Transportation Access,Rental Vouchers,and Neighborhood Satisfaction: Evidence From the Moving to Opportunity Experiment

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is designed in part to expand the neighborhood choices of assisted households, thereby enabling assisted households to find a living environment that simultaneously meets their housing and neighborhood preferences. While several studies have examined the impact of rental subsidies on neighborhood satisfaction, few have examined whether access to adequate transportation enables HCV recipients to locate housing in more desirable locations. This article relies on data from the Moving to Opportunity experiment to examine the impact of transportation access, rental housing vouchers, and geographic constraints on neighborhood satisfaction. We find that access to both vehicles and public transit positively influences neighborhood satisfaction, and the influence of vehicle access varies with transit proximity. These findings point to the importance of transportation in helping low-income assisted renter households locate housing in more desirable neighborhoods.     

Determination and validation of tetrodotoxin in human whole blood using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy and its application

A sensitive analytical method was developed for the quantitative determination of tetrodotoxin (TTX), a powerful sodium channel blocker, in human postmortem whole blood. The sample mixture was cleaned up using cation exchange SPE catridge after protein precipitation by methanol and then separated on a PC-HILIC (phosphorylcholine hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography) column (150 mm × 2.0mm i.d., 5 μm) using a isocratic elution of 1% acetic acid and acetonitrile. The identification of TTX was performed on tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization interface in positive ion mode. The retention time of voglibose (internal standard) and TTX was 5.1 and 6.0 min, respectively. TTX and internal standard (voglibose) were monitored and quantitated using the ion transitions: the respective precursor to product ion combinations, m/z 320/302 for TTX and m/z 268/92 for voglibose in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The recovery of TTX and voglibose was 61.4% and 62.8%, respectively and the good accuracy (97.7-103.9%), linearity (2-1200 ng/mL) and reproducibility were shown in this method. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.32 ng/mL and 1.08 ng/mL, respectively. This method was applied in the case of three fishermen who were poisoned (including one death) by unknown fish on their boat in October 2010. In this case, the levels of TTX were 27.2, 30.0 and 29.7 ng/mL in heart blood, peripheral blood and serum of a victim, were 3.1 and 12.1 ng/mL in peripheral blood and 3.9 and 12.8 ng/mL in serum of two survivors, respectively.     

The Effect of Temperature and Exposure Time on Stability of Cholesterol and Squalene in Latent Fingermarks Deposited on PVDF Membrane

Cholesterol and squalene are fatty materials of latent fingermarks that can be utilized for dating methodologies and visualization techniques. Previous studies have suggested these compounds undergo degradation in fingermarks as a function of time (days) and light at ambient temperature. However, studies assessing how their composition changes at low and high temperatures over short periods of time (hours) have not been published previously. Here, we performed quantitative analysis of cholesterol and squalene in natural fingermark residue using PVDF membrane, after exposure to a range of temperatures (−20 to 100°C) for 4 and 8 h. We found that levels of both fatty materials remained constant at −20 to 60°C, but both showed significant reduction at 100°C, over short exposure times. These results indicate that cholesterol and squalene are detectable at −20 to 60°C, whereas at 100°C or higher, both are lost due to rapid thermal degradation.     

Promotion of the right of establishment in EU: focusing on the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Imperative Requirement Doctrine</Emphasis>

Consolidation of the “Common European Market” is a key feature of the European Union, which is made possible by the freedom in movement of goods, capital, services, and people. The freedom of movement for businesses manifests itself as the right of establishment. The aim of this paper is to examine various issues surrounding the right of establishment and to analyze the position of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in each case. The analysis of cases illustrates a consistent opinion of the ECJ: The right of establishment is highly protected, but it must be exercised in the context of national legislation. Government regulation in market access, on the other hand, must meet the imperative requirement doctrine: it must be non-discriminatory, there must be general public interest at stake, the regulation must be an effective means of promoting public interest, and the regulation must be necessary and proportional to the general interest at stake. In sum, the ECJ upholds the right of establishment but nonetheless respects the states’ specific regulatory authority as long as they conform to the imperative requirement doctrine.     

Exploring the trend of violence against women in India

ABSTRACT

India is witnessing growing violence against women including horrific rapes even in major metropolitan areas that have attracted considerable media attention. Insecurity and physical threat to women is real and a major concern. Justice Verma Commission that examined the Delhi rape case has recommended several measures including changes in laws involving crimes against women, yet little has changed. In this paper we conduct a variety of qualitative and quantitative analyses using open source data to understand the nature and extent of crimes against women in India. Police records indeed suggest a growing escalation in serious crimes against women. The paper also critically examines the efforts of the police and others, particularly non-governmental groups to combat such crimes. A number of policy recommendations are made for prevention including comparative efforts in Korea where crimes against women are similarly serious.     

Leaders, voters and activists in the elections in Great Britain 2005 and 2010

Discussion of the relationship between parties and the electorate is often based on the notion of partisan constituencies, that parties adopt policy positions that correspond to the average position of the party supporters. In contrast, the Downsian “spatial model” assumes that parties are purely opportunistic and maneuver to gain as many votes as possible. A third, more empirical model, based on the early work of Stokes, assumes that voter choice is based on the evaluation of each of the party leader’s competence or ability to deliver policy success. Such an evaluation can be provided by individual voter overall assessment in terms of the leaders’ character traits.This paper attempts to relate these three classes of models by examining the elections in Great Britain in 2005 and 2010. Using the British Election Study, we construct spatial models of these elections in Great Britain as well as in the three regions of England, Scotland and Wales. The models incorporate the electoral perceptions of character traits. We compare the equilibrium vote maximizing positions with the partisan positions, estimated by taking the mean of each of the parties voters’ preferred positions. We define an equilibrium to be a stable attractor if the vote share at the equilibrium exceeds the share at the partisan position by a significant proportion (determined by the implicit error of the stochastic model). We infer that none of the equilibria are stable attractors, and suggest that the partisan positions are also preferred by the party activists, the key supporters of each party.     

The variable choice set logit model applied to the 2004 Canadian election

Formal work on the electoral model often suggests that parties should locate at the electoral mean. Recent research has found no evidence of such convergence. In order to explain non-convergence, the stochastic electoral model is extended by including a competence and sociodemographic valance in a country where regional and national parties compete in the election. That is, the model allows voters to face different sets of parties in different regions. We introduce the notion of a convergence coefficient, c for regional and national parties and show that when c is high there is a significant centrifugal tendency acting on parties. An electoral survey of the 2004 election in Canada is used to construct a stochastic electoral model of the election with two regions: Québec and the rest of Canada. The survey allows us to estimate voter positions in the policy space. The variable choice set logit model is used to built a relationship between party position and vote share. We find that in the local Nash equilibrium for the election the two main parties with high competence valence, the Liberals and Conservatives, locate at the national electoral mean and the Bloc Québécois, with the highest competence valence, locates at the Québec electoral mean. The New Democratic Party has a low competence valence but remains at the national mean. The Greens, with lowest competence valence, locate away from the national mean to increase its vote share.     

Forensic evaluation and haplotypes of 19 Y-chromosomal STR loci in Koreans

In this study, 19 Y-specific STR loci (DYS19, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385, DYS388, DYS434, DYS435, DYS436, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS446, DYS449, and DYS464) were analyzed in 301 unrelated Korean males by three multiplex PCR systems. The haplotype diversity using the classical set of Y-STRs (DYS19, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, and DYS385; multiplex I) was 0.9963. For the same individuals, the haplotype diversity value using the new set of highly informative Y-STRs (DYS385, DYS446, DYS449, and DYS464; multiplex III) was 0.9989, while that using the combined set of Y-STRs by adding DYS388 to the previously studied DYS434, DYS435, DYS436, DYS437, DYS438, and DYS439 (multiplex II) was 0.9509. A total of 297 different haplotypes were identified using the 19 Y-STR markers, of which 293 were unique and 4 were found twice. The overall haplotype diversity was 0.9999. The evaluation of the information of selected markers by combination of each marker with the minimal haplotype showed that DYS434, DYS435, DYS436, DYS437, and DYS438 do not significantly contribute to increment of haplotype diversity. However, respective conjunction of DYS464, DYS449, and DYS446 with the minimal haplotype considerably increased the haplotype diversity. Especially, DYS464 is expected to be the most useful marker that can be included in the expanded minimal haplotype. These results including the haplotype data at 19 Y-STR loci in the present study would provide useful information in forensic practice in a Korean population.     

Mental Health Treatment Experiences and Expectations in Foster Care: A Qualitative Investigation

This study explores perspectives on mental health treatment experiences and expectations for youth in foster care and their foster parents. In-depth interviews were conducted and identified for major themes: (1) the dual stigma of foster care and mental health care; (2) the lack of engagement in mental health therapy; (3) trust issues with the therapist and other individuals; and (4) the desire to integrate mental health services with primary care services. These results have implications for mental health service delivery and suggest opportunities to improve mental health treatment through an integrated care approach.