Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hierarchically buckled sheath-core fibers for superelastic electronics, sensors, and muscles

Composite stretchable conducting wires Think how useful a stretchable electronic “skin” could be. For example you could place it over an aircraft fuselage or a body to create a network of sensors, processors, energy stores, or artificial muscles. But it is difficult to make electronic interconnects and strain sensors that can stretch over such surfaces. Liu et al. created superelastic conducting fibers by depositing carbon nanotube sheets onto a prestretched rubber core (see the Perspective by Ghosh). The nanotubes buckled on relaxation of the core, but continued to coat it fully and could stretch enormously, with relatively little change in resistance. Science, this issue p. 400; see also p. 382 Rubber fibers coated with sheets of carbon nanotubes form highly stretchable conducting wires. [Also see Perspective by Ghosh] Superelastic conducting fibers with improved properties and functionalities are needed for diverse applications. Here we report the fabrication of highly stretchable (up to 1320%) sheath-core conducting fibers created by wrapping carbon nanotube sheets oriented in the fiber direction on stretched rubber fiber cores. The resulting structure exhibited distinct short- and long-period sheath buckling that occurred reversibly out of phase in the axial and belt directions, enabling a resistance change of less than 5% for a 1000% stretch. By including other rubber and carbon nanotube sheath layers, we demonstrated strain sensors generating an 860% capacitance change and electrically powered torsional muscles operating reversibly by a coupled tension-to-torsion actuation mechanism. Using theory, we quantitatively explain the complementary effects of an increase in muscle length and a large positive Poisson’s ratio on torsional actuation and electronic properties.
Social Security Privatization

Critics of transforming Social Security's pay-as-you-go financing into a market-based structure claim that the transition cost would unduly burden people because they would have to pay twice - once for their own retirement and once for those already retired. This double expense is so prohibitive, it is argued as to warrant rejecting privatization out of hand. Such arguments ignore the enormous unfunded liabilities of the current Social Security system. The mechanisms for paying the costs are the same whether one attempts to maintain the existing system or shift to a new, market-based system: debt, additional revenue, reductions in spending elsewhere in the government. The author argues that moving to a market-based system will always eventually be less costly than attempting to preserve the current system.
THE WIRED SURVEY. I. A BRIGHT IR EXCESS DUE TO DUST AROUND THE HEAVILY POLLUTED WHITE DWARF GALEX J193156.8+011745

With the launch of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), a new era of detecting planetary debris around white dwarfs (WDs) has begun with the WISE InfraRed Excesses around Degenerates (WIRED) Survey. The WIRED survey will be sensitive to substellar objects and dusty debris around WDs out to distances exceeding 100 pc, well beyond the completeness level of local WDs and covering a large fraction of known WDs detected with the SDSS DR4 WD catalog. In this paper, we report an initial result of the WIRED survey, the detection of the heavily polluted hydrogen WD (spectral type DAZ) GALEX J193156.8+011745 at 3.35 and 4.6 μm. We find that the excess is consistent with either a narrow dusty ring with an inner radius of 29 RWD, outer radius of 40 RWD, and a face-on inclination, or a disk with an inclination of 70°, an inner radius of 23 RWD, and an outer radius of 80 RWD. We also report initial optical spectroscopic monitoring of several metal lines present in the photosphere and find no variability in the line strengths or radial velocities of the lines. We rule out all but planetary mass companions to GALEX1931 out to 0.5 AU.
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: Trends in Long-Term Employment in the United States, 1969-2002

This study considers whether there has been a decline in the attachment of workers and firms in the United States over the past several decades. Specifically, it compares snapshots of job tenure taken at the end of workers' careers from 1969 to 2002, using data from the Retirement History Survey, the National Longitudinal Survey of Older Men, and the Health and Retirement Study. The primary finding is one of stability in the prevalence of long-term employment relationships for men in the United States. In 1969, average tenure in the longest job for males aged 58-62 was 21.9 years. In 2002, the comparable figure was 21.4 years. Just over half of men ending their careers in 1969 had been with a single employer for at least 20 years; the same is true in 2002. This finding is robust to adjustments for minor differences in question details across data sources and for educational and retirement age changes over this time period.
Differential Dependence of Hypoxia-inducible Factors 1α and 2α on mTORC1 and mTORC2*

Constitutive expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) has been implicated in several proliferative disorders. Constitutive expression of HIF1α and HIF2α has been linked to a number of human cancers, especially renal cell carcinoma (RCC), in which HIF2α expression is the more important contributor. Expression of HIF1α is dependent on the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and is sensitive to rapamycin. In contrast, there have been no reports linking HIF2α expression with mTOR. mTOR exists in two complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, which are differentially sensitive to rapamycin. We report here that although there are clear differences in the sensitivity of HIF1α and HIF2α to rapamycin, both HIF1α and HIF2α expression is dependent on mTOR. HIF1α expression was dependent on both Raptor (a constituent of mTORC1) and Rictor (a constitutive of mTORC2). In contrast, HIF2α was dependent only on the mTORC2 constituent Rictor. These data indicate that although HIF1α is dependent on both mTORC1 and mTORC2, HIF2α is dependent only on mTORC2. We also examined the dependence of HIFα expression on the mTORC2 substrate Akt, which exists as three different isoforms, Akt1, Akt2, and Akt3. Interestingly, the expression of HIF2α was dependent on Akt2, whereas that of HIF1α was dependent on Akt3. Because HIF2α is apparently more critical in RCC, this study underscores the importance of targeting mTORC2 and perhaps Akt2 signaling in RCC and other proliferative disorders in which HIF2α has been implicated.
Longitudinal Tests of Intertemporal Preference Reversals Due to Hyperbolic Discounting

Hyperbolic discounting of delayed rewards has been proposed as the underlying cause of the failure to stick to plans to forego one’s immediate desires, such as the plan to diet, wake up early, or quit taking heroin. These planning failures could, however, result from other mechanisms that prior studies have not ruled out. We conducted two tests of inconsistent planning in which respondents made at least two choices between a smaller-sooner (SS) and larger-later (LL) amount of money, one several weeks before SS would be received, and one immediately before. Hyperbolic discounting predicts that there would be more choices of SS as it became more proximate – and, equivalently, that among those who change their mind, “impatient shifts” (LL-to-SS) will be more common than “patient shifts” (SS-to-LL). In fact, however, we find no evidence for this. We argue that the evidence for a non-stationary internal discount function is weaker than traditionally assumed and that qualitatively different psychological mechanisms may cause the behaviors often attributed to hyperbolic discounting.
Swaptions: 1 Price, 10 Deltas, and... 6 1/2 Gammas

In practice the option pricing models are calibrated to market prices of liquid instruments. Consequently for those instruments, all the models give the same price. But the computed risk can be widely different. The note proposes comparison on simple instruments (swaptions) on a simple risk measure (first and second order sensitivity to the underlying yield curve). The main paper conclusion is that the hedging widely (up to 10\% of the underlying risk) between the model, specially with their dynamic. The shape of the smile has also an impact but to a lesser extend.
Compact CPW-fed asymmetric UWB antenna with two symmetrical stubs

A novel compact coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed low profile antenna with two asymmetric rectangular radiators and two plane stubs is presented for ultra-wide band (UWB) applications. The proposed antenna utilizes two symmetrical open-circuit ground plane stubs to minimize the monopole antenna, achieves an ultra-wide operating frequency range from 2.86 GHz to 11.6 GHz with a quasi-omnidirectional measured gain from 2.56 to 5.34. The antenna is practically fabricated and simulated. A good agreement between the simulated and results shows that the proposed antenna with overall size of 26mm × 28mm × 1mm is suitable for UWB applications.
The zrfA and zrfB Genes of Aspergillus fumigatus Encode the Zinc Transporter Proteins of a Zinc Uptake System Induced in an Acid, Zinc-Depleted Environment

ABSTRACT Zinc is an essential micronutrient that cells must obtain from the environment in order to develop their normal growth. Previous work performed at our laboratory showed that the synthesis of immunodominant antigens from Aspergillus spp. , including A. fumigatus, was up-regulated by a low environmental concentration of zinc. These results suggested that a tightly regulated system for the fungus to grow under zinc-limiting conditions must underlie the ability of A. fumigatus to acquire zinc in such environments. In this work, we show that zrfA and zrfB are two of the genes that encode membrane zinc transporters from A. fumigatus in this system. Expression of these genes is differentially down-regulated by increasing concentrations of zinc in the medium. Thus, the transcription of zrfB is turned off at a concentration 50-fold higher than that for zrfA transcription. In addition, phenotypic analyses of single zrfAΔ and zrfBΔ mutants and a double zrfAzrfBΔ mutant revealed that the deletion of zrfB causes a greater defect in growth than the single deletion of zrfA. Deletion of both genes has a dramatic effect on growth under acid, zinc-limiting conditions. Interestingly, in neutral or slightly alkaline zinc-depleted medium, the transcriptional expression of both genes is down-regulated to such an extent that even in the absence of a supplement of zinc, the expression of zrfA and zrfB is strongly reduced. This fact correlates with the growth observed in alkaline medium, in which even a zrfAzrfBΔ double mutant was able to grow in a similar way to the wild-type under extremely zinc-limiting conditions. In sum, the zinc transport proteins encoded by zrfA and zrfB are members of a zinc uptake system of A. fumigatus that operates mainly under acid, zinc-limiting conditions.
Ezetimibe alone or in combination with simvastatin increases small dense low-density lipoproteins in healthy men: a randomized trial.

AIMS The predominance of small dense low-density lipoproteins (sdLDLs) has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The effect of ezetimibe on LDL subfraction distribution has not been fully elucidated. This study assessed by gradient gel electrophoresis the effects of ezetimibe alone, simvastatin alone, and their combination on sdLDL subfraction distribution. METHODS AND RESULTS A single-centre, randomized, parallel three-group open-label study was performed in 72 healthy men with a baseline LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration of 111 +/- 30 mg/dL (2.9 +/- 0.8 mmol/L). They were treated with ezetimibe (10 mg/day, n = 24), simvastatin (40 mg/day, n = 24), or their combination (n = 24) for 14 days. Blood was drawn before and after the treatment period. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the influence of drug therapy on LDL subfraction distribution, controlling for within-subject patterns (clustering). We adjusted for age, body mass index, and baseline concentrations of LDL-C and triglycerides. Ezetimibe alone changed LDL subfraction distribution towards a more atherogenic profile by significantly increasing sdLDL subfractions (LDL-IVA +14.2%, P = 0.0216 and LDL-IVB +16.7%, P = 0.039; fully adjusted Wald chi(2) test). In contrast, simvastatin alone significantly decreased the LDL-IVB subfraction (-16.7%, P = 0.002). This effect was offset when simvastatin was combined with ezetimibe (LDL-IVB +14.3%, P = 0.44). All three treatments decreased the large, more buoyant LDL-I subfraction, the effects of ezetimibe being the most pronounced (ezetimibe -13.9%, P < 0.0001; combination therapy -7.3%, P = 0.0743; simvastatin -4.6%, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION In healthy men, treatment with ezetimibe alone is associated with the development of a pro-atherogenic LDL subfraction profile. Potentially atheroprotective effects of simvastatin are offset by ezetimibe. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier no. NCT00317993.
Serial millisecond crystallography of membrane and soluble protein microcrystals using synchrotron radiation

In this proof-of-principle study, the feasibility of structure determination of several proteins using serial millisecond crystallography (SMX) has been evaluated. The first high-viscosity injector-based SMX experiments carried out at a US synchrotron source, the Advanced Photon Source (APS), are reported.
Exploratory movement and affordances in design

Abstract The design community has growing familiarity with the concept of affordances and with the utility of this concept in many areas of design. Less emphasis has been placed on natural processes by which people acquire knowledge about affordances. Consequently, little is known about how design might be optimized to enable users to detect the actions that are available in a given human–machine system. We review scientific research about what people do to obtain information about affordances. We discuss implications of this research for design.
Incremental predictive value of carotid ultrasonography in the assessment of coronary risk in a cohort of asymptomatic type 2 diabetic subjects.

OBJECTIVE Consensus guidelines recommend cardiovascular risk assessment as the initial step of primary prevention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incremental predictive value for coronary events conferred by carotid ultrasonography in addition to risk assessment by Framingham score and screening for silent myocardial ischemia in a cohort of type 2 diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We prospectively studied 229 patients free of any cardiovascular complication with at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor. At baseline, all patients had an exercise treadmill test, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) measurement, and coronary risk assessment by Framingham score. Cardiovascular events were registered during a 5-year follow-up period. RESULTS Age, carotid IMT, carotid plaques, number of risk factors, Framingham score, and suboptimal exercise electrocardiogram were associated with incident cardiovascular events (P < 0.05). Carotid IMT was an independent predictor of cardiovascular events (P = 0.045). The predictive value for coronary events was similar for carotid IMT and Framingham score as assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curves. An improvement in risk prediction was conferred by addition of carotid IMT in a Cox model (global chi(2) increased from 14.1 to 18.1, P = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS This prospective study confirms that carotid IMT is a marker of cardiovascular risk in this type 2 diabetic cohort, establishes that carotid IMT provides a similar predictive value for coronary events than Framingham score, and suggests that the combination of these two indexes significantly improves risk prediction for these patients.
A methodological proposal to assist scenario-based design in the early stages of innovation projects

Proposition methodologique pour assister la conception par scenarios dans les etapes initiales de projets d’innovationLes ergonomes sont de plus en plus sollicites pour intervenir dans les phases initiales des projets de conception innovante. Leur contribution s’appuie le plus souvent sur l’analyse d’activites existantes ou de situations permettant d’apprehender l’activite future des usagers (ex. simulations). Ceci repose sur les postulats que (a) l’enonce initial du probleme de conception permet d’identifier clairement des situations de reference pour decrire l’activite future, et (b) le concept de produit est suffisamment mur pour permettre la production d’objets intermediaires (maquettes, prototypes) dont l’usage pourra etre analyse. Dans les etapes initiales de projets d’innovation, ces postulats ne sont pas toujours verifies. Les ergonomes peuvent alors etre appeles dans les etapes ideatives du projet, pour proposer et examiner des concepts de produits et d’usages nouveaux.Dans cet article, nous evaluons l’apport d’outils empruntes a la resolution creative de problemes et a la fiabilite industrielle pour generer et analyser des scenarios d’usage dans ce cadre. Lors de simulations de reunions de conception, nous avons invite des equipes pluridisciplinaires de concepteurs a anticiper les usages de deux produits innovants : une table interactive et un dispositif de prevention de la noyade infantile. Les participants travaillaient soit librement, soit en utilisant les methodes du brainwriting et de la matrice de decouverte, pour construire des scenarios. Ils generaient ensuite, suivant une methode derivee de l’analyse des modes de defaillance, de leurs effets et de leur criticite, des revendications (claims) pour la conception. a partir de l’analyse de traces ecrites et orales de l’activite et d’un questionnaire ad hoc, nous avons evalue la performance creative et le ressenti des participants. Notre methodologie originale associe une approche de l’analyse de l’activite repandue dans l’etude des activites de conception, avec le cadre theorique de la generation d’idees en groupe utilise dans des travaux en psychologie de la creativite.Comme les autres metiers de la conception representes (ingenieurs et designers industriels), les ergonomes ont pu generer des idees sur les usages futurs possibles des produits, mais leur expertise leur a permis d’en produire davantage. Les outils proposes montrent un besoin de structurer l’exploration d’usages dans les phases en amont du processus. Ils ont permis de meilleures performances chez les concepteurs travaillant sur la table interactive, mais les resultats ont ete moins concluants pour le travail sur l’equipement de securite. L’AMDEC modifiee pourrait, enfin, permettre de repartir l’interpretation des scenarios sur plusieurs equipes de travail. Ces resultats, enfin, encouragent au developpement d’une ergonomie prospective de l’innovation.
Tumour lysis syndrome developing during an operation

We describe an unusual case of tumour lysis syndrome in a child with a high‐grade lymphoma undergoing a staging laparotomy. The patient presented with a refractory ventricular arrhythmia, which required continuous resuscitation in the operating room and continuous venous‐venous haemodialysis in the intensive care unit. This case report suggests that surgery is a possible trigger for developing tumour lysis syndrome, so anaesthetists should be alert to this possibility during surgery in patients with pre‐existing high tumour burdens.
Euro's Influence upon Trade: Rose Effect versus Border Effect

This paper assesses the Euro’s influence upon European trade by estimating two different indicators. The first is the so-called “Rose Effect”, while the second is the “Border Effect”. The former measures how much a country within a currency union trades more with its partners than with non-member countries, the latter measures the integration of a country with its trade partners. This study of the Euro’s influence by means of the Border Effect is a novelty in the literature, it reveals that the Euro’s influence upon trade is not so clear as papers focused only on the Rose Effect claim. This casts doubts about the consequences of the Euro introduction for the European Single Market. Both indicators are estimated by means of a gravity model for bilateral trade flows using a panel of manufacture exports among twenty-four OECD countries. JEL Classification: F10, F14, F15
The Tax System in Industrialized Countries

This volume is the only book to provide a comparative and systematic analysis of the tax systems of the major industrialized nations (the G7 plus Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden) over the last decade. An introductory chapter compares the tax levels, structures, and systems of the ten, notes differences between government preoccupations in mid-1980s and mid-1990s, and unusual tax features of particular countries, before speculating on likely changes in the remaining years of the century. In the ten main chapters, individual national experts providein a standardized format to facilitate comparisondetails of all the significant taxes and important changes in relation to specific policy considerations such as fiscal deficits, savings and investment incentives, income distribution effects, and administrative and compliance costs. The country chapters conclude with a summary of recent and prospective tax reforms, which in each case takes account of the underlying economic conditions and political climate.
Heat and cold.

Everyone in sports gets a strained or sore muscle or joint from time to time, and needs to know how to minimize the damage, pain and recovery time. Here are some points to remember: Consult sensei immediately following the injury. Through the prompt application of shiatsu techniques (Oriental pressure-point massage) he can often stop or greatly reduce the pain, and can advise you further. If there is any indication that the problem is serious (a possible fracture, for instance), see a physician immediately. Apply cold immediately following the injury. Swelling and inflammation can actually increase the amount of damage, after the fact, and need to be suppressed. Application of cold compresses, plus a non-prescription, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as Advil (ibuprofen) will help a great deal. Apply heat later, to reduce muscle cramps and spasms, and to help the damaged muscles stay relaxed. Spasms and tightness can cause additional damage and prevent healing. (Advil also has an anti-spasmodic effect and will help at this stage too.) Electric heating pads work well, as do commercial hot packs. Recently Consumer Reports magazine (April 1996) reviewed commercially available hot and cold compresses and found a multitude of them on the market, priced at from $2 to more than $20. Some must first be placed in the freezer or microwave oven; others must be filled with ice or hot water. Some products will deliver either warmth or cooling. The Ice-N-Heat Gel Pack ($20) comes with a wrap to hold it in place, after being frozen or microwaved, and will stay cold or hot for about an hour. The Body Glove Neoprene Ice Pack Wrap ($23) is an elastic support wrap which must be filled with ice or hot water (it can’t be microwaved), and lasts for one or two hours. The 3M Heat Comfort Pack (microwavable and reusable) lasts for about 45 minutes of dry heat; the Cara Micro-Heat ($13) provides moist heat which works better, but not as long. The Ace Reusable Cold Compress ($4) works well, they say, but a bag of frozen peas works just as well and costs only $1. Whichever product you choose, be certain to follow the package instructions carefully, and give the injury sufficient time to heal before getting back to your training. Even if all pain disappears as a result of immediate treatment, there may still be some healing time needed. ________________________________________________________________________