Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can Labor Market Imperfections Cause Overprovision of Public Inputs

This paper concerns provision of productive public inputs in the presence of unemployment. It is shown that if the government is able to implement optimal taxes on labor income and profit income, respectively, then the public input will be underprovided. On the other hand, if the government is not able to implement an optimal tax on labor income, e.g. because the labor income tax is determined at another level in the public sector (e.g. the municipal or the state level), then overprovision may occur. We derive an equation which links overprovision of the public input to (i) the employment rate and to (ii) the deviation of the actual labor income tax from the optimal level.
Constituencies for Limitation and Regionalism

Citizen responses to two successful growth-management referenda on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, are analyzed. A development moratorium and the creation of a regional land-use management agency represented contrasting strategies for managing growth problems; differences in support between the two approaches are examined. Individuals with direct links to the local economy provided the least support for a moratorium. Regionalism was supported by individuals with strong provincial attitudes because they were aware of the extra local impacts of development and anticipated tangible benefits from regional land-use planning. A two-tier approach was supported by a majority of the respondents, but generally, regionalism was given greater support than was the moratorium.
Frequency Adaptive Least-Squares-Kalman Technique for Real-Time Voltage Envelope and Flicker Estimation

This paper presents real-time implementation of a new frequency adaptive least-squares-Kalman (LSK) technique to monitor voltage flicker and fluctuations in power system. The proposed method is based on a two-level mathematical model of a voltage waveform. A simple low computation frequency tracking method is also introduced. The least-squares (LS) optimization algorithm extracts the fundamental frequency component of the voltage and updates its internal model based on the estimated frequency of the voltage waveform. The Kalman filter, which works in combination with the LS algorithm, is developed to predict the instantaneous voltage flicker level. The proposed method is robust and adaptive and is evaluated experimentally through real-time implementation with a widely available digital control board.
Multiple comparisons problem: Recent advances applied to energy and emissions

Within the field of empirical finance, the econometric analysis of markets commonly suffers from the well-established problem of data-snooping bias, whereby there is a likelihood that statistically significant results may be identified by pure random chance alone. This is the multiple comparisons problem resulting from Multiple Hypothesis Testing (MHT). Recent advances in MHT techniques to control the multiple comparisons problem are uniquely showcased within a VAR and Granger causality testing of energy and emissions market interactions. Four generalized p-value-based MHT techniques show no evidence of interactions between European Union Allowance (EUA) prices and a range of energy prices – spanning key oil, gas, coal and electricity markets – over the first half or so (2008–2010) of Phase II of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The generalized familywise error rate procedures show evidence of regional and cross-regional interactions within European electricity markets. However, in contrast, the more conservative false discovery proportion procedures identify much fewer statistically significant relationship and, indeed, show little evidence of such cross-regional electricity market interactions.
Development of a multidisciplinary approach to assess regional sustainability

There are a number of established, scientifically supported metrics of sustainability. Many of the metrics are data-intensive and require extensive effort to collect data and compute the metrics. Moreover, individual metrics do not capture all aspects of a system that are relevant to sustainability. A pilot project was initiated to create an approach to measure, monitor, and maintain prosperity and environmental quality of a regional system. The goal was to produce a straightforward, inexpensive methodology that is simple to use and interpret. This requires historical data be readily accessible, metrics must be applicable to the relevant scale, and results must meet the needs of decision-makers. Because sustainability is a multidimensional concept, the research group consisted of a multidisciplinary team that identified the major components of an environmental system. We selected metrics to capture the multidimensionality of sustainability in environmental systems and included: (1) emergy to capture the quality-normalized flow of energy through the system; (2) ecological footprint to capture the impact of humans on the system; (3) green net regional product to estimate human prosperity and well being within the system; and (4) Fisher information to capture the dynamic order of the system. We were able to compute metrics for a test geographic region using existing datasets. Preliminary analysis indicates that each metric reveals a somewhat different trend. These preliminary findings support the idea that characterization of sustainability requires a multidisciplinary approach and demonstrate the need to measure multiple aspects of an environmental system.
Agricultural insecticides threaten surface waters at the global scale

Significance Agricultural systems are drivers of global environmental degradation. Insecticides, in particular, are highly biologically active substances that can threaten the ecological integrity of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Despite widespread insecticide application to croplands worldwide, no comprehensive field data-based evaluation of their risk to global surface waters exists. Our data show, for the first time to our knowledge at the global scale, that more than 50% of detected insecticide concentrations (n = 11,300) exceed regulatory threshold levels. This finding indicates that surface water pollution resulting from current agricultural insecticide use constitutes an excessive threat to aquatic biodiversity. Overall, our analysis suggests that fundamental revisions of current regulatory procedures and pesticide application practices are needed to reverse the global environmental impacts of agrochemical-based high-intensity agriculture. Compared with nutrient levels and habitat degradation, the importance of agricultural pesticides in surface water may have been underestimated due to a lack of comprehensive quantitative analysis. Increasing pesticide contamination results in decreasing regional aquatic biodiversity, i.e., macroinvertebrate family richness is reduced by ∼30% at pesticide concentrations equaling the legally accepted regulatory threshold levels (RTLs). This study provides a comprehensive metaanalysis of 838 peer-reviewed studies (>2,500 sites in 73 countries) that evaluates, for the first time to our knowledge on a global scale, the exposure of surface waters to particularly toxic agricultural insecticides. We tested whether measured insecticide concentrations (MICs; i.e., quantified insecticide concentrations) exceed their RTLs and how risks depend on insecticide development over time and stringency of environmental regulation. Our analysis reveals that MICs occur rarely (i.e., an estimated 97.4% of analyses conducted found no MICs) and there is a complete lack of scientific monitoring data for ∼90% of global cropland. Most importantly, of the 11,300 MICs, 52.4% (5,915 cases; 68.5% of the sites) exceeded the RTL for either surface water (RTLSW) or sediments. Thus, the biological integrity of global water resources is at a substantial risk. RTLSW exceedances depend on the catchment size, sampling regime, and sampling date; are significantly higher for newer-generation insecticides (i.e., pyrethroids); and are high even in countries with stringent environmental regulations. These results suggest the need for worldwide improvements to current pesticide regulations and agricultural pesticide application practices and for intensified research efforts on the presence and effects of pesticides under real-world conditions.
Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Utility‐Scale Wind Power

A systematic review and harmonization of life cycle assessment (LCA) literature of utility‐scale wind power systems was performed to determine the causes of and, where possible, reduce variability in estimates of life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Screening of approximately 240 LCAs of onshore and offshore systems yielded 72 references meeting minimum thresholds for quality, transparency, and relevance. Of those, 49 references provided 126 estimates of life cycle GHG emissions.
Explaining the Adoption and Implementation of Local Environmental Policies in the United States

ABSTRACT: Using a large national sample of U.S. cities the authors create an environmental policy index to explore the factors that explain the adoption and implementation of environmental policies at the local level. Using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate methods, these data indicate that cities with higher populations, more highly educated citizens, higher percentages of Hispanic residents, located in the West (and more specifically California), and that are central cities are more likely to engage in environmental policies. Furthermore, this article finds evidence of differences in engagement based upon the subarea of environmental protection examined.
A new tandem source-channel trellis coding scheme

The author presents a new tandem source-channel coding scheme consisting of a trellis source coder and a trellis-coded modulation (TCM) channel coder. The motivation for the use of TCM, instead of conventional channel coding schemes such as convolutional codes, arises from the fact that by using TCM, improvement in the signal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR) is achieved without bandwidth expansion. Criteria for the choice of TCM codes are discussed, and TCM schemes suitable for this application are presented. Simulation results for both a Gauss-Markov source and speech samples indicate that the present scheme results in considerable improvement not only over uncoded transmission but also in comparison with the joint source-channel trellis coding. >
A pluralist approach to microeconomics

A great strength of traditional economics is the absence of a welldeveloped, coherent alternative. The pressure to teach something often results in orthodox microeconomics ruling the roost. However, political economists should not be afraid to teach approaches which, in apparent contrast to the logically complete traditional economics of the firm, are inchoate and do not answer every question. A new approach is never born complete but evolves, and the process of teaching an alternative from an incomplete starting point can lead to its development over time. However, an essential first is to demonstrate to students that the ostensibly welldeveloped and coherent traditional model is in fact an empty shell. That is difficult in a principles course, since the increase in business majors and the relegation of economics to a service role has dumbed down the content so much that critiquing it is problematic: it is hard to critique something that is itself so nebulous. The potential for a critique arises at the intermediate level, where the mathematical treatment is first encountered. Many political economists eschew mathematics, often because it is seen as part of why traditional economics is so flawed. Ironically, however, it is precisely when traditional economics is presented mathematically that it is most vulnerable – especially at the level of intermediate microeconomics, where the foundations are still essentially Marshallian – because the mathematics itself is fallacious. I begin my teaching of heterodox microeconomics by recapping traditional microeconomics, and then demonstrating that the following two key aspects of the theory are mathematically false.
Exposure to a controlled adverse environment impairs the ocular surface of subjects with minimally symptomatic dry eye.

PURPOSE Adverse environmental conditions elicit dry eye (DE)-related signs and symptoms. The purpose of this work is to determine whether these conditions can alter a normal-to-borderline ocular surface in subjects with DE symptoms. METHODS Ten minimally symptomatic contact lens (CL)-wearing subjects were exposed, without (WO-) and with (W-)CLs, to a controlled adverse environment (CAE) of 22.0 +/- 2.0 degrees C and 19.0% +/- 4.0% relative humidity (RH) for 2 hours in an environmental chamber (EC). One month later, the same subjects were placed in an indoor normal environment (INE) of 24.2 +/- 1.3 degrees C and 34.8% +/- 2.9% RH for 2 hours. DE-related signs and symptoms were evaluated before and after each exposure. The reversibility of changes provoked by CAE or INE was also evaluated. RESULTS Without CL wear, significant changes were found in DE signs (noninvasive tear break-up time [NIBUT], conjunctival hyperemia and phenol red thread test) after CAE exposure, but not found after INE exposure. However with CL wear, the same tests were altered after both CAE and INE exposure. Most of these changes returned to normal values within 1 month after environmental exposure. CONCLUSIONS Significant changes in comfort and the ocular surface tests were found after 2 hours of exposure to CAE. These results show the negative impact that an adverse environment, especially low RH, can have on the ocular surface. These alterations were fully reversible. This indicates that the CAE is a safe and functional condition in which to standardize DE diagnostic tests and evaluate therapeutics.
Organ doses for reference adult male and female undergoing computed tomography estimated by Monte Carlo simulations.

PURPOSE To develop a computed tomography (CT) organ dose estimation method designed to readily provide organ doses in a reference adult male and female for different scan ranges to investigate the degree to which existing commercial programs can reasonably match organ doses defined in these more anatomically realistic adult hybrid phantoms METHODS The x-ray fan beam in the SOMATOM Sensation 16 multidetector CT scanner was simulated within the Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNPX2.6. The simulated CT scanner model was validated through comparison with experimentally measured lateral free-in-air dose profiles and computed tomography dose index (CTDI) values. The reference adult male and female hybrid phantoms were coupled with the established CT scanner model following arm removal to simulate clinical head and other body region scans. A set of organ dose matrices were calculated for a series of consecutive axial scans ranging from the top of the head to the bottom of the phantoms with a beam thickness of 10 mm and the tube potentials of 80, 100, and 120 kVp. The organ doses for head, chest, and abdomen/pelvis examinations were calculated based on the organ dose matrices and compared to those obtained from two commercial programs, CT-EXPO and CTDOSIMETRY. Organ dose calculations were repeated for an adult stylized phantom by using the same simulation method used for the adult hybrid phantom. RESULTS Comparisons of both lateral free-in-air dose profiles and CTDI values through experimental measurement with the Monte Carlo simulations showed good agreement to within 9%. Organ doses for head, chest, and abdomen/pelvis scans reported in the commercial programs exceeded those from the Monte Carlo calculations in both the hybrid and stylized phantoms in this study, sometimes by orders of magnitude. CONCLUSIONS The organ dose estimation method and dose matrices established in this study readily provides organ doses for a reference adult male and female for different CT scan ranges and technical parameters. Organ doses from existing commercial programs do not reasonably match organ doses calculated for the hybrid phantoms due to differences in phantom anatomy, as well as differences in organ dose scaling parameters. The organ dose matrices developed in this study will be extended to cover different technical parameters, CT scanner models, and various age groups.
Comparison of Perfusion CT Software to Predict the Final Infarct Volume After Thrombectomy

Background and Purpose— Computed tomographic perfusion represents an interesting physiological imaging modality to select patients for reperfusion therapy in acute ischemic stroke. The purpose of our study was to determine the accuracy of different commercial perfusion CT software packages (Philips (A), Siemens (B), and RAPID (C)) to predict the final infarct volume (FIV) after mechanical thrombectomy. Methods— Single-institutional computed tomographic perfusion data from 147 mechanically recanalized acute ischemic stroke patients were postprocessed. Ischemic core and FIV were compared about thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) score and time interval to reperfusion. FIV was measured at follow-up imaging between days 1 and 8 after stroke. Results— In 118 successfully recanalized patients (TICI 2b/3), a moderately to strongly positive correlation was observed between ischemic core and FIV. The highest accuracy and best correlation are shown in early and fully recanalized patients (Pearson r for A=0.42, B=0.64, and C=0.83; P<0.001). Bland–Altman plots and boxplots demonstrate smaller ranges in package C than in A and B. Significant differences were found between the packages about over- and underestimation of the ischemic core. Package A, compared with B and C, estimated more than twice as many patients with a malignant stroke profile (P<0.001). Package C best predicted hypoperfusion volume in nonsuccessfully recanalized patients. Conclusions— Our study demonstrates best accuracy and approximation between the results of a fully automated software (RAPID) and FIV, especially in early and fully recanalized patients. Furthermore, this software package overestimated the FIV to a significantly lower degree and estimated a malignant mismatch profile less often than other software.
Musculoskeletal Disorders among First Class Restaurant Workers in Turkey

In this study the author investigates musculoskeletal disorders among first class restaurant workers in the Istanbul area. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding body-site specific work-related musculoskeletal disorders, demographic features, pain intensity, and strategies for pain relief among a sample of first class restaurant workers. The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders was 59% and was most frequently reported in the ankle/foot region (29%). The highest mean pain intensity score was found in the forearm region. Significant differences were observed between demographic characteristics such as gender, age, education, and coping strategies for alleviation of pain in different sites.
Relationship of Weight Status and Cardiometabolic Outcomes for Adolescents in the TEAMS Study

The increase in the prevalence of obesity among youth is alarming. Relationships exist between excess weight and adverse cardiometabolic markers. The aims of this study among adolescents in the Teen Eating and Activity Mentoring in Schools (TEAMS) project were to describe selected demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory values of middle school students; contrast differences in rates of cardiometabolic markers for participants with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 95th percentile and <95th percentile; examine rates of exceeding cardiometabolic cutoffs by weight status; and predict the odds ratio for one or more adverse cardiometabolic outcomes when BMI ≥95th percentile. Students (N = 151) were significantly more likely to exceed cut-off points for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and blood pressure (BP) when BMI was ≥95th percentile. Students whose BMI was ≥the 95th percentile were nearly five times as likely to have the deleterious cardiometabolic outcomes of low HDL-C, high triglycerides, elevated homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), or elevated systolic BP than those whose BMI was <the 95th percentile. Nurses and other clinicians should view BMI ≥95th percentile as an indicator of other risk factors that merits additional assessments and interventions to improve health.
A Regional Health Information Exchange: Architecture and Implementation

The MidSouth eHealth Alliances health information exchange in Memphis, Tennessee provides access to data on almost 1 million individuals. The effort is the product of a comprehensive, integrated approach to technology and policy that emphasizes patient-centered use, low-cost, flexibility, and rigorous privacy and confidentiality policies and practices It is used in emergency departments and other major clinical settings. This paper provides a high-level overview of the system and its use. The early anecdotal success of this effort and preliminary formal clinical and financial evaluation suggest that health information exchanges can improve care at relatively low cost.
[Short-course isoniazid and rifampin compared with isoniazid for latent tuberculosis infection: a randomized clinical trial].

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to compare the adherence to, and side effects of a 3-month short-course treatment for latent tuberculosis infection as compared to the standard 6-month course. METHODS Prospective, comparative, randomized, open trial including patients with a positive tuberculin skin test and appropriate criteria for treatment in accordance with the CDC guidelines, and excluding patients with HIV infection. Group I (6H) was assigned to isoniazid 300 mg per day for 6 months and Group II (3HR) was assigned to isoniazid 300 mg per day plus rifampin 600 mg per day for 3 months. The patients were followed up for five years. RESULTS A total of 105 patients were included, among which 9 refused treatment; 45 patients were placed in Group I and 51 patients in Group II. Both groups were comparable at baseline. Hepatotoxicity was 44% in Group 6H and 29% in Group 3HR (P = 0.07). Hepatotoxicity was severe in 6.7% of Group 6H and 5.8% of Group 3HR, requiring treatment interruption in 4.4% and 1.9%, respectively (P = NS). Among the total, 75.6% of patients in group 6H, and 90.2% in group 3HR completed the study treatment (P = 0.05). Tuberculous disease was detected in only one patient in the 6H group, occurring in the second month of treatment. CONCLUSION In the treatment of latent tuberculosis infection, a 3-month course of isoniazid plus rifampin resulted in better adherence and a lower percentage of discontinued treatments than a 6-month isoniazid course. Tolerance was similar in the two regimens.