On the progressive hardening of the cosmic-ray proton spectrum in the inner Galaxy

Spatial variations of the average properties that characterize the hadronic component of the diffuse Galactic cosmic-ray sea, in particular the spectral slope and normalization, may unveil critical information about their confinement mechanism in the Galaxy. In the first part of this paper we perform an analysis of the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray data with the SkyFACT package, which combines image reconstruction techniques with standard template fitting, isolate the hadronic emission and decompose it into Galactocentric rings. We find a significant hardening of the hadronic spectral index towards the molecular ring. We study this hardening in different energy ranges, and assess its resilience with respect to different prescriptions in the analysis setup. In the second part we quantify the contribution to the diffuse gamma-ray flux coming from unresolved point sources with a dedicated Monte Carlo simulation, and consider whether the trend characterized in the first part can be mimicked by a progressively more relevant flux associated to this component in the inner Galaxy. We find that the observed hardening of the hadronic spectral index cannot be due to unresolved sources in the sub-TeV energy range, especially outside the molecular ring, given reasonable assumptions about the unresolved source population.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figure

Struggling learners of mathematics: An investigation of their learning through reform-based instruction

The purpose of this study was to explore mathematics instruction which implements reform-based problems within a traditionally taught classroom and its effect on struggling learners of mathematics. The reform-based problems implemented during the course of this study dealt with area and perimeter concepts at the fifth grade level. For this study, struggling learners of mathematics were defined as students scoring below the 40th percentile on the mathematics subtests of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The regular classroom teacher taught all lessons during the unit of instruction, while the researcher collected data from students using multiple methods: pretests and posttests, task-based interviews, standardized test scores, classroom observations, and pre and post attitude surveys. Through the pretest and posttests given during the course of this study, the researcher found evidence which connects reading comprehension to mathematical understanding. Students identified as struggling learners of mathematics were more likely to accurately calculate area and perimeter when the dimensions were given as numerals rather than words. Results from this research study show an increase in the struggling learners\u27 understanding of area and perimeter concepts when applied to problem-solving situations. The researcher conducted 10 observations of the fifth grade mathematics classroom. Through these observations, the researcher found the regular classroom teacher conducted mathematics instruction in a similar structure whether using the reform-based problems or a traditional lesson. The classroom teacher was deliberate in organizing each day\u27s instructional time beginning with a review of basic mathematics skills, whole-class discussion of problems and tasks, and individual work or small group exploration. The structure of instructional time, aligned with clear and consistent student expectations gave struggling learners of mathematics opportunities to be successful in learning the concepts of area and perimeter

Gender and gender identity as predictors of perceived sexual and emotional needs of child sexual abuse perpetrators

This study investigated gender and gender identity as predictors of child sexual abusers\u27 perceived sexual and emotional need fulfillment in adult partnerships. The overall sample of 75 male, and 38 female, perpetrators of child sexual abuse was obtained as part of a larger study including perpetrators and nonperpetrators of both genders;For gender, the results showed both perceived sexual need and perceived emotional need to be significantly greater for the women than for the men. This contradicts the predicted relationship between gender and perceived sexual need and supports the hypothesized effect of gender on perceived emotional need;The Masculinity and Femininity scales of the Short Form Bem Sex Role Inventory were used to operationalize gender identity. Perceived sexual and emotional needs were measured using a short form of the Partner Relationship Inventory;For gender identity, no significant effects were found. Independent variables considered were masculinity, femininity, and a cross-classification of high and low levels of these dimensions into gender identity types. The mean sexual need scores of the androgynous (high masculinity/high femininity) females were significantly higher than those of the androgynous males. The androgynous females averaged significantly higher emotional need scores than did males in all of the gender identity types. Mean emotional need scores of the undifferentiated (low masculinity/low femininity) females were also higher than those of males in all of the gender identity types, and these differences were significant or marginally significant. All significant or nearly significant effects remained when statistical controls for age and income were introduced;Implications of the findings for theory, research, and practice are discussed

Die Langeweile umarmen

[no abstract available

Interview mit Deniz Utlu im Rahmen von LiteraTour Nord 2024

[no abstract available

Interview mit Gianna Molinari im Rahmen von LiteraTour Nord 2024

[no abstract available

Interview mit Milena Michiko Flašar im Rahmen von LiteraTour Nord 2024

[no abstract available

Decentralized Optimization of Vehicle Route Planning - A Cross-City Comparative Study

The introduction of connected and autonomous vehicles enables new possibilities in vehicle routing: Knowing the origin and destination of each vehicle in the network can allow for coordinated real-time routing of the vehicles to optimize network performance. However, this relies on individual vehicles being altruistic i.e., willing to accept alternative less-preferred routes. We conduct a study to compare different levels of agent altruism in decentralized vehicles coordination and the effect on the network-level traffic performance. This work introduces novel load-balancing scenarios of traffic flow in real-world cities for varied levels of agent altruism. We show evidence that the new decentralized optimization router is more effective with networks of high load

Convalescent plasma in a patient with protracted COVID-19 and secondary hypogammaglobulinemia due to chronic lymphocytic leukemia: buying time to develop immunity?

It is not exactly clear yet which type of immune response prevails to accomplish viral clearance in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Studying a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and hypogammaglobulinemia who suffered from COVID-19 provided insight in the immunological responses after treatment with COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP). Treatment consisted of oxygen, repeated glucocorticosteroids and multiple dosages of CCP guided by antibody levels. Retrospectively performed humoral and cellular immunity analysis made clear that not every serological test for COVID-19 is appropriate for follow-up of sufficient neutralizing antibodies after CCP. In retrospect, we think that CCP merely bought time for this patient to develop an adequate cell immune response which led to viral clearance and ultimately clinical recovery.Immunobiology of allogeneic stem cell transplantation and immunotherapy of hematological disease