Influencing the Court: Determinants of Presidential Action

This work examines when, and under what conditions, the president seeks to accomplish his policy goals through his interactions with the United States. While there is a wealth of literature that explores how other actors seek to influence the courts, there is little work that systematically explores when and how presidents try to influence the courts. I argue that the president’s decision to take action, and the degree of action he takes, is a function of his level of interest or commitment in achieving policy change and the likelihood that policy change would occur without his intervention. This project moves beyond simply assuming presidents want to influence the judiciary to proposing a novel theoretical framework for when they are mostly likely to do so, in what manner, and the potential costs that presidents must weigh in deciding whether to act

Drugs of abuse and the adolescent athlete

Doping with endocrine drugs is quite prevalent in amateur and professional athletes. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has a list of banned drugs for athletes who compete and a strategy to detect such drugs. Some are relatively easy, anabolic steroids and erythropoietin, and others more difficult, human growth hormone (rhGH) and insulin like growth factor I (IGF-I). The use of such compounds is likely less in adolescent athletes, but the detection that much more difficult given that the baseline secretion of the endogenous hormone is shifting during pubertal development with the greatest rise in testosterone in boys occuring about the time of peak height velocity and maximal secretion of hGH and IGF-I

Funding of Marital Deduction Trusts Through Equalization Clauses: Confusing Concepts of Terminable Value and Terminable Interest

In a recent decision, the Tax Court concluded that an interest passing to a surviving spouse under a trust instrument qualified for a marital deduction where the interest was vested indefeasibly on the date of death but might have no value. The author suggests that the Internal Revenue Service attack upon this estate plan was based upon mistakenly equating terminable interest with terminable value-a confusion which has existed at least since the issuance of Revenue Procedure 64-19 in 1964

Funding of Marital Deduction Trusts Through Equalization Clauses: Confusing Concepts of Terminable Value and Terminable Interest

In a recent decision, the Tax Court concluded that an interest passing to a surviving spouse under a trust instrument qualified for a marital deduction where the interest was vested indefeasibly on the date of death but might have no value. The author suggests that the Internal Revenue Service attack upon this estate plan was based upon mistakenly equating terminable interest with terminable value-a confusion which has existed at least since the issuance of Revenue Procedure 64-19 in 1964

Why did the solar power sector develop quickly in Japan?

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-181).The solar power sector grew quickly in Japan during the decade 1994 to 2003. During this period, annual installations increased 32-fold from 7MW in 1994 to 223MW in 2003, and annual production increased 22-fold, from 16MW in 1994 to 364MW in 2003. Over these years, the growth of Japan's solar power sector outpaced the global industry's growth, which is puzzling because Japan was in a recession during this period. At the same time, the U.S. was experiencing considerable economic expansion, yet the U.S. solar industry's growth was significantly slower than Japan's. This thesis focuses on the rapid development of Japan's solar power sector in order to address the central question, "Why did the solar power sector develop quickly in Japan?" To address this question, this thesis develops two comparative case studies: (1) Japan's solar power sector: 1994 to 2003 and (2) U.S. solar power sector: 1994 to 2003. These case studies provide detailed descriptions of the historical development of the solar power sectors in Japan and the U.S. based on data collected from International Energy Agency's PVPS program, Japan's New Energy Development Organization and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, among other sources.(cont.) A comparative analysis of these cases suggests that the rapid growth of Japan's solar power sector was enabled by interplay among (a) decreasing gross system prices price, (b) increasing installations, (c) increasing production and (d) decreasing costs. The second-order explanation for this interplay is that a mosaic of factors led to (a) decreasing prices, (b) increasing installations, (c) increasing production and (d) decreasing costs. This mosaic included the extrinsic setting (solar resource, interest rate, grid price), industrial organization (including the structure of the electric power sector and the structure within the solar power sector), demand-side incentives that drove down the "gap" with and provided a "trigger" for supply-side growth, and supply-side expansion that enabled significant cost reductions and price reductions that more than offset the decline in demand-side incentives. Within this complex interplay of numerous factors, roadmapping and industry coordination efforts played an important role by shaping the direction of Japan's solar power sector. This thesis concludes with "lessons learned" from Japan's solar power sector development, how these lessons may be applicable in a U.S. context and open questions for further research.by Michael G. Rogol.S.M

Heritability of testosterone levels in 12-year-old twins and its relation to pubertal development

The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability of variation in testosterone levels in 12-year-old children, and to explore the overlap in genetic and environmental influences on circulating testosterone levels and androgen dependent pubertal development. Midday salivary testosterone samples were collected on two consecutive days in a sample of 183 unselected twin pairs. Androgen induced pubertal development was assessed using self report Tanner scales of pubic hair development (boys and girls) and genital development (boys). A significant contribution of genetic effects to the variance in testosterone levels was found. Heritability was approximately 50% in both boys and girls. The remaining proportion of the variance in testosterone levels could be explained by non-shared environmental influences. The relatively high correlation between testosterone levels of opposite sex dizygotic twins suggests that sex differences in genes influencing variation in testosterone levels have not yet developed in pre- and early puberty. Variance in pubertal development was explained by a large genetic component, moderate shared environmental influences, and a small non-shared environmental effect. Testosterone levels correlated moderately (r = .31) with pubertal development; the covariance between testosterone levels and pubertal development was entirely accounted for by genetic influences

Management of the child born small for gestational age through to adulthood: A consensus statement of the international societies of pediatric endocrinology and the Growth Hormone Research Society

Objective: Low birth weight remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in early infancy and childhood. It is associated with an increased risk of health problems later in life, particularly coronary heart disease and stroke. A meeting was convened to identify the key health issues facing a child born small for gestational age (SGA) and to propose management strategies. Participants: There were 42 participants chosen for their expertise in obstetrics, peri- and neonatal medicine, pediatrics, pediatric and adult endocrinology, epidemiology, and pharmacology. Evidence: Written materials were exchanged, reviewed, revised, and then made available to all. This formed the basis for discussions at the meeting. Where published data were not available or adequate, discussion was based on expert clinical opinions. Consensus Process: Each set of questions was considered by all and then discussed in plenary sessions with consensus and unresolved issues identified. The consensus statement was prepared in plenary sessions and then edited by the group chairs and shared with all participants. Conclusions: The diagnosis of SGA should be based on accurate anthropometry at birth including weight, length, and head circumference. We recommend early surveillance in a growth clinic for those without catch-up. Early neurodevelopment evaluation and interventions are warranted in at-risk children. Endocrine and metabolic disturbances in the SGA child are recognized but infrequent. For the 10% who lack catch-up, GH treatment can increase linear growth. Early intervention with GH for those with severe growth retardation (height SD score, < -2.5; age, 2-4 yr) should be considered at a dose of 35-70 mu g/kg center dot d. Long-term surveillance of treated patients is essential. The associations at a population level between low birth weight, including SGA, and coronary heart disease and stroke in later life are recognized, but there is inadequate evidence to recommend routine health surveillance of all adults born SGA outside of normal clinical practice

The Validity of Automatic Methods for Estimating Skeletal Age in Young Athletes:A Comparison of the BAUSport Ultrasound System and BoneXpert with the Radiographic method of Fels.

This study examined the validity of two automated methods (BAUSport, BoneXpert software using Fels, Greulich-Pyle, Tanner-Whithouse III protocols) for estimating skeletal age (SA) in young athletes in comparison to a reference standard (Fels). 85 male and female athletes, nine to seventeen years of age, from multiple sports were assessed for SA as part of an annual medical and health screening programme. Intra-class correlations demonstrated high degrees of association between the automatic methods for estimating SA (BAUSport r =.98; BoneXpert r =.96-.99) and the discrepancy between SA and chronological age (SA-CA) (BAUSport r =.93; BoneXpert r =.88-.97), with the reference standard. Concordance analyses for the categorisation of participants as early, on-time and late maturing also demonstrated substantial levels of agreement for both methods (BAUSport Kappa = .71; BoneXpert Fels Kappa = .63) with the reference standard. Bland-Altman plots comparing the automatic methods with the reference standard identified statistically significant fixed biases, ranging in magnitude from small to large. Collectively, these results suggest that BoneXpert and BAUSport can provide comparable estimates of SA and SA-CA in young athletes relative to the Fels method. Biases in the estimation of SA should, however, be considered and the automatic methods should be implemented as part of a comprehensive growth and maturity screening protocol. The non-invasive nature of the BAUSport method affords particular advantages (no radiation exposure, portability) in contexts where the regular estimation of SA is recommended

The Validity of Automatic Methods for Estimating Skeletal Age in Young Athletes:A Comparison of the BAUSport Ultrasound System and BoneXpert with the Radiographic method of Fels.

This study examined the validity of two automated methods (BAUSport, BoneXpert software using Fels, Greulich-Pyle, Tanner-Whithouse III protocols) for estimating skeletal age (SA) in young athletes in comparison to a reference standard (Fels). 85 male and female athletes, nine to seventeen years of age, from multiple sports were assessed for SA as part of an annual medical and health screening programme. Intra-class correlations demonstrated high degrees of association between the automatic methods for estimating SA (BAUSport r =.98; BoneXpert r =.96-.99) and the discrepancy between SA and chronological age (SA-CA) (BAUSport r =.93; BoneXpert r =.88-.97), with the reference standard. Concordance analyses for the categorisation of participants as early, on-time and late maturing also demonstrated substantial levels of agreement for both methods (BAUSport Kappa = .71; BoneXpert Fels Kappa = .63) with the reference standard. Bland-Altman plots comparing the automatic methods with the reference standard identified statistically significant fixed biases, ranging in magnitude from small to large. Collectively, these results suggest that BoneXpert and BAUSport can provide comparable estimates of SA and SA-CA in young athletes relative to the Fels method. Biases in the estimation of SA should, however, be considered and the automatic methods should be implemented as part of a comprehensive growth and maturity screening protocol. The non-invasive nature of the BAUSport method affords particular advantages (no radiation exposure, portability) in contexts where the regular estimation of SA is recommended

The transition to Post-industrial BMI values among US children

Background: The trend in the BMI values of US children has not been estimated very convincingly because of the absence of longitudinal data. Our object is to estimate time series of BMI values by birth cohorts instead of measurement years. Methods: We use five regression models to estimate the BMI trends of non-Hispanic US-born black and white children and adolescents ages 2-19 between 1941 and 2004. Results: The increase in BMIZ values during the period considered was 1.3σ (95% CI: 1.16σ; 1.44σ) among black girls, 0.8σ for black boys, 0.7σ for white boys, and 0.6σ for white girls. This translates into an increase in BMI values of some 5.6, 3.3, 2.4, and 1.5 units respectively. While the increase in BMI values started among the birth cohorts of the 1940s among black girls, the rate of increase tended to accelerate among all four ethnic/gender groups born in the mid-1950s – early-1960s. Conclusion: Some regional evidence leads to the conjecture that the spread of automobiles and radios affected the BMI values of boys already in the interwar period. We suppose that the changes in lifestyle associated with the labor saving technological developments of the 20th century are associated with the weight gains observed. The increased popularity of television viewing was most prominently associated with the contemporaneous acceleration in BMI gain