Key US Research Articles

The digital cult of the offensive and the US military

ABSTRACT For the US, the information age seemed to advantage the offense, with technologies and campaigns of long-range, fast, and overwhelming first strike advantage. But where did the US digital cult of the offensive come from? To answer this question, I examine the development of two key US warfighting concepts – the Army’s field manual 100-5 and the 2012 Air Sea Battle. The exploration reveals a complicated relationship between civ-mil relations, an American and Army culture at a key domestic moment, and a geopolitical context which culminated to create a digital cult of the offensive in the information age.

US of the Penis: Beyond Erectile Dysfunction.

High-frequency US, with a linear transducer and gray-scale, color, and spectral Doppler US techniques, is the primary imaging modality for evaluation of the penis. It can allow delineation of anatomy and assessment of dynamic blood flow; it is easily available and noninvasive or minimally invasive; it is cost effective; and it is well tolerated by patients. US assessment after pharmacologic induction of erection is an additional tool in assessing patients with suspected vasculogenic impotence, and also in selected patients with penile trauma and suspected Peyronie disease. Penile injuries, life-threatening infections, and vascular conditions such as priapism warrant rapid diagnosis to prevent long-term morbidities due to clinical misdiagnosis or delayed treatment. US can facilitate a timely diagnosis in these emergency conditions, even at the point of care such as the emergency department, which can facilitate timely treatment. In addition, color and spectral Doppler US are valuable applications in the follow-up of patients treated with endovascular revascularization procedures for vasculogenic erectile dysfunction. Image optimization and attention to meticulous techniques including Doppler US is vital to improve diagnostic accuracy. Radiologists should be familiar with the detailed US anatomy, pathophysiologic characteristics, scanning techniques, potential pitfalls, and US manifestations of a wide spectrum of vascular and nonvascular penile conditions to suggest an accurate diagnosis and direct further management. The authors review a range of common and uncommon abnormalities of the penis, highlight their key US features, discuss differential diagnosis considerations, and briefly review management. ©RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article.

Democratic Ties That Bind? US–China Conflict and Foreign Policy Opinion in Japan and Korea

AbstractWhile the Biden administration has framed US–China relations as part of a broader contest between democracy and autocracy, the potential international repercussions of this stance remain unclear. How will other democracies and, in particular, the citizens of key democratic US allies respond to a world characterized by increasing rivalry between dictatorships and democracies? We seek to answer this question through survey experiments in Japan and South Korea. We randomly assign information to respondents, highlighting the differences in democracy and human rights practices in the US–China relationship. Despite prior research and recent US policy documents suggesting that increasing tension over democracy and human rights in US–China relations will lead to democratic US allies moving even closer to the United States, our findings diverge from this expectation. When provided with information about this tension, the level of support for more cooperation with Washington decreases in both Japan and Korea. Our findings point to the need to revisit an assumption in much of the academic literature: Given a choice between cooperation with authoritarian and democratic countries in conflict, democracies—and their publics—will gravitate toward the latter.

2022-2023 Drug Updates in Solid Tumors.

At JADPRO Live 2023 in Orlando, Lisa M. Holle, PharmD, BCOP, FHOPA, FISOPP, briefed advanced practitioners on key US Food and Drug Administration approvals from late 2022 to late 2023. Dr. Holle described indications, mechanisms of action, and monitoring and management of side effects of new therapies in solid malignancies.

The Implications of Great Power Politics in the Decade Long Syrian Civil War

This research analyzes the implications US and Russian involvement has had as two great powers in the Syrian civil war for international relations in the Middle East as well as for the relations between Washington and Moscow. Using a structural realist approach, this study suggests that the actions of both the US and Russia have mostly been defined by geopolitical status-quo concerns. As a result, they have preferred that their great power play be contained in Syria. As key findings, this study puts forward that the US-Russia showdown in Syria has prolonged the destruction and shaken US alliances in the region while allowing Iran as a key US adversary in the region to extend its influence deep into the region under cover of Russia. Furthermore, contrary to their broader escalatory security policies, Russia and the US have adopted containment approaches and avoided direct confrontation using Cold War tools.

Japan in the us indo-pacific strategy: strengthening role to contain china

The article is devoted to the changing role of Japan within the framework of the bilateral alliance with the USA. To begin with, the article considers the evolution of US-Japan relations up to the present stage. Further, attention is focused on the build-up by the Japanese side of military power and the modernization of the alliance with the USA under the governments of S. Abe and F. Kishida. The analysis allows the author to move on to the final part, which proves the growing importance of Japan in the context of the American strategy of the 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific Region'. The author discusses the prospects for strengthening Japan’s role in world politics as a key US ally in deterring China.

CONCEPTUALISING THE ROLE OF INDIA IN NORTH KOREA`S DENUCLEARISATION

The US and its allies perceive North Korea's acquisition of nuclear weapons as a significant strategic challenge in the region. Diplomatic efforts have been made to persuade the Kim regime to abandon its nuclear programme, but they have failed. The DPRK considers nuclear weapons capability vital for deterrence against external threats and strategically crucial for national defence. India, a key US ally in containing China, has taken a stiffer stance towards Pyongyang's nuclear programme while enhancing its role in contributing to North Korea's denuclearisation. It represents itself as a staunch opponent of nuclear proliferation and the development of sophisticated weapons. This paper explores India's role in North Korea's perceived denuclearisation. It highlights that India has adopted a dual-standard approach to nuclear proliferation and sophisticated weapons and is also trying to create a technological nexus between Pakistan and North Korea, allegedly to achieve strategic ambitions in South Asia and assert pressure on Pakistan with the help of the US and its Western allies. Bibliography Entry Kakar, Sher Ali and Muhammad Adil Khan. 2023. "Conceptualising the Role of India in North Korea’s Denuclearisation." Margalla Papers 27 (1): 166-175.

Ontological (in)Security and the Iran Nuclear Deal—Explaining Instability in US Foreign Policy Interests

Abstract On July 14, 2015, under the leadership of the Obama administration, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal—was signed. After 35 years of diplomatic isolation, the agreement marked a watershed moment in the United States–Iran relations and achieved a key US national security objective regarding nuclear non-proliferation. However, the agreement faced significant domestic opposition grounded in concerns that Iran was untrustworthy. Yet, the prospect of withdrawal generated a sense of insecurity that the United States’s status as a “responsible world leader” would be undermined, despite ongoing anxieties around Iran’s compliance. What explains such a paradox in foreign policy preferences? By incorporating discursive institutionalist approaches with ontological security perspectives, I work to show how President Obama’s entry into the agreement generated ontological insecurities as he struggled to displace existing narratives around Iran as a hostile, untrustworthy actor. Yet, Iran’s compliance with the agreement made it equally difficult for Trump to justify withdrawal; instead, his efforts raised additional concerns that America’s international standing would be undermined. Theoretically, this paper incorporates discursive institutionalist insights with ontological security to disaggregate how different conceptions of the “Self” are contested and activated in policy debates in ways that lead to instability and variation in US foreign policy.

Assessing barriers to access and equity for COVID-19 vaccination in the US

BackgroundHistorical vaccination coverage in economically disadvantaged, ethnic minority, non-affluent white and agricultural populations in the US has lagged coverage in more affluent urban and suburban white populations due to a variety of social and economic factors. In the current COVID-19 pandemic, sociocultural and economic challenges continue to present significant obstacles to achieving equitable uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. The goal of this study was to qualitatively assess perceptions of key US healthcare stakeholders of the most significant barriers to COVID-19 vaccine access and equity to better characterize their expected impact on US communities.MethodsAfter conducting a targeted literature review (TLR), we hypothesized 20 high-impact barriers which included structural and logistical barriers, capturing systemic challenges to vaccine accessibility, and attitudinal and informational barriers, affecting patient willingness to pursue vaccination. We developed a qualitative discussion guide, which included both open-ended and closed-ended questions, and interview stimulus material to conduct one-on-one in-depth interviews to assess the expected prevalence, severity, and persistence of these 20 high-impact barriers, which were hypothesized based on TLR. As a part of this qualitative study, we conducted one-on-one in-depth interviews with a diverse set of 15 US healthcare stakeholders who were involved in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in states with relatively disparate vaccination rates by ethnicity. These stakeholders were selected to reflect an array of roles in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, including infectious disease specialists, pharmacists, community advocacy representatives, and partners of local governments involved in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and community education.ResultsRespondents identified limited vaccination sites in rural settings and technology-related barriers as the most prevalent and severe structural and logistical barriers in US communities. Respondents assessed COVID-19 vaccine safety concerns and politically motivated skepticism to be the most prevalent and severe attitudinal and informational barriers. Respondents cited proliferation of mobile vaccination clinics and local community messaging to endorse vaccines as the most effective solutions to these top structural and attitudinal barriers. Respondents expected politically motivated skepticism to be the most significant and persistent barrier to broader vaccine uptake in the US.ConclusionsOur study suggests that attitudinal barriers, particularly politically motivated skepticism, are likely to remain the most persistent challenges to widespread vaccination against COVID-19 in the US.

The Conservative Policy Bias of US Senate Malapportionment

ABSTRACTThe US Senate is unique in the United States and rare internationally for its total disregard of population differences among its representational units. To analyze malapportionment’s policy impact, we devised a hypothetical reapportionment scheme that more closely approximates state population but remains favorable to small states. We developed a formula to reweight senators’ roll-call votes to reflect better state population differences. We recalculated 804 key US Senate votes between 1961 and 2019 and found that state equality in the Senate systematically biases policy outcomes toward Republican preferences.

Pulse-Echo Quantitative US Biomarkers for Liver Steatosis: Toward Technical Standardization.

Excessive liver fat (steatosis) is now the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide and is an independent risk factor for cirrhosis and associated complications. Accurate and clinically useful diagnosis, risk stratification, prognostication, and therapy monitoring require accurate and reliable biomarker measurement at acceptable cost. This article describes a joint effort by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) and the RSNA Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) to develop standards for clinical and technical validation of quantitative biomarkers for liver steatosis. The AIUM Liver Fat Quantification Task Force provides clinical guidance, while the RSNA QIBA Pulse-Echo Quantitative Ultrasound Biomarker Committee develops methods to measure biomarkers and reduce biomarker variability. In this article, the authors present the clinical need for quantitative imaging biomarkers of liver steatosis, review the current state of various imaging modalities, and describe the technical state of the art for three key liver steatosis pulse-echo quantitative US biomarkers: attenuation coefficient, backscatter coefficient, and speed of sound. Lastly, a perspective on current challenges and recommendations for clinical translation for each biomarker is offered.

US Trade Policy With China: Proposing A New Framework for US Economic Competitiveness

Due to the Biden Administration’s decision to uphold a large majority of the Trump administration’s protectionist trade policies, US manufacturing industries are failing to control the market share. This paper explores the proper solutions that need to be taken to restore US competitiveness with China, prioritizing US cooperation with allies and China instead of unwarranted tensions. This paper analyzes the effects of US tariffs on Chinese imported goods on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the US, US Gross Domestic Product (GDP), US manufacturing wages, and overall US manufacturing costs to argue that key US tariffs on Chinese imports should be eliminated. This paper explores the benefits of trade specialization and its effects on the US’s Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) to argue that the US should champion free trade policies such as revitalizing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Finally, this report recommends that the US kickstart wholesale WTO reforms that change the process by which member states identify as “developing” or “developed” nations, and institute stricter litigation statutes against Chinese WTO violations.

Viscoelastic or Viscoplastic Glucose Theory (VGT #89): Using Frequency-Domain Energy Method to Verify the Results from Space-Domain VGT Energy Method for Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, and Type 2 Diabetes Resulting from Body Weight Changes over Two Periods, Y12-Y16 Versus Y17-Y22, Based on GH-Method: Math-Physical Medicine (No. 679)

The author is a mathematician and engineer who has conducted medical research work over the past 13 years in the fields of endocrinology, metabolic disorder-induced chronic diseases (especially diabetes), and their resulting various medical complications. Thus far, he has written and published 600+ research papers in various journals using different math-physical medicine methodologies (MPM). Beginning with paper No. 578 dated 1/8/2022, he has written 80+ medical papers and 4 economics papers using viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity theories (VGT) tools from physics and engineering disciplines. These papers aim to explore some hidden physical behaviors and provide a deeper quantitative understanding of the inter-relationships of a selected output (symptom) versus singular input or multiple inputs (root causes, risk factors, or influential factors). In the field of medical research, the hidden biophysical behaviors and possible inter-relationships exist among lifestyle details, medical conditions, chronic diseases, and certain medical complications, such as heart at- tacks, stroke, cancers, dementia, and even longevity concerns. He has noticed that most of the medical subjects with their associated data, multiple symptoms, and influential factors are “time-dependent” which means that all biomedical variables change from time to time because body living cells are dynamically changing. This is what Professor Norman Jones, the author’s adviser at MIT, suggested to him in December 2021 and why he utilizes the VGT tools from physics and engineering to conduct his medical research work since then. Papers No. 671 through No. 674 focused on the COVID infectious disease as input and three key US economic measurements as outputs. From this economics exercise, he realized that the established theory of viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity (from the physics branch of science) should not only be limited to the scope of engineering applications. Its ability to link certain time-dependent variables and their physical characteristics and associated energy estimation via the hysteresis loop area are equally powerful for applications in many other research fields, such as economics and medicine.

Viscoelastic or Viscoplastic Glucose Theory (VGT #92): Using Two Cases of Frequency-Domain Variables and Frequency-Domain Energy Analysis Results to Compare Against the Findings Using Space Domain-VGT Energy Tool for Cardiovascular Disease Risk % Versus Daily Estimated Average Glucose, Body Weight, and Food Quantity from a Type 2 Diabetes Patient Over 11 Years from Y2012 to Y2022 Based on GH-Method: Math-Physical

The author is an engineer who has conducted medical research work over the past 13 years in the fields of endocrinology, metabolic disorder-induced chronic diseases (especially diabetes), and their resulting various medical complications. Thus far, he has written and published more than 600 research papers in various jour- nals using math-physical medicine methodology (MPM). Beginning with Paper No. 578 dated 1/8/2022, he has written nearly 90 medical papers and 4 economics pa- pers using viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity theories (VGT) tools from physics and engineering disciplines. These papers aim to explore some hidden physical behaviors and provide a deeper quantitative understanding of the inter-relationships of a selected output (symptom) versus singular input or multiple inputs (root causes, risk factors, or influential factors). In the field of medical research, the hidden biophysical behaviors and possible inter-relationships exist among lifestyle details, medical conditions, chronic diseases, and certain medical complications, such as heart attacks, stroke, cancers, dementia, and even longevity concerns. He has noticed that most medical subjects with their associated data, multiple symptoms, and influential factors are “time-dependent” which means that all biomedical variables change from time to time because body living cells are dynamically changing. This is what Professor Norman Jones, the author’s adviser at MIT, suggested to him in December 2021 and why he utilizes the VGT tools from physics and engineering to conduct his medical research work since then. Papers No. 671 through No. 674 focused on the COVID infectious disease as the input and three key US economic measurements as the outputs. From this economics exercise, he realized that the established theory of viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity (from the physics branch of science) should not only be limited to the scope of engineering applications. Its ability to link certain time-dependent variables and their physical characteristics and associated energy estimation via the hysteresis loop area is equally powerful for applications in many other research fields, such as economics and medicine.

Viscoelastic or Viscoplastic Glucose Theory (VGT #95): Applying Both SpaceDomain VGT Analysis and Frequency-Domain Fast Fourier Transform Analysis to Study the Chronic Kidney Disease Risk Percentages Versus HbA1C, ACR, and Urination Frequency at Night from Bladder Conditions using a Type 2 Diabetes Patient Data over the Past ~13 Years from Y2010 to Y2022 Based on GH-Method: Math-Physical Medicine (No. 685)

The author is an engineer who has conducted medical research work over the past 13 years in the fields of endocrinology, metabolic disorder-induced chronic diseases (especially diabetes), and their resulting various medical complications. Thus far, he has written and published nearly 700 research papers in various medical journals using math-physical medicine methodology (MPM). Beginning with paper No. 578 dated 1/8/2022, he has written 90 medical papers and 4 economics papers using viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity theories (VGT) tools from physics and engineering disciplines. These papers aim to explore some hidden physical behaviors and provide a deeper quantitative understanding of the inter-relationships of a selected output (symptom) versus singular input or multiple inputs (root causes, risk factors, or influential factors). In the field of medical research, the hidden biophysical behaviors and possible inter-relationships exist among lifestyle details, medical conditions, chronic diseases, and certain medical complications, such as heart attacks, stroke, kidney failure, cancers, dementia, and even longevity concerns. He has noticed that most medical sub- jects with their associated data, multiple symptoms, and influential factors are “time-dependent” which means that all biomedical variables change from time to time because body living cells are dynamically changing. This is what Professor Norman Jones, the author’s adviser at MIT, suggested to him in December 2021 and why he utilizes the VGT tools from physics and engineering to conduct his medical research work since then. Papers No. 671 through No. 674 were focused on the input of COVID infectious disease versus three key US economic outputs, GDP, Inflation, and CPI. From these 4 economics exercises, he further realized that the established theory of viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity (from engineering and physics) should not only be limited to the scope of engineering applications. Its ability to link certain time-dependent variables and their physical characteristics and associated energy estimation via the hysteresis loop area are equally powerful for applications in many other research fields, such as economics, psychology, social science, and medicine. Of course, one of the major challenges of VGT analysis is always related to data mining, selection, and prepara- tion. This particular Paper No. 685 discussed his inter-relationship findings regarding chronic kidney diseases (CKD) risk percentage versus type 2 diabetes situation via HbA1C (A1C), kidney damage assessment via urine albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR), and bladder or prostate conditions checking via a symptom of wakeup times for urination at night.

Viscoelastic or Viscoplastic Glucose Theory (VGT #91): Using Time-Domain, Space-Domain, and Frequency-Domain Analysis Methods to Compare the Results of Longevity Versus Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, and Type 2 Diabetes Conditions over Two Sub-Periods, Y12-Y14 Versus Y15-Y22, Based on GH-Method: Math-Physical Medicine (No. 681)

The author is a mathematician and engineer who has conducted medical research work over the past 13 years in the fields of endocrinology, metabolic disorder induced chronic diseases (especially diabetes), and their resulting various medical complications. Thus far, he has written and published 600+ research papers in var- ious journals using different math-physical medicine methodologies (MPM). Beginning with paper No. 578 dated 1/8/2022, he has written 80+ medical papers and 4 economics papers using viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity theories (VGT) tools from physics and engineering disciplines. These papers aim to explore some hidden physical behaviors and provide a deeper quantitative understanding of the inter-relationships of a selected output (symptom) versus singular input or multiple inputs (root causes, risk factors, or influential factors). In the field of medical research, the hidden biophysical behaviors and possible inter-relationships exist among lifestyle details, medical conditions, chronic diseases, and certain medical complications, such as heart attacks, stroke, cancers, dementia, and even longevity concerns. He has noticed that most medical subjects with their associated data, multiple symptoms, and influential factors are “time-dependent” which means that all biomedical variables change from time to time because body living cells are dynamically changing. This is what Professor Norman Jones, the author’s adviser at MIT, suggested to him in December 2021 and why he utilizes the VGT tools from physics and engineering to conduct his medical research work since then. Papers No. 671 through No. 674 focused on the COVID infectious disease as the input and three key US economic measurements as the outputs. From this economics exercise, he realized that the established theory of viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity (from the physics branch of science) should not only be limited to the scope of engineering applications. Its ability to link certain time-dependent variables and their physical characteristics and associated energy estimation via the hysteresis loop area is equally powerful for applications in many other research fields, such as economics and medicine.

Quantifying within‐species trait variation in space and time reveals limits to trait‐mediated drought response

Abstract Climate change is stressing many forests around the globe, yet some tree species may be able to persist through acclimation and adaptation to new environmental conditions. The ability of a tree to acclimate during its lifetime through changes in physiology and functional traits, defined here as its acclimation potential, is not well known. We investigated the acclimation potential of trembling aspen Populus tremuloides and ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa trees by examining within‐species variation in drought response functional traits across both space and time, and how trait variation influences drought‐induced tree mortality. We measured xylem tension, morphological traits and physiological traits on mature trees in southwestern Colorado, USA across a climate gradient that spanned the distribution limits of each species and 3 years with large differences in climate. Trembling aspen functional traits showed high within‐species variation, and osmotic adjustment and carbon isotope discrimination were key determinants for increased drought tolerance in dry sites and in dry years. However, trembling aspen trees at low elevation were pushed past their drought tolerance limit during the severe 2018 drought year, as elevated mortality occurred. Higher specific leaf area during drought was correlated with higher percentages of canopy dieback the following year. Ponderosa pine functional traits showed less within‐species variation, though osmotic adjustment was also a key mechanism for increased drought tolerance. Remarkably, almost all traits varied more year‐to‐year than across elevation in both species. Our results shed light on the scope and limits of intraspecific trait variation for mediating drought responses in key southwestern US tree species and will help improve our ability to model and predict forest responses to climate change. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Viscoelastic or Viscoplastic Glucose Theory (VGT #90): An Investigation on longevity via Estimated Health Age Minus Real Biological Age from 3 Medical Conditions of Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, and Type 2 Diabetes using Data Collected from Y2012 to Y2022 Based on GH-Method: Math-Physical Medicine, Especially the VGT Tool (No. 680)

The author is a mathematician and engineer who has conducted medical research work over the past 13 years in the fields of endocrinology, metabolic disorder-induced chronic diseases, specifically diabetes, and their resulting various medical complications, including geriatrics. Thus far, he has written and published 600+ research papers in various journals using different math-physical medicine methodologies (MPM). Beginning with Paper No. 578 dated 1/8/2022, he has written 80+ medical papers and 4 economics papers using viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity theories (VGT) tools from physics and engineering disciplines. These 89 papers aim to explore some hidden physical behaviors and provide a deeper quantitative understanding of the inter-relationships of a selected output (symptom) versus singular input or multiple inputs (root causes, risk factors, or influential factors). In the field of medical research, the hidden biophysical behaviors and possible inter-relationships exist among lifestyle details, medical conditions, chronic diseases, and certain severe medical complications, such as heart attacks, stroke, cancers, dementia, and even longevity concerns. He has noticed that most of medical subjects with their associated data, multiple symptoms, and influential factors are “time-dependent” which means that all biomedical variables change from time to time because body living cells are dynamically changing. This is what Professor Norman Jones, the author’s adviser at MIT, suggested to him in December 2021 and why he utilizes the VGT tools from physics and engineering to conduct his medical research work since then. Papers No. 671 through No. 674 focused on the COVID infectious disease using three key US economic measurements. From this economics exercise, he realized that the established theory of viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity (from the physics branch of science) should not only be limited to a smaller scope of engineering applications. Its ability to link certain time-dependent variables and their physical characteristics and associated energy estimation via the hysteresis loop area is equally powerful for applications in many other research fields, such as economics and medicine. The author would like to describe the essence of the VGT in 6 simple steps in plain English instead of mathematical equations for readers who do not have an extensive academic background in engineering, physics & mathematics - an excerpt from Wikipedia is included in the Method section of the full-text article. The first step is to collect the output data (strain or ε) on a time scale, e.g. longevity through estimated health age minus real biological age (age difference). The second step is to calculate the output change rate with time (dε/dt), e.g. the change rate of age difference over each year. The third step is to collect the input data (viscosity or η) on a time scale, e.g. cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk %, chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk %, or type 2 diabetes (T2D) via HbA1C values. The fourth step is to calculate the time-dependent input (time-dependent stress or σ) by multiplying dε/dt and η together. The “time-dependent input equation” is stress σ = strain change rate of dε/dt * viscosity η. The fifth step is to plot the input-output (i.e. stress-strain or cause-symptom) curve in a space domain or SD (x-axis versus y-axis) with strain (output or symptom) on the x-axis and stresses (timedependent inputs, causes, or stresses) on the y-axis. The sixth step is to calculate the total enclosed area within

Viscoelastic or Viscoplastic Glucose Theory (VGT #88): An Investigation on the Influences of Body Weight on 3 Diseases, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, and Type 2 Diabetes Using Data Collected from Y2012 to Y2022 from a Type 2 Diabetes Patient Based on GH-Method: Math-Physical Medicine, Especially the VGT Tool (No. 678)

The author is a mathematician and engineer who has conducted medical research work over the past 13 years in the fields of endocrinology, metabolic disorder-induced chronic diseases (especially diabetes), and their resulting various medical complications. Thus far, he has written and published 676 research papers in various journals using different math-physical medicine methodologies (MPM). Beginning with paper No. 578 dated 1/8/2022, he has written a total of 83 medical research and 4 economic research papers using viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity theories (VGT) tools from physics and engineering disciplines. These 85 papers aim to explore some hidden physical behaviors and provide a deeper quantitative understanding of the inter-relationships of a selected output (or symptom) versus singular input or multiple inputs (or root causes, risk factors, influential factors). The hidden biophysical behaviors and possible inter-relationships exist among lifestyle details, medical conditions, chronic diseases, and certain severe medical complications, such as heart attacks, stroke, cancers, dementia, and even longevity concerns. The chosen medical subjects with their associated data, multiple symptoms, and influential factors are “time-dependent” which means that all biomedical variables change from time to time because body living cells are dynamically changing. This is what Professor Norman Jones, the author’s adviser at MIT, suggested to him in December 2021 and why he utilizes the VGT tools from physics and engineering to conduct his medical research work since then. Papers No. 671 through No. 674 focused on the COVID infectious disease using three key US economic measurements. From this economic exercise, he realized that the established theory of viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity (from the physics branch of science) should not only be limited to a small scope of engineering applications. Its ability to link certain time-dependent variables and their physical characteristics and associated energy estimation via the hysteresis loop areas are equally powerful for applications in many other fields, including economics and medicine. The author would like to describe the essence of the VGT in 6 simple steps in plain English instead of mathematical equations for readers who do not have an extensive academic background in engineering, physics & mathematics - an excerpt from Wikipedia is included in the Method section of the full-text article. In this article, the first step is to collect the output data (strain or ε) on a time scale, e.g. cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk, or type 2 diabetes (T2D). The second step is to calculate the output change rate with time (dε/dt), e.g. the change rate of CVD, CKD, and T2D over each year. The third step is to collect the input data (viscosity or η) on a time scale, e.g. annual average body weight (BW). The fourth step is to calculate the time-dependent input (time-dependent stress or σ) by multiplying dε/dt and η together. The “time-dependent input equation” is stress σ = strain change rate of dε/dt * viscosity η. The fifth step is to plot the input-output (i.e. stress-strain or cause-symptom) curve in a space domain (x-axis versus y-axis) with strain (output or symptom) on the x-axis and stresses (time-dependent inputs, causes, or stresses) on the y-axis. The sixth step is to calculate the total enclosed area within these input-output curves (or hysteresis loop areas), which is also the indicator of associated energies (either created energy or dissipated energy) of this input and output dataset. These energy values can also be considered as the degrees of influence on output by inputs.

Seeing reason or seeing costs? The United States, counterterrorism, and the human rights of foreigners

It is well known that in the wake of 9/11, the United States committed various extraterritorial human rights violations, that is, human rights violations against foreigners outside of its territory. What is less known is that the United States has gradually introduced safeguards that are, at least on paper, meant to prevent its counter-terrorism policies from causing harm to foreigners abroad or, at least, to mitigate such harm. Based on three case studies on the development of safeguards related to torture, targeted killing, and mass surveillance, we show that two mechanisms, coercion and strategic learning, deployed either on their own or in combination, can account for the development of such safeguards. By contrast, we found no evidence of a third mechanism, moral persuasion, having any direct effect. In other words, US policymakers opt to introduce such safeguards either when they face pressure from other states, courts, or civil society that makes immediate action necessary or when they anticipate that not introducing them will, at a later date, result in prohibitively high costs. We did not find evidence of US policymakers establishing safeguards because they deemed them morally appropriate. From this we conclude that, although the emerging norm that states have extraterritorial (and not just domestic) human rights obligations may not have been internalized by key US policymakers, it nevertheless has a regulative effect on them insofar as the fact that relevant others believe in the norm restricts their leeway and influences their cost–benefit calculations.