The Ding in Itself

2021 ◽  
pp. 218-230
Author(s):  
John Mowitt

Based on an extended reading of John Cage’s composition Water Walk as performed on the US television programme I’ve Got a Secret, the matter of what makes sound art, sound art is presented in this chapter in theoretical terms. Specifically, sound art is work that poses the question—what is a thing?—using the expressive resources (words, sounds, images, gestures) at the artist’s disposal. Starting with two things presented in Water Walk—a pressure cooker that sounds, and radios that sound differently—this chapter suggests how this presentation invites comparison with the philosophical treatment of ‘things’ to be found in the work of Kant (especially his distinction between noumenal and phenomenal things) Heidegger and Agamben. The comparison is shown to establish that what could be called sound art effectively drowns out the difference between art and theory. Put differently, sound art obliges us to hearken to the question sound ‘itself’ presents.

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (05) ◽  
pp. 1385-1403 ◽  
Author(s):  
KITAE SOHN ◽  
ILLOONG KWON

Trust was found to promote entrepreneurship in the US. We investigated whether this was true in a developing country, Indonesia. We failed to replicate this; this failure was true whether trust was estimated at the individual or community level or whether ordinary least squares (OLS) or two stage least squares (2SLS) was employed. We reconciled the difference between our results and those for the US by arguing that the weak enforcement of property rights in developing countries and the consequent hold-up problem make it more efficient for entrepreneurs to produce generic goods than relationship-specific goods—producing generic goods does not depend on trust.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Shaojie Lai ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Jiangze Du ◽  
Shuwen Pi

This article examines the propensity to pay dividends in the U.S banking sector during 1973–2014. Although the propensity to pay dividends has been declining over the 52 years of our sample period, banks are consistently more likely to pay dividends than non-financial firms. Using the coefficients from logit models estimated early in the sample period to forecast the percentage of dividend payers in each subsequent year, we conclude that there has been a decline in the likelihood of paying dividends in the banking sector. However, the decline started from a very high level as compared to that of the non-banking sectors. In addition, the variables taken from the non-financial firm literature do not explain the difference between the actual and expected percentage of dividend payers in the banking sector. We also conduct exploratory analyses with bank-specific variables. Although newly included variables are significantly related to the likelihood of paying dividends, they do not explain the declining propensity to pay dividends in the banking sector.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002190962110624
Author(s):  
Dana Ali Salih ◽  
Hawre Hasan Hama

The Kurdish Civil War between the military forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) began in 1994. Despite frequently occurring peace talks throughout the conflict, negotiations failed to bring about a durable settlement until the United States brokered the Washington Peace Agreement in 1998. This research explores why the earlier negotiations were unsuccessful, and whether it was only the US mediation in 1998 which made the difference. Although the US mediation was clearly an important factor, by employing the contingency model this research argues that both contextual variables and process variables determined the success of negotiations in 1998. Furthermore, they can explain the failure of the previous 4 years of negotiations.


2021 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2020-056316
Author(s):  
Lauren Kass Lempert ◽  
Stella Bialous ◽  
Stanton Glantz

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued orders in July 2020 authorising Philip Morris Products S.A. to market its heated tobacco product (HTP) IQOS inside the USA with claims that it reduces exposure to some dangerous substances. FDA’s ‘reduced-exposure’ orders explicitly prohibit the marketing of IQOS with claims that IQOS will reduce harm or the risk of tobacco-related diseases. Under US law, FDA’s IQOS orders are problematic because FDA disregarded valid scientific evidence that IQOS increases exposure to other dangerous toxins and that Philip Morris Products S.A. failed to demonstrate that consumers understand the difference between reduced-exposure and reduced-harm claims. Unfortunately, both ‘reduced-exposure’ and ‘reduced-harm’ are classified as ‘modified risk tobacco products’ under US law. Exploiting this confusion, Philip Morris International used the FDA decision as the basis for marketing and public relations campaigns outside the USA to press governments to reverse policies that ban or regulate the sales and marketing of HTPs, including IQOS. Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control should reject tobacco companies’ unsubstantiated explicit or implied claims of reduced harm associated with HTPs and resist Philip Morris International’s and other companies’ calls to relax HTP regulations based on the FDA’s actions. Instead, parties should adopt policies aligned with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control when dealing with HTPs and other novel tobacco products.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 12020-12020
Author(s):  
Deborah Schrag ◽  
Hajime Uno ◽  
Rachel Pam Greenerger Rosovsky ◽  
Cynthia Rutherford ◽  
Kristen Marie Sanfilippo ◽  
...  

12020 Background: Previous randomized trials in cancer patients suggest that DOACs are non-inferior to LMWH for preventing recurrent VTE but have higher risk of bleeding. However, the balance of benefits and burdens remains uncertain. Objective: The CANVAS pragmatic trial compared recurrent VTE, bleeding and death in cancer patients following an initial VTE treated with either DOAC or LMWH therapy. Methods: CANVAS was an unblinded hybrid comparative effectiveness non-inferiority trial, with randomized and preference cohorts. Between 12/16 and 4/20, 671 participants were randomized and followed for 6-months. Between 12/16 and 12/17, 140 participants declined randomization, chose their preferred anticoagulant and were followed for 6-months. The preference cohort was closed when predetermined stopping criteria were met. Final follow-up was 11/30/20. Randomized patients were assigned 1:1 to receive either a DOAC or a LMWH. If assigned to LMWH, transitions to warfarin were allowed. Physicians and patients could choose among any DOAC or LMWH. Doses were suggested based on FDA-approved labeling but not mandated. Patients from 67 practices in the US with any invasive solid tumor, lymphoma, multiple myeloma or CLL and a diagnosis of symptomatic or radiographically detected VTE within 30 days of enrollment were eligible. The 1° analysis was conducted in the randomized modified-into to treat popululation, (all subjects who received study drug). The 1° outcome was recurrent VTE. The aim was to establish noninferiority of anticoagulation with a DOAC as defined by the upper limit of the 2-sided 90% CI for the difference in the event rate at 6 months of < 3%. Secondary outcomes included death and bleeding. Hypothesis testing included only the randomized cohort but propensity score adjusted results for the preference and combined cohorts are also shown. Results: The non-inferiority criteria for recurrent VTE was met. Conclusions: Among adult cancer patients with VTE, the use of a DOAC compared with a LMWH resulted in a noninferior risk of recurrent VTE with no differences in rates of bleeding or death in randomized patients. Clinical trial information: NCT02744092. [Table: see text]


2020 ◽  
pp. 350-360
Author(s):  
V. Bolshakov ◽  
Yu. Maznichenko ◽  
Yu. Holub ◽  
M. Molyboha ◽  
I. Samoilenko

The systematic analysis of the world experience of civilian use of knives not as cold weapons showed that at present the knife did not become the main attribute of equipping tourists, fish men and even hunters. In particular, today there are very few types of hunting, during which the knife is used to finish off the beast or to protect against it. At the same time, as the practice of hunting management proves, during hunting there are many uses for the knife, even without considering it as a means for cooking. This, in particular, sharpening various stakes (for a tent, a hut, a campfire), skinning a game, preparing chips for a fire, scraping ice from skis or marsh mud from shoes. To do this, in accordance with current state technical standards, any folding knife must have a lock, and the blades of all knives must be of sufficient thickness so as not to break from the load. Handles of hunting knives should be comfortable to hold so that your hand will not get tired during long-term work. For all knives, according to the technical requirements, the length and thickness of the blade must be consistent, as well as the angle of inclination of the tip relative to the axis of the blade. With regard to the above, an interesting example is the collection of knives by the Swedish company Eriksson, consisting of four models, made in the configuration of the Swedish finca. The knives have a handle and a blade of a classic Finnish knife, but with a one-sided stopper. Their blades, depending on the color of the handle, are made of different types of steel. Knives with blue plastic handles have stainless steel blades, and knives with red handles are made of carbon steel. It is believed that in Sweden almost every construction worker walks with such a knife in his pocket. It should be noted that according to the current method of forensic investigation of cold weapons and structurally similar products in it, these knives can be attributed to cold weapons by the size of the blade. It is also interesting an urban-type knife, which is not a cold weapon of the Worden Tactical Medium Company. Renowned wizard Kelly Warden, an instructor for American Rangers, designs this knife. Since 2001, Kelly Warden has been the main consultant on impact and blade weapons of Detachment 1 of the US Special Forces. He trains Special Forces hand-to-hand combat with the use of a knife, machete, baton, sticks, as well as the method of forceful detention. The blade length of the knife described is 74 mm, thickness – 3.8 mm; the handle has a sub-finger protrusion to prevent the arm from slipping on the blade. The knife does not have a standard stopper, which, in addition to protecting it from slipping the hand on the blade, must prevent the hand from sinking into the victim’s body. By all measures, this knife is not a cold weapon in accordance with the requirements of the criminal law of Ukraine. Kelly Warden believes that the knife as a means of self-defense levels the difference in weight, height and physical strength, but its main drawback is its damaging ability. The proposed article is devoted to this circumstance, the definition of the role of the restrictor in classifying a knife as a cold weapon.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Chen ◽  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Elizabeth T. Luman ◽  
Susan O. Griffin ◽  
Deborah B. Rolka

<b>OBJECTIVE</b> <div><p>Diabetes is associated with poor oral health, but incremental expenditures for dental care associated with diabetes in the U.S. are unknown. We aimed to quantify these incremental expenditures per person and for the nation. </p> <p><b>RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS</b></p> <p>We analyzed data from 46,633 non-institutionalized adults aged ≥18 years old who participated in the 2016–2017 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey. We used two-part models to estimate dental expenditures per person in total, by payment source, and by dental service type, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and geographic variables. Incremental expenditure was the difference in predicted expenditure for dental care between adults with and without diabetes. The total expenditure for the US was the expenditure per person multiplied by the estimated number of people with diabetes. Expenditures were adjusted to 2017 US dollars.</p> <p><b>RESULTS</b></p> <p>The mean adjusted annual diabetes-associated incremental dental expenditure was $77 per person and $1.9 billion for the nation. Fifty-one percent ($40) and 39% ($30) of this incremental expenditure were paid out-of-pocket and by private insurance; 69% ($53) of the incremental expenditure was for restorative/prosthetic/surgical services; and adults with diabetes had lower expenditure for preventive services than those without (incremental -$7). Incremental expenditures were higher in older adults, non-Hispanic whites, and people with higher levels of income and education. </p> <p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b></p> <p>Diabetes is associated with higher dental expenditures. These results fill a gap in the estimates of total medical expenditures associated with diabetes in the US and highlight the importance of preventive dental care among people with diabetes.</p></div>


Author(s):  
Ben McFarland

Let’s move to a vantage point a little quieter: the surface of the moon. It is so still that Neil Armstrong’s footprints remain undisturbed. The only reason the US flag there appears to “fly” is that a wire holds it up. The moon and Mercury stayed still as Mars, Venus, and Earth moved on down the road of geological development. The moon is a “steady” environment, a word whose Middle English roots are appropriately tangled with the word for “sterile.” Nothing moves on the moon, but in its sky Mars, Venus, and Earth move in their orbits, just as they moved on in complexity 4 billion years ago. Out of the whole solar system, Mars and Venus are the most like Earth in size, position, and composition. Mars is smaller, but Venus could be Earth’s twin in size. If Earth and Venus were separated at birth, then something happened to obscure the family resemblance: liquid water brought life. To chemists, liquid is the third phase of matter, between solid and gas, and its presence made all the difference. Mars gleams a bright blood red even to the naked eye, while Venus is choked with thick yellow bands of clouds. Mars is cold enough to have carbon dioxide snow, while Venus is hot enough to melt tin and boil water. Earth’s blue oceans and green continents provide a bright, primary contrast. These three siblings have drastically different fortunes. At first, they looked the same, colored with black mafic basalt and glowing red magma. The original planets were all so hot that their atmospheres were driven off into space. The oceans and the air came from within. Steam condensed into oceans on each planet’s cool basalt surface. Oceans changed the planet. Water is a transformative chemical, small yet highly charged, seeping into the smallest cracks, dissolving what it can and carrying those things long distances. Venus, Earth, and Mars do not look like the moon because they have been washed in water. Mars is dry now, but the Curiosity rover left no doubt that the red planet was first blue with water.


Brain ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (9) ◽  
pp. 2733-2741
Author(s):  
Tanuja Chitnis ◽  
Greg Aaen ◽  
Anita Belman ◽  
Leslie Benson ◽  
Mark Gorman ◽  
...  

Abstract Incomplete relapse recovery contributes to disability accrual and earlier onset of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. We sought to investigate the effect of age on relapse recovery. We identified patients with multiple sclerosis from two longitudinal prospective studies, with an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score within 30 days after onset of an attack, and follow-up EDSS 6 months after attack. Adult patients with multiple sclerosis (n = 632) were identified from the Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigations in Multiple Sclerosis at Brigham study (CLIMB), and paediatric patients (n = 132) from the US Network of Paediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers (NPMSC) registry. Change in EDSS was defined as the difference in EDSS between attack and follow-up. Change in EDSS at follow-up compared to baseline was significantly lower in children compared to adults (P = 0.001), as were several functional system scores. Stratification by decade at onset for change in EDSS versus age found for every 10 years of age, EDSS recovery is reduced by 0.15 points (P &lt; 0.0001). A larger proportion of children versus adults demonstrated improvement in EDSS following an attack (P = 0.006). For every 10 years of age, odds of EDSS not improving increase by 1.33 times (P &lt; 0.0001). Younger age is associated with improved recovery from relapses. Age-related mechanisms may provide novel therapeutic targets for disability accrual in multiple sclerosis.


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