Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WHY VOTERS SUPPORT TAX LIMITATIONS: EVIDENCE FROM MASSACHUSETTS' PROPOSITION 2-1/2

Like two recent papers in this journal about tax limitation votes in California and Michigan, this paper uses survey data to examine why voters support tax limitations. The study uses data from a large 1980 survey of Massachusetts household heads to measure the importance of several policy-relevant reasons for supporting or opposing Proposition 2-1/2, a measure to limit local property taxes. The effects of views toward services (disaggregated by service category), spending and taxes, tax reform, government efficiency and the relative fiscal status of the household are distinguished from one another. The results indicate that the favorable vote was more an attempt to obtain lower taxes and more efficiency in government than to reduce the level of services or to substitute other revenues for the property tax. The consistency of these findings with those from other states implies a certain commonality to the tax revolt and suggests that findings can be generalized from one state to another.
Effect of protein-loading on properties of wet-spun poly(L,D-lactide) multifilament fibers

Protein-loaded multifilament fibers were fabricated by the wet-spinning method. The polymers which were tested included poly(L,D-lactide) [P(L,D)LA], L/D ratio 96/4 and poly(L,DL-lactide) [P(L,DL)LA], L/DL ratio 70/30. The polymers were dissolved in dichloromethane and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was dissolved in water, respectively. The solutions were mixed together using a probe sonicator to form a polymer-protein emulsion. This emulsion was extruded to an ethanol spin bath. The fibers possessed a distinct sheath-core structure, where the inner core was porous and the outer sheath was smooth. The diameters of the filaments were in the range of 46 and 70 μm. The tenacity values of the filaments were between 7 and 17 MPa. In vitro drug release rate of the P(L,DL)LA 70/30 filament was faster than that of the P(L,D)LA 96/4 filament. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
TAX INCENTIVES FOR INVESTMENT IN NONRESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

Prior to 1976, there was a bias in the federal income tax which favored new real estate construction over the rehabilitation of existing structures. This study uses computer simulation to evaluate tax law changes that occurred in 1976, 1978, 1981 and 1982 on incentives for investing in new and existing nonresidential property. It shows the degree to which these acts shifted the bias to favor the rehabilitation of older and historic structures. The study also briefly reviews the legislative rationale for increasing the tax benefits for rehabilitation and concludes that the intent of Congress was met by the legislation.
The Frustrated Reviewer — Recurrent Failures in Manuscripts Describing Validation of Quantitative TLC/HPTLC Procedures for Analysis of Pharmaceuticals

Analytical procedures to be used in pharmaceutical quality control have to be validated strictly in accordance with highly formalized standards and guidance. Manuscripts submitted for publication presenting new procedures must therefore describe the corresponding validation characteristics and the validation approach and procedure accordingly. Interestingly, many of these manuscripts and — what is worse — already published (and therefore accepted) articles in various periodicals are characterized by several typical methodological failures and misconceptions — even though authors have regularly been informed of such mistakes in the hope they can be avoided. The corresponding ICH guideline seems to be well-known, and is frequently cited in these manuscripts, but to some extent is not fully understood and is even partially neglected. In this paper the authors present a collection of typical failures, misconceptions, and misleading data captured as reviewers and readers of published articles over the last two years, thus giving a survey of the most frequent problems of TLC/HPTLC validation. Moreover, the authors provide a list of references describing optimum approaches to validation of specific TLC/HPTLC procedures. We suggest these are followed in addition to the general concepts of the ICH guideline.
Impact of Postharvest Treatments on Storage Life and Quality of "Mexican" Lime

The present work was carried out on "Mexican" lime ( Citrus aurantifolia Swing.) during 2004 and 2005 seasons. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of hot water, calcium chloride and sodium chloride on storage life and quality of "Mexican" lime. Fruits were subjected to the following treatments: T 1) water dipping at ambient temperature ( � 20°C); T 2) hot water dipping at 55°C; T 3) hot water dipping containing sodium chloride, 1% (W/V) at 55°C; T 4) hot water dipping containing sodium chloride, 2 % (W/V) at 55°C; T 5) hot water dipping containing calcium chloride, 1% (W/V) at 55°C; T 6) hot water dipping containing calcium chloride, 2% (W/V) at 55°C. Fruits were subjected to water dipping for 5 min. Treated fruits were stored in cold room at 12°C, relative humidity (RH) was maintained at 90 %. The obtained results revealed that dipping fruits in hot water with sodium chloride 1% & 2% was effective in prolonging the shelf- life two weeks more than the other treatments in both seasons. The weight loss increased with increasing storage period in both seasons. The fruits dipping in hot water at 55°C significantly had a measurable influence in reducing the percentages of loss in fruit weight at ambient temperature ( � 20°C). The lowest values of weight loss were detected with fruits dipped in hot water containing calcium chloride 2 %, while the highest values were detected with fruits dipped in water at ambient temperature in both seasons. Fruits dipped in water at ambient temperature and hot water at 55°C degreened after four weeks, while fruits dipped in hot water with sodium chloride (1% & 2%) or calcium chloride (1%&2%) reached yellow color after eight weeks. Fruits dipped in hot water with calcium chloride 1% or 2% have significant high values of juice %, TSS and technological index at ten weeks of storage period compared with other treatments in both seasons. All treatments had no effect on the values of fruit acidity and vitamin C. However, vitamin C significantly decreased with increasing the storage duration.
Copper(II) complexes of the antihypertensive drug nadolol

The complexation of the non-selective β-blocker nadolol, HL, 1 with copper(II) leads to formation of mono-and dinuclear complexes depending mainly on the metal-to-ligand molar ratio. The mononuclear violet complex CuL2·2Solv, 2, was obtained in a soluble form at metal-to-ligand molar ratio Cu(II): HL ≤ 1: 10 in methanolic or slightly alkaline aqueous solutions. The dinuclear green complex Cu2L2Cl2·H2O, 3 was synthesized at Cu(II): HL ≥ 1: 2 molar ratio in methanolic solutions. The complexes were studied using spectral (UV-Vis, FT-IR, EPR), magnetochemical, thermogravimetric methods and elemental analysis. In the complexes nadolol acts as a monoanionic bidentate ligand coordinated to copper(II) through the NH-and the deprotonated OH-groups of its aminoalcohol fragment.
A NEW METHOD FOR APPLYING VAT TO FINANCIAL SERVICES

While many methods of taxing financial services on VAT have been developed in recent decades, none are considered definitive. This article proposes a new approach to taxing financial services that has desirable properties and could be applied practically: the “mobile-ratio” method. This method uses a periodically updated ratio to allocate the financial margin of the firm to each financial transaction, obtaining near-complete taxation of the value added by financial services. This simple, neutral method can be easily administered. This approach will be of interest to public economists and policy makers seeking to increasing VAT revenue and improving VAT efficiency and neutrality.
Authentication and Quantification of Extra Virgin Olive Oils by Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy Using Silver Halide Fiber Probes and Partial Least-Squares Calibration

Infrared attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy has been assessed for the analysis of extra virgin olive oil samples from various Mediterranean sites and their adulteration by sunflower oil. In this study two different silver halide fiber-optic probes were separately tested for the mid-infrared spectroscopic measurement of pure olive oil samples and these same oils adulterated with sunflower oil. One fiber-optic probe contained an exchangeable U-shaped section of the silver halide fiber, whereas the second probe consisted of a fiber-coupled diamond crystal, which performed slightly less well than the whole fiber probe. The optimum standard error of prediction for the sunflower oil concentrations in spiked olive oil samples, obtained by optimized partial least-squares (PLS) calibration models and leave-one-out cross-validation, was 1.2% by weight with the use of a special variable selection strategy based on a pairwise consideration of significant respective minima and maxima of the optimum PLS regression vector, calculated for broad spectral intervals. Calibration robustness was proven by also using packages of 10 randomly selected samples within a further cross-validation for calculating independent prediction values. The implications for product monitoring are discussed.
ASSESSMENT-SALES RATIOS UNDER THE BOSTON PROPERTY TAX

cash value. " 1 The study uses data on sales price, assessed value, location, and use for 13,769 properties within the property tax jurisdiction of the City of Boston which were sold during the periiod from January 1, 1960 to March 31, 1964. How much and what kinds of unequal treatment exist in Boston? "Plenty" and "many" are the answers indicated by the study, though the reasons are not always apparent.2
Optimization and Structural Characterization of W/Al2O3 Nanolaminates Grown Using Atomic Layer Deposition Techniques

W/Al2O3 nanolaminates were fabricated using atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. ALD of tungsten was performed using alternating exposures of WF6 and Si2H6. ALD of Al2O3 was performed using alternating exposures of Al(CH3)3 and H2O. The fabrication of optimum nanolaminates was very dependent on nucleation during the ALD of each layer. The nucleation of Al2O3 ALD on W surfaces and W ALD on Al2O3 surfaces was examined using quartz crystal microbalance investigations. Al2O3 ALD on W nucleated easily during the first Al(CH3)3/H2O reaction cycle. In contrast, W ALD nucleation on Al2O3 required multiple WF6/Si2H6 reaction cycles and was very sensitive to the Si2H6 exposure. The W ALD nucleation required at least six or seven WF6/Si2H6 reaction cycles. The optimum reaction parameters for nucleation were utilized to fabricate W/Al2O3 nanolaminates with a total targeted thickness of ∼1000 A that were composed of various numbers of bilayers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed very well defi.
Determination of Thyroxine Using Tris(2,2′‐Bipyridyl)Ruthenium(III)‐NADH Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence Detection

Abstract A low cost, single channel portable flow injection electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) system is reported for the determination of l‐thyroxine based on its enhancement effect on Ru(bpy)3 3+‐NADH‐ECL intensity. The calibration graph was linear over the range 5.0×10−8–1.0×10−6 mol l−1 (R 2=0.9981) with relative standard deviations (RSD, n=4) in the range 0.11–1.5%. The limit of detection (3σ blank) was 5.0×10−8 mol l−1 with a sample throughput of 60 h−1. The method was applied to pharmaceutical preparations and the results obtained (51.2±1.23–52±1.14 µg l‐thyroxine per tablet) were in good agreement with the amount labeled (50 µg l‐thyroxine per tablet, sodium salt) and RIA method (50.2±1.25 µg l‐thyroxine per tablet) as the reference method. NADH calibration graph (in the range 5.0×10−8–1.8×10−6 mol l−1, R 2=0.9989) was also established with RSD (n=4) in the range 0.25–2.1% with a limit of detection (3σ blank) 5.0×10−8 mol l−1.
High-Modulus Wholly Aromatic Fibers. II. Partially Ordered Polyamide-Hydrazides

Abstract Partially ordered polyarnide-hydrazides were produced by the poly condensation of diacid chlorides with aminobenz-hydrazides, the order that results being a consequence of the considerably more rapid reaction of a diacid chloride with the hydrazide group in competition with the aromatic amine group of the aminobenzhydrazide. Fibers were produced from a series of such polymers containing from 50 mole % meta-oriented phenylene rings to 100 mole % para-oriented ones. Fiber from the wholly para-oriented type of polymer exhibited very high strength and modulus: 12.5 and 468 g/den, respectively, at 4.3% elongation-to-break. Although the crystallinity and density observed for hot-drawn fibers of partially ordered completely para-oriented polyarnide-hydrazides were comparable to the crystallinity and density of fibers of the isomeric wholly ordered polymer, the partially ordered polymers were more readily spun to the ultra-high strength and high modulus type fibers, probably because their greater solubil.
Engineering a circularly permuted GFP scaffold for peptide presentation

The use of peptides as in vivo and in vitro ligand binding agents is hampered by the high flexibility, low stability and lack of intrinsic detection signal of peptide aptamers. Recent attempts to overcome these limitations included the integration of the binding peptide into a stable protein scaffold. In this paper, we present the optimization and testing of a circularly permuted variant of the green fluorescent protein (GFP). We examined the ability of the optimized scaffold to accept peptide insertions at three different regions. The three regions chosen are localized in close spatial proximity to each other and support different conformations of the inserted peptides. In all the three regions peptides with a biased, but still comprehensive, amino acid repertoire could be presented without disturbing the function of the optimized GFP‐scaffold. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surface energy and thermodynamic stability of γ-alumina : Effect of dopants and water

Retaining large surface areas in alumina powders during high-temperature annealing is a major challenge in applications as catalyst supports and ceramic precursors. This is because the alumina surface area drastically decreases with transformation from the γ modification (defect spinel structure) into the α modification (corundum structure). The objective of this work is to show the thermodynamic basis of using additives, such as Zr and Mg, to control the γ-Al2O3 surface and bulk energetics and to manipulate the transformation temperature and surface area. These additives are observed to change the pattern of phase transformation and densification. Direct measurements of heats of solution in a lead borate melt of pure and doped alumina as a function of surface area enabled us to experimentally derive trends in the surface energies of hydroxylated surfaces. Accounting for heats of water adsorption measured on pure and doped alumina surfaces allowed us to delineate the thermodynamic effects of hydration on .
Contactless density measurement of liquid Nd-doped 50%CaO-50%Al2O3

The density of neodymium-doped calcium aluminate (<1 mol% Nd 2 O 3 .50% CaO.50% Al 2 O 3 ) liquid was measured over a wide temperature range using an electrostatic levitation furnace. The density was obtained using an UV-based imaging technique that allowed excellent illumination throughout all phases of processing, including elevated temperatures. Over the 1560-2000 K temperature range, the density could be expressed as ρ(T) = 2.83 x 10 3 -0.21(T-T m, )(kg.m -3 ) (±2%) with T m = 1878 K, which yielded a volume coefficient of thermal expansion α(T) = 7.5 x 10 -5 K -1 .
SHORT-TERM RESULTS OF LAPAROSCOPIC REMOVAL OF OVARIAN CYSTS IN INFERTILITY PATIENTS USING DIFFERENT METHODS OF SURGICAL HEMOSTASIS

Background: Nowadays, the use of monopolar, bipolar, and ultrasonic energy for hemostasis at laparoscopic removal of endometrioid ovarian cysts, in comparison with non-thermal methods of hemostasis, laparoscopic suturing and hemostatic polymers, has a statistically significant adverse effect on the ovarian reserve. Purpose: to analyze the short-term outcome of laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy using suturing, monopolar, bipolar and ultrasound coagulation in infertility patients. Methods: The prospective part of the study included 8 patients with ovarian cysts and infertility who had undergone laparoscopic surgery in the period from May to September 2018. In the retrospective part of the study, the same criteria were analyzed as in the prospective part of the survey: pre-, intraand early post-operative procedures in 32 infertile patients who underwent laparoscopic removal of ovarian cysts between 2017 and 2018. The statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Office Excel 2013, and StatPlus Professional 2009, Analyst Soft. A series of data after validation of the correct distribution using the χ2 test and the χ2 distribution were compared with either the Fisher test and the Student test or the Mann-Whitney test, if necessary, the CruscalWallis test and the median test. Results: In patients with traditional hemostasis, the most frequent simultanous interventions were Bruhat salpingeostomy and hysteroscopic removal of endometrial polyps, followed by hysteroscopic removal of cervical canal polyps, ovarian electrocauterization, cervical excision, and uterine cavity scraping. Meanwhile, in patients with mechanical hemostasis, hysteroscopic removal of endometrial polyps was the most frequent simultaneous intervention. Conclusion: The use of a combination of mechanical and chemical hemostasis in laparoscopic removal of ovarian cysts in infertility patients is a good alternative to conventional and widely used hemostasis methods. Further research is needed to evaluate the effect of different hemostasis methods on the ovarian reserve and reproductive outcomes in infertile patients undergoing laparoscopic removal of ovarian cysts.
Running head: TASK-SELECTION STRATEGIES Balancing cognitive and environmental constraints when deciding to switch tasks: Exploring self-reported task-selection strategies in self-organized multitasking

We investigated how people balance cognitive constraints (switch costs) against environmental constraints (stimulus availabilities) to optimize their voluntary task switching performance and explored individual differences in their switching behaviour. Specifically, in a self-organized task-switching environment, the stimulus needed for a task repetition was delayed by a stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) that increased with each consecutive repetition until a task switch reset the SOA. As predicted, participants switched tasks when the SOA in task switches approximately matched their individual switch costs and thus they optimized local task performance. Interestingly, self-reports (confirmed by behavioural switching patterns) revealed two individual strategies: Some participants (N = 34) indicated to guide their task selection behaviour based on preplanned task sequences over several trials, whereas others (N = 42) indicated to primarily decide on a trial-by-trial basis whether to switch or to repeat tasks. Exploration of switching behaviour based on the two strategy groups revealed additional insights into how people achieved adaptive task selection behaviour in this task environment. Overall, the present findings suggest that individuals select tasks with the aim of improving task performance when dealing with multiple task requirements, but they differ in their preferred individual task selection strategies.
Evaluating the Impact of Replacement Policies on the Cache Performance and Energy Consumption in Different Multicore Embedded Systems

 Abstract — The cache has an important role in the reduction of access delay between a processor and memory in high-performance embedded systems. In these systems, the energy consumption is one of the most important concerns, and it will become more important with smaller processor feature sizes and higher frequencies. Meanwhile, the cache system dissipates a significant portion of energy compared to the other components of a processor. There are some elements that can affect the energy consumption of the cache such as replacement policy and degree of associativity. Due to these points, it can be inferred that selecting an appropriate configuration for the cache is a crucial part of designing a system. In this paper, we investigate the effect of different cache replacement policies on both cache’s performance and energy consumption. Furthermore, the impact of different Instruction Set Architectures (ISAs) on cache’s performance and energy consumption has been investigated.
Experimental evidence for the interpretation of definite plural articles as markers of genericity – How Italian can help

In the Romance languages, definite plural articles (e.g., le rane ‘the frogs’) are generally ambiguous between a generic and a specific interpretation, and speakers must reconstruct the intended interpretation through the linguistic or extra-linguistic context. Following the “polar bear” paradigm implemented in Czypionka & Kupisch (2019)’s investigation on German, the goal of the present study is to check the suitability of their test on article semantics, by establishing to what extent native speakers of Italian interpret ambiguous definite plural DPs as generic or specific in the presence of a nonlinguistic picture context. We present judgment and reaction time data monitoring the preferred reading of sentences introduced by different kinds of noun phrases (e.g., Le rane/Queste rane/Le rane di solito sono verdi/gialle ‘The/These/ Usually frogs are green/yellow’), while looking at pictures showing prototypical or non-prototypical properties (e.g., green vs. yellow frogs). Our results show that both possible interpretations of definite plural articles are routinely considered in Italian, despite the presence of a picture with specific referents, validating the “polar bear” paradigm as a suitable test of article semantics.
Algorithmic Typewriter Art: Can 1000 Words Paint a Picture?

We present an optimization-based algorithm for converting input photographs into typewriter art. Taking advantage of the typist’s ability to move the paper in the typewriter, the optimization algorithm selects characters for four overlapping, staggered layers of type. By typing the characters as instructed, the typist can reproduce the image on the typewriter. Compared to text-mode ASCII art, allowing characters to overlap greatly increases tonal range and spatial resolution, at the expense of exponentially increasing the search space. We use a simulated annealing search to find an approximate solution in this highdimensional search space. Considering only one dimension at a time, we measure the effect of changing a single character in the simulated typed result, repeatedly iterating over all the characters composing the image. Both simulated and physical typed results have a high degree of detail, while still being clearly recognizable as type art. The accuracy of the physical typed result is largely limited by human error and the mechanics of the typewriter.