Welfare Spending in the American States: A Comparative Perspective

The federal-state system of welfare is the result of a compromise between the desire for national standards and the opportunity for each state to have its own adaptation. As a compromise, there is a constant tension in the system. During the 1970\u27s, there was a pressure toward federalization, but the states have preserved their diversity. The Reagan Administration has clearly indicated a desire to return greater freedom to the states to chart their own course. The purpose of this paper is to identify variations among the states in such a way as to identify those states with consistently high or consistently low expenditures for welfare after allowance is made for differences in need, capacity, and chance variations. Individual states deviations from expected expenditures are noted over the past decade. The resilience of the states in pursuit of their own welfare paths is noted and the implication of this for tension in federal-state relationship is shown

New Directions in the Welfare Reform Debate: The Problems of Federalism

This paper reviews the problem of federalism and welfare and presents statistical data about the relative welfare practices among the states over the last 25 years. The relevance of these problems and practices to the current hopes for welfare reform and policy conflicts within Congress are discussed

Review of \u3cem\u3eTragedies of Our Own Making: How Private Choices Have Created Public Bankruptcy.\u3c/em\u3e Richard Neely. Reviewed by W. Joseph Heffernan, University of Texas, Austin.

Richard Neely, Tragedies of Our Own Making: How Private Choices Have Created Public Bankruptcy. Urbana, IL. University of Illinois Press, 1994. $19.95 hardcover

Surface finishing

A surface of an article adapted for relative motion with a fluid environment is finished by coating the surface with a fluid adhesive. The adhesive is covered with a sheet of flexible film material under tension, and the adhesive is set while maintaining tension on the film material

Hub loads analysis of the SA349/2 helicopter

The forces and moments at the rotor hub of an Aerospatiale SA349/2 helicopter were investigated. The study included three main topics. First, measured hub forces and moments for a range of level flight conditions (mu = 0.14 to 0.37) were compared with predictions from a comprehensive rotorcraft analysis to examine the influence of the wake model on the correlations. Second, the effect of changing the blade mass distribution and blade chordwise center of gravity location on the 3/rev nonrotating frame hub loads was studied for a high-speed flight condition (mu = 0.37). Third, the use of higher harmonic control to reduce nonrotating frame 3/rev hub shear forces was investigated. The last two topics were theoretical studies only

Acute Effects of High-Intensity Exercise on Peripheral Conduit Artery Blood Flow

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Resistance Exercise, Carotid Artery Stiffness, and Cerebral Blood Flow Pulsatility

Lefferts, W., Augustine, J., Heffernan, K., Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY Cross-sectional studies have identified arterial stiffness as an important correlate of cerebral blood flow (CBF) pulsatility, an important predictor of cerebrovascular damage. Central artery stiffness increases acutely following a bout of resistance exercise (RE). It has yet to be elucidated whether RE-induced increases in arterial stiffness affect CBF pulsatility. Purpose: To investigate the effects of acute RE on carotid artery stiffness and CBF pulsatility. Methods: 18 healthy men (age 22 ± 1 yr; BMI 23.7 ± 0.5 kg∙m-2) underwent a) acute RE (5 sets, 5-RM bench press, 5 sets 10-RM bicep curls with 90 s rest intervals), and b) a time control condition (seated rest) in a randomized order. CBF pulsatility index (PI) was measured with transcranial Doppler at the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Common carotid artery (CCA) beta stiffness (β) and blood flow velocity PI were assessed using Doppler ultrasound. CCA pulse pressure was measured using applanation tonometry. Wave intensity analysis (WIA) was used to derive measures of forward (W1) and backward (Negative Area (NA)) travelling pressure waves to gain insight into origins of CBF pulsatility. Results: CCA β, and pulse pressure significantly increased post-RE (p \u3c 0.05). There was a significant increase in post-RE forward wave pressure (W1, p \u3c 0.05) with no changes in measures of backward/reflected wave pressure (lnNA, p \u3e 0.05). There were no changes in CCA PI or MCA PI following acute RE (p \u3e 0.05). Conclusions: Acute RE increases CCA stiffness and pressure pulsatility without affecting CCA or MCA flow pulsatility. Increases in pressure pulsatility are due to increases in forward wave pressure and not pressure from wave reflections

Delivering zero carbon homes in the UK

The conference paper can be viewed at: http://www.arcom.ac.uk/-docs/proceedings/ar2012-1445-1454_Heffernan_Pan_Liang.pdfIn the UK and internationally, a plethora of voluntary and mandatory energy efficiency standards for new buildings exist, with the common aim of mitigating the impact of new buildings on climate change. However, the take-up of voluntary schemes has been limited and, as a result, many governments have seen the need to introduce mandatory schemes through legislation; from 2016 all new build homes in England and Wales will be required to achieve zero carbon in regulated energy consumption. The international context of voluntary and mandatory building energy efficiency standards is examined through a review of the literature. The review is expanded by a series of semi-structured interviews with construction professionals involved in the delivery of low and zero carbon homes in the UK. In order to establish why zero carbon homes are not being developed, themes of drivers and barriers and challenges in relation to the delivery of zero carbon homes are explored. The drivers which emerged are categorized into four groups: legislative; economic; social responsibility and individual; and the barriers and challenges into a further four groups: skills and knowledge; legislative and governmental; economic and industry. Skills shortages and knowledge gaps for all involved in the delivery of zero carbon homes were seen as the primary barriers and a gap in the literature also exists in this area. Gaining a greater understanding of the skills and knowledge required for the delivery of zero carbon homes is therefore confirmed as the focus for further research

The Effects of Acute Resistance Exercise on Vascular and Cognitive Function

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Central Vascular Reactivity to Mental Stress in Emergency Responders

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