cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies in Modeling: A Personnel Scheduling Example

The process of selecting the best alternative mathematical representation when several competing models are available has received scant attention in Management Science. Instead of systematically evaluating alternatives as a well-posed decision problem, the model builder usually selects the appropriate tool, i.e., model, by judgmental assessment. Yet the lack of successful modeling implementations illustrates how little we know about this selection process. This paper is an initial attempt at developing a workable procedure for comparing models. There are five crucial ingredients: 1 performance, 2 realism/complexity, 3 information requirements, 4 user friendliness, and 5 computational costs. A successful application of this procedure in the context of a large faculty scheduling problem is described.
Branching random walks in time inhomogeneous environments

We study the maximal displacement of branching random walks in a class of time inhomogeneous environments. Specifically, binary branching random walks with Gaussian increments will be considered, where the variances of the increments change over time macroscopically. We find the asymptotics of the maximum up to an $O_P(1)$ (stochastically bounded) error, and focus on the following phenomena: the profile of the variance matters, both to the leading (velocity) term and to the logarithmic correction term, and the latter exhibits a phase transition.
Cross‐Jurisdictional Income Shifting by U.S. Multinationals: Evidence from International Bond Offerings

We examine whether tax incentives influence where U.S. multinationals locate their interest deductions worldwide. Our sample includes international bond offerings by U.S. multinationals during 1987–1997 denominated in the currencies of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, or the United Kingdom. Our results suggest that U.S. multinationals’ debt location decisions take into account the effect of jurisdiction-specific tax-loss carryforwards and binding foreign tax credit limitations on the value of debt tax shields. Our results are also consistent with U.S. multinationals locating interest deductions in different tax jurisdictions as a mechanism to achieve tax-motivated income shifting.
Augustine and Politics as Longing in the World. By John von Heyking. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2001. 278p. $37.50.

John von Heyking's inquiry into Augustine's politics of “longing” is a provocative contribution to the growing genre of “Augustine redux” literature written to resonate with our fin de siecle sensibilities. These valuable pearl-diving expeditions bridge scholarship and literate conversation, careful textual exegesis and political advocacy. Not surprisingly, they also illustrate the challenges of writing for multiple audiences with mixed messages. This work enters an already crowded field of recent crossover texts with Peter Brown's Augustine of Hippo (2000), Gary Wills's Saint Augustine (1999), Hannah Arendt's Love and Saint Augustine (1996), and Jean Elshtain's Augustine and the Limits of Politics (1995). A further trip back in time to the Cold War and the politics of “realism” turns up Herbert Deane's The Political and Social Ideas of St. Augustine (1963), another retrieval project written to persuade as well as inform. And this is just a very short list.
Operating Profitability of For-Profit and Not-for-Profit Florida Community Hospitals During Medicare Policy Changes, 2000 to 2010:

Medicare Advantage was implemented in 2004 and the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program was implemented in Florida during 2005. Both increase surveillance of medical necessity and deny payments for improper admissions. The purpose of the present study was to determine their potential impact on for-profit (FP) and not-for-profit (NFP) hospital operating margins in Florida. FP hospitals were expected to be more adversely affected as admissions growth has been one strategy to improve stock performance, which is not a consideration at NFPs. This study analyzed Florida community hospitals from 2000 through 2010, assessing changes in pre-tax operating margin (PTOM). Florida Agency for Health Care Administration data were analyzed for 104 community hospitals (62 FPs and 42 NFPs). Academic, public, and small hospitals were excluded. A mixed-effects model was used to assess the association of RAC implementation, organizational and payer type variables, and ownership interaction effects on PTOM. FP hospitals began the period with a higher average PTOM, but converged with NFPs during the study period. The average Medicare Advantage effect was not significant for either ownership type. The magnitude of the RAC variable was significantly negative for average PTOM at FPs (−4.68) and positive at NFPs (0.08), meaning RAC was associated with decreasing PTOM at FP hospitals only. RAC complements other Medicare surveillance systems that detect medically unnecessary admissions, coding errors, fraud, and abuse. Since its implementation in Florida, average FP and NFP operating margins have been similar, such that the higher margins reported for FP hospitals in the 1990s are no longer evident.
Activation of Neurospora Ascospores by Organic Solvents and Furans

It has been shown previously (Emerson, 1948; Sussman, 1953) that dormant ascospores of Neurospora respond to very low concentrations of heterocyclic 5-membered ring compounds, including certain thiophene and furfural derivatives, and pyrrole. Although over 100 other substances were tried, only compounds with the above structure were active, with the exception of ethyl ether which was weakly effective in amounts 100-fold greater than were required when heterocyclics were used. Since that time, it was discovered that temperatures between 40 and 48? C, although insufficient to activate the ascospores, enhanced their sensitivity to chemical activators (Sussman, 1954a). Therefore, it seemed reasonable to expect that a more detailed investigation of the chemical specificity involved in the activation process might be possible by the use of this technique. Moreover, the observation that ethyl ether was also an activator suggested the possibility that other organic solvents might also serve in this way. That this surmise was correct is shown by the following experiments, which expand the list of chemical activators to include aliphatic alcohols, esters, and ketones, in addition to the furans used previously and in the present studies.
A Resitern's Reflections on Duty-Hours Reform

Caught in the transition from intern-as-workhorse to a system in which senior residents must take up the slack from interns with more restrictive duty hours, a resident asks, “Will we continue to put patients first if we don't learn the hard way to put ourselves last?”
TERTIARY SPECIATION MODELS IN AUSTRALIAN ANURANS: MOLECULAR DATA CHALLENGE PLEISTOCENE SCENARIO.

Similarities between frogs in the faunas of southwestern and southeastern Australia have long been viewed as indicators of close genetic relationships and recent (Pleistocene) divergences. We studied albumin evolution in 16 east-west species pairs of frogs representing six genera to assess the validity of these conclusions. Analysis of albumin evolution in western species of Heleioporus and some species of Litoria suggested recent speciation in these genera, with the closest sister groups occurring in the western and not among the eastern fauna. All divergences measured between eastern and western cognate species point to a Tertiary separation extending from the late Miocene to the early Oligocene. Micro-complement fixation studies provide an independent estimation of both genetic relationships between species pairs and the time of divergence of each species pair, allowing the testing of models of speciation and vicariance biogeography in a way not possible with earlier methodologies.
High pressure-high temperature decomposition of γ-cyclotrimethylene trinitramine.

Decomposition of γ-cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (γ-RDX) under high pressure-high temperature conditions was examined to elucidate the reactive behavior of RDX crystals. Vibrational spectroscopy measurements were obtained for single crystals in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) at pressures from 6 to 12 GPa and temperatures up to 600 K. Global decomposition rates, activation energies, and activation volumes at several pressures and temperatures below the P-T locus for the γ-RDX decomposition were obtained. Similar to e-RDX, but in contrast to α-RDX, we found that pressure decelerates the decomposition of γ-RDX. The decomposition deceleration with pressure in the γ-phase can be attributed to pressure-inhibiting bond homolysis step(s). The main decomposition species were identified as N(2)O, CO(2), and H(2)O, in accord with the species reported for the α-phase decomposition at high pressures. This work complements previous studies on RDX at HP-HT conditions and provides comprehensive results on the reactive behavior of γ-RDX; the γ-phase plays a key role in RDX decomposition at P-T conditions relevant to shock wave initiation.
Generalized Pulse—Spectrum Technique for Solving Inverse Problems in Microwave Heating

The Generalized Pulse-Spectrum Technique (GPST), a versatile, efficient and stable Newton-like iterative numerical inversion algorithm with Tikhonov regularization. GPST has been been successfully applied to many practical inverse problems, including the inverse problems of equations of the diffusion type. Methodology in applying GPST for solving the inverse problems in microwave heating of ceramic samples is described.
Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary molluscan biogeography of the southern Circum-Pacific

The distribution of the present-day, shallow-water benthic faunas of the southern circum- Pacific in large part, is the result of a series of environmental perturbations and changes in geography associated with the final breakup of Gondwanaland during the Early Cenozoic. During the Cretaceous, the southern Pacific margin was isolated by the geography of the Gondwana landmass and prevailing oceanic circulation. The prolonged isolation beginning in the Early Creta- ceous resulted in the development of highly endemic faunas of the Weddellian Province. With the separation of Australia from East Antarctica and establishment of a southern connection with the Indian Ocean during the Eocene, the isolation of the southern circum-Pacific came to an end and the Weddellian Province began to lose its identity. The subsequent dispersion of the southern continents and associated changes in climate during the Early and Middle Tertiary produced several periods of extreme environmental stress which greatly altered the composition and distribution of the marine faunas. Conditions around New Zealand and Australia gradually ameliorated with their progressive north- ward movement during the Paleocene and Eocene. This Early Tertiary warming event produced a severe crisis for the temperate faunas of New Zealand and Australia. The result of this Late Paleocene- Early Eocene warming event was the replacement of nearly all of the temperate taxa by warm water species from the Indo-Pacific. During the same period, the Antarctic faunas were faced with a cooling crisis associated with the decline in temperature of the Southern Ocean. Because of the gradual nature of this cooling event, the molluscan fauna around Antarctica was better able to adapt to the changing conditions and a significant number of paleoaustral taxa survived. The abrupt drop in sea tempera- tures at the Eocene-Oligocene transition and the initiation of strong circumpolar circulation during the Oligocene produced profound changes in the shelf faunas of the southern circum-Pacific which are still reflected in the distribution of modern faunas along the southern margin of the Pacific.
Study on the Origin of Sport for the Disabled and the Relationship between Paralympic and Olympic Games

In this thesis,we shall demonstrate how the social perception of people with disabilities and their physical performance as altered over time from antiquity to the present day.Particularly,attitudes have not altered significantly from societal segregation and contempt to progressive societal integration and appreciation of their athletic ability until after Second World War.To this end,sport played very important role in this development as changing perceptions gave a boost to disabled sport as a means of rehabilitation.Growing numbers of disabled athletes became highly motivated and capable of excellent athletic performance,which contributed to a further change in perception.The performance of disabled athletes in sports games gained respect from people and sport competition motivated disabled people's hope and zest on life.The cooperation of Paralympic Games and Olympic Games gained people and media's attention to sport for the disabled,which is beneficial for the further development of sport for the disabled and improvement of respect and understanding of the disabled.The rehabilitation and communication functions of sport are further demonstrated in the sport for the disabled.The sport for the disabled has been accepted by the most of sports organization in the world.But,other groups with intellectual and mental problems have yet attracted the due attention of international sports organizations and Olympic Games.
Decision making about infertility treatment: does unlimited access lead to inappropriate treatment?

The proportion of women aged 40–44 undergoing IVF treatment covered by Maccabi Health Services increased between 2011 and 2014. Although age-specific birth rates did not substantially change over this time period, the demographic change was accompanied by an overall decrease in live births after IVF treatment. The relative contribution of changing population demographics vs. current age-related coverage policies to these trends is unclear. Additional research is needed to better understand the potential effect of changes in current policy on maternal, neonatal, and economic outcomes.
Growth patterns of two lines of Angus cattle selected using predicted growth parameters.

Linear functions of body weight and condition score at weaning and 18 mo of age were used to predict the mature weight (A) and maturing rate (k) parameters of an asymptotic growth model of Angus cows at the Subtropical Agricultural Research Station, Brooksville, FL. From 1981 through 1988 a heavy-mature-weight line (Line A) and a rapid-maturing line (Line K) were selected based on predicted A and k values. Linear contrasts (A-K) of least squares means for weight at fixed ages indicated that the weight difference between lines increased from birth to maturity during the period of the study. Animals from Line A were heavier (P less than .01) at all ages. A negative response in maternal ability, relative to increased growth potential of their calves, seems to have occurred in the cows of Line A. Mature weight was reached at approximately 4.5 yr of age in Line K and at approximately 5.5 yr in Line A. Brody's three-parameter and Richards' four-parameter functions were fitted to 2,855 quarterly weights of cows, from birth to 6.5 yr of age, to estimate the average growth curve for each line. Brody's model gave better estimates of weights from 18 mo to maturity, but the asymptotic residual mean squares were slightly higher because early weights were overestimated. Linear and nonlinear regression analyses of weight-age data and comparisons of degree of maturity at different premature ages showed differences in the growth patterns of the two lines selected for early predicted values of A and k.
Nonlinear Modeling of Piezoelectric Plates

In the three preceding chapters, we have discussed nonlinear dynamical modeling for large deflections of elastic beams, plates, and shallow shells, together with applications to nonlinear and chaotic vibrations. In this chapter, we further extend our discussion to nonlinear dynamical modeling for large deflections of piezoelectric plates.
Immunity to Facultative Intracellular Parasites

The interactions between bacterial pathogens and their hosts are extremely diverse. Bacterial factors that determine pathogenicity include exotoxins, endotoxins, cell wall components, and sundry ill-defined constituents that contribute to infectivity and virulence. This complexity is compounded by host responses which may range from trivial to intense nonspecific inflammatory reactions, upon which immunologically specific inflammatory reactions may be overlaid. The latter include cell-mediated immune reactions, such as delayed-type hypersensitivity and granulomatosis, and humoral-mediated reactions, such as immediate hypersensitivity and immune complex syndromes.
Cancer Center Volume and Type Impact Stage-Specific Utilization of Neoadjuvant Therapy in Rectal Cancer

Neoadjuvant chemoradiation reduces local recurrence in locally advanced rectal cancer, and adherence to national and societal recommendations remains unknown. To determine variability in guideline adherence in rectal cancer treatment and investigate whether hospital volume correlated with variability seen. We performed a retrospective analysis using the National Cancer Database rectal cancer participant user files from 2005 to 2010. Stage-specific predictors of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation use were determined, and variation in use across hospitals analyzed. Hospitals were ranked based on likelihood of preoperative therapy use by stage, and observed-to-expected ratios for neoadjuvant therapy use calculated. Hospital outliers were identified, and their center characteristics compared. A total of 23,488 patients were identified at 1183 hospitals. There was substantial variability in the use of neoadjuvant chemoradiation across hospitals. Patients managed outside clinical guidelines for both stage 1 and stage 3 disease tended to receive treatment at lower-volume, community cancer centers. There is substantial variability in adherence to national guidelines in the use of neoadjuvant chemoradiation for rectal cancer across all stages. Both hospital volume and center type are associated with over-treatment of early-stage tumors and under-treatment of more invasive tumors. These findings identify a clear need for national quality improvement efforts in the treatment of rectal cancer.
A Methodology for Integrated System Identification and PID Controller Design

Abstract This paper describes an integrated identification and control design methodology that begins with dynamic modeling from plant data and concludes with parameter settings for high performance PID controllers. By integrating identification with PID controller design, the method displays functionality that is often demanded by the practicing engineering community. The major steps in this integrated methodology are: experimental design and execution, high-order ARX estimation, and control-relevant model reduction leading to models that comply with the IMC-PID tuning rules. A high-order ARX model estimate serves as an intermediate model for control-relevant model reduction purposes; furthermore, the low computational effort associated with ARX estimation means that simple statistical tools (such as cross validation) can be used to efficiently determine a suitable structure for the ARX model without substantial user intervention. The methodology is demonstrated on a delayed time plant subjected to significant drift (i.e., a disturbance represented by an autoregressive integrated noise model).
Demo Abstract: PrOLoc: Resilient Localization with Private Observers Using Partial Homomorphic Encryption

This demo abstract presents PrOLoc, a localization system thatcombines partially homomorphic encryption with a new way ofstructuring the localization problem to enable efficient and accurate computation of a target’s location while preserving the privacy of the observers.
What Leaders Believe: Increasing Educational Attainment among Urban Youth.

Urban community leaders describe their perceptions of critical issues in education and offer recommendations for the creation of a college-going culture (CGC). This qualitative study employed a max...
Abstract 1858: Theranostic nanoparticles for detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer

Background: Despite continued efforts to improve early detection and treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the disease still carries a poor prognosis. The combination of multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) and theranostic nanoparticles offers a possible solution by providing tumor targeting using fluorescent dyes and treatment through drug delivery. We describe a 40 nm colloidal mesoporous silica nanoparticle (CMS) with vermiform pores and a chitosan coating and tagged with the V7 peptide to provide pH-specific dual targeting to deliver a contrast agent in a tumor-specific fashion. Methods: CMSs were synthesized using a modified Stober method, coated with chitosan, and conjugated with a V7 peptide, resulting in a dual acidic pH targeting system. Particle characterization was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectrophotometry, Zeta potential, and dynamic light scattering . To determine acidic pH specificity of V7-CMS, Panc1 and S2VP10 cell lines were incubated in cell culture medium at either pH 7.4 or 6.6 followed by treatment with V7-CMS. Particle uptake was determined using near infrared (NIR) fluorescence and tissue phantoms. Finally, for in vivo testing, the same CMSNs were injected into mice bearing S2VP10 pancreatic tumors. MSOT imaging was performed 8 hours after CMS injection. Results: TEM images demonstrated successful synthesis of approximately 40 nm V7-CMSs with vermiform pores. On NIR imaging, V7-CMS demonstrated acidic pH specificity in both S2VP10 and Panc 1 cells at pH 6.6, with particle localization and signal intensity 8-fold and 5-fold higher, respectively, than that observed at pH 7.4. In tissue phantoms, increased pH specificity was also observed in both S2VP10 and Panc 1 cells at pH 6.6. Particle location and signal intensity on MSOT was 20-fold and 4-fold higher, respectively, than that observed at pH 7.4. In the murine orthotopic S2VP10 pancreatic tumor model, MSOT imaging 8 hours after IV CMS injection demonstrated V7-CMS accumulation specifically within pancreatic tumors. Conclusion: The acidic pH specific dual targeting system using chitosan-coated and pHLIP V7-tagged CMSs results in tumor specificity. Preferential binding and dye release was increased as much as 20-fold at pH 6.6 as compared to pH 7.4 in tissue phantoms. MSOT was able to detect tumor specific accumulation of V7-CMS in vivo. These small, pH specific particles hold significant promise for effectively identifying pancreatic tumors with high sensitivity and specificity and for targeted drug delivery. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Phillip Chuong, Neal Bhutiani, Lacey R. McNally. Theranostic nanoparticles for detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1858. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1858
Inflatable penile prosthesis as tissue expander: what is the evidence?

ABSTRACT Objective: Many patients who undergo inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) replacement are often upsized to larger cylinders, suggesting the IPP may serve as a tissue expander and increase internal penile length. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether cylinder length increases with subsequent IPP insertion. Materials and Methods: We queried American Medical Systems and Coloplast Patient Information Form databases to identify patients who underwent IPP placement and replacement between 2004-2013. Patients were grouped by device type and time to replacement ( 0.5 cm and 40% demonstrated increases of ≥1 cm. Conclusions: As demonstrated, the IPP may provide tissue expansion over time. Further evaluation is needed to determine if increased cylinder length correlates to increased functional length and patient satisfaction.
‘We Were On Top of the World': Fela Kuti's Queens and the Poetics of Space

The Afrika Shrine, Fela Kuti's night club, and Kalakuta Republic, the urban commune over which he presided, were iconic spaces in the Nigerian postcolonial imagination. However, these spaces only a...
Comparison of breast conservative therapy to mastectomy in male breast cancer: A NCDB analysis.

565Background: Current treatment guidelines for male breast cancer (MBC) are largely based on clinical trials limited to female participants. With limited MBC research, it remains unclear if breast...
Authoritarian Norms in a Changing International System

The normative structure of the international system is changing, driven by the logics of effectiveness and appropriateness. Whereas the balance between democracy and autocracy had clearly favored the former, this appears to no longer be the case. Not only are authoritarian methods spreading because they have been found to be successful, but democracy’s very legitimacy has been eroded from self-doubt and as a consequence of rising and increasingly confident authoritarian great powers. This commentary provides an overview of these trends.
Pulmonary Bed Sequestration of Neutrophils During Hemodialysis

A severe, transient granulocytopenia occurs shortly after the beginning of hemodialysis in the dog, as has been previously shown in man. Simultaneous blood sampling across the pulmonary vascular bed indicates that the process of granulocyte removal begins almost instantaneously and that the pulmonary vascular bed is a major site of granulocyte sequestration.
Algebraic Multilevel Preconditioners for Nonsymmetric PDEs on Stretched Grids

We report on algebraic multilevel preconditioners for the parallel solution of linear systems arising from a Newton procedure applied to the finite-element (FE) discretization of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. We focus on the issue of how to coarsen FE operators produced from high aspect ratio elements. The method uses on each level an auxiliary matrix B , which contains inter-nodal distance information of the underlying initial FE grid. Then, a standard coarsening procedure is performed on B and non-smoothed transfer operators are defined. Preliminary numerical results obtained on distributed memory parallel computers show that the use of the auxiliary matrix can greatly improve the convergence rate of the resulting multilevel preconditioner.
A CULTURAL APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING

For more than 20 years, our research group has been studying why bright, hard-working students often struggle to solve problems they encounter in undergraduate chemistry courses. Our work has spanned the breadth of the sub-disciplines of chemistry, from organic chemistry to physical chemistry. This paper will begin with a review of some of the general conclusions of this work that revolve around the importance of recognizing the difference between routine exercises and novel problems...
Health Behavior in Gay Men

This chapter presents health behavior issues related to acceptance of a gay self-identity, as well as medical, psychological, and substance-use issues specific to gay men. By way of clarification, the term gay men, as used herein, refers to non-heterosexual males. The word gay without a gender qualifier refers to both nonheterosexual men and nonheterosexual women. While “gay” is a relatively new term, it is less a term of derision than other words once in popular usage, such as “invert,” “homosexual,” “faggot,” and “queer.” In discussion of the pathologizing of homosexuality, however, the term homosexual is used for semantic and historical accuracy. The term heterosexual connotes different-sex eroticism and the presumption of normative sexual behavior; as a “normative” term, it does not suffer from the same limitations as “homosexual.”
Influences on Primary Care Provider Imaging for a Hypothetical Patient with Low Back Pain.

OBJECTIVE How outside factors affect physician decision making remains an open question of vital importance. We sought to investigate the importance of various influences on physician decision making when clinical guidelines differ from patient preference. METHODS An online survey asking 469 primary care providers (PCPs) across four practice sites whether they would order magnetic resonance imaging for a patient with uncomplicated back pain. Participants were randomized to one of four scenarios: a patient's preference for imaging (control), a patient's preference plus a colleague's opinion against imaging (colleague), a patient's preference plus a professional society's recommendation against imaging (profession), or a patient's preference plus an accountable care organization's quality metric that measures physician use of imaging (ACO). Demographic information and the reasoning behind participants' decisions also were obtained. RESULTS A total of 168 PCPs completed the survey, yielding a 36% completion rate. A majority chose not to pursue imaging: control 68%, colleague 85%, profession 87%, and ACO 78%. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that participants were more likely not to order advanced imaging only when reminded of a professional society recommendation (P = 0.017). Regression also suggested that practice site exerted an effect on the primary outcome. Evidence-based medicine and clinical judgment were the most cited reasons for the decision. CONCLUSIONS Our results reinforce the potential to leverage professional societies to advance evidence-based medicine and reduce unnecessary testing. At the same time, practice site appeared to exert influence, suggesting that these recommendations must be part of local institutional culture to be effective.
Magnitude-Phase Optical OFDM for IM/DD Communication Systems

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a candidate technique to provide high-speed data transmissions for optical communication systems. For intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD) optical communication systems, only real and non-negative valued signals can be transmitted due to the natural properties of the transmitters and receivers. This paper proposes a technique called magnitude-phase optical OFDM (MPO-OFDM) that transmits the magnitude and phase of the conventional complex valued OFDM signal successively, similar to polar-based OFDM. Unlike polar-based OFDM, however, the proposed MPO-OFDM quantizes, encodes, and transmits the phase information using pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) to reduce the interference introduced by the additive noise on the phase. Considering the peak radiation power constraint of optical devices, the magnitude component of the MPO-OFDM signal experiences clipping distortion. In this paper, we optimally adjust the modulation index to control the scale of the magnitude component and achieve the highest signal to noise ratio (SNR). For the same transmitted data rate, the proposed MPO-OFDM can achieve a lower bit error rate than previously proposed techniques. For a similar BER performance, MPO-OFDM can support a higher throughput than the other techniques tested.
Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico

Abstract Lechuguilla Cave in Carlbad Caverns National Park, Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, has a 2017 surveyed length of 245 km. It is a hypogene cave, formed by up-rising H2S-bearing fluids which oxidize to form sulfuric acid when they reach oxygen-bearing meteoric water. The cave is formed in the Permian Capitan Reef Complex. Argon-argon dating suggests that the cave is on the order of 5 million years old. Lechuguilla Cave exhibits dramatic mineralization, particularly gypsum chandeliers, native sulfur, and many massive calcite speleothems. Of particular interest is the microbiology of the cave where microbes, present and past, formed without surface interactions.
“Culture Is What You See When Compliance Is Not in the Room”: Organizational Culture as an Explanatory Factor in Analyzing Recent INGO Scandals

In recent years, leading international nongovernmental organizations (INGO) such as Oxfam International, Save the Children, and Amnesty International have been implicated in scandals about sexual abuse and other forms of abuse of power and harassment. I suggest focusing on organizational and sectoral culture as an explanatory variable for these crises, which are particularly hard hitting for purportedly value-based organizations. In the case of NGOs, in my observation as a practitioner and ‘pracademic’, these are driven by six factors:(1) particular individual leadership traits that may be prevalent especially in the emergency and humanitarian relief related sector; (2) the effect of power on leaders’ perspectives and behaviors; (3) a culture of silence that makes it hard for NGO staff to speak up about toxic workplace behaviors; (4) the presence of deep power structures within NGOs which are not openly acknowledged and therefore addressed; (5) the myth of own innocence that leads NGOs to treat wrong doing as aberrations instead of systemic problems; and finally (6) a culture of limited individual and team-level accountability practices. The extent to which these cultural failures can be addressed through formal policy and (self)regulatory measures is limited, given that culture is primarily about informal, covert belief systems. NGOs will have to do sustained and disciplined culture work themselves if the roots of the scandals are to be taken away.
Book Review: Benedict on Admiralty: Cruise Ships

Robert M. Jams, editor-in-chief, Benedict on Admiralty: Cruise Ships (New York: Matthew Bender & Company Inc. Lexis Publishing, March 2000), www.bender.com, ISBNO8205-4392-6 Binder, 312 pp. (Appendices, Index) $200.
Quasi-experimental estimates of the transient climate response using observational data

The transient climate response (TCR) is the change in global mean temperature at the time of an exogenous doubling in atmospheric CO2 concentration increasing at a rate of 1% per year. A problem with estimating the TCR using observational data is that observed CO2 concentrations depend in turn on temperature. Therefore, the observed concentration data are endogenous, potentially leading to simultaneous causation bias of regression estimates of the TCR. We address this problem by employing instrumental variables regression, which uses changes in radiative forcing external to earth systems to provide quasi-experiments that can be used to estimate the TCR. Because the modern instrumental record is short, we focus on decadal fluctuations (up to 30-year changes), which also mitigate some statistical issues associated with highly persistent temperature and concentration data. Our estimates of the TCR for these shorter horizons, normalized to be comparable to the traditional 70-year TCR, fall within the range in the IPCC-AR5 and provide new observational confirmation of model-based estimates.
Strong-field induced fragmentation and isomerization of toluene probed by ultrafast femtosecond electron diffraction and mass spectrometry

We investigate the fragmentation and isomerization of toluene molecules induced by strong-field ionization with a femtosecond near-infrared laser pulse. Momentum-resolved coincidence time-of-flight ion mass spectrometry is used to determine the relative yield of different ionic products and fragmentation channels as a function of laser intensity. Ultrafast electron diffraction is used to capture the structure of the ions formed on a picosecond time scale by comparing the diffraction signal with theoretical predictions. Through the combination of the two measurements and theory, we are able to determine the main fragmentation channels and to distinguish between ions with identical mass but different structures. In addition, our diffraction measurements show that the independent atom model, which is widely used to analyze electron diffraction patterns, is not a good approximation for diffraction from ions. We show that the diffraction data is in very good agreement with ab initio scattering calculations.
Modeling the length-of-stay of patients with geriatric diseases or alcohol use disorder using phase-type distributions with covariates

The hospital length-of-stay (LOS), as an important measure of the effectiveness of healthcare, represents the level of medical requirement and is highly related to the treatment costs. As the human...
The teaching/research trade-off in law: data from the right tail.

Background: There is a long scholarly debate on the trade-off between research and teaching in various fields, but relatively little study of the phenomenon in law. This analysis examines the relationship between the two core academic activities at one particular school, the University of Chicago Law School, which is considered one of the most productive in legal academia. Method: We measure of scholarly productivity with the total number of publications by each professor for each year, and we approximate performance in teaching with course loads and average scores in student evaluations for each course. In OLS regressions, we estimate scholarly output as a function of teaching loads, faculty characteristics, and other controls. We also estimate teaching evaluation scores as a function of scholarly productivity, fixed effects for years and course subject, and faculty characteristics. Result: Net of other factors, we find that, under some specifications, research and teaching are positively correlated. In particular, we find that students’ perceptions of teaching quality rises, but at a decreasing rate, with the total amount of scholarship. We also find that certain personal characteristics correlate with productivity. Conclusion: The
Developing a Ways of Thinking Framework for Engineering Education Research

Background: Numerous calls have urged researchers to adopt novel ways of thinking in order to address complex challenges within the engineering education system. The field lacks shared criteria and understanding to characterize ways of thinking, particularly in the context of engineering education research. Ways of thinking as a lens for considering and addressing complex challenges has the potential to bring about systemic change. Purpose: This work aims to initiate a vision for a ways of thinking framework specific to engineering education research contexts. The purpose is to highlight how ways of thinking can be embedded in research practice as a means to enact systemic change. Scope: Four specific ways of thinking – futures, values, systems, and strategic – are explored by reviewing literature from different fields and making connections to engineering education research. Each way of thinking is illustrated by application examples. A compilation of the underlying concepts, abilities, and enhancement approaches for each way of thinking is also presented. Discussion/Conclusions: Ways of thinking is perceived as a concept in theory, but can and should be used in practice to innovate. Using futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking in an integrated manner can build capacity for researchers to push toward systemic change.
«Государство алахи»: что полезно знать, прежде чем задавать вопросы сведущим в Традиции людям (Halachic State: Some Pieces of Information Worth Knowing, Before Questioning Educated People)

Russian Abstract: Дискуссия вокруг «государства алахи» (или еврейской традиции как источника права в современном государстве Израиль) стала одной из заметных тем перед выборами в XXII Кнессет. Автор ни в коей мере не претендует на основательное знание еврейской традиции. Данные комментарии сводятся либо к общеизвестным положениям еврейской Традиции, которые здесь просто напоминаются, либо представляют из себя интерпретацию некоторых норм традиции с точки зрения теории общественного выбора. В частности, здесь заостряется внимание на наиболее жестких обвинениях Традиции в проповеди жестокости, легитимации геноцида, неравенства и т.п. English Abstract: Halacha and Jewish Tradition as a source for modern Legislation of State of Israel become one of a significant issue of the XXII Elections’ campaign. Here the reader is provided by some simplest references on the very basic facts of Jewish tradition (the author is an economist, not rabbi) and by the comments from the point of view of Public Choice Theory. Special comments are devoted to the most harshly criticized halachic norms blamed as a legitimization of cruelty, genocide atrocities, and discrimination. The Supreme Court's experts (being far from supportive to the Halacha) agree on the fact of the noticeable influence of the Halacha even on the acting norms of the modern State of Israel.
Analysis of 13 cases with pediatric rheumatic disease combined with endocrine disorder

Objective: To summarize the clinical characteristics of children with rheumatic disease combined with endocrine disorder. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data, including sex, age, clinical presentation, laboratory tests, treatment and outcome, of 13 patients with rheumatic diseases combined with endocrine disorder, who were admitted to our department in Children's Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2014 to December 2020. Results: Among the 13 cases, 3 were males and 10 were females, without family history. Their age was (10±4) years. And the average course of disease was 4.1 months. Eight of them were diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE), 2 with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), 1 with childhood vasculitis, 1 with juvenile-onset systemic sclerosis (JSSc) and 1 had juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). Regarding the initial presentation, 10 cases had symptoms of rheumatic disease, 2 had polydipsia and polyuria, and 1 had goiter. All the 13 patients had multiple system involvement. Regarding endocrine disorder, 10 had thyroiditis or subclinical thyroiditis, 4 had diabetes mellitus and one had both thyroid and pancreas involvement. Thyroid stimulating hormone in 10 patient with thyroid involvment was 19.6 (5.2-34.0) mU/L, and their total thyroxine was 75.3 (45.2-105.4) nmol/L. Besides, thyroid peroxidase antibody or thyroglobulin antibody was positive in 7 cases. The blood glucose of 4 children with pancreatic injury was 25.0 (17.0-33.0) mmol/L, and C-peptide was 0.4 (0.3-0.5) mg/L. Glutamate dehydrogenase antibody, protein tyrosine phosphatase antibody and zinc transporter 8 antibody were positive in two cases. After treatement with immunosuppressant or immunoglobulin combined with glucocorticoid or nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for rheumatic symptoms, and levothyroxine or insulin for endocrine diseases, they were all followed up for more than 6 months and maintained clinical stability. Conclusions: Rheumatic diseases in children can be complicated with endocrine disorders, and the involved organs are usually thyroid and pancreas. In children with rheumatic disease, thyroid injury usually has subtle onset, whereas pancreas injury develops rapidly, even life-threatening. Insulin should be used persistently under the instruction of endocrinologist.
Precipitation of dopants on acceptor-doped LaMnO3±δ revealed by defect chemistry from first principles

Perovskite oxides degrade at elevated temperatures while precipitating dopant-rich particles on the surface. A knowledge-based improvement of surface stability requires a fundamental and quantitative understanding of the dopant precipitation mechanism on these materials. We propose that dopant precipitation is a consequence of the variation of dopant solubility between calcination and operating conditions in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and electrolyzer cells (SOECs). To study dopant precipitation, we use 20% (D = Ca, Sr, Ba)-doped LaMnO3+δ (LDM20) as a model system. We employ a defect model taking input from density functional theory calculations. The defect model considers the equilibration of LDM20 with a reservoir consisting of dopant oxide (DO), peroxide (DO2), and O2 in the gas phase. The equilibrated non-stoichiometry of the A-site and B-site as a function of temperature, T, and oxygen partial pressure, p(O2), reveals three regimes for LDM20: A-site deficient (oxidizing conditions), A-site rich (atmospheric conditions), and near-stoichiometric (reducing conditions). Assuming an initial A/B non-stoichiometry, we compute the dopant precipitation boundaries in a p–T phase diagram. Our model predicts precipitation both under reducing (DO) and under highly oxidizing conditions (DO2). We found precipitation under anodic, SOEC conditions to be promoted by large dopant size, while under cathodic, SOFC conditions precipitation is promoted by initial A-site excess. The main driving forces for precipitation are oxygen uptake by the condensed phase under oxidizing conditions and oxygen release assisted by B-site vacancies under reducing conditions. Possible strategies for mitigating dopant precipitation under in electrolytic and fuel cell conditions are discussed.
Rural employment, migration, and economic development: theoretical issues and empirical evidence from Africa

The literature of development economics has become increasingly concerned with the ‘employment problem’. Interest in this problem was stimulated by rapid increases in the rate of urban unemployment in many developing countries in the 1960s. Increasingly, however, the employment problem is being examined within the context of several widespread but related problems in the developing world such as (a) open and partial unemployment, particularly in the urban areas, (b) low-productivity labour and seasonal unemployment in agriculture, (c) wide disparities in personal income distribution, and (d) significant disparities between rural and urban incomes.2 Recognising these problems, numerous economists and policy-makers have replaced the traditional emphasis on growth as the primary indicator of development with a redefinition of development to include the multiple dimensions of growth, employment and equity.
Single-chip FIR adaptive filter using CMOS analog circuits

The design, simulation and testing results for a sampled-data analog adaptive filter are presented. The system uses clocked sampled-data storage, unique area-efficient analog multipliers, and other opamp-based arithmetic modules. The fully analog CMOS design features a non-multiplexed parallel architecture for achieving fast sampling rates and easy extension to higher order filters. The prototype chip was fabricated using 2- mu CMOS P-WELL technology, occupying an area of 4.0 mm/sup 2/, and using +or-5 V power supplies. >
Hybrid fuzzy/statistically-based controllers: a preliminary comparison

This paper describes the development and preliminary analysis of hybrid fuzzy/statistically-based controllers, including Fuzzy Western Electric. The Fuzzy Western Electric controller is a modification of a runs rules type controller developed from statistical quality control concepts with fuzzy elements added. These controllers may be used in several process applications, especially the quality control of batch operations. First, the original controller is described and its performance evaluated. Next, the fuzzy elements are added to the controller and its performance is detailed. A completely randomized block experimental design and Duncan's multiple range test are used to compare the hybrid controllers to other types of controllers currently being explored, under a variety of disturbance conditions. The hybrid fuzzy/statistically-based controllers significantly outperform all other controllers examined. >