could take over the interaction with His289 and that there was a change in charge distribution in the tunnel region that connects the active site with the solvent. On the basis of primary structure similarity between DhlA and other α/β-hydrolase fold dehalogenases, we propose that a conserved acidic residue at the equivalent position of Asn148 in DhlA is the third catalytic triad residue in the latter enzymes.

Überinfusion von Verbrennungsopfern: häufig und schädlich

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Schwerbrandverletzte (mehr als 20% verbrannter Körperoberfläche bei Erwachsenen) weisen in der ersten Phase (8-48h) einen durch das massive Kapillarleck bedingten Verbrennungsschock auf, der einer Infusionstherapie bedarf, um die Hämodynamik wieder herzustellen. Bis in die 80erJahre stellte eine unzureichende Flüssigkeitstherapie (Unterinfusion) die Haupttodesursache von Verbrennungspatienten dar. Seither ist die übermäßige Flüssigkeitstherapie (Überinfusion) zu einer beachtenswerten Quelle von Komplikationen geworden: abdominales Kompartmentsyndrom, Entlastungsschnitte (Escharotomie), Verschlechterung des Gasaustauschs, Verlängerung der künstlichen Beatmung und des Spitalaufenthalts. Die Überinfusion hat Ende der 90erJahre begonnen, wo innerhalb der ersten 24h Flüssigkeitsmengen zugeführt wurden, die weit über den 4ml/kg/%BSA ("burn surface area") der Parkland-Formel lagen. Ziel: Dieser Beitrag analysiert die Faktoren, welche zu einer Überinfusion führen können und zeigt Möglichkeiten, dem durch eine strikte Kontrolle der präklinischen Infusionstherapie sowie durch eine permissive Hypovolämie vorzubeuge