cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Permeability estimation based on thin-section image analysis and 2D flow modeling in grain-dominated carbonates

Abstract Permeability estimation based on image analysis is a good alternative when an intact core-plug is not available for laboratory measurement. While there is much research on permeability estimation from 2D and 3D images or models, accurately estimating permeability for carbonates, a type of rock with substantial heterogeneity, is still challenging. In this study, a method for permeability estimation based on thin-section image analysis and 2D permeability simulation is developed for grain-dominated carbonates based on semi-theoretical analysis of 2D and 3D permeability (K2D and K3D) relationship. The mathematical expression of the K2D/K3D is examined and validated with a grainstone carbonate sample, for which both K2D and K3D were obtained through permeability simulation based on micro-CT images. The method was applied to 24 grain-dominated carbonate samples collected from different locations with a large variation in rock textures and fabrics and a broad range of permeability from 0.1 mD to 3200 mD. Representativeness of the thin section and the correct determination of the effective pores are the key for accurate estimation. The estimated permeability was compared to the measured value, and 92% of the results are within a factor of ±5, and 46% are with a factor of ±2. Potential sources of systematic error are discussed both qualitatively and quantitatively.
The Role of Substance P in Pulmonary Clearance of Bacteria in Comparative Injury Models.

Neural input to the immune system can alter its ability to clear pathogens effectively. Patients suffering mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have shown reduced rates of pneumonia and a murine model replicated these findings, with better overall survival of TBI mice compared with sham-injured mice. To further investigate the mechanism of improved host response in TBI mice, this study developed and characterized a mild tail trauma model of similar severity to mild TBI. Both mild tail trauma and TBI induced similar systemic changes that normalized within 48 hours, including release of substance P. Examination of tissues showed that injuries are limited to the target tissue (ie, tail in tail trauma, brain in mTBI). Pneumonia challenge showed that mild TBI mice showed improved immune responses, characterized by the following: i) increased survival, ii) increased pulmonary neutrophil recruitment, iii) increased bacterial clearance, and iv) increased phagocytic cell killing of bacteria compared with tail trauma. Administration of a neurokinin-1–receptor antagonist to block substance P signaling eliminated the improved survival of mTBI mice. Neurokinin-1–receptor antagonism did not alter pneumonia mortality in tail trauma mice. These data show that immune benefits of trauma are specific to mTBI and that tail trauma is an appropriate control for future studies aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of improved innate immune responses in mTBI mice.
Law and the President

This article explores the extent to which law constrains the exercise of presidential power, in both domestic and foreign affairs. Since the start of the twentieth century, the expansion of presidential power has been among the central features of American political development. Over the last decade, however, scholars across the political spectrum have argued that presidential powers have not just expanded dramatically, but that these powers are not effectively constrained by law. These scholars argue that law fails to limit presidential power not only in exceptional circumstances (times of crisis or emergency), but more generally; that unconstrained presidential power exists not just with respect to limited substantive arenas, such as foreign affairs or military matters, but across the board; and that statutes enacted by Congress, as well as the Constitution, fail to impose effective constraints. This article takes these claims on in empirical, theoretical, and cultural terms. Empirically, claims of legally unconstrained presidential power turn out to rest on thin evidence, rarely confront conflicting evidence; the empirical case is indeterminate and perhaps impossible Posner and Vermeule see presidents as Holmesians, not Hartians. Yet even if we enter their purely consequentialist world, in which presidents follow the law not out of any normative obligation or the more specific duty to faithfully execute the laws but only when the cost-benefit metric of compliance is more favorable than that of noncompliance, powerful reasons suggest that presidents will comply with law far more often than Posner and Vermeule imply. In the area of presidential studies, the Posner and Vermeule approach is particularly fresh. For many decades, legal scholarship on presidential power was confined to assessing how much formal legal power the President should be understood to have, as a matter of the original understanding at the time of the Constitution’s adoption or subsequent legal and political practice. In other disciplines, scholarship on the presidency was heavily personality based — organized around studies of individual presidents, or case studies of particular episodes, or narrative accounts of how various presidents had, for example, used military force. But the greater emphasis in the social sciences in recent decades on institutional analysis has recently reached presidential studies, and an emerging series of works now seeks to analyze the presidency not through individual personalities but through the more systematic tools of empirical and theoretical analysis. Posner and Vermeule’s book, in its effort to theorize systematically about the actual (rather than formal) scope of presidential power, should be seen in this light.
Metaphoric Gestures Facilitate Perception of Intonation More than Length in Auditory Judgments of Non-Native Phonemic Contrasts

It is well established that hand gestures affect comprehension and learning of semantic aspects of a foreign language (FL). However, much less is known about the role of hand gestures in lower-level language processes, such as perception of phonemes. To address this gap, we explored the role that metaphoric gestures play in perceiving FL speech sounds that varied on two dimensions: length and intonation. English speaking adults listened to Japanese length contrasts and sentence-final intonational distinctions in the context of congruent, incongruent and no gestures. For intonational contrasts, identification was more accurate for congruent gestures and less accurate for incongruent gestures relative to the baseline no gesture condition. However, for the length contrasts, there was no such clear and consistent pattern, and in fact, congruent gestures made speech processing more effortful. We conclude that metaphoric gestures help with some—but not all—novel speech sounds in a FL, suggesting that gesture and speech are phonemically integrated to differing extents depending on the nature of the gesture and/or speech sound.
Multidimensional Evaluation of Monetary Incentive Strategies for Weight Control

This study compares the effectiveness of five monetary incentive strategies in the context of a behavioral weight management program. Four weight-contingent strategies were used: (a) continuous positive reinforcement; (b) monetary response cost; (c) positive reinforcement with a lottery system; and (d) response cost with a lottery system. For comparison, a fifth group was based on an attendance-contingent monetary reward condition. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of five groups and participated in a 10-session/14-week behavioral weight loss program. Twelve behavioral and attitudinal criteria were used to compare the programs, related to weight loss, self-efficacy, program acceptance, dropout, and maintenance activities. Differences among the monetary contingencies were found for weekly weight goal attainment, dropout rate, participation in subsequent maintenance activities, perceived program reactance, group satisfaction, and satisfaction with the incentive strategy. The results demonstrate the broad effects beyond the contractually specified contingencies, which can influence participant performance, and support the use of monetary reward incentive procedures.
Decoupling Between Diastolic Pulmonary Artery Pressure and Pulmonary Capillary Wedge Pressure as a Prognostic Factor After Continuous Flow Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Background:A cohort of heart failure (HF) patients receiving left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) has decoupling of their diastolic pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary capillary wedge pressu...
Anatomical and Electrophysiological Clustering of Superficial Medial Entorhinal Cortex Interneurons.

Abstract Local GABAergic interneurons regulate the activity of spatially-modulated principal cells in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC), mediating stellate-to-stellate connectivity and possibly enabling grid formation via recurrent inhibitory circuitry. Despite the important role interneurons seem to play in the MEC cortical circuit, the combination of low cell counts and functional diversity has made systematic electrophysiological studies of these neurons difficult. For these reasons, there remains a paucity of knowledge on the electrophysiological profiles of superficial MEC interneuron populations. Taking advantage of glutamic acid decarboxylase 2 (GAD2)-IRES-tdTomato and PV-tdTomato transgenic mice, we targeted GABAergic interneurons for whole-cell patch-clamp recordings and characterized their passive membrane features, basic input/output properties and action potential (AP) shape. These electrophysiologically characterized cells were then anatomically reconstructed, with emphasis on axonal projections and pial depth. K-means clustering of interneuron anatomical and electrophysiological data optimally classified a population of 106 interneurons into four distinct clusters. The first cluster is comprised of layer 2- and 3-projecting, slow-firing interneurons. The second cluster is comprised largely of PV+ fast-firing interneurons that project mainly to layers 2 and 3. The third cluster contains layer 1- and 2-projecting interneurons, and the fourth cluster is made up of layer 1-projecting horizontal interneurons. These results, among others, will provide greater understanding of the electrophysiological characteristics of MEC interneurons, help guide future in vivo studies, and may aid in uncovering the mechanism of grid field formation.
Pliocene crocodiles from Kanapoi, Turkana Basin, Kenya.

Abstract Three crocodylid species are known from the Pliocene Kanapoi locality in the western Turkana Basin. One of these, Crocodylus thorbjarnarsoni, includes material previously referred to Crocodylus niloticus (the modern Nile crocodile currently living in Lake Turkana) and Rimasuchus lloydi. C. thorbjarnarsoni was a gigantic horned crocodile similar in overall shape to most other generalized crocodylids, but its closest known relative is another extinct species, Crocodylus anthropophagus from the Pleistocene of Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. It is not closely related to C. niloticus. The second is an extinct form of sharp-nosed crocodile (Mecistops), a group of slender-snouted crocodylids currently restricted to western and central Africa. The third is Euthecodon, a crocodylid with an extremely long, slender, and distinctively notched snout. Euthecodon and C. thorbjarnarsoni are known from substantial numbers of specimens, but only one Mecistops specimen has been identified from the locality. The crocodylian fauna at Kanapoi is taxonomically similar to that of most other Plio-Pleistocene fluviolacustrine deposits in the Turkana Basin. Crocodylian diversity in the Turkana region contracted from a peak of five co-existing species in the late Miocene to one today; this contraction was underway by the early Pliocene, but crocodylian diversity remained stable at three species until well into the Quaternary.
Input-output theory for superconducting and photonic circuits that contain weak retroreflections and other weak pseudocavities

Input-output theory is invaluable for treating superconducting and photonic circuits connected by transmission lines or waveguides. However, this theory cannot in general handle situations in which retroreflections from circuit components or configurations of beam splitters create loops for the traveling-wave fields that connect the systems. Here, building upon the network-contraction theory of Gough and James [Commun. Math. Phys. 287, 1109 (2009)], we provide a compact and powerful method to treat any circuit that contains such loops so long as the effective cavities formed by the loops are sufficiently weak. Essentially all present-day on-chip superconducting and photonic circuits will satisfy this weakness condition so long as the reflectors that form the loops are not especially highly reflecting. As an example, we analyze the problem of transmitting entanglement between two qubits connected by a transmission line with imperfect circulators, a problem for which our method is essential. We obtain a full solution for the optimal receiver given that the sender employs a simple turn-on--turn-off procedure. This solution shows that near-perfect transmission is possible even with significant retroreflections.
Characterizing the Streamwise Development of Surface Roughness Effects on a Supersonic Boundary Layer

Two-component particle image velocimetry was employed to measure the effects of the mechanical distortions caused from surface roughness topologies on a Mach 2 boundary layer. The first goal of this study was to characterize the mechanical responses of the supersonic boundary layer to various roughness topologies. These responses were characterized in ensemble averaged mean velocity characteristics as well as turbulent intensity responses through the Reynolds Stresses. The second goal was to characterize the streamwise development of the mechanical distortions over a diamond roughness topology. Measurements were taken at three streamwise measurement locations to measure the streamwise mechanical distortion development. Lastly, near-wall streamwise-elongated coherent structures were characterized utilizing a streamwise-spanwise oriented laser sheet. Instantaneous velocity vector fields and two point autocorrelations were used to characterize the spatial orientation of the near-wall coherent structures. Baseline characteristics of the supersonic boundary layer were determined over a hydraulically smooth floor insert.The mean and turbulent statistics compare well to other results when scaled by the roughness friction velocity. Ensemble averaged outer-scaled streamwise velocity profiles showed a velocity deficit in the near-wall region. Inner-scaled boundary layer profiles showed a downward vertical shift of 3 and 4.5 for the diamond roughness and realistic roughness topologies, respectively. These values show similar mechanical responses to the results seen by Ekoto et al.[3] in a Mach 2.86 boundary layer. The roughness effects were shown to increase in magnitude along the streamwise distance.
Lock-On to a High-Lift State with Oscillatory Forcing in a Three-Dimensional Wake Flow

Flow control is applied to a three-dimensional post-stall flow around a rectangular low-aspect-ratio wing. Steady actuation is used to examine effective flow control setups that modify the vortex dynamics in the wake and achieve increase in lift. For one of the setups, oscillatory forcing is then used to examine the influence of actuation frequency. It is found that sinusoidal actuation requires less momentum to the flow field to achieve lift increase compared to steady momentum injection. There are two observed ranges of forcing frequency at which the flow locks onto period-one and period-two high-lift states. Discussions of the ongoing work on stabilizing separated flow about these periodic high-lift states are offered.
Introduction and Commentary: The Battered Child

This chapter introduces The Battered-Child Syndrome, the paper by C. Henry Kempe and his colleagues that is the focus of this section, and summarizes the commentaries written in response to this paper.
Response to Weddington: More Lessons from Afro-pessimism:

In this response to George Weddington’s critique of their recent article, the authors argue that Weddington rightfully critiques them for not paying enough attention to the role of psychoanalysis (...
Fenestrations control resting-state block of a voltage-gated sodium channel.

Potency of drug action is usually determined by binding to a specific receptor site on target proteins. In contrast to this conventional paradigm, we show here that potency of local anesthetics (LAs) and antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) that block sodium channels is controlled by fenestrations that allow drug access to the receptor site directly from the membrane phase. Voltage-gated sodium channels initiate action potentials in nerve and cardiac muscle, where their hyperactivity causes pain and cardiac arrhythmia, respectively. LAs and AADs selectively block sodium channels in rapidly firing nerve and muscle cells to relieve these conditions. The structure of the ancestral bacterial sodium channel NaVAb, which is also blocked by LAs and AADs, revealed fenestrations connecting the lipid phase of the membrane to the central cavity of the pore. We cocrystallized lidocaine and flecainide with NavAb, which revealed strong drug-dependent electron density in the central cavity of the pore. Mutation of the contact residue T206 greatly reduced drug potency, confirming this site as the receptor for LAs and AADs. Strikingly, mutations of the fenestration cap residue F203 changed fenestration size and had graded effects on resting-state block by flecainide, lidocaine, and benzocaine, the potencies of which were altered from 51- to 2.6-fold in order of their molecular size. These results show that conserved fenestrations in the pores of sodium channels are crucial pharmacologically and determine the level of resting-state block by widely used drugs. Fine-tuning drug access through fenestrations provides an unexpected avenue for structure-based design of ion-channel–blocking drugs.
Surgical management of clinically silent thyrotropin pituitary adenomas: A single center series of 20 patients.

Abstract Silent thyrotropin pituitary adenomas (TSHomas) are defined by absence of hyperthyroidism despite TSH immunopositivity. Data pertaining to clinical and surgical characteristics of silent TSHomas remains limited. We aim to describe the clinical presentation, pathological characteristics, and outcomes in silent TSHoma patients treated at a tertiary pituitary center. We retrospectively identified patients with histologically-proven silent TSHoma who underwent transsphenoidal resection at our center between 2000 and 2016 (n = 1244 total patients). Patients with preoperative hyperthyroidism or thyroidectomy were excluded. Twenty patients with silent TSHomas were included (1.6% of surgically treated PAs), of which 35% were reoperations. Presenting symptoms included vision loss (45%) and headache (40%). Preoperative pituitary dysfunction included hypothyroidism (40%), hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (30%), and panhypopituitarism (15%). Nineteen patients (95%) had macroadenomas (mean diameter 29.9 mm). Extrasellar growth was identified in 17 patients (85%) and 65% had cavernous sinus invasion. Immunostaining for alpha-subunit was positive in 19 patients (95%), and 75% of tumors expressed immunopositivity for hormones other than TSH. Gross total tumor resection was achieved in 9 patients (45%) on follow-up MRI. Major postoperative complications included hydrocephalus (1 patient) and cerebrospinal fluid leak with meningitis (1 patient). Tumor progression and recurrence occurred in 1 patient each (10% total) over the follow-up period (median 18.5 months). Silent TSHomas tend to be large, invasive tumors. In addition to TSH, a majority express immunopositivity for alpha-subunit and gonadotropins, thereby potentially supporting a primitive adenoma lineage and subtype. Despite reoperation in several patients, good overall outcomes with low complication rates were achieved.
Short Communication: Differences in 5-Year Survival After Cancer Diagnosis Between HIV Clinic Enrollees and the General U.S. Population.

A total of 236 people with HIV (PWH) with cancer diagnosed between 1997 and 2014 in the Johns Hopkins HIV Clinical Cohort (JHHCC) were compared with a sample from NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology, ...
Vulnerability of Young Women to Late Term Abortion

This is a draft for presentation at the International Society of Family Law annual conference entitled "Family as the Crucible of Culture and Society: Inequality, Vulnerability, And Justice Within the Family," held on June 14, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. This presentation was part of a panel on reproductive control, and specifically focuses on the vulnerability of young women to late term abortion. Why do women choose to seek a later term abortion? They do so because of 5 key factors that are set out here, and none of these reasons include fetal abnormalities, or non-viability, or to save the life or health of the mother, the narrative frequently proffered. Rather, women who have third trimester abortions do so because they find themselves in one of the five very vulnerable situations. The surprise is that women who are aborting late term pregnancies are doing so because they are young and struggling and almost certainly scared. A young woman is generally not making that decision because the child is not healthy or because her life is in danger, or to exercise her bodily autonomy. This empirical perspective on reproductive health changes the narrative on late term abortion justification almost completely. Women seek late term abortion because they are vulnerable, alone, without support.
Office-Based Blue Light Flexible Cystoscopy Improves Diagnostic Capabilities

Introduction: Bladder cancer is associated with a 78% risk of recurrence at 5 years for nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer and 45% progression to muscle-invasive disease.1 This is common in patients...
Diagnosis of Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Predictive Value of Three Diagnostic Clinical Tests.

Introduction To date, there have been no acceptable and accurate diagnostic criteria or standards of care for the management of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain. Several studies have yielded different contributions of clinical presentation, history, and physical examination in the diagnosis of SIJ pain. Our goal in this study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic clinical tests and their predictive value in accurately diagnosing SIJ pain. Methodology Upon enrolling 200 eligible patients with SIJ pain as their primary diagnosis, they were re-evaluated and their verbal rating scale (VRS) pain scores and demographic data were obtained. Thereafter, three SIJ diagnostic tests were performed: the thigh thrust test, the Patrick test, and a modified version of the Gaenslen test that is referred to as the Mekhail test. Subsequently, the patients were taken to the procedure room to undergo SIJ injection, for which a confirmative result was ≥50% pain relief. The physicians performing the procedure were blinded of the results of the 3 tests performed. Results from the 3 tests were incorporated with the procedure results, from which we drew statistical and medical conclusions determining their predictive value and degree of aid to physicians in diagnosing SIJ pain. Results We found that the cumulative effect of adding simultaneous tests increased the sensitivity of the testing but decreased the specificity, which generates a powerful screening tool. The combination of the Patrick and Mekhail tests demonstrated the best accuracy, with 94% sensitivity, 17% specificity, 81% positive predictive value, and 44% negative predictive value. The Patrick test was better than other tests for differentiating patients with SIJ pain from those with non-SIJ pain. No combination yielded both significant sensitivity and specificity. Generally, the overall predictive value of any of the tests on their own or their combination did not vary significantly from the predictive value of baseline demographics, including pre-injection pain score and pain referral diagram. Conclusion In conclusion, our study results were similar to those of previous investigators who found that physical examination plays a limited role in diagnosing SIJ pain. Specifically, we found that the clinical tests and/or their combinations added no significant predictive capacity compared to patients' baseline characteristics in predicting the response to diagnostic SIJ injection, albeit the combination of the Mekhail and Patrick tests yielded high sensitivity (94%), making them viable for consecutive screening, possibly reducing the unnecessary costs of diagnostic SIJ injection procedures.
Uncovering Redox Non-innocent Hydrogen-Bonding in Cu(I)-Diazene Complexes.

The life-sustaining reduction of N2 to NH3 is thermoneutral yet kinetically challenged by high-energy intermediates such as N2H2. Exploring intramolecular H-bonding as a potential strategy to stabilize diazene intermediates, we employ a series of [xHetTpCu]2(μ-N2H2) complexes that exhibit H-bonding between pendant aromatic N-heterocycles (xHet) such as pyridine and a bridging trans-N2H2 ligand at copper(I) centers. X-ray crystallography and IR spectroscopy clearly reveal H-bonding in [pyMeTpCu]2(μ-N2H2) while low-temperature 1H NMR studies coupled with DFT analysis reveals a dynamic equilibrium between two closely related, symmetric H-bonded structural motifs. Importantly, the xHet pendant negligibly influences the electronic structure of xHetTpCuI centers in xHetTpCu(CNAr2,6-Me2) complexes that lack H-bonding as judged by nearly indistinguishable ν(CN) frequencies (2113-2117 cm-1). Nonetheless, H-bonding in the corresponding [xHetTpCu]2(μ-N2H2) complexes results in marked changes in ν(NN) (1398-1419 cm-1) revealed through resonance Raman studies. Due to the closely matched N-H BDEs of N2H2 and the pyH0 cation radical, the aromatic N-heterocyclic pendants may encourage partial H-atom transfer (HAT) from N2H2 to xHet through redox-non-innocent H-bonding in [xHetTpCu]2(μ-N2H2). DFT studies reveal modest thermodynamic barriers for concerted transfer of both H-atoms of coordinated N2H2 to the xHet pendants to generate tautomeric [xHetHTpCu]2(μ-N2) complexes, identifying metal-assisted concerted dual HAT as a thermodynamically favorable pathway for N2/N2H2 interconversion.
USE OF MICROWAVE OVEN FOR RAPID DETERMINATION OF MOISTURE CONTENT OF HIGHWAY MATERIALS

An overview of research findings on the use of a microwave oven for the rapid determination of the moisture content of soils, aggregates, waste materials, and stabilized materials is presented in this paper. Principles of microwave heating and factors that affect the test results are briefly reviewed. Conventional and microwave oven moisture content test results are compared to assess the accuracy of the microwave drying technique. Regression analyses are performed to establish the statistical relationship between the two parameters. It is shown that granular materials produce more accurate results than do cohesive soils. It is also shown that although discrepancies exist between conventional and microwave oven moisture contents, the two measurements are quite strongly correlated, and one can be consistently predicted from the other. Conclusions and recommendations, including research needs, are provided at the end of the paper.
Relevant physical and chemical properties

Chemically, disulfiram (DSSD; trade name Antabuse®), is tetraethylthiuram disulfide, or tetraethyl thioperoxydicarbonic diamide (Chemical Abstracts designation), or bis (N,N-diethylthiocarbamyl) disulfide. As the last name implies, it is a dimeric molecule wherein two diethyldithiocarbamate moieties are linked through sulfur atoms forming a disulfide bond.
SU-E-J-87: Ventilation Weighting Effect On Mean Doses of Both Side Lungs for Patients with Advanced Stage Lung Cancer

Purpose: To study ventilation weighting effect on radiation doses to both side lungs for patients with advanced stage lung cancer. Methods: Fourteen patients with advanced stage lung cancer were included in this retrospective study. Proprietary software was developed to calculate the lung ventilation map based on 4DCT images acquired for radiation therapy. Two phases of inhale (0%) and exhale (50%) were used for the lung ventilation calculations. For each patient, the CT images were resampled to the same dose calculation resolution of 3mmx3mmx3mm. The ventilation distribution was then normalized by the mean value of the ventilation. The ventilation weighted dose was calculated by applying linearly weighted ventilation to the dose of each pixel. The lung contours were automatically delineated from patient CT image with lung window, excluding the tumor and high density tissues. For contralateral and ipsilateral lungs, the mean lung doses from the original plan and ventilation weighted mean lung doses were compared using two tail t-Test. Results: The average of mean dose was 6.1 ±3.8Gy for the contralateral lungs, and 26.2 ± 14.0Gy for the ipsilateral lungs. The average of ventilation weighted dose was 6.3± 3.8Gy for the contralateral lungs and 24.6 ± 13.1Gy for the ipsilateral lungs.more » The statistics analysis shows the significance of the mean dose increase (p<0.015) for the contralateral lungs and decrease (p<0.005) for the ipsilateral lungs. Conclusion: Ventilation weighted doses were greater than the un-weighted doses for contralateral lungs and smaller for ipsilateral lungs. This Result may be helpful to understand the radiation dosimetric effect on the lung function and provide planning guidance for patients with advance stage lung cancer.« less
Design considerations of switched reluctance motors: vibration and control issues

The vibration produced in a switched reluctance motor (SRM) may be viewed from the manner radial component of the electromagnetic force and stator structure interact. Machine dimensions such as effective airgap length can alter the distribution of the radial attraction forces acting on the stator structure. In addition, design of the machine affects frequency characteristics of the stator. Furthermore, some design modifications of the machine geometry can provide more room for improvement in control of vibration during turn-off process. Therefore, in order to effectively mitigate the vibration in SRM drives, effects of motor dimensions on its vibratory behavior must be investigated. This paper examines the impact of various design parameters on the structural behavior of the stator body. Investigation of natural frequencies and the maximum deformation of the stator indicates that stator back iron and stator pole length are determining parameters in frequency response of the stator. Furthermore, using the finite element method, the impact of machine geometry on the profile of the radial attraction forces has been studied. The information obtained from this analysis is essential in development of a proper control strategy for mitigating vibration in SRM drives.
A Conceptual and Empirical Evaluation of Accrual Prediction Models

Using the data from 1,267 firms suspected of managing earnings to avoid losses, this study evaluates the statistical power of the Jones (1991) model and the Kang and Sivaramakrishnan (1995) model. Both models offer strong evidence suggesting that these firms have inflated earnings by the order of 2.0% to 2.4% of beginning total assets. This finding reinforces the result of Burgstahler and Dichev (1997) which relies solely on the empirical distribution of earnings. More importantly, the evidence indicates that the statistical power of the Kang-Sivaramakrishnan model using GMM or IV procedure (both available in SAS statistical package) is greater than that of the Jones model for both large and small samples, and for using the firm-by-firm version or the pooled cross-sectional version of the Jones model. Such results using real data are consistent with those using simulated data reported originally by Kang and Sivaramakrishnan (1995). The conceptual advantages of each approach -- in particular, the use of levels versus changes in current accounts when estimating unmanaged accruals--are also discussed.
Experimental test of hole-coupled FEL resonator designs using a CW-HeNe laser

We report on ongoing experiments and simulations which model the performance of hole- coupled resonators. We have previously studied a hole-coupled resonator which was well inside the stable region (stability parameter g equals 0.8). In the far field, good agreement between experiment and simulation was obtained for both the intra-cavity and outcoupled mode-profile. The present study involves a resonator with a stability parameter of -0.987, identical to the stability parameter of the proposed Infrared Free Electron Laser (IRFEL) at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The experiments were carried out with a frequency stabilized CW-HeNe laser beam at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. Both intra-cavity and outcoupled mode profiles and power levels were measured. The simulations were done using the code HOLD, which is based on the Fresnel approximation for the Huygens kernel. Within the experimental uncertainties, magnified due to the 1/(1+g) dependence of the mode characteristics on errors in measured resonator parameters, we have obtained fair agreement between experiment and simulation.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Exponential bounds on error probability with feedback

Feedback is useful in memoryless channels for decreasing complexity and increasing reliability; the capacity of the memoryless channels, however, can not be increased by feedback. For fixed length block codes even the decay rate of error probability with block length does not increase with feedback for most channel models. Consequently for making the physical layer more reliable for higher layers one needs go beyond the framework of fixed length block codes and consider relaxations like variable-length coding, error-erasure decoding. We strengthen and quantify this observation by investigating three problems. 1. Error-Erasure Decoding for Fixed-Length Block Codes with Feedback: Error-erasure codes with communication and control phases, introduced by Yamamoto and Itoh, are building blocks for optimal variable-length block codes. We improve their performance by changing the decoding scheme and tuning the durations of the phases, and establish inner bounds to the tradeoff between error exponent, erasure exponent and rate. We bound the loss of performance due to the encoding scheme of Yamamoto-Itoh from above by deriving outer bounds to the tradeoff between error exponent, erasure exponent and rate both with and without feedback. We also consider the zero error codes with erasures and establish inner and outer bounds to the optimal erasure exponent of zero error codes. In addition we present a proof of the long known fact that, the error exponent tradeoff between two messages is not improved with feedback. 2. Unequal Error Protection for Variable-Length Block Codes with Feedback: We use Kudrayashov's idea of implicit confirmations and explicit rejections in the framework of unequal error protection to establish inner bounds to the achievable pairs of rate vectors and error exponent vectors. Then we derive an outer bound that matches the inner bound using a new bounding technique. As a result we characterize the region of achievable rate vector and error exponent vector pairs for bit-wise unequal error protection problem for variable-length block codes with feedback. Furthermore we consider the single message message-wise unequal error protection problem and determine an analytical expression for the missed detection exponent in terms of rate and error exponent, for variable-length block codes with feedback. 3. Feedback Encoding Schemes for Fixed-Length Block Codes: We modify the analysis technique of Gallager to bound the error probability of feedback encoding schemes. Using the encoding schemes suggested by Zigangirov, D'yachkov and Burnashev we recover or improve all previously known lower bounds on the error exponents of fixed-length block codes. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
The relative importance of hormonal therapy and biological effective dose in optimizing prostate brachytherapy treatment outcomes

Objectives To compare the relative importance of radiation dose escalation vs androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in the definitive treatment of prostate adenocarcinoma. Patients and Methods In total, 2427 patients with prostate adenocarcinoma were treated with definitive brachytherapy or brachytherapy with external beam radiation with or without ADT. Over the 20-year period of the present study (median follow-up of 78 months), patients were treated with a range of doses that were converted to the biological effective dose (BED) and/or ADT as the treatment paradigms were optimized. Using univariate and multivariate analysis, the relative impact on the biochemical control and post-treatment prostate biopsy results of BED vs ADT was determined. Results The 10-year freedom from biochemical failure (FBF) was significantly affected by BED group: ≤150 Gy2 (64%), >150–200 Gy2 (88%), >200–220 Gy2 (89%) and >220 Gy2 (89.5%) (P < 0.001). When stratified into dose groups, ADT improved FPF on multivariate analysis for the BED group ( 150–200 Gy2, hazard ratio = 0.39) but not for the higher BED groups. Among patients receiving ADT, a significant difference in 10-year FBF was seen when stratifying BED into groups ≤150 Gy2 (78%) vs >150 Gy2 (87%) (P = 0.01). On logistic regression, ADT had a significant impact on obtaining a negative biopsy (hazard ratio = 0.21) with BED 200 Gy2. Conclusions When treated with brachytherapy with or without EBT, ADT improves FBF only in the setting of lower doses. The benefit of ADT may be primarily as an enhancer of local control, explaining why high radiation doses can compensate for its absence.
Protestant Moravianism, Constructions of Anglo Affinity, and the Hidden History of Liberation Theology among Nicaragua's Indigenous Miskitu People

The polarized scholarly discourse of the Cold War in Central America overstated the extent to which Protestant Moravianism shaped Miskitu ethnic and cultural identity in the 20th century by defining Miskitu agency in terms of Anglo affinity and incompatibility with Hispanic culture. This exaggerated position is revealed through the hidden history of liberation theology among the Miskitu and has implications for the manner in which scholars continue to view the Miskitu-Sandinista conflict of the 1980s, Miskitu ethnic identity and history in general, and the continuing debate over the definition and implementation of Atlantic Coast autonomy in Nicaragua in a postmulticultural era.
Recent Southern New York Climate Change: Observations, Mechanisms, and Spatial Context

AbstractThis paper examines recent southern New York State climate changes as reflected in a detailed hourly climate record collected about 110 km due north of New York City since 1988, including comprehensive surface radiation data. Comparing 1988–2000 and 2001–14 means, the area has warmed, dominated by a 0.5–0.7-K summer warming. Daytime warming exceeds nighttime’s warming. Warming is not due to enhanced downward longwave flux but arises from increased incident solar fluxes accompanying declining aerosol loads. Local warming is shown to stem from a large-scale response to increased solar forcing, the key element of which is an accelerated summer hydrological cycle: increased precipitation, with smaller evaporation increases leading to large, significant soil moisture and runoff increases. Much of the accelerated summer hydrological cycle is shown to arise as a result of an anomalous low-level cyclonic motion centered on the mid-Atlantic U.S. coast, rendering the results regional rather than local. Anal...
CPAS: Surgical approach with combined sublabial bone resection and inferior turbinate reduction without stents.

Objectives/Hypothesis Congenital pyriform aperture stenosis (CPAS) is a form of nasal obstruction caused by congenital narrowing of the maxilla at the medial processes. Traditionally, surgical correction involves a sublabial approach with subperiosteal dissection, widening of the aperture by drilling, and the use of nasal stents postoperatively. Although this approach may lead to symptomatic improvement, it alone may fail to provide a patent airway secondary to unaddressed posterior narrowing. Additionally, the use of stents is problematic because they are prone to clogging and can cause internal nasal scarring and septal or alar necrosis. We present the surgical management of this condition in six patients using a novel approach that aims to correct these limitations by including both the traditional sublabial procedure and an endonasal reduction of the inferior turbinates, without the use of stents postoperatively. Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods Review of the medical records of six consecutive patients aged 2 weeks to 7 months, who underwent repair of CPAS via a sublabial ostectomy and endonasal inferior turbinate reduction from 2009 to 2012. Results All six patients were clear of airway obstruction postoperatively and at follow-up. Conclusion This is an alternative approach that leads to symptomatic improvement for CPAS patients without the morbidity associated with stent use. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 125:1460–1464, 2015
Status of frequency and timing reference signal transmission by fiber optics

The authors report recent progress in high-stability fiber-optic distribution of frequency and timing reference signals. They outline state-of-the-art performance at 100 MHz, 1 GHz, and 8.4 GHz for these systems. A lower cost, lower performance distribution system for the user who does not need full H-maser stability is described. Future fiber-optic system developments and their potential impact on systems which use high stability frequency reference distribution are discussed. System hardware and cost-performance tradeoffs are considered. A cost-performance tradeoff is presented, along with a cost savings suggestion to use a single fiber-optic transmitter to transmit a signal to several users simultaneously. >
Architecture of the vir regulons of group A streptococci parallels opacity factor phenotype and M protein class.

Abstract Group A streptococci have traditionally been categorized into two broad groups based on the presence or absence of serum opacity factor (OF). Recent studies show that these two groups vary in a number of properties in addition to the OF phenotype, including sequence variations in the constant region of the antiphagocytic M protein genes, the presence or absence of immunoglobulin G Fc receptor proteins, and the presence or absence of multiple M protein-like genes situated in a tandem array. The M protein genes (emm) in OF- streptococcal strains are known to be part of a regulon of virulence-related genes controlled by the trans-acting positive regulatory gene, virR, situated just upstream of emm. In OF+ strains, however, the region adjacent to virR is occupied by an M protein-related, type IIa immunoglobulin G Fc receptor gene (fcrA), and the relative position of emm has not been determined. To further define the vir regulon in OF+ streptococci, we used the polymerase chain reaction to show that fcrA49 is situated immediately upstream of emm49 in the OF+ type 49 strain CS101. This result shows for the first time the separate identity and genetic linkage of these two genes in the vir regulon of an OF+ group A streptococcal strain and confirms our previous hypothesis that emm49 exists as the central gene in a trio of emm-like genes. Additionally, using DNA hybridizations, we found considerable sequence divergence between OF- and OF+ group A streptococci in virR and in the noncoding sequences between virR and the emm or fcrA expression site. We found, however, a high degree of sequence conservation in this region within each of the two groups of strains.
The use of random simulation in formal verification

In this paper we present the application of random simulation in formal verification of functional equivalence of hardware designs. We demonstrate that random simulation can effectively complement BDD-based verification approaches in three areas: (1) quick generation of counter example pattern for miscomparing designs, (2) exhaustive comparison of small functions, and (3) providing meaningful signatures for design partitioning based on functionally equivalent cut-points. The presentation describes a smooth and efficient integration of a simulation algorithm into a general verification framework. In this framework the simulator can be applied as one of various engines for Boolean reasoning the outcome of which might be undecided.
Formation of a large singlet bipolaron: Application to high-temperature bipolaronic superconductivity

We variationally determine the conditions for the formation of large singlet bipolarons within the adiabatic approximation. We find that, in two- and three-dimensional electronic systems with only a short-range electron-lattice interaction, the only bipolarons are small bipolarons. Furthermore, with only the long-range (Fr\"ohlich) electron-lattice interaction characteristic of an ionic solid, we find the classical result that bipolarons will not form. However, with the presence of both short- and long-range components of the electron-lattice interaction, we find a novel domain within which large bipolarons can be formed. In particular, an exceptionally large ratio of the static to high-frequency dielectric constants, ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{0}$ and ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\ensuremath{\infty}}$, respectively, is critical to the formation of large singlet bipolarons. The remaining conditions for the formation of large singlet bipolarons are much less stringent for electronic systems of two dimensions than for those of three dimensions. Therefore, with the high-temperature superconductors having ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{0}$\ensuremath{\gg}${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\ensuremath{\infty}}$, the notion that their charge carriers are singlet large bipolarons is a real possibility. Estimating the transition temperature for bipolaronic superconductivity as the temperature of the Bose-Einstein condensation, transition temperatures of the order of those found in the high-temperature superconductors are reasonably obtained. Furthermore, if, as envisioned in the ${\mathrm{CuO}}_{2}$-based materials, the mass of the large bipolaron is dominated by the short-range interaction of the carrier occupying oxygen sites with the surrounding (relatively heavy) cations, there is only a slight dependence of the transition temperature on isotopic substitutions for the solid's oxygen atoms. Finally, the transition temperature increases linearly with the thickness of the disk-shaped bipolaron (the number of contiguous ${\mathrm{CuO}}_{2}$ sheets) until a limiting value is achieved when the bipolaron's shape approaches three dimensionality. These findings are consistent with the general features of the high-temperature superconducting materials.
THE MECHANISM AND CONSEQUENCES OF HOMOCYSTEINE INCORPORATION INTO PROTEIN IN HUMANS

Abstract Protein-related homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism generates Hcy-thiolactone thioester (1), N-Hcy-protein adducts (2), and Nϵ-Hcy-Lys) isopeptide (3). (1) is generated in an enzymatic error-editing reaction in protein biosynthesis when Hcy is erroneously selected in place of methionine by methionyl-tRNA synthetase. The Hcy editing reaction and the biosynthesis of (1) are universally conserved from bacteria to humans. (2) is formed in a chemical reaction of (1) with ϵ-amino groups of protein lysine residues in mice and humans. (3) is a product of proteolytic degradation of (2) that occurs in mice and humans. Chemical biology and pathophysiology of these metabolites is summarized in this review.