bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk in Time: The Intertwined Nature of Risk Taking and Time Discounting
Authors: Epper Thomas F , Fehr-Duda Helga
Published: June 2023

Standard economic models view risk taking and time discounting as two independent dimensions of decision making. However, mounting experimental evidence demonstrates striking parallels in patterns of risk taking and time discounting behavior and systematic interaction effects, which suggests that there may be common underlying forces driving these interactions. Here, we show that the inherent uncertainty associated with future prospects together with individuals’ proneness to probability weighting generates a unifying framework for explaining a large number of puzzling behavioral findings: delay-dependent risk tolerance, aversion to sequential resolution of uncertainty, preferences for the timing of the resolution of uncertainty, the differential discounting of risky and certain outcomes, hyperbolic discounting, subadditive discounting, and the order dependence of prospect valuation. Furthermore, all these phenomena can be accommodated by the same set of preference parameter values and plausible levels of inherent uncertainty.
The epistemologies of the South and the future of the university
Authors: de Sousa Santos Boaventura
Published: June 2023

Even though the university has the potential to help humanity in what amounts to a paradigmatic transition, it has been very restrictive and very selective in the kinds of knowledges it validates. In fact, the kinds of knowledges in which it has excelled are those most responsible for the paradigmatic crisis in which humanity finds itself. In a nutshell, the paradigmatic change calls for cognitive justice, justice for the different ways of knowing that circulate in society. Cognitive justice is the polar opposite of ‘anything goes’. The assumption is that there is no global social justice without global cognitive justice, justice among knowledges. Looking back, while privileging one specific kind of knowledge and, indeed, granting it a cognitive monopoly, the university has been the privileged site for producing and legitimating cognitive injustice. As a result, the immense epistemic diversity of the world has been ignored or suppressed. In the following, I identify the problem and the promise for overcoming it.
Coccidioidomycosis masquerading as thyroid nodule: a rare diagnostic challenge
Authors: Solis-Pazmino Paola , Merchant Natalie , Padilla Osvaldo , Alkhalili Eyas
Published: June 2023

We present a compelling case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis involving the thyroid gland, a remarkably uncommon manifestation of this infection. The gravity of this sporadic disease is underscored by its high mortality rate, primarily because of challenges in timely diagnosis and treatment initiation. Accurate diagnosis hinges upon utilizing various techniques, including the culture of a fine-needle aspirate, biopsy and direct microscopy. However, the medical community is still grappling with the optimal treatment strategy, encompassing considerations such as duration and dosage of medications, which continue to be subjects of intense controversy and ongoing research. This article aims to report an older patient with the incidental diagnosis and management of Coccidioides in the thyroid.
Controlling Fusarium wilt of cape gooseberry by microbial consortia
Authors: García DianaS , González-Almario Adriana , Cotes Alba M
Published: June 2023

The use of microbial consortia has become a promising alternative for the management of various diseases. In this study, 18 artificial consortia were designed, consisting of five bacteria, five fungi, and a mixture of five fungi and five bacteria; from a collection of microorganisms isolated from the rhizosphere of cape gooseberry plants grown in two soils potentially suppressive against Fusarium oxysporum. When evaluated under greenhouse conditions for their biocontrol activity on cape gooseberry plants, one consortium was selected for their high efficacy (over 90%) in the control of vascular wilt caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. physali. This was constituted by 10 microorganisms, the bacteria Paenibacillus peoriae, Bacillus subtilis, Lysinibacillus sp., B. simplex, and Pseudomonas chlororaphis; and the fungi Beauveria bassiana, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, Trichoderma gamsii, T. ghanense, and T. lignicola. On the other hand, four of the consortia evaluated in the presence of the pathogen mitigated the deleterious effect produced by the pathogen on plant growth, expressing higher dry weights, both in the aerial and root parts. This work represents the first report on using these mixtures of microorganisms to control vascular wilt produced by F. oxysporum. However, further studies are needed to determine their activity in cape gooseberry fields.
Small-scale clustering of BOSS galaxies: dependence on luminosity, colour, age, stellar mass, specific star formation rate, and other properties
Authors: Zhai Zhongxu , Percival Will J , Guo Hong
Published: June 2023

We measure and analyse galaxy clustering and the dependence on luminosity, colour, age, stellar mass, and specific star formation rate using Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) galaxies at 0.48 < z < 0.62. We fit the monopole and quadrupole moments of the two-point correlation function and its projection on scales of 0.1–60.2 h−1 Mpc, after having split the catalogue in a variety of ways. We find that the clustering dependence is consistent with previous well-established results showing the broad trends expected: For example, that brighter, redder, older, more massive and quenched galaxies are more strongly clustered. We also investigate the dependence on additional parameters previously derived from stellar population synthesis model fits to the spectra. We find that galaxy clustering depends on look-back formation time at a low level, while it has little dependence on metallicity. To understand the physics behind these trends, we fit the clustering with a simulation-based emulator to simultaneously model cosmology and galaxy bias using a halo occupation distribution framework. After marginalizing parameters determining the background cosmology, galaxy bias, and a scaling parameter to decouple halo velocity field, we find that the growth rate of large-scale structure as determined by the redshift space distortions is consistent with previous analysis using the full sample, and we do not find evidence that cosmological constraints depend systematically on galaxy selection. This demonstrates that cosmological inference using small-scale clustering measurements is robust to changes in the catalogue selection.
Supermassive black holes in merger-free galaxies have higher spins which are preferentially aligned with their host galaxy
Authors: Beckmann R S , Smethurst R J , Simmons B D , Coil A , Dubois Y , Garland I L , Lintott C J , Martin G , Peirani S , Pichon C
Published: June 2023

Here, we use the Horizon–active galactic nucleus (AGN) simulation to test whether the spins of supermassive black hole (SMBH) in merger-free galaxies are higher. We select samples using an observationally motivated bulge-to-total mass ratio of <0.1, along with two simulation-motivated thresholds selecting galaxies which have not undergone a galaxy merger since z = 2, and those SMBHs with $\lt 10~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of their mass due to SMBH mergers. We find higher spins (>5σ) in all three sample compared to the rest of the population. In addition, we find that SMBHs with their growth dominated by BH mergers following galaxy mergers are less likely to be aligned with their galaxy spin than those that have grown through accretion in the absence of galaxy mergers (3.4σ). We discuss the implications this has for the impact of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback, finding that merger-free SMBHs spend on average 91 per cent of their lifetimes since z = 2 in a radio mode of feedback (88 per cent for merger-dominated galaxies). Given that previous observational and theoretical works have concluded that merger-free processes dominate SMBH-galaxy co-evolution, our results suggest that this co-evolution could be regulated by radio mode AGN feedback.
Rotational spectroscopy and astronomical search for the 2-hydroxyacetonitrile isotopologues HO13CH2CN, HOCH213CN, and DOCH2CN
Authors: Margulès L , Coutens A , Ligterink N F W , Ahmadi A , Motiyenko R A , Alekseev E A , Vastel C , Caux E , Guillemin J-C
Published: June 2023

The main isotopologue of 2-hydroxyacetonitrile (glycolonitrile; HOCH2CN) has recently been detected in the interstellar medium (ISM). To date, no rotational spectroscopy of 2-hydroxyacetonitrile 13C-isotopologues studies has been carried out and only few centimetre-wave measurements of one deuterated isotopologue (DOCH2CN) exist. The rotational spectrum of the 2-hydroxyacetonitrile 13C-isotopologues and DOCH2CN was investigated from 150 to 530 GHz. As the parent isotopic species, the other 2-hydroxyacetonitrile isotopologues exhibit large amplitude motion due to the torsion of the hydroxyl group. The analyses of the spectra were carried out using the reduced axis system (RAS) formalism and Watson’s S-reduction Hamiltonian implemented in the spfit code. More than 3000 lines were fitted for the three studied isotopologues, with quantum number values reaching 60–67 for J and 21–25 for Ka depending on the species. Accurate line lists up to 600 GHz and partition functions are provided. A search for these isotopologues in SMM1-a and IRAS 16293 B surveys resulted in non-detections; upper limits to the column density were determined. The accurate spectroscopic prediction of their spectra provided in this work will allow astronomers to continue the search for 2-hydroxyacetonitrile isotopologues in the ISM.
Modelling the escape of Lyman continuum photons from galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization
Authors: Bremer Jonas , Dayal Pratika
Published: June 2023

We couple the DELPHI framework for galaxy formation with a model for the escape of ionizing photons to study both its variability with galaxy assembly and the resulting key reionization sources. In this model, leakage either occurs through a fully ionized gas distribution (ionization bounded) or additionally through channels cleared of gas by supernova explosions (ionization bounded  + holes). The escape fraction is therefore governed by a combination of the density and star-formation rate. We find the central gas density to regulate the boundary between high (≳ 0.70) and low (≲ 0.06) escape fractions. As galaxies become denser at higher redshifts, this boundary shifts from $M_{h}\simeq 10^{9.5}\, {{\rm M}_{\odot }}$ at z ∼ 5 to $M_{h}\simeq 10^{7.8}\, {{\rm M}_{\odot }}$ at z ∼ 15. While leakage is entirely governed through holes above this mass range, it is not affecting general trends for lower masses. We find the co-evolution of galaxy assembly and the degree of leakage to be mass and redshift dependent, driven by an increasing fraction of fesc ≲ 0.06 galaxies at increasing mass and redshift. The variability in the escape of ionizing photons is driven by the underlying variations in our dark matter assembly histories. Galaxies with $M_h \lesssim 10^{7.9} ~ (10^{8.9})\, {\rm M_\odot }$ provide half of the escaping ionizing emissivity by z ∼ 10 (5) in the ionization bounded model. On the other hand, galaxies that purely leak through holes contribute 6 $(13)$ per cent at z ∼ 5 (15). We end by exploring the impact of two reionization feedback scenarios, in which we suppress the gas content of galaxies with $T_{\mathrm{vir}}\lt 20\, 000\, \mathrm{K}$ and $v_{c}\lt 30\, \mathrm{km\, s^{-1}}$ residing in ionized regions.
Dynamical masses and ages of Sirius-like systems
Authors: Zhang Hengyue , Brandt Timothy D , Kiman Rocio , Venner Alexander , An Qier , Chen Minghan , Li Yiting
Published: June 2023

We measure precise orbits and dynamical masses and derive age constraints for six confirmed and one candidate Sirius-like systems, including the Hyades member HD 27483. Our orbital analysis incorporates radial velocities, relative astrometry, and Hipparcos–Gaia astrometric accelerations. We constrain the main-sequence lifetime of a white dwarf’s progenitor from the remnant’s dynamical mass and semi-empirical initial–final mass relations and infer the cooling age from mass and effective temperature. We present new relative astrometry of HD 27483 B from Keck/NIRC2 observations and archival Hubble Space Telescope data, and obtain the first dynamical mass of ${0.798}_{-0.041}^{+0.10}$ M⊙, and an age of ${450}_{-180}^{+570}$ Myr, consistent with previous age estimates of Hyades. We also measure precise dynamical masses for HD 114174 B (0.591 ± 0.011 M⊙) and HD 169889 B (${0.526}_{-0.037}^{+0.039}$ M⊙), but their age precisions are limited by their uncertain temperatures. For HD 27786 B, the unusually small mass of 0.443 ± 0.012 M⊙ suggests a history of rapid mass-loss, possibly due to binary interaction in its progenitor’s asymtotic giant branch phase. The orbits of HD 118475 and HD 136138 from our radial velocity fitting are overall in good agreement with Gaia DR3 astrometric two-body solutions, despite moderate differences in the eccentricity and period of HD 136138. The mass of ${0.580}_{-0.039}^{+0.052}$ M⊙ for HD 118475 B and a speckle imaging non-detection confirms that the companion is a white dwarf. Our analysis shows examples of a rich number of precise WD dynamical mass measurements enabled by Gaia DR3 and later releases, which will improve empirical calibrations of the white dwarf initial–final mass relation.
Modelling Local Bubble analogs: synthetic dust polarization maps
Authors: Maconi E , Soler J D , Reissl S , Girichidis P , Klessen R S , Hennebelle P , Molinari S , Testi L , Smith R J , Sormani M C , Teh J W , Traficante A
Published: June 2023

We present a study of synthetic observations of polarized dust emission at 353 GHz as seen by an observer within a cavity in the interstellar medium (ISM). The cavity is selected from a magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the local ISM with time-dependent chemistry, star formation, and stellar feedback in form of supernova explosions with physical properties comparable to the Local Bubble ones. We find that the local density enhancement together with the coherent magnetic field in the cavity walls makes the selected candidate a translucent polarization filter to the emission coming from beyond its domains. This underlines the importance of studying the Local Bubble in further detail. The magnetic field lines inferred from synthetic dust polarization data are qualitatively in agreement with the all-sky maps of polarized emission at 353 GHz from the Planck satellite in the latitudes interval 15° ≲ |b| ≲ 65°. As our numerical simulation allows us to track the galactic mid-plane only out to distances of $250\,$ pc, we exclude the region |b| ≲ 15° from our analysis. At large galactic latitudes, our model exhibits a high degree of small-scale structures. On the contrary, the observed polarization pattern around the Galactic Poles is relatively coherent and regular, and we argue that the global toroidal magnetic field of the Milky Way is important for explaining the data at |b| ≳ 65°. We show that from our synthetic polarization maps, it is difficult to distinguish between an open and a closed galactic cap using the inferred magnetic field morphology alone.
Constraining mass transfer and common-envelope physics with post-supernova companion monitoring
Authors: Hirai Ryosuke
Published: June 2023

We present an analytical model that describes the response of companion stars after being impacted by a supernova in a close binary system. This model captures key properties of the luminosity evolution obtained from 1D stellar evolution calculations fairly well: a high-luminosity plateau phase and a decaying tail phase. It can be used to constrain the pre-supernova binary properties from the observed photometry of the companion star several years after the explosion in a relatively simple manner. The derived binary parameters are useful in constraining the evolutionary scenario for the progenitors and the physics of binary interactions. We apply our model to some known stripped-envelope supernova companions (SN1993J, SN2001ig, SN2006jc, SN2011dh, and SN2013ge). Combined with other observational constraints such as the pre-supernova progenitor photometry, we find that SN1993J and SN2011dh likely had relatively massive companions on wide orbits, while SN2006jc may have had a relatively low-mass companion on a tight orbit. This trend suggests that Type IIb supernova progenitors evolved from stable mass transfer channels and Type Ibc progenitors may have formed from common-envelope channels. The constraints on orbital separation helps us probe the highly uncertain common-envelope physics for massive stars, especially with multiple epochs of companion observations. We also highlight possible limitations of our model due to the assumptions made in the underlying 1D models.
Binary black hole mergers from population III stars: uncertainties from star formation and binary star properties
Authors: Santoliquido Filippo , Mapelli Michela , Iorio Giuliano , Costa Guglielmo , Glover Simon C O , Hartwig Tilman , Klessen Ralf S , Merli Lorenzo
Published: June 2023

Population III (Pop. III) binary stars likely produced the first stellar-born binary black hole (BBH) mergers in the Universe. Here, we quantify the main sources of uncertainty for the merger rate density evolution and mass spectrum of Pop. III BBHs by considering four different formation histories and 11 models of the initial orbital properties of Pop. III binary stars. The uncertainty on the orbital properties affects the BBH merger rate density by up to two orders of magnitude, models with shorter orbital periods leading to higher BBH merger rates. The uncertainty on the star formation history has a substantial impact on both the shape and the normalization of the BBH merger rate density: the peak of the merger rate density shifts from z ∼ 8 up to z ∼ 16 depending on the assumed star formation rate, while the maximum BBH merger rate density for our fiducial binary population model spans from ∼2 to ∼30 Gpc−3 yr−1. The typical BBH masses are not affected by the star formation rate model and only mildly influenced by the binary population parameters. The primary black holes born from Pop. III stars tend to be rather massive (30–40 M⊙) with respect to those born from metal-rich stars (8–10 M⊙). We estimate that the Einstein Telescope will detect 10–104 Pop. III BBH mergers per year, depending on the star formation history and binary star properties.
Consistent constraints on the equivalence principle from localized fast radio bursts
Authors: Reischke Robert , Hagstotz Steffen
Published: June 2023

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are short astrophysical transients of extragalactic origin. Their burst signal is dispersed by the free electrons in the large-scale-structure (LSS), leading to delayed arrival times at different frequencies. Another potential source of time delay is the well known Shapiro delay, which measures the space–space and time–time metric perturbations along the line-of-sight. If photons of different frequencies follow different trajectories, i.e. if the universality of free fall guaranteed by the weak equivalence principle (WEP) is violated, they would experience an additional relative delay. This quantity, however, is not observable at the background level as it is not gauge independent, which has led to confusion in previous papers. Instead, an imprint can be seen in the correlation between the time delays of different pulses. In this paper, we derive robust and consistent constraints from twelve localized FRBs on the violation of the WEP in the energy range between 4.6 and 6 meV. In contrast to a number of previous studies, we consider our signal to be not in the model, but in the covariance matrix of the likelihood. To do so, we calculate the covariance of the time delays induced by the free electrons in the LSS, the WEP breaking terms, the Milky Way and host galaxy. By marginalizing both host galaxy contribution and the contribution from the free electrons, we find that the parametrized post-Newtonian parameter γ characterizing the WEP violation must be constant in this energy range to 1 in 1013 at 68 per cent confidence. These are the tightest constraints to-date on Δγ in this low-energy range.
Measurement of the matter-radiation equality scale using the extended baryon oscillation spectroscopic survey quasar sample
Authors: Bahr-Kalus Benedict , Parkinson David , Mueller Eva-Maria
Published: June 2023

The position of the peak of the matter power spectrum, the so-called turnover scale, is set by the horizon size at the epoch of matter-radiation equality. It can easily be predicted in terms of the physics of the universe in the relativistic era, and so can be used as a standard ruler, independent of other features present in the matter power spectrum, such as baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs). We use the distribution of quasars measured by the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) to determine the turnover scale in a model-independent fashion statistically. We avoid modelling the BAO by down-weighting affected scales in the covariance matrix using the mode deprojection technique. We measure the wavenumber of the peak to be $k_\mathrm{TO} = \left(17.6^{+1.9}_{-1.8} \right) \times 10^{-3}h/\mathrm{Mpc}$, corresponding to a dilation scale of $D_\mathrm{V}(z_\mathrm{eff} = 1.48) = \left(31.1^{+4.1}_{-3.4}\right)r_\mathrm{H}$. This is not competitive with current BAO distance measures in terms of determining the expansion history but does provide a useful cross-check. We combine this measurement with low-redshift distance measurements from type-Ia supernova data from Pantheon and BAO data from eBOSS to make a sound-horizon free estimate of the Hubble–Lemaître parameter and find it to be $H_0=64.8^{+8.4}_{-7.8} \ \mathrm{km/s/Mpc}$ with Pantheon, and $H_0=63.3^{+8.2}_{-6.9} \ \mathrm{km/s/Mpc}$ with eBOSS BAO. We make predictions for the measurement of the turnover scale by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey, the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE), and MegaMapper, which will make more precise and accurate distance determinations.
Cooling-driven coagulation
Authors: Gronke Max , Oh S Peng
Published: June 2023

Astrophysical gases such as the interstellar-, circumgalactic-, or intracluster-medium are commonly multiphase, which poses the question of the structure of these systems. While there are many known processes leading to fragmentation of cold gas embedded in a (turbulent) hot medium, in this work, we focus on the reverse process: coagulation. This is often seen in wind-tunnel and shearing layer simulations, where cold gas fragments spontaneously coalesce. Using 2D and 3D hydrodynamical simulations, we find that sufficiently large (≫cstcool), perturbed cold gas clouds develop pulsations which ensure cold gas mass growth over an extended period of time (≫r/cs). This mass growth efficiently accelerates hot gas which in turn can entrain cold droplets, leading to coagulation. The attractive inverse square force between cold gas droplets has interesting parallels with gravity; the ‘monopole’ is surface area rather than mass. We develop a simple analytic model which reproduces our numerical findings.
A high-resolution extinction mapping technique for face-on disc galaxies
Authors: Faustino Vieira Helena , Duarte-Cabral Ana , Davis Timothy A , Peretto Nicolas , Smith Matthew W L , Querejeta Miguel , Colombo Dario , Anderson Michael
Published: June 2023

We present a new dust extinction technique with which we are able to retrieve parsec-scale gas surface density maps for entire nearby galaxies. The method measures the dust attenuation in optical bands on a pixel-by-pixel basis against a smoothed, reconstructed stellar distribution. The contribution of foreground light along the line-of-sight is calibrated using dust emission observations, assuming that the dust sits in a layer close to the mid-plane of the face-on galaxy. Here, we apply this technique to M51 (NGC 5194) as a proof-of-concept, obtaining a resolution of 0.14 arcsec (5 pc). Our dust (and gas) surface density map is consistent with independent dust- and CO-based studies at lower resolution. We find that discrepancies between our estimates of surface density and other studies stem primarily from the choice of dust model (i.e. different dust absorption coefficients). When assuming the same dust opacity law, our technique produces surface densities that are consistent with independent studies. This dust extinction technique provides us with gas surface density maps at an unprecedented resolution for full disc coverage studies of nearby galaxies. The resulting well-resolved spatial information opens the possibility for more in-depth examination of the influence of large-scale dynamics (and also stellar feedback mechanisms) on the interstellar medium at parsec-scales, and consequently star formation in nearby galaxies.
Observability of low-luminosity AGNs in the early Universe with JWST
Authors: Jeon Junehyoung , Liu Boyuan , Bromm Volker , Finkelstein Steven L
Published: June 2023

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the early Universe are thought to be prominent sources of energy and ionizing photons that affected the growth of their host galaxy and their environment. However, it is still unclear how the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) that fuel these AGNs grew to the observed high masses already at high redshifts. Observations of high-redshift SMBH progenitors or lower luminosity AGNs will thus help characterize the evolution of SMBHs and their impact on the surroundings. With the launch of the JWST, fainter objects at high redshifts can now be detected, including lower luminosity AGNs. We assess the observability of such low-luminosity AGNs, using the cosmological simulation code gizmo to provide a realistic environment for black hole growth in the early Universe. Soon after the first stars are born in the simulation run, we insert stellar-remnant black hole seeds of various initial masses, between 300 and 104 M⊙, at the centre of a dark matter halo and follow their growth until z ∼ 6. Such stellar black hole seeds placed in a typical high-z environment do not significantly accrete and grow to reach masses that can be observed with the JWST under conditions of standard Bondi–Hoyle accretion, as energy input from stellar feedback and chaotic dynamics prevent efficient gas accretion on to the black holes. To be observed with the JWST, rarer but still physically feasible growth regimes, involving Eddington or super-Eddington accretion, would be required. Alternatively, AGN observability may be boosted under even rarer conditions of extreme gravitational lensing.
Probing dark fluids and modified gravity with gravitational lensing
Authors: Perivolaropoulos Leandros , Antoniou Ioannis , Papadopoulos Demetrios
Published: June 2023

We generalize the result of Rindler-Ishak for the lensing deflection angle in a Schwarzschild–deSitter (SdS) space–time, to the case of a general spherically symmetric fluid beyond the cosmological constant. We thus derive an analytic expression to first post-Newtonian order for the lensing deflection angle in a general static spherically symmetric metric of the form $\mathrm{ d}s^2 = f(r)\mathrm{ d}t^{2} -\frac{\mathrm{ d}r^{2}}{f(r)}-r^{2}(\mathrm{ d}\theta ^2 +\sin ^2 \theta \mathrm{ d}\phi ^2)$ with $f(r) = 1 - \frac{2m}{r}-\sum _{i} b_\mathrm{ i}\,\, r_0^{-q_i}\,\, \left(\frac{r_0}{r}\right)^{q_i}$, where r0 is the lensing impact parameter, $b_i\ll r_0^{q_i}$, m is the mass of the lens, and qi are real arbitrary constants related to the properties of the fluid that surrounds the lens or to modified gravity. This is a generalization of the well known Kiselev black hole metric. The approximate analytic expression of the deflection angle is verified by an exact numerical derivation and in special cases it reduces to results of previous studies. The density and pressure of the spherically symmetric fluid that induces this metric is derived in terms of the constants bi. The Kiselev case of a Schwarzschild metric perturbed by a general spherically symmetric dark fluid (e.g. vacuum energy) is studied in some detail and consistency with the special case of Rindler-Ishak result is found for the case of a cosmological constant background. Observational data of the Einstein radii from distant clusters of galaxies lead to observational constraints on the constants bi and through them on the density and pressure of dark fluids, field theories, or modified gravity theories that could induce this metric.
Ask the machine: systematic detection of wind-type outflows in low-mass X-ray binaries
Authors: Mata Sánchez D , Muñoz-Darias T , Casares J , Huertas-Company M , Panizo-Espinar G
Published: June 2023

The systematic discovery of outflows in the optical spectra of low-mass X-ray binaries opened a new avenue for the study of the outburst evolution in these extreme systems. However, the efficient detection of such features in a continuously growing data base requires the development of new analysis techniques with a particular focus on scalability, adaptability, and automatization. In this pilot study, we explore the use of machine learning algorithms to perform the identification of outflows in spectral line profiles observed in the optical range. We train and test the classifier on a simulated data base constructed through a combination of disc emission line profiles and outflow signatures, emulating typical observations of low-mass X-ray binaries. The final, trained classifier is applied to two sets of spectra taken during two bright outbursts that were particularly well covered, those of V404 Cyg (2015) and MAXI J1820+070 (2018). The resulting classification gained by this novel approach is overall consistent with that obtained through traditional techniques, while simultaneously providing a number of key advantages over the latter, including the access to low-velocity outflows. This study sets the foundations for future studies on large samples of spectra from low-mass X-ray binaries and other compact binaries.
Morpho-kinematic and photoionization models of the multipolar structures in planetary nebula NGC 6572
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Rahul , Das Ramkrishna , Parthasarathy Mudumba , Kar Subhajit
Published: June 2023

We have studied planetary nebula (PN) NGC 6572 through 3D morpho-kinematic and photoionization modelling. The 3D morphology is reconstructed from the Hubble Space Telescope images in different narrow-band filters and position–velocity spectra. The PN has a multipolar morphology consisting of highly collimated outflows. The nebular image shows signatures of multiple lobes within a spiral-ring-like structure. The multipolar structure is modelled with two bipolar shells (axes ratios ∼5.5:1 and ∼3:1), having closed and open lobes, respectively. A toroidal structure (radius:height ∼ 1:3) surrounds the shells at the waist. The toroidal axis aligns with the major axes of the bipolar shells. Our study reveals the nebula to have a history of collimated polar outflow perpendicular to a higher density equatorial wind with the outflow seemingly having episodes of changing direction of ejection. We construct a photoionization model of NGC 6572 using the optical spectra obtained at the 2 m Himalayan Chandra Telescope. For the photoionization model, we configure the input shell geometry in the form of a highly bipolar nebular shell with reference to the 3D morphology. Our photoionization model satisfactorily reproduces the observables. We estimate nebular elemental abundances, and important characteristic parameters of the central star (e.g. effective temperature, luminosity, gravity, mass, etc.) and the nebula (e.g. hydrogen density profiles, radii, etc.). We compare the resolved H β, [O iii], and [N ii] profiles obtained using the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope with that from the photoionization model and find a good characteristic match.
Recent Evolution of a Maternally Acting Sex-Determining Supergene in a Fly with Single-Sex Broods
Authors: Baird Robert B , Urban John M , Mongue Andrew J , Jaron Kamil S , Hodson Christina N , Grewoldt Malte , Martin Simon H , Ross Laura
Published: June 2023

Sex determination is a key developmental process, yet it is remarkably variable across the tree of life. The dipteran family Sciaridae exhibits one of the most unusual sex determination systems in which mothers control offspring sex through selective elimination of paternal X chromosomes. Whereas in some members of the family females produce mixed-sex broods, others such as the dark-winged fungus gnat Bradysia coprophila are monogenic, with females producing single-sex broods. Female-producing females were previously found to be heterozygous for a large X-linked paracentric inversion (X′), which is maternally inherited and absent from male-producing females. Here, we assembled and characterized the X′ sequence. As close sequence homology between the X and X′ made identification of the inversion challenging, we developed a k-mer–based approach to bin genomic reads before assembly. We confirmed that the inversion spans most of the X′ chromosome (∼55 Mb) and encodes ∼3,500 genes. Analysis of the divergence between the inversion and the homologous region of the X revealed that it originated very recently (<0.5 Ma). Surprisingly, we found that the X′ is more complex than previously thought and is likely to have undergone multiple rearrangements that have produced regions of varying ages, resembling a supergene composed of evolutionary strata. We found functional degradation of ∼7.3% of genes within the region of recombination suppression, but no evidence of accumulation of repetitive elements. Our findings provide an indication that sex-linked inversions are driving turnover of the strange sex determination system in this family of flies.
Long-Term Impact of Daily E-cigarette Exposure on the Lungs of Asthmatic Mice
Authors: Song Min-Ae , Wold Loren E , Aslaner David M , Archer Kellie J , Patel Devki , Jeon Hyeongseon , Chung Dongjun , Shields Peter G , Christman John W , Chung Sangwoon
Published: June 2023

Introduction

Although the greater popularity of electronic cigarettes (EC) among asthmatics is alarming, there is limited knowledge of the long-term consequences of EC exposure in asthmatics.

Aims and Methods

Mild asthmatic C57/BL6J adult male and female mice were established by intranasal insufflation with three combined allergens. The asthmatic and age and sex-matched’ naïve mice were exposed to air, nicotine-free (propylene glycol [PG]/vegetable glycerin [VG]-only), or PG/VG+Nicotine, 4 hours daily for 3 months. The effects of EC exposure were accessed by measuring cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage, periodic acid-schiff (PAS) staining, mitochondrial DNA copy numbers (mtCN), and the transcriptome in the lung. Significance was false discovery rate <0.2 for transcriptome and 0.05 for the others.

Results

In asthmatic mice, PG/VG+Nicotine increased PAS-positive cells and IL-13 compared to mice exposed to air and PG/VG-only. In naïve mice exposed to PG/VG+Nicotine and PG/VG-only, higher INF-γ was observed compared to mice exposed only to air. PG/VG-only and PG/VG+Nicotine had significantly higher mtCN compared to air exposure in asthmatic mice, while the opposite pattern was observed in non-asthmatic naïve mice. Different gene expression patterns were profoundly found for asthmatic mice exposed to PG/VG+Nicotine compared to PG/VG-only, including genes involved in mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative phosphorylation, and p21-activated kinase (PAK) signaling.

Conclusions

This study provides experimental evidence of the potential impact of nicotine enhancement on the long-term effects of EC in asthmatics compared to non-asthmatics.

Implications

The findings from this study indicate the potential impact of EC in asthmatics by addressing multiple biological markers. The long-term health outcomes of EC in the susceptible group can be instrumental in supporting policymaking and educational campaigns and informing the public, healthcare providers, and EC users about the underlying risks of EC use.
Eileen Gray
Authors: Constant Caroline
Published: June 2023

Eileen Gray (b. 1878–d. 1976), is an Angle-Irish architect and designer of furniture, carpets, and textiles who became known in avant-garde artistic circles in Paris during the 1910s for adapting traditional Japanese lacquer techniques to her contemporary furniture designs. She was born Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland. The family name was changed to Gray in 1895, when her mother inherited the title of Baroness Gray, and her father adopted the name Smith-Gray. Gray was studying painting at the Slade School of Fine Arts in 1901 when she began to experiment with oriental lacquer techniques in the London workshop of Dean Charles. The following year she moved to Paris to study drawing at the Académie Colarossi and the Académie Julian. After Gray purchased her apartment in the rue Bonaparte in 1907, she began to collaborate with the Japanese lacquer artisan Seizo Sugawara (b. 1884–d. 1937). This culminated in the establishment of two venues that formed the basis for Gray’s decorative arts production: her lacquer workshop in the rue Guénégaud with Sugawara and her weaving workshop in the rue Visconti with Evelyn Wyld (b. 1882–d. 1973), both in 1910. During the early 1920s Gray began to practice architecture in collaboration with the Romanian architect Jean Badovici (b. 1893–d. 1956), and a decade later she began working independently. A graduate of the École spéciale d’architecture in Paris, Badovici was editor of the avant-garde journal L’Architecture Vivante (1923–1933). Their collaboration may have begun in 1922, when Gray opened a shop in the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, which she named Jean Désert, to display her furniture, fabrics, and carpets. Sketches in Gray’s hand indicate her ideas for the design, while Badovici was most likely responsible for the extant architectural drawing. Although the precise nature of their collaboration cannot be determined, Gray played a major role in several further undertakings, including the house E1027 in Roquebrune-Cap Martin (1926–1929), which she created for and with Badovici and for which she is best known. Sketches in Gray’s archive at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, for Badovici’s projects in Vézelay—the Renaudin house (1926–1931), the Badovici house (1927–1931), and artists’ housing (1927–1932)—provide evidence of her possible participation in these endeavors as well. Gray was independently responsible for Badovici’s studio apartment in the rue Chateaubriand in Paris (1930–1931) and two houses for herself in the south of France: Tempe a Pailla near Castellar (1931–1935) and Lou Pérou outside Saint Tropez (1954–1961). Throughout her life Gray continued to develop furniture designs and architectural proposals—some for private clients and others as hypothetical exercises, including most notably a Vacation Center (1936–1937) and a Cultural and Leisure Center (1947–1947).
Rus in Medieval Europe
Authors: Raffensperger Christian
Published: June 2023

The history of the medieval kingdom of Rus is one that holds a contested place in historiography. Even referring to it as a “kingdom” is an argument by itself, as many consider to be a principality or series of principalities. Typically, Rus is dealt with as the earliest part of Russian history, though claims have also been made for it as the earliest part of Ukrainian history. This bibliography will take the approach that it is a medieval polity of its own and focus upon not just Rus, but primarily its relations with the rest of medieval Europe. As such, the bibliography will restrict itself to topics related to that theme particularly for the 11th and 12th centuries, though more generally for what is typically referred to as the High Middle Ages. There is much more to say about medieval Rus than is included here, and the reader is encouraged to use this just as a starting point to learn more about the history of the kingdom of Rus and its neighbors.
Assyrian Warfare
Authors: Melville Sarah C.
Published: June 2023

From the earliest periods ancient Near Eastern leaders considered war a legitimate way to acquire resources, territory, and security, though they always sought the gods’ approval before going to war. Assyria’s location in what is now northern Iraq put it at the center of trade routes and surrounded by enemies. From the middle of the 2nd millennium bce the reality of their geopolitical situation compelled the Assyrians to develop into a formidable military power. At its height in the Sargonid period (8th and 7th centuries bce), the empire stretched from the Zagros Mountains in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the Taurus Mountains in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south. During the 7th century, it included Egypt for a brief period. The Assyrians outmatched their rivals in resources, military organization, administrative ability, intelligence gathering, and political finesse, yet in terms of tactics (including violent punishment), army unit types, and military technology they were not significantly different from their contemporaries. Soldiers wore bronze or iron armor, used shields, hand-held weapons, and simple technology such as chariots, siege towers, and battering rams. Artillery had not yet been invented. What made the Assyrians stand out from their contemporaries was their imperial vision and the fact that they had the economic resources and will to carry it out. Although this article includes material dealing with the Middle Assyrian period (15th-11th centuries bce), it concentrates on the Neo-Assyrian period (10th-7th centuries bce), when the empire reached its pinnacle and the Assyrian army flourished.
African Refugees
Authors: Yacob-Haliso Olajumoke
Published: June 2023

This bibliography presents African refugees as central to theory, policy, and humanitarian practice relating to refugees and forced migration internationally. It foregrounds the contributions of African refugees and multidisciplinary African scholarship to the development of the field of refugee and forced migration studies, incorporating materials by African refugees, African academics, and African institutions alongside scholarship produced by academics and institutions located in the Global North and available internationally. It is organized around three matrices: sources and resources, major themes, and regional case studies. The bibliography aims to be as expansive as possible but given space and quality considerations, it is necessarily selective in citing materials relevant to each category. Therefore this is by no means an exhaustive bibliography of materials about African refugees, and in fact it is unable to include a vast number of materials published within Africa but unavailable or inaccessible internationally. Much of the accessible scholarship on African refugees is produced in the Global North and this shapes knowledge production in terms of the themes considered important, the voices that are amplified, and the policy outcomes that affect refugees. In turn, academic study of refugees has historically been shaped by international law, policy, and institutions. So, for instance, most extant studies maintain the strict legal-political distinction between refugees (people forced to flee in fear, crossing an international border); internally displaced persons (IDPs, who remain in-country); and other migrants (people who “voluntarily” choose mobility and destinations). This categorization is in actual circumstances unrealistic and increasingly impractical—especially in Africa where the regional body, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), in 1969 redefined refugeehood, and its successor, the African Union (AU), became the first globally in 2009 to adopt a binding treaty to protect IDPs. Thus while this bibliography focuses mainly on refugees as defined by the 1951 UN and 1969 OAU Conventions, it also includes materials about other forced migrants, IDPs, and mixed migration in Africa. Another issue is the persistent and ahistorical bifurcation of the continent into “sub-Saharan” and “North Africa,” the latter often merged with the Middle East; this bibliography instead includes materials on North Africa, written in the English language, treating the African continent as a whole. Similarly this work addresses specificities about African refugees in other subregions. Importantly as well, the bibliography nuances the themes covered to embrace specificities of gender, age, location, residence, and legal policy to facilitate a more nuanced understanding of African refugees.
WUSCHEL controls genotype-dependent shoot regeneration capacity in potato
Authors: Park Ji-Sun , Park Kwang Hyun , Park Su-Jin , Ko Seo-Rin , Moon Ki-Beom , Koo Hyunjin , Cho Hye Sun , Park Sang Un , Jeon Jae-Heung , Kim Hyun-Soon , Lee Hyo-Jun
Published: June 2023

Plant cells can reprogram their fate. The combinatorial actions of auxin and cytokinin dedifferentiate somatic cells to regenerate organs, which can develop into individual plants. As transgenic plants can be generated from genetically modified somatic cells through these processes, cell fate transition is an unavoidable step in crop genetic engineering. However, regeneration capacity closely depends on the genotype, and the molecular events underlying these variances remain elusive. In the present study, we demonstrated that WUSCHEL (WUS)—a homeodomain transcription factor—determines regeneration capacity in different potato (Solanum tuberosum) genotypes. Comparative analysis of shoot regeneration efficiency and expression of genes related to cell fate transition revealed that WUS expression coincided with regeneration rate in different potato genotypes. Moreover, in a high-efficiency genotype, WUS silencing suppressed shoot regeneration. Meanwhile, in a low-efficiency genotype, regeneration could be enhanced through the supplementation of a different type of cytokinin that promoted WUS expression. Computational modeling of cytokinin receptor–ligand interactions suggested that the docking pose of cytokinins mediated by hydrogen bonding with the core residues may be pivotal for WUS expression and shoot regeneration in potatoes. Furthermore, our whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed core sequence variations in the WUS promoters that differentiate low- and high-efficiency genotypes. The present study revealed that cytokinin responses, particularly WUS expression, determine shoot regeneration efficiency in different potato genotypes.