bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stabilized generation of human iPSC-derived liver organoids using a modified coating approach
Authors: Kamishibahara Yu , Okamoto Satoshi , Ohkuma Takuya , Taniguchi Hideki
Published: December 2022

Human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived hepatic cells are useful tools for regenerative medicine, and various culture substrates are currently used for their differentiation. We differentiated hiPSC-derived hepatic endoderm (HE), endothelial cells (ECs), and mesenchymal cells (MCs) using Laminin-511 (LN) coating to generate liver organoids, hiPSC-liver buds (hiPSC-LBs), which exhibited therapeutic effects when transplanted into disease model animals. Stably producing significant amounts of hiPSC-LBs is necessary for sufficient therapeutic effects. However, general precoating (standard coating) requires quick manipulation, often causing failure for inexperienced cell cultures, we thus tested direct LN addition to the culture medium (Direct coating). Using quantitative gene expression, flow cytometry, albumin secretion, and ammonia metabolism, we demonstrated that Standard and Direct coating similarly induce hiPSC-derived hepatocyte, mesodermal cell, EC, and MC differentiation. Standard and Direct coating-differentiated cells generated iPSC-LBs with equivalent hepatic functions. Furthermore, Direct coating enabled stable induction of differentiation independent of individual culture skills and reduced total amount of LN use as the same differentiated cell quality can be obtained upon LN supplementation at lower concentrations. In summary, the results of this study suggest that Direct coating could enable stable hiPSC-LB production at a low cost, thereby yielding mass cell production using hiPSCs.
Stroke in hemodialysis patients and its association with CHA2DS2-VASC and HAS-BLED scores: a retrospective study
Authors: Sab Marc , Chelala Dania , Aoun Mabel , Azar Rabih , Abdel Massih Tony
Published: December 2022

Background

In the general population, the CHA2DS2-VASC and the HAS-BLED scores are helpful to predict cerebrovascular events and hemorrhage in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, their predictive value remains controversial in the dialysis population. This study aims to explore the association between these scores and cerebral cardiovascular events in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Methods

This is a retrospective study including all HD patients treated between January 2010 and December 2019 in two Lebanese dialysis facilities. Exclusion criteria are patients younger than 18 years old and patients with a dialysis vintage less than 6 months.

Results

A total of 256 patients were included (66.8% men; mean age 69.3 ± 13.9 years). The CHA2DS2-VASc score was significantly higher in patients with stroke (P = .043). Interestingly, this difference was significant in patients without AF (P = .017). Using receiver operating curve analysis, CHA2DS2-VASc score had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.628 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.539–0.718) and the best cut-off value for this score was 4. The HAS-BLED score was also significantly higher in patients with a hemorrhagic event (P < .001). AUC for HAS-BLED score was 0.756 (95% CI: 0.686–0.825) and the best cut-off value was also 4.

Conclusions

In HD patients, CHA2DS2-VASc score can be associated with stroke and HAS-BLED score can be associated with hemorrhagic events even in patients without AF. Patients with a CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥4 are at the highest risk for stroke and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, and those with a HAS-BLED score ≥4 are at the highest risk for bleeding.
LidocAine Versus Opioids In MyocarDial infarction: the AVOID-2 randomized controlled trial
Authors: Fernando Himawan , Nehme Ziad , Milne Catherine , O’Brien Jessica , Bernard Stephen , Stephenson Michael , Myles Paul S , Lefkovits Jeffrey , Peter Karlheinz , Brennan Angela , Dinh Diem , Andrew Emily , Taylor Andrew J , Smith Karen , Stub Dion
Published: December 2022

Aims

Opioid analgesia has been shown to interfere with the bioavailability of oral P2Y12 inhibitors prompting the search for safe and effective non-opioid analgesics to treat ischaemic chest pain.

Methods and results

The lidocAine Versus Opioids In MyocarDial infarction trial was a prospective, Phase II, prehospital, open-label, non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial enrolling patients with suspected STEACS with moderate to severe pain [numerical rating scale (NRS) at least 5/10]. Intravenous lidocaine (maximum dose 300 mg) or intravenous fentanyl (up to 50 µg every 5 min) were administered as prehospital analgesia. The co-primary end points were prehospital pain reduction and adverse events requiring intervention. Secondary end points included peak cardiac troponin I, cardiac MRI (cMRI) assessed myocardial infarct size and clinical outcomes to 30 days. A total of 308 patients were enrolled. The median reduction in pain score (NRS) was 4 vs. 3 in the fentanyl and lidocaine arms, respectively, for the primary efficacy end point [estimated median difference −1 (95% confidence interval −1.58, −0.42, P = 0.5 for non-inferiority, P = 0.001 for inferiority of lidocaine)]. Adverse events requiring intervention occurred in 49% vs. 36% of the fentanyl and lidocaine arms which met non-inferiority and superiority favouring lidocaine (P = 0.016 for superiority). No significant differences in myocardial infarct size and clinical outcomes at 30 days were seen.

Conclusion

IV Lidocaine did not meet the criteria for non-inferiority with lower prehospital pain reduction than fentanyl but was safe and better tolerated as analgesia in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Future trials testing non-opioid analgesics in STEMI and whether opioid avoidance improves clinical outcomes are needed.

Trial Registration

CTRN12619001521112p
Gender biases: evidence from a natural experiment in French local elections
Authors: Eyméoud Jean-Benoît , Vertier Paul
Published: December 2022

Women are underrepresented in politics. In this paper, we test one of the potential explanations for this situation: gender biases from voters. We use a natural experiment during French local elections in 2015: for the first time in this country, candidates had to run in pairs, which had to be gender-balanced. We argue that this reform confused some voters, who might have assumed that the first name on the ballot represented the ‘main’ candidate. Since the order of the candidates on the ballot was determined by their alphabetical order, the order of appearance of male and female candidates was as-good-as-random and this setting allows us to isolate gender biases from selection effects. Our main result is that there exists a negative gender bias affecting right-wing candidates, whose vote shares were lower by 1.5 percentage points when the female candidate appeared first on the ballot. The missing votes prevented some pairs of candidates from proceeding to the second round of voting. Using data on newspaper circulation and additional institutional features of the election—namely the fact that candidates can (but do not have to) report additional information about themselves on the ballot—we show that higher levels of information decrease discrimination. We argue that the discrimination we identify is, therefore, likely to be statistical.
Influence of different Lachancea thermotolerans strains in the wine profile in the era of climate challenge
Authors: Vicente Javier , Kelanne Niina , Rodrigo-Burgos Lydia , Navascués Eva , Calderón Fernando , Santos Antonio , Marquina Domingo , Yang Baoru , Benito Santiago
Published: December 2022

The study performed sequential fermentations of red grape juice using several strains of Lachancea thermotolerans and one strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Due to the new conditions imposed by climate change, wine acidity must be affected as well as the volatile profile. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts such as L. thermotolerans are real alternatives to soften the impact of climate change in winemaking. The L. thermotolerans strains included three commercially available strains and two wine-related natural isolates. L. thermotolerans showed significant statistical differences in basic chemical parameters such as lactic acid, malic acid, or ethanol concentrations as well as in the volatile profile. S. cerevisiae clearly produced some volatile compounds in higher amounts than the studied L. thermotolerans strains while others showed the opposite effect. Sequential fermentations involving any of the studied strains of L. thermotolerans with S. cerevisiae showed an increased volatile profile compared to the S. ceresisiae single fermentation, highlighting the synergic effect between the studied species.
Assessing White-Tailed Deer Impacts to Tree Seedling Growth using Citizen Science Data in Minnesota, USA
Authors: Russell Matthew B , Desprez Johanna
Published: December 2022

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) present numerous challenges for maintaining the health of forests in the US Lake States. Although many sources of data exist that provide coarse estimates of deer-browse impacts on plant survival and abundance (e.g., national forest inventories) or examine areas where deer are excluded (e.g., exclosures), few studies exist that use detailed tree seedling measurements across diverse stand conditions and forest types. This study evaluated four years of citizen science data collected in the Assessing Vegetation Impacts from Deer (AVID) program in Minnesota, USA. Results showed that average annual height growth of seedlings for nine browse-palatable species was 1.9 cm. For four of these tree species, annual height growth was not significantly different from zero. These results point to the challenges for the growth and survival of browse-palatable tree species in Minnesota under current deer population levels. Engaging the public through a citizen science project such as AVID showcases the importance of evaluating browse impacts on trees from white-tailed deer while simultaneously providing information to managers and decision makers about this important conservation concern.

Study Implications: Citizen scientists can collect data on important conservation issues with ecological implications. This study showcases data provided by volunteers in Minnesota’s Assessing Vegetation Impacts from Deer (AVID) program. These results showed that the growth of nine browse-palatable species grew minimally over a four-year span. Citizen science data like these can be used by state wildlife agencies to better understand forest-wildlife interactions and establish wildlife population harvest goals. Measurements of deer browse can also assist researchers by reducing the costs of data collection and providing a geographically diverse data set with detailed measurements of deer impacts to forest vegetation.
The Unintended Consequences of Arms Embargoes
Authors: Kuo Raymond C , Spindel Jennifer
Published: December 2022

To what extent do arms embargoes curtail the embargoed state's ability to get conventional weapons? We argue that arms embargoes rarely prevent states from receiving conventional weapons, and are one of the few events that push states to switch their supplier base. Using a new dataset on the place of origin of conventional weapons, we provide a more full and complete picture of the effects of arms embargoes imposed by the United Nations and European Union. We show that middlemen, a previously obscured category of states who sell, but do not produce arms, are crucial to skirting embargoes. This article suggests that arms embargoes are a more complicated foreign policy tool than scholars have previously appreciated, and that policymakers need to be cautious in imposing them.
Mitochondrial ATP Production is Required for Endothelial Cell Control of Vascular Tone
Authors: Wilson Calum , Lee Matthew D , Buckley Charlotte , Zhang Xun , McCarron John G
Published: December 2022

Arteries and veins are lined by nonproliferating endothelial cells that play a critical role in regulating blood flow. Endothelial cells also regulate tissue perfusion, metabolite exchange, and thrombosis. It is thought that endothelial cells rely on ATP generated via glycolysis, rather than mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, to fuel each of these energy-demanding processes. However, endothelial metabolism has mainly been studied in the context of proliferative cells, and little is known about energy production in endothelial cells within the fully formed vascular wall. Using intact arteries isolated from rats and mice, we show that inhibiting mitochondrial respiration disrupts endothelial control of vascular tone. Basal, mechanically activated, and agonist-evoked calcium activity in intact artery endothelial cells are each prevented by inhibiting mitochondrial ATP synthesis. Agonist-evoked calcium activity was also inhibited by blocking the transport of pyruvate, the master fuel for mitochondrial energy production, through the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier. The role for mitochondria in endothelial cell energy production is independent of species, sex, or vascular bed. These data show that a mitochondrial ATP supply is necessary for calcium-dependent, nitric oxide-mediated endothelial control of vascular tone, and identifies the critical role of endothelial mitochondrial energy production in fueling perfused blood vessel function.
Limits to transcriptional silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Fouet Marc , Rine Jasper
Published: December 2022

Mating-type switching in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae relies on the Sir protein complex to silence HML and HMR, the two loci containing copies of the alleles of the mating type locus, MAT. Sir-based transcriptional silencing has been considered locus-specific, but the recent discovery of rare and transient escapes from silencing at HMLα2 with a sensitive assay called to question if these events extend to the whole locus. Adapting the same assay, we measured that transient silencing failures at HML were more frequent for the α2 gene than α1, similarly to their expression level in unsilenced cells. By coupling a mating assay, at HML we found that one of the two genes at that locus can be transiently expressed while the other gene is maintained silent. Thus, transient silencing loss can be a property of the gene rather than the locus. Cells lacking the SIR1 gene experience epigenetic bistability at HML and HMR. Our previous result led us to ask if HML could allow for two independent epigenetic states within the locus in a sir1Δ mutant. A simple construct using a double fluorescent reporter at HMLα1 and HMLα2 ruled out this possibility. Each HML locus displayed a single epigenetic state. We revisited the question of the correlation between the states of two HML loci in diploid cells, and showed they were independent. Finally, we determined the relative strength of gene repression achieved by Sir-based silencing with that achieved by the a1-α2 repressor.
Disparities in patient portal access by US adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Nishii Akira , Campos-Castillo Celeste , Anthony Denise
Published: December 2022

Objective

Online patient portals become important during disruptions to in-person health care, like when cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other respiratory viruses rise, yet underlying structural inequalities associated with race, socio-economic status, and other socio-demographic characteristics may affect their use. We analyzed a population-based survey to identify disparities within the United States in access to online portals during the early period of COVID-19 in 2020.

Materials and Methods

The National Cancer Institute fielded the 2020 Health and Information National Trends Survey from February to June 2020. We conducted multivariable analysis to identify socio-demographic characteristics of US patients who were offered and accessed online portals, and reasons for nonuse.

Results

Less than half of insured adult patients reported accessing an online portal in the prior 12 months, and this was less common among patients who are male, are Hispanic, have less than a college degree, have Medicaid insurance, have no regular provider, or have no internet. Reasons for nonuse include: wanting to speak directly to a provider, not having an online record, concerns about privacy, and discomfort with technology.

Discussion

Despite the rapid expansion of digital health technologies due to COVID-19, we found persistent socio-demographic disparities in access to patient portals. Ensuring that digital health tools are secure, private, and trustworthy would address some patient concerns that are barriers to portal access.

Conclusion

Expanding the use of online portals requires explicitly addressing fundamental inequities to prevent exacerbating existing disparities, particularly during surges in cases of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses that tax health care resources.
Exploring access to genomic risk information and the contours of the HIPAA public health exception
Authors: Wagner Jennifer K , Tanniru Juhi K , Chane Courtney A , Meyer Michelle N
Published: December 2022

Considerable resources have been invested in research to identify pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants that cause morbidity and mortality and also in returning these results to patients. The public health impact and cost-effectiveness of these efforts are maximized when probands’ relatives are informed of their risk and offered testing. However, such ‘Traceback’ cascade testing programs face multiple obstacles, including perceived or actual legal and regulatory hurdles. Here, using genetic cancer syndromes as a test case, we explore the contours of the Public Health Exception to the HIPAA Privacy Rule to assess whether it is a viable pathway for implementing a Traceback program. After examining the Privacy Rule as well as state laws and regulations for reportable conditions and genetic privacy, we conclude that this is not currently a viable approach for Traceback programs. We conclude by reflecting on ethical considerations of leveraging HIPAA’s public health exception to disclose PHI directly to at-risk relatives and offering insights for how legal hurdles to such a Traceback program could be overcome, if desired.
An updated biogeographic evaluation of endemism and conservation of small mammals from Chile
Authors: Hernández-Mazariegos Wendy C , Ibáñez Christian M , Palma R Eduardo
Published: December 2022

Ecological factors such as temperature, precipitation, and vegetation type have been reported to influence biogeographic patterns (e.g., species distribution, richness, and endemism) in mammals. In Chile, these patterns only had been explored in selected mammal groups from certain localities. In this study, we describe and analyze biogeographic patterns for all small mammals (marsupials, armadillos, bats, rodents), reported until 2020, in different climatic and ecological regions from continental Chile. Using a compiled database of 89 species, we estimated their distributional similarity, described and characterized richness and areas of endemism using Bayesian and Parsimony Analysis of Endemism, and linked species distribution with conservation status according to the IUCN Red List. We found three similarity units of species distribution based on climate: Arid, Temperate, and Polar; higher richness and endemism in north and south-central Chile; two areas of endemism, one in north and one in south; and a hotspot in south-central Chile. Finally, species of greater conservation concern showed a similar and small distribution range. The concordance in the distribution of the species with Chilean climatic regions (as determined by precipitation and temperature) suggest that the spatial distribution of Chilean small mammals is influenced strongly by those abiotic factors. This also could explain the patterns of richness and endemism and, therefore species hotspots. Variations of climatic factors therefore should be considered in explaining biogeographic patterns and conservation plans of Chilean small mammal species, because species of greater concern tend to be associated and having similar distributional characteristics.
Electron irradiation damage of amorphous epoxy resin at low electron doses
Authors: Yoshida Kaname , Huang Hsin-Hui , Miyata Tomohiro , Sato Yohei K , Jinnai Hiroshi
Published: December 2022

The mechanisms of electron irradiation damage to epoxy resin samples were evaluated using their electron diffraction patterns and electron energy–loss spectra. Their electron diffraction patterns consisted of three indistinct halo rings. The halo ring corresponding to an intermolecular distance of ∼6.4 Å degraded rapidly. Such molecular-scale collapse could have been caused by cross-linking between molecular chains. The degree of electron irradiation damage to the samples changed with the accelerating voltage. The tolerance dose limit of the epoxy resin estimated from the intensity of the halo ring was found to be improved at a higher accelerating voltage. Changes in low-loss electron energy–loss spectra indicated that the mass loss of the epoxy resin was remarkable in the early stage of electron irradiation.
Climate Adaptive Management in the Northeastern United States: Common Strategies and Motivations of Rural and Urban Foresters
Authors: McGann Tessa C , Schattman Rachel E , D’Amato Anthony W , Ontl Todd A
Published: December 2022

Despite the mounting imperative for managers to help forests adapt to the rapidly shifting climate and related stressors, significant gaps remain between recommendations for adaptive forest management and its actual implementation across the globe. The research presented here offers a novel qualitative analysis regarding the current nature, extent, and drivers of adaptive management in the northeastern United States. Based on 32 in-depth semi-structured interviews with rural (n = 17) and urban foresters (n = 15) across New England and New York, we share a summary of (1) important environmental drivers of adaptation across the region, (2) commonly employed adaptive strategies, (3) significant barriers to adaptation, and (4) approaches to working through named barriers. We categorize adaptive practices of foresters as options of resistance, resilience, or transition, highlighting opportunities to increase the use of all three options across the landscape.
At the Crossroads between Care and Control: A Cross-Country Comparison of Assisted Return
Authors: Marino Rossella , Mannersuo Arla , Francisco Inês , Lietaert Ine
Published: December 2022

Assisted return (AR) is a widespread policy tool offering financial support and counselling to returning migrants. Policymakers present it as a durable solution vis-à-vis undocumented migrants and rejected asylum seekers. However, AR has been proven to display the concurrence of care and control typical of contested humanitarianism. This concurrence takes different shapes across nation states. Our paper looks at how Sweden, Finland, the UK, Italy, Spain, and Portugal concretely configure care and control in their AR programmes, by focusing particularly on accessibility criteria, the landscape of the actors implementing the measure and their main implementation strategies. We finally find that the care and control balance of a particular layer within the AR national system can hardly be appreciated without considering the (lack of) life opportunities available to the potential beneficiaries of the measure, both within the confines and outside of it. Therefore, our comparative research ultimately conveys that what we call the intrinsic humanitarianism of AR—or its internal care-control balance—can give insight into the durability of the measure only when associated with what we term the extrinsic humanitarianism of AR—namely its broader relationship with forced return. In order words, AR ultimately appears migration control in disguise if it is not coupled with the enlargement of dignified life chances for migrants.
A multidisciplinary approach to rescue a full-term pregnant and her fetus after blunt abdominal trauma: A case report and literature review
Authors: Mahmood Ismail , Abdelrahman Husham , Hakim Suhail , El-Menyar Ayman , Rizoli Sandro , Asim Mohammad , Al-hassani Ammar , Abdulrahman Yassir , Strandvik Gustav , Al-Thani Hassan
Published: December 2022

Blunt abdominal trauma due to motor vehicle crash is one of the leading causes of mortality during pregnancy. Though the trauma team plays a critical role in the initial management, a multidisciplinary contribution is essential to ensure the safety of the mother and her fetus. This case report followed the multidisciplinary approach for the management of a 32-year-old female during the last week of pregnancy. She sustained blunt trauma causing maternal and fetal distress due to abruption of the placenta with a large intrauterine and retroplacental hemorrhage, retro-hepatic and retroperitoneal hemorrhage, pseudoaneurysm of uterine arteries leading to postpartum hemorrhage. Immediate intervention and management at a Level 1 trauma center led to survival of both the mother and infant.
Wang procedure for secondary thoracic deformity after simultaneous operation of sternal cleft with congenital heart disease
Authors: Wang Wenlin , Long Weiguang , Liu Yang , Cai Bin , Luo Juan
Published: December 2022

Sternal cleft is a rare thoracic deformity, often associated with congenital heart disease, which requires simultaneous treatment. There are many methods for treatment of sternal cleft, the early effect may be satisfactory, but the late effect is rarely reported. We performed a simultaneous operation on a patient with sternal cleft and ventricular septal defect, but the patient developed secondary depression deformity after the operation. We used Wang procedure to correct it and got satisfactory results.
Estimating the size of the monkeypox virus outbreak in Nigeria and implications for global control
Authors: Marwah Anindita , Ogoina Dimie , Au Natalie H , Gibb Nick P , Portillo Mariana Torres , Thomas-Bachli Andrea , Demarsh P Alex , Bogoch Isaac I , Khan Kamran
Published: December 2022

Background

A multi-country outbreak caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV) has been unfolding across endemic and non-endemic countries since May 2022. Throughout April and May 2022, Nigeria reported 31 MPXV cases, of which 11 were confirmed via testing. In May 2022, three internationally exported cases of MPXV, presumed to have originated in Nigeria, were reported, suggesting that a larger than reported outbreak might be occurring in the country.

Methods

We used previously established methods to estimate the true size of the MPXV outbreak in Nigeria. We estimated the incidence rate of exported MPXV cases among all outbound international air travellers from Nigeria during the time period of April and May 2022, using forecasted air traveller volumes. We then applied this incidence rate to the entire population of Nigeria during April and May 2022 assuming that the rate of infection was the same in Nigeria for both travellers and the resident population. Information on the subset of population that were considered to be travellers was obtained from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Results

We estimated that there were approximately 4000 (N = 4013; 95% CI: 828–11 728) active cases of MPXV in Nigeria in April and May 2022. This is approximately 360-fold greater than the confirmed number and approximately 130-fold greater than the reported number of cases in Nigeria.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that a larger outbreak than is appreciated may be ongoing in Nigeria. The observed international spread of MPXV offers important insights into the scale of the epidemic at its origin, where clinical detection and disease surveillance may be limited. These findings highlight the need to expand and support clinical, laboratory, and public health capacity to enable earlier detection of epidemics of international significance.
Performance of different correction maps in the extended phase-space method for spinning compact binaries
Authors: Luo Junjie , Feng Jie , Zhang Hong-Hao , Lin Weipeng
Published: December 2022

Since the first detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO/VIRGO team, the related research field has attracted more attention. The spinning compact binaries system, as one of the gravitational-wave sources for broad-band laser interferometers, has been widely studied by related researchers. In order to analyse the gravitational wave signals using matched filtering techniques, reliable numerical algorithms are needed. Spinning compact binaries systems in post-Newtonian (PN) celestial mechanics have an inseparable Hamiltonian. The extended phase-space algorithm is an effective solution for the problem of this system. We have developed correction maps for the extended phase-space method in our previous work, which significantly improves the accuracy and stability of the method with only a momentum scale factor. In this paper, we will add more scale factors to modify the numerical solution in order to minimize the errors in the constants of motion. However, we find that these correction maps will result in a large energy bias in the subterms of the Hamiltonian in chaotic orbits, whose potential and kinetic energy, etc. are calculated inaccurately. We develop a new correction map to reduce the energy bias of the subterms of the Hamiltonian, which can instead improve the accuracy of the numerical solution and also provides a new idea for the application of the manifold correction in other algorithms.
Clustering of emission line galaxies with IllustrisTNG – I. Fundamental properties and halo occupation distribution
Authors: Osato Ken , Okumura Teppei
Published: December 2022

Upcoming spectroscopic redshift surveys use emission line galaxies (ELGs) to trace the three-dimensional matter distributions with wider area coverage in the deeper Universe. Since the halos hosting ELGs are young and undergo infall towards more massive halos along filamentary structures, contrary to a widely employed luminous red galaxy sample, the dynamics specific to ELGs should be taken into account to refine the theoretical modelling at non-linear scales. In this paper, we scrutinize the halo occupation distribution (HOD) and clustering properties of ELGs by utilizing IllustrisTNG galaxy formation hydrodynamical simulations. Leveraging stellar population synthesis technique coupled with the photo-ionization model, we compute line intensities of simulated galaxies and construct mock H α and [O ii] ELG catalogues. The line luminosity functions and the relation between the star formation rate and line intensity are well consistent with observational estimates. Next, we measure the HOD and demonstrate that there is a distinct population for the central HOD, which corresponds to low-mass infalling halos. We then perform the statistical inference of HOD parameters from the projected correlation function. Our analysis indicates that the inferred HODs significantly deviate from the HOD measured directly from simulations although the best-fitting model yields a good fit to the projected correlation function. It implies that the information content of the projected correlation function is not adequate to constrain HOD models correctly and thus, it is important to employ mock ELG catalogues to calibrate the functional form of HOD models and add prior information on HOD parameters to robustly determine the HOD.
Very high energy emission mechanism in the extreme blazar PGC 2402248
Authors: Medina-Carrillo B , Sahu Sarira , Sánchez-Colón G , Rajpoot Subhash
Published: December 2022

Extreme high-frequency peaked BL Lacs (EHBLs) are characterized by a synchrotron peak frequency exceeding 1017 Hz and a second peak that can be in the energy range of few GeVs to several TeVs. The Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescope (MAGIC) detected multi-TeV gamma-rays on 2018 April 19 for the first time from the EHBL PGC 2402248, which was simultaneously observed in multiwavelength by several other instruments. The broad-band spectral energy distribution of the source is conventionally modelled using the leptonic and the hadronic models. Due to the success of the photohadronic model in interpreting the enigmatic very high energy (VHE) flaring events from many high-energy blazars, we extend this model to explain the VHE events from PGC 2402248 observed by MAGIC telescopes and compare our results with other models. We conclude that the photohadronic fits are comparable and even fare better than most other models. Furthermore, we show that the spectrum is not hard and is in a low-emission state. The estimated bulk Lorentz factor for this flaring event is found to be ≲34.
Hidden biases in flux-resolved X-ray spectroscopy
Authors: Kang Jia-Lai , Wang Jun-Xian
Published: December 2022

Flux-resolved X-ray spectroscopy is widely adopted to investigate the spectral variation of a target between various flux levels. In many cases, it is done through horizontally splitting a single light curve into multiple flux levels with certain count-rate threshold(s). In this work, we point out there are two hidden biases in this approach that could affect the spectral analyses under particular circumstances. The first is that when Poisson fluctuations of the source counts in light curve bins are non-negligible compared with the intrinsic variation, this approach would overestimate (underestimate) the intrinsic average flux level of the high (low) state. The second bias is that when the Poisson fluctuations of the background count rate is non-negligible, the background spectrum of the high (low) state would be underestimated (overestimated), thus yielding biased spectral fitting parameters. We take NuSTAR spectra, for example, to illustrate the effects of the biases, and particularly how the measurements of the coronal temperature in active galactic nuclei would be biased. We present a toy method to assess the significance of such biases and approaches to correct for them when necessary.
A multimessenger study of the blazar PKS 0735+178: a new major neutrino source candidate
Authors: Sahakyan N , Giommi P , Padovani P , Petropoulou M , Bégué D , Boccardi B , Gasparyan S
Published: December 2022

The blazar PKS 0735+178 is possibly associated with multiple neutrino events observed by the IceCube, Baikal, Baksan, and KM3NeT neutrino telescopes while it was flaring in the γ-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical bands. We present a detailed study of this peculiar blazar to investigate the temporal and spectral changes in the multiwavelength emission when the neutrino events were observed. The analysis of Swift-XRT snapshots reveal a flux variability of more than a factor 2 in about 5 × 103 s during the observation on 2021 December 17. In the γ-ray band, the source was in its historical highest flux level at the time of the arrival of the neutrinos. The observational comparison between PKS 0735+178 and other neutrino source candidates, such as TXS 0506+056, PKS 1424+240, and GB6 J1542+6129, shows that all these sources share similar spectral energy distributions, very high radio and γ-ray powers, and parsec scale jet properties. Moreover, we present strong supporting evidence for PKS 0735+178 to be, like all the others, a masquerading BL Lac. We perform comprehensive modelling of the multiwavelength emission from PKS 0735+178 within one-zone lepto-hadronic models considering both internal and external photon fields and estimate the expected accompanying neutrino flux. The most optimistic scenario invokes a jet with luminosity close to the Eddington value and the interactions of ∼ PeV protons with an external UV photon field. This scenario predicts ∼0.067 muon and anti-muon neutrinos over the observed 3-week flare. Our results are consistent with the detection of one very high-energy neutrino like IceCube-211208A.
Parameter distributions of binary black hole mergers near supermassive black holes as seen by advanced gravitational wave detectors
Authors: Gondán László
Published: December 2022

The environment surrounding supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic nuclei (GNs) is expected to harbour stellar-mass binary black hole (BBH) populations. These binaries were suggested to form a hierarchical triple system with the SMBH, and gravitational perturbations from the SMBH can enhance the mergers of BBHs through Lidov–Kozai (LK) oscillations. Previous studies determined the expected binary parameter distribution for this merger channel in single GNs. Here, we account for the different spatial distribution and mass distribution models of BBHs around SMBHs and perform direct high-precision regularized N-body simulations, including Post-Newtonian (PN) terms up to order PN2.5, to model merging BBH populations in single GNs. We use a full inspiral-merger-ringdown waveform model of BBHs with non-zero eccentricities and take into account the observational selection effect to determine the parameter distributions of LK-induced BBHs detected with a single advanced gravitational-wave (GW) detector from all GNs in the Universe. We find that the detected mergers’ total binary mass distribution is tilted towards lower masses, and the mass ratio distribution is roughly uniform. The redshift distribution peaks between ∼0.15 and 0.55, and the vast majority of binaries merge within redshift ∼1.1. The fraction of binaries entering the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA band with residual eccentricities >0.1 is below $\sim 10 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$. We identify a negative correlation between residual eccentricity and mass parameters and a negative correlation between residual eccentricity and source distance. Our results for the parameter distributions and correlations among binary parameters may make it possible to disentangle this merger channel from other BBH merger channels statistically.
Radio pulsar emission-beam geometry at low frequency: LOFAR High-Band Survey sources studied using Arecibo at 1.4 GHz and 327 MHz
Authors: Wahl Haley , Rankin Joanna , Venkataraman Arun , Olszanski Timothy
Published: December 2022

This paper continues our study of radio pulsar emission-beam configurations with the primary intent of extending study to the lowest possible frequencies. Here, we focus on a group of 133 more recently discovered pulsars, most of which were included in the (100–200 MHz) LOFAR High-Band Survey, observed with Arecibo at 1.4 GHz and 327 MHz, and some observed at decametre wavelengths. Our analysis framework is the core/double-cone beam model, and we took opportunity to apply it as widely as possible, both conceptually and quantitatively, while highlighting situations where modelling is difficult, or where its premises may be violated. In the great majority of pulsars, beam forms consistent with the core/double-cone model were identified. Moreover, we found that each pulsar’s beam structure remained largely constant over the frequency range available; where profile variations were observed, they were attributable to different component spectra and in some instances to varying conal beam sizes. As an Arecibo population, many or most of the objects tend to fall in the Galactic anticenter region and/or at high Galactic latitudes, so overall it includes a number of nearer, older pulsars. We found a number of interesting or unusual characteristics in some of the pulsars that would benefit from additional study. The scattering levels encountered for this group are low to moderate, apart from a few pulsars lying in directions more towards the inner Galaxy.
On rapid binary mass transfer – I. Physical model
Authors: Lu Wenbin , Fuller Jim , Quataert Eliot , Bonnerot Clément
Published: December 2022

In some semidetached binary systems, the donor star may transfer mass to the companion at a very high rate. We propose that, at sufficiently high mass-transfer rates such that the accretion disc around the companion becomes geometrically thick (or advection-dominated) near the disc outer radius, a large fraction of the transferred mass may be lost through the outer Lagrangian (L2) point, as a result of the excessive energy generated by viscous heating that cannot be efficiently radiated away. A physical model is constructed where the L2 mass-loss fraction is given by the requirement that the remaining material in the disc has Bernoulli number equal to the L2 potential energy. Our model predicts significant L2 mass-loss at mass transfer rates exceeding $\mbox{a few}\, 10^{-4}\, {\mathrm{ M}_\odot \, \mathrm{yr}^{-1}}$. An equatorial circumbinary outflow (CBO) is formed in these systems. Implications for the orbital evolution and the observational appearance of the system are discussed. In particular, (1) rapid angular momentum loss from the system tends to shrink the orbit, and hence may increase the formation rate of mergers and gravitational-wave sources; and (2) photons from the hot disc wind are reprocessed by the CBO into longer wavelength emission in the infrared bands, consistent with Spitzer observations of some ultra-luminous X-ray sources.
Redshift drift and strong gravitational lensing
Authors: Helbig Phillip
Published: December 2022

In general, the cosmological redshift of an object changes with time, a phenomenon known as redshift drift. Although long known theoretically, recently interest has been renewed because of the possibility of measuring it on a reasonable time-scale. Strong gravitational lensing offers a possibility to measure it on a much shorter time-scale, by making use of a time delay of n years rather than making observations separated by n years, but, perhaps at least in part because of the expectation that the signal would be swamped by a larger change in redshift due to transverse motion of the lens, that has not attracted much interest. I present a method to extract the small signal, making use of the fact that the light-travel time through different parts of an Einstein ring is the same (and hence the difference in redshift due to redshift drift vanishes), thus enabling the measurement of redshift drift on a much shorter time-scale, and show how that can help in the measurement of the distribution of (dark) matter.
Effect of geometrically thin discs on precessing, thick flows: relevance to type-C QPOs
Authors: Bollimpalli D A , Fragile P C , Kluźniak W
Published: December 2022

Type-C quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are the low-frequency QPOs most commonly observed during the hard spectral state of X-ray binary systems. The leading model for these QPOs is the Lense-Thirring precession of a hot geometrically thick accretion flow that is misaligned with respect to the black hole spin axis. However, none of the work done to date has accounted for the effects of a surrounding geometrically thin disc on this precession, as would be the case in the truncated disc picture of the hard state. To address this, we perform a set of general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations of truncated discs misaligned with the spin axes of their central black holes. Our results confirm that the inner-hot flow still undergoes precession, though at a rate that is only 5 per cent of what is predicted for an isolated precessing torus. We find that the exchange of angular momentum between the outer thin and the inner thick disc causes this slow-down in the precession rate and discuss its relevance to type-C QPOs.
A correlation between accreted stellar kinematics and dark-matter halo spin in the artemis simulations
Authors: Dillamore Adam M , Belokurov Vasily , Evans N Wyn , Font Andreea S
Published: December 2022

We report a correlation between the presence of a Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE) analogue and dark-matter (DM) halo spin in the artemis simulations of Milky Way-like galaxies. The haloes which contain a large population of accreted stars on highly radial orbits (like the GSE) have lower spin on average than their counterparts with more isotropic stellar velocity distributions. The median modified spin parameters λ′ differ by a factor of ∼1.7 at the present day, with a similar value when the haloes far from virial equilibrium are removed. We also show that accreted stars make up a smaller proportion of the stellar populations in haloes containing a GSE analogue, and are stripped from satellites with stellar masses typically ∼4 times smaller. Our findings suggest that the higher spin of DM haloes without a GSE-like feature is due to mergers with large satellites of stellar mass ∼1010 M⊙, which do not result in prominent radially anisotropic features like the GSE.
Racial/Ethnic Differences Among Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Breast Cancer Tumors
Authors: Bansil Surbhi , Silva Anthony , Taniguchi Alana , Wiedmer Christina , Fernandez Mayumi , Pagano Ian , Vierkoetter Koah , Killeen Jeffrey , Fukui Jami
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have emerged as a predictor of breast cancer treatment response and patient outcomes. Current studies investigating racial/ethnic differences in TILs and immune profiles in breast cancer offer varying results. Our study provides some preliminary data in the breast cancer tumor microenvironment where there is a paucity of information, from Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NHPI) racial/ethnic groups, not well represented in the literature.

Methods

We reviewed 183 cases of women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer who received neoadjuvant treatment at 2 large health systems in Hawaii between 2008 and 2020. We evaluated clinical and demographic information including: age at diagnosis, self-reported race/ethnicity, tumor stage, tumor subtype according to ER, PR, and HER2 receptor status, the amount of TILs and pathologic complete response (pCR).

Results

We found a significantly greater amount of TILs in Asians (37.7%, P = .01) and NHPI (37.2%, P = .02) patients compared to White patients on multivariate analysis. We found no significant differences in pCR among the different racial/ethnic groups.

Conclusions

Racial/ethnic differences in the amount of TILs in breast cancer tumors may suggest differences in the breast tumor microenvironment. This may in part contribute to known outcome disparities in these populations and should be further evaluated.
Using theHER2/CEP17FISH Ratio to Predict Pathologic Complete Response Following Neoadjuvant Anti-HER2 Doublet Therapy in HER2+ Breast Cancer
Authors: Lander Eric M , Rappazzo Katherine C , Huang Li-Ching , Hu Jiun-Ruey , Chen Heidi , Shyr Yu , Abramson Vandana G
Published: December 2022

Background

Clinical trials of HER2-directed therapy that omit neoadjuvant conventional chemotherapy for HER+ breast cancer demonstrate that a subset of patients still obtains a pCR. Identifying tumor characteristics which predict pCR may help select patients for de-escalated neoadjuvant dual HER2-targeted treatment without chemotherapy. This is the first study evaluating the HER2/CEP17 ratio by FISH as a biomarker to predict pCR among patients who received neoadjuvant anti-HER2 regimens without chemotherapy.

Patients and Methods

Data from patients with locally advanced HER2+ breast cancer who received neoadjuvant dual HER2-targeted therapy without conventional chemotherapy from a single center was retrospectively reviewed. All patients were enrolled in one of 3 clinical trials evaluating chemotherapy de-escalation. Logistic regression modeling assessed for a relationship between the HER2/CEP17 FISH ratio obtained from baseline tissue biopsy and pCR based on pathology at the time of definitive breast surgery following neoadjuvant treatment.

Results

Following neoadjuvant treatment with dual HER2-targeted therapies in 56 patients, the probability of pCR was 73% among patients with a HER2 ratio of 13.1 compared to a probability of 38% among patients with HER2 ratio of 5.5 (OR 4.14, 95% CI 1.44-11.89; P = .012). This positive association persisted after controlling for different treatment regimens administered (OR 2.87, 95% CI 0.9-9.18, P = .020).

Conclusions

These data found a positive association between the HER2/CEP17 FISH ratio and pCR following neoadjuvant dual HER2-targeted therapy without chemotherapy. Larger prospective studies are needed to validate the HER2 ratio as a biomarker to select patients for neoadjuvant dual anti-HER2 therapy without chemotherapy.