Globalism, Human Rights and the Problem of Individualism

A review of: Global Economy, Global Justice: Theoretical Objections and Policy Alternatives to Neoliberalism by George F.DeMartino. New York: Routledge, 2000. 296pp

Are Workers Rights Human Rights and Would It Matter If They Were?

A review of: Slaves to Fashion: Poverty and Abuse in the New Sweatshops by J.S. Ross. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2004. 396pp. and Can Labor Standards Improve Under Globalization? by Kimberly Ann Elliott and Richard B. Freeman. Washington: Institute for International Economics, 2003. 175pp

Reasonable Value and the International Organization of Labor Rights

Critics of “globalization” have argued that “core” labor rights should be written into regional and multilateral trade agreements. “Free traders” oppose this; arguing if should be dealt with by the International Labor Organization, not in trade agreements. The critics find this less than satisfactory, as the ILO has no enforcement capability. We argue that the ILO is the appropriate body for dealing with labor rights, though not for the reasons that the “free traders” stand on. Rather, the ILO embodies the theoretical standpoint, theory of value, and analysis of labor markets found in the institutional economics of John R. Commons. While there are problems in applying Commons’ approach internationally, it is possible that incorporating ILO findings in national decision making may promote the ILO as an authoritative figure.Les critiques de la « mondialisation » ont défendu l’idée selon laquelle les principaux droits du travail devraient faire partie des ententes de commerce régionales et multilatérales. Les « libres échangistes » s’opposent à cela, préconisant plutôt le fait que ceux-ci devraient être établis par l’Organisation internationale du travail (OIT) et non par les traités commerciaux. Les critiques de la « mondialisation » considèrent cette dernière option insatisfaisante, dans la mesure où l’OIT ne possède pas de capacité exécutoire. Nous soutenons que l’OIT est l’organisme approprié pour traiter des droits du travail, non pour la raison invoquée par les « libres échangistes », mais plutôt parce que l’OIT incorpore un point de vue fondé sur une théorie de la valeur et une analyse des marchés du travail issue de la théorie économique institutionnaliste de John R. Commons. Bien qu’il y ait des problèmes à appliquer l’approche commonsienne au niveau international, il est possible qu’en transposant les conceptions de l’OIT dans le processus de décision national, on puisse promouvoir l’OIT comme une autorité compétente

A Policy Analysis of Michigan\u27s Mislabeled Gross Receipts Tax

On January 1, 2008, the State of Michigan implemented a new tax, labeled a modified gross receipts tax (MGRT). The label is misleading. The tax is not on gross receipts but rather on gross receipts reduced by purchases from other firms, defined generally to include inventory purchased during the taxable year, capital purchases, and material and supplies. In some respects, the tax resembles a value-added tax (VAT), although it has some important features not found in a traditional VAT or in any known variation of that tax. The purpose of the MGRT, other than to raise revenue, is unclear on its face and is not clarified by the legislative history, which is virtually nonexistent. In this article, we undertake to describe this new tax, classify it as best we can within the tax taxonomy, and speculate about its effects on Michigan taxpayers and on the Michigan economy. Section I, by way of introduction, summarizes the tax reform efforts that led to the adoption of the gross receipts tax. Section II discusses the problems of classifying the tax, comparing it to a traditional gross receipts tax and to a tax on value added. Section III begins with an overview of the salient features of the MGRT and then discusses in greater detail three important features of the tax, namely its nexus rules, its apportionment rules, and its unitary business rules. We speculate about the impact of the tax on Michigan and Michigan taxpayers in the conclusion

Determinants of change in arterial stiffness over 5 years in early chronic kidney disease

BackgroundArterial stiffness is an established and potentially modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, associated with chronic kidney disease. There have been few studies to evaluate progression of arterial stiffness over time or factors that contribute to this, particularly in early chronic kidney disease. We therefore investigated arterial stiffness over 5 years in an elderly population with chronic kidney disease stage 3, cared for in primary care.Methods1741 persons with estimated GFR 30-59mL/min/1.73m2 underwent detailed clinical and biochemical assessment at baseline, year 1 and 5. Carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured to assess arterial stiffness using a Vicorder™ device.Results970 participants had PWV assessments at baseline and 5 years. PWV increased significantly by a mean of 1.1 m/s (from 9.7±1.9 to 10.8±2.1m/s). Multivariable linear regression analysis identified the following independent determinants of ΔPWV at year 5: baseline age, diabetes status, baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), baseline PWV, ΔPWV at one year, Δ systolic BP over 5 years and Δ serum bicarbonate over 5 years (R2=0.38 for equation).ConclusionsWe observed a clinically significant increase in PWV over 5 years in a cohort with early chronic kidney disease despite reasonably well controlled hypertension. Measures of blood pressure were identified as the most important modifiable determinant of change in PWV suggesting that interventions to prevent arterial disease should focus on improved control of blood pressure, particularly in those who evidence an early increase in PWV. These hypotheses should now be tested in prospective trials

An investigation of data compression techniques for hyperspectral core imager data

We investigate algorithms for tractable analysis of real hyperspectral image data from core samples provided by AngloGold Ashanti. In particular, we investigate feature extraction, non-linear dimension reduction using diffusion maps and wavelet approximation methods on our data

Do gray wolves (\u3ci\u3eCanis lupus\u3c/i\u3e) support pack mates during aggressive inter-pack interactions?

For group-living mammals, social coordination increases success in everything from hunting and foraging (Crofoot and Wrangham in Mind the Gap, Springer, Berlin, 2010; Bailey et al. in Behav Ecol Sociobiol 67:1–17, 2013) to agonism (Mosser and Packer in Anim Behav 78:359–370, 2009; Wilson et al. in Anim Behav 83:277–291, 2012; Cassidy et al. in Behav Ecol 26:1352–1360, 2015). Cooperation is found in many species and, due to its low costs, likely is a determining factor in the evolution of living in social groups (Smith in Anim Behav 92:291–304, 2014). Beyond cooperation, many mammals perform costly behaviors for the benefit of group mates (e.g., parental care, food sharing, grooming). Altruism is considered the most extreme case of cooperation where the altruist increases the fitness of the recipient while decreasing its own fitness (Bell in Selection: the mechanism of evolution. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008). Gray wolf life history requires intra-pack familiarity, communication, and cooperation in order to succeed in hunting (MacNulty et al. in Behav Ecol doi:10.1093/beheco/arr159 2011) and protecting group resources (Stahler et al. in J Anim Ecol 82: 222–234, 2013; Cassidy et al. in Behav Ecol 26:1352–1360, 2015). Here, we report 121 territorial aggressive inter-pack interactions in Yellowstone National Park between 1 April 1995 and 1 April 2011 ([5300 days of observation) and examine each interaction where one wolf interferes when its pack mate is being attacked by a rival group. This behavior was recorded six times (17.6 % of interactions involving an attack) and often occurred between dyads of closely related individuals. We discuss this behavior as it relates to the evolution of cooperation, sociality, and altruism

Confinement of the Sun's interior magnetic field: some exact boundary-layer solutions

High-latitude laminar confinement of the Sun's interior magnetic field is shown to be possible, as originally proposed by Gough and McIntyre (1998) but contrary to a recent claim by Brun and Zahn (A&A 2006). Mean downwelling as weak as 2x10^-6cm/s -- gyroscopically pumped by turbulent stresses in the overlying convection zone and/or tachocline -- can hold the field in advective-diffusive balance within a confinement layer of thickness scale ~ 1.5Mm ~ 0.002 x (solar radius) while transmitting a retrograde torque to the Ferraro-constrained interior. The confinement layer sits at the base of the high-latitude tachocline, near the top of the radiative envelope and just above the `tachopause' marking the top of the helium settling layer. A family of exact, laminar, frictionless, axisymmetric confinement-layer solutions is obtained for uniform downwelling in the limit of strong rotation and stratification. A scale analysis shows that the flow is dynamically stable and the assumption of laminar flow realistic. The solution remains valid for downwelling values of the order of 10^-5cm/s but not much larger. This suggests that the confinement layer may be unable to accept a much larger mass throughput. Such a restriction would imply an upper limit on possible internal field strengths, perhaps of the order of hundreds of gauss, and would have implications also for ventilation and lithium burning. The solutions have interesting chirality properties not mentioned in the paper owing to space restrictions, but described at http://www.atmos-dynamics.damtp.cam.ac.uk/people/mem/papers/SQBO/solarfigure.htmlComment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in conference proceedings: Unsolved Problems in Stellar Physic

Associations of fibroblast growth factor 23, vitamin D and parathyroid hormone with 5-year outcomes in a prospective primary care cohort of people with chronic kidney disease stage 3

Objectives Vitamin D deficiency, elevated fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) and elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) have each been associated with increased mortality in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Previous studies have focused on the effects of FGF23 in relatively advanced CKD. This study aims to assess whether FGF23 is similarly a risk factor in people with early CKD, and how this risk compares to that associated with vitamin D deficiency or elevated PTH. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Thirty-two primary care practices. Participants One thousand six hundred and sixty-four people who met Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) definitions for CKD stage 3 (two measurements of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 30 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 at least 90 days apart) prior to study recruitment. Outcome measures All-cause mortality over the period of study follow-up and progression of CKD defined as a 25% fall in eGFR and a drop in GFR category, or an increase in albuminuria category. Results Two hundred and eighty-nine participants died during the follow-up period. Vitamin D deficiency (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.58) and elevated PTH (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.84) were independently associated with all-cause mortality. FGF23 was associated with all-cause mortality in univariable but not multivariable analysis. Fully adjusted multivariable models of CKD progression showed no association with FGF23, vitamin D status or PTH. Conclusions In this cohort of predominantly older people with CKD stage 3 and low risk of progression, vitamin D deficiency and elevated PTH were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality but elevated FGF23 was not. While FGF23 may have a role as a risk marker in high-risk populations managed in secondary care, our data suggest that it may not be as important in CKD stage 3, managed in primary care