Students in an upper-level thermal physics course were asked to compare quantities related to the First Law of Thermodynamics along with similar mathematical questions devoid of all physical context. We report on a comparison of student responses to physics questions involving interpretation of ideal gas processes on P-V diagrams and to analogous mathematical qualitative questions about the signs of and comparisons between the magnitudes of various integrals. Student performance on individual questions combined with performance on the paired questions shows evidence of isolated understanding of physics and mathematics. Some difficulties are addressed by instruction.

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were deposited onto amorphous silica substrates using an atomic layer deposition process with diethyl zinc (DEZ), trimethyl aluminum (TMA), and deionized water at 200 °C. Three different Al doping sequences were used at a ZnO:Al ratio of 11:1 within the films. A minimum film resistivity of 1.6 × 10−3 Ω cm was produced using sequential dosing of DEZ, TMA, DEZ, followed by H2O for the Al doping step. This “ZAZW” sequence yielded an AZO film resistivity that is independent of film thickness, crystallographic texture, and grain size, as determined by high resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD). A pseudo-Voigt analysis method yields values for grain sizes that are smaller than those calculated using other XRD methods. Anisotropic grain sizes or variations in crystallographic texture have minimal influence on film resistivity, which suggests that factors other than film texture, such as intragrain scattering, may be important in influencing film resistivity.

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with distinct sex-specific pathogenic mechanisms that are poorly understood. Aging, a major independent risk factor of atherosclerosis, correlates with a decline in circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). However, the precise effects of Igf1 on atherosclerosis remain unclear. In the present study, we assessed the essential role of hepatic Igf1, the major source of circulating IGF-1, in atherogenesis. We generated hepatic Igf1-deficient atherosclerosis-prone ApoE null mice (L-Igf1  -/-ApoE  -/-) using the Cre-loxP system driven by the Albumin promoter. Starting at 6 weeks of age, these mice along with littermate controls, separated into male and female groups, were placed on an atherogenic diet for 18-19 weeks. We show that hepatic Igf1-deficiency led to atheroprotection with reduced plaque macrophages in females, without significant effects in males. This protection in atherosclerosis in females was associated with increased subcutaneous adiposity with impaired lipolysis. Moreover, this impaired lipid homeostasis was associated with disrupted adipokine secretion with reduced circulating IL-6 levels. Together, our data show that endogenous hepatic Igf1 plays a sex-specific regulatory role in atherogenesis potentially through athero-promoting effects of adipose tissue-derived IL-6 secretion. These data provide potential novel sex-specific mechanisms in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.