The State of American Federalism 2017–2018: Unilateral Executive Action, Regulatory Rollback, and State Resistance

The state of American federalism in 2017–2018 is characterized by federal policy reversals, as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans continue to undo many of the Obama administration’s policies. Two themes are highlighted in this essay. First, major policy changes continue to be undertaken primarily through unilateral executive action, even with Republicans holding the presidency and both the House and Senate. Ideological divisions within the Republican Party prevented Congress from enacting major legislation, save for a tax reform measure, and resulted in policy changes on health care, immigration, and the environment being made through executive and administrative action. Another prominent feature of governance in the early part of the Trump administration has been state resistance to federal directives, taking the form primarily but not exclusively of state attorney general (AG) lawsuits. Democratic AGs filed lawsuits challenging Trump administration actions on immigration and clean energy in particular. Democratic governors and state legislators also took a variety of other actions to resist Trump administration policies. The federal courts also continue to play an active role in shaping and adjudicating controversies impacting federalism

The Causes of Fiscal Transparency: Evidence from the American States

We use unique panel data on the evolution of transparent budget procedures in the American states over the past three decades to explore the political and economic determinants of fiscal transparency. Our case studies and quantitative analysis suggest that both politics and fiscal policy outcomes influence the level of transparency. More equal political competition and power sharing are associated with both greater levels of fiscal transparency and increases in fiscal transparency during the sample period. Political polarization and past fiscal conditions, in particular state government debt and budget imbalance, also appear to affect the level of transparency.

The Causes of Fiscal Transparency: Evidence from the U.S. States

We use unique panel data on the evolution of transparent budget procedures in the U.S. states over the past three decades to explore the political and economic determinants of fiscal transparency. Our case studies and quantitative analysis suggest that both politics and fiscal policy outcomes influence the level of transparency. More equal political competition and power sharing are associated with both greater levels of and increases in fiscal transparency during the sample period. Political polarization and past fiscal conditions, in particular state government debt and budget imbalances, also appear to affect the level of transparency. Copyright 2006, International Monetary Fund

A Social Behavior Comparison between a Hand-Raised and Wild-Caught Group of Male Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Social behavior such as play, affiliation, and some vocalizations of captive animals can be indicators of good welfare. Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) near Otjiwarongo, Namibia are often housed in social groups with various backgrounds. Observations of social and active behaviors were recorded for a group of four hand-raised (HR) cheetahs and of five wild-caught (WC) cheetahs (≥ 5 months old when caught) to determine if there were differences between the groups. The social behaviors for cheetahs may include physical contact, allogrooming, social play, and vocalizations within groups. Comparisons of the frequency of counts engaged in all social behaviors for the two groups showed no statistical significance, but specific social behaviors varied. Allogrooming and physical contact were more frequent for the hand-raised cheetahs. Vocalizations and active behaviors occurred more with the wild-caught group of cheetahs. These results may be related to the cheetah group’s background, enclosure size, or in some cases individual differences within a group. To assess the animal welfare of these groups based on social behavior, further research is needed to understand the cause of these differences

Psychometric properties of a standardized protocol of muscle strength assessment by hand-held dynamometry in healthy adults: a reliability study

Background Maximal isometric muscle strength (MIMS) assessment is a key component of physiotherapists’ work. Hand-held dynamometry (HHD) is a simple and quick method to obtain quantified MIMS values that have been shown to be valid, reliable, and more responsive than manual muscle testing. However, the lack of MIMS reference values for several muscle groups in healthy adults with well-known psychometric properties limits the use and the interpretation of these measures obtained with HHD in clinic. Objective To determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability, standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC) of MIMS torque values obtained with HHD. Methods Intra and Inter-rater Reliability Study. The MIMS torque of 17 muscle groups was assessed by two independent raters at three different times in 30 healthy adults using a standardized HHD protocol using the MEDup™ (Atlas Medic, Québec, Canada). Participants were excluded if they presented any of the following criteria: 1) participation in sport at a competitive level; 2) degenerative or neuromusculoskeletal disease that could affect torque measurements; 3) traumatic experience or disease in the previous years that could affect their muscle function; and 4) use of medication that could impact muscle strength (e.g., muscle relaxants, analgesics, opioids) at the time of the evaluation. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were determined using two-way mixed (intra) and random effects (inter) absolute agreement intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC: 95% confidence interval) models. SEM and MDC were calculated from these data. Results Intra- and inter-rater reliability were excellent with ICC (95% confidence interval) varying from 0.90 to 0.99 (0.85–0.99) and 0.89 to 0.99 (0.55–0.995), respectively. Absolute SEM and MDC for intra-rater reliability ranged from 0.14 to 3.20 Nm and 0.38 to 8.87 Nm, respectively, and from 0.17 to 5.80 Nm and 0.47 to 16.06 Nm for inter-rater reliability, respectively. Conclusions The excellent reliability obtained in this study suggest that the use of such a standardized HHD protocol is a method of choice for MIMS torque measurements in both clinical and research settings. And the identification of the now known metrological qualities of such a protocol should encourage and promote the optimal use of manual dynamometry

The Novel Atypical Dopamine Uptake Inhibitor (S)-CE-123 Partially Reverses the Effort-Related Effects of the Dopamine Depleting Agent Tetrabenazine and Increases Progressive Ratio Responding

Animal studies of effort-based choice behavior are being used to model effort-related motivational dysfunctions in humans. With these procedures, animals are offered a choice between high-effort instrumental actions leading to highly valued reinforcers vs. low effort/ low reward options. Several previous studies have shown that dopamine (DA) uptake inhibitors, including GBR12909, lisdexamfetamine, methylphenidate, and PRX-14040, can reverse the effort-related effects of the vesicular monoamine transport blocker tetrabenazine, which inhibits DA storage. Because many drugs that block DA transport act as major stimulants that also release DA, and produce a number of undesirable side effects, there is a need to develop and characterize novel atypical DA transport inhibitors. (S)-CE-123 ((S)-5-((benzhydrylsulfnyl) methyl)thiazole) is a recently developed analog of modafnil with the biochemical characteristics of an atypical DA transport blocker. The present paper describes the enantioselective synthesis and initial chemical characterization of (S)-CE-123, as well as behavioral experiments involving effort-based choice and microdialysis studies of extracellular DA. Rats were assessed using the fxed ratio 5/chow feeding choice test. Tetrabenazine (1.0 mg/kg) shifted choice behavior, decreasing lever pressing and increasing chow intake. (S)-CE-123 was coadministered at doses ranging from 6.0 to 24.0 mg/kg, and the highest dose partially but signifcantly reversed the effects of tetrabenazine, although this dose had no effect on fxed ratio responding when administered alone. Additional experiments showed that (S)-CE-123 signifcantly increased lever pressing on a progressive ratio/chow feeding choice task and that the effective dose (24.0 mg/kg) increased extracellular DA in nucleus accumbens core. In summary, (S)-CE-123 has the behavioral and neurochemical profle of a compound that can block DA transport, reverse the effort-related effects of tetrabenazine, and increase selection of high-effort progressive ratio responding. This suggests that (S)-CE- 123 or a similar compound could be useful as a treatment for effort-related motivational dysfunction in humans

ESTs, cDNA microarrays, and gene expression profiling : tools for dissecting plant physiology and development

Gene expression profiling holds tremendous promise for dissecting the regulatory mechanisms and transcriptional networks that underlie biological processes. Here we provide details of approaches used by others and ourselves for gene expression profiling in plants with emphasis on cDNA microarrays and discussion of both experimental design and downstream analysis. We focus on methods and techniques emphasizing fabrication of cDNA microarrays, fluorescent labeling, cDNA hybridization, experimental design, and data processing. We include specific examples that demonstrate how this technology can be used to further our understanding of plant physiology and development (specifically fruit development and ripening) and for comparative genomics by comparing transcriptome activity in tomato and pepper fruit

Why do Mothers Breastfeed Girls Less Than Boys? Evidence and Implications for Child Health in India.” Quarterly

Abstract Breastfeeding is negatively correlated with future fertility because nursing temporarily reduces fecundity and because mothers usually wean upon becoming pregnant again. We model breastfeeding under son-biased fertility preferences and show that breastfeeding duration increases with birth order, especially near target family size; is lowest for daughters and children without older brothers because their parents try again for a son; and exhibits the largest gender gap near target family size, when gender is most predictive of subsequent fertility. Data from India confirm each prediction. Moreover, child survival exhibits similar patterns, especially in settings where the alternatives to breastmilk are unsanitary

The complement cascade as a mediator of tissue growth and regeneration

Recent evidence has demonstrated that the complement cascade is involved in a variety of physiologic and pathophysiologic processes in addition to its role as an immune effector. Research in a variety of organ systems has shown that complement proteins are direct participants in maintenance of cellular turnover, healing, proliferation and regeneration. As a physiologic housekeeper, complement proteins maintain tissue integrity in the absence of inflammation by disposing of cellular debris and waste, a process critical to the prevention of autoimmune disease. Developmentally, complement proteins influence pathways including hematopoietic stem cell engraftment, bone growth, and angiogenesis. They also provide a potent stimulus for cellular proliferation including regeneration of the limb and eye in animal models, and liver proliferation following injury. Here, we describe the complement cascade as a mediator of tissue growth and regeneration

Do fiscal rules dampen the political business cycle?

This paper develops and tests the theory that fiscal rules limit politicians' ability to manipulate the budget for electoral gain. Using panel data from the American states, I find evidence suggesting that stringent balanced budget rules dampen the political business cycle. That is, while spending rises before and falls after elections in states that can carry deficits into the next fiscal year, this pattern does not exist in states with strict “no-carry” rules. Neither binding gubernatorial term limits nor the partisan composition of government appear to significantly affect the magnitude of the political business cycle. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2006