Thresholds and Tortoises: Modernist Animality in Pirandello's Fiction

The present study provides a posthumanist reading of Pirandello’s fiction, with the aim of highlighting the author’s specifically modernist take on animality. The first half of the chapter illustrates Pirandello’s awareness of a zoological continuum encompassing human and nonhuman beings; particular emphasis is placed on his innovative dialogue with the nineteenth-century tradition (Balzac), as well as on the typically modernist aspects of his posthumanist gaze – e.g. the sense of a “cosmic” detachment from human events, and the strategic use of thresholds (openings and epilogues) to undermine the anthropocentrism inherent to traditional narrative forms. The second half focuses on a specific case study, i.e. the role assigned to the tortoise in the short stories “Paura d’esser felice” and “La tartaruga”. In both texts, the protagonist’s “becoming-tortoise” (Deleuze and Guattari) is instrumental to Pirandello’s modernist critique of anthropocentrism

Biomarker and Clinical Trial Design Support for Disease-Modifying Therapies: Report of a Survey of the EU/US: Alzheimer's Disease Task Force

BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies are urgently needed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The European Union/United States (EU/US) Task Force represents a broad range of stakeholders including biopharma industry personnel, academicians, and regulatory authorities. OBJECTIVES: The EU/US Task Force represents a community of knowledgeable individuals who can inform views of evidence supporting disease modification and the development of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). We queried their attitudes toward clinical trial design and biomarkers in support of DMTs. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIANTS: A survey of members of the EU/US Alzheimer’s Disease Task Force was conducted. Ninety-three members (87%) responded. The details were analyzed to understand what clinical trial design and biomarker data support disease modification. MEASUREMENTS/RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Task Force members favored the parallel group design compared to delayed start or staggered withdrawal clinical trial designs to support disease modification. Amyloid biomarkers were regarded as providing mild support for disease modification while tau biomarkers were regarded as providing moderate support. Combinations of biomarkers, particularly combinations of tau and neurodegeneration, were regarded as providing moderate to marked support for disease modification and combinations of all three classes of biomarkers were regarded by a majority as providing marked support for disease modification. Task Force members considered that evidence derived from clinical trials and biomarkers supports clinical meaningfulness of an intervention, and when combined with a single clinical trial outcome, nearly all regarded the clinical trial design or biomarker evidence as supportive of disease modification. A minority considered biomarker evidence by itself as indicative of disease modification in prevention trials. Levels of evidence (A,B,C) were constructed based on these observations. CONCLUSION: The survey indicates the view of knowledgeable stakeholders regarding evidence derived from clinical trial design and biomarkers in support of disease modification. Results of this survey can assist in designing clinical trials of DMTs

Noise Investigations On MESFETs Transplanted By Epitaxial Lift Off

In this paper we present the results of RF and noise measurements on MESFETs transplanted by epitaxial lift off (ELO). ELO is a technology by which epitaxially grown layers are lifted off from their growth substrate and are subsequently re-attached to a new host substrate. [1,2]. Gate leakage current as well as noise and RF characteristics of MESFETs and GaAs circuits are compared before and after ELO. 1. Introduction ELO is a technology which allows the monolithic integration of incompatible materials such as GaAs and InP. The goal of our project is to build optical access nodes for high speed computer networks. As a first step the RF and noise performance of the transplanted MESFETs needed to be investigated. 2. Process Description GaAs MESFETs were fabricated using the slightly modified D07A foundry process offered by Philips Microwave Limeil, France. In order to make ELO possible a 50 nm thick AlAs layer was grown prior to the device layer growth. A 300 m thick wax layer was de..

Introducing the EUV CNT pellicle

EUV lithography insertion is anticipated at the 7 nm node and below; however, defects added to the mask during use is a lingering concern. Defectivity in the scanner is non-zero and an EUV pellicle membrane to protect the mask for high volume manufacturing power levels does not yet exist. The EUV photons are strongly absorbed by all materials. Sibased membranes leverage the low absorption coefficient k value (k = 0.0018 at 13.5 nm) for reasonable transmission, but poly Si becomes fragile and wrinkles during the high temperatures associated with exposure. An alternate approach to high transmission is deploying very thin or porous layers so that there are fewer atoms to absorb light. For example, carbon nanomaterials have a reasonably low k value (k = 0.0069), but are strong enough to be fabricated in very thin layers. Graphene, graphite, carbon-nanosheets and carbon nanotubes are all candidate carbon nanomaterials for this application, but we focus here on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Our first measurements on CNT films of ~60 nm thick were found to have 96.5% transmission at 13.5 nm. Adding CNT layers also enhanced the strength of a thin SiN membrane significantly. In this paper, critical pellicle metrics will be evaluated in more detail: EUV transmission, bulge test for mechanical strength, emissivity measurements for heat management, and exposure testing in a hydrogen environment