Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An 8μW Heterodyning Chopper Amplifier for Direct Extraction of 2μVrms Neuronal Biomarkers

This paper describes a prototype architecture that tracks the power fluctuations in discrete frequency bands for a broad spectrum of neuronal biomarkers. The circuit merges chopper-stabilization with heterodyne signal processing to construct a low-noise amplifier with highly programmable, robust filtering characteristics. It is concluded that in our application, the area and modest noise penalty are offset by the benefit of a well-partitioned analog-to-digital boundary flexible enough to potentially extract a wide spectrum of biomarkers associated with disease.
Interest Rate Control and Nonconvergence to Rational Expectations

This paper investigates the feasibility of a monetary policy aimed at pegging the nominal rate of interest. It shows that under general conditions such a policy would produce the well-known cumulative process, despite the fact that there exists a well-behaved rational expectations equilibrium with no tendency for inflation to accelerate or decelerate. The cumulative process shows up as the failure of learning to converge to rational expectations. Specifically, the paper shows, first in a conventional IS-LM model with an expectations-augmented Phillips curve and then in a micro-based finance constraint model, that if people follow any learning rule based on experience that satisfies a weak condition, then the sequence of temporary equilibria under a policy of interest pegging cannot converge. The nonconvergent path that will be observed accords with the familiar cumulative process, in that inflation accelerates if the market rate of interest has been pegged below the natural rate.
An Anatomy of Spatial Planning: Coming to Terms with the Spatial Element in UK Planning

“Spatial planning” is a phrase that now resonates throughout many planning systems across the globe. It is being used as a label to describe pan-national, regional, strategic and even aspects of local planning processes. Within the UK, spatial planning is being utilized alongside, or even in place of, more traditional phraseology associated with planning, such as “town and country planning”. It is being used by a range of institutions of the State, professional groups and academic commentators to describe the processes of planning reform, modernization, policy integration, and strategic governance that politically are now required to make planning fit for purpose in the 21st century. The precise meaning and definition of spatial planning remains difficult to pin down, as does its origins within the UK. This paper attempts to dissect the various components of the spatial planning phrase and set out the meaning and origins of the term in the UK context. It covers re-territorialization, Europeanization and integration origins of spatial planning thinking and provides a conceptual, rather than practical, debate on the anatomy of spatial planning, situated within ongoing processes of institutional transformation, through the lens of governance and distinctiveness in state policy development.
Policy competition in the 2002 French legislative and presidential elections

The French two-round system of presidential elections forces candidates to choose strategies designed to maximize their votes in two different, potentially conflicting strategic contexts: a first round contest between many candidates, and a second round between (typically) a left- and a right-oriented candidate. Following a constitutional change in 2000, furthermore, presidential elections are synchronized with legislative elections, more tightly linking presidential candidates to the policy platforms of the parties they represent. This article examines the consequences of policy positioning by presidential candidates, measuring, comparing and assessing positioning in the legislative elections and in the first and second presidential election rounds.The measures come from an expert survey taken in 2002,from content analysis of party manifestos and presidential speeches,and from the 2002 French National Election Survey. The findings provide hard empirical confirmation of two commonly perceived propositions: first, that Jospin's first-round loss resulted from strategic error in moving too close to the policy centre, and second, that Chirac's won an overwhelm- ing second-round victory because he collected all of the voters from candidates eliminated in the first round.
Nuclear morphogenesis and the role of the manchette during spermiogenesis in the ostrich (Struthio camelus)

Nuclear condensation during spermiogenesis in the ostrich follows the basic pattern established in other vertebrates. The fine granular nuclear substance of early spermatids is gradually replaced by numbers of coarse dense granules which appear to arise by aggregation of smaller dispersed elements of the chromatin. The granules increase in size and eventually coalesce to form the compact homogenous mass of chromatin typical of the mature sperm. In ostrich spermatids, however, the aggregation of the nuclear material produces large numbers of longitudinally oriented rod‐shaped structures in addition to some granular material. Although fibrillar chromatin has been observed during spermiogenesis in a number of vertebrate species, the hollow nature of the rod‐shaped chromatin granules in ostrich spermatids is a unique phenomenon. The spiralisation of the chromatin material observed in ostrich spermatids and in some other nonpasserine birds is possibly related to the reduction in nuclear length demonstrated during spermiogenesis in these species. In common with other nonpasserine birds, spermiogenesis in the ostrich is characterised by the appearance both of a circular and a longitudinal manchette. The circular manchette consists of a single row of microtubules reinforced by additional peripherally arranged microtubules. Links between adjacent microtubules, and between the nucleolemma and some of the microtubules, are evident. The longitudinal manchette consists of arrays of interconnected microtubules arranged in approximately 4–6 staggered, ill defined rows. This structure seems to originate as a result of the rearrangement of the microtubules of the circular manchette and is only formed once the process of chromatin condensation is well advanced. Based on the sequence of morphological events observed during spermiogenesis in the ostrich, it is concluded that the circular manchette is responsible for the initial transformation in shape of the spermatid nucleus. Thereafter, the chromatin condenses independently within the confines of the nucleolemma with the circular manchette merely acting to maintain the shape of the nucleus while this process is underway, to compress the nuclear membrane, and possibly to orientate the subunits of the condensing chromatin. The longitudinal manchette appears to assist in the translocation of material during spermatid elongation. There are indications that the developing acrosome is instrumental in effecting nuclear shaping of the apical (subacrosomal) head region of the ostrich spermatid.
Toward a Synthesis: Lessons from Thirteen Cropland Watershed-Scale Studies

To integrate lessons from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture–Conservation Effects Assessment Project (NIFA CEAP) program, key informant (KI) interviews were conducted in all 13 project areas. The purpose of these interviews was to supplement technical information about watersheds, their contaminants, modeling, economics, and key findings. We interviewed a wide range of people to develop a systematic look at individual project results, synthesize meanings, and derive principles useful in guiding future watershed management. Findings revealed common themes, which tended to align with KI categories, regardless of location. For instance, farmers and ranchers often understood water quality problems as well as federal and state personnel and university employees do. Conservation adoption by farmers was related to perceived need, cost, and convenience of the practice, as well as practice specifics and individual situations. Possible implications of these findings are advanced.
Adverse drug reactions and current state of drug regimen review in nursing facilities: need for a change?

OBJECTIVE To review the salient issue of adverse drug reactions in nursing facilities. SETTING Nursing facilities across the United States. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION Federally mandated, retrospective drug regimen reviews (DRRs) performed by consultant pharmacists are discussed as the impetus for change. PRACTICE INNOVATION A prospective process of medication therapy management that involves pharmacists interacting with the interdisciplinary care team is described as a way to deliver high-quality, medication-related health care at the point of care. The paper presents the Fleetwood model as an exemplar of the proposed care model and--as well as the recent revisions to the interpretive guidelines for the State Operations Manual (SOM)--as a means of changing the way medication therapy management is deployed in nursing facilities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Change in nursing facility pharmacy practice. RESULTS In settings where the Fleetwood model has been implemented, researchers have observed numerous changes, including increased clinical involvement by dispensing and consultant pharmacists, reduced time spent on traditional DRR, increased time spent on pharmaceutical care planning, improved communication among the interdisciplinary team, and more efficient processes within the nursing facility pharmacy. Changes in the Pharmacy Services Tags (F425, F428, F431) and Unnecessary Medications Tag (F329) in the interpretive guidelines for the SOM, released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, have significant implications for the way consultant pharmacists practice. CONCLUSIONS Application of prospective medication therapy management, such as that contained in the Fleetwood model, and changes to the interpretive guidelines support greater pharmacist involvement at the point of care, which has potential to dramatically decrease adverse drug reactions in nursing facilities.
Global and Local Deadlock Freedom in BIP

We present a criterion for checking local and global deadlock freedom of finite state systems expressed in BIP: a component-based framework for constructing complex distributed systems. Our criterion is evaluated by model-checking a set of subsystems of the overall large system. If satisfied in small subsystems, it implies deadlock-freedom of the overall system. If not satisfied, then we re-evaluate over larger subsystems, which improves the accuracy of the check. When the subsystem being checked becomes the entire system, our criterion becomes complete for deadlock-freedom. Hence our criterion only fails to decide deadlock freedom because of computational limitations: state-space explosion sets in when the subsystems become too large. Our method thus combines the possibility of fast response together with theoretical completeness. Other criteria for deadlock freedom, in contrast, are incomplete in principle, and so may fail to decide deadlock freedom even if unlimited computational resources are available. Also, our criterion certifies freedom from local deadlock, in which a subsystem is deadlocked while the rest of the system executes. Other criteria only certify freedom from global deadlock. We present experimental results for dining philosophers and for a multi-token-based resource allocation system, which subsumes several data arbiters and schedulers, including Milner’s token-based scheduler.
Double or Nothing? A Note on Exporter Targets

n m Aus I the 1990s and 2000s, the influence of management consulting, which had ainly concentrated in the corporate sector, seeped into the public sector in tralia. Suddenly, former McKinsey consultants and their counterparts from other consulting firms became heavily involved in the world of public policy and we started to hear consulting style, language and even its own unique jargon (such as the ‘so what’ test, key performance indicators, stakeholders etc.) in many government agencies. At the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), Australia’s government agency that assists Australian companies to export, invest and undertake other forms of global engagement, there was a heavy reliance on management consultants in the 1990s, which continued into early in the next decade. In fact, the Austrade Managing Director in the 1990s was for a time, Ralph Evans, who was a former management consultant himself. As in all management consulting, some suggestions produced added value, some suggestions were implemented more effectively than others, whilst others were perhaps not properly thought out. Amongst the last category, there were three consultant recommendations that stood out. First, the organisation was told by consultants to close offices in ‘mature’ markets such as Western Europe and the USA. But this was rejected, as it would undermine the reach of our international network.
A novel inhibitor of cap‐dependent translation initiation in yeast: p20 competes with eIF4G for binding to eIF4E

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae a small protein named p20 is found associated with translation initiation factor eIF4E, the mRNA cap‐binding protein. We demonstrate here that p20 is a repressor of cap‐dependent translation initiation. p20 shows amino acid sequence homology to a region of eIF4G, the large subunit of the cap‐binding protein complex eIF4F, which carries the binding site for eIF4E. Both, eIF4G and p20 bind to eIF4E and compete with each other for binding to eIF4E. The eIF4E–p20 complex can bind to the cap structure and inhibit cap‐dependent but not cap‐independent translation initiation: the translation of a mRNA with the 67 nucleotide Ω sequence of tobacco mosaic virus in its 5′ untranslated region (which was previously shown to render translation cap‐independent) is not inhibited by p20. Whereas the translation of the same mRNA lacking the Ω sequence is strongly inhibited by p20. Disruption of CAF20, the gene encoding p20, stimulates the growth of yeast cells, overexpression of p20 causes slower growth of yeast cells. These results show that p20 is a regulator of eIF4E activity which represses cap‐dependent initiation of translation by interfering with the interaction of eIF4E with eIF4G, e.g. the formation of the eIF4F–complex.
Political Culture, Nonprofit Organizations, and the Financing of Human Services

Students of fiscal policy have long noted the impact political culture has on spending levels. This relationship has not only been statistically dem onstrated but is incorporated in the stereotypical views held of certain areas. Some states are frequently identified as "low spenders," while others have a reputation for supporting services. When the federal government elected to reduce its support for many human services, an opportunity arose to understand whether political cultures had changed in some areas with regard to state and local support of human services. In states where the tradition was for low spendingfor services, did they respond by curtail ing programs, or did the public or private sectors increase their spending? In Texas, a state with a history of low spending levels for human services, neither the state legislature nor local governments increased their fiscal responsibilities for human services. However, there was a large increase in private sector contributions. The pattern of this response not only sheds new light on the political culture of Texas but also raises important challenges for financing nonprofit agencies and delivering human services.
Profile of isokinetic eccentric-to-concentric strength ratios of shoulder rotator muscles in elite female team handball players

Abstract The purpose of this study was to establish the isokinetic profile of shoulder rotator muscles strength in female handball players. Twenty-seven handball players performed concentric and eccentric strength tests of both dominant and non-dominant upper limbs on an isokinetic dynamometer. Internal and external rotator muscles peak torque was assessed at 1.05, 3.14, and 5.23 rad · s−1 in concentric mode and at 3.14 and 5.23 rad · s−1 in eccentric mode. Concentric balance ratio and functional ratio were obtained. Bi-lateral deficiency was compared. Concentric strength for internal and external rotation was significantly greater for the dominant than for the non-dominant limb for all speeds (P ≤ 0.0001). For eccentric actions, internal rotator muscles were stronger in the dominant than the non-dominant limb (P ≤ 0.0001) at both speeds. Concentric balance and functional balance ratios did not differ between sides at 3.14 rad · s−1 (P = 0.1631), but at 5.23 rad · s−1 the functional balance ratio in the dominant limb was lower than for the non-dominant limb (P = 0.0500). Although the dominant side was stronger than the non-dominant side, balance concentric ratios remained the same, with only the functional strength ratio different at 5.23 rad · s−1. Our results suggest that concentric strength exercises be used for internal and external rotators on the non-dominant side, and functional exercise that improves eccentric rotation strength for prevention programmes.
Intraoperative albumin administration affects the outcome of cadaver renal transplantation.

The prognostic significance of early malfunction or delayed function after cadaveric renal transplantation is controversial. This study examines the influence of intraoperative management in 438 cadaveric renal transplant recipients on seven posttransplant outcome measures: (1) time of onset of urine output, (2) urine volume, (3) renal function, (4) incidence of delayed function, (5) never-functioning kidney, (6) graft survival, and (7) patient survival. Delayed function, defined as the need for hemodialysis during the first posttransplant week, decreased from 46% in 1982 to 15% in 1990 and was associated with a 25% lower 1-year graft survival rate and a mortality rate of 10% at 3 months, compared with 3% when immediate function was present. The most important factors influencing the outcome were cold ischemia time (P = 0.007), intraoperative administration of albumin (P = 0.0027), duration of surgery (P = 0.020), and recipient age (P = 0.041). A high albumin dose (1.2-1.6 g/kg bodyweight) induced urine output within 30 min in 75% of patients and induced larger urine volumes (7.3 L/24 hr), as compared with the effects of a low dose (0-0.4 g/kg), which induced urine output within 30 min in 39% and only 3.7 L/24 hr. Serum creatinine at 1 week was 3.4 and 5.8 mg/dl for the high and low albumin doses, respectively (P less than 0.0001). Similarly, mean glomerular filtration rates at 1 and 7 days were 33 and 21 ml/min, compared with 47 and 28 ml/min, for the high and low albumin doses, respectively (P less than 0.01). The incidence of delayed function and of never-functioning kidneys declined from 34% and 9% for the low dose to 12% and 1% for the high dose, respectively. Finally, with increasing albumin dose, the graft survival rate at 1 year improved from 59 to 78% (P less than 0.002), and the patient mortality rate at 3 months dropped from 6% to 2%. For albumin dose intervals between the high (1.2-1.6 g/kg) and low (0-0.4 g/kg), the effect on all seven outcome measures was intermediate, generally describing a linear relationship. Weighted least-squares analysis of the relationship of delayed function with high vs. low doses of albumin, mannitol, furosemide, and volumes of crystalloid solutions showed significance only for the albumin effect. High-dose albumin infusion likely produces intravascular volume expansion and achieves a prompt restoration of blood flow, minimizes hypoxic injury, and helps preserve renal tissue. The possibility of other beneficial effects of albumin unrelated to intravascular volume also exists. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Testing Fisher hypothesis in long horizons for G7 and eight Asian countries.1

Using monthly data from G7 and eight Asian countries, support is found for the Fisher hypothesis, as well as a positive relation between long-horizon nominal stock returns and expected inflation but not between long-horizon nominal stock returns and contemporaneous inflation. These empirical results complement and strengthen those of Boudoukh and Richardson. 1 The MATLAB program and data to compute the results in this paper are available from http://kafuwong.econ.hku.hk/research/fisher/.
Sperm Proteome

As the mammalian spermatozoa transcends from the testis to the end of the epididymal tubule, the functionally incompetent spermatozoa acquires its fertilizing capability. Molecular changes in the spermatozoa at the posttesticular level concern qualitative and quantitative modifications of proteins along with their sugar moieties and membranous lipids mostly associated with motility, egg binding, and penetration processes. Proteomic studies have identified numerous sperm-specific proteins, and recent reports have provided a further understanding of their function with respect to male fertility. High-throughput techniques such as mass spectrometry have shown drastic potential for the identification and study of sperm proteins. In fact, compelling evidence has provided that proteins are critically important in cellular remodeling event and that aberrant expression is associated with pronounced defects in sperm function. This review highlights the posttesticular functional transformation in the epididymis and female reproductive tract with due emphasis on proteomics.
Tourism and Economic Growth: The Case of Mauritius

Tourism is now believed to provide an impetus to the economic progress of developing nations and its importance is gaining widespread recognition. In fact, the relationship between exports and growth is the subject of ongoing debate, but the nature of exports has received little attention. Despite the continuous efforts of developing countries to increase their exports, this strategy often adds little foreign exchange to their balance of payments. For many reasons, the non-traditional exports of developing countries have too often failed to prove effective in economic development and so tourism is increasingly seen as something of a saviour. This paper focuses on the success story of a small island economy, Mauritius. Once regarded as an extreme case of a mono-crop economy, relying very predominantly on the export of sugar, Mauritius is now a reputed exporter of non-traditional goods (textiles) and services (tourism). Using cointegration and causality tests, the author's results lend support to the contention that tourism has promoted growth, and further evidence suggests that tourism has a significant positive impact on Mauritian economic development.
Evaluation of Speech-Perception Training for Hearing Aid Users: A Multisite Study in Progress

Abstract Following an overview of theoretical issues in speech-perception training and of previous efforts to enhance hearing aid use through training, a multisite study, designed to evaluate the efficacy of two types of computerized speech-perception training for adults who use hearing aids, is described. One training method focuses on the identification of 109 syllable constituents (45 onsets, 28 nuclei, and 36 codas) in quiet and in noise, and on the perception of words in sentences presented in various levels of noise. In a second type of training, participants listen to 6- to 7-minute narratives in noise and are asked several questions about each narrative. Two groups of listeners are trained, each using one of these types of training, performed in a laboratory setting. The training for both groups is preceded and followed by a series of speech-perception tests. Subjects listen in a sound field while wearing their hearing aids at their usual settings. The training continues over 15 to 20 visits, with subjects completing at least 30 hours of focused training with one of the two methods. The two types of training are described in detail, together with a summary of other perceptual and cognitive measures obtained from all participants.