What’s Wrong with Dodd-Frank 1502? Conflict Minerals, Civilian Livelihoods, and the Unintended Consequences of Western Advocacy- Working Paper 284

Although its provisions have yet to be implemented, section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is already having a profound effect on the Congolese mining sector. Nicknamed “Obama’s Law” by the Congolese, section 1502 has created a de facto ban on Congolese mineral exports, put anywhere from tens of thousands up to 2 million Congolese miners out of work in the eastern Congo, and, despite ending most of the trade in Congolese conflict minerals, done little to improve the security situation or the daily lives of most Congolese. In this report, Laura Seay traces the development of section 1502 with respect to the pursuit of a conflict minerals-based strategy by U.S. advocates, examines the effects of the legislation, and recommends new courses of action to move forward in a way that both promotes accountability and transparency and allows Congolese artisanal miners to earn a living. Length: 32 pages

Density and Dichotomous Family History Measures of Alcohol Use Disorder as Predictors of Behavioral and Neural Phenotypes: A Comparative Study Across Gender and Race/Ethnicity

Background: Family history (FH) is an important risk factor for the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD). A variety of dichotomous and density measures of FH have been used to predict alcohol outcomes; yet, a systematic comparison of these FH measures is lacking. We compared 4 density and 4 commonly used dichotomous FH measures and examined variations by gender and race/ethnicity in their associations with age of onset of regular drinking, parietal P3 amplitude to visual target, and likelihood of developing AUD. Methods: Data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) were utilized to compute the density and dichotomous measures. Only subjects and their family members with DSM-5 AUD diagnostic information obtained through direct interviews using the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA) were included in the study. Area under receiver operating characteristic curves were used to compare the diagnostic accuracy of FH measures at classifying DSM-5 AUD diagnosis. Logistic and linear regression models were used to examine associations of FH measures with alcohol outcomes. Results: Density measures had greater diagnostic accuracy at classifying AUD diagnosis, whereas dichotomous measures presented diagnostic accuracy closer to random chance. Both dichotomous and density measures were significantly associated with likelihood of AUD, early onset of regular drinking, and low parietal P3 amplitude, but density measures presented consistently more robust associations. Further, variations in these associations were observed such that among males (vs. females) and Whites (vs. Blacks), associations of alcohol outcomes with density (vs. dichotomous) measures were greater in magnitude. Conclusions: Density (vs. dichotomous) measures seem to present more robust associations with alcohol outcomes. However, associations of dichotomous and density FH measures with different alcohol outcomes (behavioral vs. neural) varied across gender and race/ethnicity. These findings have great applicability for alcohol research examining FH of AUD

Civil society, social services, and the state in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

textdissertation examines the role of civil society actors in the social service sectors of two cities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Although existing scholarship addresses the nature of state-society relations in collapsed states, less is known about how local institutions act to maintain "state" structures even when the state is absent. My project contributes to this literature by explaining why, in a failed state, some civil society organizations (CSO's) are more successful at providing social services than others. I hypothesize that variations in internal organizational cohesion account for these differences. Using an historical institutional approach, I examine the history, level of engagement with the state, ethnic composition, and level of international support of various CSO's in the eastern D.R. Congo as indicators of a CSO's level of organizational cohesion. I then compare fifteen structural indicators to determine each CSO's level of success in organizing social services, and conclude that CSO's with higher levels of internal organizational cohesion are more likely to successfully organize health and education structures in situations of state collapse. In addition, the portion of the study that addresses ethnic fragmentation in CSO's suggests that certain institutional arrangements can help local groups to overcome the well-documented barriers to inter-ethnic cooperation in public goods provision.Governmen

DOES GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION PLAY A ROLE IN HORSE RACETRACK DEATHS?

Horse racing in the United States has been around since 1665, but seriously took off after the Civil War in 1868. The sport has always been dangerous, with most of those dangers being manmade. One of the most widely discussed aspects is administering drugs to the racehorses. While drugs may play a part in the number of injuries sustained by the horses, the questions being asked in this project focus on the natural environment surrounding the racing rather than the artificial environment created by man. Does geographic location and climate play a role in horse track fatalities? Data, including number of races per month and fatalities per year, was collected along with specific climate data for each racetrack location from Jan 2009 through December 2020. The data was analyzed using regression testing. Racetrack locations on the west coast were compared to their east coast counterparts. Northern tracks were compared to southern tracks. Through all comparisons, there does not appear to be a strong connection between the geographic locations of the racetracks and the fatalities reported each year. More detailed analysis to determine that correlation is needed.This item is part of the MS-GIST Master's Reports collection. For more information about items in this collection, please contact the UA Campus Repository at [email protected]

Writing for Public Engagement

Academic research frequently speaks to current events and ongoing issues, from political protests and election events to climate change. Yet, the media often ignores academic expertise, and paywalled academic journals are inaccessible to most policy makers and the general public. How can university researchers effectively communicate our findings and ideas to audiences outside the academy? How do we ensure that our research is taken into account in public policy making processes? This workshop highlights strategies for academics who wish to engage with broad audiences of politicians, policy professionals, and general audiences. In the first part of the workshop, we will discuss effective strategies for topic identification, media outlet selection, accessible writing, and pitching to editors, from writing analytical blog posts to developing opinion-editorial pieces and policy papers. In the second part of the workshop, participants will each prepare a draft analytical blog post or op-ed and receive real-time feedback from the group. Participants are encouraged to come to the workshop with a topic they would like to write about in mind, such as a recently or soon to be published article, research findings, or informed observations relevant to a current event

Whipping Up a New Flavor - Slides

A 43-year old Indian man presented with two years of progressive gait imbalance, dysarthria, and cognitive decline. Neurological exam revealed supranuclear gaze palsy with impaired downgaze and loss of OKN quick phases, impaired horizontal pursuit, ideomotor apraxia, facial and arm dystonia, foot and toe chorea, hyperreflexia, retropulsion, and gait ataxia. Neuropsychological testing suggested subcortical dementia. Brain MRI revealed multiple nonenhancing, confluent, periventricular and juxtacortical T2 hyperintensities and severe atrophy with a hummingbird sign. A paraneoplastic panel, GAD antibodies, and NMDA antibodies were negative. CSF revealed normal white blood cell count, elevated protein (81), markedly elevated IgG index and synthesis, 15 oligoclonal bands, negative paraneoplastic panel, negative Whipple's DNA PCR, and negative CJD testing (negative tau quantity and ambiguous 14-3-3, not supporting the diagnosis of CJD). Body PET-CT and EEG were normal. Treatment with high dose steroids, IVIG, and plasmapheresis were ineffective. Brain biopsy showed a hypercellular cortex and white matter with spongiosis, gliosis, and diffuse inflammatory parenchymal and meningeal infiltrate. The cortex contained numerous inflammatory nodules with neuronophagia. Overall the features were nonspecific and most suggestive of an inflammatory meningoencephalitis, such as a viral infection, autoimmune disease, or paraneoplastic process. The patient continued to deteriorate and died from sepsis six years after disease onset. An autopsy was performed.SMcomplicationsofinfection

Whipping Up a New Flavor - Abstract

A 43-year old Indian man presented with two years of progressive gait imbalance, dysarthria, and cognitive decline. Neurological exam revealed supranuclear gaze palsy with impaired downgaze and loss of OKN quick phases, impaired horizontal pursuit, ideomotor apraxia, facial and arm dystonia, foot and toe chorea, hyperreflexia, retropulsion, and gait ataxia. Neuropsychological testing suggested subcortical dementia. Brain MRI revealed multiple nonenhancing, confluent, periventricular and juxtacortical T2 hyperintensities and severe atrophy with a hummingbird sign. A paraneoplastic panel, GAD antibodies, and NMDA antibodies were negative. CSF revealed normal white blood cell count, elevated protein (81), markedly elevated IgG index and synthesis, 15 oligoclonal bands, negative paraneoplastic panel, negative Whipple's DNA PCR, and negative CJD testing (negative tau quantity and ambiguous 14-3-3, not supporting the diagnosis of CJD). Body PET-CT and EEG were normal. Treatment with high dose steroids, IVIG, and plasmapheresis were ineffective. Brain biopsy showed a hypercellular cortex and white matter with spongiosis, gliosis, and diffuse inflammatory parenchymal and meningeal infiltrate. The cortex contained numerous inflammatory nodules with neuronophagia. Overall the features were nonspecific and most suggestive of an inflammatory meningoencephalitis, such as a viral infection, autoimmune disease, or paraneoplastic process. The patient continued to deteriorate and died from sepsis six years after disease onset. An autopsy was performed.SMcomplicationsofinfection