What’s in a Word? Can “Marriage” Mean Something It Never Meant Before?

In the article I explore the clash of the two disciplines—lexicography and law—when courts and legislatures invoke lexicography to address and solve legal issues that are driven by societal concerns. I address, specifically, the marriage debate. I describe the process of dictionary making and some of the basic tenets of lexicography, and the historical role of lexicography in law. I point out what I perceive as misunderstandings, in judicial opinions and scholarly articles, on the subject of lexicography. I discuss how words gain new meanings (and how they do not) and how, when, and by whom their definitions are changed. Next, I argue that any attempt to establish a meaning of marriage in a legal context when societal goals are invoked (such as “protecting marriage”) should dispense altogether with the dictionary as support. I point to the inherent conflicts in the current discussion on “defining (or redefining) marriage”—the meaning of the word versus the meaning of the institution; legal definitions versus lay definitions—and address the question of how and by whom “marriage” can be defined/redefined. Toward this end, I look at statutes (and some legislative histories) and court decisions, with a short trek into the land of policy and tradition via Bowers, Loving, Baehr and DOMA, and I critique the handling of defining marriage in law review articles. I identify valid, helpful, and useful approaches and measures taken by courts and legislatures. In sum, while I do not embark on any sort of analysis of the constitutionality or lack thereof of the legislation and rulings, I believe I do provide food for thought on what I perceive as circular, illogical, or misplaced use of the dictionary

Gate Coupling to Nanoscale Electronics

The realization of single-molecule electronic devices, in which a nanometer-scale molecule is connected to macroscopic leads, requires the reproducible production of highly ordered nanoscale gaps in which a molecule of interest is electrostatically coupled to nearby gate electrodes. Understanding how the molecule-gate coupling depends on key parameters is crucial for the development of high-performance devices. Here we directly address this, presenting two- and three-dimensional finite-element electrostatic simulations of the electrode geometries formed using emerging fabrication techniques. We quantify the gate coupling intrinsic to these devices, exploring the roles of parameters believed to be relevant to such devices. These include the thickness and nature of the dielectric used, and the gate screening due to different device geometries. On the single-molecule (~1nm) scale, we find that device geometry plays a greater role in the gate coupling than the dielectric constant or the thickness of the insulator. Compared to the typical uniform nanogap electrode geometry envisioned, we find that non-uniform tapered electrodes yield a significant three orders of magnitude improvement in gate coupling. We also find that in the tapered geometry the polarizability of a molecular channel works to enhance the gate coupling

Radiomics in cervical and endometrial cancer

Radiomics is an emerging field of research that aims to find associations between quantitative information extracted from imaging examinations and clinical data to support the best clinical decision. In the last few years, some papers have been evaluating the role of radiomics in gynecological malignancies, mainly focusing on ovarian cancer. Nonetheless, cervical cancer is the most frequent gynecological malignancy in developing countries and endometrial cancer is the most common in western countries, The purpose of this narrative review is to give an overview of the latest published papers evaluating the role of radiomics in cervical and endometrial cancer, mostly evaluating association with tumor prognostic factors, with response to therapy and with prediction of recurrence and distant metastasis

All supersymmetric solutions of minimal supergravity in five dimensions

All purely bosonic supersymmetric solutions of minimal supergravity in five dimensions are classified. The solutions preserve either one half or all of the supersymmetry. Explicit examples of new solutions are given, including a large family of plane-fronted waves and a maximally supersymmetric analogue of the G\"odel universe which lifts to a solution of eleven dimensional supergravity that preserves 20 supersymmetries.Comment: 63 pages; substantial additions to the analysis of maximally supersymmetric solutions. Typos corrected and references adde

M-Theory solutions with AdS factors

Solutions of D=7 maximal gauged supergravity are constructed with metrics that are a product of a n-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS) space, with n=2,3,4,5, and certain Einstein manifolds. The gauge fields have the same form as in the recently constructed solutions describing the near-horizon limits of M5-branes wrapping supersymmetric cycles. The new solutions do not preserve any supersymmetry and can be uplifted to obtain new solutions of D=11 supergravity, which are warped and twisted products of the D=7 metric with a squashed four-sphere. Some aspects of the stability of the solutions are discussed.Comment: 30 pages. References adde

Creatine supplementation post-exercise does not enhance training-induced adaptations in middle to older aged males

PURPOSE: The present study evaluated the effects of creatine monohydrate (CrM) consumption post-exercise on body composition and muscle strength in middle to older males following a 12-week resistance training program. METHODS: In a double-blind, randomized trial, 20 males aged between 55 and 70 years were randomly assigned to consume either CrM-carbohydrate (CHO) [20 g days(−1) CrM + 5 g days(−1) CHO × 7 days, then 0.1 g kg(−1) CrM + 5 g CHO on training days (average dosage of ~8.8 g)] or placebo CHO (20 g days(−1) CHO × 7 days, then 5 g CHO on training days) while participating in a high intensity resistance training program [3 sets × 10 repetitions at 75 % of 1 repetition maximum (1RM)], 3 days weeks(−1) for 12 weeks. Following the initial 7-day “loading” phase, participants were instructed to ingest their supplement within 60 min post-exercise. Body composition and muscle strength measurements, blood collection and vastus lateralis muscle biopsy were completed at 0, 4, 8 and 12 weeks of the supplement and resistance training program. RESULTS: A significant time effect was observed for 1RM bench press (p = 0.016), leg press (p = 0.012), body mass (p = 0.03), fat-free mass (p = 0.005) and total myofibrillar protein (p = 0.005). A trend for larger muscle fiber cross-sectional area in the type II fibers compared to type I fibers was observed following the 12-week resistance training (p = 0.08). No supplement interaction effects were observed. CONCLUSION: Post-exercise ingestion of creatine monohydrate does not provide greater enhancement of body composition and muscle strength compared to resistance training alone in middle to older males

Lujo Margetić, "Srednjovjekovno hrvatsko pravo. Stvarna prava", Zagreb-Rijeka-Čakovec 1983.

Introduction: β-alanine (BAl) and NaHCO 3 (SB) ingestion may provide performance benefits by enhancing concentrations of their respective physiochemical buffer counterparts, muscle carnosine and blood bicarbonate, counteracting acidosis during intense exercise. This study examined the effect of BAl and SB co-supplementation as an ergogenic strategy during high-intensity exercise. Methods: Eight healthy males ingested either BAl (4.8 g day -1 for 4 weeks, increased to 6.4 g day -1 for 2 weeks) or placebo (Pl) (CaCO 3 ) for 6 weeks, in a crossover design (6-week washout between supplements). After each chronic supplementation period participants performed two trials, each consisting of two intense exercise tests performed over consecutive days. Trials were separated by 1 week and consisted of a repeated sprint ability (RSA) test and cycling capacity test at 110 % Wmax (CCT 110 % ). Placebo (Pl) or SB (300 mg kgbw -1 ) was ingested prior to exercise in a crossover design to creating four supplement conditions (BAl-Pl, BAl-SB, Pl-Pl, Pl-SB). Results: Carnosine increased in the gastrocnemius (n = 5) (p = 0.03) and soleus (n = 5) (p = 0.02) following BAl supplementation, and Pl-SB and BAl-SB ingestion elevated blood HCO 3 - concentrations (p < 0.01). Although buffering capacity was elevated following both BAl and SB ingestion, performance improvement was only observed with BAl-Pl and BAl-SB increasing time to exhaustion of the CCT 110 % test 14 and 16 %, respectively, compared to Pl-Pl (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Supplementation of BAl and SB elevated buffering potential by increasing muscle carnosine and blood bicarbonate levels, respectively. BAl ingestion improved performance during the CCT 110 % , with no aggregating effect of SB supplementation (p > 0.05). Performance was not different between treatments during the RSA test. © 2014 The Author(s)