Striking a Match in the Historic District: Opposition to Historic Preservation and Responsive Community Building

In her 1981 Stanford Law Review article, Carol Rose articulated as a justification for the historic preservation vogue a community building rationale that transformed preservation from an end in itself to a means for community self-definition. Procedurally, Rose argued, preservation laws give communities the power to comment on the direction of development, and impurity of motive does not weaken the cause of community members who use the tools preservation law gives them. Suppose, she suggested, that the primary concern of neighbors is avoiding massive construction, and they emphasize history only as an instrument to oppose change. Such a motive is irrelevant under a rationale that elevates community building and definition over more traditional goals of aestheticism and patriotism. This rationale also would seem to apply in the circumstance where, recognizing the value of rights and preferences they must surrender under proposed historic districting, or choosing instead of preservation another social good, residents oppose restrictive measures imposed on their property at the local level. This essay examines Rose\u27s proposal for the community building possibilities of historic preservation laws, and inquires what role opposition to preservation plays in that model. It looks to the reasons why communities might choose unrestricted demolition and unfettered modification, and offers suggestions for how historic preservation law can better take account of other community goals

The Bidirectional Relationship Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Metabolic Disease

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder, effecting 17% of the total population and 40–70% of the obese population (1, 2). Multiple studies have identified OSA as a critical risk factor for the development of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (3–5). Moreover, emerging evidence indicates that metabolic disorders can exacerbate OSA, creating a bidirectional relationship between OSA and metabolic physiology. In this review, we explore the relationship between glycemic control, insulin, and leptin as both contributing factors and products of OSA. We conclude that while insulin and leptin action may contribute to the development of OSA, further research is required to determine the mechanistic actions and relative contributions independent of body weight. In addition to increasing our understanding of the etiology, further research into the physiological mechanisms underlying OSA can lead to the development of improved treatment options for individuals with OSA

Effects of Early-Adolescent, Mid-Adolescent, or Adult Stress on Morphine Conditioned Place Preference

Early-life stress is correlated with negative mental health outcomes, including illicit drug abuse. One mechanism that may contribute to drug abuse is stress-induced elevation of drug reward. Place conditioning paradigms show that exposure to uncontrollable stress as an adult enhances opiate conditioned place preference, CPP. The present work addressed whether early-adolescent, mid-adolescent, or adult stress amplified morphine CPP. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to stress or no stress conditions and received stress during early-, mid-adolescence, or adulthood. Stressors were unpredictable consisting of exposure to synthetic fox odor (trimethylthiazoline) and an elevated platform. Morphine place conditioning occurred during adulthood, and all animals received either morphine (15 mg/kg) on the initially non-preferred side or saline (1 ml/kg) on the initially preferred side. A post-test was conducted and time on non-preferred side was analyzed. A 2 (S/NS) x 2 (pre-/post-test) x 3 (early-adolescent/mid-adolescent/adult) mixed ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of test, F(1,42)=115.90, p \u3c .001

Separation of Variables and the Computation of Fourier Transforms on Finite Groups, II

We present a general diagrammatic approach to the construction of efficient algorithms for computing the Fourier transform of a function on a finite group. By extending work which connects Bratteli diagrams to the construction of Fast Fourier Transform algorithms %\cite{sovi}, we make explicit use of the path algebra connection to the construction of Gel'fand-Tsetlin bases and work in the setting of quivers. We relate this framework to the construction of a {\em configuration space} derived from a Bratteli diagram. In this setting the complexity of an algorithm for computing a Fourier transform reduces to the calculation of the dimension of the associated configuration space. Our methods give improved upper bounds for computing the Fourier transform for the general linear groups over finite fields, the classical Weyl groups, and homogeneous spaces of finite groups, while also recovering the best known algorithms for the symmetric group and compact Lie groups.Comment: 53 pages, 5 appendices, 34 figure

Strong Coordination over Noisy Channels: Is Separation Sufficient?

We study the problem of strong coordination of actions of two agents $X$ and $Y$ that communicate over a noisy communication channel such that the actions follow a given joint probability distribution. We propose two novel schemes for this noisy strong coordination problem, and derive inner bounds for the underlying strong coordination capacity region. The first scheme is a joint coordination-channel coding scheme that utilizes the randomness provided by the communication channel to reduce the local randomness required in generating the action sequence at agent $Y$. The second scheme exploits separate coordination and channel coding where local randomness is extracted from the channel after decoding. Finally, we present an example in which the joint scheme is able to outperform the separate scheme in terms of coordination rate.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. An extended version of a paper accepted for the IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT), 201

Strong Coordination over Noisy Channels: Is Separation Sufficient?

We study the problem of strong coordination of actions of two agents $X$ and $Y$ that communicate over a noisy communication channel such that the actions follow a given joint probability distribution. We propose two novel schemes for this noisy strong coordination problem, and derive inner bounds for the underlying strong coordination capacity region. The first scheme is a joint coordination-channel coding scheme that utilizes the randomness provided by the communication channel to reduce the local randomness required in generating the action sequence at agent $Y$. The second scheme exploits separate coordination and channel coding where local randomness is extracted from the channel after decoding. Finally, we present an example in which the joint scheme is able to outperform the separate scheme in terms of coordination rate.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. An extended version of a paper accepted for the IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT), 201

A microsimulation of the Uganda tax system (UGATAX) and the poor from 1999 to 2003

Like most developing countries, Uganda faces serious fiscal challenges in her effort to mobilize and effectively use resources for poverty reduction. however, the tax base remains small as reflected in the low tax-to-GDP. the government is under internal and external pressure to increase its domestic revenue collection and i turn, reduce its dependency on donors. In response to the pressure the government endeavored to maintain fiscal discipline, partly by raising taxes. the consequences of this move on the poor remains unclear. the main purpose of this paper is to throw light on the effects of alternative reforms to existing tax system on those households living in poverty. The analysis was carried out using the nationally representative Uganda national household survey of 1999/00 (UNHS I) using micro-simulation techniques. the key findings emerging from the analysis are: Increasing value added tax (VAT) other taxes unchanged will increase the tax burden of the poor but the non-poor households will continue paying more taxes relative to their expenditures that the poor households; Zero rating of the key taxable consumer items consumed by the poor would have little fiscal consequences. the amount of revenue forgone is less than the graduated tax (head tax) forgone; and the largest portion of the tax burden born by the poor households originates from VAT followed by excise duties and graduated tax.Taxation, Ssewanyana, Okidi, economic policy research center, Domestic revenue, Taxing systems, Poverty reduction, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Financial Economics, Industrial Organization, Labor and Human Capital,