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We assessed the association between troponin levels and all-cause mortality in individuals with chest pain who presented to the Charleston Area Medical Center Emergency Department (CAMC). We identified adult patients with chest pain as defined in the International Classification of Diseases 10 (R07) family group from the CAMC data warehouse between June 6, 2020, and June 6, 2021. These cases required a visit to the emergency room. We created 3 different cohorts to assess the endpoints of all-cause mortality at 30 days and 6 months. Patients were divided into the following 3 categories: negative troponin level, defined as high sensitivity troponin I (HSTNI) assay ≤15 pg/mL for women and ≤20 pg/mL for men; weakly positive, 21–88 pg/mL for men and 16–88 pg/mL for women; and strongly positive, >88 pg/mL for men and women. A propensity score matching analysis was also conducted using the negative group as a control; the weakly and strongly positive groups were compared to the control across differing cardiology covariates. This study introduces novel cutoffs for high-sensitivity troponin I (Beckman Coulter assay, Beckman Coulter, Inc., Chaska Campus, 1000 Lake Hazeltine Drive, Chaska, Minnesota 55318). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The khapra beetle is considered by many to be one of the most destructive stored product pests in the world and it is a quarantine species of significant concern in the United States. This beetle is known to feed on >100 commodities, leaving behind frass, broken and damaged grain kernels, and cast skins, which can make products unsuitable for consumption. Because its immature stage is so problematic, it is critical to identify effective management strategies, which could include fumigation, trapping, and insecticides. In this study, we investigated whether two different grain protectants applied to bulk corn, wheat, and brown rice could be efficacious for inhibiting the development from larvae to adult. Both grain protectants reduced adult emergence on brown rice for 6 months of storage and wheat and corn for up to 12 months of storage. Additional studies are needed to directly measure the amount of frass, feeding damage, and/or insect-damaged kernels (IDK), and larval weight, which would provide further insight on the relationship between commodity type and the efficacy of the insecticide application. Reducing adult emergence inhibits reproduction and population growth during storage. Thus, grain protectants can be a useful preventative tactic for stored commodity managers against the khapra beetle. Trogoderma granarium Everts, the khapra beetle, is a serious pest of stored products throughout the world. Larvae pose a significant threat to stored products because they feed on >100 different commodities, possess the ability to enter facultative diapause, and are difficult to detect. Control methods for T. granarium include fumigation, contact insecticides, trapping, and insecticide-incorporated packaging. The objective of this study was to determine the residual efficacy of two insecticide formulations (methoprene + deltamethrin + piperonyl butoxide synergist Gravista® and methoprene + deltamethrin, DiaconIGR®Plus). These insecticides were evaluated on three stored product commodities, corn, wheat, and brown rice, by exposing T. granarium larvae during a 12-month testing period. Both formulations significantly reduced adult emergence on corn and wheat for 12 months and on brown rice for up to 6 months. Adult emergence was highest at month 12 for corn (8.41%), and brown rice (85.88%), and month 9 for wheat (39.52%), treated with DiaconIGR®Plus or Gravista®, respectively. A biological index used to measure the development of exposed larvae on the treated grain from the larval stage (low values) to adult emergence (high values) was lower (fewer adults) on corn and wheat compared to controls. Despite differences in formulations, each of these grain protectants could be utilized by stored commodity managers to protect commodities during storage and transportation for T. granarium when and if this pest is detected at USA ports of entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adolescence and early adulthood are pivotal stages for the onset of mental health disorders and the development of health behaviors. Digital behavioral activation interventions, with or without coaching support, hold promise for addressing risk factors for both mental and physical health problems by offering scalable approaches to expand access to evidence-based mental health support. Objective: This 2-arm pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated 2 versions of a digital behavioral health product, Vira (Ksana Health Inc), for their feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness in improving mental health in young adults with depressive symptoms and obesity risk factors. Methods: A total of 73 participants recruited throughout the United States were randomly assigned to use Vira either as a self-guided product (Vira Self-Care) or with support from a health coach (Vira+Coaching) for 12 weeks. The Vira smartphone app used passive sensing of behavioral data related to mental health and obesity risk factors (ie, activity, sleep, mobility, and language patterns) and offered users personalized insights into patterns of behavior associated with their daily mood. Participants completed self-reported outcome measures at baseline and follow-up (12 weeks). All study procedures were completed via digital communications. Results: Both versions of Vira showed strong user engagement, acceptability, and evidence of effectiveness in improving mental health and stress. However, users receiving coaching exhibited more sustained engagement with the platform and reported greater reductions in depression (Cohen d=0.45, 95% CI 0.10-0.82) and anxiety (Cohen d=0.50, 95% CI 0.13-0.86) compared to self-care users. Both interventions also resulted in reduced stress (Vira+Coaching: Cohen d=-1.05, 95% CI -1.57 to -0.50; Vira Self-Care: Cohen d=-0.78, 95% CI -1.33 to -0.23) and were perceived as useful and easy to use. Coached users also reported reductions in sleep-related impairment (Cohen d=-0.51, 95% CI -1.00 to -0.01). Moreover, participants increased their motivation for and confidence in making behavioral changes, with greater improvements in confidence among coached users. Conclusions: An app-based intervention using passive mobile sensing to track behavior and deliver personalized insights into behavior-mood associations demonstrated feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness for reducing depressive symptoms and other mental health problems in young adults. Future directions include (1) optimizing the interventions, (2) conducting a fully powered trial that includes an active control condition, and (3) testing mediators and moderators of outcome effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the future climate becomes hotter or drier, forests may be exposed to more frequent or severe droughts. To inform efforts to ensure resilient forests, it is critical to know which forests may be most exposed to future drought and where. Longer duration droughts lasting 2–3 years or more are especially important to quantify because forests are likely to experience impacts. We summarized exposure to 36‐month drought for forests across the conterminous United States using the Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) overlaid on forest inventory plot locations. Exposure was quantified under 10 scenarios that combined five modeled climates and two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs, 4.5 and 8.5) through 2070. Future projections indicate a tripling of the monthly spatial extent of forests exposed to severe or extreme drought—38% of forests were exposed on average by mid‐century as opposed to 11% during 1991–2020 (2041–2070). Increases in drought exposure were greatest under hotter (HadGEM2‐ES), drier (IPSL‐CM5A‐MR), and middle (NorESM1‐M) climate models, under either RCP. Projections agreed that forests in portions of the western United States, especially the southwestern United States, could face high levels of exposure. Forest types including pinyon/juniper, woodland hardwoods, and ponderosa pine were projected to be exposed to drought more than 50% of the time on average across all scenarios by mid‐century, when no forest type was exposed more than 25% of the time under any scenario during the recent period. Projections agreed less for the eastern United States, but in some scenarios, particularly under RCP 8.5, large portions of the East could be exposed to drought nearly as often as parts of the West. Moreover, a substantial portion of oak/hickory forests occur in eastern regions, where projections agree on increased drought exposure. This study provides novel insights about the changing conditions forests face in both the eastern and western United States. Our results can be combined with information about the sensitivities and adaptive capacities of forest ecosystems to prioritize drought adaptation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests across much of the United States are becoming denser. Trees growing in denser stands experience more competition for essential resources, which can make them more vulnerable to disturbances. Forest density can be expressed in terms of basal area, a metric that has been used to assess vulnerability of some forests to damage by certain insects or pathogens. A raster map of total tree basal area (TBA) for the conterminous United States was compared with annual (2000–2019) survey maps of forest damage due to insects and pathogens. Across each of four regions, median TBA was significantly higher within forest areas defoliated or killed by insects or pathogens than in areas without recorded damage. Therefore, TBA may serve as a regional-scale indicator of forest health and a first filter for identifying areas that merit finer-scale analysis of forest conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six sets of data from previous studies are used to investigate the factor structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. In all 6 sets, the 22 inventory items divided between 2 clearly replicable factors. The larger, the Core of Burnout Factor, divides in turn into two equally replicable factors. (SLD)

Background: We noted a recent increase in cases of urinary tract infection due to community-acquired ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in children treated at our institution. Risk factors of urinary tract infection due to ESBL-producing E. coli in children in the USA remain unclear. Methods: A single center retrospective case control study of UTI due to CA-ESBL-producing E. coli during a 5-year period (2012–2016). Control cases with non-ESBL-producing E. coli urinary tract infection were matched by age, gender and year of infection. Results: A total of 111 patients with ESBL-producing E coli urinary tract infection and 103 controls were included. The proportion of ESBL-producing E coli urinary tract infection ranged from 7% to 15% of all UTI cases. The distribution of ESBL cases per year: 27 in 2012; 18 in 2013; 22 in 2014; 15 in 2015 and 29 in 2016. Median age was 4 years with female predominance (84%). The ESBL group was predominantly African American (32%) followed by individuals of Middle Eastern ethnic background (31%). Risk factors by univariate analysis were vesicoureteral reflux: (20.9 ESBL group vs 6% controls; p =.002), prior antibiotic usage in the last 3 months (including β-lactams), prior UTI (last 3 months), recent hospitalization (last 3 months) and Middle Eastern ethnic background. However, multivariate analysis showed that only prior antibiotic usage (p =.001) and Middle Eastern ethnic background (p <.001) were independent risk factors. ESBL-producing strains were more frequently resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (72% vs 25%) and ciprofloxacin (73% vs 5%) than strains not producing ESBL. Conclusion: Risk factors for community-acquired ESBL-producing E coli urinary tract in our pediatric patient population were antibiotic usage within the previous 3 months and Middle Eastern ethnic background. This may be related to increased risk of intestinal colonization with resistant bacterial strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented about books in the academic field of whiteness studies documenting how ethic communities with immigrant origins like Chinese Americans were accepted by white people in the U.S. Topics discussed include the evolution of whiteness, natural philosopher and diplomat, Benjamin Franklin's book "Poor Richard's Almanack," W.E.B. DuBois' "Souls of Black Folk" and Noel Ignatiev's "How the Irish Became White."

This article examines the predictive ability of proposed measures relative to voting power indices that are outlined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) numbers 45 through 69. For this article the Shapley-Shubik and Banzhaf indexes were both used to look at voting power. The article concludes that there does remain a voting coalition within FASB but that it has little power except for its votes, which made both indexes useless as measures to predict voter behavior in setting accounting and auditing standards.

The article examines the voting power indices behavior of U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). The author has identified various possible coalitions of voters and calculated measures of the real voting power of these coalitions to test their descriptive ability. According to the author the voting power has two dimensions, the nominal voting power and real voting power. The author has based his analysis of the past coalitions on the voting patterns for FASB Statement Nos. 1-44. The primary coalition is defined as the public accountants' voting bloc.

The use of accounting information to measure marketing performance by segments has received increasing attention in recent years. To be successful, however, such analysis requires control of both functional costs and segmental profits. This article presents a model for designing a marketing-accounting information system that demonstrates the operational feasibility of this dual approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do present interpretations of the Robinson-Patman Act cause sellers to discriminate against large customers? This article deals with a new computer-based analysis procedure for improvement in consistency and reduction in discrimination in pricing practices. The authors show the steps needed to develop computer-based, marketing-oriented cost accounting systems and the application of this new pricing practice to an actual business situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses ways in which companies in the U.S. can expand their hiring practices to help reduce unemployment and create a better educated and more flexible work force. Some of the groups considered disadvantaged include workers over the age of 45, minority workers, and those considered "hard-core" unemployed. The author also feels that the general longevity of Americans should force both the government and business to reconsider the retirement age. The author reports that many American companies have decided it is part of their social responsibility to hire employees previously screened as being unacceptable.

Objective The objective of this study was to estimate the annual rate of interhospital transfers of pregnant and postpartum women in the United States and analyze associated patient and health system characteristics as measures of regionalized perinatal care performance. Methods Separate weighted univariate analyses of the 2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) were performed for all maternal discharges, in-hospital deaths, and transfers. Multivariable logistic regression analyses for transfer dispositions adjusted for health system characteristics, maternal demographics, and diagnoses were per- formed. Additional perinatal service characteristics were analyzed using NIS merged with the 2011 American Hospital Association Annual Survey database. Results An estimated 18,082 patients, 0.43% of maternal hospitalizations, were transferred to an acute care hospital; 81% occurred without childbirth delivery before transfer. Transfers were toward larger, urban teaching hospitals and hospitals with higher levels of obstetrical and neonatal care and were more likely in states with ≥ 4.0 maternal--fetal medicine specialists/10,000 live births. Blacks and Native Americans were more likely and Hispanics and Asians were less likely than white patients to be transferred. Privately insured women were less likely to be transferred than were others. Transfers were associated with life-threatening maternal diagnoses and fetal indications. Conclusion Transfers reflected a risk-based regionalized system of perinatal care, with racial and payer differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author describes the newest community of Chinese immigrants to the U.S., based on his speech at the 2017 Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) Conference. Topics covered include the political sentiments of the latest arrivals, and the difference between the Chinese immigrants who came prior to the Magnuson Act and those who came afterward. It notes that the new wave of immigrants are predominantly from mainland China, who come at a time when China has emerged as a global power.

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The story of Brown is compelling. Blacks and Whites alike understood that the Jim Crow system of "separate but equal" was a convenient fiction. There was no actual effort to ensure that Whites and Blacks were provided the same services. Invariably, the White schools had higher funding, better buildings, newer supplies and so on. Indeed, in many instances there was simply no Black counterpart offered, and Southern states actually paid to send talented African Americans to school elsewhere. Before he was appointed to the bench, Thurgood Marshall led the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in a lengthy struggle to undo "separate but equal." With a network of volunteers who were literally risking their lives, he traveled to often hostile courtrooms where they were successful as no other team of lawyers had been before or has been since. Today, Americans still face the dilemma of nice principles, and mean practices. They wish racial integration would appear automatically or naturally. Residential segregation has been increasing, not decreasing; educational outcomes continue to show disparities. The unanimous opinion overruling racial segregation is perhaps the most important legal case in our nation's history, but it deserves to be given real meaning rather than mere praise. As difficult as it was to form a consensus against racial discrimination, it has proven even more challenging to take affirmative action against racial disparities. "Call me a curmudgeon," says Frank H. Wu, the author of this article, and a professor of law at Howard University, " but I'm skeptical when everyone celebrates--especially if we applaud civil rights advances that have been hard-fought and may not yet be fully secured."

In the article, the authors present their study to compare the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) between men and women who were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). Also cited are the effect of ECMO on the long-term all-cause mortality as sex-related differences in cardiovascular therapies, and the use of the Kaplan-Meir curve to analyze the endpoint of all-cause mortality.

The southeastern United States is among the most productive forested areas in the world. Four endemic southern pine species – loblolly, longleaf, shortleaf, and slash – contribute significantly to the economic and ecological values in the region. A recently described phenomenon known as Southern Pine Decline (SPD) has been reported as having widespread impact in the southern pine region, particularly on loblolly pine. Root-feeding weevils and their associated fungi have been suggested as causal agents, even though literature and empirical research suggests that they are secondary insects colonizing weakened trees. Further, no published information exists about whether their associated fungi can cause mortality of mature trees in the southeastern U.S. Since there are significant management implications for pine health, we reviewed and critically examined the SPD phenomena on the southern landscape. Our regional analyses of USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis data show no discernable patterns related to pine growth or mortality, especially as related to topographic factors. There are no large-scale patterns related to pine mortality suggesting multiple interacting factors impacting tree health at stand-level. As such, the hypothesis that SPD is a regionally important decline syndrome and labeling declining southern pine stands as SPD is not supported. Instead, we discuss many abiotic (soil types, climate) and biotic (insects, pathogens, genetics) factors that may be interacting with each other and affecting southern pine health. Finally, we suggest management recommendations for landowners with pine health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latino day laborers endure many hardships as they struggle to adjust as an immigrant community in the United States. This study sought to identify the extent of chronic stress reported by day laborers and the factors associated with stress. A total of 725 Latino day laborers were interviewed. The most reported sources of stress were having immigration-related problems, not having enough money to cover basic needs, having no savings, and having work hours change for the worse. Higher chronic stress was associated with homelessness (p < .001) and HIV-related risk behaviors in the previous 12 months (p < .05). In addition, chronic stress was found to be higher among respondents reporting incomes of US$5,000 to US$10,000 (p = .007) and still higher among respondents reporting incomes greater than US$10,000 (p < .001) compared with those in the lowest income level. Lower chronic stress was associated with having a partner (p < .05) or being single (p = .001) compared with being married. Addressing the stress experienced by day laborers is necessary to prevent potential negative health and mental health consequences among this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on need of reforms in the legal education in the U.S. Topics discussed include recent progress in the recognition of the rights of LGBT individuals has been embodied by legal transformation, conceptualization of the law firms as businesses and rise in the cost structure of legal higher education. It also mentions the complications faced by the law schools in altering their business model and the curricula.

The mountain pine beetle has killed lodgepole pine and other species of pines in the western United States in an ongoing epidemic. The most heavily affected states are in the interior West: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, with smaller losses elsewhere. Timber salvage is one response to the epidemic, which could generate revenues for affected landowners and provide wood to forest product manufacturers and, potentially, energy producers. Salvage is occurring, but policymakers have advocated greater rates of such timber removals. To estimate total costs and revenues from salvage and thereby illuminate the economic dimensions of greater salvage removals, we simulated alternative salvage intensity levels on national forests and on other public and private lands where dead standing timber could be potentially recovered and entered into product markets. Data indicate that 19.7 billion cubic feet of standing dead timber are potentially available for salvage, distributed across 20.3 million acres in 12 western states. Simulations on national forests and on lands under other ownerships indicate that positive net revenues (revenues minus costs) could be produced in states with active timber markets on the West Coast and in the northern Rockies, where timber prices would be less depressed by the introduction of large salvage volumes. The central Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, which have the largest percentage volume and acreage impacts from solvable standing dead timber, would not generate profitable timber salvage. Simulations of a hypothetical doubling of demand in Colorado and Montana leave Colorado with smaller losses and Montana with larger gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a transcript of a lecture given by Judge Frank H. Easterbrook at the Judge Daniel M. Friedman Appellate Lecture on November 16, 2012, which discussed appellate advocacy. Topics include appellate procedure in private practice, effective advocate advocacy, and the importance of good substance when bringing claims to appeal.

An essay is presented on plea bargaining and its limitations and consequences to regulate commercial contracts for defendants. The author explains that predicaments related to plea bargaining have some other origins and it is requisite to fix those problems rather overhauling the complete system as per which people bargain in a law's shadow. He informs that if defendants have bad lawyers or prosecutors overcharge then compensation should be high enough to attract better quality.

The article focuses on federalism and commerce in the U.S. in 2013. Topics include constitutional law in the U.S. as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court, the impact of the court decision in McCulloch v. Maryland on U.S. commercial law, and the executive power to regulate commerce. Information is provided on deregulation and executive power in the U.S.

The principal goals and objectives of this article are to debunk myths regarding e-mail transmission of protected health information (PHI) and to discuss appropriate verbiage in confidentiality/privacy notices (CPNs) intended to manage the risk of a breach of confidentiality/ privacy when PHI is transmitted by e-mail. As a prelude to this discussion, we will discuss briefly the history of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Educational objectives: Readers should be able to describe HIPAA, determine when it's appropriate to send PHI by e-mail, and the how to word such communications to protect all involved parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A previously unpublished essay entitled "Institutional History and the Classical Economics" written by American economist Frank H. Knight after 1927 is presented. Topics discussed include institutional economics, classical economics, psychology and economics, value theory, and American economist Thorstein Veblen.

Information on a symposium with U.S. federal judges held at the George Washington University Law School on November 4, 2011 is presented. The symposium discussed issues concerning the role of history in judicial interpretation. Several federal judges being featured include Frank H. Easterbrook, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Reena Raggi.

Performance and handedness data were examined for 3,647 professional basketball players who participated in at least five games during the period between 1946 and 2009. Left-handed players comprised 5.1% of all professional basketball players compared to the 11% prevalence in the general population. Left-handers had better performance averages, in terms of the number of points, rebounds, and blocks over their careers, as well as other measures, and had significantly longer careers than right-handed players. Handedness was not significantly related to mean or median life expectancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A little known nineteenth-century photograph of three men at Shoshone Falls provides insights into photography's role in mediating the public's understanding of the American West and in concealing/revealing the diverse populations and complex network of interconnected relationships that existed in southern Idaho during the 1870s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article pays tribute to Judge Denny Chin, a member of the U.S. State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and highlights his decisions in several cases. The two themes that emerged from the decisions of Judge Chin are his treatment of factual record and binding case law and emphasis on the fairness of procedure. Judge Chin achieved prominence for his handling of the criminal case of Bernard Madoff, who was sentenced to 150 years in prison for his fraudulent Ponzi scheme. In Morales v. Potuondo, he ordered the release of the defendants who were wrongly convicted of homicide. In Million Youth March v. Safir, he offered a classic free speech philosophy. In re Grand Jury Subpoenas dated March 9, 2001, he rejected the application of the fugitive disentitlement doctrine.

Social support and stress have been poorly characterized for persons with HIV, particularly for racial/ethnic minorities. To address this gap, data on general and HIV-specific support and stress and social network characteristics were collected for 399 African American and Latino women and men who have sex with men (MSM) in Los Angeles County. African American (mean = 41; SD = 17) and Latina (mean = 40; SD = 19) women reported the highest general support. Stress was also highest for Latina women (mean = 18; SD = 11) and higher compared to Latino and African American MSM. African American and Latina women reported receiving most of their social support and stress from family members, while African American and Latino MSM received their support and stress from friends and providers. Finally, Latina and African American women disclosed their HIV status to more network members and received more HIV-specific support compared to MSM. Interventions are needed to help Latino and African American MSM enhance their support networks to manage a stigmatized illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the 500-structure subset teaching database Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) and its accessibility and utilization to enhance and extend the learning experience of students in chemistry in the U.S. It mentions the importance of knowing the three-dimensional (3D) nature of chemical compounds in the education of chemistry students and in enhancing their conceptual abilities and spatial intelligence. It talks about the interactive Web interface of the teaching database and teaching examples from the tools, the compilation of the teaching database, and the utilization of the CSD. It notes the advantages of downloading and using the desktop application mercury visualizer for advanced teaching and learning experience.

The article focuses on the Vincent Chin case which has resulted to the formation of the Asian American movement in the U.S. It notes that the violence in the Chin case accentuated the significance of Asian American as a self-proclaimed name. It suggests that the Chin case is worthy to be studied because it represents many Asian American occurrences and presents a huge American challenge of a varied social equality.

Pest risk maps can provide useful decision support in invasive species management, but most do not adequately consider the uncertainty associated with predicted risk values. This study explores how increased uncertainty in a risk model's numeric assumptions might affect the resultant risk map. We used a spatial stochastic model, integrating components for entry, establishment, and spread, to estimate the risks of invasion and their variation across a two-dimensional landscape for Sirex noctilio, a nonnative woodwasp recently detected in the United States and Canada. Here, we present a sensitivity analysis of the mapped risk estimates to variation in key model parameters. The tested parameter values were sampled from symmetric uniform distributions defined by a series of nested bounds (±5%, ... , ±40%) around the parameters' initial values. The results suggest that the maximum annual spread distance, which governs long-distance dispersal, was by far the most sensitive parameter. At ±15% or larger variability bound increments for this parameter, there were noteworthy shifts in map risk values, but no other parameter had a major effect, even at wider bounds of variation. The methodology presented here is generic and can be used to assess the impact of uncertainties on the stability of pest risk maps as well as to identify geographic areas for which management decisions can be made confidently, regardless of uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the significance of imposing a compulsory disclosure on investors in the U.S. It states that a mandatory disclosure would allow companies to compare investment opportunities, so that funds would flow to their most productive uses. A rule of law from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is essential in achieving reciprocal disclosure.

Objective. To examine the likelihood of Latino day laborers being solicited for sex by other men. Material and Methods. 450 Latino day laborers were recruited in Los Angeles, California, from July to September 2005. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine which day laborers were more likely to be solicited and subsequently to have sex. Results. Thirty-eight percent reported being solicited for sex by another man while seeking work. Those solicited were more likely to live longer in the US, be more educated and screen positive for drug dependence. Of those solicited, 9.4% had sex with their solicitors. Those screening positive for drug dependence were more likely to have sex. Most of the day laborers who had anal sex with their solicitors did not always use condoms. Conclusions. HIV prevention efforts should target drug dependent day laborers, who may place themselves at risk for HIV through sex with male solicitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the developments in theTrade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) cases heard by the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) in 2007. It is reported that Congress vested the authority to investigate petitions for TAA in the Department of Labor (Labor). Several cases are discussed including a case in which a jurisdictional issue arose. Also it is stated that the theme for 2007 decisions was the court's concern that labor fails to fulfill the mission which Congress entrusted to it.