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Abstract. Measurements of multiple cosmogenic nuclides in a single sample are valuable for various applications of cosmogenic nuclide exposure dating and allow for correcting exposure ages for surface weathering and erosion and establishing exposure–burial history. Here we provide advances in the measurement of cosmogenic 10Be in pyroxene and constraints on the production rate that provide new opportunities for measurements of multi-nuclide systems, such as 10Be/3He, in pyroxene-bearing samples. We extracted and measured cosmogenic 10Be in pyroxene from two sets of Ferrar Dolerite samples collected from the Transantarctic Mountains in Antarctica. One set of samples has 10Be concentrations close to saturation, which allows for the production rate calibration of 10Be in pyroxene by assuming production–decay equilibrium. The other set of samples, which has a more recent exposure history, is used to determine if a rapid fusion method can be successfully applied to samples with Holocene to Last Glacial Maximum exposure ages. From measured 10Be concentrations in the near-saturation sample set we find the production rate of 10Be in pyroxene to be 3.74 ± 0.10 atoms g−1 yr−1, which is consistent with 10Be/3He paired nuclide ratios from samples assumed to have simple exposure. Given the high 10Be concentration measured in this sample set, a sample mass of ∼ 0.5 g of pyroxene is sufficient for the extraction of cosmogenic 10Be from pyroxene using a rapid fusion method. However, for the set of samples that have low 10Be concentrations, measured concentrations were higher than expected. We attribute spuriously high 10Be concentrations to failure in removing all meteoric 10Be and/or a highly variable and poorly quantified procedural blank background correction.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available August 15, 2025
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The emerging field of quartz luminescence properties in Earth-surface processes research shows promise, with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) sensitivity proposed as a valuable tool for provenance or sediment history tracing. However, the geologic processes that lead to quartz sensitization remain under investigation. Here we study the impact of source rock and surface processes on the luminescence properties of quartz sand from bedrock and modern and Late Pleistocene alluvium generated from a mountainous catchment in northern Utah, USA. Continuous wave and linear modulated OSL are used to characterize the luminescence sensitivity and intensity of the fast-decay component. We compare the OSL sensitivity with sand-grain provenance and with proxies for surface processes such as topographic metrics, cosmogenic 10Be-derived erosion rates, chemical weathering indices, and magnetic susceptibility. Late Pleistocene sediment has low OSL sensitivity and a weak fast-decay component, similar to bedrock samples from the source area. In contrast, modern alluvium is dominated by the fast-decay component and has higher and more variable OSL sensitivity, with no clear relationship to bedrock sources in their prospective catchment areas. There is, however, an inverse relationship between OSL sensitivity and catchment-averaged erosion rates and a positive relationship with chemical weathering indices and magnetic susceptibility. These metrics suggest that the modern alluvium has experienced increased residence time in the shallow critical zone compared to the Late Pleistocene sediments. We suggest that changes in hillslope processes between the effectively wetter, cooler Pleistocene and the dryer, warmer conditions of the Holocene modulated the luminescence properties. The results suggest that climatic controls on rates and processes of chemical and mechanical weathering and sediment transport and residence within the critical zone are encoded in the luminescence properties of quartz sand.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available October 1, 2025
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Rapid sediment accumulation rates (SAR) in a fan delta situated on the rapidly uplifting footwall of the Taormina normal fault in NE Sicily preserves a rare record of earthquakes and base level change for a tightly coupled source to sink system. We use this sedimentary archive to reconstruct the kinematics and slip history of the fault and further an understanding of how tectonic forcing across various scales are encoded in stratigraphy. A revised luminescence-based age model indicates that ~82 m of the Pagliara fan-delta foreset facies was deposited in ~11 ka at a mean SAR of ~0.74 cm/yr during MIS 7. Syn-depositional terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) determined paleoerosion rates of 0.91±0.12 mm/yr and 1.31 ±0.61 mm/yr are similar to published modern erosion rates for the Pagliara basin of 0.97 ±0.11 mm/yr. At the stratigraphic scale, a time series of magnetic susceptibility (c) sampled at 1 m intervals in the foresets displays four ~2,800 yr / 20 m-thick cycles of growing c, bounded by sharp decreases that do not coincide with changes in sediment texture. The c of the low-grade metamorphic bedrock in the source is 20-100 times weaker than the c of rubified soils mantling the hillslopes, which is comparable to the c of the delta sediments. We propose that large, bedrock-cored landslides quasi-periodically deliver weak c sediment to the delta that dilutes a c signal otherwise dominated by the stripping of soil-mantled hillslopes. We propose that centennial-scale recurrence interval earthquakes are most capable at triggering a basin-scale landslide only after channel incision has increased relief of hillslopes to the threshold condition, which requires millennia to achieve. At the landscape scale of delta geometry and location, the Pagliara delta accumulated in a hanging wall basin that has since been inverted. We reconstruct the history of base level fall for the delta from an inversion of fluvial topography and apportion that record to its rock uplift, delta deposition, and eustatic components. We show that footwall uplift has been unsteady over the past 600 ka ranging from -1 to 3 mm/yr. The integration of our stratigraphic- and landscape scale observations furthers our understanding of the natural hazards related to normal fault earthquakes and their impact on sediment dynamics in this steep, active tectonic setting.more » « less
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Abstract. To understand the erosivity of the eastern portion of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and the isotopic characteristics of the sediment it transported, we sampled buried sand from deglacial features (eskers and deltas) across eastern Canada (n = 10), a landscape repeatedly covered by the Quebec-Labrador Ice Dome. We measured concentrations of 10Be and 26Al in quartz isolated from the sediment and, after correcting for sub-surface cosmic-ray exposure after Holocene deglaciation, used these results to determine nuclide concentrations at the time the ice sheet deposited the sediment. To determine what percentage of sediment moving through streams and rivers currently draining the field area was derived from incision of thick glacial deposits as opposed to surface erosion, we used 10Be and 26Al as tracers by collecting and analyzing modern river sand sourced from Holocene-exposed landscapes (n = 11). We find that all ten deglacial sediment samples contain measurable concentrations of 10Be and 26Al equivalent on average to several thousand years of surface exposure – after correction, based on sampling depth, for Holocene nuclide production after deposition. Error-weighted averages (1 standard deviation errors) of measured 26Al/10Be ratios for both corrected deglacial (6.1 ± 1.2) and modern sediment samples (6.6 ± 0.5) are slightly lower than the production ratio at high latitudes (7.3 ± 0.3) implying burial and preferential decay of 26Al, the shorter-lived nuclide. However, five deglacial samples collected closer to the center of the former Quebec-Labrador Ice Dome have much lower corrected 26Al/10Be ratios (5.2 ± 0.8) than five samples collected closer to the former ice margins (7.0 ± 0.7). Modern river sand contains on average about 1.75 times the concentration of both nuclides compared to deglacial sediment corrected for Holocene exposure. The ubiquitous presence of 10Be and 26Al in eastern Quebec deglacial sediment is consistent with many older-than-expected exposure ages, reported here and by others, for bedrock outcrops and boulders once covered by the Quebec-Labrador Ice Dome. Together, these data suggest that glacial erosion and sediment transport in eastern Canada were insufficient to remove material containing cosmogenic nuclides produced during prior interglacial periods both from at least some bedrock outcrops and from all glacially transported sediment we sampled. Near the center of the Quebec-Labrador Ice Dome, ratios of 26Al/10Be are below those characteristic of surface production at high latitude. This suggests burial of the glacially transported sediment for at least many hundreds of thousands of years and the possibility that ice at the center of the Quebec-Labrador Ice Dome survived many interglacials when more distal ice melted away.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available July 29, 2025
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Gestures are one of the ways in which mathematical cognition is embodied and have been elevated as a potentially important semiotic device in the teaching of mathematics. As such, a better understanding of gestures used during mathematics instruction (including frequency of use, types of gestures, how they are used, and the possible relationship between gestures and student performance) would inform mathematics education. We aim to understand teachers’ gestures in the context of early algebra, particularly in the teaching of the equal sign. Our findings suggest that the equal sign is a relatively rich environment for gestures, which are used in a variety of ways. Participating teachers used gestures frequently to support their teaching about the equal sign. Furthermore, the use of gestures varied depending on the particular conception of the equal sign the instruction aimed to promote. Finally, teacher gesture use in this context is correlated with students’ high performance on an early algebra assessment.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available May 8, 2025
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The persistence and size of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) through the Pleistocene is uncertain. This is important because reconstructing changes in the GrIS determines its contribution to sea level rise during prior warm climate periods and informs future projections. To understand better the history of Greenland’s ice, we analyzed glacial till collected in 1993 from below 3 km of ice at Summit, Greenland. The till contains plant fragments, wood, insect parts, fungi, and cosmogenic nuclides showing that the bed of the GrIS at Summit is a long-lived, stable land surface preserving a record of deposition, exposure, and interglacial ecosystems. Knowing that central Greenland was tundra-covered during the Pleistocene informs the understanding of Arctic biosphere response to deglaciation.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available August 13, 2025
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Free, publicly-accessible full text available April 1, 2025
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Background: The implementation of telemedicine by healthcare providers was accelerated by the COVID‐19 pandemic and in most health systems has reached a lower but steady percentage of total visits. As health systems navigate the integration of telemedicine modalities into care delivery models, understanding the way each discipline can optimally utilize this technology has become increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to determine how specialists who perform surgical procedures as part of their practice want to implement telemedicine into their practice and when they believe it can be most effectively used within their work schedule. Methods: A survey regarding opinions about the use of telemedicine in the postoperative period was conducted in late 2019 prior to the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic and re‐administered about one year later. The respondents were identified by department and division as physicians who perform at least some surgical procedures. All respondents practice as part of a single urban, academic, multispecialty group across the DC‐Maryland‐Virginia area. These healthcare professionals were asked about their experiences in telemedicine, willingness to incorporate telemedicine into their practice for post‐operative visits during their global surgical period, and their opinions on how accepting patients in general may be of telemedicine. The follow‐up survey provided an opportunity to examine how opinions evolved after having obligatory telehealth experience during the pandemic. Survey responses were analyzed and descriptive statistics are presented in this study. Results: A total of 77 unique respondents participated in the surveys, and we evaluated the responses of the 75 participants who had any telemedicine (TM) experience. Respondents were 74.7% male, 66.7% were aged 36‐55, and 46% had between 1‐10 years of practice experience while the rest reported >11 years of experience. Additionally, specialties included traditional surgical specialties, interventional radiology, ophthalmology, and dermatology. Of those who completed the second survey, 77.1% expressed that the COVID‐19 exposure to TM increased their interest in video TM follow‐ups for post‐operative visits. Respondents further believed that 93.6% of patients in general also express a similar sentiment. However, just 46.7% believe TM would increase their productivity even if the technological infrastructure was perfect. When asked about preferences for when they would perform TM visits, 40.0% said they would want to conduct them as a part of regular hours and 41.3% said they would want these visits during a dedicated time within working hours. If given the chance to offer TM outside regular hours or during the weekend, the majority of respondents was against it or unsure, 77.4% and 88.0%, respectively. Discussion: Although a majority of the respondents surveyed think patients are interested in telemedicine and are themselves interested in using telemedicine follow‐ups in the post‐surgical period, less than half believe that telemedicine would increase productivity. Also, there is great variability in preference for dedicated timeblocks for telemedicine versus integration into traditional clinic schedules. As health systems continue to iterate on optimal models to integrate telehealth into efficient care delivery, it is important to better understand how physicians performing surgical procedures consider the value proposition of telemedicine for post operative care. Further study is required to understand the barriers to utilizing telehealth and how its implementation could impact reimbursement, work hours, the future of work as well as patient access, patient convenience, and patient satisfaction.more » « less
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Using data from a 5-year ongoing study of early career Latine engineers, we report scores on sociocultural variables (i.e., acculturation; enculturation) and work outcomes (i.e., goal progress; work satisfaction; turnover intentions, work satisfaction, and life satisfaction). We examine differences in scores across Latine engineers based on gender, parental status, and characteristics of workers in the employer’s organization. The findings may point to workplace factors that can impact the retention of Latine engineers.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available June 28, 2025
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We test the hypothesis that glacier systems, located in continental regions proximal to the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS), had local ice maxima considerably earlier than the LIS maximum and thus before the insolation minima at ~21 ka. Ranges located in the northwest US exhibit earlier deglaciation timing between ~23 and 22 ka, except for the Yellowstone region where younger time-transgressive ages complicate regional interpretations and the northern Montana ice cap where late glacial ages have recently been produced. Constraining the glacial history of more ice sheet-proximal alpine glaciers provides insight into whether the contrasting maximum-ice times in the northern Rocky Mountains were caused by regional climatic differences, such as anticyclonic wind patterns driven by the presence of the LIS. In the Pioneer Mountains of Montana, we measured in situ cosmogenic 10Be in 35 boulders on moraines marking the maximum Late Pleistocene positions of alpine glaciers from three valleys. The 10Be samples produced a range of ages, spanning pre Bull Lake to the last glaciation (i.e., Pinedale/Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2). We find an average exposure age for initial deglaciation of 18.2 ±0.9 during the local Last Glacial Maximum, indicative of synchronous retreat in the Pioneer Mountains. The similarity of initial deglaciation timing of the Pioneer Mountain glaciers with the northwestern Yellowstone glacial system and northern MT ice cap suggests that topography more proximal to the LIS margin maintained full ice extent longer. Our findings, in context of previous work, suggest that in the case of the Pioneer Mountains their more proximal location to the ice margin may have delayed onset of deglaciation by greater exposure to local cooling from katabatic winds and/or additional moisture sourced from large ice-marginal glacial lakes, hence the lack of earlier deglacial ages like those found further to the west and east of the northern Rocky Mountain cordillera.more » « less