Average Distance Research Articles

Optimized framework for evaluating F3 transgressive segregants in cayenne pepper

Developing F3 transgenic segregants has significant potential to improve cayenne pepper varieties. However, current evaluation methods are often inconsistent and inaccurate, hindering the identification of effective traits. Traditional approaches only focus on a few aspects, thus not covering the full potential performance of the genotype. Utilizing morphometric image processing and categorical parameter assessment can fill the gap of traditional approaches to improving accuracy and objectivity in evaluation. In addition, environmental factors affecting the evaluation process are not adequately considered, making the results unreliable. Therefore, a systematic evaluation framework integrating morphometric analysis, categorical assessment, and environmental correction is essential for optimizing F3 cayenne transgressive segregants. The study aims to develop a synchronized assessment and selection approach based on agronomic, fruit morphometric, and categorical traits in evaluating F3 cayenne transgressive segregants. This research was designed with a randomized completed block design with 16 transgressive segregant genotypes and three check varieties. Each genotype was repeated three times, resulting in 57 experimental units. Based on the results of this study, quantitative and categorical indices could be used to selectively and systematically evaluate potential transgressive segregants in F3 cayenne peppers. The quantitative index is formed from outcome selection criteria, number of productive branches, area, and major axes weighted through an unbiased linear estimation approach, heritability, and best path analysis. Seven genotypes demonstrated superior transgressive performance based on quantitative indices, with G10.9.2, G10.7.1, and G6.8.5 excelling in both agronomic traits and categorical evaluations. These lines can be recommended for yield evaluation and hybrid cross-parents.

BSN-I: The First In-Depth Photometric Study of Seven Total Eclipse Contact Binary Systems

Abstract This is the first in-depth study of seven total-eclipse W Ursae Majoris (W UMa)-type contact binary systems using photometric light curves. The ground-based observations were conducted with four observatories in the northern and southern hemispheres. We also used the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) for four target systems. We presented the analysis of orbital period variations of six systems and found that they display parabolic variations. The material transfer rates between the stars of the systems were calculated. Also, the results show that four systems have a long-term increase, while two have a long-term decrease in their orbital periods. We analyzed light curves using the PHysics Of Eclipsing BinariEs (PHOEBE) Python code and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm to estimate different parameters of target systems and their uncertainties. Six of the target systems required the addition of a cold or hot starspot. We estimated absolute parameters using the empirical relationship between the orbital period and the semi-major axis (P − a). According to each component’s effective temperature and mass, it was recognized that the studied systems are W-subtype. We examined the dynamic stability of two targets, which were low mass ratio contact binary systems. We also showed the evolution of stars in the M − R and M − L diagrams. Finally, we showed that the hotter stars in contact systems have a temperature difference of less than ≈400 K compared to the Gaia DR3 temperature report.

Baryonic Ecosystem IN Galaxies (BEINGMgII). Host galaxies of ultra-strong absorbers in the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey

We study the galaxies hosting ultra-strong (USMgII) absorbers at small impact parameters of ∼ arcsecond (5 - 20 kpc) spanning a redshift range of allabszmin z using deep high-resolution images from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Survey and spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our aim is to explore the physical origin of the USMgII absorbers and characterize the associated galaxies. We performed a galaxy spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting using optical and near-IR multiband data to identify potential absorber host galaxies. Further, we searched for the nebular emission line from absorber galaxies in the SDSS fiber spectra. From a total of USMgII absorbers with ge 3 Å, along quasar sight lines, we detected galaxies based on nebular emission detected at the ge 2σ level. Utilizing the emission from the stacked spectrum and employing the best-fit galaxy SED template, we further identified galaxies, leading to a total of bona fide USMgII galaxies. With a prerequisite of having a minimum of four HSC passbands available, we found a detection rate of ∼ at an average impact parameter of kpc. We find that galaxies hosting USMgII systems are typically star-forming main sequence galaxies, with exhibiting a starburst nature. The non-zero emission along the "clear" sight lines, with no stellar counterpart, indicates that the USMgII absorbers may likely emanate from the unseen faint galaxies near the quasar. The USMgII absorbers preferentially align along the major and minor axes of the galaxy, which suggests that they originate in the disk or large-scale wind. We show that the distribution of as a function of the impact parameter indicates a discernible radial dependence for the "disk" and "wind" subsets, with the observed large scatter in potentially attributed to large-scale outflows. The quasar sight line hosting USMgII systems show a factor of three higher galaxy surface density at impact parameters of lesssim 50kpc, highlighting the multiple pathways that give rise to USMgII absorption.

Viscous circumbinary protoplanetary discs - II. Disc effects on the binary orbit

Abstract More than half of all stars are part of binaries, and many form in a common circumbinary disc. The interaction with the binary shapes the disc to feature a large eccentric inner cavity and spirals in the inner disc. The shape of the cavities is linked to binary and disc properties like viscosity and scale height, and the disc and cavity shape influences the orbital evolution of the binary stars. This is the second part of the study in which we use 2D hydrodynamic long-term simulations for a range of viscous parameters relevant to protoplanetary discs to understand the interaction between young stars and the circumbinary disc. The long-term simulations allow us to study how disc shape and exchange of mass, momentum and energy between binary and disc depend on the precession angle between disc and binary orbit on time scales of thousands of binary orbits. We find a considerable, periodic interaction between the precession of the disc and the binary eccentricity that can significantly exceed the precession-averaged change in eccentricity. We further confirm that thin discs (H/R < 0.05) lead to shrinking binary orbits, also in the regime of low viscosity, α = 10−3. In general, the disc can excite eccentricity in binaries with initial eccentricities in the range of ebin = 0.05 − 0.4. In most cases, the terms aiding shrinking or expansion and circularisation or excitation are nearly balanced, and the evolution of the binary semi-major axis and eccentricity will be sensitive to the ratio of mass accretion between the secondary and primary components.

Relativistic Binary Precession: Impact on Eccentric Massive Binary Black Hole Accretion and Hydrodynamics

Abstract Recent hydrodynamical simulations have shown that circumbinary gas disks drive the orbits of massive binary black holes (BHs) to become eccentric, even when general relativistic (GR) corrections to the orbit are significant. Here, we study the GR apsidal precession of eccentric equal-mass massive binary BHs in circumbinary disks via two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations. We perform a suite of simulations comparing precessing and nonprecessing binaries across a range of eccentricities, semimajor axes, and precession rates. We find that the GR precession of the binary's semimajor axis can introduce a dominant modulation in the binary's accretion rate and the corresponding high-energy electromagnetic light curves. We discuss the conditions under which this occurs and its detailed characteristics and mechanism. Finally, we discuss the potential to observe these precession signatures in electromagnetic- and gravitational-wave observations, as well as the precession signal's unique importance as a potential tool to constrain the mass, eccentricity, and semimajor axis of binary merger events.

A 22 Billion M⊙ Black Hole in Holmberg 15A with Keck KCWI Spectroscopy and Triaxial Orbit Modeling

Abstract Holmberg 15A (H15A), the brightest cluster galaxy of A85, has an exceptionally low central surface brightness even among local massive elliptical galaxies with distinct stellar cores, making it exceedingly challenging to obtain high-quality spectroscopy to detect a supermassive black hole (SMBH) at its center. Aided by the superb sensitivity and efficiency of KCWI at the Keck II Telescope, we have obtained spatially resolved stellar kinematics over a ∼100″ × 100″ contiguous field of H15A for this purpose. The velocity field exhibits a low-amplitude (∼20 km s−1) rotation along a kinematic axis that is prominently misaligned from the photometric major axis, a strong indicator that H15A is triaxially shaped with unequal lengths for the three principal axes. Using 2500 observed kinematic constraints, we perform extensive calculations of stellar orbits with the triaxial Schwarzschild code, TriOS, and search over ∼40,000 galaxy models to simultaneously determine the mass and intrinsic 3D shape parameters of H15A. We determine a ratio of p = 0.89 for the middle-to-long principal axes and q = 0.65 for the short-to-long principal axes. Our best estimate of the SMBH mass, M BH = ( 2.1 6 − 0.18 + 0.23 ) × 1 0 10 M ⊙ , makes H15A—along with NGC 4889—the galaxy hosting the most massive SMBHs known in the local Universe. Both SMBHs lie significantly above the mean M BH–σ scaling relation. Repeating the orbit modeling with the axisymmetrized version of TriOS produces worse fits to the KCWI kinematics and increases M BH to (2.55 ± 0.20) × 1010 M ⊙, which is still significantly below the M BH = (4.0 ± 0.8) × 1010 M ⊙ reported in a prior axisymmetric study of H15A.

Relationships between tilt angles of rectus muscles and positions of rectus muscle pulleys in patients with sagging eye syndrome.

To examine the relationship between the rectus muscle (RM) angle and RM pulley displacement in patients with sagging eye syndrome (SES) without myopia. Retrospective cross-sectional case series. High-resolution quasi-coronal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 20 orbits of ten Japanese patients with SES but without high myopia were analyzed. The patients had no abduction deficiency. The RM angles were measured between the major axes of the horizontal and vertical RMs relative to the vertical and horizontal planes, respectively. The positions of the RM pulleys relative to the center of the globe were analyzed as previously described. The mean age of the patients was 75.8 ± 4.5 years (standard deviation). The average axial length was 23.6 ± 0.6 mm. The lateral rectus (LR) muscle angle (22 ± 6°) had moderate negative correlations with the inferior displacement of the inferior rectus (IR), superior rectus (SR), and LR pulleys (r =-0.63,-0.45, and-0.45, respectively); however, no change was observed in the medial rectus (MR) pulley (r =-0.41). No correlations were found between the angles of the SR (4 ± 8°), IR (-13 ± 8°), and MR (-1 ± 6°) muscles and the positions of the RM pulleys. Given the correlation between increased LR muscle angle and inferior displacement of adjacent RM pulleys in SES, the LR muscle angle may serve as a diagnostic clue, even when inferior displacement is not identifiable on MRI. Further confirmation in larger studies is warranted.

Gaia-4b and 5b: Radial Velocity Confirmation of Gaia Astrometric Orbital Solutions Reveal a Massive Planet and a Brown Dwarf Orbiting Low-mass Stars

Abstract Gaia astrometry of nearby stars is precise enough to detect the tiny displacements induced by substellar companions, but radial velocity (RV) data are needed for definitive confirmation. Here we present RV follow-up observations of 28 M and K stars with candidate astrometric substellar companions, which led to the confirmation of two systems, Gaia-4b and Gaia-5b, identification of five systems that are single lined but require additional data to confirm as substellar companions, and the refutation of 21 systems as stellar binaries. Gaia-4b is a massive planet (M = 11.8 ± 0.7 M J) in a P = 571.3 ± 1.4 day orbit with a projected semimajor axis a 0 = 0.312 ± 0.040 mas orbiting a 0.644 ± 0.02M ⊙ star. Gaia-5b is a brown dwarf (M = 20.9 ± 0.5M J) in a P = 358.62 ± 0.20 days eccentric e = 0.6423 ± 0.0026 orbit with a projected angular semimajor axis of a 0 = 0.947 ± 0.038 mas around a 0.34 ± 0.03M ⊙ star. Gaia-4b is one of the first exoplanets discovered via the astrometric technique, and is one of the most massive planets known to orbit a low-mass star.

Improving laser directed energy deposition with wire feed-stock through beam shaping with a deformable mirror

This study explores the uncharted territory of beam shaping through a novel deformable mirror system in directed energy deposition laser wire, an emerging area in Additive Manufacturing. While beam shaping has shown substantial benefits in laser processes like welding and powder bed fusion, its potential in this specific domain remains unexploited. The research investigates the influence of three near-elliptical Gaussian beam shapes on melt pool and bead geometries during deposition with stainless-steel wire. The study reveals three distinct processing modes achievable at the same total power through beam shaping, with significant modifications observed in melt pool and bead structures. Reduced bead geometry variation and enhanced process stability were achieved with the beam shape with major axis along the wire feeding direction, and with highest average power density and intermediate peak power density. The findings underscore the potential of beam shaping to enhance robustness and increase energy utilization and productivity in this process.

Three-dimensional finite element feature analysis of the mandible and morphology and position of temporomandibular joint in patients with unilateral and bilateral molar scissor bite.

The objective of this study is to measuring the morphology and position of bilateral temporomandibular joints in patients with unilateral and bilateral molar scissor bite and simulating the deformation of the mandible during occlusion, in order to provide thesis for the diagnosis of temporomandibular joint disease in patients with unilateral and bilateral molar scissor bite. This study was a retrospective study. A total of 10 patients with unilateral molar scissor bite (the unilateral molar scissor bite group) and 10 patients with bilateral molar scissor bite (the bilateral molar scissor bite group) were selected as the experimental group, and 20 adult patients with classⅠ of angle classification of similar ages were selected as the control group. All patients underwent cone beam computed tomography scans, by measuring the width of the fossa, height of the fossa, articular eminence inclination, long axis of the condyle, minor axis of the condyle, horizontal angle of the condyle and the space of the temporomandibular joint, compare temporomandibular joint morphology and position. The three-dimensional finite element analysis of the mandible morphology was carried out to evaluate the force and deformation of the mandible by using software to simulate the occlusion of the patients. It was further explored the relationship between the force of the mandible morphology and the possible temporomandibular joint disorder symptoms of the patients. Intergroup comparisons for the unilateral molar scissor bite group and left sides of the other groups revealed that the superior articular space in the group with unilateral molar scissor bite was shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05); the long axis of the condyle in the unilateral and bilateral molar scissor bite group were both shorter than that of the control group (P<0.05); among which the unilateral group was larger than the bilateral group, and the minor axis of the condyle in bilateral molar scissor bite group was smaller than in the control group (P<0.05), and the unilateral and bilateral condylar groups were larger than the control group (P<0.05); and the condylar horizontal angle in the unilateral and bilateral groups were larger than that in the control group (P<0.05). The normal sides of the unilateral molar scissor bite group and right sides of the other groups had smaller superior articular space than the control group (P<0.05); and the condylar long-axis in bilateral group was smaller than the control group (P<0.05); and the normal side of the condylar short-axis unilateral group was larger than that of the bilateral condylar group. Three-dimensional finite element analysis: the condyle of patients with molar scissor bite was a concentrated area of deformation during the bite of the mandible, when the first molar occlusion of the scissors bite side was simulated, the maximum deformation was located in the condyle in the X-axis and Z-axis directions. The amount of deformation was greater than that of the scissor bite side in the X-axis direction, while in the Z-axis direction, the normal side was greater than the scissor bite side. The maximum sites of local deformation in the X-axis direction were located in anterior and posterior the transverse crest of scissor bite side, and the minimum sites of local deformation was at 1/3 of the anterior slope of the inner pole of the normal side, the maximum local deformation sites in the Z-axis direction were located in the outer pole and below the outer pole of the normal side. The X-axis deformation value was the largest in the molars occlusion on the normal side, the Y-axis deformation value was in the premolars occlusion on the normal side, and the Z-axis deformation value was the largest in the centric occlusion, the deformation value of the condyle was not most significant in molar scissor bite. Unilateral and bilateral molar scissor bite resulting in a short condyle morphology, and the bilateral group had a shorter condylar morphology than the unilateral group. The condyle of the patient with molar scissor bite is a concentrated area of poor occlusal deformation, and the largest sites of deformation are distributed near the transverse ridge of the inner and outer poles of the condyle. Different occlusion conditions have an effect on condylar deformation values, but do not indicate whether there is a clear association between them.

Automated Web Tool Measurement of Total Hip Arthroplasty Acetabular Component Inclination and Anteversion Angles.

Periprosthetic hip dislocation after total hip arthroplasty is a devastating postoperative complication. It is often associated with suboptimal orientation of the acetabular component, characterized by the acetabular abduction and anteversion angles obtained from anteroposterior pelvic radiographs. We introduce a novel automated web tool to streamline the subjective and lengthy process of this manual measurement and compare it to manual human measurements. One board-certified orthopaedic surgeon used the web tool to make automatic measurements of anteroposterior radiographs of 97 patients who underwent unilateral hip arthroplasty. Manual and web tool measurements included abduction angle and calculated anteversion angle by Liaw's method. Differences between manual and web tool measurements were compared with a paired t-test and Bland-Altman analysis. There were no statistically significant differences between the average of manual measurements as compared to the web tool measurement in abduction angle (43.29 ± 7.05 vs 43.00+ 6.22, P= .85), anteversion angle (20.43 ± 7.62 vs 20.82 ± 7.37, P= .52), and ratio of the minor axis of the acetabular cup circumference in the AP radiograph to the total length of the acetabular head (0.42 ± 0.15 vs 0.44 ± 0.15, P= .18). The mean difference of average for abduction angle, anteversion angle, and ratio between the short axis of the transverse ellipse to the total length of the acetabular cup were-0.28, 0.39, and 0.02, respectively. Bland-Altman analysis for all 3 measurements displayed negligible systemic bias with random scattering. Automated measurements obtained with a novel web tool are in strong agreement with the manually obtained ground truth measurements. The web tool helps to eliminate interobserver differences that arise with manual annotation. The web tool has the potential to streamline acetabular measurements with enhanced accuracy.

Propensity of Water Self-Ions at Air(Oil)-Water Interfaces Revealed by Deep Potential Molecular Dynamics with Enhanced Sampling.

The preference of water self-ions (hydronium and hydroxide) toward air/oil-water interfaces is one of the hottest topics in water research due to its importance for understanding properties, phenomena, and reactions of interfaces. In this work, we performed enhanced-sampling molecular dynamics simulations based on state-of-the-art neural network potentials with approximate M06-2X accuracy to investigate the propensity of hydronium and hydroxide ions at air/oil(decane)-water interfaces, which can simultaneously describe well the water autoionization process forming these ions, the recombination of ions, and the ionic distribution along the normal distance to the interface by employing a set of appropriate Voronoi collective variables. A stable ionic double-layer distribution is observed near the air-water interface, while the distribution is different at oil-water interfaces, where hydronium tends to be repelled from the interface into the bulk water, whereas hydroxide, with an interfacial stabilization free energy of -0.6 kcal/mol, is enriched in the interfacial layer. Through simulations of oil droplets in water, we further reveal that the interfacial propensity of hydroxide ions is caused by the positive charge distribution of the oil-water interface contributed by hydrogens of the dangling OH bonds of the interfacial water layer and the outermost layer decane molecules lying flat on the droplet. The present results may aid in understanding the acid-base nature of water interfaces with wide applications.

Unveiling the kinematics of a central region in the triple-AGN host NGC 7733-7734 interacting group

We present a detailed study of the interacting triple active galactic nuclear system, NGC 7733-34, focusing on stellar kinematics, ionised gas characteristics, and star formation within the central region and stellar bars of both galaxies. We performed a comprehensive analysis using archival data from MUSE, HST/ACS, and DECaLS, complemented with observations from UVIT and IRSF. We identified a disc-like bulge in both NGC 7733 and NGC 7734 through a 2D decomposition. A central nuclear structure, with a semi-major axis of ∼1.113 kpc, was detected in NGC 7733 via a photometric and kinematic analysis, confirmed by the strong anti-correlation between V/σ and h_3, indicative of circular orbits in the centre. NGC 7734 lacks a distinct nuclear structure. The presence of a disc-like bulge results in an anti-correlation between V/σ and h_3, along with diffuse light. However, it does show higher central velocity dispersion, possibly attributed to an interaction with a smaller clump, which is likely a fourth galaxy within the system. Both galaxies demonstrate ongoing star formation, evidenced by FUV and Hα observations. NGC 7734 shows recent star formation along its bar, while NGC 7733 experiences bar quenching. The star formation rate (SFR) analysis of NGC 7734 reveals that the bar region's SFR dominates the galaxy's overall SFR. Conversely, in NGC 7733, the lack of star formation along the bar and the presence of a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) at the galaxy centre suggest the possibility of link among both. However, this would not affect the galaxy's overall star formation. Our findings provide valuable insights into the stellar and gas kinematics, star formation processes, and AGN feedback mechanisms in interacting galaxies hosting stellar bars.

P-541. PD-1 expression impacts cardiovascular risk in naïve PLWH (people living with HIV), undergo suppressive ARV

Abstract Background Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection leads to progressive immune dysfunction, among others mediated through the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. This study aims to assess the impact of ARV therapy on PD-1 expression and SCORE 2 changes in patients over a twelve-month observation period. Immunofenotype trends in analysed population. Methods This observational study evaluated 58 PLWH undergoing standardized ARV therapy according to national guidelines, obtaining viral suppression. Initial and twelve-month follow-up assessments included measurements of SCORE 2, as well as PD-1 expression, and lymphocyte subsets (CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio) using flow cytometry. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests analyzed within-subject changes in these parameters. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was employed to reduce dimensionality and identify the major axes of variance in the data (delta for all measures) with ARV type as grouping variable. To determine whether the clusters observed in the PCA scatter plot reflect statistically significant differences among the treatment groups, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted on the scores of the first two principal components. Figure 1 The scatter plot of the first two principal components Results There were statistically significant alterations in percentages of CD4+/CD8+ ratio, CD3+, CD4+ along with CD4+ PD-1 and PD-L1 found, all elevated at endpoint. CD19+ was significantly elevated after twelve-month period, as well. Data is displayed in Table 1. We found that the change in these parameters was not dependent on ARV type. SCORE 2 at endpoint correlated positively with CD4+PD1 change (r=0.372; p=0.011), but the parameter change was not dependent on ARV therapy (p &amp;gt;0.05). In PCA analysis, the first principal component captured 22.6% of the total variance, while the second accounted for 20.7%. The scatter plot (figure 1) of the first two principal components showed that the data points (deltas) are distributed and clustered by treatment groups however the differences are not significantly different (PC1: p=0.684; PC2: p=0.840). Conclusion Higher expression of PD-1 in CD4+ cells correlates positively with higher cardiovascular risk calculated with SCORE 2, reason for elevated PD1 and PD1-L in ARV treated individuals in comparison to baseline evaluations requires further analysis. Disclosures Bogusz J. Aksak-Wąs, MD. PhD. ID Specialist, Gilead Sciences: paid lectures|GSK: paid lectures Miłosz Parczewski, Prof. MD. Phd., Gilead Sciences: Advisor/Consultant|Janssen: Advisor/Consultant|MSD: Advisor/Consultant|ViiV: Advisor/Consultant Karolina Skonieczna-Żydecka, Prof., Sanprobi sp. z o.o. sp. k.: Advisor/Consultant|Sanprobi sp. z o.o. sp. k.: Grant/Research Support|Sanprobi sp. z o.o. sp. k.: Honoraria

Hanging on the cliff: Extreme mass ratio inspiral formation with local two-body relaxation and post-Newtonian dynamics

Extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) are anticipated to be primary gravitational wave sources for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). They form in dense nuclear clusters when a compact object is captured by the central massive black holes (MBHs) as a consequence of the frequent two-body interactions occurring between orbiting objects. The physics of this process is complex and requires detailed statistical modelling of a multi-body relativistic system. We present a novel Monte Carlo approach to evolving the post-Newtonian (PN) equations of motion of a compact object orbiting an MBH. The approach accounts for the effects of two-body relaxation locally on the fly, without leveraging on the common approximation of orbit-averaging. We applied our method to study the function S(a_0), describing the fraction of EMRI to total captures (including EMRIs and direct plunges, DPs) as a function of the initial semi-major axis a_0 for compact objects orbiting central MBHs with M_ M M sun . The past two decades have consolidated a picture in which S(a_0)→ 0 at large initial semi-major axes, with a sharp transition from EMRIs to DPs occurring around a critical scale a_ c. A recent study challenges this notion for low-mass MBHs, finding EMRIs forming at a≫ c which were called `cliffhangers'. Our simulations confirm the existence of cliffhanger EMRIs, which we find to be more common then previously inferred. Cliffhangers start to appear for M_∙ M and can account for up to 55% of the overall EMRIs forming at those masses. We find S(a_0) ≫ 0 for a ≫ c M much higher than previously found. We test how these results are influenced by different assumptions on the dynamics used to evolve the system and treatment of two-body relaxation. We find that the PN description of the system greatly enhances the number of EMRIs by shifting a_ c to larger values at all MBH masses. Conversely, the local treatment of relaxation has a mass-dependent impact, significantly boosting the number of cliffhangers at low MBH masses compared to an orbit-averaged treatment. These findings highlight the shortcomings of standard approximations used in the EMRI literature and the importance of carefully modelling the (relativistic) dynamics of these systems. The emerging picture is more complex than previously thought, and should be considered in future estimates of rates and properties of EMRIs detectable by LISA.

Wavelength-dependent far-infrared polarization of HL Tau observed with SOFIA/HAWC+

We present the first polarimetric observations of a circumstellar disk in the far-infrared wavelength range. We report flux and linear polarization measurements of the young stellar object HL Tau in the bands A ( um ), C ( um ), D ( um ), and E ( um ) with the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-plus (HAWC+) on board of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The orientation of the polarization vectors is strongly wavelength-dependent and can be attributed to different wavelength-dependent polarization mechanisms in the disk and its local environment. In bands A, C, and D ( um to um ), the orientation of the polarization is roughly consistent with a value of at the maximum emission. Hereby, the magnetic field direction is close to that of the spin axis of the disk. In contrast, in band E ( um ), the orientation is nearly parallel to the minor axis of the projection of the inclined disk. Based on a viscous accretion disk model combined with a surrounding envelope, we performed polarized three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations. In particular, we considered polarization due to emission and absorption by aligned dust grains, and polarization due to scattering of the thermal reemission (self-scattering). At wavelengths of um um and um we were able to reproduce the observed orientation of the polarization vectors. Here, the origin of polarization is consistent with polarized emission by aligned non-spherical dust grains. In contrast, at a wavelength of um the polarization pattern could not be fully matched, however, applying self-scattering and assuming dust grain radii up to um we were able to reproduce the flip in the orientation of polarization. We conclude that the polarization is caused by dichroic emission of aligned dust grains in the envelope, while at longer wavelengths, the envelope becomes transparent and the polarization is dominated by self-scattering in the disk.

Ellipticities of Galaxy Cluster Halos from Halo–Shear–Shear Correlations

Abstract We report the first detection of the halo ellipticities of galaxy clusters by applying the halo–shear–shear correlations (HSSCs), without the necessity of using major axis determination. We use the Fourier_Quad shear catalog based on the Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey and the group catalog from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Legacy Surveys for the measurement of group/cluster lensing and HSSC. Our analysis includes off-centering effects. We obtain the average projected ellipticity of dark matter halos with mass 13.5 &lt; log ( M G h / M ⊙ ) &lt; 14.5 within a 1.3 virial radius to be 0.4 8 − 0.19 + 0.12 . We divide the sample into two groups based on mass and redshift, and we find that halos with higher mass tend to exhibit increased ellipticity. We also reveal that high-richness halos have larger ellipticities, confirming the physical picture from numerical simulation that high-richness halos have a dynamical youth and more active mass accretion phase.

An efficient heuristic for geometric analysis of cell deformations.

Sickle cell disease causes erythrocytes to become sickle-shaped, affecting their movement in the bloodstream and reducing oxygen delivery. It has a high global prevalence and places a significant burden on healthcare systems, especially in resource-limited regions. Automated classification of sickle cells in blood images is crucial, allowing the specialist to reduce the effort required and avoid errors when quantifying the deformed cells and assessing the severity of a crisis. Recent studies have proposed various erythrocyte representation and classification methods (Jennifer et al., 2023 [1]). Since classification depends solely on cell shape, a suitable approach models erythrocytes as closed planar curves in shape space (Epifanio et al., 2020). This approach employs elastic distances between shapes, which are invariant under rotations, translations, scaling, and reparameterizations, ensuring consistent distance measurements regardless of the curves' position, starting point, or traversal speed. While previous methods exploiting shape space distances had achieved high accuracy, we refined the model by considering the geometric characteristics of healthy and sickled erythrocytes. Our method proposes (1) to employ a fixed parameterization based on the major axis of each cell to compute distances and (2) to align each cell with two templates using this parameterization before computing distances. Aligning shapes to templates before distance computation, a concept successfully applied in areas such as molecular dynamics (Richmond et al., 2004 [2]), and using a fixed parameterization, instead of minimizing distances across all possible parameterizations, simplifies calculations. This strategy achieves 96.03% accuracy rate in both supervised classification and unsupervised clustering. Our method ensures efficient erythrocyte classification, maintaining or improving accuracy over shape space models while significantly reducing computational costs.

Silicon Nutrition Improves Lodging Resistance of Rice Under Dry Cultivation

Silicon (Si) has been proven to enhance the stress resistance of rice, but its effect on the lodging resistance of rice under dry cultivation (DCR) is still unclear. The purpose of this experiment is to clarify the appropriate amount of silicon fertilizer for DCR to resist lodging and to elucidate how it coordinates lodging resistance and yield. This experiment used the ‘Suigeng 18’ cultivar as the material and set six silicon fertilizers (SiO2) with dosages of 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 kg·ha−1 (Si0, Si1, Si2, Si3, Si4, Si5). Analyze the effects and key indicators of silicon on lodging resistance of DCR from the perspectives of plant weight distribution, stem structure and composition, and root architecture. The results showed that the Si3 treatment had the highest yield and the lowest lodging index (LI). Si3 increases the weight of the upper three leaves and 4–5 internodes, thereby promoting panicle weight and yield. An increase of 13.38% in 2/3PWSI (weight of the 4th–5th stems and upper three leaves/weight of the 1st–3rd stems and lower leaves) can reflect the promoting effect of silicon on stem and leaf development near the panicle. Si3 reduces the GA/IAA value, shortens the length of the second internode, and increases the diameters of the major and minor axes, thereby increasing culm thickness and section modulus (SM), achieving the effect of “short and thick”. Si3 also increases the content of silicon and non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) in the second internode, and increases lignin and cellulose content by upregulating the expression levels of CAD7, PAL, COMT, and CesA4 genes, thereby increasing fullness and flexural strength (M), achieving “short, thick, and strong” and reducing LI. The 38.95% reduction in IFL (second internode length/fullness) reflects the positive effect of silicon on the “short, thick, and strong” stem. In the underground part, adding silicon reduces the CTK/IAA value of roots, and increases root length, root tip number, root surface area, and root weight. The key to coordinating the lodging resistance and yield of DCR with appropriate silicon dosage is to reduce the IFL in the second internode and increase 2/3 PWSI and root growth. The key to DCR and breeding is to focus on the relationship between basal internode length and fullness, as well as stem and leaf growth near the panicle.

Evidence that pre-processing in filaments drives the anisotropic quenching of satellite galaxies in massive clusters

ABSTRACT We use a sample of 11 $z\approx 0.2\!-\!0.5$ ($z_{\text{med.}} = 0.36$) galaxy clusters from the Cluster Lensing And Supernovae survey with Hubble to analyse the angular dependence of satellite galaxy colour $(B-R)$ and passive galaxy fraction ($f_{\text{pass.}}$) with respect to the major axis of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG). This phenomenon has been dubbed as ‘anisotropic quenching’, ‘angular conformity’ or ‘angular segregation’, and it describes how satellite galaxies along the major axis of the BCG are more likely to be quenched than those along the minor axis. A highly significant anisotropic quenching signal is found for satellites, with a peak in $(B-R)$ and $f_{\text{pass.}}$ along the major axis. We are the first to measure anisotropic quenching out to cluster-centric radii of $3R_{200}$ ($R_{200\text{, med.}} \approx 933$$\mathrm{k}\text{pc}$). We find that the signal is significant out to at least $2.5R_{200}$, and the amplitude of the signal peaks at $\approx 1.25R_{200}$. This is the first time a radial peak of the anisotropic quenching signal has been measured directly. We suggest that this peak could be caused by a build-up of backsplash galaxies at this radius. Finally, we find that $f_{\text{pass.}}$ is significantly higher along the major axis for fixed values of local surface density. The density drops less rapidly along the major axis and so satellites spend more time being pre-processed here compared to the minor axis. We therefore conclude that pre-processing in large-scale structure, and not active galactic nuclei outflows, is the cause of the anisotropic quenching signal in massive galaxy clusters, however, this may not be the cause in lower mass haloes.