cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Suppressing crystallization in solution-processed thin films of organic semiconductors

Glassy organic semiconductors provide a convenient host for dispersing guest molecules, such as dopants or light-emitting chromophores. However, many glass-forming compounds will crystallize overtime leading to changes in performance and stability in devices. Methods to stabilize amorphous molecular solids are therefore desirable. We demonstrate that solution-processable glasses can be formed from a mixture of 8,8’-biindeno[2,1-b]thiophenylene (BTP) atropisomers. While the trans isomer of methylated BTP, (E)-MeBTP crystallizes in spin-cast films, the addition of (Z)-MeBTP slows the growth of the spherulites. X-ray scattering and optical microscopy indicate that films containing 40% (Z)-MeBTP do not crystallize, even with the addition of nucleation agents and aging for several months.
An Enhanced Model Predictive Control for the Artificial Pancreas Using a Confidence Index Based on Residual Analysis of Past Predictions.

Background Model predictive control (MPC) performance depends on the accuracy of the prediction model implemented by the controller. Complex physiology and modeling limitations often prevent the ability to provide long and accurate glucose predictions, which results in the need to account for prediction errors. Method Optimal insulin dosage by Zone-MPC is calculated by solving an optimization problem in which a scalar index is minimized by penalizing relative input deviations and glucose predictions out of the reference zone. The controller's tuning parameters are the penalties on the input variable (insulin). Positive and negative relative inputs are penalized differently. A dynamic adaptation of the tuning parameters based on the accuracy of the model in recent history is implemented in this article and compared in silico to aggressive and conservative tunings of the same controller structure. Results Similar average glucose and time in the safe glucose range (70-180 mg/dL) are achieved for the adaptive design and traditional controller configurations. However, percentage time under 70 mg/dL is significantly reduced, both for announced meals using bolus compensation and unannounced meals with a meal detection algorithm triggered bolus. No differences in the average insulin delivered were observed between the adaptive design and the conservative or aggressive tuning for the bolus strategy, and the adaptive controller delivered less insulin in the other scenario considered. Conclusions The adaptive strategy provides safe and effective glucose management as well as significant reduction of hypoglycemia events. No abnormal insulin delivery profiles were observed upon the application of the adaptive strategy.
Soya protein as possible potential nanocarriers for in-vitro oral delivery of insulin in simulated gastric fluids (SGFs)

ABSTRACTThe present study aimed to prepare soya protein nanoparticles and employ them as nanocarriers for delivery of insulin. The nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microcopy, zeta potential, and dynamic light scattering measurements. The particle size analysis revealed that the size of the nanoparticles lays in the range of 40–200 nm with surface charge of −25.3 mV. The insulin-loaded nanoparticles were investigated in simulated gastric and simulated intestinal fluids and effect of percent drug loading chemical composition of nanoparticles, pH, temperature of the release media, and simulated physiologic fluids was studied on the release of insulin.
Twelve Elements of Visualization and Analysis for Tertiary and Quaternary Structure of Biological Molecules

During the last decades, 3D Molecular Graphics in Life Sciences has been used almost exclusively by experts through complex software and applications ranging from Structural Biology to Computer Aided Drug Design. The emergence of JavaScript and WebGL as a viable platform has enabled 3D visualization of biomolecular structures through Web browsers, without any need for specialized software. Although still in its infancy, Web Molecular Graphics opens new perspectives. This white paper, proposes a set of Twelve Elements to consider to enable 3D visualization and structural analyses of biological systems in Web molecular viewers. The Elements go beyond 3D graphics and propose an integrated approach to visualize and analyze molecular entities and their interactions in multiple dimensions, at multiple levels of details, for diverse users. The bridging of 1D sequence browsers and 3D structure viewers, possible under a Web browser, enables information flow where molecular biologists can use structural information directly at the sequence level. Given the tsunami of sequence information linked to diseases from next generation sequencing — in need for interpretation — making structural information readily available to research scientists is a tremendous opportunity for medical discovery. The Twelve Elements are conceptual and are intended to entice developers to architect software components and APIs, and to gather together as a community around common goals and open source software. A few features of emerging viewers, all available as open source, are highlighted. Speed and quality of 3D graphics for large molecular systems, the interoperability of Web components, and the instantaneous sharing of annotated visualizations through the Web, are some of the most amazing and promising capabilities of 3D Web viewing, opening bright perspectives for Life Sciences research.
Mediating effects of cancer risk factors on the association between race and cancer incidence: analysis of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study

Abstract Purpose Racial disparities exist in the prevalence of cancer-related risk factors and incidence of cancer. The objective of this study is to determine if cancer-related risk factors mediate the association between race and cancer incidence. Methods We performed prospective analysis of data from the National Institutes of Health–American Association of Retired Persons Diet and Health Study, years 1995 through 2011. We compared differences in baseline characteristics between black and white participants using χ2 tests and Wilcoxon tests, as appropriate. We determined risk of any cancer and the most common cancer types (i.e., breast, prostate, and colorectal) using Cox Proportional hazards models, adjusted for age, sex, marital status, education, health status, region, and adherence to guidelines on cancer-related risk factors (i.e., body mass index [BMI], smoking status, physical activity, nutrition, and alcohol consumption). We examined the mediation effect of cancer-related risk factors on the association between race and cancer incidence. Results Among 425,152 participants, 16,110 (3.79%) were black, and 409,042 (96.21%) were white. The white participants were more likely to be aged 65 years and older (35.33% vs. 25.93%), male (60.88% vs. 42.67%), married (70.37% vs. 48.26%), reside in Western US (30.14% vs. 23.88%), be physically active (46.72% vs. 41.94%), and have higher adherence scores (3.14 vs. 3.04). Blacks had reduced risk of breast cancer (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 0.82, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.74–0.90) but higher risk of prostate (adjusted HR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.75–1.98) and colorectal cancer (adjusted HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.05–1.31) compared with whites. Nutrition mediated the association between race and breast cancer (6.35% mediated, P Conclusions Blacks were at reduced risk of breast cancer but increased risks for prostate and colorectal cancer incidence. Nutrition and BMI exerted small but significant mediating effects on the racial disparity in risk of breast and colorectal cancers, respectively.
Rapid Quantitative Measurements of Paramagnetic Relaxation Enhancements in Cu(II)-Tagged Proteins by Proton-Detected Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

We demonstrate rapid quantitative measurements of site-resolved paramagnetic relaxation enhancements (PREs), which are a source of valuable structural restraints corresponding to electron-nucleus distances in the ~10-20 A regime, in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of proteins containing covalent Cu2+-binding tags. Specifically, using protein GB1 K28C-EDTA-Cu2+ mutant as a model, we show the determination of backbone amide 15N longitudinal and 1H transverse PREs within a few hours of experiment time based on proton-detected 2D or 3D correlation spectra recorded with magic-angle spinning frequencies ≥ ~60 kHz for samples containing ~10-50 nanomoles of 2H,13C,15N-labeled protein back-exchanged in H2O. Additionally, we show that the electron relaxation time for the Cu2+ center, needed to convert PREs into distances, can be estimated directly from the experimental data. Altogether, these results are important for establishing solid-state NMR based on paramagnetic-tagging as a routine tool ...
Pemanfaatan Pekarangan Sekolah Sebagai Media Terhadap Peningkatan Hasil Belajar IPA Pada Siswa Kelas IV di Mit Al-Jannah Banda Aceh

Penelitian ini berjudul “Pemanfaatan Pekarangan Sekolah Sebagai Media Terhadap Peningkatan Hasil Belajar IPA pada Siswa Kelas IV di MIT Al-Jannah Banda Aceh.” Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui tingkat ketuntasan hasil belajar siswa dengan memanfaatkan pekarangan sekolah sebagai media pembelajaran IPA di MIT Al-Jannah Banda Aceh.Sampel penelitian yaitu siswa kelas IVyangberjumlah17 orang. Hipotesis dalam penelitian ini adalah pemanfaatan pekarangan sekolah sebagai media pembelajaran IPA dapat meningkatkan hasil belajarsiswa di MIT Al-Jannah Banda Aceh. Teknik pengumpulan data dengan observasi dan tes. Hasil tes dianalisis dengan menggunakan rumus persentase. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa adanya peningkatan hasil belajar siswadengan memanfaatkan pekarangan sekolah sebagai media. Perbandingan hasil belajar sebelum memanfaatkan pekarangan sekolah siswa yang tuntas 6(35,3%) atau kategori sangat rendah, dan sesudah memanfaatkan pekarangan sekolah siswa yang tuntas 14(82,4%) dengan kategori sangat tinggi. Dengan demikian hipotesis yang berbunyi ”Pemanfaatan perkarangan sekolah sebagai media pembelajaran IPA dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa kelas IV MIT Al-Jannah Banda Aceh,” diterima ,
Evolution of Clinical States and the Castration Resistant Clinical Paradigm

Progressive disease burden in the face of castrate levels of testosterone defines the castration resistant disease state in prostate cancer. The mechanisms of disease progression into this state are numerous and include novel endocrine/paracrine androgen synthesis, androgen receptor mutations, amplification, and splice variants, and non-androgen axis oncogenic programs, all in the context of host and tumor microenvironment interactions. The clinical progression of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is currently classified according to a number of clinical phenotypes defined by the presence or absence of metastatic disease, exposure to prior therapies, symptoms, and patterns of spread. At each point of the evolution of clinical states in CRPC, patients must be evaluated based on previous lines and types of therapy and their potential susceptibility or resistance to further treatment options. A number of additional validated prognostic factors also define clinical states, and may assist in identifying men at high or low risk of rapid disease progression. These include performance status, anemia, elevated alkaline phosphatase, type of progression, Gleason sum at diagnosis, lactate dehydrogenase, circulating tumor cell burden, and histologic subtype. The current challenge facing clinical research is to define a molecular taxonomy that merges with the current clinical taxonomy that identifies men with CRPC most likely to benefit from specific systemic therapies and minimizes harms and costs.
Global Diffusion of the Internet VIII: Maximum Resolution Dichotomy for Global Diffusion of the Internet

The Global Diffusion of the Internet (GDI) framework was used to study the progress in the adoption of the Internet in close to 30 countries since 1997. A new methodology in data mining is presented to extend the use of Kiviat diagrams to visualize the framework cast in a supplydemand dichotomy. A maximum resolution topology is derived as an additional tool for exploratory data analysis of such GDI dichotomies.
NbTiN/AlN/NbTiN SIS Junctions Realized by Reactive Bias Target Ion Beam Deposition

The current state-of-the-art approach for superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) junction fabric-ation is based on magnetron sputtering and the Gurvitch Al overlayer trilayer process, where an Al overlayer is deposited onto the Nb base electrode in order to subsequently grow a critical $\sim$ 1-nm AlO $_{x}$ or AlN tunnel barrier. While the switch from AlO $_x$ to AlN barriers has significantly increased the achievable critical current density, and significant research has been performed to understand and optimize inductively coupled plasma AlN growth, the use of Nb electrodes provides an upper limit to the frequency range for low-noise operation when employed in terahertz (THz) mixer applications and has led to the study and use of alternative materials with higher transition temperatures ( $T_{C}$ ) such as NbN and NbTiN. The Nb electrodes also impose stringent cooling requirements; replacement of both electrodes with higher $T_{C}$ materials can increase the required device operating temperature to 10 K, thus reducing the power consumption of the refrigeration system, a building block for the realization of more energy efficient superconducting computing systems, such as those based on single-flux-quantum logic. In this work, we have departed from conventional SIS material growth techniques through the use of an alternative material deposition technology—reactive bias target ion beam deposition (RBTIBD)—that offers unique capabilities to tailor materials and interfaces. Using RBTIBD technology, we have realized the first ever NbTiN/AlN/NbTiN SIS junctions with highest yet reported sum-gap voltages exceeding 5.0 mV, potentially extending the theoretical limit of low-loss SIS mixing applications beyond 1.2 THz and relaxing the cooling requirements for superconducting device applications.
The association of neuraxial versus general anesthesia with inpatient admission following arthroscopic knee surgery.

Abstract Study objective Arthroscopic knee procedures are increasingly being performed in an outpatient setting. Appropriate intraoperative anesthesia is vital to prevent complications such as unanticipated hospital admission. We examined differences in complications between general (GA) vs neuraxial anesthesia (NA) as the primary anesthetic for patients undergoing arthroscopic knee procedures. Design This was a retrospective cohort study. We queried the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program for arthroscopic knee procedures performed between 2007 and 2016. We compared postoperative complication rates between propensity-matched cohorts (NA vs GA). The anesthesia groups were matched based on age, race, BMI, gender, diabetes, smoking history, COPD, CHF, functional status, HTN, ASA class, steroid use, bleeding disorder history, and readmission status. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to compare factors associated with inpatient admission – defined as hospital length of stay >1 day. Patients A total of 57,494 patients were included – 55,257 GA and 2237 NA patients. Main results Among the matched cohorts, NA patients were significantly more likely to be admitted to the hospital postoperatively (p Conclusions NA was significantly associated with inpatient admission following knee arthroscopy. Further research should focus on examining the reason for this association and methods to reduce inpatient admission for patients undergoing arthroscopic knee procedures using neuraxial anesthesia.
Residential Segregation Across Metro St. Louis School Districts: Examining the Intersection of Two Spatial Dimensions:

The present study employs a geospatial analytical approach to studying the evenness-clustering and isolation-exposure dimensions of segregation in the context of the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolit...
Gastric stimulation drives fast BOLD responses of neural origin.

Abstract Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is commonly thought to be too slow to capture any neural dynamics faster than 0.1 Hz. However, recent findings demonstrate the feasibility of detecting fMRI activity at higher frequencies beyond 0.2 Hz. The origin, reliability, and generalizability of fast fMRI responses are still under debate and await confirmation through animal experiments with fMRI and invasive electrophysiology. Here, we acquired single-echo and multi-echo fMRI, as well as local field potentials, from anesthetized rat brains given gastric electrical stimulation modulated at 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 Hz. Such gastric stimuli could drive widespread fMRI responses at corresponding frequencies from the somatosensory and cingulate cortices. Such fast fMRI responses were linearly dependent on echo times and thus indicative of blood oxygenation level dependent nature (BOLD). Local field potentials recorded during the same gastric stimuli revealed transient and phase-locked broadband neural responses, preceding the fMRI responses by as short as 0.5 s. Taken together, these results suggest that gastric stimulation can drive widespread and rapid fMRI responses of BOLD and neural origin, lending support to the feasibility of using fMRI to detect rapid changes in neural activity up to 0.8 Hz under visceral stimulation.
The Impacts of a Research-Based Model for Mentoring Elementary Preservice Teachers in Science

This article focuses on the impacts of a program designed to prepare elementary classroom teachers to mentor preservice teachers for effective science instruction. The mentor preparation program wa...
Closing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle with a Simplified Minor Actinide Lanthanide Separation Process (ALSEP) and Additive Manufacturing

Expanded low-carbon baseload power production through the use of nuclear fission can be enabled by recycling long-lived actinide isotopes within the nuclear fuel cycle. This approach provides the benefits of (a) more completely utilizing the energy potential of mined uranium, (b) reducing the footprint of nuclear geological repositories, and (c) reducing the time required for the radiotoxicity of the disposed waste to decrease to the level of uranium ore from one hundred thousand years to a few hundred years. A key step in achieving this goal is the separation of long-lived isotopes of americium (Am) and curium (Cm) for recycle into fast reactors. To achieve this goal, a novel process was successfully demonstrated on a laboratory scale using a bank of 1.25-cm centrifugal contactors, fabricated by additive manufacturing, and a simulant containing the major fission product elements. Americium and Cm were separated from the lanthanides with over 99.9% completion. The sum of the impurities of the Am/Cm product stream using the simulated raffinate was found to be 3.2 × 10−3 g/L. The process performance was validated using a genuine high burnup used nuclear fuel raffinate in a batch regime. Separation factors of nearly 100 for 154Eu over 241Am were achieved. All these results indicate the process scalability to an engineering scale.
Fostering Collective Effort Toward Ecosystem Conservation

For human society to thrive amidst our changing environmental realities, we must alter our behavior. Individual change, while important, is unreliable due to cognitive and social barriers. An important nexus for the required transformation is at the collective level. Rather than encouraging individuals to engage in personal climate-friendly behavior, our efforts must focus on individuals changing their social networks, engaging in political change, and transforming the organizations in their community, such as corporations, NGOs, boards, and governments. Formal and informal leaders make daily decisions which influence the organizational structures that propel large-scale human behavior change. This scale of change is more in line with the scope needed to successfully persist into the future on this planet.
Effects of Various Levels of Protein, Lysine, Fat, and Fiber on Swine Growth and Pork Quality

ObjectivesEfficient and profitable swine production depends on an understanding of the concepts of genetics, environment, herd health, management, and nutrition (DeRouchey et al., 2007). Feed represents about 60 to 75% of the total cost of pork production; therefore, a thorough knowledge of the principles of swine nutrition is essential to maintain a profitable swine enterprise. Davey (1976) found that improvements in carcass composition are associated with the feeding of higher protein levels. Diets with higher protein content were associated with lower intramuscular fat content and less-tender (higher shear force value) meat. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine how varying levels of protein, lysine, fat, and fiber in swine diets affected swine growth and pork quality. Materials and MethodsThe study was performed at the Fresno State Swine Unit where data was collected on a total of 12 crossbred barrows, 2 barrows per treatment per replication (3 replications), with littermates in each treatment in a replication. The barrows started at approximately 4 mo of age (approximately 63.5 kg) and were fed specific diets for 56 d. Two different diets were used: a commercial hog feed (protein- min 14%, lysine- min 0.69%, fat- min 6.8%, fiber- max 8.7%) and a show hog feed (protein- min 22%, lysine- min 1.55%, fat- min 1.80%, fiber- max 2.6%). Weights were collected each week and average daily gain was calculated each week as well as overall. Carcass data was collected including hot carcass weight, NPPC color, NPPC firmness, NPPC marbling, loin eye area, tenth and last rib fat thickness. Dressing percentage and percent fat free lean were calculated and instrumental color (L*, a*, b*) on the loin eye was measured. Data were analyzed using the Proc ANONA procedure of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) with statistical differences being set at p 0.1). Show fed barrows resulted in observationally firmer fat than commercial fed barrows. ConclusionResults of this study indicate that diets higher in protein and lysine and in lower fat and fiber leads to a higher dressing percentage and that were lighter in color objectively. Therefore, carcasses should have more total pounds of product on them.
How perceptions of intelligence and anthropomorphism affect adoption of personal intelligent agents

A personal intelligent agent (PIA) is a system that acts intelligently to assist a human using natural language. Examples include Siri and Alexa. These agents are powerful computer programs that operate autonomously and proactively, learn and adapt to change, react to the environment, complete tasks within a favorable timeframe and communicate with the user using natural language to process commands and compose replies. PIAs are different from other systems previously explored in Information Systems (IS) due to their personalized, intelligent, and human-like behavior. Drawing on research in IS and Artificial Intelligence, we build and test a model of user adoption of PIAs leveraging their uique characteristics. Analysis of data collected from an interactive lab-based study for new PIA users confirms that both perceived intelligence and anthropomorphism are significant antecedents of PIA adoption. Our findings contribute to the understanding of a quickly-changing and fast-growing set of technologies that extend users’ capabilities and their sense of self​.
Oil concentration and fatty acid composition of achenes of North American Helianthus (Asteraceae) species

Oil concentration and fatty acid composition were determined in achenes of two annual Helianthus species (112 populations) and 11 perennial species (103 populations) from the Great Lakes region and the Central Great Plains of the U.S. The highest average oil concentration was observed in annualH. petiolaris Nutt. with 28.8%, followedbyH. annuus L. with 25.4%. Among the perennial species,H. hirsutus Raf. had the highest average oil concentration with 29.8%. The highest average palmitic (C16: 0) andstearic (C18:0) fatty acids were observed inH. tuberosus L. (6.5 and 3.5%, respectively), while the lowest values were observed inH. pauciflorus Nutt. ssp.subrhomboideus (4.2 and 2.1, respectively). The highest oleic acid (CI8:1) was observed inH. annuus (24.7%) and the highest linoleic (C18:2) was observed inH. pumilus Nutt. with 71.3%. Sufficient variability appears to be present in the wild species for enhancement of oil and fatty acid characteristics for cultivated sunflower.
Cinder and Soul: The Biography of a Historically Significant African-American School in Dallas, Texas

This paper provides an approach for social studies education that includes investigative research into an old school building that has traditionally served predominantly African American children, along with a narrative inquiry into the experiences of one of that school’s former students. We offer a unique approach to experiential global citizenship education, in conjunction with an exemplar of this kind of social studies research. The first half of this paper is a “building biography” of N. W. Harllee School, followed by memories of Dr. Njoki McElroy, who attended Harllee as a young child. In the US, African American life is often misrepresented, devalued, or completely expunged from history books and historical documents. The implication of this novel approach to uncovering the truth about the education of African Americans in the 1930s is that educators around the world can use a similar approach to honor and highlight voices of marginalized people, creating rightful spaces for their stories in our collective history and memory.
Do Men Matter to Female Competition Even When They Don't?

A large literature attempts to identify factors that contribute to gender differences in performance and in the decision to compete. We exploit a highly competitive environment in which elite-female athletes are exposed to the presence of men without the element of direct competition, which allows for the identification of psychological effects of competition. Our results suggest that the presence of men affects the performance of female runners differentially across ability, with negative performance effects being concentrated among lower-ability runners.
A Cognitive Information Processing Pipeline for Multiple–Access Vehicular Camera Communication

The ability to perceive safety-critical events by virtually seeing through vehicles and other obstructions on the road can be a very useful driving assistance feature for vehicles. In this paper, we first hypothesize that such a feature can be achieved by vehicles driving ahead proactively communicate information about the visual scenery they perceive using dashboard cameras. Using such a multiple access setting, and considering brake-light light emitting diode (LED) to camera communication as the enabler, in this paper, we position an information processing pipeline for predicting the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) safety event. In particular, we present the algorithmic design of the cognitive information processing system that will continuously warn the host driver about the line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-sight road situations. We position the use-case of our proposed information processing pipeline through a case-study analysis for a real-world driving scenario.
Pediatric Hemorrhagic Brainstem Encephalitis Associated With HHV-7 Infection.

Abstract Background Human herpesviruses-6 and -7 have been associated with febrile seizures and with encephalitis, the latter predominantly in immunocompromised individuals. Acute hemorrhagic encephalitis is frequently a fatal disease that can occur in the setting of viral infection or can be a postinfectious phenomenon, often with no cause identified. Although hemorrhagic encephalitis has been reported with human herpesvirus-6 infection, only one individual, an immunocompromised child, has been documented with human herpesvirus-7 infection. The role of immunosuppression is not well-established in the management of this rare condition. Patient description We present an 11-year-old boy with hemorrhagic brainstem encephalitis who underwent extensive infectious and autoimmune testing, positive only for human herpesvirus-7 in the cerebrospinal fluid. The patient recovered after treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, high-dose steroids, and plasma exchange. Conclusion This is the first report of hemorrhagic brainstem encephalitis with human herpesvirus-7 in a previously healthy individual, adding to existing reports of late-onset human herpesvirus-7 infection associated with encephalitis in children. It also underscores that aggressive immunosuppression may be used early in the course of this disorder and may be beneficial for recovery.
A New Neo-Pragmatism: From James and Dewey to Foucault

Michel Foucault's thought not only converges with a certain type of pragmatism; it can deepen our understanding of pragmatism. There is an ambivalence in pragmatist thought between an approach that privileges the question of: ”What works?” and ”How does it work?” The former misses the political idea that some practices don't just work, but work for one purpose or another. Foucault's pragmatism does not focus on what works, but instead utilizes the concept of practices as a unit of analysis, and then asks how they work. This reintroduces a political element that sometimes goes missing in pragmatist thought.
Educating Technical Communication Teachers: The Origins, Development, and Present Status of the Course, “Teaching Technical Writing” at Illinois State University

Since the early 1980s, Illinois State University’s English Department has educated numerous technical communication practitioners as well as dozens of teachers of technical communication throughout the United States. Today, the program’s faculty members are nationally recognized for their contributions to scholarship and education and its Ph.D. and M.A. students are sought after to teach in the technical communication programs of other universities. A critical component of this success was the development of the graduate course, Teaching Technical Writing in 1990. This essay situates the development of that course in the history not only of the technical communication program at Illinois State University but in the history of the technical communication field, particularly since 1950. Although the essay focuses on one course in one midsized, Midwestern U.S. University, it is, I believe, exemplary of the development and current status of technical communication pedagogy throughout the U.S.
Effect of microstructural architecture on flow/damage surfaces for metal matrix composites

Abstract Flow/damage surfaces are defined using a thermodynamics basis in terms of stress, inelastic strain rate, and internal variables. The most meaningful definition for viscoplasticity, surfaces of constant dissipation rate, is investigated for a unidirectional silicon carbide/titanium composite system using two micromechanics approaches; finite element analysis of a unit cell and the generalized method of cells. Damage, in terms of fiber/matrix debonding, is accounted for when a tensile interfacial traction is present. Three types of periodic microstructural architectures are considered; rectangular packing, hexagonal packing, and square diagonal packing. The microstructural architecture is observed to influence the shape and location of flow/damage surfaces and becomes more important as the fiber volume fraction increases.
Design of ultra wideband coplanar waveguide fed rectangular slot antenna with tuning stub

A coplanar waveguide fed rectangular slot antenna tuned by a patch stub is designed and presented for ultra wideband band applications. The presented antenna exhibits a small size, a wide impedance bandwidth of 98%, and a 6 dB average gain.
Improved Treatment of Anisotropic Scattering in Radiation Transfer Analysis Using the Finite Volume Method

Discretization of the integral anisotropic-scattering term in the equation of radiative transfer will result in two kinds of numerical errors: alterations in scattered energy and asymmetry factor. Though quadrature flexibility with large angular directions and further solid-angle splitting in the finite volume method (FVM) allow for reduction/minimization of these errors, computational efficiency is adversely impacted. A phase-function normalization technique to get rid of these errors is simpler and is applied to the three-dimensional (3-D) FVM for the first time to improve anisotropic radiation transfer computation accuracy and efficiency. FVM results are compared to Monte Carlo and discrete-ordinates method predictions of radiative heat transfer in a cubic enclosure housing a highly anisotropic participating medium. It is found that the FVM results generated using the normalization technique conform accurately to the results of the other two methods with little impact on computational efficiency.
Linear Logic For Generalized Quantum Mechanics

Quantum logic is static, describing automata having uncertain states but no state transitions and no Heisenberg uncertainty tradeoff. We cast Girard’s linear logic in the role of a dynamic quantum logic, regarded as an extension of quantum logic with time nonstandardly interpreted over a domain of linear automata and their dual linear schedules. In this extension the uncertainty tradeoff emerges via the “structure veil.” When VLSI shrinks to where quantum effects are felt, their computer-aided design systems may benefit from such logics of computational behavior having a strong connection to quantum mechanics.
RNA transcription modulates phase transition-driven nuclear body assembly

Nuclear bodies are RNA and protein-rich, membraneless organelles that play important roles in gene regulation. The largest and most well-known nuclear body is the nucleolus, an organelle whose primary function in ribosome biogenesis makes it key for cell growth and size homeostasis. The nucleolus and other nuclear bodies behave like liquid-phase droplets and appear to condense from the nucleoplasm by concentration-dependent phase separation. However, nucleoli actively consume chemical energy, and it is unclear how such nonequilibrium activity might impact classical liquid-liquid phase separation. Here, we combine in vivo and in vitro experiments with theory and simulation to characterize the assembly and disassembly dynamics of nucleoli in early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. In addition to classical nucleoli that assemble at the transcriptionally active nucleolar organizing regions, we observe dozens of "extranucleolar droplets" (ENDs) that condense in the nucleoplasm in a transcription-independent manner. We show that growth of nucleoli and ENDs is consistent with a first-order phase transition in which late-stage coarsening dynamics are mediated by Brownian coalescence and, to a lesser degree, Ostwald ripening. By manipulating C. elegans cell size, we change nucleolar component concentration and confirm several key model predictions. Our results show that rRNA transcription and other nonequilibrium biological activity can modulate the effective thermodynamic parameters governing nucleolar and END assembly, but do not appear to fundamentally alter the passive phase separation mechanism.
Effects of sputtering atmospheres on magnetic properties of amorphous films of BiFeO3-ZnFe2O4

Abstract Amorphous films of rf sputtered (1–2x)BiFeO3-xZnFe2O4 show a ferromagnetic character when annealed in air at high temperatures due to the formation of ordered clusters. The effects of sputtering parameters on the magnetic properties of such annealed films with x = 0.4 have been studied through static magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance measurements. For samples sputtered in a mixed oxygen—argon atmosphere, the magnetization and the uniaxial anisotropy field are smaller than for films deposited in a pure oxygen atmosphere. One also observes a relatively large ferromagnetic resonance line-width and gyromagnetic ratio for oxygen—argon sputtered samples. The possible presence of magnetically ordered clusters consisting of divalent iron ions in samples deposited in oxygen—argon atmospheres may account for the above observations.
Radiation Oncology in the Core Clinical Medical School Curriculum: An Update on the Oncology Education Initiative

Results: During the 2010 academic year, 155/208 (75%) students were present for the pretest, posttest and lecture, and therefore met the requirements for evaluation. 77 (49%) students were third-years and 78 (51%) students were fourth-years. The average exam score improved from 62% to 70% (p\0.001). All topics (100%) showed improvement in scores with the largest absolute improvement seen in the radiation oncology category, which increased from 57% to 72% (p\0.001). Fourth-year students performed significantly better than their third-year counterparts on the overall average pretest exam scores (64 % v. 60%, p= 0.04), however, there was no significant difference in posttest scores overall. (71% v. 68%, p= 0.11). Interestingly, as the year proceeded, averageexamscoresincreasedamongthird-yearstudentsanddecreasedamongfourth-yearstudents.Reviewingprevious classes, in the 2008 academic year, 137 students had exam score improvements from 59% to 70% ( p= 0.011). In the 2009 academic year, 145 students had exam score improvements from 60% to 71% (p\0.001). With over 400 students since the pre and post test were initiated, we continue to show significant improvements in the scores every year. Conclusions: In the successive years since the inception of the OEI, the addition of radiation oncology didactics continues to show a significant improvement in medical students’ knowledge of the field. Interestingly, it may be more beneficial to complete the radiology clerkship during the third-year, as students seemingly benefit more from the course at that point in their medical career. Radiation oncology didactics should be incorporated into the undergraduate medical curriculum to provide students with exposure to the field and a better understanding of multidisciplinary oncology management.
Physical attractiveness and intelligence.

(1982). Physical Attractiveness and Intelligence. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 118, No. 2, pp. 283-284.
Evaluation of the Accuracy with Which Dry Deposition Can Be Measured with Current Micrometeorological Techniques.

Abstract By reviewing the physics of the processes leading to dry deposition in the atmospheric surface layer, a number of corrections and possible errors in the determination of the dry deposition fluxes are identified. The concept of deposition velocity is examined, its usefulness discussed, and some pitfalls are pointed out. An overview is given of the various micrometeorological methods with which dry deposition can be determined and some of their limitations are indicated. With this background a number of recent publications on dry deposition have been analyzed. It is apparent that in most cases a more complete documentation is needed of the structure of the surface layer and the adjacent planetary boundary layer. Errors related to advection and entrainment are especially difficult or impossible to assess because of inadequate information about the surroundings and the height of the boundary layer.
Meshed skin grafts placed upside down can take if desiccation is prevented.

Background The role of the wet environment in wound healing has been investigated in various studies. The current study explores the role of the wet wound environment in promoting healing of skin grafts. We hypothesized that survival of the skin grafts is not only dependent on the orientation of transplantation, but also on the environment into which the skin is transplanted.
The self‐concept and self‐esteem of early adolescents

(1983). The self‐concept and self‐esteem of early adolescents. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 22, Early Adolescence: A New Look, pp. 91-97.
Robust control of lithographic process in semiconductor manufacturing

In this paper, a stability analysis is conducted for several feedback controllers of photolithography processes. We emphasize the stability of process controllers in the presence of model mismatch, and other uncertainties such as system drift and unknown noise. Real data of critical dimension (CD) in shallow trench isolation area from an Intel manufacturing fab is used for model analysis. The feedbacks studied in this paper include a controller based on an adaptive model, and several controllers based on existing estimation methods such as EWMA, extended EWMA, and d-EWMA. Both theoretical analysis and computer simulations are presented to show the stability of the controlled process under these feedbacks.
Balancing the Rates of New Bone Formation and Polymer Degradation Enhances Healing of Weight-Bearing Allograft/Polyurethane Composites in Rabbit Femoral Defects

There is a compelling clinical need for bone grafts with initial bone-like mechanical properties that actively remodel for repair of weight-bearing bone defects, such as fractures of the tibial plateau and vertebrae. However, there is a paucity of studies investigating remodeling of weight-bearing bone grafts in preclinical models, and consequently there is limited understanding of the mechanisms by which these grafts remodel in vivo. In this study, we investigated the effects of the rates of new bone formation, matrix resorption, and polymer degradation on healing of settable weight-bearing polyurethane/allograft composites in a rabbit femoral condyle defect model. The grafts induced progressive healing in vivo, as evidenced by an increase in new bone formation, as well as a decrease in residual allograft and polymer from 6 to 12 weeks. However, the mismatch between the rates of autocatalytic polymer degradation and zero-order (independent of time) new bone formation resulted in incomplete healing in the interior of the composite. Augmentation of the grafts with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 not only increased the rate of new bone formation, but also altered the degradation mechanism of the polymer to approximate a zero-order process. The consequent matching of the rates of new bone formation and polymer degradation resulted in more extensive healing at later time points in all regions of the graft. These observations underscore the importance of balancing the rates of new bone formation and degradation to promote healing of settable weight-bearing bone grafts that maintain bone-like strength, while actively remodeling.
Patriotism, Attributions for the 9/11 Attacks, and Support for War: Then and Now

College students rated the importance of 10 possible causes of the 9/11 attacks in October 2001 (24 male and 86 female participants) and in October 2005 (53 male and 112 female participants) and completed measures of blind and constructive patriotism. Feelings of threat and perceived responsibility for the attacks and for anti-American hostility were also examined. A principal components analysis of the 10 causes suggested 3 causal categories distinguished by responsibility. The blindly patriotic were less likely to endorse U.S. foreign policy as a cause of the attacks. The 2005 sample was significantly more likely to perceive the United States as partially responsible for the cause of the attacks and for anti-American hostility than was the 2001 sample and they were lower in blind patriotism. A path model indicates that support for the military action in Afghanistan is negatively related to time and positively related to blind patriotism and perceived responsibility of the terrorists.
HEAT TRANSFER IN THIN-FILM WIPED-SURFACE EVAPORATION of MODEL LIQUID FOODS

Experimental product-side heat transfer coefficients were studied in a laboratory scale thin-film wiped-surface (TFWS) evaporator under different rotational speeds, liquid flow rates and temperatures of the heating medium. Experiments were conducted with water, and 10, 30, and 45% sugar solutions in order to simulate the conditions during evaporation of fruit juices. Dimensionless correlations for heat transfer coefficient were established. It was shown that the “equivalent diameter” of the liquid bow wave formed in the front of wiper blade could be used as a characteristic dimension. Magnitudes of unstable and stable modes of evaporator performance were determined and different regimes related to the liquid flow were revealed.
Fate of microinjected genes in preimplantation mouse embryos.

The state of genes microinjected into mouse embryos was followed from the one-cell to the blastocyst stage using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Microinjected DNA was detected in all one-, two-, and four-cell injected embryos and in 44% of morula and 26% of blastocysts. Head-to-tail ligation of microinjected genes, a common feature of stably integrated transgene arrays, was detected in all embryos after injection of microinjected genes and occurred irrespective of the structure at the ends of the injected genes. Sensitivity of microinjected DNA to a methylation-dependent restriction endonuclease Dpn I was lost in all embryos by the two-cell stage (24 hr), indicating a change in DNA methylation, independent of transgene integration. Dissociation of blastomeres prior to compaction revealed a mosaic distribution of the microinjected DNA within the embryo and supports the notion that injected genes form a limited number of arrays, which segregate independently until they integrate into the genome or are degraded. Published 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Non-archimedean strings

Abstract A full set of factorized, dual, crossing-symmetric tree-level N -point amplitudes is constructed for non-archimedean closed strings. Momentum components and space-time coordinates are still valued in the field of real numbers, quantum amplitudes in that of complex numbers. It is the world-sheet parameters, which one integrates over, that become p -adic. For the closed string the parameters are valued in quadratic extensions of the fields Q p of p -adic numbers (p = prime).
On the maximum total sample size of a group sequential test about bivariate binomial proportions

Abstract For testing “univariate” binomial proportions, it has been proven that, under mild conditions, there exist group sequential designs which satisfy the pre-specified Type I error and power of the single-stage design while the sample size is bounded above by that of the single-stage design ( Kepner and Chang, 2003 ). In this article, we extend this result and prove the existence of such group sequential designs for various decision rules in the space of bivariate binomial variables. We also demonstrate how to obtain the actual group sequential designs for detecting changes in bivariate binomial variables.