cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Lost History of the ILO’s Trade Sanctions

This essay about the International Labour Organization (ILO) presents the lost history of the ILO's trade sanctions. Although the ILO nowadays is characterized as a toothless international organization, in fact, as the one of the earliest specialized international agencies, the ILO was endowed in 1919 with a system for enforcement that included the possibility of trade sanctions against countries failing to comply with ratified ILO conventions. Even though the original provisions for ILO sanctions were always in plain view in the Treaty of Versailles, the literature on the ILO over the past few decades has largely overlooked the existence of those pathbreaking provisions. An even greater blind spot in recent scholarship about the ILO has been the inattention to why the ILO left its enforcement and sanctioning instruments on the table. This essay seeks to answer those questions and proceeds in three parts: Part 1 excavates the history of the rise of ILO sanctions beginning in the early 1900s and ending in 1934. Part 2 presents the story of the fall ILO sanctions which began in 1919. (For reasons of publication space, my story of the fall of ILO sanctions does not cover the ILO constitutional debate in the mid-1940s to eliminate the explicit trade sanctions. Nor does the essay cover the ILO's successful efforts in the late 1990s to reinvigorate the compliance process in the case of Myanmar). Part 3 of the essay connects the significance of the ILO's early experience with sanctions to contemporary theories in international law and international relations regarding how to achieve compliance with international treaty obligations. Written as part of the ILO's project celebrating the ILO's centennial, the essay also focuses in on some of the key personalities that shaped the ILO in its first two decades.
Quantification of Nasal Septal Deviation With Computed Tomography Data.

BACKGROUND Despite extensive literature on the classification and management of nasal septal deviation (NSD) for preoperative planning, standardized objective measures to evaluate the NSD severity remains challenging. In this study, we quantitatively analyzed NSD to determine the most predictive two-dimensional (2D) computed tomography (CT)-landmark for overall three-dimensional (3D) septal morphology derived from nasal airway segmentation. METHODS A retrospective study was conducted at a large academic center. One hundred four patients who underwent CT scans of the face were selected from a computer imaging database. Demographic variables were screened to ensure an equal number of men and women in different age groups. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine files were imported for 3D nasal cavity segmentation using 3D Slicer software. A volumetric analysis was performed to determine 3D NSD ratios. These values were compared to previously reported methods of obtaining objective 2D NSD measures using OsiriX and MATLAB software. Maximum deviation values were calculated using OsiriX, while the root mean square values were retrieved using MATLAB. Deviation area and curve to line ratios were both quantified using OsiriX and MATLAB. RESULTS The data set consisted of 52 men and 52 women patients aged 20 to 100 years (mean = 58 years, standard deviation = 23 years). There was a strong correlation between 3D NSD ratio and maximum deviation (r = 0.789, P < 0.001) and deviation area (r = 0.775, P < 0.001). Deviation area (r = 0.563, P < 0.001), root mean square (r = 0.594, P < 0.001), and curve to line ratio (r = 0.470, P < 0.001) had a positive correlation of moderate strength. The curve to line ratio was not significant (r = 0.019, P = 0.85). CONCLUSIONS The 2D CT-based NSD landmarks maximum deviation and deviation area were the most predictive of the severity of NSD from 3D nasal cavity segmentation. We present a robust open-source method that may be useful in predicting the severity of NSD in CT images.
On constructing CAP-subgroups in direct products

The cover-avoidance property and its variations have become central in the study of finite groups. Along with this widespread attention comes a need to construct examples and counterexamples. The main goal of this work is to apply the theory of direct products to systematically facilitate such constructions.
The Performance of Social Security Contributory and Tax-Financed Pensions in Central America, and the Effects of the Global Crisis

Over the last 30 years, Latin America has pioneered structural pension reforms. This article focuses on a representative regional sample of seven Central American countries with diverse levels of development (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) studying contributory and tax-financed pensions as well as recent pension reforms. It comparatively assesses system performance regarding five social security principles: unity; universal coverage; adequacy of benefits; equal treatment, solidarity and gender equality; and financial sustainability. It also evaluates the impact of the world crisis on these pension systems, highlighting the differences between public and private pensions, and extracts lessons and suggests policies for the future.
Validity of observer ratings of the five-factor model of personality traits: a meta-analysis

Conclusions reached in previous research about the magnitude and nature of personality-performance linkages have been based almost exclusively on self-report measures of personality. The purpose of this study is to address this void in the literature by conducting a meta-analysis of the relationship between observer ratings of the five-factor model (FFM) personality traits and overall job performance. Our results show that the operational validities of FFM traits based on observer ratings are higher than those based on self-report ratings. In addition, the results show that when based on observer ratings, all FFM traits are significant predictors of overall performance. Further, observer ratings of FFM traits show meaningful incremental validity over self-reports of corresponding FFM traits in predicting overall performance, but the reverse is not true. We conclude that the validity of FFM traits in predicting overall performance is higher than previously believed, and our results underscore the importance of disentangling the validity of personality traits from the method of measurement of the traits.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Mechanisms and Clinical Management

Many patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), which can negatively affect daily functioning, cognition, mood, and other aspects of well-being. Although EDS can be reduced with primary OSA treatment, such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, a significant proportion of patients continue to experience EDS despite receiving optimized therapy for OSA. This article reviews the pathophysiology and clinical evaluation and management of EDS in patients with OSA. The mechanisms underlying EDS in CPAP-treated patients remain unclear. Experimental risk factors include chronic intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, which lead to oxidative injury and changes in neurons and brain circuit connectedness involving noradrenergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission in wake-promoting regions of the brain. In addition, neuroimaging studies have shown alterations in the brain's white matter and gray matter in patients with OSA and EDS. Clinical management of EDS begins with ruling out other potential causes of EDS and evaluating its severity. Tools to evaluate EDS include objective and self-reported assessments of sleepiness, as well as cognitive assessments. Patients who experience residual EDS despite primary OSA therapy may benefit from wake-promoting pharmacotherapy. Agents that inhibit reuptake of dopamine or of dopamine and norepinephrine (modafinil/armodafinil and solriamfetol, respectively) have demonstrated efficacy in reducing EDS and improving quality of life in patients with OSA. Additional research is needed on the effects of wake-promoting treatments on cognition in these patients and to identify individual or disorder-specific responses.
Death of the Salesman, But Not the Sales Force: How Interested Promotion Skews Scientific Valuation

Whereas recent research has demonstrated how disinterested social validation may skew valuation in meritocratic domains, interested promotion may be at least as important a factor. As suggested by research on reputational entrepreneurship, a producer's death shifts promotion opportunities in two respects. First, it prevents the producer (or “salesman”) from engaging in promotional activity. Second, it also mobilizes others (the “sales force”) to step up their promotional activity on behalf of the deceased. Analysis of the impact made by the premature death of 720 elite life scientists on the citation trajectories of their articles indicates that death results in a long-lasting, positive increase in citation rates, relative to the trajectories for equivalent articles by counterfactual, still-living scientists. This effect seems due largely to the memorialization efforts made by the sales force as compared to recognition efforts on behalf of the still-living scientists, and is strongest for articles that had received relatively little attention prior to the death, as well as those authored by stars who died at a relatively young age. The upshot is clear evidence of informational inefficiency, which derives from the challenges of absorbing the massive volume of scientific knowledge produced. Scientists' identities thus play an important role in determining scientific valuations, despite ostensible norms that enjoin the scientific community to divorce the researcher's identity from her work.
Influence of Intrinsic Thermal Stability on Switching Rate and Tunability of Dual-Biased Magnetic Tunnel Junctions for Probabilistic Bits

Recently, magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with superparamagnetic free layers (sMTJs) have been proposed as key components in probabilistic bits (p-bits). However, the average fluctuation rates of sMTJs are very sensitive to slight variations in the device dimensions, which creates a major obstacle to their realization in large-scale networks. One possible solution is to implement dual-biasing on p-bits to offset the effects of variations through onboard corrections. In our previous work, we demonstrated that dual-biasing has the unique capability of separate control over the high- and low-state dwell times, which adds an extra degree of tunability in the signals generated. However, these studies investigated dual-biasing on thermally stable MTJs; therefore, the maximum switching rates were lower than the gigahertz rates desired for sMTJ-based p-bit circuits. While dual-biasing on sMTJs rather than thermally stable MTJs would improve the switching rates, some of the flexibility and robustness of dual-biasing may be sacrificed due to the sensitivity of sMTJs. In this letter, we applied the dual-biasing method on 10 MTJs with varying thermal stability factors to test if sMTJs can achieve the same degree of separation between high- and low-state dwell-time tunability as thermally stable MTJs. Our results show that two degrees of tunability was achieved on all MTJs tested, thus demonstrating that dual-biased p-bits can achieve switching rates equal to or greater than single-biased sMTJs.
Agricultural policy in the era of digitalisation

Abstract Digitalisation in the agricultural sector continues to expand. At the same time demands for an agricultural policy offering better support for sustainability become increasingly fervent. However, it is far from clear how digitalisation could make agricultural policy more effective in reducing undesired impacts and enhancing the benefits of farming. This article investigates the extent to which digital technologies can trigger different choices of agricultural policy instruments and novel design specifications that address problems of sustainability in farming more effectively and possibly more efficiently. It develops and applies an analytical framework that focuses on the effects of digitalisation in distinct policy dimensions, drawing on theoretical insights and examples from practice in a European context. We show that digital agricultural policy does not simply replace analogue technologies used in traditional agricultural policy. It offers new options for agricultural policy, including novel designs to address challenges more effectively. In particular, it offers opportunities for more effective spatial targeting and tailoring of instruments, including results-based subsidies. Digital data can be generated strategically using respective instrument designs to support policy learning and adaptation of designs. Information-intensive instruments and designs generally benefit most from digitalisation while transaction costs often go down. Digitalisation could also move agricultural policy from direct intervention to information-based governance. However, the analysis suggests that institutional constraints and interests, as well as the capabilities of the actors involved require attention in research and practice of digitalisation of agricultural policy.
Dynamic-thermal and localized filament-kinetic attacks on fused filament fabrication based 3D printing process

Abstract 3D printing materializes physical objects through sequentially depositing thin layers. The layer-by-layer stacking involves controlling 3D printing parameters (e.g., fan speed, nozzle temperature, printing bed temperature, and filament extrusion rate) to ensure conformity to a CAD (Computer-aided Design) model. Attackers target the parameters during a printing process to sabotage the printing object. This paper presents four new sabotage attacks on the fused filament fabrication (FFF)-based 3D printing process: (1) cavity through filament-kinetics, (2) density variation through filament state, (3) density variation through filament speed, and (4) dynamic-thermal manipulation. These attacks produce an insignificant attack footprint on a finished printed object by targeting localized regions or using small changes in temperature profile, making them hard to detect. Specifically, the first three attacks manipulate filament-kinetics to change the print density or create a cavity in a small localized region, while the fourth attack makes slight changes to the nozzle temperature to manipulate thermal stress in a printing object without creating any visual deformation. Mechanical (tensile and three-point bending) tests carried out on the objects under attack demonstrate that these attacks with insignificant attack footprints can still change the physical properties (e.g., stress and strain) of the printed objects.
New Orleans and Jerusalem: Sacred Energy, Sacred Space, and the Scattering of the Sparks. A D’var Torah on Parshat Re’eh

One of the great principles of Deuteronomy, as is dramatically evident in the injunctions contained in the section called Parshat Re’eh, is the centralization of worship in a city that God will choose, which later turns out to be Jerusalem. The explicit reason for this concentration of ritual life was to banish idolatry. But another reason might have been to inspire an urban faith, a faith centered on a place of concentrated energy, both good and bad, with complex and even explosive spiritual consequences. This D’var Torah was first delivered in the wake of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. It is a tribute to cities – New Orleans, Jerusalem, and many others. But it also tries to give a clear-eyed account of their potential for decay and disaster. The essay ultimately suggests the need for a theology of the city that also encompasses the non-city. A coda to the original D’Var Torah very briefly discusses the profound facture between cities and non-cities during our current polarized age and especially during the current COVID pandemic.
Logical Credal Networks.

This paper introduces Logical Credal Networks, an expressive probabilistic logic that generalizes many prior models that combine logic and probability. Given imprecise information represented by probability bounds and conditional probability bounds of logic formulas, this logic specifies a set of probability distributions over all interpretations. On the one hand, our approach allows propositional and first-order logic formulas with few restrictions, e.g., without requiring acyclicity. On the other hand, it has a Markov condition similar to Bayesian networks and Markov random fields that is critical in real-world applications. Having both these properties makes this logic unique, and we investigate its performance on maximum a posteriori inference tasks, including solving Mastermind games with uncertainty and detecting credit card fraud. The results show that the proposed method outperforms existing approaches, and its advantage lies in aggregating multiple sources of imprecise information.
VE-Cadherin Is Required for Cardiac Lymphatic Maintenance and Signaling.

Background: The adherens protein VE-cadherin has diverse roles in organ-specific lymphatic vessels. However, its physiological role in cardiac lymphatics and its interaction with lymphangiogenic fa...
Reliable videos broadcast with network coding and coordinated multiple Access Points

As the popularity of wireless devices (e.g. smartphones and tablets) increases, watching videos over the Internet is becoming a main device application. Two important challenges in wireless communications are the unreliability of the wireless links and the interference among the wireless links. In order to exploit reliable video multicast, forward error correction and network coding can be used. In this paper, we propose a reliable video multicast method over wireless networks with multiple Access Points (AP). Using multiple APs, the multicast receivers can benefit from both spatial and time diversities, which results in more reliable transmissions. In order to utilize the shared wireless network efficiently, we propose a resource allocation algorithm. We show that a systematic concurrent transmission of the interfering AP nodes can enhance the total system performance and provide fairness to the client nodes. Therefore, in contrast with the previous resource sharing methods, which only permit the AP nodes that do not interfere with each other to transmit concurrently, we allow the interfering nodes to transmit concurrently, and we propose a two-phase resource allocation algorithm to further enhance the system utility. We show the effectiveness of our proposed method through extensive simulations.
Structural analysis of a novel rabbit monoclonal antibody R53 targeting an epitope in HIV-1 gp120 C4 region critical for receptor and co-receptor binding

The fourth conserved region (C4) in the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) gp120 is a structural element that is important for its function, as it binds to both the receptor CD4 and the co-receptor CCR5/CXCR4. It has long been known that this region is highly immunogenic and that it harbors B-cell as well as T-cell epitopes. It is the target of a number of antibodies in animal studies, which are called CD4-blockers. However, the mechanism by which the virus shields itself from such antibody responses is not known. Here, we determined the crystal structure of R53 in complex with its epitope peptide using a novel anti-C4 rabbit monoclonal antibody R53. Our data show that although the epitope of R53 covers a highly conserved sequence (433)AMYAPPI(439), it is not available in the gp120 trimer and in the CD4-bound conformation. Our results suggest a masking mechanism to explain how HIV-1 protects this critical region from the human immune system.
Anglophone Caribbean Immigrant Women: Learning and Development within the Contexts of Transnational Migration

This study used a heuristic phenomenological approach to examine the learning and development experiences of 15 Anglophone Caribbean immigrant women in the United States. The findings suggest that culture and early school socialization in the country of origin influence learning and development experiences in the host country. Some of the major challenges participants faced in their learning and development in the United States were in transforming their cultural assumptions about silence, negotiating language and identity, and reorienting to a new meaning of teaching and learning. Reconceptualizing Belenky et al.'s (1986) model of women's ways of knowing, the study demonstrated that agency, culture, social capital, and the sociocultural environment influence the epistemological position that a woman occupies. The women were found to move freely among the epistemological positions of knowing. Resume Cette etude a fait appel a une approche heuristique et phenomenologique dans l'analyse des experiences d'apprentissage et de perfectionnement d'immigrantes antillaises anglophones vivant am Etats-Unis. Les resultats de notre recherche suggerent que la culture et la socialisation scolaire precoce dans le pays d'origine ont une influence sur les experiences d'apprentissage et de perfectionnement dans le pays d'accueil. Parmi les principaux defis releves par les femmes dans leurs apprentissages et leur perfectionnement, notons l'obligation de changer leur perception par rapport au silence, negocier leur langue et leur identite et revoir leur definition de l'enseignement et de l'apprentissage. En reprenant les modeles d'apprentissage feministe de Belenky et al. (1986), notre etude a montre comment l'environnement social, communautaire, culturel et economique influencait la position epistemologique de la femme en societe. Les femmes se retrouvaient a tons les niveaux epistemologiques du savoir.
Opening doors, opening minds: A cosmopolitan pedagogical framework to assess learning for global competency in Chicago's underserved communities

Abstract The purpose of this research and report is to utilize a cosmopolitan pedagogical framework to qualitatively assess education for global competency in underserved communities. Using qualitative methods such as participant-observation and interviewing, a nine-month long participatory action research study is described that includes three educational programs facilitated through Hostelling International-Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. The results demonstrate that a cosmopolitanism pedagogical framework can teach global competencies that reflect hope, memory, and dialog as well as other cosmopolitan values to students who may not have the opportunity for more traditional international/intercultural education.
Why and How Project Managers Attempt to Influence Their Team Members

AbstractThis article describes a study of influence reasons and influence strategies of European and USA project managers. Data for this study were obtained from self-reported questionnaires of 103 project managers operating within a Fortune 100 information technology company. Here we address why project managers attempt to influence their team members, and illustrates which major influence strategies the managers use to achieve these intended results. The main objective of the research was to determine the relative usage of five influence reasons. In addition to noting the general differences in usage, the study compares the responses of European versus USA project managers, and examines differences based on gender and project management experience. Another part of the study compares influence strategies with influence reasons.
Maneuver and vibration control of hybrid coordinate systems using Lyapunov stability theory

In this study, we present a generalized control law design methodology that covers a large class of systems, especially flexible structures described by hybrid discrete/distributed coordinate systems. The Lyapunov stability theory is used to develop globally stabilizing control laws. A hybrid version of Hamilton's canonical equations is introduced, which provides a direct path to designing stabilizing control laws for general nonlinear hybrid systems. The usual loss of robustness due to model reduction is overcome by this Lyapunov approach, which does not require truncation of the flexible systems into finite dimensional discrete systems.
English literacy acquisition: From cultural trauma to learning disabilities in minority students†

This is an 18-month ethnographic study of learning difficulties among linguistic minoritychildren in grades 1–5. Twelve children (4 Hispanic, 3 Laotian, 3 Hmong, 1 Vietnamese, and 1 Sudanese) were followed across school and home settings. The study shows that cultural conflict may help explain problems in the acquisition of English literacy. English literacy school activities presuppose cultural knowledge and values which these children and their families have not acquired. Such cultural conflict can manifest itself as a “cultural trauma” that disables children's learning, and in specific, their literacy learning. As a result of the study, an argument is made (a) that at the heart of academic failure may be a profound cultural conflict, (b) that there are ways to socialize minority children for academic success, and (c) that culturally-based instructional models can help in the acquisition of English literacy for academic success.
Hydrogenic Transitions in Multiply Charged Fe and Ni Ions

Ten lines in the range 3880≦λ≦5666 A in the beam-foil spectrum of iron have been identified with specific hydrogenic transitions in Fe iv-viii. The same transitions were observed from Ni and Ar beams. Deviations from the hydrogenic wavelengths are shown to be consistent with that expected from core polarization. The absence of these lines in astrophysical sources is discussed. A wavelength table is presented for identification of hydrogenic transitions to be expected in beam-foil spectra.
Uncoupling Protein 2 Ala55Val polymorphism is associated with a higher acute insulin response to glucose

Recent evidence suggests that mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in pancreatic beta-cells plays a crucial role in insulin production and secretion. We hypothesized that 2 UCP2 polymorphisms, a -55C/T (Ala55Val) substitution in exon 4 and an exon 8 insertion, would alter the acute insulin response to glucose (AIRg). Subjects were 155 African American (AA) and European American (EA) women. Body composition was determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Insulin sensitivity and AIRg were measured with an intravenous glucose tolerance test and minimal modeling. To account for the confounding effects of population stratification, estimates of African admixture were obtained from approximately 35 ancestry-informative markers. Uncoupling protein 2 genotyping was conducted with gel electrophoresis. Information was analyzed using mixed linear models. A positive association between the -55C/T homozygous mutation and AIRg was identified in the total sample (P < .01) and independently in EA women (P = .02) but not AA women. The exon 8 insertion did not significantly affect AIRg. No interaction effects of the 2 polymorphisms on AIRg were noted. These results indicate that AIRg is associated with the -55C/T UCP2 homozygous mutation and that the presence of this mutation could alter postchallenge insulin concentration.
Partial restriction in the developmental potential of late emigrating avian neural crest cells.

Trunk neural crest cells migrate along two major pathways: a ventral pathway through the somites whose cells form neuronal derivatives and a dorsolateral pathway underneath the ectoderm whose cells become pigmented. In avian embryos, the latest emigrating neural crest cells move only along the dorsolateral pathway. To test whether late emigrating neural crest cells are more restricted in developmental potential than early migrating cells, cultures were prepared from the neural tubes of embryos at various stages of neural crest cell migration. “Early” and “middle” aged neural crest cells differentiated into many derivatives including pigmented cells, neurofilament-immunoreactive cells, and adrenergic cells. In contrast, “late” neural crest cells differentiated into pigment cells and neurofilament-immunoreactive cells, but not into adrenergic cells even after 10–14 days. To further challenge the developmental potential of early and late emigrating neural crest cells, they were transplanted into embryos during the early phases of neural crest cell migration, known to be permissive for adrenergic neuronal differentiation. The cells were labeled with the vital dye, DiI, and injected onto the ventral pathway at stages 14–17. Two and three days after injection, some early neural crest cells were found to express catecholamines, suggesting they were adrenergic neuroblasts. In contrast, DiI-labeled late neural crest cells never became catecholamine-positive. These results suggest that the late emigrating neural crest cell population has a more restricted developmental potential than the early migrating neural crest cell population.
Thermodynamics of foam

The model considered has N elements which can be separate bubbles, nested bubbles, or interfacing gas pockets. It is shown that the number of independent variables is N + 3. That rule is used with Euler's theorem about homogeneous functions to prove the equation of state proposed by Ross, PV + (2/3)α A = nRT ,and the equation is used to find a thermodynamic potential that is minimized at the Laplace—Plateau equilibrium. The potential is G * = U − TS + ∑ p i V i − (2/3)α A .
Expression of cardiac cytokines and inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice.

Abstract Both cardiac cytokine and inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) expression have been implicated in the cardiac dysfunction associated with myocarditis and cardiomyopathy. Chagas» disease, caused byTrypanosoma cruzi, is an important cause of cardiomyopathy. We examined the effect ofT. cruzi(Brazil strain) infection with or without verapamil treatment on the expression of cytokines and NOS2 in the heart. Messenger RNA for NOS2, IL-1β, and TNF-αwas induced in the myocardium of infected mice, and Western blot analysis as well as immunohistochemistry demonstrated a significant increase in NOS2 protein. Verapamil treatment reduced the expression of cardiac NOS2 protein and the mRNAs for NOS2, TNF-α, and IL-1β. Infection-associated increases in cardiac l -citrulline were also reduced by verapamil treatment. Verapamil-treated infected mice that survived for 80 days exhibited less inflammation and fibrosis compared to untreated mice. Gated MRI and echocardiography revealed an increased right ventricular inner diameter (RVID) in untreated but not in verapamil-treated infected CD1 mice. This suggests that the infection-associated expression of cytokines and NOS2 in the heart correlate with the severity of myocarditis and the effect of verapamil. The RVID was significantly increased in infected wild-type (WT) compared to infected syngeneic NOS2 knockout (NOS2−/−) mice. Fractional shortening was decreased and myocardial l -citrulline was increased in infected WT mice. These data suggest that NO generated from cardiac NOS2 may participate in the pathogenesis of murine chagasic heart disease.
RF Power Management via Energy-Adaptive Modulation for Self-Powered Systems

This brief presents a system design technique for improving the energy utilization of radio frequency (RF) circuits powered by renewable energy sources. Different from conventional systems, the operation of self-powered RF circuits is largely constrained by two factors: time-varying channel conditions and nondeterministic renewable energy levels. The proposed technique dynamically adjusts the modulation scheme to deal with these two factors in a coherent manner. This is the effective way to maximize the data rate of RF circuits while maintaining the required performance under unstable energy supplies. A detailed VLSI implementation is developed with negligible energy overheads. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed technique outperforms conventional RF circuits based on the fixed modulation scheme under variable channel and energy conditions.
The distribution of common construction materials at risk to acid deposition in the United States

Abstract Information on the geographic distribution of various types of exposed materials is required to estimate the economic costs of damage to construction materials from acid deposition. This paper focuses on the identification, evaluation and interpretation of data describing the distributions of exterior construction materials, primarily in the United States. This information could provide guidance on how data needed for future economic assessments might be acquired in the most cost-effective ways. Materials distribution surveys from 16 cities in the U.S. and Canada and five related databases from government agencies and trade organizations were examined. Data on residential buildings are more commonly available than on nonresidential buildings; little geographically resolved information on distributions of materials in infrastructure was found. Survey results generally agree with the appropriate ancillary databases, but the usefulness of the databases is often limited by their coarse spatial resolution. Information on those materials which are most sensitive to acid deposition is especially scarce. Since a comprehensive error analysis has never been performed on the data required for an economic assessment, it is not possible to specify the corresponding detailed requirements for data on the distributions of materials.
Stereochemical and neuroanatomical selectivity of pramipexole effects on sensorimotor gating in rats.

Background In rats, prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle is disrupted by systemic administration of dopaminergic agonists, such as the dopamine D3 receptor (D3R)-preferential agonist pramipexole (PPX). PPX has D3R-active (S) and -inactive (R) stereoisomers. Here, we tested the neuroanatomical and stereochemical selectivity of PPX effects on PPI.
Regional shifts in snowfall, melt in the intermountain west

The freshwater supplies of the American West rely, for the most part, on snow. The Colorado River, the Rio Grande, and other rivers in the intermountain west—bounded by the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains to the west and the Rockies to the east—are the main sources of water for one of the driest parts of the continent, and their flows are predominantly fed by the springtime melt of snow accumulated over the winter. With winter mean temperatures rising in some places by as much as 2.5°C in the past 2 decades, some scientists are concerned that the current hydrological regime of the region could be overthrown, with snow giving way to rain as the dominant form of precipitation. Decreasing snow accumulation and earlier snowmelt onset have been observed in Colorado. Whether these trends extend to the larger intermountain west region, however, is unknown.
Katanin-mediated microtubule severing can be regulated by multiple mechanisms.

Microtubules are essential for a wide range of cellular processes that vary between cell types. Katanin is a microtubule-severing protein that carries out an essential role in meiotic spindles in Caenorhabditis elegans and a non-essential role in mitotic spindles of vertebrates. In contrast to these M-phase associated roles, katanin is also essential for post-mitotic differentiation events in vertebrate neurons and in Arabidopsis. This diversity of function suggests that katanin's activity might be regulated by multiple mechanisms. Because katanin is active in M-phase Xenopus extracts but not in interphase extracts, we assayed for regulators of katanin's activity in these extracts. The microtubule-severing activity of purified katanin was inhibited by interphase Xenopus extracts. Fractionation revealed that this inhibition was due to at least 4 separable components, one of which contains the MAP4 homolog, XMAP230. Inhibition of katanin-mediated microtubule-disassembly activity by the XMAP230-containing fraction was reversible by cyclinB/cdk1, suggesting one possible mechanism for the increased severing activity observed in M-phase Xenopus extracts. In a previous study, spindle pole association by katanin was essential for its activity during mitosis suggesting that katanin's activity might also be regulated by co-localization with an activator. The polo-like kinase, Plx1, co-localized with katanin at spindle poles in vivo and purified Plx1 increased the microtubule-severing activity of katanin in vitro. These in vitro experiments illustrate the potential complexity of the regulation of katanin's activity in vivo and may explain how katanin can carry out widely different functions in different cell types.
The Implications of Marxian Rent Theory For Community-Controlled Redevelopment Strategies

Community-controlled implementation organizations are necessary to initiate the process of urban redevelopment in deterio rated low-income urban neighborhoods The Classical Economic Urban Redevelop ment Model includes a set of parallel development actors who compete to affect and control this redevelopment process A major component of this competition is the extraction and subsequent utilization of rent The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical basis for this com ponent of the competition and to use it to suggest strategies for community- controlled redevelopment The theoretical model suggests that community-controlled organizations should focus their opposi tion on absentee landlords and private developers rather than on realtors and financial institutions It also suggests that the avenue for opposition should entail community ownership and control through land trusts, development corporations, and neighborhood improvement associations
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Motivation to Work in Foodservice

ABSTRACT This study examines motivators that help to attract and retain workers in the foodservice industry. Study subjects were asked to rank six motivators related to the workplace. Findings show that money was by far the main motivation to continue work in foodservice, followed a fun working environment, health benefits, and flexible hours. Age factors were significant in this study, and motivational attributes changed based on age category. Four theories that underpin the tenets supposed in this research are briefly discussed. These are equity theory, expectancy theory, attribution theory, and relationship theory. The findings also support contingency management theory and are discussed in the conclusion. Practical considerations for managing attraction and retention of foodservice workers are discussed.
The 1994 Von Sallman Lecture. The optic nerve head circulation in health and disease.

This is a brief overview of multifaceted anatomical, experimental and clinical studies conducted by the author since 1955 on the optic nerve head circulation in health and disease. Conclusions, based on the accumulated information provided by these studies, are summarized. The studies on the pattern of blood supply of the optic nerve head have shown that: (a) its main source of blood supply is the posterior ciliary artery circulation, with retinal circulation supplying only the surface nerve fiber layer, (b) there is marked interindividual variation in the blood supply pattern, and (c) the blood supply in the optic nerve head has a sectorial distribution. The various factors which produce interindividual variation in the blood supply of the optic nerve head are discussed, particularly those in the posterior ciliary artery circulation; this is because all available evidence indicates that it is derangement in the posterior ciliary circulation in the optic nerve head that is primarily responsible for the common ischemic disorders of the optic nerve head, e.g. anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Factors that may derange the blood flow in the optic nerve head include defective autoregulation of blood flow in it, vascular changes in its feeding arteries, hematologic abnormalities, systemic arterial hypertension and hypotension, and intraocular pressure; their roles are discussed. For better understanding and management of optic nerve head ischemic disorders, there is an urgent need for an accurate clinical method of assessment of blood flow in the posterior ciliary circulation in optic nerve head, since no satisfactory method is currently available. Redness or pallor of the optic disk on ophthalmoscopy is not a true guide to the optic nerve head vascularity as it gives no information about the state of the posterior ciliary circulation. Fluorescein fundus angiography, though far superior to the optic disk color for evaluation of optic nerve head vascularity, has a number of limitations. All these topics and various controversies about them are discussed briefly.
J. Skelly Wright and refusal of treatment.

This article is a critical analysis of Judge J. Skelly Wright's “Application of President and Directors of Georgetown College.” Wright's paper concerns the refusal of a Mrs. Jones to allow a blood transfusion needed to save her life and Wright's decision, based on a number of social, medical, legal, religious, and psychological facts, to permit the transfusion. The presentation is a close paraphrase of Wright's own case write-up. Critical expositions of five arguments explicitly advanced by Wright for his decision to allow a transfusion are given, as are attempts to track down other justifying reasons he may have had for his decision.
Hot-wire growth of multi-phase carbon nitride films

This paper describes the growth of multi-phase carbon nitride films using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) on (100)-oriented crystalline Si substrates. A mixture of either CH 4 /NH 3 or CH 4 /N 2 was activated over a hot tungsten filament under varying deposition conditions. The samples were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). AFM micrographs show the presence of facetted crystallites. The XRD peaks observed were compared with theoretical predictions for α-C 3 N 4 and β-C 3 N 4 -the two ultra-hard phases of carbon nitride. The results suggest the presence of α-C 3 N 4 and β-C 3 N 4 , as well as other unidentified phases in our films. We also calculated the equilibrium concentration of the various gas species as a function of temperature and pressure. Our results indicate that CN and C 2 N 2 radicals are possible precursors to carbon nitride growth.
A Follow-up Study of the Impact of Family Therapy in the Pediatric Office

Fifteen families received family therapy from a pediatrician and nurse practitioner. Most families began therapy because of school problems or behavior problems with one of the children. There was serious marital discord in nine families that resulted in divorce in two of them. At least one year after the families began therapy, they were recalled for interviews by a psychologist who was unknown to them. Information was obtained during these interviews that indicates (1) pediatricians and nurse practitioners were accepted in their roles as therapists by 14 of the 15 families and (2) all families rated their family therapy experiences as useful.
Projection imaging of photon beams using Čerenkov-excited fluorescence

Full 3D beam profiling and quality assurance (QA) of therapeutic megavoltage linear accelerator (LINAC) x-ray photon beams is not routinely performed due to the slow point-by-point measurement nature of conventional scanning ionization chamber systems. In this study we explore a novel optical-based dose imaging approach using a standard commercial camera, water tank, and fluorescent dye, which when excited by the Cerenkov emission induced by the radiation beam, allows 2D projection imaging in a fast timeframe, potentially leading toward 3D tomographic beam profiling. Detailed analysis was carried out to optimize the imaging parameters in the experimental setup. The results demonstrate that the captured images are linear with delivered dose, independent of dose rate, and comparison of experimentally captured images to a reference dose distribution for a 4 × 4 cm2 6 MV x-ray photon beam yielded results with improved accuracy over a previous study which used direct imaging and Monte Carlo calibration of the Cerenkov emission itself. The agreement with the reference dose distribution was within 1–2% in the lateral direction, and ±3% in the depth direction. The study was restricted to single 2D image projection, with the eventual goal of creating full 3D profiles after tomographic reconstruction from multiple projections. Given the increasingly complex advances in radiation therapy, and the increased emphasis on patient-specific treatment plans, further refinement of the technique could prove to be an important tool for fast and robust QA of x-ray photon LINAC beams.
Review of Urban Structure Matters

Danish scholar Petter Naess’s 2006 book Urban Structure Matters uses the comprehensive study of the Copenhagen Metropolitan Area as an empirical case to examine the relationship between urban structure and travel behavior. The overall theme of this book is how urban spatial planning influences the amount of travel and the modal split. The research results are relevant not only to land use and transport planning in Denmark, but also to a wider global context.
Prime and composite polynomials

If f = f(x) and g = g(x) are polynomials with coefficients in a field A,, then f 0 g shall denote the polynomialf(g(x)). The set k,[.~] of polynomials is an associative monoid under this operation; the linear polynomials are the units; one defines primes (= indecomposable polynomials), prime factorizations (= maximal decompositions) and associated primes and equivalent decompositions just as in any noncommutative monoid. In 1922 J. F. Ritt [9] proved fundamental theorems about such polynomial decompositions, which we restate here in Section 2. He took k, to be the complex field and used the language of Riemann surfaces. In 1941 and 1942, H. T. Engstrom [4] and Howard Levi [7], by different methods, showed that these results hold over an arbitrary field of characteristic 0. We show here that, contrary to appearances, Ritt’s original proof of Theorem 3 does not make any essential use of the topological manifold structure of the Riemann surface; it consists of combinatorial arguments about extensions of primes to a composite of fields, and depends on the fact that the completion of a field k,(t), at each of its prime spots, is quasifinite when k, is algebraically closed of characteristic 0. Our Lemma 1 below contains all the basic information which Ritt gets by use of Riemann surfaces. Since his methods are extremely interesting and probably have further useful applications we give in Section 3 a simplified version of his proof in the language of valuation theory. In Section 4 we discuss polynomial decompositions over a field of characteristic p + 0, give counter-examples for several results which hold in characteristic 0, and prove that every decomposition of an additive polynomial is equivalent to a decomposition into additive polynomials.