Anglo-American Studies for In-training Teachers

The students who take the class英米地域研究（Eibei Chiiki Kenkyuu）or Anglo-American Area Studies have a high interest in English and Western culture but few of them know anything about the origins of English or the events that resulted in English taking on the role of a global language used by more than 2 billion people throughout the world. In class, we cover three areas. First, the three major stages of the development of the English language, Old English, Middle English, and Modern English are studied. The second stage deals with the development of English as a global language. In the third and final part, we study the recent concept of World Englishes.研究ノー

Using the Moodle Reader Module to Facilitate an Extensive Reading Program

研究ノー

The Kyoai Autonomous Language Learning Program: Stage Two

研究ノー

Historic Seismicity in and Around the Texas Panhandle

At least twenty earthquakes have occurred in the Texas Panhandle north of 34°N since 1907. The largest earthquakes had magnitudes up to 4.8, and the intensities throughout the Panhandle have ranged from IV to VI (Modified Mercalli), corresponding to accelerations from 6.8 cm/s² to over 31.6 cm/s². The record of seismicity in the Texas Panhandle dates back to 1907 when the first reported event occurred near Amarillo. Since then, numerous events have been reported or instrumentally recorded from the Panhandle. In the most complete survey of seismicity in the Panhandle (north of 34° latitude) to be undertaken, 20 earthquakes were identified from 1907 through July 1982. Slightly more than half of the events have locations determined from felt reports, and the others from instrumental locations. During the process of identifying earthquakes, contemporary newspaper accounts, weather bulletins, seismological reports, and other sources were reviewed. Several reported events were found to be in error. Specifically, the published locations of some events are erroneous by tens or hundreds of kilometers, one event was, in fact, a sonic boom, and one "event" near the Panhandle resulted from spurious data reported from seismological observatories nearby. The largest earthquakes in the Texas Panhandle had magnitudes of 4.7 to 4.8 (determined by maximum intensity and felt areas); there were five such events between 1917 and 1951. Since instrumental recording became widespread in about 1962, only two events of magnitude greater than 4.0 have occurred. Although some of the earthquakes reported have been assigned magnitudes of 3.0 or less, the detection threshold is probably considerably higher. As evidence, it is noted that a magnitude 3.4 event in 1983 would have been undetected by conventional procedures, had there not been a specific interest in modern seismicity. Since this interest did not exist until recently, it is probable that many earthquakes of magnitude up to 3.5 have gone unrecognized, and it is likely that some larger events have been missed as well.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Electron Transport Simulations and Band Structure Calculations of New Materials for Electronics: Silicon Carbide and Carbon Nanotubes.

Silicon carbide (SiC) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are two materials which have promising potential in electronics. Due to its large bandgap and large thermal conductivity, SiC is targeted as a potential material for use in high-power high-temperature electronics. Carbon nanotubes are at the forefront of current research in nanoelectronics, and field-effect nanotube transistors have already been developed in research laboratories. The small dimensions of these materials suggests their possible use in densely packed CNT-integrated circuits. Carbon nanotubes also appear to have very large electron mobilities, and may have applications in high-speed electronic devices. In this work the properties of the electronic structure and electron transport in silicon carbide and in semiconducting zig-zag carbon nanotubes are studied. For SiC, a new method to calculate the bulk band structure is developed. The conduction band minimum is found to lie at the $L$ and $M$ points in the Brillouin zones of 4H and 6H-SiC respectively. The quasi-2D band structure of hexagonal SiC is also determined for a number of lattice orientations. Electron transport in SiC is investigated in the bulk and at the SiC/oxide interface. The dependence of transport on the lattice temperature, applied field, and crystal orientation is studied. A methodology for semiclassical transport of electrons in semiconducting carbon nanotubes is also developed. Monte Carlo simulations predict large low-field mobilities (4000-13000 cm*cm/Vs) agreeing with experiments. The simulations also predict high electron drift velocities (500 km/s) and negative differential resistance

Calibration of Seismic Attributes for Reservoir Characterization

The project, "Calibration of Seismic Attributes for Reservoir Characterization," is now complete. Our original proposed scope of work included detailed analysis of seismic and other data from two to three hydrocarbon fields; we have analyzed data from four fields at this level of detail, two additional fields with less detail, and one other 2D seismic line used for experimentation. We also included time-lapse seismic data with ocean-bottom cable recordings in addition to the originally proposed static field data. A large number of publications and presentations have resulted from this work, inlcuding several that are in final stages of preparation or printing; one of these is a chapter on "Reservoir Geophysics" for the new Petroleum Engineering Handbook from the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Major results from this project include a new approach to evaluating seismic attributes in time-lapse monitoring studies, evaluation of pitfalls in the use of point-based measurements and facies classifications, novel applications of inversion results, improved methods of tying seismic data to the wellbore, and a comparison of methods used to detect pressure compartments. Some of the data sets used are in the public domain, allowing other investigators to test our techniques or to improve upon them using the same data. From the public-domain Stratton data set we have demonstrated that an apparent correlation between attributes derived along 'phantom' horizons are artifacts of isopach changes; only if the interpreter understands that the interpretation is based on this correlation with bed thickening or thinning, can reliable interpretations of channel horizons and facies be made. From the public-domain Boonsville data set we developed techniques to use conventional seismic attributes, including seismic facies generated under various neural network procedures, to subdivide regional facies determined from logs into productive and non-productive subfacies, and we developed a method involving cross-correlation of seismic waveforms to provide a reliable map of the various facies present in the area. The Wamsutter data set led to the use of unconventional attributes including lateral incoherence and horizon-dependent impedance variations to indicate regions of former sand bars and current high pressure, respectively, and to evaluation of various upscaling routines. The Teal South data set has provided a surprising set of results, leading us to develop a pressure-dependent velocity relationship and to conclude that nearby reservoirs are undergoing a pressure drop in response to the production of the main reservoir, implying that oil is being lost through their spill points, never to be produced. Additional results were found using the public-domain Waha and Woresham-Bayer data set, and some tests of technologies were made using 2D seismic lines from Michigan and the western Pacific ocean

Elastic waves push organic fluids from reservoir rock

Elastic waves have been observed to increase productivity of oil wells, although the reason for the vibratory mobilization of the residual organic fluids has remained unclear. Residual oil is entrapped as ganglia in pore constrictions because of resisting capillary forces. An external pressure gradient exceeding an ‘‘unplugging’’ threshold is needed to carry the ganglia through. The vibrations help overcome this resistance by adding an oscillatory inertial forcing to the external gradient; when the vibratory forcing acts along the gradient and the threshold is exceeded, instant ‘‘unplugging’’ occurs. The mobilization effect is proportional to the amplitude and inversely proportional to the frequency of vibrations. We observe this dependence in a laboratory experiment, in which residual saturation is created in a glass micromodel, and mobilization of the dyed organic ganglia is monitored using digital photography.We also directly demonstrate the release of an entrapped ganglion by vibrations in a computational fluid-dynamics simulation

Crosswell Seismic Amplitude-Versus-Offset for Detailed Imaging of Facies and Fluid Distribution within Carbonate Oil Reservoirs

Crosswell seismic surveys were conducted at two fields in northern Michigan. One of these, Springdale, included two monitor wells that are located external to the reef, and the other, Coldspring, employed two production wells within the reef. The Springdale wells extended to much greater depths than the reef, and imaging was conducted from above and from beneath the reef. The resulting seismic images provide the best views of pinnacle Niagaran reefs obtained to date. The tops of the reservoirs can be clearly distinguished, and their lateral extent or dipping edges can be observed along the profile. Reflecting events internal to the reef are evident; some of them are fairly continuous across the reef and others are discontinuous. Inversion of the seismic data indicates which events represent zones of higher porosity and which are lower porosity or even anhydrite plugged. The full stacked image includes angles that are beyond critical for many of the interfaces, and some reflections are visible only for a small range of angles, presumably near their critical angle. Stacking these angles in provides an opportunity for these events to be seen on the stacked image, where otherwise they would have been unrecognized. For inversion, however, the complexity associated with phase changes beyond critical can lead to poor results, and elastic inversion of partial angle stacks may be best conducted with restrictions to angles less than critical. Strong apparent attenuation of signals occurs when seismic ray paths pass through the upper part of the Springdale reservoir; this may be due to intrinsic attenuation and/or scattering of events due to the locally strongly varying gas saturation and extremely low fluid pressures. Signal-to-noise limitations become evident far from the source well in the Coldspring study, probably because the raw data were strongly affected by tube-wave noise generated by flow through the perforation of the receiver well. The seismic images obtained, and interpretations of them, as assisted by Amplitude-versus-Angle studies and accompanying inversion, provide additional insight into the internal geometry of these two reefs and provide data that should be useful for reservoir management

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification