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Tirzepatide is a novel once-week dual GIP/GLP-1 RA agonist approved for T2DM and its role to reduce cardiovascular events remains to be elucidated. The goal of this trial is to assess how tirzepatide affects the progression of atherosclerotic plaque as determined by multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA). This trial is a double blind, randomized, prospective, placebo-controlled multicenter phase IV trial. Participant eligible for the study will be adults with T2DM between 40 and 80 years of age who have HbA1c ≥ 7.0% to ≤ 10.5% and at least 20% stenosis in major epicardial vessel on CCTA. Baseline examination will include the results of their demographics, lab tests, coronary calcium, as well as coronary plaque volume/composition. Following randomization, tirzepatide or placebo will be given at a weekly dose of 2.5 mg, and a fixed dose-escalation strategy will be followed. Patients will undergo quarterly visits for safety assessments and labs, and follow up with repeat CCTA at 1 year. This study evaluates the antiatherogenic potential of tirzepatide, providing a mechanism of potential CV benefit. This is crucial to our understanding of T2DM treatment and CVD since plaque progression portends worse outcomes in these populations. MDCTA is a noninvasive method that assesses the volume, composition, and degree of coronary vessel stenosis. This study will be the first study to assess the effects of tirzepatide on atherosclerotic plaque progression measured by MDCTA in participants with T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of ballistic experiments in granular media in the literature involve horizontally launching projectiles. Notwithstanding the significant scientific findings resulting from these studies, the depth-dependence of geostatic stresses is not captured in a horizontal configuration. The design and performance of a vertical ballistic range is described herein. The range is capable of launching projectiles at impact speeds of up to 900 m/s into soil targets. A pluviator is employed to prepare sand targets with precise and highly repeatable bulk densities. Use of a photon Doppler velocimeter (PDV) and other instrumentation to track projectile velocity both in-flight and during penetration into the soil target are elucidated. A relationship is found between the muzzle velocity and chamber pressure. Launcher performance is quantified by comparing measured muzzle velocities with theoretical velocities calculated from isentropic expansion of gas behind the projectile in the launcher barrel. It is found that the launcher efficiency is in the range of 70 to 90%, with efficiency increasing for heavier projectiles. The PDV instrumentation developed for the range successfully resolves projectile velocities in flight and during penetration into the soil target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how trans school employees redeploy, trouble, challenge, and refuse prevalent discourses about transness and education. Drawing from interviews with 100 school workers in Canada and the United States, we employ Coleman’s (2023) concept of ‘narrative repair’ to consider participants’ responses to an interview question asking what they would like the public to know about their workplace experiences. We show that workers in our study primarily drew from four overarching narratives about the relationship between their transness and their work in schools: 1) trans school workers face increased difficulty; 2) trans school workers have unique strengths; 3) trans school workers are no different from other school workers; and 4) the experiences of trans school workers defy narrativization. Our findings deepen understandings of how broader cultural discourses influence how teachers narrativize their professional experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need for substantial improvements in the quality and quantity of financing for the Global South to achieve ambitious global climate targets set during COP28. Financial challenges in the Global South include limited fiscal space, high interest rates for renewable energy investments, and growing debt levels. Various studies estimate that developing countries may require $1-1.5 trillion annually in grant-equivalent terms to address mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage related to climate change. The article emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between mobilization and provision of finance and highlights the need for international support to address climate change effectively. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: Military training centers and seagoing vessels are often environments at high risk for the spread of COVID-19 and other contagious diseases, because military trainees and personnel arrive after traveling from many parts of the country and live in congregate settings. We examined whether levels of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in wastewater correlated with SARS-CoV-2 infections among military personnel living in communal barracks and vessels at US Coast Guard training centers in the United States. Methods: The Coast Guard developed and established 3 laboratories with wastewater testing capability at Coast Guard training centers from March 2021 through August 2022. We analyzed wastewater from barracks housing trainees and from 4 Coast Guard vessels for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genes N and E and quantified the results relative to levels of a fecal indicator virus, pepper mild mottle virus. We compared quantified data with the timing of medically diagnosed COVID-19 infection among (1) military personnel who had presented with symptoms or had been discovered through contact tracing and had medical tests and (2) military personnel who had been discovered through routine surveillance by positive SARS-CoV-2 antigen or polymerase chain reaction test results. Results: Levels of viral genes in wastewater at Coast Guard locations were best correlated with diagnosed COVID-19 cases when wastewater testing was performed twice weekly with passive samplers deployed for the entire week; such testing detected ≥1 COVID-19 case 69.8% of the time and ≥3 cases 88.3% of the time. Wastewater assessment in vessels did not continue because of logistical constraints. Conclusion: Wastewater testing is an effective tool for measuring the presence and patterns of SARS-CoV-2 infections among military populations. Success with wastewater testing for SARS-CoV-2 infections suggests that other diseases may be assessed with similar approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in particle granulometry could lead to significant changes in a soil's behavior, making an understanding of micro-scale granulometry essential for practical applications. Changes in particle size, shape, and particle size distribution could result from a combination of applied normal and shearing stresses, which can in turn influence further response of the material. This study explored particle breakage during both compressive and shear loading under typical stresses. A deeper understanding of the phenomenon requires distinguishing broken and unbroken grains at the particle scale. Dynamic Image Analysis (DIA) was therefore employed to quantify changes in particle granulometry in two sands, a siliceous Ottawa sand and a calcareous sand known as Fiji Pink. Pre-sorted specimens having similar size, granulometry, and particle size distributions were tested using both oedometric and direct shear tests having the same aspect ratio, facilitating a direct comparison of the effects of shearing and compression on similar materials having different mineralogy. A breakage index was used for prognosis of particle breakage at key reference diameters. During oedometric tests, grain breakage was limited in both sands at stresses up to 1.2 MPa, but it increased significantly during direct shear tests. A conceptual model was proposed to explain the particle breakage mechanism during shear, at four key phase points representing (1) maximum compaction, (2) transition from compaction to dilative behavior, (3) maximum shear stress, and (4) peak test strain. In addition, a loading intensity framework was adopted to explain the relative roles of normal and shearing stresses on particle breakage. An increase of fines in soil during shearing was also observed and related to two sources: coarser grain abrasion and finer particle crushing. The vulnerability of grains with more anisotropic shapes was also observed. The loading intensity framework suggested that attrition of particle diameter could be divided into two phases, with a transitional critical loading intensity that appeared constant for each sand. For Ottawa sand, abrasion was the primary mechanism observed, causing a significant increase in Aspect Ratio (AR) and Sphericity (S) for finer grains. For Fiji sand, a transition from abrasion to attrition was noted, leading to limited sphericity decrease for the largest particles. Finer particles cushioning larger Fiji sand particles are more prone to breakage, resulting in increased AR and S. Finally, test results were used to propose a simple hyperbolic model to predict evolution of the particle size distribution during shear, for sands. The model was also verified using published data on grain evolution during shear of a different sand, not employed in its development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State transitions are an acclimatory response by which plants, algae, and cyanobacteria counteract photosynthetic inefficiency caused by changes in incident light quality. In plants and green algae, state transition 7 (STN7/STT7) kinase promotes state 2 transition. Conserved cysteine residues are implicated in STN7/STT7 regulation, but the precise nature of their involvement remains unclear. Here, an analysis of the STN7 thiols in vitro and a determination of their midpoint redox potential indicate that the lumenal disulfide linkage is unlikely to be redox regulated while the stromal cysteines form a regulatory intramolecular disulfide. We further show that thioredoxin f1 (Trx‐f1) reduces the STN7 stromal disulfide linkage as consistent with a Trx‐f1‐mediated inhibition of the kinase under high light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency stability of a laser locked to an optical reference cavity is fundamentally limited by thermal noise in the cavity length. These fluctuations are linked to material dissipation, which depends on both the temperature of the optical components and the material properties. Here, the design and experimental characterization of a sapphire optical cavity operated at 10 K with crystalline coatings at 1069 nm is presented. Theoretical estimates of the thermo-mechanical noise indicate a thermal noise floor below 4.5 × 10−18. Major technical noise contributions including vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and residual amplitude modulation are characterized in detail. The short-term performance is measured via a three-cornered hat analysis with two other cavity-stabilized lasers, yielding a noise floor of 1 × 10−16. The long-term performance is measured against an optical lattice clock, indicating cavity stability at the level of 2 × 10−15 for averaging times up to 10 000 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the access that interest groups secure to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). It examines whether and how interest group access is influenced by the socio-demographic characteristics of lobbying teams and politicians, including gender and national origin. Guided by similarity attraction theory, the study hypothesises that interest groups staffed by lobbyists from underprivileged socio-demographic backgrounds (i.e., women, Central and Eastern European, or non-EU origin) are less likely to secure access to MEPs. However, it suggests that MEPs from similar backgrounds are less susceptible to such biases. To test these expectations, the study utilises a combination of door pass data to the European Parliament, reported meetings on the European Parliament's website, and desk research. The results show that lobbying teams with a balanced gender composition are more likely to secure access to MEPs, and that similarities in gender and national origin facilitate interactions between MEPs and lobbying teams. The study offers valuable insights into the inclusiveness and socio-demographic biases within EU public affairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is dedicated to the up-to-date educational problem, that is, the role of local lore in teaching EFL to University students. Although many educators admit that local lore knowledge plays a great role in the development of a well-bred and well-educated personality and meets students' needs, the problem has not been thoroughly studied. Local lore can also serve as a unique source for implementing various teaching techniques, in particular a project method. In this study a project-based teaching technique was exploited, which allowed to implement the individual approach to the education of students. The materials used in this research are taken from the copyright methodical textbook "Local Lore in EFL Class". Drawing on literature of teaching and learning EFL as well as personal teaching and learning experience, the authors present the authentic model of teaching local lore in EFL class on the basis of the project-based teaching technique. The paper discusses issues and practices of the studied topic and offers general recommendations for University faculty. These materials can also be used in teaching practice of pre-service teachers.

The aim of this article is to disclose features of scientific explanation in teaching of chemistry in the environment of new information of school students' developmental education. The leading approach to the study of this problem is the information and environmental approach that comprehensively address the problem of scientific explanation in the teaching of chemistry, to identify its characteristics and its role in the didactic system of developing training. In the article the concept of "informational-educational environment" and "personal information culture," identified the main function as the primary explanation of the procedure of scientific thinking in the teaching of chemistry. The features of scientific explanation in teaching chemistry in the new educational environment due to six types of relationships induction and deduction in explaining chemical phenomena, theories and laws. The choice of the ratio of induction and deduction affect the chemical nature of the studied object, the problem of knowing the object, the logical links between the structure of the object and the structure used to explain knowledge. It was found that the role of scientific explanation in the didactic system of developing education in the new information environment is the development of students forming their scientific outlook, logical thinking and culture of information activities.

In this paper, two scholars (one retiring, one emerging) consider what it means for LGBTQ teachers to 'come out' in the classroom. Drawing from our respective studies (one a study of 18 lesbian teachers conducted in the early 1980s, the other a study of 16 gender non-binary teachers in 2018), the intervening literature, and our own personal experiences, we reflect on the changing meaning of 'coming out' over time. To consider the shifting personal and pedagogical stakes that classroom disclosures of queerness or transness evoke, we revisit an essay from several decades ago on the topic of coming out in class.

Chromosomal inversions are widely thought to be favored by natural selection because they suppress recombination between alleles that have higher fitness on the same genetic background or in similar environments. Nonetheless, few selected alleles have been characterized at the molecular level. Gene expression profiling provides a powerful way to identify functionally important variation associated with inversions and suggests candidate phenotypes. However, altered genome structure itself might also impact gene expression by influencing expression profiles of the genes proximal to inversion breakpoint regions or by modifying expression patterns genome-wide due to rearranging large regulatory domains. In natural inversions, genetic differentiation and genome structure are inextricably linked. Here, we characterize differential expression patterns associated with two chromosomal inversions found in natural Drosophila melanogaster populations. To isolate the impacts of genome structure, we engineered synthetic chromosomal inversions on controlled genetic backgrounds with breakpoints that closely match each natural inversion. We find that synthetic inversions have negligible effects on gene expression. Nonetheless, natural inversions have broad-reaching regulatory impacts in cis and trans Furthermore, we find that differentially expressed genes associated with both natural inversions are enriched for loci associated with immune response to bacterial pathogens. Our results support the idea that inversions in D. melanogaster experience natural selection to maintain associations between functionally related alleles to produce complex phenotypic outcomes.

Background:   HyperXite is an undergraduate senior design team at the University of California, Irvine competing in the SpaceX Hyperloop Competition III in the Summer of 2018. Our pod will be a 1:2 scale hyperloop pod utilizing an electric motor, eddy current brakes, and a distributed control system to accelerate through a 1-mile vacuum tube reaching a maximum speed of over 300 MPH. Our ongoing goal is to educate and train our members in advanced analysis, design, and manufacturing methods and to collaborate with industry partners and students from many engineering disciplines. Website: hyperxite.com