1,105 research outputs found

    An Exploratory Analysis of Pharmaceutical Price Disparities and Their Implications Among Six Developed Nations

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    In our study of 43 drugs, prescription drug prices in several wealthy nations (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the U.K.) were much lower than in the U.S. on average, well below relative per capita GDP. There was relatively little difference among the five foreign nations. All this is consistent with previous research. After separating less-unique from more unique drugs, however, important new findings emerged. Relative prices for less-unique drugs, which are subject to strong competition, were at about half the U.S. level. We suggest that this reflects the exercise of monopsony power that does not exist in the U.S., where buyers as well as sellers compete. On the other hand, relative prices for highly unique drugs tended to be approximately proportional to per capita GDP or higher. Remarkably, biotech drugs were priced at or above U.S. levels in Canada and France

    Sub-Doppler frequency metrology in HD for test of fundamental physics

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    Weak transitions in the (2,0) overtone band of the HD molecule at λ=1.38 μ\lambda = 1.38 \, \mum were measured in saturated absorption using the technique of noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectroscopy. Narrow Doppler-free lines were interrogated with a spectroscopy laser locked to a frequency comb laser referenced to an atomic clock to yield transition frequencies [R(1) = 217 105 181 895 (20)217\,105\,181\,895\,(20) kHz; R(2) = 219 042 856 621 (28)219\,042\,856\,621\,(28) kHz; R(3) = 220 704 304 951 (28)220\,704\,304\,951\,(28) kHz] at three orders of magnitude improved accuracy. These benchmark values provide a test of QED in the smallest neutral molecule, and open up an avenue to resolve the proton radius puzzle, as well as constrain putative fifth forces and extra dimensions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

    Border Crossings: The Impact of Migration on the New Hampshire House of Representatives

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    This paper studies the political effects of population migration to New Hampshire. Data suggest that, although migration from Massachusetts caused significant “suburbanization” effects in New Hampshire over the last four decades, demographic changes have not yielded commensurate changes in voting behavior, or party registration in the state. But the New Hampshire House of Representatives reveals more impact from the dramatic population increase. Population migration has led to suburbanization of the composition of the 400-member lower chamber. Citizen-legislators native-born to New Hampshire now compose just slightly over a third of the House, a proportion far lower than that in other New England states. Also, levels of education among legislators have increased significantly. White-collar professionals and retirees now dominate the House delegations of both major parties. A review of selected roll-call votes over the past two decades reveals that party line voting on legislative bills has been on the rise in several significant issue areas. A more highly educated, white-collar citizen-legislature has not led to moderation and bipartisanship. Instead, House legislators are increasingly polarized over a series of ideologically charged issues

    Survival Differences among Native-Born and Foreign-Born Older Adults in the United States

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    Studies show that the U.S. foreign-born population has lower mortality than the native-born population before age 65. Until recently, the lack of data prohibited reliable comparisons of U.S. mortality by nativity at older ages. This study provides reliable estimates of U.S. foreign-born and native-born mortality at ages 65 and older at the end of the 20(th) century. Life expectancies of the U.S. foreign born are compared to other developed nations and the foreign-born contribution to total life expectancy (TLE) in the United States is assessed.Newly available data from Medicare Part B records linked with Social Security Administration files are used to estimate period life tables for nearly all U.S. adults aged 65 and older in 1995. Age-specific survival differences and life expectancies are examined in 1995 by sex, race, and place of birth.Foreign-born men and women had lower mortality at almost every age from 65 to 100 compared to native-born men and women. Survival differences by nativity were substantially greater for blacks than whites. Foreign-born blacks had the longest life expectancy of all population groups (18.73 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 18.15-19.30] years at age 65 for men and 22.76 [95% CI, 22.28-23.23] years at age 65 for women). The foreign-born population increased TLE in the United States at older ages, and by international comparison, the U.S. foreign born were among the longest-lived persons in the world.Survival estimates based on reliable Medicare data confirm that foreign-born adults have longer life expectancy at older ages than native-born adults in the United States

    Prenylated p-Hydroxyacetophenone Derivatives from the Giant Senecio johnstonii

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    The extract of the aerial parts of S. johnstonii afforded five known prenylated p-hydroxyacetophenone derivatives, scopoletin and 5-pentadecyl resorcinol together with the tridecyl derivative. The chemotaxonomic situation is discussed briefly.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28519/1/0000316.pd

    Symmetries of Electrostatic Interaction between DNA Molecules

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    We study a model for pair interaction UU of DNA molecules generated by the discrete dipole moments of base-pairs and the charges of phosphate groups, and find noncommutative group of eighth order S{\cal S} of symmetries that leave UU invariant. We classify the minima using group S{\cal S} and employ numerical methods for finding them. The minima may correspond to several cholesteric phases, as well as phases formed by cross-like conformations of molecules at an angle close to 90o\rm{90}^{o}, "snowflake phase". The results depend on the effective charge QQ of the phosphate group which can be modified by the polycations or the ions of metals. The snowflake phase could exist for QQ above the threshold QCQ_C. Below QCQ_C there could be several cholesteric phases. Close to QCQ_C the snowflake phase could change into the cholesteric one at constant distance between adjacent molecules.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
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