cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antisemitism and the American Far Left: Promoting a Socialism of Fools

USING ANTISEMITIC STEREOTYPES TO DEMONIZE ISRAEL, 1967–1973 During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the American far left repeatedly denounced Israel as a criminal regime resembling Nazi Germany and enthusiastically endorsed the Arab guerilla movement’s terrorist campaign to eradicate the Jewish state. This was a period, bounded by two wars that threatened Israel with destruction, in which the far left devoted particular attention to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Leading far left publications joined the Arab guerillas in charging that Israel was aggressively racist and expansionist. To support these claims, the far left often invoked long-standing antisemitic stereotypes, both economic and theological. It attributed to Jews enormous financial power and an arrogance and sense of superiority that drove them to exploit and dominate other peoples. In a three-part series published in 1969 on what it called the “History of Middle East Liberation Struggle,” New Left Notes , the newspaper of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), declared that the Jews’ chosen people concept gives Israel “the right to expand and expand.” Like Nazi Germany, the Jewish state would “not contain itself within any set borders.” It explained that the “architects of Zionism were mainly bourgeois Jewish intellectuals” and that the movement’s early sponsors were “leaders in ... world imperialism” like wealthy Jewish banker Edmond de Rothschild, who wanted to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine to promote “his own financial interests.”
Me, myself and I: perceptions of social capital for mothers ageing out of the child welfare system

Youth ageing out of the child welfare system become parents at rates two to three times higher than their non-child welfare system involved peers. Substantial literature acknowledges that youth ageing out who are parenting are vulnerable; yet, little is known about their lived experiences. Social capital, or the actual or potential resources available from one's network, can provide essential resources for the wellbeing of parents ageing out. This qualitative study examined social capital of mothers ageing out from the perspectives of both mothers and service providers. We conducted small group interviews with 13 mothers ageing out and 14 service providers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed the use of a social capital framework delineates that mothers lacked beneficial social relationships and, consequently, support. A lack of trust coupled with a desire to break intergenerational patterns and norms contributed to understanding why mothers ageing out may not capitalize on resources that providers often considered available. Based on findings, we conclude that providing mothers ageing out with additional opportunities to develop trust, positive relationships with mentors and extended services may help to disrupt intergenerational patterns of maltreatment and promote child and family wellbeing.
Bariatric Surgery Restores Gut-Brain Signaling to Reduce Fat Intake

Hankir and colleagues (2017) show that gastric bypass surgery in rats enhances the sensitivity of cells in the gut to dietary lipids. In turn, these cells signal to stimulate dopamine neurotransmission in the striatum to inhibit fat consumption. The findings have important implications for the development of non-invasive therapeutics for obesity.
Interstitial Irradiation in Prostatic Cancer: Report of 10-Year Results

Cancer of the prostate is the second most common cancer in men in the USA, representing about 20% of all male cancer deaths (American Cancer Society 1988). The incidence of prostatic carcinoma increases significantly with age, involving about one-half of the male population over the age of 70 years. There are certain puzzling national and racial differences in the incidence of this cancer. It is extremely rare in oriental people, for instance, there are only 3.9 per 100 000 Japanese men and 3.7 per 100000 Chinese men in Hong Kong, as compared with an incidence of about 60 per 100 000 white and 95 per 100 000 black men in the USA.
D2D Underlaid Cellular Networks with User Clusters: Load Balancing and Downlink Rate Analysis

In this paper we develop a comprehensive analytical framework for a cellular network enhanced with in-band device-to-device (D2D) communication capability where the D2D links reuse the downlink resources of the cellular links. The locations of the cellular base stations (BSs) are modeled as a Poisson point process (PPP). The user positions are modeled as a Thomas cluster process (TCP) to capture the inherent tendency of users to be located at close proximity to each other. The bandwidth allocated to D2D transmission is fixed and to cellular transmission is dynamic dependent on the load (the number of users) served by the macro BS. The users inside a cluster can either establish a D2D connection with a potential D2D transmitter (Tx) containing the file of interest within the same cluster if it is located closer than certain distance threshold or otherwise connects to the cellular network. By increasing this distance threshold, cellular traffic can be offloaded to D2D connections which in turn increases the interference from simultaneously active D2D Txs. We characterize the downlink rate coverage probability for this setup. Our analysis shows that there exists an optimum distance threshold for which rate coverage is maximized.
A Regularized GLS for Structural Equation Modeling

Ill conditioning of covariance and weight matrices used in structural equation modeling (SEM) is a possible source of inadequate performance of SEM statistics in nonasymptotic samples. A maximum a posteriori (MAP) covariance matrix is proposed for weight matrix regularization in normal theory generalized least squares (GLS) estimation. Maximum likelihood (ML), GLS, and regularized GLS test statistics (RGLS and rGLS) are studied by simulation in a 15-variable, 3-factor model with 15 levels of sample size varying from 60 to 100,000. A key result showed that in terms of nominal rejection rates, RGLS outperformed ML at all sample sizes below 500, and GLS at most sample sizes below 500. In larger samples, their performance was equivalent. The second regularization methodology (rGLS) performed well asymptotically, but poorly in small samples. Regularization in SEM deserves further study.
The sociology of emotions in a contested environmental illness case: how gender and the sense of community contribute to conflict

Communities often experience contention when confronted with environmental threats and diverging interpretations of risk. Contested illness research often describes the emotional expression of individuals without analyzing how these emotions connect to larger social factors such as sense of community, gender, and assumptions about an emotion–logic dichotomy. This research incorporates the sociology of emotion to explore how the social construction of emotions influences dissension in a contested illness case. I investigate the case of The Acreage, Florida where a cancer cluster was established but an environmental cause was not found. This paper discusses how the sense of community and gender role expectations gave rise to expressions of fear, anger, and grief using data drawn from 57 in-depth interviews of current and former residents of The Acreage. Findings suggest that disparate ‘feeling rules’ related to one’s sense of community, perceptions of what neighbors feel, and gendered notions of emotion and...
PIGE as a screening tool for Per- and polyfluorinated substances in papers and textiles

Abstract Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) comprise a large array of man-made fluorinated chemicals. It is an emerging chemical class of concern because many PFASs are environmentally persistent and some have known ecological and human toxicity. Consumer products treated with PFASs result in human exposure to PFASs through inhalation, ingestion, and environmental exposure to emissions from wastewater or from landfills. A rapid screening method based on total fluorine was developed and applied to quantify PFASs on consumer papers and textiles. Particle-Induced Gamma Ray Emission (PIGE) spectroscopy provides a non-destructive and quantitative measurement of total fluorine on papers and textiles. This technique is both rapid and sensitive, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 13 nmol F/cm2 for papers and 24–45 nmol F/cm2 for textiles, with reproducibility of ±12% RSD for both. PIGE is a high throughput (>20 samples/hr typically) method that was applied to 50 papers and 50 textiles in commerce to demonstrate the method.
Correcting for unequal catchability in sex ratio and population size estimates

Wildlife populations often exhibit unequal catchability between subgroups such as males and females. This heterogeneity of capture probabilities can bias both population size and sex ratio estimates. Several authors have suggested that this problem can be overcome by treating males and females as separate populations and calculating a population estimate for each of them. However, this suggestion has received little testing, and many researchers do not implement it. Therefore, we used two simulations to test the utility of this method. One simulated a closed population, while the other simulated an open population and used the robust design to calculate population sizes. We tested both simulations with multiple levels of heterogeneity, and we used a third simulation to test several methods for detecting heterogeneity of capture probabilities. We found that treating males and females as separate populations produced more accurate population and sex ratio estimates. The benefits of this method were particularly pronounced for sex ratio estimates. When males and females were included as a single population, the sex ratio estimates became inaccurate when even slight heterogeneity was present, but when males and females were treated separately, the estimates were accurate even when large biases were present. Nevertheless, treating males and females separately reduced precision, and this method may not be appropriate when capture and recapture rates are low. None of the methods for detecting heterogeneity were robust, and we do not recommend that researchers rely on them. Rather, we suggest separating populations by sex, age, or other subgroups whenever sample sizes permit.
Sensitivity analysis of the mainline travel lane pavement service life when utilizing part-time shoulder use with full depth paved shoulders

Abstract Part-time Shoulder Use (PTSU) is an Active Traffic Management (ATM) strategy that utilizes the shoulder as an additional travel lane during high congestion periods to temporarily increase roadway capacity. This strategy has become increasingly popular on freeways around major metropolitan areas in the United States (U.S.) and Europe. This research focused on freeways near major metropolitan areas where the roadways are structurally sound, but widening roadways has become increasingly expensive to implement. These areas typically utilize full-depth paved shoulders, defined as shoulders built to the same pavement structural profile as the mainline travel lanes and structurally sufficient to carry heavy vehicle loading. As a result of PTSU, the load repetitions on the mainline travel lanes can be reduced for multiple hours during each day by shifting vehicles to the shoulder and this load reduction may indirectly increase the mainline pavement’s service life. This research explored the potential benefits of PTSU based on a variety of conditions, including climate conditions, pavement types, and traffic loading levels. The results suggest that across all of these conditions an extension of 10–20% in service life can be expected for both flexible and rigid pavements in the mainline travel lanes.
Home on Sunday, Home on Tuesday? Secular Political Participation in the United States

The American religious landscape is transforming due to a sharp rise in the percentage of the population that is nonreligious. Political and demographic causes have been proffered but little attention has been paid to the current and potential political impact of these “nones,” especially given the established link between religion, participation, and party politics. I argue that the political impact of nonreligious Americans lies in an unexplored subset of the nonreligious population called committed seculars. Committed seculars de-identify with religion, they adopt secular beliefs, and join organizations structured on secular beliefs. Using a unique survey of a secular organization, the American Humanist Association, I demonstrate that committed seculars are extremely partisan and participatory, and are driven to participate by their ideological extremity in relation to the Democratic Party. These results point to a long-term mobilizing dimension for Democrats and indicate the potential polarizing influence of seculars in party politics.
A 15-Year-Old Boy with Mysterious Variability in Apnea-Hypopnea Index.

Case Presentation A 15-year-old boy presented as a direct referral for polysomnography for evaluation of snoring, unrefreshing sleep, and daytime sleepiness despite a self-reported average of 8 hours of sleep a night. The mother reported he snored intermittently, although there were no witnessed apneic episodes or fragmented sleep. He denied morning headaches. He reported that his sleep was generally unrefreshing and he would experience significant daytime sleepiness, especially after school or when doing his homework. However, his Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was only 3 of 24. He denied any symptoms consistent with a movement disorder, parasomnia, cataplexy, hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, circadian rhythm disorders, or insomnia. He reported a family history of sleep apnea in his grandfather.
MOOCs as facilitator: Online learning and women in STEM

The scarcity of female students in computer science programs is one of the most troubling challenges facing the discipline today. Enrollment of women in computer science undergraduate courses has fallen by over 50% from its high point in the 1980s, and is believed to be due, in part, to unwelcoming classroom environments. We postulate that the virtual classroom offered by Massively Open Online Courses (“MOOC”s) may provide a more comfortable learning space for many female students. This paper relates the experience of three female upper-level computer science majors when encountering a MOOC classroom for the first time.
Early Medieval Britain: The Rebirth of Towns in the Post-Roman West

The growth and development of towns and urbanism in the pre-modern world has been of interest to archaeologists since the nineteenth century. Much of the early archaeological research on urban origins focused on regions such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Mesoamerica. Intensive archaeological research that has been conducted since the 1960s, much of it as a result of urban redevelopment, has shed new light on the development of towns in Anglo-Saxon England. In this book, Pamela Crabtree uses up-to-date archaeological data to explore urban origins in early medieval Britain. She argues that many Roman towns remained important places on the landscape, despite losing most of their urban character by the fifth century. Beginning with the decline of towns in the fourth and fifth centuries, Crabtree then details the origins and development of towns in Britain from the 7th century through the Norman Conquest in the mid-eleventh century CE. She also sets the development of early medieval urbanism in Britain within a broader, comparative framework.
Evaluation and Management of Transplant-Associated Hyperglycemia

The past two decades of kidney transplantation have witnessed dramatic improvements in short-term allograft outcomes. Despite this advancement, rates of allograft attrition beyond the first post-transplant year have not changed owing to the chronic burden of kidney disease and immunosuppression. This has led to an increased recognition of the factors that contribute to long-term morbidity and mortality. New onset hyperglycemia after transplantation is an important post-transplant complication that contributes to adverse outcomes due to its promotion of graft failure, infection, and cardiovascular disease. In this chapter we will review the spectrum of transplant-associated hyperglycemia (TAH) including new onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), in terms of pathogenesis, risk factors, clinical outcomes, screening, and management.
Establishing and Maintaining an Early Childhood Emergent Literacy Technology Curriculum

The three-year Early Childhood Emergent Literacy Technology Curriculum (ELiTeC) study (E2) was designed to replicate, on a broad scale, the results of earlier research in which a curriculum model w...
TGF-β Signaling Alterations in Neoplastic and Stromal Cells

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) plays an central role in cell homeostasis and inherited mutations in the TGFB1 gene cause Camurati-Engelmann disease, a condition characterized by hyperostosis and sclerosis of the diaphyses of long bones (Janssens et al., 2000; Kinoshita et al., 2000). However, mutations in the TGFB genes do not appear to occur in cancer. In contrast, type I and II TGF-β receptors and their downstream effectors SMADs are often targeted by oncogenic events.
Mineralogy Controlled Dissolution of Uranium from Airborne Dust in Simulated Lung Fluids (SLFs) and Possible Health Implications.

The recent increase in cardiovascular and metabolic disease in the Navajo population residing close to the Grants Mining District (GMD) in New Mexico is suggested to be due to exposure to environmental contaminants, in particular uranium in respirable dusts. However, the chemistry of uranium-containing-dust dissolution in lung fluids and the role of mineralogy are poorly understood, as is their impact on toxic effects. The current study is focused on the dissolution of respirable-sized U-containing-dust, collected from several sites near Jackpile and St. Anthony mines in the GMD, in two simulated lung fluids (SLFs): Gamble’s solution (GS) and Artificial Lysosomal Fluid (ALF). We observe that the respirable dust includes uranium minerals that yield the uranyl cation, UO22+, as the primary dissolved species in these fluids. Dust rich in uraninite and carnotite is more soluble in GS, which mimics interstitial conditions of the lungs. In contrast, dust with low uraninite and high kaolinite is more soluble in ...
Muscid Flies (Muscidae)

Abstractd Muscid flies include significant blood-feeding parasites, vectors of disease agents, species that annoy humans, and species that parasitize domesticated animals and wildlife. Species of significance to public or animal health are known as filth flies, dung flies, sweat flies and bird nest parasites. Filth flies develop in a variety of filthy organic substrates. Prominent species are house fly, bazaar fly, stable fly, false stable fly, little house fly, and garbage flies. Prudence dictates filth flies should be minimized wherever human food is prepared and served. Dung flies develop exclusively in cattle dung, and are face fly, bush fly, horn fly, and buffalo fly. Adults and larvae of the significant muscid species can be identified by a combination of morphological, behavioral and ecological features, including habitats of larvae and adults. Management of muscid flies often involves prevention of local fly breeding by elimination or modification of known larval sources. Fall-back options may involve augmentative biological control, applications of repellents or adulticides, and screening to exclude adult flies from indoor areas where filth flies cannot be tolerated.
Genetics of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common form of interstitial lung disease. IPF is a complex disease, with environmental and genetic factors variably contributing to disease susceptibility and outcomes. A host of common gene variants with modest effect size impart disease risk in patients with sporadic IPF, while rare variants with large effect size influence disease risk in those with familial interstitial pneumonia. In this review, we highlight several common and rare variants underpinning IPF risk and call attention to recently published studies informing our understanding of this risk.
Change-point detection for multivariate and non-Euclidean data with local dependency

In a sequence of multivariate observations or non-Euclidean data objects, such as networks, local dependence is common and could lead to false change-point discoveries. We propose a new way of permutation -- circular block permutation with a random starting point -- to address this problem. This permutation scheme is studied on a non-parametric change-point detection framework based on a similarity graph constructed on the observations, leading to a general framework for change-point detection for data with local dependency. Simulation studies show that this new framework retains the same level of power when there is no local dependency, while it controls type I error correctly for sequences with and without local dependency. We also derive an analytic p-value approximation under this new framework. The approximation works well for sequences with length in hundreds and above, making this approach fast-applicable for long data sequences.
Enhanced Activity of the Cellulase Enzyme β-Glucosidase upon Addition of an Azobenzene-Based Surfactant

β-Glucosidases catalyze the hydrolysis of cellobiose to glucose, which is often the rate-limiting step in the conversion of cellulose into fermentable sugars during bioethanol production. Thus, the...
Trocar site recurrence after robotic partial nephrectomy to treat of renal cell carcinoma

Introduction: Wound seeding during surgical excision of malignant tumor is known problem in the oncologic surgery. Trocar site recurrence (TSR) is well described in laparoscopic oncologic surgery. Little has been reported about TSR after robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) performed for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Here, we report on the incidence of TSR and demonstrate the presentation of this type of RCC recurrence. Patients and Methods: We reviewed prospectively collected data about patient who underwent RPN at our institute from September 2009 to March 2018. We reviewed the medical record of the patients who had the diagnosis of RCC on the final pathology. We identified the patient with TSR and demonstrated their presentation and treatment along with the outcome. Results: A total of 335 patients underwent RPN during the study period for renal mass. Two hundred and sixty-nine (80.3%) patients were found to have RCC on the final pathologic evaluation of their mass. We identified two patients (0.7% of all the RCC in the study) who developed TSR during an average follow-up period of 31 months (ranging from 18 to 72 months). The first recurrence appeared 18 months after the surgery. The second recurrence presented 72 months after RPN. Both cases underwent open surgical excision of the trocar site, in which the recurrence appeared. Conclusion: TSR is potential type of RCC recurrence after RPN, though it is rare and underreported. Special attention should be given to examine the trocar site during the surveillance follow-up of RCC treated with RPN. It can develop up to 72 months after the surgery.
Internal-Clock Models and Misguided Views of Mechanistic Explanations: A Reply to Eckard & Lattal (2020).

Eckard and Lattal’s Perspectives on Behavior Science, 43(1), 5–19 (2020) critique of internal clock (IC) mechanisms is based on narrow concepts of clocks, of their internality, of their mechanistic nature, and of scientific explanations in general. This reply broadens these concepts to characterize all timekeeping objects—physical and otherwise—as clocks, all intrinsic properties of such objects as internal to them, and all simulatable explanations of such properties as mechanisms. Eckard and Lattal’s critique reflects a restrictive billiard-ball view of causation, in which environmental manipulations and behavioral effects are connected by a single chain of contiguous events. In contrast, this reply offers a more inclusive stochastic view of causation, in which environmental manipulations are probabilistically connected to behavioral effects. From either view of causation, computational ICs are hypothetical and unobservable, but their heuristic value and parsimony can only be appreciated from a stochastic view of causation. Billiard-ball and stochastic views have contrasting implications for potential explanations of interval timing. As illustrated by accounts of the variability in start times in fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement, of the two views of causality examined, only the stochastic account supports falsifiable predictions beyond simple replications. It is thus not surprising that the experimental analysis of behavior has progressively adopted a stochastic view of causation, and that it has reaped its benefits. This reply invites experimental behavior analysts to continue on that trajectory.
Mobilizing the Social Power of Iconic and Performative Texts for Justice and Reform

In the ten years of its existence, SCRIPT has succeeded in promoting and publishing an increasing variety of scholarship on iconic and performative texts. Culturally specific studies have provided the basis for comparative theorizing about the phenomena. This body of scholarship has put us in a better position to analyze current events involving iconic books and performative texts. It can also enable us to make creative suggestions for strengthening movements for justice and social reform by ritualizing iconic and performative texts. Here, I provide three examples of how to employ SCRIPT research to strengthen contemporary movements for social and environmental justice: a short-term episodic intervention, a medium-term structural rectification, and a long-term cultural innovation.
Ontology-based Knowledge System and Team Verification Tool for Competitive Pokemon

Competitive Pokemon is a domain with rich semantics and complex relationships between its elements. Current research in the domain has focused on developing AI agents to select moves within a match, ignoring the problem of team building. We propose a team verification tool based on ontologies to model the complexities of the domain. A user can input their team into the tool, and the tool uses a description logic reasoner to classify Pokemon into their appropriate roles. The tool exports a visual representation of the team and a score evaluating its competitive viability. The classifications made by the TeamVerify tool have 87.7% precision and 86.0% recall in a multiclass, multilabel domain. We expect such a tool to reduce the learning curve for novice players who have not yet built intuitions on proper team structure.
Abstract 039: Insomnia And Short Sleep Uniquely Predict Obesity, Hypertension, And Diabetes

Background: Epidemiological evidence of short sleep’s (<6 hours) association with negative cardiometabolic health outcomes continues to mount; yet, the complex relationship between sleep and health...
Answer Similarity Analysis at the Group Level.

Answer similarity indices were developed to detect pairs of test takers who may have worked together on an exam or instances in which one test taker copied from another. For any pair of test takers...
A clinical study of patients with fecal incontinence and diarrhea.

Clinical and pathophysiologic studies were carried out in 29 patients with chronic diarrhea and incontinence. Most of these patients had been extensively investigated for diarrhea, whereas closer questioning revealed that the major (but previously unmentioned) problem was incontinence for liquid stools. Incontinent patients were, as a group, abnormal with regard to anal sphincter pressure, the ability to retain a solid sphere in the rectum as weights were applied, and the ability to retain saline that had been infused into the rectum. They were, however, no different from control subjects with regard to sphincter length and squeeze duration and with regard to the ability to detect the presence of fluid infused into the rectum. Estimation of sphincter tone by digital examination did not correlate with any objective measure of anal sphincter function or with continence to rectally infused saline. Analysis of the individual data from incontinent diarrhea patients showed that most of these patients had low stool volumes, low sphincter pressures, and an impaired ability to retain saline infused into the rectum. These results would be compatible with a defect in the function of the sphincter muscles. However, some patients had sphincter pressures well within the normal range, low stool volumes, and impaired saline continence. It seems likely that these patients have an abnormality in the continence mechanism other than a muscular weakness of the anal sphincter. Finally, 2 patients had sphincter pressures well within the normal range and good continence to saline, but passed very large amounts of -stool. Such patients probably represent a situation where large volume diarrhea overwhelms a fairly normal mechanism for preserving continence. Our results suggest that measurement of stool volume, sphincter pressure, and ability to retain rectally infused saline may aid in the diagnostic and therapeutic evaluation of patients with chronic diarrhea and fecal incontinence.
Inundation of a barrier island (Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, USA) during a hurricane: Observed water‐level gradients and modeled seaward sand transport

Large geomorphic changes to barrier islands may occur during inundation, when storm surge exceeds island elevation. Inundation occurs episodically and under energetic conditions that make quantitative observations difficult. We measured water levels on both sides of a barrier island in the northern Chandeleur Islands during inundation by Hurricane Isaac. Wind patterns caused the water levels to slope from the bay side to the ocean side for much of the storm. Modeled geomorphic changes during the storm were very sensitive to the cross-island slopes imposed by water-level boundary conditions. Simulations with equal or landward sloping water levels produced the characteristic barrier island storm response of overwash deposits or displaced berms with smoother final topography. Simulations using the observed seaward sloping water levels produced cross-barrier channels and deposits of sand on the ocean side, consistent with poststorm observations. This sensitivity indicates that accurate water-level boundary conditions must be applied on both sides of a barrier to correctly represent the geomorphic response to inundation events. More broadly, the consequence of seaward transport is that it alters the relationship between storm intensity and volume of landward transport. Sand transported to the ocean side may move downdrift, or aid poststorm recovery by moving onto the beach face or closing recent breaches, but it does not contribute to island transgression or appear as an overwash deposit in the back-barrier stratigraphic record. The high vulnerability of the Chandeleur Islands allowed us to observe processes that are infrequent but may be important at other barrier islands.
Design, optimization, and characterization of a low temperature RPECVD MOS gate stack process

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) allows film deposition in very short times and at low substrate temperatures. The use of remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RPECVD) to deposit an oxide insulator layer for a MOS gate stack structure within a single-wafer processing system is reported. The project background including government and industry support is presented. The design of the RPECVD chamber and optimization of deposition parameters are discussed. Characterization of the oxide quality through device testing is presented. >
The authoring challenge in interactive storytelling

Artificial Intelligence methods open up new possibilities in interactive storytelling, enabling the creation of believable characters with rich personalities and emotions, interactive story systems that incorporate player interaction into the construction of dynamic plots, and story generation systems that capture large and well-formed collections of potential stories. The goal of these approaches is not to replace human authorship, but rather to move human authorship to a meta-level, and thus to support a richness and depth of player interaction that is not otherwise possible. However, there are significant authoring challenges in creating AI-based interactive stories. This talk will describe current research efforts to support authors in telling stories in this new medium.
Effect of blood vessel diameter on relative blood flow estimate in Doppler optical coherence tomography algorithms

In vivo measurement of blood flow in the retina has been made possible with the advent of Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Doppler OCT has seen many advances in recent years in algorithms used for quantifying blood flow. We compare the relative retinal blood flow estimates as measured by the standard phase-resolved (PR) algorithm and the more recent moving-scatterer-sensitive (MSS) algorithm as a function of vessel size. We find that the PR-to-MSS flow ratio significantly decreases with decreasing vessel diameter. We also develop a simulation to approximate the scattering from blood cells in tissue and compare the relative blood flow estimates. The flow ratio measured with simulation closely matches that found in vivo. Our simulation predicts that whereas PR underestimates the flow, MSS overestimates it. Our simulation may help to correct for algorithm bias in in vivo retinal flow estimates.
Effects of chronic fluvoxamine on ethanol- and food-maintained behaviors

Abstract Acute treatment with fluvoxamine reduces responding for ethanol more than responding for food. However, pharmacotherapy for alcoholism is likely to require chronic treatment. These experiments were performed to assess the effects of chronic fluvoxamine on ethanol- and food-maintained behaviors. Effects of chronic fluvoxamine (10 and 17.8 mg/kg/day × 30 days) on ethanol- and food-maintained responding were compared to responding during saline treatment in four Sprague–Dawley rats responding for ethanol and food under a multiple fixed-ratio 5, fixed-ratio 5 schedule. In two subjects, chronic fluvoxamine reduced ethanol-maintained responding more than food-maintained responding; however this effect was transient. In another subject, treatment persistently decreased food-maintained responding relative to ethanol-maintained responding. Finally, in one subject, fluvoxamine nonspecifically disrupted responding for food and ethanol. Similar to results in humans, outbred Sprague–Dawley rats had differential responses to chronic fluvoxamine. The effect was transient in rats that responded favorably (greater reduction of ethanol relative to food responding), while response reductions persisted throughout treatment in rats that responded unfavorably (greater reduction of food relative to ethanol or nonspecific reductions).
Basal forebrain innervation of rodent neocortex: Studies using acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, Golgi and lesion strategies

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-rich projections from basal forebrain to neocortex cerebri were characterized in the present study. The purpose was to investigate 3 aspects of these projections in rats and mice that have been incompletely described in previous work: intracortical organization of the fibers, subcortical pathways and axonal branching patterns of individual basal forebrain neurons. AChE histochemistry, lesions and Golgi impregnations were the principal strategies employed in this light microscopic study. The moderately dense, AChE-stained innervation of neocortex can be altered by intracortical lesions. The results depended on the region involved and the orientation of the lesion. Sagittal knife cuts had barely detectable effects, regardless of sites. Coronal knife cut lesions in medial cortex resulted in substantial loss of staining in cingulate and medial occipital fields. In contrast, coronal lesions of lateral or anterior cortex produce only small zonal reductions in staining. The interpretation of the latter findings that we favor is that AChE-rich basal forebrain fibers enter lateral/anterior cortex and branch densely there, but in tangentially limited and overlapping terminal domains. Observations on the topography and targets of AChE-rich basal forebrain cortical afferents revealed that the fibers could be grouped based on certain characteristics. Three sets of fibers were distinguishable: anterior pathway innervating cortex of the frontal pole. These fibers were traceable to the region of the substantia innominata/nucleus basalis. They crossed the neostriatum and external capsule in the sagittal plane, forming in 3 dimensions an orderly sheet-like array of fibers bridging the anteroventral surface of the neostriatum with nearby polar cortex medial pathway innervating cingulate and medial occipital cortex. Emerging predominantly from the region of the diagonal band, the fibers run caudally as a triangular bundle in deep layer VI of cingulate cortex. lateral pathway innervating most of remaining lateral neocortex. The fibers radiate out from substantia innominata/nucleus basalis with a complex 3-dimensional organization. In all pathways, fibers enter and initially run within layer VI before ascending pialward, although the intracortical course in layer VI differs between pathways. These fibers primarily terminate in layer V with a secondary concentration in layer I. However, the latter appears to receive substantial AChE-stained inputs from other sources, possibly intracortical, as well. The pathways overlap at their respective boundary zones. This system is comparably organized in rats and mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Analysis of the trajectory set of nonlinear dynamics: Estimates of solutions and comparison principle

For the solution set of differential equations with the Hukuhara derivative, we obtain estimates for solutions and main theorems of the comparison principle on the basis of an auxiliary matrix-valued function.
Characterizing pre-dialysis care in the era of eGFR reporting: a cohort study

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common disorder associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Primary care physicians (PCPs) care for the majority of pre-dialysis CKD patients; however, PCPs often do not recognize the presence of CKD based on serum creatinine levels. Prior studies suggest that PCPs and nephrologists deliver suboptimal CKD care. One strategy to improve disease awareness and treatment is estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) reporting. We examined PCP and nephrologist CKD practices before and after routine eGFR reporting. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with CKD 3b-4 (eGFR < 45) seen at a university-based, outpatient primary care clinic. Using a chi-square or Fisher's exact test, we compared co-management rates, renal protective strategies, CKD documentation, and laboratory processes of care in 274 patients and 266 patients seen in a 6-month period prior to and following eGFR implementation, respectively. CKD co-management increased from 22.6% pre-eGFR to 48.5% post-eGFR (P < 0.0001). eGFR reporting did not improve angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker use or quantitative urinary testing. However, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug avoidance (pre-eGFR 81.8% vs. post- eGFR 90.6%, P = 0.003) and phosphorus and parathyroid hormone testing improved (pre-eGFR vs. post-eGFR: 32.5% vs. 51.5%, P < 0.0001; 12.4% vs. 36.1%, P < 0.0001 respectively). A marked increase in CKD co-management was observed following eGFR implementation. Although some improvements in processes of care were noted, this did not include angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker use. Overall care remained suboptimal despite eGFR reporting; further strategies are needed to improve PCP and nephrologist CKD care.
In vitro packaging of a λ Dam vector containing EcoRI DNA fragments of Escherichia coli and phage P1

Abstract In this report we describe a coliphage λ vector system for cloning endo R. Eco RI DNA fragments. This system differs significantly from those previously described in two ways. First, restricted and ligated DNA is encapsidated in vitro. Second, with increasing λ DNA size in the range 78 to 100% that of wild-type, the efficiency of DNA encapsidation into infectious phage particles markedly increases. For λ wild-type DNA the efficiency of in vitro packaging (10 6 to 10 7 plaques produced per μg of added DNA) is equal to, or better than, the standard CaCl 2 transfection method. The use of a D am mutation to facilitate recognition of size classes of inserted fragments is described. Using this vector and in vitro packaging, several E. coli and phage P1 endo R. Eco RI fragments were cloned.
Nanoencapsulation of cytochrome c and horseradish peroxidase at the galleries of α-zirconium phosphate

Cytochrome c (Cyt c) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) are encapsulated in the galleries of α-zirconium phosphate (Zr[HPO4]2·nH2O, α-ZrP) and α-zirconium phosphonate Zr(PO3CH2COOH)2·nH2O (α-ZrPAA), under mild conditions (pH 7.2, room temperature). Thermal stability, peroxidase activity, and the spectral features of the bound proteins are largely preserved. The binding constants for α-ZrP are in the range 1−100 μM-1. Cyt c shows a much higher affinity for α-ZrP (42/μM) than HRP (1.5/μM) and α-ZrP has a much higher affinity for Cyt c than α-ZrPAA. The binding interactions are, thus, sensitive to the surface functional groups of the protein as well as the ZrP matrix. The α, β, and the soret absorption bands of heme protein−α-ZrP composites were essentially superimposable with those of the native protein. The FTIR spectra of the protein−phosphate composites are superimposable with those of the native proteins indicating no major changes in the secondary structures of the bound proteins. Powder diffraction data...
Methods Used by Dr. R. K. Benjamin, and Other Mycologists, to Isolate Zygomycetes

The methods that Dr. Richard K. Benjamin used to isolate Zygomycetes are discussed. These processes involved the following five steps: (1) collection, (2) plating, (3) isolation, (4) culture, and (5) maintenance. Additional methods, materials and modifications used to isolate Zygomycetes are summarized. The author considers the flattening of the aerial hyphae onto the substrate of the faster- and higher-growing Mucorales for several consecutive days to be the critical step in isolating species of Coemansia, Piptocephalis, Syncephalis, and Dimargaritales. The methods used by other scholars to isolate, culture, and study many taxa in Zygomycetes also are discussed.
Quantifying uncertainty in multicriteria concept selection methods

Decision support for concept selection in engineering design ranges from simple pairwise comparison techniques to methods that consider multiple criteria. The Analytic Hierarchy Process, or AHP, is an example of a multicriteria selection tool with wide-spread industry application. It is recognized by responsible practitioners that AHP, like other decision support methods, is best used not as an optimization tool, but as a means of clarifying individual or group attitudes; the numerical rankings that are its output are not definitive. This paper offers a means to quantify how differently two alternatives must be ranked by AHP to instill confidence that one is truly better than the other, a question that is in practice always answered using intuition. The quantification of uncertainty in AHP relies on the extension of concepts from statistical hypothesis testing. The procedure is not stochastic in the same way that physical measurement is, so probability distributions are created over relevant parameters. The quantified uncertainty depends, as in all statistical analysis, upon the assumed distributions. The uncertainty in AHP is quantified from two distinct points of view. The first makes the assumption that AHP is structurally correct but subject to measurement “error” in the pairwise comparisons, while the second quantifies the uncertainties introduced by AHP’s failure to consider different level of compensation in trade-offs among criteria.
Polarized ATR-FTIR Study of Smectite in Aqueous Suspension

Na- and Ca-exchanged smectite in aqueous suspension have been studied using the polarized attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-FTIR technique. These spectra correspond to the first reported use of polarization methods to study smectite particles in aqueous suspension. Similar to the behavior of hydrous metal oxides, a thin, stable layer of smectite particles was found to coat the ZnSe internal reflection element (IRE) upon exposure to a dilute aqueous suspension (solids concentration of 10 g dm-3). The As spectrum was very similar to the transmission IR spectrum of the smectite indicating that the ATR-FTIR spectra are composed of a thin film of smectite in contact with a thick layer of water. As and Ap polarized in situ ATR-FTIR spectra of wet and dry Na- and Ca-SWy-1 indicated that the smectite particles were highly oriented with the (001) face parallel to the surface of the ZnSe IRE. The Ap polarized ATR-FTIR spectra clearly resolved the position of the perpendicular Si−O stretching vibration at 1075 cm-1...
Gas Turbine Film Cooling

The durability of gas turbine engines is strongly dependent on the component temperatures. For the combustor and turbine airfoils and endwalls, film cooling is used extensively to reduce component temperatures. Film cooling is a cooling method used in virtually all of today's aircraft turbine engines and in many power-generation turbine engines and yet has very difficult phenomena to predict. The interaction of jets-in-crossflow, which is representative of film cooling, results in a shear layer that leads to mixing and a decay in the cooling performance along a surface. This interaction is highly dependent on the jet-to-crossflow mass and momentum flux ratios. Film-cooling performance is difficult to predict because of the inherent complex flowfields along the airfoil component surfaces in turbine engines. Film cooling is applied to nearly all of the external surfaces associated with the airfoils that are exposed to the hot combustion gasses such as the leading edges, main bodies, blade tips, and endwalls. In a review of the literature, it was found that there are strong effects of freestream turbulence, surface curvature, and hole shape on the performance of film cooling. Film cooling is reviewed through a discussion of the analyses methodologies, a physical description, and the various influences on film-cooling performance.
Selective Interference Alignment for MIMO Cognitive Femtocell Networks

This paper presents a novel cross-tier interference management solution for coexisting two-tier networks by exploiting cognition and coordination between tiers via the use of agile radios. The cognitive users sense their environment to determine the receivers they are interfering with, and adapt to it by designing their precoders using interference alignment (IA) in order to avoid causing performance degradation to nearby receivers. The proposed approach judiciously chooses the set of users to be aligned at each receiver as a subset of the cross-tier interferers, hence is termed selective IA. The proposed solution includes identification of the subspace in which cross-tier interference signals would be aligned followed by a distributed algorithm to identify the precoders needed at the selected interferers. The intra-tier interference is then dealt with using minimum mean squared error (MMSE) interference suppression. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of selective IA for both uplink and downlink interference management.