cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategic Authoritarianism: The Political Cycles and Selectivity of China's Tax-Break Policy

A rich literature has noted political business cycles in democracies. We argue that in an autocracy with strong bureaucratic institutions, the pressure of evaluation and promotion has also generated political cycles of tax break policies. Furthermore, the timing and content of the evaluation have driven leaders to use tax breaks strategically to build economic performance, producing distributional consequences. Combining panel data of 1,510,153 firm-year observations with city leader data from 1995 to 2007, we find that the tax break rates dropped for most firms during mayors’ turnover years. In the first year of office, i.e., the “busy year,” mayors needed to prioritize large firms and especially large foreign firms. Small domestic private firms bore the cost of tenure cycles. In the last year of the mayor’s tenure, i.e., the “dust-settled” year, there was little incentive to seek promotion, and even important firms could not gain the mayor’s attention.
Working memory relates to individual differences in speech category learning: Insights from computational modeling and pupillometry.

Abstract Across two experiments, we examine the relationship between individual differences in working memory (WM) and the acquisition of non-native speech categories in adulthood. While WM is associated with individual differences in a variety of learning tasks, successful acquisition of speech categories is argued to be contingent on WM-independent procedural-learning mechanisms. Thus, the role of WM in speech category learning is unclear. In Experiment 1, we show that individuals with higher WM acquire non-native speech categories faster and to a greater extent than those with lower WM. In Experiment 2, we replicate these results and show that individuals with higher WM use more optimal, procedural-based learning strategies and demonstrate more distinct speech-evoked pupillary responses for correct relative to incorrect trials. We propose that higher WM may allow for greater stimulus-related attention, resulting in more robust representations and optimal learning strategies. We discuss implications for neurobiological models of speech category learning.
Auto-Pipeline: Synthesizing Complex Data Pipelines By-Target Using Reinforcement Learning and Search

Recent work has made significant progress in helping users to automate single data preparation steps, such as string-transformations and table-manipulation operators (e.g., Join, GroupBy, Pivot, etc.). We in this work propose to automate multiple such steps end-to-end, by synthesizing complex data pipelines with both string transformations and table-manipulation operators. We propose a novel "by-target" paradigm that allows users to easily specify the desired pipeline, which is a significant departure from the traditional by-example paradigm. Using by-target, users would provide input tables (e.g., csv or json files), and point us to a "target table" (e.g., an existing database table or BI dashboard) to demonstrate how the output from the desired pipeline would schematically "look like". While the problem is seemingly underspecified, our unique insight is that implicit table constraints such as FDs and keys can be exploited to significantly constrain the space to make the problem tractable. We develop an Auto-Pipeline system that learns to synthesize pipelines using reinforcement learning and search. Experiments on large numbers of real pipelines crawled from GitHub suggest that Auto-Pipeline can successfully synthesize 60-70% of these complex pipelines with up to 10 steps.
De facto immigration enforcement, ICE raid awareness, and worker engagement

We explore whether fear of apprehension affects immigrants' labor market engagement by examining how ICE removals due to immigration violations and increased awareness of immigration raids impact their labor market outcomes. We find that ICE deportations are associated with reductions in the labor force participation and employment of likely undocumented immigrants when compared to similarly skilled foreign-born U.S.citizens. Effects are particularly strong among women, especially those with children, as well as in industries likely targeted by ICE raids. Controlling for perceived threats and de jure immigration policies has little impact on these results.
Reset-Free Reinforcement Learning via Multi-Task Learning: Learning Dexterous Manipulation Behaviors without Human Intervention

Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms can in principle acquire complex robotic skills by learning from large amounts of data in the real world, collected via trial and error. However, most RL algorithms use a carefully engineered setup in order to collect data, requiring human supervision and intervention to provide episodic resets. This is particularly evident in challenging robotics problems, such as dexterous manipulation. To make data collection scalable, such applications require reset-free algorithms that are able to learn autonomously, without explicit instrumentation or human intervention. Most prior work in this area handles single-task learning. However, we might also want robots that can perform large repertoires of skills. At first, this would appear to only make the problem harder. However, the key observation we make in this work is that an appropriately chosen multi-task RL setting actually alleviates the reset-free learning challenge, with minimal additional machinery required. In effect, solving a multi-task problem can directly solve the reset-free problem since different combinations of tasks can serve to perform resets for other tasks. By learning multiple tasks together and appropriately sequencing them, we can effectively learn all of the tasks together reset-free. This type of multi-task learning can effectively scale reset-free learning schemes to much more complex problems, as we demonstrate in our experiments. We propose a simple scheme for multi-task learning that tackles the reset-free learning problem, and show its effectiveness at learning to solve complex dexterous manipulation tasks in both hardware and simulation without any explicit resets. This work shows the ability to learn in-hand manipulation behaviors in the real world with RL without any human intervention.
Learning non-stationary Langevin dynamics from stochastic observations of latent trajectories

Many complex systems operating far from the equilibrium exhibit stochastic dynamics that can be described by a Langevin equation. Inferring Langevin equations from data can reveal how transient dynamics of such systems give rise to their function. However, dynamics are often inaccessible directly and can be only gleaned through a stochastic observation process, which makes the inference challenging. Here we present a non-parametric framework for inferring the Langevin equation, which explicitly models the stochastic observation process and non-stationary latent dynamics. The framework accounts for the non-equilibrium initial and final states of the observed system and for the possibility that the system's dynamics define the duration of observations. Omitting any of these non-stationary components results in incorrect inference, in which erroneous features arise in the dynamics due to non-stationary data distribution. We illustrate the framework using models of neural dynamics underlying decision making in the brain.
Evolution towards energy equipartition in star clusters: effects of the tidal field, primordial binaries, and internal velocity anisotropy

This paper is the second in a series investigating the evolution of star clusters towards energy equipartition (EEP). Here, we focus on the effects of the external tidal field of the host galaxy, initial anisotropy in the velocity distribution, and primordial binary star population. The results of our $N$-body simulations show that regardless of the strength of the tidal field or the fraction of primordial binaries: (i) the evolution towards EEP in the intermediate and outer regions of initially anisotropic systems is more rapid than for isotropic systems; (ii) this evolution also proceeds at different rates for the tangential and radial components of the velocity dispersion; and (iii) the outer regions of the initially isotropic systems show a tendency to evolve towards a state of `inverted' EEP in which low-mass stars have smaller velocity dispersion than high-mass stars. We also find that the clusters with primordial binaries stay even farther from EEP than systems containing only single stars. Finally, we show that all these results also hold when the degree of EEP is calculated using quantities measured in projection as it is done in observational studies, and that our findings could be tested with current and upcoming observational data.
Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA).

Proximity ligation assay (PLA), also referred to as Duolink® PLA technology, permits detection of protein-protein interactions in situ (<40 nm distance) at endogenous protein levels. It exploits specific antibodies identifying (either directly or indirectly) the two proteins of interest and takes advantage of specific DNA primers covalently linked to the antibodies. A hybridization step followed by a PCR amplification with fluorescent probes then permits visualization of spots of proximity by fluorescence microscopy.
The statistical mechanics of near-BPS black holes

Due to the failure of thermodynamics for low temperature near-extremal black holes, it has long been conjectured that a "thermodynamic mass gap" exists between an extremal black hole and the lightest near-extremal state. For non-supersymmetric near-extremal black holes in Einstein gravity, with an AdS$_2$ throat, no such gap was found. Rather, at that energy scale, the spectrum exhibits a continuum of states, up to non-perturbative corrections. In this paper, we compute the partition function of near-BPS black holes in supergravity where the emergent, broken, symmetry is $PSU(1,1|2)$. To reliably compute this partition function, we show that the gravitational path integral can be reduced to that of a $\mathcal N=4$ supersymmetric extension of the Schwarzian theory, which we define and exactly quantize. In contrast to the non-supersymmetric case, we find that black holes in supergravity have a mass gap and a large extremal black hole degeneracy consistent with the Bekenstein-Hawking area. Our results verify several string theory conjectures, concerning the scale of the mass gap and the counting of extremal micro-states.
Systemanweisungen für Die Sitzung

In diesem Kapitel sind die restlichen Systemanweisungen zusammengefast. Sie haben alle in irgendeiner Form mit der APL2-Sitzung zu tun.
El estilo porfiriano : deportes y diversiones de fin de siglo

Entre 1888 y 1905, especialmente en el decenio de 1890, la dictadura porfiriana se encuentra en su apogeo. Hacia 1888 D?az hab?a puesto en orden su gobierno. El ?xito de los esfuerzos de su r?gimen se ve?a por todas partes en los ?ltimos diez a?os del siglo: el ej?rcito, apoyado por la caballer?a de los Estados Unidos, hab?a conseguido dominar la amenaza apache; los rurales daban fin al bandolerismo; el ferrocarril comunicaba todo el pa?s; el tel?grafo llegaba a todas partes. La inversi?n extranjera corri? a M?xico, porque, casi con segu ridad, era el pa?s en turno camino a la modernizaci?n, que ofrec?a ganancias inmediatas a quien tuviera audacia suficiente para invertir. Los porfiristas un?an todo con una laxa ideo log?a a base de positivismo compteano con toques de cato licismo o anticlericalismo, de indianismo o anti-indianismo y con dosis m?s o menos grandes, m?s o menos peque?as de
Chapter 13. Antineoplastic Agents

Publisher Summary A great deal of research continued to be stimulated by the clinical efficacy of compounds, such as cyclophosphamide, L-phenylalanine mustard (1-PAM), bis-chloroethyl nitrosourea, and close analogs as antineoplastic agents. With the development of chlororotocin and streptorotocin additional work has sought further decreases in the toxicity and advantages in activity profile. The absolute configuration of cyclophosphamide is obtained by x-ray diffraction and allows the determination of the absolute configuration at the phosphorus of all chiral metabolites of cyclophosphamide. The screening of compounds from fermentation and other natural sources continue to provide the greatest number of new antineoplastic agents. Two antibiotics structurally related to bleomycin, tallysomycin A and B are identified as having antitumor activity comparable to bleoniycin. Antitumor activity against a solid tumor in mice is studied for a new antitumor antibiotic, sporamycin. A group of fermentation-derived ansamycins, similar in structure to maytansine and active against a broad range of tumor systems, displayed strongest activity against P388 leukemia in mice at low daily doses. Activity against inurine P388 leukemia is also observed when treated with fatty acid containing 12-6 carbons, gycine, or β-alanine.
Mapping of the active sites of transglutaminases. I. Activity of the guinea pig liver enzyme toward aliphatic amides.

Abstract Calcium-activated guinea pig liver transglutaminase catalyzes the incorporation of amines at the carboxamide group of several aliphatic amides. Initial velocity findings with n-valeramide and methylamine as substrates are consistent with a modified double displacement mechanism for this reaction. This mechanism has already been demonstrated for amine incorporation at the γ-carboxamide group of peptide-bound glutamine (Folk, J. E. (1969) J. Biol. Chem. 244, 3707). Inhibition patterns for aliphatic amides suggest that binding of these compounds occurs at the site in the enzyme to which the carboxamide side chain of peptide-bound glutamine residues attaches. All of the straight-chain amides tested proved to be substrates with the exception of formamide. Branched-chain amides in which there is a methyl group in the α or β position of the methylene side chain are not substrates; those with methyl groups on the γ-carbon of the side chain are. These observations and their consideration lead to the suggestion that peptide-bound glutamine attaches to the enzyme with its β and γ methylene groups situated in a hydrophobic binding region and with its carboxamide group directed toward the active site —SH group of the enzyme. The dimensions of this site preclude the productive binding of peptide-bound asparagine. An active site pocket of fixed dimensions into which the carboxamide group and methylene side chain of substrate must be injected and from which product must be extruded is not consistent with the substrate specificity of the enzyme or with the ready dissociation of many products. This, taken together with present observations, favors an hypothesis of an essential substrate-induced conformational change in the active site of the enzyme that precedes or accompanies enzyme acylation.
The Resistance Defense

This article explores a previously ignored set of defendants — those who choose to rely on a defense of resistance. From Warren Jeffs, the polygamist recently convicted of child rape in Texas, to John Brown, the fiery abolitionist who led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry in the hopes of triggering an armed insurrection, these defendants waived their procedural rights and transformed their criminal trials into a commentary on the deficiencies of the law and the system that supports it. Though their belief systems varied, they appear throughout history in moments of social or political crisis and challenge the capacity of the law to encompass their story. While their eventual convictions are not surprising, their reliance on a defense of resistance highlights two compelling but under-explored components of criminal law. First, the procedural rights that compose the right to a defense are more than individual rights; they have a communal value. The defendant may utilize them to challenge the accusation, but the community relies on them as well to legitimate the process and outcome. If a defendant forgoes these protections, the process is curtailed and questions of its legitimacy inevitably follow. Second, these procedural rights have a substantive component. They help to define notions of guilt and appropriate punishment. If a defendant chooses to forgo these rights, they effectively alter what it means to be convicted or to deserve punishment, skewing the meaning of the law itself. In a time when political identity and legitimacy are in play with movements from Occupy Wall Street to the Tea Party, and the Supreme Court’s decisions in Apprendi and Crawford place renewed faith in the citizen jury to construct meaning in the law, the question of how the law should respond to competing narratives looms. Resistance defendants serve as a powerful reminder that the system is only as strong its ability to contemplate a counter-narrative, and that the law ultimately draws its meaning from the lives of the governed. If the system is unable to encompass some lives and their stories, it loses some meaning and risks becoming foreign to the citizens themselves. This article examines the causes and consequences of the dilemma posed by the resistance defense, and proposes ways the criminal justice system might adapt and improve in response.
Three-Dimensional Quantitative Flow Diagnostics

Many of the so-called simple flows, including flat-plate boundary layers, two-dimensional compressible flows, and axisymrnetric rotating flows, still represent some of the most difficult, ill-understood fundamental problems in fluid mechanics today. Often, such flows contain structures that, though organized, represent a multitude of interacting scales. Inherent nonsteadiness and spacial complexity are rapidly compounded when one extends consideration to full three dimensional, high Reynolds/Mach number flows. Our success in developing a proper understanding of these complex flows depends largely on our ability to fully characterize them. Such an understanding is a critical step to the design of structures which can operate in unsteady flow regimes and to the control of unsteady phenomena including turbulence and mixing. The challenge facing experimentalists is to augment classical single-point measurements, such as those from hot wires and laser Doppler velocimeters (LDV), with three-dimensional measurements in order to generate a correlated picture of the flow field where all the structure is recorded.
Chemoreceptor-sensitive neurons in commissural subnucleus of nucleus tractus solitarius of the rat

Experiments were carried out in pentobarbital-anesthetized, vagotomized, paralyzed, and artificially ventilated male Wistar rats with a pneumothorax. Blood pressure, heart rate, and phrenic nerve activity were recorded. Extracellular neuronal recordings were made by glass micropipettes in a midline area in the commissural subnucleus of the nucleus tractus solitarius. At the end of the experiment, the recording sites were marked. Chemoreceptors were stimulated by tracheal administration of N2 or injection of CO2-saturated saline (50 microliters) near the carotid body. The baroreceptors were stimulated by an intravenous injection of phenylephrine (1-3 micrograms). Neurons that were excited by chemoreceptor stimulation but not baroreceptor stimulation were found in the commissural subnucleus of nucleus tractus solitarius and were designated as chemoreceptor-sensitive neurons. They exhibited a continuous discharge (9.9 +/- 1.3 spikes/s) that showed no apparent relation to either phrenic nerve bursts or arterial pulses. Such neurons were not found in the rostral portions of the nucleus tractus solitarius. These results confirm and extend our previous reports in which a discrete chemoreceptor projection site was identified in the commissural subnucleus of the rat.
Cannabis Treatments in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Historical Review

SUMMARY. Cannabis has an ancient tradition of usage as a medicine in obstetrics and gynecology. This study presents that history in the literature to the present era, compares it to current ethnobotanical, clinical and epidemiological reports, and examines it in light of modern developments in cannabinoid research. The author believes that cannabis extracts may represent an efficacious and safe alternative for treatment of a wide range of conditions in women including dysmenorrhea, dysuria, hyperemesis gravidarum, and menopausal symptoms. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: 2002 by
Reconfigurable antenna for footprint adjustment of the GPR system

An Antenna with stable footprint is crucial for GPR system to perform. In regards to the problem of varying soil condition, the design of UWB reconfigurable antenna with footprint adjustment capability was studied as an antenna system for GPR. The antenna system consists of several U-shape micro strip UWB antennas with resistive loading. Reconfiguration of the propose antenna is performed by controlling the switching device which is used to connect each U-shape micro strip UWB antenna. The reconfiguration scheme gives possibility to adjust the antenna footprint by manipulated the effective aperture of the antenna. Larger footprint is generated by increasing the number of U-shape micro strip UWB that are connected to each other and vise versa for smaller footprint. The theoretical analysis has been done to investigate the reconfigurable antenna concept for footprint adjustment and the result shows that the reconfigurable antenna concept is capable to adjust the footprint size of the antenna.
Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) via topical loading of Mn2+ significantly impairs mouse visual acuity: a comparison with intravitreal injection

Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) with topical loading of MnCl2 provides optic nerve enhancement comparable to that seen by intravitreal injection. However, the impact of this novel and non-invasive Mn(2+) loading method on visual function requires further assessments. The objective of this study is to determine the optimal topical Mn(2+) loading dosage for MEMRI and to assess visual function after MnCl2 loading. Intravitreal administration was performed to compare the two approaches of MnCl2 loading. Twenty-four hours after topical loading of 0, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 M MnCl2 , T1 -weighted, T2-weighted, diffusion tensor imaging and visual acuity (VA) assessments were performed to determine the best topical loading dosage for MEMRI measurements and to assess the integrity of retinas and optic nerves. Mice were perfusion fixed immediately after in vivo experiments for hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemistry staining. Topical loading of 1 M MnCl2 damaged the retinal photoreceptor layer with no detectable damage to retina ganglion cell layers or prechiasmatic optic nerves. For the topical loading, 0.75 M MnCl2 was required to see sufficient enhancement of the optic nerve. At this concentration the visual function was significantly affected, followed by a slow recovery. Intravitreal injection (0.25 μL of 0.2 M MnCl2 ) slightly affected VA, with full recovery a day later. To conclude, intravitreal MnCl2 injection provides more reproducible results with less adverse side-effects than topical loading.
Adaptation to High Protein Intakes, with Particular Reference to Formula Feeding and the Healthy, Term Infant

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to define the upper limit of the safe range of protein intake, with particular reference to the protein content of prepared fixed-formulas used for feeding healthy, term infants. For discussion purposes we use the current upper limit proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), namely, 4.5 g protein per 100 kcal, as our initial reference level. To help reach a conclusion, the concept and definitions of nutritional adaptation and accommodation are considered, followed by a brief review of selected studies in full-term infants fed varying levels of protein intake. Based on growth and blood biochemical data, principally plasma free amino acid levels, we conclude that the currently proposed FDA upper limit is probably too high. The available data support a recommendation for lowering the value to about 3.5 g of protein per 100 kcal. Concerns for renal solute load (RSL) may require a further, desirable refinement in the value proposed. Indeed RSL should perhaps serve as the primary basis for establishing a rational and safe upper limit for the protein content of prepared fixed-formula diets for the very young, healthy infant.
Gender issues and DSM-V

With each edition of the DSM, there has been greater attention paid to gender issues. The DSM-I, published in 1952, contained essentially no mention of sex differences in psychiatric illness. The DSM-II (1958) only rarely noted sex differences in disorders but did include the sex-specific disorder “Psychosis with Childbirth” as well as “Involutional Melancholia”, which was commonly associated with menopause. The DSM-III (1980) added a text section on “Sex Ratios” for each disorder but provided only minimal information such as “more common in women” or stated the information was not available; there were also sporadic comments about gender differences in course and treatment-seeking behavior. Several diagnoses in the DSM-III were sex-specific or had different diagnostic criteria for men and women, most of which were in the section on Psychosexual Disorders. The other disorder with sex-specific diagnostic criteria in DSM-III was Somatization Disorder, which had a threshold of 14 symptoms for women and 12 symptoms for men from among the 37 possible symptoms, 4 of which were categorized as ”female reproductive symptoms” (painful menstruation, menstrual irregularity, excessive bleeding, and severe vomiting during pregnancy). The DSM-III-R (1987) added proposed criteria for another sex-specific diagnosis, Late Luteal Phase Dysphoric Disorder (LLPDD). Because of the tremendous controversy generated by this diagnosis and concerns voiced by women’s groups that its inclusion in the DSM may stigmatize women, it was placed in the Appendix as a diagnosis for further study, to be coded as an Unspecified Mental Disorder. In DSM-IV (1994), a text section on “Specific Culture, Age, and Gender Features” was added for each disorder, which included any known information about gender differences in prevalence, symptoms and course. LLPDD remained in the Appendix of DSM-IV, with the name changed to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and the coding changed to Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified; in the body of the DSM, PMDD was listed as an example of Depressive Disorder NOS. The criteria for Somatization Disorder were changed so that the number of categories and required symptoms were equal for men and women, although some sex-specific symptoms were still included as examples. Another important addition in DSM-IV was the modifier “With Postpartum Onset” to describe episodes of Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar I or II Disorder, or Brief Psychotic Disorder with onset within 4 weeks after childbirth. In DSM-IV-TR (2000), the information in the text about gender differences in the prevalence, symptoms, and course of disorders was greatly expanded. “With Postpartum Onset” was retained as a specifier with the same 4-week time frame. The only disorders that are unique to men or women or have sex-specific diagnostic criteria are among the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders (and PMDD in the Appendix). What changes with regard to gender issues should be incorporated into DSM-V? The following options should be considered:
Vertebral artery injury and severely displaced odontoid fracture: the case for early reduction

To report a novel treatment method for vertebral artery occlusion. Vertebral artery injuries have a high association with specific cervical fractures including atlanto-axial fractures, displaced fracture patterns, and transverse foramen fractures. Optimal medical management of the occluded vertebral artery has yet to be determined; however, there is an extremely high complication rate with systemic anticoagulation in these patients. Furthermore, unlike appendicular skeleton fracture-dislocations with vascular injury, there is no clear consensus as to the optimal acute management of the displaced odontoid fracture with or without vertebral artery injury. We report on a severely displaced odontoid fracture that was found to have a vertebral artery injury. Medical records and imaging were reviewed. An 82-year-old female presented to our hospital with a type IIb odontoid fracture after sustaining a ground-level fall. Pertinent physical exam findings were ecchymosis on the left side of her forehead and posterior cervical pain without neurologic deficits. An MRA showed an occluded left vertebral artery. The patient was placed in early cervical traction and the fracture was reduced within 12 h of presentation. Following surgical stabilization, an MR angiogram showed complete reperfusion of the vertebral artery without intimal tear. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a displaced odontoid fracture in which cervical traction was used to restore the perfusion of the vertebral artery. Cervical traction may obviate the need for systemic anticoagulation and should be considered in patients who have an identifiable compression of the vertebral artery even if neurologically intact.
The evolution of advocacy and orthopaedic surgery.

The future direction of American health care has become increasingly controversial during the last decade. As healthcare costs, quality, and delivery have come under intense scrutiny, physicians play evolving roles as “advocates” for both their profession and patients via healthcare policy. Hospital-physician alignment is critical to the future success of advocacy among orthopaedic surgeons, as both hospitals and physicians are key stakeholders in health care and can work together to influence major health policy decisions. We (1) define the role of advocacy in medicine, specifically within orthopaedic surgery; (2) explore the history of physician advocacy and its evolution; (3) examine the various avenues of involvement for orthopaedic surgeons interested in advocacy; and (4) reflect on the impact of such activities on the future of orthopaedic surgery as it relates to hospital-physician alignment. We performed a comprehensive review of the literature through a bibliographic search of MEDLINE® and Google Scholar databases from January 2000 to December 2010 to identify articles related to advocacy and orthopaedic surgery. Advocacy among orthopaedic surgeons is critical in guiding the future of the American healthcare system. In today’s world, advocacy necessitates a wider effort to improve healthcare access, quality, and delivery for patients on a larger scale. The nature of physician advocacy among orthopaedic surgeons is grounded in the desire to serve patients and alleviate their suffering. Participation in medical societies and political campaigns are two avenues of involvement. The increasing role of government in American health care will require a renewed commitment to advocacy efforts from orthopaedic surgeons. The role of advocacy is rapidly redefining the continuum of care to a trinity of clinical excellence, innovative research, and effective advocacy. Failure to recognize this growing role of advocacy limits the impact we can have for our patients.
A SiGe BiCMOS cascode power amplifier with monolithic SOI envelope modulators for high-efficiency envelope tracking

In this paper, a fully differential cascode power amplifier (PA) is designed and fabricated using a 0.35-μm SiGe BiCMOS process. In the continuous wave (CW) measurement, the PA achieves a saturated power (P SAT ) of 24.8 dBm at 3.3 V with power-added-efficiency (PAE) above 50% at 2.3 GHz. Two monolithic envelope modulators (EMs) are designed in a 0.18-μm SOI CMOS technology using a switching buck converter stage with two different linear amplifier topologies: a low-dropout (LDO) regulator vs. a conventional class AB Op-Amp. The envelope tracking PA (ET-PA) systems are measured for maximum linear P OUT and efficiency with corresponding design trade-offs discussed. The conventional class AB Op-Amp based EM proved better combined efficiency /linearity at 20 dBm P OUT with 30% PAE using an LTE 16QAM 5 MHz signal for our assessment.
Age-related changes in P2 receptor mRNA of rat cerebral arteries.

Abstract Aging alters the vascular response to extracellular nucleotides. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the effect of aging remain unclear. We investigated the mRNA expression of P2X1, P2Y1, P2Y2 subtypes of the nucleotide receptors (P2) in the basilar artery, aorta and carotid artery from male Sprague-Dawley rats, 2-months and 19-months old. In the basilar arteries of 19-month old rats, as compared to the 2-month old rats, the P2X1 receptor transcripts were reduced and the P2Y1 and P2Y2 receptor mRNA was increased. In the aorta and carotid arteries, P2Y1 receptor mRNA was decreased in the 19-month old rats when compared to the 2-month old rats. There were no marked changes of P2X1 and P2Y2 receptor mRNA between the two age groups in the aorta or carotid artery. In endothelial cells, P2Y1 and P2Y2 receptor mRNA was reduced with age. We concluded that, down-regulation of P2X1 and up-regulation of P2Y1, P2Y2 receptor mRNA in smooth muscle cells and down-regulation of P2Y1 and P2Y2 receptor mRNA on vascular endothelial cells might underlie the changes of cerebral vascular tone in aging.
Presidential Strategy in the Judicial Appointment Process: “Going Public” in Support of Nominees to the U.S. Courts of Appeals

I examine presidential use of public appeals on behalf of nominees to the U.S. courts of appeals from 1977 to 2005. Presidents Clinton and W. Bush have utilized this strategy far more regularly than did their predecessors. I find that presidents go public more often and more quickly on behalf of nominees facing a difficult confirmation climate, as well as on behalf of those who would diversify the bench. However, nominees who received more presidential support were not more likely to be confirmed by the Senate and appeared to be less likely to be confirmed. These findings indicate an important shift in presidential strategy concerning appointments to the courts of appeals in the newly politicized confirmation climate. These findings also provide evidence that presidents may be motivated by factors beyond confirmation success when determining how to expend public support on behalf of individuals nominated to these important courts.
Water vapor adsorption and desorption isotherms of activated carbon products used in Japanese gas respirators

To understand the hygroscopic properties of recent activated carbon products for industrial and occupational hygiene, we measured their pore and chemical properties, and water vapor isotherms at around room temperature (at 283, 293 and 298 K). The activated carbon specimens examined were used in 11 types of gas filter for Japanese respirators. The N2-BET specific surface areas of the specimens are in the region of approximately 1,200–1,600 m2/g. The water vapor isotherms show that keeping relative humidity below 40 % in storage is efficient to eliminate moisture adsorption of the activated carbon products around room temperature.
Hypothesis testing and earthquake prediction.

Abstract Requirements for testing include advance specification of the conditional rate density (probability per unit time, area, and magnitude) or, alternatively, probabilities for specified intervals of time, space, and magnitude. Here I consider testing fully specified hypotheses, with no parameter adjustments or arbitrary decisions allowed during the test period. Because it may take decades to validate prediction methods, it is worthwhile to formulate testable hypotheses carefully in advance. Earthquake prediction generally implies that the probability will be temporarily higher than normal. Such a statement requires knowledge of "normal behavior"--that is, it requires a null hypothesis. Hypotheses can be tested in three ways: (i) by comparing the number of actual earth-quakes to the number predicted, (ii) by comparing the likelihood score of actual earthquakes to the predicted distribution, and (iii) by comparing the likelihood ratio to that of a null hypothesis. The first two tests are purely self-consistency tests, while the third is a direct comparison of two hypotheses. Predictions made without a statement of probability are very difficult to test, and any test must be based on the ratio of earthquakes in and out of the forecast regions.
Replacing a battery by a nanogenerator with 20 V output.

IC A IO N We have been working on “self-powered nanotechnology” since 2005 with the aim to build self-powered systems that operate independently, sustainably, and wirelessly without the use of a battery. [ 1 , 2 ] One of the great applications for such a self-powered system is that it can be used for driving portable/wearable personal electronics in our daily life. Nanogenerators (NG) are one of the technologies that are developed to harvest irregular mechanical energy with variable frequency and amplitude in our environment by way of the piezoelectric effect. [ 3–12 ] It is designed to have a tolerance for variable environments without relying on the traditional approach of cantilever-based resonators. Irregular mechanical energy can manifest itself in the form of gentle airfl ows, ambient noise, and activity of the human body, such as walking, typing, etc. Such energy forms are abundant in the working environment for personal consumer electronics. In fact, after sustainable development the NG has been demonstrated to power small electronic devices, such as the lighting of a small LCD screen of a calculator [ 13 ] and fl ashing a single LED. [ 7 , 8 ] But the low output current limits the application of the NG to drive commercial consumer electronics, which usually have a higher power consumption and require a power source with a regulated voltage and maintaining a constant current supply. To solve this problem, the optimization of the NG’s performance and in particular the output current is desperately needed. And a convertor is required to obtain a sustainable regulated power source from the stored energy harvested by the NGs. In this work, we have systematically investigated various approaches for improving the intrinsic properties of ZnO in order to achieve a high performance. The NGs’ performance was greatly improved by pretreatment of the ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays in the device with oxygen plasma, annealing in air and surface passivation with certain polymers. The maximum output voltage reached from a single layer of nanowire reached 20 V, and the maximum output current exceeded 6 μ A, in corresponding to a power density of 0.2 W cm − 3 , which is 20 times larger than the former best NG we have achieved. [ 12 ] The NG’s performance is good enough to drive a commercial buck convertor board, and a regulated voltage of 1.8 V with constant current load was achieved to drive an electrical watch for more than 1 minute after the board was charged by the NG with 1000 cycles of deformation. This is the fi rst time that a NG works as a battery part for real commercial consumer electronics.
Analytical Conditions for Motion Complexity of a 2-DOF Friction-Induced Oscillator Moving on Two Oscillators

In this paper, the analytical conditions for stick and nonstick motions are discussed in 2-DOF friction induced oscillator moving on two oscillators. From physical points of view, the physical problem is stated. In order to develop the analytical conditions for stick and non-stick motion, the absolute and relative descriptions are given for a better understanding of the complex motions in such a 2-DOF oscillator interacting with two individual oscillators through dry friction. The analytical conditions are sketched intuitively.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
A Rawlsian Defense of the Individual Mandate: The “Collective Asset” Approach

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires individuals to get coverage or pay a fine (or “shared responsibility payment”) starting in 2014. This mandate had been at the center of a contentious political and legal debate. Although the Mandate is key to ending discriminations based on pre-existing conditions in the individual insurance market, its constitutionality had been challenged. We argue that the Obama administration's legal argument for the constitutionality of the Mandate by invoking conventional economic categories such as “negative externalities” is inadequate in addressing the economic and moral significance of the Mandate. As an alternative, we suggest a Rawlsian approach. Specifically, we will borrow the Rawlsian notion of “collective asset” to articulate the moral appeal of the Mandate and its social insurance logic.
Reduction of Nitrogen Oxides From Gas Turbines by Steam Injection

This paper describes the results of tests to determine the effects of steam injection on the production of nitric oxide in gas turbine combustors. When the steam injected into the compressor discharge was 2 percent of the total air flow, the oxides of nitrogen were reduced to 50 percent of what they were with no steam injection for a given load in a gas fired machine. When the steam flow was increased to 4 percent the oxides of nitrogen dropped to 25 percent of the value with no steam.Copyright © 1971 by ASME
Retinoic acid receptors and GATA transcription factors activate the transcription of the human lecithin:retinol acyltransferase gene.

Abstract Lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) catalyzes the esterification of retinol (vitamin A). Retinyl esters and LRAT protein levels are reduced in many types of cancer cells. We present data that both the LRAT and retinoic acid receptor β2 (RARβ2) mRNA levels in the human prostate cancer cell line PC-3 are lower than those in cultured normal human prostate epithelial cells (PrEC). The activity of the human LRAT promoter (2.0 kb) driving a luciferase reporter gene in PC-3 cells is less than 40% of that in PrEC cells. Retinoic acid (RA) treatment increased this LRAT promoter-luciferase activity in PrEC cells, but not in PC-3 cells. Deletion of various regions of the human LRAT promoter demonstrated that a 172-bp proximal promoter region is essential for LRAT transcription and confers RA responsiveness in PrEC cells. This 172-bp region, contained within the 186 bp pLRAT/luciferase construct, has five putative GATA binding sites. Cotransfection of RARβ2 or RARγ and the transcription factor GATA-4 increased LRAT (pLRAT186) promoter activity in both PrEC and PC-3 cells. In addition, we found that both retinoic acid and retinol induced transcripts for the STRA6 gene, which encodes a membrane receptor involved in retinol (vitamin A) uptake, in PrEC cells but not in PC-3 cells. In summary, our data show that the transcriptional regulation of the human LRAT gene is aberrant in human prostate cancer cells and that GATA transcription factors are involved in the transcriptional activation of LRAT in PrEC cells.
Usability testing of a graphical programming system: things we missed in a programming walkthrough

Abstract : Traditional programming language design has focused on efficiency and expressiveness, with minimal attention to the ease with which a programmer can translate task requirements into statements in the language, a characteristic the authors call "facility." The programming walkthrough is a method for assessing the facility of a language design before implementation. In this paper, the authors summarize the results of a programming walkthrough that evaluated the facility of "ChemTrains," a graphical programming language that is intended to allow nonprogrammers to create animated simulations. They then describe empirical testing in which subjects were asked to write their first program in ChemTrain. They compared the predictions of the walkthrough to the subjects' behavior in the tests, and concluded that the walkthrough successfully predicted much of the required knowledge. They also found, however, that programmers' metacognitive strategies sometimes demand more knowledge than a pure knowledge-level analysis would suggest. The authors conclude that the walkthrough is a valuable aid at the design stage, but it is not infallible. They also suggest that it may not be enough for programmers to know how to solve a problem; they must also understand why the solution will succeed.
Probing protein electrostatic interactions through temperature/reduction potential profiles

The change in the equilibrium reduction potentials of the iron-sulfur proteins, Pyrococcus furiosus rubredoxin and P. furiosus ferredoxin, and heme protein, horse cytochrome c, has been calculated as a function of temperature using a numerical solution to the Poisson-Boltzman equation. Working curves for different internal dielectric constants were generated to best reproduce experimental observation. Based on a comparison of the experimental and simulated change in reduction potential with temperature, it is concluded that the dielectric constant of proteins is temperature-dependent and varies from protein to protein. For example, the temperature-dependent reduction potential of cytochrome c can only be simulated using a different temperature-dependent dielectric constant for each oxidation state, but this was not the case for rubredoxin or ferredoxin. The role of changes in ionization states of cytochrome c at alkaline pHs, where the reduction potential is known to be pH-dependent at room temperature, is also discussed in terms of electrostatic interaction energies as a function of temperature. It appears that temperature/reduction potential profiles may provide a direct method for measuring relative changes in internal protein dielectric constants.
Determinants of economic well-being among U.S. farm operator households

Participation in government programs has a mild impact on the economic well-being of U.S. farm households. Major factors that determine farm household prosperity are the primary operator’s education level and ethnicity, education level of the spouse, and other characteristics such as forward purchasing of inputs, use of contract shipping of products, having a succession plan, farm ownership, and location in a metro area. This article uses the 2001 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) as well as relative and an absolute measure to assess U.S. farm households’ economic well-being. The relative measure compares the income and wealth position of farm households relative to median income and median wealth of the general population. The absolute measure adds annualized wealth to a farm household’s income.
Analysis of the PFF replacement algorithm via a semi-Markov model

An analytical model is presented to estimate the performance of the Page Fault Frequency (PFF) replacement algorithm. In this model, program behavior is represented by the LRU stack distance model and the PFF replacement algorithm is represented by a semi-Markov model. Using these models, such parameters as the inter-page-fault interval distribution, the probability of the number of distinct pages being referenced during an inter-page-fault interval, etc. are able to be analytically determined. Using these models to evaluate these parameter values permits study of the performance of the replacement algorithm by simulating the page fault events rather than every page reference event. This significantly reduces the required computation time in estimating the performance of the PFF algorithm.
Student debt crisis: Are students incurring excessive debt?

Abstract This study attempts to determine whether undergraduate students are incurring excessively high levels of debt to finance college attendance. We review and comment on the strength of several different approaches including the widely-used Horch approach, to determine how much income young college graduates can allocate for repayment of their student loans. Utilizing data on the actual debt levels for 1982–1983 full-time college seniors in California, we conclude that at most no more than 4% of dependent students and 5% of independent students can be viewed as having excessive debt.