The curvature argument

Dasgupta (2015) has recently put forward a novel argument, which he calls the ‘curvature argument’, that aims to show that Galilean spacetime is not an ideal setting for our classical theory of motion. This paper examines the curvature argument and argues that it is not sound. The discussion yields a remark about the conditions under which a ‘symmetry argument’ demonstrates that a particular spacetime is a non-ideal setting for our theory of motion.     

A ground‐level ozone forecasting model for Santiago,Chile

A physically based model for ground‐level ozone forecasting is evaluated for Santiago, Chile. The model predicts the daily peak ozone concentration, with the daily rise of air temperature as input variable; weekends and rainy days appear as interventions. This model was used to analyse historical data, using the Linear Transfer Function/Finite Impulse Response (LTF/FIR) formalism; the Simultaneous Transfer Function (STF) method was used to analyse several monitoring stations together. Model evaluation showed a good forecasting performance across stations—for low and high ozone impacts—with power of detection (POD) values between 70 and 100%, Heidke's Skill Scores between 40% and 70% and low false alarm rates (FAR). The model consistently outperforms a pure persistence forecast. Model performance was not sensitive to different implementation options. The model performance degrades for two‐ and three‐days ahead forecast, but is still acceptable for the purpose of developing an environmental warning system at Santiago. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

加强高校师德建设的思考

良好师德是建设高素质教师队伍的前提.加强师德建设既是建设高素质教师队伍的需要,也是推进教育教学改革,提高整个国民素质,增强国家综合实力的需要.师德兴则教育兴,教育兴则民族兴.……     

Abnormal pattern detected in fragile-X patients by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

The fragile-X syndrome is the most frequent inherited form of mental retardation, with an incidence of 1 in 1,500 males. It is characterized by the presence of a fragile site at Xq27.3 induced in vitro by folate deprivation or by inhibitors of deoxynucleotide synthesis. Its mode of inheritance is unusual for an X-linked trait, with incomplete penetrance in both males and females. Some phenotypically normal males transmit the mutation to all their daughters who rarely express any symptoms, but penetrance is high in sons and daughters of these carrier women. Genetic and physical mapping of the Xq27-q28 region has confirmed that the disease locus is located at or very near the fragile site. Hypotheses proposed to account for the abnormalities in the inheritance of the disease include sequence rearrangements by meiotic recombination or a mutation that affects reactivation of an inactive X chromosome during differentiation of female germ cells. To detect such rearrangements, or methylation changes that may reflect a locally inactive X chromosome, we used pulsed-field gel analysis of DNA from fragile-X patients with probes close to the fragile-X locus. The probe Do33 (DXS465) detected abnormal patterns in fragile-X patients, but not in normal controls or in non-expressing male transmitters.     

Host cell reactivation of ozone-treated T3 bacteriophage by different strains ofEscherichia coli

Summary Host cell reactivation capacity for ozone T3 phage was determined for differentE. coli strains deficient in one or more of the DNA repair mechanisms. The results indicate that DNA polymerase I appears to play a key role in the repair of damage produced on the DNA by ozone while thelexA gene product seems to play a minor one.This research was sponsored by the National Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada. One of us (PLH) acknowledges a scholarship from the NSERCof Canada.     

高校领导干部代际转移中作风建设的若干思考

本文针对高校领导干部代际转移中作风建设的实际,论述了加强新一代高校领导干部作风建设的基本要点,并据以提出抓好这项工作的三种途径.     

大学扩招与质量问题刍议

为了进一步实施科教兴国战略,提高全民族的整体素质,尽快培养大批适应现代化需要的高素质的劳动者和各类专门人才,1999年6月,党中央、国务院作出了扩大高等学校招生规模的重大决策,高等教育以前所未有的规模和速度发展.……     

教育投资成本与收益的因素分析

高等教育投资的成本与收益是学校管理者、政府部门、学生和家长以及研究人员等有关各方都非常关心的重要信息.研究其影响因素对于探讨降低成本、提高收益的途径具有重要的意义.而其影响因素是多方面的,这里就几个主要方面进行了分析.     

Pragmatism in Economic Methodology: The Duhem-Quine Thesis Revisited

Contemporary developments in economicmethodology have produced a vibrant agenda ofcompeting positions. These include, amongothers, constructivism, critical realism andrhetoric, with each contributing to the Realistvs. Pragmatism debate in the philosophies of thesocial sciences. A major development in theneo-pragmatist contribution to economicmethodology has been Quine's pragmatic assaulton the dogmas of empiricism, which are nowclearly acknowledged within contemporaryeconomic methodology. This assault isencapsulated in the celebrated Duhem-Quinethesis, which according to a number ofcontemporary leading philosophers of economics,poses a particularly serious methodologicalproblem for economics. This problem, asreflected in Hausman's analysis, consists ofthe inability of economics to learn fromexperience, thereby subverting the capacity totest economic theories. In this paper wedispute this position. Our argument is basedon a combination of Quine's holism with VanFraassen's constructive empiricism, especiallythe latter's analysis of empirical adequacy andhis pragmatic approach to explanation. Theresulting reorientation of economic methodologyrestores the capacity of economics to learnfrom experience and reinstates the imperativeof developing alternatives to orthodoxtheorizing in economics.     

Truth and openness: an epistemology for interpretive systemology

Both an ontoepistemology for reductionist modern science (counter-ontoepistemology) and an ontology for interpretive Systemology have been outlined in the two preceding papers in this special issue ofSystems Practice. In the present article, the notion of “truth” is interpreted in terms of both the ontoepistemology of “reductionism” and the ontology of interpretive systemology. Both interpretations are discussed. Such a discussion represents the objective of this paper, that is, to outline the epistemological “face” of the ontoepistemology of interpretive systemology. In order to design that “epistemological face,” the relation between ontology and epistemology must be clarified. Such a relation is seen from the standpoint already provided by the ontology. After the discussion on the notion of truth, the general shape of a systemic-interpretive inquiring process is outlined.