cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting the engineering and transport properties of soils using fractal equivalent circuit model: Laboratory experiments

Frequency-dependent electrical measurements of soils contain useful information about their texture and structure that can be linked to their engineering and transport properties. We performed frequency-dependent electrical measurements on 29 natural soils with wide variability in physical and textural properties in a laboratory environment at a constant stress level and in the frequency range of 0.01 Hz–10 kHz. The engineering and hydraulic properties of these soils, that is, the hydraulic conductivity K, void ratio e, fines content fc, intergranular void ratio eg and the dry density γd are concurrently measured. The electrical behaviors of the soils are modeled with an equivalent circuit model, which are described by six circuit parameters. Relationships between the circuit parameters and the soil properties (geotechnical engineering and hydraulic) are investigated. Crossplots of frequency exponent η and resistivity ρ0 and that of η and grain percent resistivity δr clusters soils with high and low value...
Solar heating and air conditioning

Application of air conditioning is widespread in the United States; any new system for heating buildings must be at least compatible with it to be commercially viable. A wide variety of options exists to provide air conditioning along with solar heating for buildings. The effectiveness and efficiency of coupling these air conditioning options with solar heating depends strongly on which solar heating system is being contemplated. This paper discusses the relative merits and the state of development of several solar boosted heat pump systems with regard to their ability to provide air conditioning using conventional vapour compression refrigeration cycles. A brief description is given of the status of solar fired air conditioning. Clues to an approach to cool storage in solar air conditioning systems are given by an assessment of cool storage for reducing peak electrical loads from conventional air conditioning equipment. A system using hydrated salts in a rolling cylinder thermal energy storage device for compact and effective cool storage is described. References are given to provide the interested reader with more detailed information.
The Posterior-Medial Portal

Abstract Repair of the posterior superior labrum usually involves placing an anchor posterior to the biceps attachment through an anterior-superior or Wilmington portal. Access to the posterior-superior labrum can be accomplished by establishing a portal medial to the posterior viewing portal. The initial posterior arthroscopic viewing portal is established slightly lateral to a traditional position to allow viewing of the posterior labrum and maintain separation from the posterior-medial portal. The suture anchor can be placed behind the biceps attachment through an anterior portal. The posterior-medial portal is started approximately 3 cm medial to the viewing portal with an 18-gauge needle. The needle is directed anterolateral into the intra-articular space under arthroscopic visualization to determine the appropriate course of the suture retriever. The needle is replaced with a sharp suture retrieval device. The suture from the anchor is pulled through the labrum to achieve a simple or mattress type repair. The suture is retrieved through the anterior-superior portal by finding it medial to the labrum. The sutures can be tied through the anterior-superior portal. The posterior-medial portal can be safely established with attention to technical considerations.
Electron Cooling and Accumulation of 200-MeV Protons at Fermilab

Experimental measurements have been made of the cooling of 200-MeV protons by an electron beam of 1 to 3 A and an energy of 110 keV. These experiments are an extention of earlier measurements on the cooling of 115-MeV protons and were performed in the Fermilab experimental proton storage ring. At 200 MeV the proton beam lifetime in the storage ring is extended from 10 to 4000 sec with electron cooling. The cooling times with an electron beam current of 1 A were approximately 2 sec for momentum and 5 to 10 sec for transverse cooling of the proton beam. For proton intensities of approximately 2 × 106 particles, the six-dimensional phase-space density Qf the proton beam was increased by a factor of 2 × 105. These results and data on equilibrium proton distributions and frictional forces are in reasonable agreement with the theoretical predictions. In addition, the accumulation of successive "hot" batches of protons into a cold core, i.e. stacking, has been demonstrated.
Clinical recognition of rett syndrome

Key manifestations helpful in diagnosing Rett syndrome include progressive loss of previously acquired psychomotor skills, apraxia with loss of use of hands and legs, and “hand-washing” automatisms. Four types of clinical presentation can be described: a neurodegenerative disorder, an autistic syndrome, a Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and a chronic encephalopathy. Carbamazepine currently appears to be the anti-convulsant of choice. The mild lactic and pyruvic acidosis along with the ultrastructural abnormalities of mitochondria in brain and liver biopsies point to a generalized disorder of energy metabolism.
The insertion and extrusion of heterosulfur bridges. XI. Desulfurizations of condensed thiophenes by means of methanol and a molybdena catalyst

Desulfurizations of 2-methyl- (1b), 4-methyl- (1c), and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophenes (1d), benzo[b]thiophene (2), and benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene (5) were effected by means of methanol and a sulfided CMA catalyst [a mixed oxide of Co(II), Mo(VI), and Al(III)] at 450°. Desulfurization was accompanied by processes of demethylation and ring hydrogenation in the case of 1d and by both methylation and demethylation in the cases of 1b and 1c. Compound 2 gave ethylbenzene (80%), while 5 produced 2-phenylnaphthalene (69%).
Child sexual abuse prevention: evaluation of a teacher training model

Teachers are potentially helpful resource persons for large numbers of sexually abused children who may have difficulty disclosing abuse, particularly to family members. In the present study, the effectiveness of a 6-hour teacher training workshop on child sexual abuse prevention was evaluated. Responses of 26 female elementary teachers who participated in the workshop were compared to responses of 19 control teachers on several pre-, post-, and follow-up measures. Relative to controls, trained teachers demonstrated significant increases from pre- to post-testing in knowledge about child sexual abuse and pro-prevention opinions. On a post-only vignettes measure, trained teachers were better able than control teachers to identify behavioral indicators of abuse and suggest appropriate interventions for hypothetical sexually abused children. Over a 6-week follow-up period, trained teachers read more about child abuse than control teachers but did not differ on other behavioral dimensions such as reporting suspected abuse cases. Further research will examine the effects of additional teacher training over an extended follow-up period.
Metabonomic Evaluation of Metabolic Dysregulation in Rats Induced by PF 376304, a Novel Inhibitor of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is an enzyme fundamental to the regulation of various metabolic processes. Metabonomic studies were undertaken in order to gain mechanistic insight into significant, yet unexplained, toxicity issues associated with PF 376304, a nonspecific PI3K inhibitor under development for anti-inflammatory indications. Two experiments were conducted in which rats were given daily doses of up to 1000 mg of PF 376304/kg for as long as 7 days. Mortality rapidly ensued (within 72 h) at doses of ≥300 mg/kg. Doses of ≥100 mg/kg were associated with a profound but transient glucosuria. Despite the magnitude of this effect, within 72 h urinary glucose excretion in surviving animals returned to control levels even with continued dosing. Other metabolic effects associated with drug treatment included increased urinary β-hydroxybutyrate and creatine and decreased citrate. A time-course study revealed elevated serum glucose within 1 h, followed by increases in serum insulin and decreases in serum ...
Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Activation Increases Axonal Growth Capacity of Injured Peripheral Nerves

Unlike neurons in the central nervous system (CNS), injured neurons in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) can regenerate their axons and reinnervate their targets. However, functional recovery in the PNS often remains suboptimal, especially in cases of severe damage. The lack of regenerative ability of CNS neurons has been linked to down-regulation of the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway. We report here that PNS dorsal root ganglial neurons (DRGs) activate mTOR following damage and that this activity enhances axonal growth capacity. Furthermore, genetic up-regulation of mTOR activity by deletion of tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2) in DRGs is sufficient to enhance axonal growth capacity in vitro and in vivo. We further show that mTOR activity is linked to the expression of GAP-43, a crucial component of axonal outgrowth. However, although TSC2 deletion in DRGs facilitates axonal regrowth, it leads to defects in target innervation. Thus, whereas manipulation of mTOR activity could provide new strategies to stimulate nerve regeneration in the PNS, fine control of mTOR activity is required for proper target innervation.
The α2A adrenoceptor and the sympathetic postganglionic neuron contribute to the development of neuropathic heat hyperalgesia in mice

We have addressed the role of the sympathetic nervous system in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Using a new neuropathic mouse model, we examined the development of hyperalgesia in transgenic mice lacking functional α2A adrenoceptors and in sympathectomized wild-type mice, to determine if sympathetic–sensory coupling generates hyperalgesia. The development of neuropathic heat hyperalgesia required the presence of both the α2A adrenoceptor and the sympathetic postganglionic neuron (SPGN), but the development of mechanical hyperalgesia did not require either the α2A adrenoceptor or the SPGN, indicating different mechanisms of sensitization. These results suggest that the development of neuropathic heat hyperalgesia, but not mechanical hyperalgesia, requires sympathetic–sensory coupling in the peripheral nervous system. Nerve injury enhanced the analgesic efficacy of the α2 adrenoceptor agonist dexmedetomidine, and paradoxically also induced an analgesic response to α2 adrenoceptor antagonists. The α2 agonist-evoked analgesia to mechanical stimuli was mediated by activating central α2A adrenoceptors, possibly at the spinal level. The peripherally restricted α2 antagonist L659,066 evoked analgesia for heat, but not for mechanical stimuli, findings which support the hypothesis that the peripheral α2 adrenoceptor plays a role in both the development and the maintenance of neuropathic heat hyperalgesia. The α2 antagonist-evoked analgesia for heat stimuli was mediated by blocking peripheral and probably central α2 adrenoceptors, while the analgesia for mechanical stimuli was mediated by blocking central α2A adrenoceptors. Intradermal injections with an α2 agonist or antagonist had no effect on nociceptive thresholds, indicating that sympathetic–sensory coupling at the level of the cutaneous nociceptor did not contribute to the maintenance of neuropathic hyperalgesia.
A cholinergic link in the centrally mediated actions of angiotensin II

This study was designed to determine the role of brain cholinergic mechanisms in the centrally mediated blood pressure and drinking responses to angiotensin II (ANG II). Atropine (10 mg/kg, IV), but not methyl atropine (8 mg/kg, IV), significantly inhibited drinking and BP responses to ANG II intracerebroventricularly (ICV). BP responses to IV ANG II were not inhibited. Both atropine (20 mg/kg, IP) and methyl atropine (20 mg/kg, IP) inhibited cellular-dehydration thirst induced by injection of hypertonic saline. Hemicholinium (80 μg/kg, ICV) had similar effects to atropine on BP and drinking responses to ICV ANG II. Phentolamine (0.5 mg/kg, IV) had a small but significant inhibitory effect on the drinking but not the BP response to ANG II ICV. It is concluded that brain cholinergic mechanisms contribute both to the drinking and pressor response to ICV ANG II, and to the drinking response to cellular-dehydration thirst. There may also be a peripheral cholinergic component to cellular dehydration but not ICV ANG II-induced thirst.
Nucleotide sequence analysis of hypervariable junctions of Haemophilus influenzae pilus gene clusters.

Haemophilus influenzae Rd was the first free-living organism to have its genome sequenced completely (4). Significantly, this nonpathogenic laboratory strain does not contain certain DNA sequences present in disease-associated Haemophilus isolates. Virulence genes known to be missing from Rd include those encoding polysaccharide capsule (10), tryptophan catabolism determinants tnaABC (12), and hifABCDE, which encode hemagglutinating pili (23). These three groups of loci are all flanked by direct repeats, although the route for insertion of the genes into the background of the Haemophilus chromosome seems to have been different in each of the three cases (10, 12, 23). The H. influenzae serotype b capsulation genes are arranged as a compound transposon bordered by direct repeats of the 711-bp IS1016 (10). At the same genomic location in Rd, there is a single copy of IS1016 and no capsule loci. The tnaA and tnaB genes of serotype a, b, c, and f strains are located between the nlpD and mutS genes and flanked by 43-bp direct repeats of paired H. influenzae uptake signal sequences (USSs) (12). At the same nlpD-mutS map position, Rd has one copy of the paired USSs and no tryptophanase genes. Pili elaborated by H. influenzae are thought to contribute to pathogenesis by facilitating tissue-specific attachment to host cells. The five hif genes that encode pili have been found at two distinct chromosomal locations (8, 14, 17, 23) (Fig. ​(Fig.1).1). The hif-1 location, limited to certain isolates of nonencapsulated H. influenzae biogroup aegyptius (Hae), lies between genes homologous to Escherichia coli pmbA and hpt, which are contiguous in the Rd genome. The second, more widespread location for the pilus genes (hif-2), reported in some Hae strains, nontypeable (nonencapsulated) H. influenzae (NTHI), and serotypes a, b, c, and f, is between pepN and purE homologues, also contiguous in Rd (5, 15, 19). Both hif-1 and hif-2 are flanked by direct repeats of intergenic sequences of 32 and 59 bp, respectively (named here DR-1 and DR-2, respectively). DR-1 and DR-2 show no homology to each other. FIG. 1 Primer binding sites in hif gene clusters. See Materials and Methods for oligonucleotide sequences. To investigate the evolution of H. influenzae pili, we sequenced the intergenic DNA between inserted hif genes and conserved chromosomal loci. In common with other recent studies (5, 15), elaborate patterns of rearrangement at the junctions of hif-2 gene clusters were found. The agent of many sequence rearrangements (and also possibly insertion of entire pilus gene complexes) seems to be a 23-bp intergenic dyad sequence (IDS) (9, 18), which is not present at the stable junctions of hif-1 clusters.
Effects of high glucose concentrations on human mesangial cell proliferation

High concentrations of glucose in vitro inhibit cell proliferation and stimulate matrix protein synthesis. These studies sought to characterize the relationship between the effects of glucose on cell proliferation and matrix synthesis and to assess the mechanism(s) responsible for these cellular effects of glucose. The initial experiments showed that high glucose levels stimulate fibronectin (FN) synthesis by human mesangial cells (HMC) but only in those cultures in which cell proliferation was inhibited by glucose. To assess whether this relationship was due to an effect of glucose on the capacity of HMC to respond to cytokines, the responses of HMC to serum or cytokines were measured in the presence of different glucose concentrations. High concentrations of glucose inhibited (3H)thymidine incorporation in response to serum and platelet-derived growth factor. Under the conditions of these experiments, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) also stimulated thymidine incorporation by HMC, and high glucose concentrations inhibited thymidine incorporation in response to TGF-beta. In contrast, high concentrations of glucose did not inhibit the stimulation of FN synthesis caused by platelet-derived growth factor, serum, or TGF-beta. The antiproliferative effects of high glucose levels were first observed after 48 h of incubation and were reversible after the withdrawal of high glucose from the media. The following evidence suggest that the effects of glucose may be mediated via protein kinase C (PKC): (1) incubation with high glucose concentrations caused an increase in HMC PKC levels; (2) PKC activation with phorbol esters inhibited HMC proliferation; and (3) depletion or inhibition of PKC stimulated HMC proliferation and prevented the antiproliferative effects of glucose. In contrast to these findings, inhibitors of protein glycosylation and myo-inositol supplementation of culture media did not prevent the antiproliferative effects of glucose. In conclusion, high glucose concentrations acutely and reversibly inhibit HMC proliferation, perhaps by a PKC-dependent mechanism. Because PKC can also stimulate FN synthesis, glucose-induced changes in PKC may explain the relationship between the effects of high glucose concentrations on cell proliferation and FN synthesis.
Noninvasive vascular laboratory for evaluation of peripheral arterial occlusive disease: Part I--hemodynamic principles and tools of the trade.

THE noninvasive vascular laboratory is a service that incorporates an array of techniques developed in the past 40 years for noninvasive evaluation of patients with suspected disease of the vascular system. Most of the techniques measure the hemodynamic or physiologic impact of vascular abnormalities, although ultrasonography (US) adds direct anatomic information. Information potentially provided by the noninvasive laboratory to assist the clinician in diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases includes establishing the presence or absence of vascular disease, estimat
Discovery of antibacterial cyclic peptides that inhibit the ClpXP protease

A method to rapidly screen libraries of cyclic peptides in vivo for molecules with biological activity has been developed and used to isolate cyclic peptide inhibitors of the ClpXP protease. Fluorescence activated cell sorting was used in conjunction with a fluorescent reporter to isolate cyclic peptides that inhibit the proteolysis of tmRNA-tagged proteins in Escherichia coli. Inhibitors shared little sequence similarity and interfered with unexpected steps in the ClpXP mechanism in vitro. One cyclic peptide, IXP1, inhibited the degradation of unrelated ClpXP substrates and has bactericidal activity when added to growing cultures of Caulobacter crescentus, a model organism that requires ClpXP activity for viability. The screen used here could be adapted to identify cyclic peptide inhibitors of any enzyme that can be expressed in E. coli in conjunction with a fluorescent reporter.
Comparison of Dwarf and Normal Broiler Breeder Hens

Two strains of dwarf and two of normal broiler breeder hens were compared during the laying period for the following production parameters: egg number, hen-day and hen-housed egg production, mortality, feed consumption, egg weight, egg shell quality, hatchability, and fertility. Though the dwarf hens matured earlier, the number of eggs produced during the laying period did not differ (P less than .05) from that of the normal hens. The dwarf hens consumed 25.6% less feed per dozen eggs but produced smaller eggs. Mortality was higher for the dwarf hens during the laying period than for normal hens. The normal hens had an advantage over the dwarf hens in percent hatchability of all eggs set and percent fertility, but the percent hatchability of fertile eggs did not differ between the two genetic groups. No differences were found in egg shell quality of the two groups of chickens.
An accurate and stable fourth order finite difference time domain method

A long-stencil fourth order finite difference method over a Yee-grid is developed to solve Maxwell’s equations. The different variables are located at staggered mesh points, and a symmetric image formula is introduced near the boundary. The introduction of these symmetric ghost grid points assures the stability of the boundary extrapolation, and in turn a complete set of purely imaginary eigenvalues are given for the fourth-order discrete curl operators for both electric and magnetic fields. Subsequently, the four-stage Jameson method integrator constrained by a pre-determined time step is utilized to produce a stable full fourth order accuracy in both time and space. The accuracy of the developed numerical scheme has been validated by comparing its results to the closed form solutions for a rectangular cavity.
Intensity, radiative flux and flux divergence of an exponential-wide band

Abstract Exact and asymptotic results are obtained for the total intensity, forward radiative flux and forward radiative flux divergence in a plane-parallel layer of a homogeneous medium whose absorption coefficient is given by the envelope of the exponential-wide band model. These are compared to an empirical correlation.
The impact of solubility and electrostatics on fibril formation by the H3 and H4 histones

The goal of this study was to examine fibril formation by the heterodimeric eukaryotic histones (H2A-H2B and H3-H4) and homodimeric archaeal histones (hMfB and hPyA1). The histone fold dimerization motif is an obligatorily domain-swapped structure comprised of two fused helix:β-loop:helix motifs. Domain swapping has been proposed as a mechanism for the evolution of protein oligomers as well as a means to form precursors in the formation of amyloid-like fibrils. Despite sharing a common fold, the eukaryotic histones of the core nucleosome and archaeal histones fold by kinetic mechanisms of differing complexity with transient population of partially folded monomeric and/or dimeric species. No relationship was apparent between fibrillation propensity and equilibrium stability or population of kinetic intermediates. Only H3 and H4, as isolated monomers and as a heterodimer, readily formed fibrils at room temperature, and this propensity correlates with the significantly lower solubility of these polypeptides. The fibrils were characterized by ThT fluorescence, FTIR, and far-UV CD spectroscopies and electron microscopy. The helical histone fold comprises the protease-resistant core of the fibrils, with little or no protease protection of the poorly structured N-terminal tails. The highly charged tails inhibit fibrillation through electrostatic repulsion. Kinetic studies indicate that H3 and H4 form a co-fibril, with simultaneous incorporation of both histones. The potential impact of H3 and H4 fibrillation on the cytotoxicity of extracellular histones and α-synuclein-mediated neurotoxicity and fibrillation is considered.
What do Gambling and Advice-Giving have in Common?

Previous research found that group participation results in predictable shifts in individuals' decisions in a variety of settings. The present study found that the shift in a gambling situation requires knowledge of others' positions. Since such knowledge is central to shifts in an advice-giving setting, the present results provided support for the assumption that the same process underlies various instances of choice shifts.
AnatomyBrowser: A Framework for Integration of Medical Information

In this paper we present AnatomyBrowser, a framework for integration of images and textual information in medical applications. AnatomyBrowser allows the user to combine 3D surface models of anatomical structures, their cross-sectional slices, and the text available on the structures, while providing a rich set of cross-referencing and annotation capabilities. The 3D models of the structures are generated fully automatically from the segmented slices. The software is platform independent, yet is capable of utilizing available graphics resources. Possible applications include interactive anatomy atlases, image guided surgery and model based segmentation. The program is available on-line at http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/anatomy.browser.
Infection control implications of heterogeneous resistance mechanisms in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) based upon a phenotypic demonstration of carbapenem resistance. However, considerable heterogeneity exists within this definitional umbrella. CRE may mechanistically differ by whether they do or do not produce carbapenemases. Moreover, patients can acquire CRE through multiple pathways: endogenously through antibiotic selective pressure on intestinal microbiota, exogenously through horizontal transmission or through a combination of these factors. Some evidence suggests that non-carbapenemase-producing CRE may be more frequently acquired by antibiotic exposure and carbapenemase-producing CRE via horizontal transmission, but definitive data are lacking. This review examines types of CRE resistance mechanisms, antibiotic exposure and horizontal transmission pathways of CRE acquisition, and the implications of these heterogeneities to the development of evidence-based CRE healthcare epidemiology policies. In our Expert Commentary & Five-Year View, we outline specific nosocomial CRE knowledge gaps and potential methodological approaches for their resolution.
Influence of riparian habitat on aquatic macroinvertebrate community colonization within riparian zones of agricultural headwater streams

Little is known about aquatic macroinvertebrate colonization of aquatic habitats within riparian zones of headwater streams in the midwestern United States. Many headwater streams and their riparian habitats in this region have been modified for agricultural drainage. Riparian habitat modifications caused by agricultural drainage may influence aquatic macroinvertebrate colonization within the riparian zones of headwater streams. However, the effects of agricultural drainage-induced riparian modifications have not been evaluated because others have focused on the impact of agricultural drainage on aquatic macroinvertebrates within the streams. We placed water-filled mesocosms in the riparian zones of two channelized and two unchannelized streams in central Ohio and sampled them from June to August 2009 to determine if differences in physical habitat, water chemistry, and aquatic macroinvertebrate colonization occurred between riparian zone types and among sampling dates. Canopy cover was greater in unchann...
Pump-probe measurements of multiwavelength ultrafast gain dynamics in a semiconductor optical amplifier

The ultrafast gain dynamics of a semiconductor optical amplifier is measured under phase-correlated multiwavelength pulse amplification. Four-wave mixing, carrier heating and carrier cooling effects are observed and shown to enhance the phase correlation.
The Mechanism(s) of Neighbourhood Effects: Theory, Evidence, and Policy Implications

Although there is now a large body of empirical research on neighbourhood effects, we know relatively little about the causal mechanisms responsible for relationships between neighbourhood attributes and individual outcomes. A list of 15 potential causal pathways which may lead to neighbourhood effects is given, grouped into four categories: social-interactive mechanisms, environmental mechanisms, geographical mechanisms, and institutional mechanisms. The ultimate goal of neighbourhood effects research is not only to identify which mechanisms are responsible for neighbourhood effects, but also to quantitatively ascertain their relative contributions to the outcome under investigation. A pharmacological metaphor of “dosage-response” is used to understand how the theoretical mechanisms could be causally linked to individual outcomes. This metaphor refers to questions regarding the composition and the administration of the neighbourhood dosage, and the neighbourhood dosage-response relationship. This chapter concludes that despite the ever growing literature on neighbourhood effects, there is far too little scholarship to make many claims about which causal links dominate for which outcomes for which people in which national contexts and any conclusions on the existence of such effects should be treated as provisional at best.
Auditors' Liability, Investments, and Capital Markets: A Potential Unintended Consequence of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

To restore investors' confidence in the reliability of corporate financial disclosures, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 mandated stricter regulations and arguably increased auditors' liability. In this paper, we analyze the effects of increased auditor liability on the audit failure rate, the cost of capital, and the level of new investment. We focus on a setting in which, with imperfect auditing, a firm has better information than investors about its prospects and seeks to raise capital for new investments in a lemons market. The equilibrium analysis derives corporate reporting and investing choices by the firm, attestation opinions by the auditor, and valuation by rational investors. Three empirically testable predictions emerge: although increasing auditor liability decreases the audit failure rate and the cost of capital for new projects, it also decreases the level of new profitable investments.
Performing State and Society: Zakaria Koné as Dozo Hunter and Political Exemplar in Post-War Côte d'Ivoire

In Cote d’Ivoire, unofficial political actors have been such fixtures of state power that the distinction between state and civil society has become moot. Indeed, the conceit of a separation between these domains has offered repeated opportunities for political reinvention. The history of dozo hunters in Cote d’Ivoire shows how some Ivoirians have mastered this “oscillation” (in Jean-Loup Amselle’s terms) between insider and outsider roles. Dozo Zakaria Kone is exemplary in this regard. Nominated in May 2013 as secretary general of Ivoirian foreign affairs, he was a commander in the 2002-2007 rebellion and in the 2010-2011 post-election violence that brought current president Alassane Ouattara to power. But since February 2012, Kone has, ironically, been calling on his fellow dozo rebels to lay down their arms as chief of military police. The new regime, which once saw dozos as allies, now counts them as liabilities, given accusations that dozos perpetrated massacres in western Cote d’Ivoire in 2011. Such contradictions explain Kone’s ability and desire — as both dozo hunter and state agent — to convince dozos to abandon their military roles even as Kone, a dozo, occupies important state offices. Kone thus reveals the performative nature of state-society relations in contemporary Cote d’Ivoire.
Refinement of the Low-Grade Amakusa Pottery Stone by Hydrothermal Treatment

The major mineral compositions of Amakusa pottery stone are quartz, sericite and kaolin mineral. The refinement of the low-grade of Amakusa pottery stone has been required because of the recent shortage of the resources of high-grade one. This paper concerns an optimum hydrothermal condition to refine the low-grade Amakusa pottery stone of which impurities are feldspar, limonite, siderite and calcite. The results obtained are as follows:(1) Feldspar included in the sample is converted into kaolin mineral with 0.5wt% HCl solution at the temperature below 200°C and about 15atm. The formation of kaolin mineral is observed to be increased with increases in volume of the solution, temperature, and the treatment time.(2) Conversion of the feldspar into the kaolin mineral is promorted by adding aluminium chloride under the condition concerned. At the temperature lower than 180°C, no formation of kaolin mineral is observed. Aluminum chloride is considered to supply the insufficient alumium during the conversion of feldspar to kaolin mineral.(3) A product having SK value higher than 26 and Fe2O3 content lower than 0.4wt% is obtained from a raw material with SK value less than 15 by the hydrothermal treatment.(4) A plasticity index of a product is measured with the Pfefferkorn method to be higher than that of a raw material.(5) The refined pottery stone obtained in the present study has smaller green strength and higher firing shrinkage than those of common Amakusa pottery clay. This is considered to be due to the difference of its surface state from that of a raw material.
Can a Shift in Fuel Energetics Explain the Beneficial Cardiorenal Outcomes in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME Study? A Unifying Hypothesis

Type 2 diabetes mellitus causes excessive morbidity and premature cardiovascular (CV) mortality. Although tight glycemic control improves microvascular complications, its effects on macrovascular complications are unclear. The recent publication of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME study documenting impressive benefits with empagliflozin (a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 [SGLT2] inhibitor) on CV and all-cause mortality and hospitalization for heart failure without any effects on classic atherothrombotic events is puzzling. More puzzling is that the curves for heart failure hospitalization, renal outcomes, and CV mortality begin to separate widely within 3 months and are maintained for >3 years. Modest improvements in glycemic, lipid, or blood pressure control unlikely contributed significantly to the beneficial cardiorenal outcomes within 3 months. Other known effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on visceral adiposity, vascular endothelium, natriuresis, and neurohormonal mechanisms are also unlikely major contributors to the CV/renal benefits. We postulate that the cardiorenal benefits of empagliflozin are due to a shift in myocardial and renal fuel metabolism away from fat and glucose oxidation, which are energy inefficient in the setting of the type 2 diabetic heart and kidney, toward an energy-efficient super fuel like ketone bodies, which improve myocardial/renal work efficiency and function. Even small beneficial changes in energetics minute to minute translate into large differences in efficiency, and improved cardiorenal outcomes over weeks to months continue to be sustained. Well-planned physiologic and imaging studies need to be done to characterize fuel energetics-based mechanisms for the CV/renal benefits.
The Historical Conditions of Possibility of the Life of the Flesh: Absolutism, Civic Republicanism, and “Bare Life” in Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar appears to stage a conflict between a political tyrant and a public of civic-minded men who do not want power but only want to hold power accountable from the outside. In fact, the play’s agenda is much more unsettling. Julius Caesar provides an especially clear model of the central discursive conflict that pervades the early modern political field, a conflict between two competing theories of the state and state power, one monarchist and the other civic republican, and both equally committed to expanding the sovereign power of the nation-state. Shakespeare stages this conflict not in order to side with one or the other theory of sovereignty (as some critics have thought), but in order to evacuate the institutional structures of the early modern state of their legitimacy. In Shakespeare’s theatrical treatment, the friction between these two competing theories of sovereignty throws off bodies that have escaped from any state-mediated, politically legible form of “public” life. It is in such de-mobilized, de-commissioned, or de-politicized bodies that the play identifies a transformative experience of a collective life of the flesh, a formation that is eminently at home in the medium of theater.
Chemomechanical modeling of lithiation-induced failure in high-volume-change electrode materials for lithium ion batteries

The rapidly increasing demand for efficient energy storage systems in the last two decades has stimulated enormous efforts to the development of high-capacity, high-power, durable lithium ion batteries. Inherent to the high-capacity electrode materials is material degradation and failure due to the large volumetric changes during the electrochemical cycling, causing fast capacity decay and low cycle life. This review surveys recent progress in continuum-level computational modeling of the degradation mechanisms of high-capacity anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Using silicon (Si) as an example, we highlight the strong coupling between electrochemical kinetics and mechanical stress in the degradation process. We show that the coupling phenomena can be tailored through a set of materials design strategies, including surface coating and porosity, presenting effective methods to mitigate the degradation. Validated by the experimental data, the modeling results lay down a foundation for engineering, diagnosis, and optimization of high-performance lithium ion batteries.
Age, calorie restriction, and age of calorie restriction onset reduce maturation of natural killer cells in C57Bl/6 mice

Calorie restriction (CR), also known as energy restriction, has been shown to have a deleterious impact on both adult and aged mouse survival during influenza virus infection. Natural killer (NK) cell phenotypic differences contribute to increased susceptibility of adult CR mice. We hypothesized NK cell phenotype from adult and aged C57Bl/6 mice fed NIH-31 diet ad libitum (AL) would be different from NK cell phenotype from adult and aged mice fed NIH-31/NIA fortified diet at 40% CR. We hypothesized NK cell phenotype from mice consuming 40% CR initiated at 20 months of age would not be different from 40% CR initiated at 3 months of age. We initiated the 40% restriction either at the standard 12 weeks of age or at 78 weeks of age. NK cells were isolated and quantified from various tissues using flow cytometry. Aged CR mice had significantly reduced levels of terminally mature (CD27-CD11b+) NK cells, increased expression of the immature marker CD127, and decreased expression of the mature marker DX5. Total number of NK cells among cells was significantly lower in the lung and spleen of old-onset aged CR mice compared to aged AL mice, while there was no significant difference between young-onset aged CR and aged AL mice. Old-onset aged CR mice had significantly less early mature (DX5+ and CD27+CD11b+) NK cells compared to young-onset aged CR and aged AL fed mice. Overall, we found that CR in aged mice is detrimental to maturation of NK cells, which is exacerbated when CR is initiated in old age.
Oral Cavity and Teeth

Publisher Summary The oral cavities of the mouse and human have similar functions in digestion and sound production (speech). Major differences are primarily in the structure of the dentition, which reflects the divergence in diets between species. The basic components of the oral cavity are the same: the lips, oral mucosa, teeth, tongue, and salivary glands all begin the process of digestion. The cutaneous portion of the lips in both species is covered by haired skin. At the mucocutaneous junction, the labial mucosa transitions to the oral nonhaired keratinized squamous epithelium (mucous membrane). The vermillion border of human lips is covered by a thin layer of orthokeratinized squamous epithelium with a corrugated surface and a highly vascular dermis. The epithelium increases in thickness posteriorly, where it transitions in mice to thickened orthokeratinized mucosa, whereas in humans it transitions to nonkeratinized or slightly parakeratinized stratified squamous epithelium of the labial mucosa. In mice, the lips are relatively thin with minimal lamina propria, skeletal muscle, and fat. Mice do not have the mucoserous labial glands present in human labial lamina propria; however, there are large sebaceous glands located at the angles of the mouth that open to the mucosal surface. These may be akin to the rare sebaceous glands (Fordyce spots or granules) seen in humans.
‘Disband, Disempower, and Disarm’: Amplifying the Theory and Practice of Police Abolition

Critical criminologists have challenged the utility of efforts to reform the criminal justice system for decades, including strong calls to abolish the prison system. More recently, the rebellions in Ferguson, Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Charlotte have made racialized police violence and police reform issues of national concern. In this article, we examine abolitionist claims aimed at law enforcement institutions in the aftermath of Ferguson and other subsequent rebellions. We consider the implications for abolitionist organizing when the institution of law enforcement, rather than prisons, becomes the explicit target of our movement(s). How are groups theorizing and practicing police abolition and how does this align with, challenge, or expand past conceptualizations of abolition? To answer this question, first we sketch the broad parameters of abolitionist thought, particularly as it is taken up in the disciplines of political theory and criminology. Second, we analyze an emergent praxis of police abolition that revolves around the call to disband, disempower, and disarm law enforcement institutions. We argue that by attacking the police as an institution, by challenging its very right to exist, the contemporary abolitionist movement contains the potential to radically transform society. In this spirit, we amplify abolitionist praxis that (1) aims directly at the police as an institution, (2) seeks to dismantle the racial capitalist order, (3) adopts uncompromising positions that resist liberal attempts at co-optation, incorporation, and/or reconciliation, and (4) creates alterative democratic spaces that directly challenge the legitimacy of the police.
Mediatization and the Internet of Things

This article offers evidence from a literature review that mediatization research has yet to engage with the internet of things (IoT). This is a major lack, given the widely recognized importance of IoT phenomena, and may be attributable to mediatization’s limited direct interest in media technology. Through an extended examination of media in cars, the article demonstrates the fertility of a mediatization approach toward what is argued to be a prototype example of the emerging IoT. The article concludes by suggesting future directions for empirical studies.
Personalized Online Spell Correction for Personal Search

Spell correction is a must-have feature for any modern search engine in applications such as web or e-commerce search. Typical spell correction solutions used in production systems consist of large indexed lookup tables based on a global model trained across many users over a large scale web corpus or a query log. For search over personal corpora, such as email, this global solution is not sufficient, as it ignores the user's personal lexicon. Without personalization, global spelling fails to correct tail queries drawn from a user's own, often idiosyncratic, lexicon. Personalization using existing algorithms is difficult due to resource constraints and unavailability of sufficient data to build per-user models. In this work, we propose a simple and effective personalized spell correction solution that augments existing global solutions for search over private corpora. Our event driven spell correction candidate generation method is specifically designed with personalization as the key construct. Our novel spell correction and query completion algorithms do not require complex model training and is highly efficient. The proposed solution has shown over 30% click-through rate gain on affected queries when evaluated against a range of strong commercial personal search baselines - Google's Gmail, Drive, and Calendar search production systems.
Raphael's Rainbow and the Vision of Saint Catherine

Painted in 1508, Raphael's “Saint Catherine of Alexandria” is animated by innovative pictorial techniques using light, shadow, and color. Yet scholars have scarcely discussed its dazzling palette or sought to explain the image's meaning. I argue that Raphael's “Saint Catherine” exemplifies the artist's thematic interpretation of divine revelation in optical terms. Aristotelian theories of vision illuminate new dimensions of Raphael's engagement with scientific and theological sight. From this examination, new criteria for identifying the painting's patron emerge. By reframing the “Saint Catherine” within the rubric of contemporary optics, color's role as an allegory for Raphael's subject comes increasingly to light.
Discriminative Ratio of Spectral Power and Relative Power Features Derived via Frequency-Domain Model Ratio With Application to Seizure Prediction

The ratio of spectral power in two different bands and relative band power have been shown to be sometimes more discriminative features than the spectral power in a specific band for binary classification of a time series for seizure prediction. However, why and which ratio of spectral power and relative power features are better discriminators than a band power have not been understood. While general answers to why and which are difficult, this paper partially addresses the answer to these questions. Using auto-regressive modeling, this paper, for the first time, theoretically explains that for high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) cases, the ratio features may sometime amplify the discriminability of one of the two states in a time series, as compared with a band power. This paper, also for the first time, introduces a novel frequency-domain model ratio (FDMR) that can be used to select the two frequency bands. The FDMR computes the ratio of the frequency responses of the two auto-regressive model filters that correspond to two different states. It is shown that the ratio implicitly cancels the effect of change of variance of the white noise that is input to the auto-regressive model in a non-stationary environment for high SNR conditions. It is also shown that under certain sufficient but not necessary conditions, the ratio of the spectral power and the relative band power, i.e., the band power divided by the total power spectral density, can be better discriminators than band power. Synthesized data and scalp EEG data from the MIT Physionet for patient-specific seizure prediction are used to explain why the ratios of spectral power obtained by a ranking algorithm in the prior literature satisfy the sufficient conditions for amplification of the ratio feature derived in this paper.