cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detecting biomarkers of secondhand marijuana smoke in young children.

The impact of secondhand marijuana smoke exposure on children is unknown. New methods allow detection of secondhand marijuana smoke in children. We studied children ages 1 mo to 2 y hospitalized with bronchiolitis in Colorado from 2013 to 2015. Parents completed a survey, and urine samples were analyzed for cotinine using LC/MS/MS (limits of detection 0.03 ng/ml) and marijuana metabolites including COOH-THC (limits of detection 0.015 ng/ml). A total of 43 subjects had urine samples available for analysis. Most (77%) of the subjects were male, and 52% were less than 1 y of age. COOH-THC was detectable in 16% of the samples analyzed (THC+); the range in COOH-THC concentration was 0.03–1.5 ng/ml. Two subjects had levels >1 ng/ml. Exposure did not differ by gender or age. Non-white children had more exposure than white children (44 vs. 9%; P 2.0 ng/ml were THC+, compared with 7% of those with lower cotinine (P < 0.01). Metabolites of marijuana smoke can be detected in children; in this cohort, 16% were exposed. Detectable COOH-THC is more common in children with tobacco smoke exposure. More research is needed to assess the health impacts of marijuana smoke exposure on children and inform public health policy.
Integrated Soil Research Within The Framework of Agricultural Policy Making

There appears to be a growing concern between scientists on how research may achieve a sufficient impact on policymaking. It is argued that significant differences between the academic world of science and the political world of policymaking makes a fruitful interaction between scientists and policymakers difficult. Differences in perception, organisation and communication is a major constraint for use of scientific results. A key prerequisite is establishment of multidisciplinary research programmes, integrating both natural, social and political sciences. Such policy—oriented programmes must establish their objectives in relation to policy issues in contrast to the more traditional multidisciplinary programmes on strictly scientific themes like soil science. A successful implementation of such programmes assumes a clear leadership, a strong commitment for cooperation and communication and, of course, good and relevant science.
Plasmonic nanomesh sandwiches for ultrathin film silicon solar cells

We theoretically investigate the strategy of integrating metal nanoparticles (NPs)/nanomeshes (NMs) into the top and/or bottom of crystalline silicon (c-Si) thin film solar cells for light trapping and enhanced carrier collection. C-Si thin films exhibit absorption resonances corresponding to Fabry–Perot modes. Frontside metal NPs enhance absorption by additionally coupling light into localized surface plasmon resonances and c-Si waveguide modes, while a frontside metal NM increases absorption by coupling light into surface plasmon polaritons and c-Si waveguide modes. The frontside metal NM also functions as a flexible top electrode, which may replace conventional brittle transparent conductive oxide thin films. The backside metal NM exhibits enhanced absorption due to the coupling of light into c-Si waveguide modes and the cavity modes within the holes of metal NM. We illustrate how the optimal metal NM sandwich, consisting of NMs on both sides of a 300 nm thick c-Si with an appropriate antireflection coating (ARC), achieves a 72.9% enhancement in short-circuit current density compared with that of a 300 nm thick c-Si thin film solar cell with 100 nm thick Si3N4 ARC and 300 nm thick Ag back reflector. The current generation in the metal NM sandwich is more in the center of the thin film such that there should be less surface recombination. The uniform current generation throughout the film results in less overall recombination.
Rheumatoid disease and related arthropathies: II. Surgical rehabilitation of the temporomandibular joint

A new classification of four types of TMJ involvement is proposed to help orient and direct the medical and surgical treatment of patients with rheumatoid disease and related arthropathies. Clinical symptoms, radiographic findings, facial deformity features, treatment planning, and results are discussed, with case reports that illustrate each type. Interpositional polymer laminates, a new glenoid fossa prosthesis, and a metallic condyle are introduced for use in selected cases where erosion and destruction of the condyle, meniscus, and fossa area have produced significant TMJ dysfunction and occlusal-facial deformity.
Person-Supervisor and Person-Organization Fit and Organizational Commitment in the U.S. and Japan

Although growing industry evidence points out to the importance of both person-supervisor (P-S) and person-organization (P-O) fit for employees’ organizational commitment, in academic research the ...
Assessing NARCCAP climate model effects using spatial confidence regions

Abstract. We assess similarities and differences between model effects for the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) climate models using varying classes of linear regression models. Specifically, we consider how the average temperature effect differs for the various global and regional climate model combinations, including assessment of possible interaction between the effects of global and regional climate models. We use both pointwise and simultaneous inference procedures to identify regions where global and regional climate model effects differ. We also show conclusively that results from pointwise inference are misleading, and that accounting for multiple comparisons is important for making proper inference.
Is There Such a Thing as a Personal Computer

From 1977 through 1981, the National Computer Conference included a parallel Personal Computing Festival with its own sessions, proceedings, and exhibits. As cochairman of two of the festivals, I was often told that they should be abolished because there was nothing unique about personal computers, that they raised no new issues. The critics felt that personal computers were scaled-down versions of larger machines, and therefore that separate sessions on personal computer applications, hardware, operating systems, etc., were redundant.
If You’re ‘Still In’ the Paris Climate Agreement, Then Show Us the Money

In the wake of Trump’s misguided decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, there has been a groundswell of sub-national US support for climate action. Governors Brown (...
Effects of Personal Activities on Subjective QOL

This chapter describes the effects of personal activities on the subjective aspects of QOL. Personal activities cover a large gamut of activities such as physical activities (e.g., sports and recreation), religious activities (e.g., church going), social activities (e.g., socializing with others), volunteering activities (e.g., helping with church-related activities), caregiving (e.g., nursing the elderly), shopping activities (e.g., visiting shopping malls, browsing, and spending money buying things), arts and culture activities (e.g., painting and sculpting), etc. The chapter starts out describing three major theories that link activities with subjective aspects of QOL and the proceeds to describe research linking subjective well-being with specific personal activities.
Hidden Bodies in Islam: Secular Muslim Identities in Modern (and Premodern) Societies

This chapter begins by asking why there has been a general lack of interest in secular Muslims, especially among historians of religion and Islamicists.1 This, despite the unconfirmed belief by many observers that a very large percentage of the world Muslim population do not adhere strictly, if much at all, to the fundamental beliefs and practices of their religion. That is, while retaining some form of Muslim, if not Islamic, identity, they lead secular lives and think through most of life’s problems and challenges by means of secular world views, though they may not necessarily renounce their faith or think ill of family and friends who are religious. The significance of secularism among Muslims goes largely unexamined in most works on Islam and Muslim societies. On the other hand, it is in the writings novelists, such as Nasruddin Farah, Orhan Pamuk and Naguib Mahfouz, that Western readers learn something about the complex and contested relationships Muslims have with the state and with Islamist, liberal, progressive and secular Muslims, as well as with non-Muslims. In religious studies, Islamic beliefs and practices, the usul al-din and the ‘ibadat, have been fundamental to the representation of Muslim identities. This paper does not challenge the usefulness of essentialist definitions of Islam based on normative beliefs and practices; it simply asserts that is not the whole story.
Simulation Techniques in Design Research

The last few years have seen an explosion of computer simulation. Once mathematical models can be developed for any natural process, they can be programmed for computer simulation. In this way weather prediction has improved (Tribbia and Anthes, 1987); tidal power can be simulated for the design of power plants (Greenberg, 1987); the design of trophy-winning yachts (Letcher, et al, 1987) can be pretested without touching the water; ecological systems (Luker, 1987) can be modeled; nuclear war can be programmed as a computer game (Dewdney, 1987a); and even a cocktail party simulation can be a computer game (Dewdney, 1987b). But the most sophisticated and expensive simulations are those used in training military and airline pilots (Haber, 1986; Chiles, 1986). Flight simulators have now become so reliable that they can be used to train pilots to react to hazardous situations that have not heretofore been experienced.
Multiplicative-cascade dynamics supports whole-body coordination for perception via effortful touch.

Abstract Effortful touch by the hand is essential to engaging with and perceiving properties of objects. The temporal structure of whole-body coordination must reflect the prospective control that provides for both the engagement with and perception of properties of the hefted objects. In the present study, we found signatures of multifractality in the time series of fluctuations in Euclidean displacement in the participants' center of pressure (CoP) as they hefted weighted objects to perceive their heaviness and length. Comparisons of widths of the multifractal spectrums of CoP series with 32 Iterative Amplitude Adjusted Fourier Transform (IAAFT) surrogates provided evidence for multiplicative-cascade dynamics and interactivity across scales, through the continuous t-statistic comparing the original and surrogate widths (tMF). After controlling for the linear properties of CoP series and their interactions with the informational variable (i.e., the moment of inertia of the hefted objects), regression modeling of unsigned error in judgments of heaviness and length revealed that the multifractal evidence for nonlinearity (tMF) significantly influenced unsigned error. The two indicators showed opposite, task-specific effects on accuracy: accuracy in judgments of heaviness and length decreased and increased, respectively, with greater tMF. These findings suggest that multiplicative-cascade dynamics in posture play a role in prospective coordination during the engagement with objects and perception of their properties via effortful touch by the hand. Future work may elucidate how constraint(s) on exploratory kinematics influence the multifractal behavior in such suprapostural perceptual tasks as effortful touch.
The saboteur's tools: Common mechanistic themes across manipulative symbioses

Abstract Insects and other arthropods often harbour intracellular bacterial associates. These bacterial symbionts cannot survive outside their host and rely on vertical transmission from infected mothers to their progeny. Thus, symbiont success is tied directly to reproductive success of female hosts. As a result of this intimate relationship, these heritable symbionts have evolved numerous strategies to increase the likelihood of their own transmission, some of which involve the direct manipulation of host reproduction to increase production or fitness of female progeny. These manipulations often come at the expense of male hosts or uninfected individuals, and include strategies such as inducing crossing incompatibilities that increase infected female fitness relative to uninfected females (cytoplasmic incompatibility), killing or feminizing male hosts, and inducing asexual production of female progeny (parthenogenesis). In the past decade, there has been substantial interest in the applied use of these manipulative bacteria in control of pest species, including suppressing disease carried by mosquito vectors of human pathogens. This, along with developments in molecular tools and techniques, has spurred major advances in understanding the mechanisms by which symbiont lineages manipulate their insect hosts, culminating with the identification of the bacterial genes responsible for key manipulations. Here, we review the major research advances in the mechanisms of symbiont-induced reproductive manipulation and compare the mechanisms of a number of common reproductive manipulators.
Universal temperature dependence of the London penetration depth in κ − ( ET ) 2 X superconductors

High-precision radio-frequency magnetic susceptibility measurements were performed on single crystals of fully deuterated $\ensuremath{\kappa}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{(\mathrm{ET})}_{2}\mathrm{Cu}[\mathrm{N}{(\mathrm{CN})}_{2}]\mathrm{Br}$, hereafter designated as $\ensuremath{\kappa}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{(\mathrm{D}8\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ET})}_{2}\mathrm{Cu}[\mathrm{N}{(\mathrm{CN})}_{2}]\mathrm{Br}$. This material phase separates into superconducting and antiferromagnetic regions, the degree of which depends strongly upon the cooling rate. We show that the screening fraction ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\text{sc}}$ varies logarithmically with the cooling rate over nearly five decades. The average size of superconducting regions is estimated to vary from 5 to $40\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$, depending upon cooling rate, consistent with previous infrared microscopy measurements. In the region $T\ensuremath{\lesssim}{T}_{c}/3$, the effective magnetic penetration depth exhibits power-law behavior $\ensuremath{\lambda}(T)\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\lambda}(0)\ensuremath{\sim}{T}^{n}$ with $n=1.6$, independent of the cooling rate. Changes in cooling rate and the consequent phase separation evidently do not introduce the kind of disorder that would alter the exponent $n$ in a $d$-wave superconductor. The exponent remains close to $n=$ 1.5, reported in single crystals of $\ensuremath{\kappa}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{(\mathrm{ET})}_{2}\mathrm{Cu}[\mathrm{N}{(\mathrm{CN})}_{2}]\mathrm{Br}$ and $\ensuremath{\kappa}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{(\mathrm{ET})}_{2}\mathrm{Cu}{(\mathrm{NCS})}_{2}$ [A. Carrington et al., Phys. Rev. Lett 83, 4172 (1999)]. The transition temperature fell linearly with $1\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\text{sc}}$. Measurements were also made on $\ensuremath{\kappa}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{(\mathrm{ET})}_{2}\mathrm{Cu}[\mathrm{N}{(\mathrm{CN})}_{2}]\mathrm{Cl}$ of normal isotopic abundance in which a very small amount of superconducting phase ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\text{sc}}\ensuremath{\approx}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ developed, presumably through the strain-induced sample mounting. This material showed a power-law exponent of $n=1.64$, independent of the cooling rate.
Flying blind, or just flying under the radar? The underappreciated power of de novo methods of mass spectrometric peptide identification

Mass spectrometry-based proteomics is a popular and powerful method for precise and highly multiplexed protein identification. The most common method of analyzing untargeted proteomics data is called database searching, where the database is simply a collection of protein sequences from the target organism, derived from genome sequencing. Experimental peptide tandem mass spectra are compared to simplified models of theoretical spectra calculated from the translated genomic sequences. However, in several interesting application areas, such as forensics, archaeology, venomics, and others, a genome sequence may not be available, or the correct genome sequence to use is not known. In these cases, de novo peptide identification can play an important role. De novo methods infer peptide sequence directly from the tandem mass spectrum without reference to a sequence database, usually using graph-based or machine learning algorithms. In this review, we provide a basic overview of de novo peptide identification methods and applications, briefly covering de novo algorithms and tools, and focusing in more depth on recent applications from venomics, metaproteomics, forensics, and characterization of antibody drugs.
Abstract IA18: Clock Control of HIF Activity and Muscle Tissue Regeneration

Circadian clocks generate rhythmic pulses of glucose metabolism and respiration to divide energy-producing and energy-consuming processes into separate periods in the light-dark cycle. At the cellular level, clocks direct the expression of thousands of genes involved in metabolism, tissue growth, and repair, yet our understanding of how clocks detect signals in the environment to coordinate transcription and metabolic flux at precise stages during development and in post-mitotic cells remains poorly understood. A breakthrough in understanding circadian mechanisms in metabolic plasticity came from our discovery that molecular clock transcription factors respond to changes in environmental oxygen. We uncovered a link between circadian clocks and the control of the oxygen- and mitochondrial stress-responsive hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway, which controls adaptation to low oxygen environments, such as during tumorigenesis and ischemic injury. Here, we demonstrate a role for the circadian clock in post-muscle injury myogenesis and tissue regeneration. Indeed, loss of Bmal1 in adult muscle stem cell populations leads to impaired regeneration after ischemic muscle injury in mice. Furthermore, we observe time-of-day differences in muscle regeneration rates, with more rapid tissue repair following injury during the dark (active) phase. In addition, myogenesis is reduced in primary Bmal1-/- myoblasts compared to controls, a phenotype that is exaggerated in hypoxic conditions. Finally, we observe that loss of Bmal1 in myoblasts leads to chromatin remodeling that alters transcription of genes involved in metabolic flux and myogenic gene expression. Together, our studies demonstrate that circadian clocks in muscle stem cells control metabolic and genomic reprogramming under hypoxia to regulate in vitro myogenesis and in vivo skeletal muscle regeneration. Citation Format: Clara Bien Peek. Clock Control of HIF Activity and Muscle Tissue Regeneration [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Special Virtual Conference on Epigenetics and Metabolism; October 15-16, 2020; 2020 Oct 15-16. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(23 Suppl):Abstract nr IA18.
Race, police, and the pandemic: considering the role of race in public health policing

As cities and states implement social distancing guidelines to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, one concern is that the social construction of race, and the privileges inherent to those constructi...
Double-barrel STA-MCA bypass for cerebral revascularization: lessons learned from a 10-year experience.

Objective In select patients, extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass remains an important tool for cerebral revascularization. Traditionally, superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass was performed using one limb of the STA only. In an attempt to augment flow and to direct flow to different ischemic areas of the brain, the authors adopted a "double-barrel" technique in which both branches of the STA are used to revascularize distinct MCA territories. Methods A series of consecutive double-barrel STA-MCA bypasses performed between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed. Each anastomosis was directed to augment flow to a territory most at risk based on preoperative perfusion studies, cerebral angiography, and intraoperative indocyanine green data. CT perfusion and CTA were routinely used to evaluate postoperative augmentation and graft patency. Patient perioperative outcomes, surgical complications, and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at the last follow-up were reported. Results Forty-four patients (16 males, 28 females) successfully underwent double-barrel STA-MCA bypass on 54 cerebral hemispheres: 28 operations were for moyamoya disease, 23 for atherosclerotic disease refractory to medical therapy, 2 for complex cerebral aneurysms, and 1 for carotid occlusion as a sequela of cavernous meningioma growth. Ten patients underwent multiple operations, 9 of whom had moyamoya disease/syndrome, with the subsequent operation on the contralateral hemisphere. The average patient age at surgery was 45.1 years (range 14-73 years), with a mean follow-up time of 22.1 months. Intraoperative graft patency was confirmed in 100% of cases, and 101 (98.1%) of the 103 anastomoses with imaging follow-up were patent. Perfusion to the revascularized hemisphere was improved in 88.2% of cases. Perioperative ischemic and hemorrhagic complications occurred in 8 procedures (2 were asymptomatic), whereas remote ischemic and hemorrhagic events occurred in 7 cases. There was no mortality in the series, and the mean patient mRS scores were 1.72 at presentation and 1.15 at the last follow-up. Conclusions The high rates of intraoperative and postoperative patency support the feasibility of dual-anastomosis STA-MCA bypass for revascularization. The perioperative complication rate is not significantly different from that of single-anastomosis bypass. The functional outcomes at follow-up and perfusion improvement postoperatively support the efficacy and safety of this method as a treatment strategy.
Survey analysis to determine the impact of evidence informed practice education upon East Asian medicine faculty clinical instruction and students’ skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors within a master’s degree program

Between 2013 and 2018 Pacific College of Health and Science (formerly Pacific College of Oriental Medicine) trained faculty and developed curriculum in evidence informed practice (EIP), with support from a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A three-credit (45 h) Foundations of EIP course, and online EIP learning modules (developed as part of a previous NIH R25 award), were used for faculty and student training. In addition, EIP was incorporated into 73% of the East Asian medicine degree program. Clinical integration of EIP in the College clinic was enhanced by improving access to reference sources, including additional EIP-related questions to the patient intake forms, requiring the use of a patient-centered outcome instrument, and assessing students’ clinical EIP competencies. Master’s degree students’ self-reported EIP skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors were assessed before and after taking the Foundations of EIP course using a 17-question paper-based survey with an additional open-ended comments section. The survey was administered in 29 courses across all three Pacific College campuses. Clinical faculty self-reported EIP instruction, focusing on the EIP content and instructional approaches that were utilized, was evaluated on the New York City campus using a paper-based survey before and after changes were made to enhance the clinical integration of EIP. A total of 1181 completed EIP-course surveys consisting of 657 pre-EIP course surveys and 524 post-EIP course surveys were analyzed. There was a statistically significant improvement in students’ EIP skills, knowledge and behaviors after completing the EIP course. Students’ perception of the importance of EIP was high before and after the EIP course. Little change in Faculty’s EIP-related clinical instruction was evident following the EIP-related changes that were made to the Clinic. Our study suggests that the three-credit (45 h) EIP course was effective at improving the EIP skills, knowledge and behaviors of this group of East Asian medicine students who were undertaking a master’s degree that qualified them for licensure in acupuncture in the US. These students also demonstrated a high level of recognition for the importance of research and EIP both before and after the course. Training faculty clinical supervisors and providing greater access to evidence sources in the College clinic did not appear to increase EIP instructional activity.
Energy Based Model of Vehicle Impacted Reinforced Bridge Piers Accounting for Concrete Contribution to Resilience

The reliability of bridge piers under dynamic loading play an important role in the resilience of bridge structures under high strain rate loading. Vehicle impact is one example of a high strain rate loading condition that has received limited attention compared to other hazard loading types. However, recent studies have shown that vehicular impacted bridge piers have significantly lower capacities and as such as susceptible to secondary hazard loads under multi-hazard loading conditions. Research has shown that dynamic loading criteria require more robust designs; however, most design codes utilized in the United States as well as other international standards do not consider multi-hazard, sequential loading conditions. As such models to determine the resilience of bridge piers to these scenarios are required so they can be accounted for in future code calibrations. In this study, dynamic effect due to vehicular impact has been studied by introducing energy analyses, dissipation and transfer. As such, pier reliability is determined in terms of energy demand. In most vehicle impact models, the concrete is not taken into account as is considered to provide negligible contribution to resist impact. In this study the contribution of the concrete is analyzed using a spring action model. The contribution is evaluated for dynamic impact characterized by energy dissipation, kinetic energy transmitted from vehicle during impact, vehicle material recoiling, and recoiling action from the pier. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out with and without concrete contribution. Results from both the cases are inculcated to predict damage level, failure, and reliability. Concrete’s contribution as a part of dynamic behavior instills a good understanding to analyze reinforced concrete (RC) bridge pier in terms of energy concept, and hence will advance design tools for the structural engineers and practitioners enhancing ‘Code Calibration’ in an optimized way.
On the past and future of discussing, teaching, and learning the hows and whys of archaeological systematics

Abstract Archaeological types have been derogatorily characterized as descriptive, but they must be descriptive in terms of pertinent attributes to be analytically useful. Classifying artifacts has long been (and still is) referred to as “pigeon holing” because some formal variation is masked by the categorization process. Recent discussions of the “tyranny of typologies” echo such concerns. Such caricatures may be the result of inadequate discussion of the hows and whys of archaeological systematics first in the classroom, and second in the professional literature. Seventy-four introductory university-level fundamentals of archaeology textbooks published between 1949 and 2017 devote an average of 2.7% of their pages to archaeological systematics; several recent advanced texts on archaeological method and theory include no discussion of archaeological systematics; over the last 100 years 51 programmatic books on zoological systematics have been published in contrast to eight programmatic volumes on archaeological systematics. After continuous growth since 1900 and a peak in the 1970s, the number of journal articles and book chapters on the programmatics of archaeological systematics published per decade has decreased over the past 40 years; the substantive literature seems to display the same trend. These data suggest reduced consideration by the discipline of the whys (ontologies) and hows (epistemologies) of archaeological systematics. Additional study of the substantive research literature—applications of typologies to particular sets of artifacts—may find discussion has shifted to this sort of venue. Hopefully the future will witness more extended discussions of systematics in new introductory textbooks, and discussions of the relevance of particular mechanics and specific theories of systematics with respect to archaeologists’ favored explanatory theories.
The CT scout view: complementary value added to abdominal CT interpretation

Computed tomography (CT) scout images, also known as CT localizer radiographs, topograms, or scanograms, are an important, albeit often overlooked part of the CT examination. Scout images may contain important findings outside of the scanned field of view on CT examinations of the abdomen and pelvis, such as unsuspected lung cancer at the lung bases. Alternatively, scout images can provide complementary information to findings within the scanned field of view, such as characterization of retained surgical foreign bodies. Assessment of scout images adds value and provides a complementary "opportunistic" review for interpretation of abdominopelvic CT examinations. Scout image review is a useful modern application of conventional abdominal radiograph interpretation that can help establish a diagnosis or narrow a differential diagnosis. This review discusses the primary purpose and intent of the CT scout images, addresses standard of care and bias related to scout image review, and presents a general systematic approach to assessing scout images with multiple illustrative examples, including potential pitfalls in interpreting scout images.
How Ready Are Young Adults to Participate in Community Service? An Application of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change.

Purpose:Engaging in community service, or unpaid work intended to help people in a community, is generally associated with greater overall well-being. However, the process of beginning and maintain...
Totally blind phase correction scheme for ICI self-cancellation coded OFDM systems

The performance of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems is severely degraded by the intercarrier interference (ICI), which is caused by the local oscillator phase noise and the time-variant channel characteristics. The previous ICI self-cancellation schemes significantly reduced the ICI and outperformed other existing coding techniques but they still suffered from the phase noise. To further improve the ICI self-cancellation receivers, in this paper, we introduce a totally blind algorithm for the phase correction. This efficient algorithm is based on the energy modulation and the K-means clustering method. Since our new scheme does not depend on any pilot information, no additional spectral efficiency sacrifice is needed for the phase correction. Computer simulation results are presented to show that our algorithm can lead to large performance margins over all other existing methods for different channel environments.
Terminating the Teaching Profession: Neoliberal Reform, Resistance and the Assault on Teachers in Chile

Chile was the first country in the world to broadly implement neoliberal educational reforms. The initial reforms of the 1980s, implemented during the military dictatorship, have left the country with a legacy difficult to overcome. Responses to ongoing reform efforts have varied, but resistance from teachers, students, and local communities have marked debates in education in recent years. Despite the pressure to preserve the public sector, recent reforms may provide the final mechanisms by which to complete the phasing out of public education in Chile, as those fearing the imminent demise of public education must scramble for strategies of effective advocacy.
Philosophical Reflections on Editing

In this essay Nicholas C. Burbules reviews his experiences and the lessons he learned as editor of Educational Theory for more than twenty years, and he explores some of the normative choices that are inevitably made by any editor in carrying out his or her role. Burbules examines the relationship of a journal to its intellectual field; the review process; communications and interactions with authors; the process of editing and revising manuscripts; questions of representativeness in a theoretically pluralistic field; the business of journal publishing; and the dilemmas that confront an editor in terms of his or her own position and identity within a field. In all of these reflections, he examines the ethical and political background of the choices made, and how these in turn reveal deeper assumptions about the nature and purpose of academic publishing. The result is to “lift up the curtain” and reveal how one philosophically reflective and self-questioning editor handled his responsibilities.
Preoperative Sizing of Meniscal Allografts in Meniscus Transplantation

The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of radiographic and magnetic resonance imaging techniques in preoperative sizing for allograft meniscus transplantation. Twelve cadaveric knee specimens underwent sequential radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging scans, and arthrotomy. Meniscus dimensions were measured in multiple planes for the purpose of determining accuracy of imaging studies in comparison with actual meniscus dimensions. Overall, magnetic resonance imaging proved only slightly more accurate than conventional radiography. The mean difference between magnetic resonance imaging measurements and actual meniscus dimensions was 2.25 2.04 mm. The mean difference between radiographic measurements and actual meniscus dimensions was 2.35 1.79 mm. Neither imaging technique was accurate for measuring individual meniscus dimensions, with only 35% of images measuring within 2 mm of actual meniscus dimensions. Using less stringent criteria for accuracy (within 5 mm), radiography and magnetic r...
New materials resistant to wear and corrosion to 1000°C

Abstract An unusual combination of wear and corrosion resistance has been developed in cobalt and nickel base alloys known as Tribaloy ∗∗ intermetallic materials. These two-phase alloys depend on the unique properties of a Laves intermetallic phase to resist wear under poor or unlubricated conditions from cryogenic temperatures to about 1000°C. The constituent elements are partitioned so that both the Laves intermetallic and the solid solution phases have generally good resistance to corrosion also. At higher chromium content the corrosion resistance is excellent in most environments. Parts can be fabricated by powder metallurgy, plasma spray coating, casting or hardfacing. Several wear tests are used to demonstrate the qualities of Tribaloy. Wear resistance was excellent at 25°, 315°, 650° and 980°C in air. Another wear test compares several Tribaloy compositions with other commercial, corrosion resistant alloys in 5% hydrochloric acid. Some examples of applications are described.
Older-Learner Programs in Ohio: Policy and Practice Implications

This conceptual paper contributes to the scholarship on life-long learning programs at public universities. It investigates the unique relationship between these institutions and their state, utilizing Ohio as an illustrative example. A review of several university mission statements illuminates the responsibility of these institutions to their older-learner programs. Particular emphasis is placed on Over-60 programs, a university course audit program found in many states. Older learners face many barriers and challenges on college campuses because institutions struggle with limited resources and support for older-learner programs. This paper further encourages dialogue about the benefits of older learner programs.
Certain Explicit Relationships between Phase Shift and Scattering Potential

An intuitive account is given of recent important results of Gelfand and Levitan for the determination of the potential in the one-dimensional Schr\"odinger equation from the $S$-phase shift, the bound states, and certain normalizing parameters.The method is then used to obtain the first variation in the potential corresponding to a small change in the phase shift, bound states, and normalizing parameters.
26gAl production cross sections from the 26Mg(p, n)26Al reaction☆

Abstract Cross sections for the 26 Mg(p, nγ) 26 Al reaction have been measured from threshold to E p = 14 MeV using a Ge(Li) detector. By summing the cross sections for all of the observed ground-state transitions, lower limits are obtained on the total ground-state production cross sections. Over the energy range 8.2 MeV ≦ E p ≦ 13.9 MeV, the total 26 Al ground-state production cross sections have been determined by adding the observed γ-ray cross sections to previously published values of cross sections for direct neutron emission to the 26 Al ground state. The results of the present experiment and those of previous studies are used to calculate cross sections for the astrophysically interesting 26 Al(n, p) 26 Mg reaction.
Comment to the paper by L. May: Lack of uniformity in the clinical assessment of children with lipomyelomeningocele. A review of the literature and recommendations for the future.

This paper by Lindy May and co-workers is a timely review of the limits currently experienced by all of us in evaluating the outcome of patients with “lipomyelomeningocele”. It is based on a meta-analysis of the literature of the last three decades carried out to research and analyze the reliability of the commonly utilized assessment tools. As expected, the series reviewed, all retrospective in nature, are too heterogeneous to be compared. Even more confusing is the inconsistencies of the definition “lipomyelomeningocele” loosely applied to a variety of malformations which differ in terms of pathogenesis, severity, and surgical difficulties. The “suggested tables” reflect the rather pessimistic conclusion that the paper has generated, that is the necessity of focusing on rather simple evaluations: yes/not, stable/ improved/worsened rather than attempting to use more sophisticated and difficult to apply scales. In my opinion, it is timely that the pediatric neurosurgical community faces the problem of the surgical indication in this spectrum of spinal malformations taking into account the natural history and the surgical outcomes. First of all, however, we should agree on the diagnosis and the way of labelling these malformations as the plethora of definitions currently existing, generates an obvious problem. In such a regard, the classification proposed by Tortori-Donati may at least subdivide the affected subjects into two main groups, those with an intact dura and those with a defective dura mater, which differ embryologically and would be easier to analyze and compare. We should also discuss which examinations should be done and at which age in the attempt to focus on reliable and comparable results by generating subgroups, e.g., newborns, toddlers, adolescents and adults, the comparison of which could be more trustworthy. As the malformations, here considered, are relatively uncommon, it is clear that only a multicentric study could answer the numerous still open questions. In other terms, only a prospective study based on generally accepted criteria of evaluation at diagnosis and, successively, on shared assessment tools during the follow-up observation might provide the right answers. Hopefully, the Education Committees of the various Societies which recognize Child’s Nervous System as their official journal could accept to be involved in such a task
Natural convection heat transfer characteristics of simulated microelectronic chips

Microelectronic circuits were simulated with thin foil heaters supplied with d-c power. The heaters were arranged in two configurations: flush mounted on a circuit board substrate or protruding from the substrate about 1 mm. Heat transfer coefficients (midpoint) were obtained with two heater heights (5 mm, 10 mm) and varying width (2 mm {approximately} 70 mm), in water and R-113. The height effect for single flush heaters agrees qualitatively with convectional theory; however, even the widest heaters agrees qualitatively with convectional theory; however, even the widest heaters have coefficients higher than predicted due to leading edge effects. The heat transfer coefficient increases with decreasing width, with the coefficient for 2 mm being about 150% above that for 20 mm {approximately} 70mm. This is attributed to three-dimensional boundary layer effects. The protruding heaters have a coefficient about 15 percent higher. Data were obtained for in-line and staggered arrays of flush heaters with varying distance between heaters. Coefficients for the upper heaters are below those for lower heaters, with the differences diminishing as the vertical or horizontal spacing increases. For the protruding heaters, the upper heaters have higher coefficients than the lower heaters.
Has Public Administration Grown Up? A Case for Class-Related Education and Research

Abstract This article contends that public administration has not grown up because the discipline has yet to address adequately the issue of social class. To this end, public administration education programs and research programs must be refocused. A number of concrete proposals are made along these lines. It is pointed out that affirmative action was never intended to address discrimination and injustice associated with social class, and now the field has an opportunity to lay the basis for filling this void.
Experimental study of the ultimate limit of flux pinning and critical currents

A flux pinning model, which predicts the maximum critical current density attainable in superconductors, is reviewed and some additional conclusions and considerations, particularly in regard to the model, are explored. That such a maximum must exist comes from the realization that flux pinning is strongest in regions of weak superconductivity, but these regions cannot carry a large supercurrent. Since the same regions within the superconductor cannot be used for both pinning and supercurrent conduction, there must be an optimum mix, leading to a maximum Jc. Measurements on films and multilayers of NbN have verified many details of the model including anisotropy effects and a strong reduction in Jc for defect spacings smaller than the flux core diameter. In an optimized multilayer the pinning force reached ∼ 22% of the theoretical maximum. The implications of these results on the maximum critical current density in the new high temperature superconductors are also discussed.
An Asymmetric Data Conversion Scheme based on Binary Tags

In distributed systems with homogeneous or heterogeneous computers, data generated on one machine might not always be used by another machine directly. For a particular data type, its endianness, size and padding situation cause incompatibility issue. Data conversion procedure is indispensable, especially in open systems. So far, there is no widely accepted data format standard in high performance computing community. Most time, programmers have to handle data formats manually. In order to achieve high programmability and efficiency in both homogeneous and heterogeneous open systems, a novel asymmetric binary-tag-based data conversion scheme (BinTag) is proposed to share data smoothly. Each data item carries one binary tag generated by BinTag's parser without much programmer's involvement. Data conversion only happens when it is absolutely necessary. Experimental results have demonstrated its effectiveness and performance gains in terms of productivity and data conversion speed. BinTag can be used in both memory and secondary storage systems.
Microeconometrics: Methods and Applications

This book provides the most comprehensive treatment to date of microeconometrics, the analysis of individual-level data on the economic behavior of individuals or firms using regression methods for cross section and panel data. The book is oriented to the practitioner. A basic understanding of the linear regression model with matrix algebra is assumed. The text can be used for a microeconometrics course, typically a second-year economics PhD course; for data-oriented applied microeconometrics field courses; and as a reference work for graduate students and applied researchers who wish to fill in gaps in their toolkit. Distinguishing features of the book include emphasis on nonlinear models and robust inference, simulation-based estimation, and problems of complex survey data. The book makes frequent use of numerical examples based on generated data to illustrate the key models and methods. More substantially, it systematically integrates into the text empirical illustrations based on seven large and exceptionally rich data sets.
MODCROP : A crop simulation framework

Dynamic crop simulations are used more and more frequently as research and education tools and to assist in making management decisions. MODCROP is an interface framework for controlling a dynamic simulation that simplifies applying the simulation. The program operates under DOS on an IBM-compatible microcomputer (PC) with 640k of RAM and a hard disk drive. Although a math coprocessor is desirable, it is not required. It is constructed from modules written in Quick-BASIC. Most of the modules can be reused without modification to provide user interface, data input, and data output services to compatible simulations. The framework allows data input or output in either metric or English units. Any parameter within a simulation under its control can be selected for output, depending on the wishes of the user. A simulation can be customized by interactive access to all initial parameter values and it can be operated in batch mode to determine patterns of predicted results. The framework is supplied with MODWht3, a daily simulation of organ-by-organ development and growth of winter wheat. MODCROP provides ease of use and simulation control features that are not always available in other simulation interfaces.
Methylation of parental and progeny DNA strands in Physarum polycephalum.

Abstract Although 5-methylcytosine comprises 4 to 8% of the cytosine residues in the major nuclear DNA of Physarum polycephalum (Evans & Evans, 1970), only 1 % of the cytosine residues of progeny DNA become methylated during replication. Further methylation occurs during the same and subsequent mitotic cycles, so that 6 to 7 cycles after its synthesis, 5-methylcytosine comprises 5 to 7% of the DNA-cytosine residues of a single generation of DNA. The extent of methylation occurring during the S period has been measured by the determination of the specific activity of the precursor ( S -adenosylmethionine) and the product (DNA-5-methylcytosine) and by comparison of the radioactivity in DNA-cytosine and DNA-5-methylcytosine after incorporation of [ 14 C]deoxycytidine. Continuing methylation of parental DNA has been shown, by density shift experiments and by the conversion of prelabeled DNA-cytosine to DNA-5-methylcytosine. The DNA-5-methylcytosine once formed was found to be stable.