bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated With Discontinuation of Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment: Post Hoc Analysis of 2 Randomized, Controlled Trials
Authors: Allard-Gray Alex , Boakye Isaac , Camara Alioune , Eisenbeis Lisa , Guimarães-Teixeira Eleny , Sow Oumou , Zielinski David , Campbell Jonathon R , Menzies Dick
Published: March 2023

Background

Adherence to tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) is an important determinant of clinical benefit. We assessed the association of participant behaviors early in TPT with subsequent discontinuation.

Methods

We used data from a phase 3 randomized trial and the preceding phase 2 trial to compare 4 months of rifampin to 9 months of isoniazid for TPT. We excluded participants whose providers discontinued TPT due to adverse events or tuberculosis disease. We analyzed 4 outcomes: discontinuing TPT within the first month of treatment, discontinuing TPT between the first and second month, discontinuing TPT after the second month, and completing treatment but not per protocol. We analyzed the association of outcomes with regimen and participant characteristics and 4 behavioral predictors of discontinuation recorded at the month 1 and month 2 follow-up visits: reporting symptoms of intolerance, missing >20% of doses, rescheduling appointments, and not bringing their medication bottle.

Results

Overall, 6656 participants were included (phase 3, 5848; phase 2, 808), of whom 4318 (64.9%) completed treatment per protocol. Participant characteristics were inconsistently associated with discontinuation. Phase 3 trial participants with 1, 2, or 3–4 behavioral predictors at the month 1 follow-up had 5.0 (95% confidence interval, 3.6–6.7), 18.6 (13.3–26.1), and 79.4 (38.2–165.0), respectively, higher odds of discontinuing before the second month. The corresponding number of predictors at the month 2 follow-up had 1.8 (1.4–2.2), 4.7 (3.6–6.2), and 7.4 (4.6–11.9) higher odds of discontinuing before completing treatment; phase 2 findings were similar.

Conclusions

Four behavioral predictors recorded early in therapy were more strongly associated with subsequent discontinuation than participant characteristics, particularly when more than 1 behavioral predictor was recorded.

Clinical Trials Registration. NCT00170209; NCT00931736.
Smart city, eco city, world city, creative city, et cetera et cetera: a Marxian interpretation of urban discourses’ short lifecycles
Authors: Sonn Jung Won , Park Joon
Published: March 2023

Concepts like ‘creative city’, ‘world city’ and ‘eco city’ arrive with loud celebration, but fade in just a few years. In recent years, ‘smart city’ has been a buzzword. As each fad emerges, urbanists debate its meaning and implications. However, why so many urban concepts circulate at all is rarely focused on. This study attempts to answer this question based on the Marxian view of the built environment as a fixed capital. We focus on the differences between the built environment and other types of fixed capital, and show how these differences render capital circulation in the built environment sector more fragile. We claim that such fragility cannot be fixed within the circuit of capital, so external intervention is necessary and deployment of catchy urban concepts is a resorted method of such intervention.
Who said or what said? Estimating ideological bias in views among economists
Authors: Javdani Mohsen , Chang Ha-Joon
Published: March 2023

There exists a long-standing debate about the influence of ideology in economics. Surprisingly, however, there are very few studies that provide systematic empirical evidence on this critical issue. Using an online randomised controlled experiment involving 2,425 economists in 19 countries, we examine the effect of ideological bias among economists. Participants were asked to evaluate statements from prominent economists on different topics, while source attribution for each statement was randomised without participants’ knowledge. For each statement, participants either received a mainstream source, an ideologically different less-/non-mainstream source, or no source. We find that changing source attributions from mainstream to less-/non-mainstream, or removing them, significantly reduces economists’ reported agreement with statements. This contradicts the image economists have/report of themselves, with 82% of participants reporting that in evaluating a statement one should only pay attention to its content. Our analysis provides clear evidence for the existence of ideological bias as well as of authority bias among economists. We also find significant heterogeneity in our results by gender, country, PhD completion country, research area and undergraduate major, with patterns consistent with the existence of ideological bias.
Theory of Mind and Parental Mental-State Talk in Children with CIs
Authors: Pluta Agnieszka , Krysztofiak Magdalena , Zgoda Małgorzata , Wysocka Joanna , Golec Karolina , Gajos Katarzyna , Dołyk Tadeusz , Wolak Tomasz , Haman Maciej
Published: March 2023

Previous studies have suggested that parents may support the development of theory of mind (ToM) in their child by talking about mental states (mental state talk; MST). However, MST has not been sufficiently explored in deaf children with cochlear implants (CIs). This study investigated ToM and availability of parental MST in deaf children with CIs (n = 39, Mage = 62.92, SD = 15.23) in comparison with their peers with typical hearing (TH; n = 52, Mage = 52.48, SD = 1.07). MST was measured during shared storybook reading. Parents’ narratives were coded for cognitive, emotional, literal, and non-mental references. ToM was measured with a parental questionnaire. Children with CIs had lower ToM scores than their peers with TH, and their parents used more literal references during shared storybook reading. There were no significant differences in the frequencies of cognitive and emotional references between groups. Parental emotional references contributed positively to children’s ToM scores when controlling for the child’s age and receptive grammar only in the CI group. These results indicated some distinctive features in parents of deaf children with CIs’ MST and highlighted the role of MST in the development of ToM abilities in this group.
On the Origin and Evolution of Microbial Mercury Methylation
Authors: Lin Heyu , Moody Edmund R R , Williams Tom A , Moreau John W
Published: March 2023

The origin of microbial mercury methylation has long been a mystery. Here, we employed genome-resolved phylogenetic analyses to decipher the evolution of the mercury-methylating gene, hgcAB, constrain the ancestral origin of the hgc operon, and explain the distribution of hgc in Bacteria and Archaea. We infer the extent to which vertical inheritance and horizontal gene transfer have influenced the evolution of mercury methylators and hypothesize that evolution of this trait bestowed the ability to produce an antimicrobial compound (MeHg+) on a potentially resource-limited early Earth. We speculate that, in response, the evolution of MeHg+-detoxifying alkylmercury lyase (encoded by merB) reduced a selective advantage for mercury methylators and resulted in widespread loss of hgc in Bacteria and Archaea.
Longitudinal Dyadic Associations Between Loneliness and Cognition Among Older Couples in the United States
Authors: Stokes Jeffrey E , Prasad Anyah , Barooah Adrita , Stam Elisabeth J
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Loneliness is associated with diminished health and cognition for older individuals. However, little research has examined dyadic loneliness—that is, loneliness of both partners in a relationship—and its potential consequences for cognitive functioning among both spouses, nor whether one partner’s cognition may affect both partners’ loneliness over time.

Methods

We analyze 3-wave dyadic Health and Retirement Study data (2010–2020; N = 1,061 dyads) to determine (a) whether loneliness predicts participants’ own and/or their partners’ episodic memory and verbal fluency over 8 years, and (b) whether cognitive functioning predicts older spouses’ own or their partners’ loneliness over the same period.

Results

Loneliness predicted participants’ own and their partners’ loneliness at follow-up, at both time points. Loneliness was also associated with own episodic memory at follow-up, but not with verbal fluency. Episodic memory and verbal fluency predicted one another over time. Neither episodic memory nor verbal fluency predicted loneliness at follow-up. Significant dyadic mediation was established such that Time 1 loneliness was linked with partner’s Time 3 episodic memory via that partner’s Time 2 loneliness.

Discussion

Lonelier older adults displayed worse trajectories of episodic memory over time, yet poor memory did not precede changes to loneliness. Further, having a lonely partner was linked with poorer episodic memory 8 years later, indicating that both one’s own and—to a lesser extent—a partner’s emotional well-being may be consequential for maintaining cognitive functioning with age. Associations were more clearly established with episodic memory than with verbal fluency, suggesting potential domain-specific effects of loneliness.
Income Pooling in Midlife: A Comparison of Remarried and Cohabiting Relationships
Authors: Wright Matthew R , Schwartz Tatum A , Brown Susan L , Manning Wendy D
Published: March 2023

Objectives

The share of adults cohabiting at later ages has risen in the past few decades, though little is known about income pooling among midlife cohabitors. Cohabitation could be an attractive option because partners may be able to preserve their economic autonomy and maintain assets for the next generation. Conversely, cohabitation may operate as an alternative to marriage, allowing midlife adults to combine their resources to achieve economies of scale without the legal obligations of marriage. This study compared income pooling among middle-aged remarried and cohabiting adults in the United States.

Methods

Data were from the nationally representative 2013 Families and Relationships Survey. The analytic sample included adults aged 50–65 who were cohabiting or remarried (N = 888). Logistic regression models were used to predict the likelihood of income pooling among cohabiting and remarried midlife adults, net of relationship, demographic, and economic characteristics.

Results

Aligning with the hypothesis that cohabitation and remarriage are distinct in middle age, the odds of income pooling were lower for cohabitors than remarrieds. However, the gap between cohabitors and remarrieds narrowed by later ages.

Discussion

This study provides insight into the economic organization of midlife cohabiting relationships, which may have implications for individual well-being and relationship decision-making among middle-aged couples.
Effects of engaging in mass participation sporting events on physical activity behaviour,: a systematic review
Authors: McVinnie Zoe , Plateau Carolyn R , Lane Aoife , Murphy Niamh , Stevinson Clare
Published: March 2023

Mass participation sports event (MPSE)s have been identified as a potential referral pathway for engaging inactive patients in regular physical activity. This study aimed to review evidence of physical activity behaviour and associated health-related outcomes of engaging in MPSEs among the general population. A systematic review was performed of quantitative studies that examined the relationship between MPSEs and physical activity behaviour or secondary outcomes (e.g. physical activity motivation or confidence, physical or mental health) or any intervention to maintain physical activity following MPSEs. Search methods included searching five electronic databases and checking reference lists. Methodological quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A total of 2079 papers were identified, 142 were independently assessed for eligibility and 39 were included. Data from prospective cohort studies suggested that levels of physical activity achieved in training for MPSEs tended to drop in the months after, but increases were reported in some studies of novice participants. Interventions involving health promotion materials provided post-event led to small increases in physical activity. Perceived benefits of participating in MPSEs included physical and mental health, fitness, self-efficacy and social connections. Existing evidence suggests that MPSEs can act as a motivator to initiate exercise in preparation for the event, but there is limited evidence on how best to sustain physical activity post-event. Given the short duration of most studies, longer prospective analyses are needed to delineate patterns of habitual and event-related activity and account for seasonal effects.
Natural disease history of a canine model of oligogenic RPGRIP1-cone-rod dystrophy establishes variable effects of previously and newly mapped modifier loci
Authors: Ripolles-Garcia Ana , Murgiano Leonardo , Ziolkowska Natalia , Marinho Felipe Pompeo , Roszak Karolina , Iffrig Sommer , Aguirre Gustavo D , Miyadera Keiko
Published: March 2023

Canine RPGRIP1-cone-rod dystrophy (CRD), a model for human inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), was originally identified as autosomal recessive early-onset blindness. However, later studies revealed extensive phenotypic variability among RPGRIP1 mutants. This led to the identification of a homozygous MAP9 variant as a modifier associated with early-onset disease. Based on further phenotypic variation affecting cone photoreceptor function, we report mapping of L3 as an additional modifier locus, within a 4.1-Mb locus on canine chromosome 30. We establish the natural disease history of RPGRIP1-CRD based on up to 9-year long-term functional and structural retinal data from 58 dogs including 44 RPGRIP1 mutants grouped according to the modifier status. RPGRIP1 mutants affected by both MAP9 and L3 modifiers exhibited the most severe phenotypes with rapid disease progression. MAP9 alone was found to act as an overall accelerator of rod and cone diseases, while L3 had a cone-specific effect. Ultrastructural analysis of photoreceptors revealed varying degrees of rod and cone damage, while the connecting cilia appeared structurally preserved in all groups. We conclude that RPGRIP1-CRD is an oligogenic disease with at least three loci contributing to the pathogenesis. While the RPGRIP1 variant is required for developing the disease, MAP9 and L3 modifiers exacerbate the phenotype, individually and cumulatively. Oligogenic canine RPGRIP1-CRD illustrates the impact of multiple genetic modifiers on disease phenotype and thus has the potential to reveal new targets for broad-spectrum therapies for oligogenic or polygenic forms of human IRDs.
Prisoner Lives Cut Short: The Need to Address Structural, Societal and Environmental Factors to Reduce Preventable Prisoner Deaths
Authors: Mulgrew Róisín
Published: March 2023

The State duty to prevent preventable prisoner deaths is easy to state and substantiate. Yet prisoner death rates are increasing around the world and are often much higher than those in the community. To understand why this is happening, the findings and recommendations of the country reports of international oversight bodies and thematic reports from international rapporteurs are synthesised with contemporary rights-informed penal standards, multi-disciplinary scholarship, non-governmental organization reports and media extracts. On the basis of this knowledge, this reform-oriented article explores the impact of structural, societal and environmental factors on natural and violent prisoner deaths and how these factors operate cumulatively to create dangerous and life-threatening custodial environments. The paper makes recommendations to reaffirm and enumerate the positive obligation to protect prisoners’ lives, develop specialist standards, adopt a broader approach to prison oversight and create a specific United Nations mandate on prisoner rights.
Maximizing Curves Viewed as Free Curves
Authors: Dimca Alexandru , Pokora Piotr
Published: March 2023

The aim of this paper is to provide a direct link between maximizing curves that occur in the construction of smooth algebraic surfaces having the maximal possible Picard numbers and reduced free plane curves with simple singularities. We also investigate odd degree plane curves with simple singularities having maximal total Tjurina number.
On the Automorphism Group of Non-Necessarily Normal Affine Toric Varieties
Authors: Díaz Roberto , Liendo Alvaro
Published: March 2023

Our main result is the following: let $X$ be a normal affine toric surface without torus factor. Then there exists a non-normal affine toric surface $X^{\prime}$ with automorphism group isomorphic to the automorphism group of $X$ if and only if $X$ is different from the affine plane. As a tool, we first provide a classification of normalized additive group actions on a non-necessarily normal affine toric variety $X$ of any dimension. Recall that normalized additive group actions on $X$ are in correspondence with homogeneous locally nilpotent derivations on the algebra of regular functions of $X$. More generally, we provide a classification of homogeneous locally nilpotent derivations on the semigroup algebra of a commutative cancellative monoid.
Natural Antibodies Mediate Protection Against Acinetobacter baumannii Respiratory Infections
Authors: Islam Aminul , Actis Luis A , Wilson Timothy J
Published: March 2023

Background

Acinetobacter baumannii causes a wide range of dangerous infections due to the emergence of pandrug-resistant strains. Therefore, there is a need for alternative therapeutics to treat these infections, including those targeting the host immune responses. However, immune responses, especially the humoral response against this pathogen, are poorly understood.

Methods

This study investigated the lymphocyte-mediated innate immune resistance to A. baumannii AB5075 pulmonary infection using B- and T-cell–deficient (Rag2−/−) mice, the protective effect of natural antibodies (NAbs), and the expression of complement-mediated responses using a mouse pneumonia model.

Results

Our results showed that intranasally infected Rag2−/− mice are impaired in clearing bacteria from lung, liver, and spleen at 24 hours postinfection compared to wildtype mice. Animal pretreatment with normal mouse serum or purified antibodies from naive mice rescued Rag2−/− mice from infection. Analysis of C3 complement protein binding demonstrated that NAbs increased C3 protein deposition on A. baumannii cells, indicating the activation of the classical complement pathway by NAbs.

Conclusions

Overall, our study shows that NAbs mediate innate immune resistance against A. baumannii, a finding that may lead to the development of effective therapies against human infections caused by this antibiotic-resistant A. baumannii.
Nitric Oxide-Producing Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils Confer Protection Against Chlamydia psittaci in Mouse Lung Infection
Authors: Luo Ying , Wang Cui , Du Zhaoxiang , Wang Chuan , Wu Yimou , Lei Aihua
Published: March 2023

Background

Whether polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) exert a protective role upon chlamydial infection by expressing inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS) and producing NO remains unclear.

Methods

This issue was addressed using BALB/c mice infected with Chlamydia psittaci 6BC strain. Methods included flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and western blot.

Results

The number of PMN was significantly increased during C. psittaci infection, which was accompanied by increased iNOS expression and NO production in the mouse lungs. PMN were the major source of NO during pulmonary C. psittaci infection and inhibited C. psittaci multiplication in an iNOS/NO-dependent manner. Depletion of PMN aggravated C. psittaci-induced disease and increased C. psittaci burden. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and STAT1 signaling pathways, but not MAPK signaling pathways, were required for the induction of iNOS expression and NO production in PMN by C. psittaci infection. Thus, our findings highlight the protective role of NO-producing PMN in C. psittaci infection.

Conclusions

NO-producing PMN confer a protective role during pulmonary C. psittaci infection in mice, and thus our study sheds new light on PMN function during Chlamydia infection.
Contribution of amino acid substitutions in ParE to quinolone resistance in Haemophilus haemolyticus revealed through a horizontal transfer assay using Haemophilus influenzae
Authors: Tanaka Emi , Wajima Takeaki , Nakaminami Hidemasa , Uchiya Kei-ichi
Published: March 2023

Background

In 2019, a high-level quinolone-resistant Haemophilus haemolyticus strain (levofloxacin MIC = 16 mg/L) was isolated from a paediatric patient. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the quinolone resistance of H. haemolyticus could be transferred to Haemophilus influenzae and to identify the mechanism underlying the high-level quinolone resistance of H. haemolyticus.

Methods

A horizontal gene transfer assay to H. influenzae was performed using genomic DNA or PCR-amplified quinolone-targeting genes from the high-level quinolone-resistant H. haemolyticus 2019-19 strain. The amino acids responsible for conferring quinolone resistance were identified through site-directed mutagenesis.

Results

By adding the genomic DNA of H. haemolyticus 2019-19, resistant colonies were obtained on agar plates containing quinolones. Notably, H. influenzae grown on levofloxacin agar showed the same level of resistance as H. haemolyticus. Sequencing analysis showed that gyrA, parC and parE of H. influenzae were replaced by those of H. haemolyticus, suggesting that horizontal transfer occurred between the two strains. When the quinolone-targeting gene fragments were added sequentially, the addition of parE, as well as gyrA and parC, contributed to high-level resistance. In particular, amino acid substitutions at both the 439th and 502nd residues of ParE were associated with high-level resistance.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that quinolone resistance can be transferred between species and that amino acid substitutions at the 439th and 502nd residues of ParE, in addition to amino acid substitutions in both GyrA and ParC, contribute to high-level quinolone resistance.
Multi-Allergen Quantification in Food Using Concatemer-Based Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry: An Interlaboratory Study
Authors: Gavage Maxime , Van Vlierberghe Kaatje , Dieu Marc , Renard Patsy , Arnould Thierry , Gevaert Kris , De Loose Marc , Van Poucke Christof , Huet Anne-Catherine , Gillard Nathalie
Published: March 2023

Background

Food allergen analysis is essential for the development of a risk-based approach for allergen management and labeling. MS has become a method of choice for allergen analysis, even if quantification remains challenging. Moreover, harmonization is still lacking between laboratories, while interlaboratory validation of analytical methods is necessary for such harmonization.

Objective

This interlaboratory study aimed to evaluate the potential of MS for food allergen detection and quantification using a standard addition quantification strategy and a stable isotope-labeled (SIL) concatemer as an internal standard.

Methods

In-house-produced test material (cookies), blank and incurred with four allergens (egg, milk, peanut, and hazelnut), allergen standards, an internal standard, and the complete methodology (including sample preparation and ultra-HPLC–MS/MS method) were provided to nine laboratories involved in the study. Method sensitivity and selectivity were evaluated with incurred test material and accuracy with spiked test material. Quantification was based on the standard addition strategy using certified reference materials as allergen protein standards and a SIL concatemer as an internal standard.

Results

All laboratories were able to detect milk, hazelnut, and peanut in the incurred cookies with sufficient sensitivity to reach the AOAC INTERNATIONAL Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPR® 2016.002). Egg detection was more complicated due to food processing effects, yet five laboratories reached the sensitivity requirements. Recovery results were laboratory-dependent. Some milk and hazelnut peptides were quantified in agreement with SMPR 2016.002 by all participants. Furthermore, over 90% of the received quantification results agreed with SMPR 2016.002 for method precision.

Conclusion

The encouraging results of this pioneering interlaboratory study represent an additional step towards harmonization among laboratories testing for allergens.

Highlights

In this pioneering interlaboratory study, food allergens were analyzed by MS with characterized incurred and spiked test materials, calibrated with a certified reference material, and a single SIL concatemer used as an internal standard.
Increased grey wolf diurnality in southern Europe under human-restricted conditions
Authors: Martínez-Abraín Alejandro , Llinares Ánxela , Llaneza Luis , Santidrián Tomillo Pilar , Pita-Romero Juan , Valle-García Ramón J , Formoso-Freire Victoria , Perina Alejandra , Oro Daniel
Published: March 2023

Wolves have been the archetype of wildlife persecution by humans for centuries all over the world, and still are heavily persecuted in some regions. Facultative diurnal/nocturnal wild mammals are known to become more nocturnal when persecuted. Conversely, little is known regarding the possibility of wolves becoming more diurnal if not persecuted. We took advantage of a 9-year natural experiment of restricted human access to a restored coal mine debris dump to study the daily activity patterns of wolves under conditions of infrequent human presence. Results were compared with a paired control site with frequent human use. Circadian wolf activity was monitored using camera traps (3 years in human-restricted site; 2 years in control). Additionally, data from two GPS–GSM-collared wolves monitored in a second control site were also analyzed. In our control sites, wolves were nearly inactive during daylight hours. In contrast, in the human-restricted site wolves extended their activity toward noon, with a daily activity peak between 10:00 and 12:00, and showed some activity throughout the entire circadian 2-h interval cycle considered. Wolves clearly had higher diurnality in the human-restricted area with 78% greater incidence of capture with remote cameras during the day than in the control site. We suggest that the shift toward increased diurnality was related to the loss of fear of humans. Evidence in support of this hypothesis comes from flight initiation distance (FID) data. Wolves showed relatively short FIDs when faced with a human observer (range 70–183 m) in broad daylight at the human-restricted site, but were so afraid of humans in the control site that we were unable to conduct FID trials there. Based on these results, we suggest that wolves may increase their diurnality in those European countries with currently increasing movement of human populations from rural to urban areas and that do not conduct lethal control of wolves. This would represent a historical landmark for a species that has been persecuted for many centuries. However, such behavioral shifts could bring new human–wolf conflicts that would require new policies.
Talaromyces marneffeiisolated from nasal swabs in Portugal
Authors: Matos Manuela , Jota Baptista Catarina , Oliveira Paula A , Matos Ana Cristina , Soares Ana Sofia , Santos Marlene , Figueira Luís , Coelho Ana Cláudia
Published: March 2023

Mycobiota are essential to the health of any living being, creating a balanced and complex interaction between bacteria, the immune system, and the tissue cells of the host. Talaromyces marneffei (also known as Penicillium marneffei) is a dimorphic fungus, endemic in South Asia, which often causes a life-threatening systemic fungal infection (called penicilliosis), particularly in immunocompromised hosts. Nasal swabs from 73 healthy volunteers were analysed to characterize their mycobiota, through its cultural characteristics, morphology, and molecular methods (PCR). All volunteers were also asked to answer to an anonymous questionnaire. Three women were positive (and asymptomatic) for T. marneffei. One of them was reported to have lupus. This study contributes to improving our knowledge about human normal mycobiota, identifying mycotic agents that may cause complicated systemic infections (as T. marneffei), especially in immunosuppressed patients, as well as other possible risk factors of exposure or prognosis.
The atomic-to-molecular hydrogen transition in the TNG50 simulation: Using realistic UV fields to create spatially resolved H i maps
Authors: Gebek Andrea , Baes Maarten , Diemer Benedikt , de Blok W J G , Nelson Dylan , Kapoor Anand Utsav , Camps Peter , Rabyang Omphile , Leeuw Lerothodi
Published: March 2023

Cold gas in galaxies provides a crucial test to evaluate the realism of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. To extract the atomic and molecular hydrogen properties of the simulated galaxy population, post-processing methods taking the local UV field into account are required. We improve upon previous studies by calculating realistic UV fields with the dust radiative transfer code SKIRT to model the atomic-to-molecular transition in TNG50, the highest-resolution run of the IllustrisTNG suite. Comparing integrated quantities such as the H i mass function, we study to what detail the UV field needs to be modelled in order to calculate realistic cold gas properties. We then evaluate new, spatially resolved comparisons for cold gas in galaxies by exploring synthetic maps of atomic hydrogen at redshift zero and compare them to 21-cm observations of local galaxies from the WHISP survey. In terms of non-parametric morphologies, we find that TNG50 H i maps are less concentrated than their WHISP counterparts (median ΔC ≈ 0.3), due in part to central H i deficits related to the ejective character of supermassive black hole feedback in TNG. In terms of the H i column density distribution function, we find discrepancies between WHISP and IllustrisTNG that depend on the total H i abundance in these data sets as well as the post-processing method. To fully exploit the synergy between cosmological simulations and upcoming deep H i/H2 data, we advocate the use of accurate methods to estimate the UV radiation field and to generate mock maps.
Collision excitation of nitrous acid (HONO) by helium: isomerization effect
Authors: Abdallah D Ben , Mogren M Mogren Al , Harbi S Dhaif Allah Al , Salhi M S Al , Hochlaf M
Published: March 2023

We generated new 3D-potential energy surfaces (3D-PESs) for the cis-HONO–He and trans-HONO–He weakly bound complexes along the intermonomer coordinates. We used the explicitly correlated Coupled Clusters with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations (CCSD(T)-F12) approach for the electronic structure computations, where the atoms were described using the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set. Then, we derived analytical forms for each PES. These PESs exhibit different shapes and present strong anisotropies. After quantum close-coupling scattering calculations for the lower rotational levels (up to ${9}_{2,7}$), and the coupled-states approximation for higher levels (up to ${22}_{1,22}$) using these PESs, we derived the collisional excitation cross sections of cis-HONO and trans-HONO by He for total energies 0.1 ≤ E ≤ 900 cm−1 and the rate coefficients for kinetic temperatures T ≤ 100 K. Our work shows that the collision data of cis-HONO and trans-HONO are different mainly because of the different 3D-PESs since the rotational energy structures of both isomers are very similar. Also, computations show that the data of the non-detected cis-HONO are as large as those of the detected trans-HONO isomer. They confirm the large values for the detected transition 52,4 → 41,3 of trans-HONO. Therefore, our work strongly suggests revisiting radiative transfer calculations to determine accurately the population of the rotational levels of these isomers. Our work should help astrophysicists for the detectability of such nitrogen oxide molecules and for the possible formation mechanisms and isomerization pathways specificities.
Multiclass solar flare forecasting models with different deep learning algorithms
Authors: Zheng Yanfang , Li Xuebao , Yan Shuainan , Huang Xusheng , Lou Hengrui , Li Zhe
Published: March 2023

We develop a Hybrid Bidirectional Long and Short-Term Memory based on attention mechanism (HBiLSTM-Attention) model and a BiLSTM-Attention model for multiclass flare forecasting within 24 h. We construct a new data base containing 10 separate data sets with magnetogram images and magnetic field parameters. Based on the same data base, for the first time we compare the multiclass forecasting performance of our proposed HBiLSTM-Attention model, BiLSTM-Attention model, and three other deep-learning models based on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN-based) from two aspects of categorical performance with the true skill statistic (TSS) and probabilistic performance with the Brier skill score (BSS). The major results are as follows. (1) The TSS values of our proposed model are 0.692 ± 0.042, 0.475 ± 0.038, 0.642 ± 0.043, 0.754 ± 0.062, 0.692 ± 0.042, and 0.708 ± 0.052 for No-flare, C, M, X, ≥C, and ≥M class, respectively, which are better than those of the BiLSTM-Attention model, and much better than those of the three other CNN-based models. (2) Our proposed model achieves the scores of BSS  = 0.498 ± 0.061, 0.202 ± 0.037, 0.209 ± 0.050, −0.271 ± 0.180, 0.498 ± 0.061, 0.268 ± 0.056 for No-flare, C, M, X, ≥C, and ≥M class, respectively, outperforming the other four models in every class except for X class. (3) To our knowledge, HBiLSTM-Attention is the first multiclass flare forecasting model based on magnetic field parameters and deep learning, and achieves promising prediction performance. Moreover, this is the first attempt to investigate the reliability of probabilistic prediction for multiclass flares.
Beyond – ΛCDM constraints from the full shape clustering measurements from BOSS and eBOSS
Authors: Semenaite Agne , Sánchez Ariel G , Pezzotta Andrea , Hou Jiamin , Eggemeier Alexander , Crocce Martin , Zhao Cheng , Brownstein Joel R , Rossi Graziano , Schneider Donald P
Published: March 2023

We analyse the full shape of anisotropic clustering measurements from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey quasar sample together with the combined galaxy sample from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. We obtain constraints on the cosmological parameters independent of the Hubble parameter h for the extensions of the Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) models, focusing on cosmologies with free dark energy equation of state parameter w. We combine the clustering constraints with those from the latest cosmic microwave background data from Planck to obtain joint constraints for these cosmologies for w and the additional extension parameters – its time evolution wa, the physical curvature density ωK and the neutrino mass sum ∑mν. Our joint constraints are consistent with a flat ΛCDM cosmological model within 68  per cent confidence limits. We demonstrate that the Planck data are able to place tight constraints on the clustering amplitude today, σ12, in cosmologies with varying w and present the first constraints for the clustering amplitude for such cosmologies, which is found to be slightly higher than the ΛCDM value. Additionally, we show that when we vary w and allow for non-flat cosmologies and the physical curvature density is used, Planck prefers a curved universe at 4σ significance, which is ∼2σ higher than when using the relative curvature density ΩK. Finally, when w is varied freely, clustering provides only a modest improvement (of 0.021 eV) on the upper limit of ∑mν.
Long-rising Type II supernovae resembling supernova 1987A – I. A comparative study through scaling relations
Authors: Pumo M L , Cosentino S P , Pastorello A , Benetti S , Cherubini S , Manicò G , Zampieri L
Published: March 2023

With the aim of improving our knowledge about their nature, we conduct a comparative study on a sample of long-rising Type II supernovae (SNe) resembling SN 1987A. To do so, we deduce various scaling relations from different analytic models of H-rich SNe, discussing their robustness and feasibility. Then, we use the best relations in terms of accuracy to infer the SN progenitor’s physical properties at the explosion for the selected sample of SN 1987A-like objects, deriving energies of ∼0.5–15 foe, radii of ∼0.2–100 × 1012 cm, and ejected masses of ∼15–55 M⊙. Although the sample may be too small to draw any final conclusion, these results suggest that (i) SN 1987A-like objects have parameters at explosion covering a wide range of values; (ii) the main parameter determining their distribution is the explosion energy; and (iii) a high-mass (≳ 30 M⊙) and high-energy (≳ 10 foe) tail of events, linked to extended progenitors with radii at explosion ∼1013–1014 cm, challenge standard theories of neutrino-driven core-collapse and stellar evolution. We also find a correlation between the amount of 56Ni in the ejecta of the SN 1987A-like objects and the spectrophotometric features of the SN at maximum, which may represent a tool for estimating the amount of 56Ni in the SN ejecta without having information on the tail luminosity.
Flashlights: an off-caustic lensed star at redshift z = 1.26 in Abell 370
Authors: Meena Ashish Kumar , Chen Wenlei , Zitrin Adi , Kelly Patrick L , Golubchik Miriam , Zhou Rui , Alfred Amruth , Broadhurst Tom , Diego Jose M , Filippenko Alexei V , Li Sung Kei , Oguri Masamune , Smith Nathan , Williams Liliya L R
Published: March 2023

We report the discovery of a transient seen in a strongly lensed arc at redshift zs = 1.2567 in Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the Abell 370 galaxy cluster. The transient is detected at 29.51 ± 0.14 AB mag in a WFC3/UVIS F200LP difference image made using observations from two different epochs, obtained in the framework of the Flashlights programme, and is also visible in the F350LP band (mF350LP ≈ 30.53 ± 0.76 AB mag). The transient is observed on the negative-parity side of the critical curve at a distance of ∼0.6 arcsec from it, greater than previous examples of lensed stars. The large distance from the critical curve yields a significantly smaller macromagnification, but our simulations show that bright, O/B-type supergiants can reach sufficiently high magnifications to be seen at the observed position and magnitude. In addition, the observed transient image is a trailing image with an observer-frame time delay of ∼+0.8 d from its expected counterpart, so that any transient lasting for longer than that should have also been seen on the minima side and is thus excluded. This, together with the blue colour we measure for the transient (mF200LP − mF350LP ≈ [−0.3, −1.6] AB), rules out most other transient candidates such as (kilo)novae, for example, and makes a lensed star the prime candidate. Assuming that the transient is indeed a lensed star as suggested, many more such events should be detected in the near future in cluster surveys with the Hubble Space Telescope and JWST.
Binarity and beyond in A stars – I. Survey description and first results of VLTI/GRAVITY observations of VAST targets with highGaia–Hipparcosaccelerations
Authors: Waisberg Idel , Klein Ygal , Katz Boaz
Published: March 2023

The connection between the multiplicity of A stars and that of their white dwarf (WD) descendants is not known and the observational mappings of both multiplicities are far from complete. We are conducting an interferometric survey with VLTI/GRAVITY of 20 out of 108 southern A stars within the VAST sample which show large Gaia–Hipparcos proper motion changes suggestive of a $M \sim 1 \, {\rm M}_{\odot }$ companion at separations of 1–20 au. In this paper, we detail our sample selection and report the results on a partial sample of 10 targets. We (i) interferometrically detected five new stars (two of them in 3 + systems); (ii) spatially resolved one astrometric and one spectroscopic binary; and (iii) did not detect the acceleration culprit down to a main-sequence (MS) mass $M \lesssim 0.4\!-\!0.5 \, {\rm M}_{\odot }$ for two targets, which are therefore candidates for having a WD companion (Sirius analogues). We discuss our preliminary results in the context of the multiplicity of A stars and implications for WDs. In particular, we find that (i) the apparent suppression of companions below 30–50 au in VAST is at least partly due to an observational bias; (ii) the fact that four of the six closest WDs to the Sun have an MS companion within a few tens of au is a statistical fluke but more than 10 such binaries are likely still missing within 20 pc; (iii) a large fraction of such systems had high multiplicity (3 +) progenitors with very close (<1 au) companions and therefore underwent non-trivial evolution.
Turbulence in the tail of a jellyfish galaxy
Authors: Li Yuan , Luo Rongxin , Fossati Matteo , Sun Ming , Jáchym Pavel
Published: March 2023

When galaxies move through the intracluster medium (ICM) inside galaxy clusters, the ram pressure of the ICM can strip the gas from galaxies. The stripped gas forms tails on the trailing side. These galaxies are hence dubbed ‘jellyfish galaxies’. ESO 137-001 is a quintessential jellyfish galaxy located in the nearest rich cluster, the Norma cluster. Its spectacular multiphase tail has complex morphology and kinematics both from the imprinted galaxy’s interstellar medium (ISM) and as a result of the interactions between the stripped gas and the surrounding hot plasma, mediated by radiative cooling and magnetic fields. We study the kinematics of the multiphase tail using high-resolution observations of the ionized and the molecular gas in the entire structure. We calculate the velocity structure functions in moving frames along the tail and find that turbulence driven by Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability quickly overwhelms the original ISM turbulence and saturates at ∼30 kpc. There is also a hint that the far end of the tail has possibly started to inherit pre-existing large-scale ICM turbulence likely caused by structure formation. Turbulence measured by the molecular gas is generally consistent with that measured by the ionized gas in the tail but has a slightly lower amplitude. Most of the measured turbulence is below the mean free path of the hot ICM (∼11 kpc). Using warm/cool gas as a tracer of the hot ICM, we find that the isotropic viscosity of the hot plasma must be suppressed below 0.01 per cent Spitzer level.
Hadronic supercriticality in spherically expanding sources: application to GRB prompt emission
Authors: Florou Ioulia , Mastichiadis Apostolos , Petropoulou Maria
Published: March 2023

Relativistic hadronic plasmas can become, under certain conditions, supercritical, abruptly and efficiently releasing the energy stored in protons through photon outbursts. Past studies have tried to relate the features of such hadronic supercriticalities (HSCs) to the phenomenology of gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt emission. In this work we investigate, for the first time, HSC in adiabatically expanding sources. We examine the conditions required to trigger HSC, study the role of expansion velocity, and discuss our results in relation to GRB prompt emission. We find multipulse light curves from slowly expanding regions (≲ 0.01c) that are a manifestation of the natural HSC quasi-periodicity, while single-pulse light curves with a fast rise and slow decay are found for higher velocities. The formation of the photon spectrum is governed by an in-source electromagnetic cascade. The peak photon energy is approximately $1 \cdot \frac{\Gamma }{100} \frac{1+z}{3}$ MeV for maximum proton energies $(1-10) \cdot \frac{\Gamma }{100} \frac{1+z}{3}$ PeV, while the peak γ-ray luminosities are in the range $(10^{49}-10^{52}) \cdot (\frac{\Gamma }{100})^4$ erg s−1. HSC bursts peaking in the MeV energy band are also copious neutrino emitters with peak energies $\sim 10 \cdot \frac{\Gamma }{100} \frac{1+z}{3}$ TeV and an all-flavour neutrino fluence $\sim 10~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the γ-ray one. The hypothesis that long-duration GRBs are powered by HSCs could be applied therefore only to the most luminous GRBs observed assuming bulk Lorentz factors Γ ≤ 100.
VY Scl-type cataclysmic variable SDSS J154453.60+255348.8: stellar and disc parameters
Authors: Medina Rodriguez A L , Zharikov S , Kára J , Wolf M , Agishev A , Khokhlov S
Published: March 2023

We present a new study of the eclipsing cataclysmic variable SDSS J154453.60+255348.8 to determine the object’s nature and its system parameters together with the probe of the accretion flow structure in the system. Based on analyses of new simultaneous time-resolved photometric and spectroscopic observations of SDSS J154453.60+255348.8 and using our light-curve modelling techniques and the Doppler tomography method, we found that the system contains a white dwarf with the mass of MWD = 0.62(7) M⊙ and an evolved red dwarf as a secondary. The system inclination is close to 90° and the mass ratio is q = 0.49(2). The secondary has an effective temperature T2 = 3400(40) K and a radius about 1.35(15) times larger than a zero-age main-sequence star with similar mass. From observation of the system in high- and low-brightness states, we conclude that SDSS J154453.60+255348.8 is a long-orbital period VY Scl-type system. The accretion disc in the high state is about two times less than the truncation radius, and is completely missing during the low state of the system.
Discovery of the linear energy dependence of the spectral lag of X-ray bursts from SGR J1935+2154
Authors: Xiao Shuo , Tuo You-Li , Zhang Shuang-Nan , Xiong Shao-Lin , Lin Lin , Zhang Yan-Qiu , Wang Yue , Xue Wang-Chen , Cai Ce , Gao He , Li Cheng-Kui , Li Xiao-Bo , Zheng Chao , Liu Jia-Cong , Wang Ping , Wang Jin , Peng Wen-Xi , Liu Cong-Zhan , Li Xin-Qiao , Wen Xiang-Yang , An Zheng-Hua , Song Li-Ming , Zheng Shi-Jie , Zhang Fan , Dong Ai-Jun , Xie Wei , Feng Jian-Chao , Ma Qing-Bo , Wang De-Hua , Luo Xi-Hong , Dang Shi-Jun , Shang Lun-Hua , Zhi Qi-Jun , Li Ti-Pei
Published: March 2023

Spectral lag of the low-energy photons with respect to the high-energy ones is a common astrophysical phenomenon (such as gamma-ray bursts and the Crab Pulsar) and may serve as a key probe to the underlying radiation mechanism. However, spectral lag in keV range of the magnetar bursts has not been systematically studied yet. In this work, we perform a detailed spectral lag analysis with the Li et al.’s Cross-Correlation Function (Li-CCF) method for SGR J1935+2154 bursts observed by Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), Gravitational Wave High-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM), and Fermi/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) from 2014 July to 2022 January. We discover that the spectral lags of about 61 per cent (non-zero significance >1σ) bursts from SGR J1935+2154 are linearly dependent on the photon energy (E) with tlag(E) = α(E/keV) + C, which may be explained by a linear change of the temperature of the blackbody-emitting plasma with time. The distribution of the slope (α) approximately follows a Gaussian function with mean and standard deviation of 0.02 ms keV−1 (i.e. high-energy photons arrive earlier) and 0.02 ms keV−1, respectively. We also find that the distribution can be well fitted with three Gaussians with mean values of ∼−10.009, 0.013, and 0.039 ms keV−1, which may correspond to different origins of the bursts. These spectral lag features may have important implications on the magnetar bursts.