Spin-Peierls transition in NaV2O5 in high magnetic fields

We investigate the magnetic field dependence of the spin-Peierls transition in NaV$_2$O$_5$ in the field range 16T-30T. The transition temperature exhibits a very weak variation with the field, suggesting a novel mechanism for the formation of the spin-Peierls state. We argue that a charge ordering transition accompanied by singlet formation is consistent with our observations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, final version to appear in Phys. Rev. B (RC

Fermi Surface Measurements on the Low Carrier Density Ferromagnet Ca1-xLaxB6 and SrB6

Recently it has been discovered that weak ferromagnetism of a dilute 3D electron gas develops on the energy scale of the Fermi temperature in some of the hexaborides; that is, the Curie temperature approximately equals the Fermi temperature. We report the results of de Haas-van Alphen experiments on two concentrations of La-doped CaB6 as well as Ca-deficient Ca1-dB6 and Sr-deficient Sr1-dB6. The results show that a Fermi surface exists in each case and that there are significant electron-electron interactions in the low density electron gas.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR

Doctoral Student Perspectives on Motivation and Persistence: Eye-Opening Insights Into the Ideas and Thoughts That Today\u27s Doctoral Students Have About Finishing the Doctoral Degree

It all comes down to this: we have an amazing team of faculty working with us who are present, supportive, intelligent, and motivated to help us succeed. They designed this program with those objectives in mind. We are in good hands, and any questions we have will be answered, so long as we ask them. Having the support system of our faculty, along with the tools we need to be successful, are major parts of the battle, already won. The rest is up to us. - A. Brooke Boultonhttps://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddbooks/1000/thumbnail.jp

Inspiring and Aspiring Educators: An Intersection of Historic and Current Education Landscapes

The book Inspiring and Aspiring Educators: An Intersection of Historic and Current Education Landscapes is a collection of graduate student writings from the 2021 summer Education Doctorate Residency at Winona State University.https://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddbooks/1002/thumbnail.jp

Systemic Biomarkers of Neutrophilic Inflammation, Tissue Injury and Repair in COPD Patients with Differing Levels of Disease Severity

The identification and validation of biomarkers to support the assessment of novel therapeutics for COPD continues to be an important area of research. The aim of the current study was to identify systemic protein biomarkers correlated with measures of COPD severity, as well as specific protein signatures associated with comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome. 142 protein analytes were measured in serum of 140 patients with stable COPD, 15 smokers without COPD and 30 non-smoking controls. Seven analytes (sRAGE, EN-RAGE, NGAL, Fibrinogen, MPO, TGF-α and HB-EGF) showed significant differences between severe/very severe COPD, mild/moderate COPD, smoking and non-smoking control groups. Within the COPD subjects, univariate and multivariate analyses identified analytes significantly associated with FEV1, FEV1/FVC and DLCO. Most notably, a set of 5 analytes (HB-EGF, Fibrinogen, MCP-4, sRAGE and Sortilin) predicted 21% of the variability in DLCO values. To determine common functions/pathways, analytes were clustered in a correlation network by similarity of expression profile. While analytes related to neutrophil function (EN-RAGE, NGAL, MPO) grouped together to form a cluster associated with FEV1 related parameters, analytes related to the EGFR pathway (HB-EGF, TGF-α) formed another cluster associated with both DLCO and FEV1 related parameters. Associations of Fibrinogen with DLCO and MPO with FEV1/FVC were stronger in patients without metabolic syndrome (r  =  −0.52, p  = 0.005 and r  =  −0.61, p  = 0.023, respectively) compared to patients with coexisting metabolic syndrome (r  =  −0.25, p  = 0.47 and r  =  −0.15, p  = 0.96, respectively), and may be driving overall associations in the general cohort. In summary, our study has identified known and novel serum protein biomarkers and has demonstrated specific associations with COPD disease severity, FEV1, FEV1/FVC and DLCO. These data highlight systemic inflammatory pathways, neutrophil activation and epithelial tissue injury/repair processes as key pathways associated with COPD

Brasileiro gosta de "muvuca"?: impacto da densidade humana no comportamento de compra

This study investigated how the changes in human density in stores affect the consumers’ perception of crowding and satisfaction. Two experiments were conducted to test how shoppers behave in different levels of store crowding, moderated by the variables: familiarity, acumen towards the store aesthetics, and consumers’ income. The moderation tests indicated that while higher familiarity reduces the negative responses to crowding, higher levels of aesthetic acumen have an opposite effect. The results indicated non-significant differences in consumers’ responses between the low and medium stores human density levels, but showed a substantial increase of negative responses between the medium and high density level. The results indicated non-significant differences between lower and upper income responses. This paper brings not only managerial suggestions, but offers a significant contribution to a better understanding and integration of conceptual frameworks about the crowding phenomenon, and suggests many avenues for further investigation

Harnessing the tumor microenvironment: targeted cancer therapies through modulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is integral to cancer progression, impacting metastasis and treatment response. It consists of diverse cell types, extracellular matrix components, and signaling molecules that interact to promote tumor growth and therapeutic resistance. Elucidating the intricate interactions between cancer cells and the TME is crucial in understanding cancer progression and therapeutic challenges. A critical process induced by TME signaling is the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), wherein epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal traits, which enhance their motility and invasiveness and promote metastasis and cancer progression. By targeting various components of the TME, novel investigational strategies aim to disrupt the TME’s contribution to the EMT, thereby improving treatment efficacy, addressing therapeutic resistance, and offering a nuanced approach to cancer therapy. This review scrutinizes the key players in the TME and the TME's contribution to the EMT, emphasizing avenues to therapeutically disrupt the interactions between the various TME components. Moreover, the article discusses the TME’s implications for resistance mechanisms and highlights the current therapeutic strategies toward TME modulation along with potential caveats

Participative Leadership and Organizational Identification in SMEs in the MENA Region: Testing the Roles of CSR Perceptions and Pride in Membership

The aim of this research is to explore the process linking participative leadership to organizational identification. The study examines the relationship between participative leadership and internal CSR perceptions of employees and also investigates the role that pride in membership plays in the affiliation of CSR perceptions with organizational identification. By studying these relationships, the paper aspires to contemplate new presumed mediators in the association of participative leadership with organizational identification as well as determine a possible novel antecedent of employee CSR perceptions. Empirical evidence is provided from data that was collected through a survey distributed to employees working for small- and medium-sized enterprises in three countries in the Middle East and North Africa regions, particularly the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Tunisia. Findings show that participative leadership leads to positive internal CSR perceptions of employees and that these CSR perceptions lead to pride in membership which, in turn, results in organizational identification. Implications of these findings are also discussed