We describe the geometric formulation for gravity, without using an inverse metric, only the vielbein and spin connection as gauge fields. We define the general Lanczos–Lovelock Lagrangian, in particular Chern–Simons (in odd dimensions) and Born–Infeld (in even dimensions) gravity, and the topological gravity terms and their dimensional extensions. We end by an application to anomalies, specifically gravitational anomalies.

Polyhydramnios, an abnormal increase in amniotic fluid, is estimated to affect 1–2% of otherwise low-risk singleton pregnancies. Ranging from mild to severe, underlying causes of polyhydramnios include fetal anomalies related to both production and resorption of amniotic fluid, genetic syndromes, maternal conditions, and infections. Routine measurement of fundal height is the screening modality recommended to assess for possible polyhydramnios given the known adverse outcomes. Once diagnosed, detailed anatomic assessment followed by antenatal testing is warranted to reduce associated adverse outcomes, including risk of fetal and neonatal demise in more severe cases. Optimizing delivery timing and planning is paramount to reduce known risks including cesarean delivery, operative delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, and neonatal intensive care admissions.

We outline the main concepts of the Standard Model, illustratively describing its central features and some open questions, as a preparation for the following chapters.

In this chapter, we shall draw together a number of different strands of inquiry addressed in Chapters 5, 12, and 13. We shall study the interplay between superstring amplitudes, their low-energy effective interactions, Type IIB supergravity, and the S-duality symmetry of Type IIB superstring theory. We begin with a brief review of Type IIB supergravity which, in particular, provides the massless sector of Type IIB superstring theory. We then discuss how the SL(2,R) symmetry of Type IIB supergravity is reduced to the SL(2,Z) symmetry of Type IIB superstring theory via an anomaly mechanism. We conclude with a discussion of how the low-energy effective interactions induced by string theory on supergravity may be organized in terms of modular functions and modular graph forms under this SL(2,Z) symmetry, and match the predictions provided by perturbative calculations of Chapter 12.

This chapter reconstructs Kuhn’s philosophy of measurement and data, paying special attention to what he calls the “fifth law of thermodynamics.” According to this law, there will always be discrepancies between experimental results and scientists’ prior expectations. The history of experiments to determine the values of the fundamental constants offers a striking illustration of Kuhn’s fifth law of thermodynamics, with no experiment giving quite the expected result. The chapter highlights the synergy between Kuhn’s view and the systematic project of iteratively determining the value of physical constants, initiated by spectroscopist Raymond Birge, which was ongoing when Kuhn joined Berkeley in 1956. The analysis sheds light on various underappreciated aspects of Kuhn’s thought, especially his notion of progress as improvement in measurement accuracy.

To speak about ‘literary beginnings’ we need to acknowledge the range of texts considered ‘literary’. These are imaginative works that can be classified variously by: the medium in which they were composed (orally or in writing), their place of origin, historical time frame of their composition, subject of the composition, and/or the genre to which they belong. The twenty-first-century present from which we are pondering medieval literature is particularly exciting because it includes not only canonical texts as well as non-canonical ones, but also the systematic scrutiny of marginalia and such forms as literary fragments – some accidental, others by design. If beginnings represent originality and innovation in the context of already extant material, where do we start a literary history of medieval Spain? With the Arab invasion of 711 and the strophic poetry of Arabic or the Hebrew muwashshahs? After all, Hebrew was represented on the Iberian peninsula since Roman times, and Iberian literature, like the culture itself, was neither monolingual nor monocultural. Or should we start with the proto-Romance vernacular that was conflated with Latin – a ‘language’ that would ultimately turn into Castilian? This chapter ponders the first two generic ‘beginnings’: the subjectivity of lyric and the objectivity of epic.

It is likely that comparative psychologists, animal learning researchers, and behavior analysts agree with the general tenets of a behavior systems framework — that behavior is organized, that learning depends on a set of starting conditions that consist of the past and present state of an animal (including its evolutionary history), and that learning is influenced by the physical characteristics of the environments in which it is studied. Despite this agreement, a behavior systems framework is typically used to explain anomalous results rather than serve as the theoretical foundation for testing the generality of constructs and phenomena in the study of animal learning. In this chapter, we illustrate how a behavior systems framework, with its emphasis on situating animal learning and behavior in a functional context and measuring multiple responses, can be used in pursuit of that goal.

Congenital malformations of the genital system include the vulva, the hymen, the vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. The uterus and upper vagina develop from the caudal portion of the fused Müllerian ducts. The distal vagina develops from the urogenital sinus. Its canalization is normally completed by 20 weeks of gestation. The ovaries develop independently. Different anomalies can become apparent at different ages, also depending on whether they are obstructive or non-obstructive. Some affect fertility.

Drees examines a science-inspired naturalism that endorses a fully naturalistic view of reality, but does not exclude religious experience as a category of human experience. He considers some exceptional experiences that apparently conflict with natural events and experiences that coincide with affective responses, such as awe and wonder, proposing that the relevant exceptional experiences and affective experiences are explainable, at least in principle, within a naturalistic purview.