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TOI-6692 b: An Eccentric 130 Day Period Giant Planet with a Single Transit from TESS
Get PDFWe report the discovery and characterization of TOI-6692 b, an eccentric (e ∼ 0.54) Jupiter on a 130 day orbit. TOI-6692 b was first detected as a community TESS Object of Interest by the Visual Survey Group and the Planet Hunters group as a single-transit candidate via TESS observation. The period was subsequently confirmed via radial velocity monitoring from the Planet Finder Spectrograph on the 6.5 m Magellan telescope. Additional radial velocities were acquired with the CHIRON, FEROS, and CORALIE spectrographs. LCOGT ground-based photometric follow-up was conducted over 2 weeks to detect another transit and refine the period. Although we did not detect an ingress or egress of the 11.04 hr transit, we did detect a possible in-transit signal in the multinight data and provide an updated ephemeris for future monitoring. TOI-6692 b is one of the few planets with orbital periods longer than 100 days that have a secure mass, radius, and eccentricity detection. As with most giant planets at these orbital periods, the eccentricity of TOI-6692 b is lower than that expected of planets undergoing high-eccentricity tidal migration, but is more consistent with the expectations of planet–planet scattering outcomes. A long-term radial velocity trend was detected, and further monitoring is warranted to determine the outer companion period. TOI-6692 b is also one of the few TESS single transit targets to have its periods eventually confirmed via follow-up photometric campaigns timed to capture transits despite the relatively large ephemeris uncertainties. Such efforts highlight the capabilities of night-to-night stability on ground-based photometric facilities today
Ly α Intensity Mapping in HETDEX: Galaxy-Ly α Intensity Cross-power Spectrum
Get PDFWe present a measurement of the Lyα intensity mapping power spectrum from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). We measure the cross-power spectrum of the Lyα intensity and Lyα-emitting galaxies (LAEs) in a redshift range of 1.9 ≤ z ≤ 3.5. We calculate the intensity from HETDEX spectra that do not contain any detected LAEs above a signal-to-noise ratio of 5.5. To produce a power spectrum model and its covariance matrix, we simulate the data using lognormal mocks for the LAE catalog and Lyα intensity in redshift space. The simulations include the HETDEX sensitivity, selection function, and mask. The measurements yield the product of the LAE bias, the intensity bias, the mean intensity of undetected sources, and the ratio of the actual and fiducial redshift-space distortion parameters, bgbI〈I〉F¯RSD/F¯RSDfid= (6.7 ± 3.1), (11.7 ± 1.4), and (8.3 ± 1.5) × 10−22 erg s−1 cm−2 arcsec−2 Å−1 in three redshift bins centered at z¯=2.1 , 2.6, and 3.2, respectively. The results are reasonably consistent with cosmological hydrodynamical simulations that include Lyα radiative transfer. They are, however, significantly smaller than previous results from cross-correlations of quasars with Lyα intensity. These results demonstrate the statistical power of HETDEX for Lyα intensity mapping and pave the way for a more comprehensive analysis. They will also be useful for constraining models of Lyα emission from galaxies used in modern cosmological simulations of galaxy formation and evolution
Pragmatic, open-label, multicentre, randomised controlled trial to guide initial therapy for immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced inflammatory arthritis comparing standard of care (prednisolone) to adalimumab without glucocorticoids: REACT trial protocol
Get PDFIntroduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionised cancer treatment through targeted disruption of the physiological pathways that maintain tissue tolerance, but which are co-opted by cancers to evade immunosurveillance. Thus, the resultant T-cell activity often causes immune-related adverse events including immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced inflammatory arthritis (ICI-IA). ICI-IA results in functional impairment that frequently persists, even after ICI discontinuation, with substantial quality-of-life impacts for cancer survivors. A high-quality body of evidence to guide ICI-IA management remains an unmet need. Pharmacological treatment may be prolonged, typically begins with non-specific immunosuppression, including systemic steroids, and is usually only rationalised to more targeted therapy in resistant cases. Moreover, retrospective data suggest the high dose glucocorticoids sometimes used in new-onset ICI-IA may be associated with worse cancer outcomes. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibition strategies are well established with excellent efficacy and safety profiles in ‘spontaneous’ inflammatory arthritides including rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. Mechanistic evidence from ex vivo and murine studies also supports the utility of anti-TNF therapy for steroid-refractory cases of ICI-IA. Although good clinical responses have been reported in this setting, the REACT trial (REmission induction of Arthritis caused by Cancer ImmunoTherapy) aims to provide randomised and robust clinical evidence for deploying targeted therapy earlier in ICI-IA management. It will test whether up-front anti-TNF therapy can more effectively and quickly control symptoms, reduce glucocorticoid exposure, prevent early ICI discontinuation and increase the frequency of drug-free ICI-IA remission. Methods and analysis: REACT is a prospective, multicentre, open-label, superiority, two-arm, randomised controlled clinical trial to guide initial therapy for patients with ICI-IA. The trial will compare the current standard of care (initial prednisolone; Arm A) with the anti-TNF drug, adalimumab without glucocorticoids (Arm B). The primary outcome is glucocorticoid-free arthritis remission rate at 24 weeks where remission is defined as: (i) No use of systemic or intra-articular glucocorticoids (except when used for adrenal insufficiency) within 4 weeks prior to assessment at 24 weeks; and (ii) absence of synovitis on clinical examination. Ethics and dissemination: The protocol was approved by East Midlands—Leicester South Research Ethics Committee on 31-Oct-2024 (Ref: 24/EM/0202). Participants are required to provide written informed consent. The results of this trial will be disseminated through national and international presentations and peer-reviewed publications. Trial registration number: ISRCTN18217497
Hydrocyclone-enhanced scalable photocatalytic hydrogen generation, from macroscale turbulence to nanoscale reaction dynamics
Get PDFPhotocatalytic hydrogen production faces barriers to industrialization, including inadequate light absorption and limited mass/momentum transfer at scale. Integrating external hydrocyclones into photoreactors is a promising solution, yet the multiscale complexity of hydrocyclone-driven hydrogen generation impedes mechanistic understanding and rational system design. Herein, we build a scalable hydrocyclone-based photoreactor that achieves 270 mL/h hydrogen yield and 5.26% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency under simulated sunlight, as 4.5 times higher than static conditions. We develop a hierarchical multiscale model combining computational fluid dynamics, solid mechanics and density functional theory, which connects macro-scale hydrocyclone flow strain to atomic-level photocatalytic processes. Here, we show that shear stress-induced nanoscale lattice restructuring of the catalyst modulates photoexcitation pathways, triggers a threshold-activated catalytic amplification effect, and identifies an optimal flow rate of 20-30 L/min. These findings reveal a multiscale force–chemical coupling mechanism linking reactor-scale hydrocyclone flow fields to lattice-scale strain-driven catalytic enhancement, guiding large-scale photocatalytic hydrogen production
In the wake of a changing world: the Ming-Qing transition (1618-1683) in unofficial contemporary historical writing in early modern East Asia
No full textThe Ming-Qing transition (1618-1683) was an upheaval that not only consumed much of China, but also saw the Qing invasion of Joseon Korea and an influx of refugees into Tokugawa Japan. Accounts of the transition written by Ming and early Qing subjects made their way by land and sea to Korea and Japan. At the same time, due to a confluence of socio-economic developments in print and literacy, there emerged an intellectual culture of contemporaneity in East Asia i.e., a limited awareness, experienced by individuals across polity borders, that they were inhabiting a shared world.The dissertation explores the production and circulation of information about the Ming-Qing transition in East Asia between the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Through the lens of non-state-commissioned works compiled across borders and in multiple linguistic mediums, I outline the creation of a transnational historiography about the end of the Ming dynasty. An intellectual culture of contemporaneity engendered the proliferation of information about recent events, and contributed to shifts in how educated individuals negotiated questions of historical truth and organised regional time and space.Part One establishes contemporaneity as an intellectual trend in early modern East Asia, setting definitions and parameters (Introduction), and illuminating the circumstances behind the proliferation of unofficial, contemporary historical works (Chapter One). Part Two explores how educated individuals negotiated an early modern epistemological crisis, including the search for new sources of historiographical authority (Chapter Two), and methods by which compilers addressed concerns about historical truth (Chapter Three). Part Three surveys how educated individuals formulated the world around them, including the incorporation of recent information into unofficial knowledge texts (Chapter Four), and textual representations of the time and space of Ming China (Chapter Five)
A conjecture of Warnaar-Zudilin from deformations of Lie superalgebras
No full textWe prove a collection of -series identities conjectured by Warnaar and Zudilin and appearing in recent work with H. Kim in the context of superconformal field theory. Our proof utilizes a deformation of the simple affine vertex operator superalgebra into the principal subsuperspace of in a manner analogous to earlier work of Feigin-Stoyanovsky. This result fills a gap left by Stoyanovsky, showing that for all positive integers , the character of the principal subspace of type at level can be identified with the (super)character of a simple affine vertex operator (super)algebra at the same level
Virtuous and vicious cycles in the energy transition
Get PDFFeedback loops shape the pace and direction of the clean energy transition by accelerating or resisting change. Researchers and practitioners can draw on these feedback loops as practical heuristics to understand and manage the transition
Deformation-Recovery Diffusion Model (DRDM): Instance deformation for image manipulation and synthesis
Get PDFIn medical imaging, diffusion models have shown great potential for synthetic image generation. However, these approaches often lack interpretable correspondence between generated and real images and can create anatomically implausible structures or illusions. To address these limitations, we propose the Deformation-Recovery Diffusion Model (DRDM), a novel diffusion-based generative model that emphasizes morphological transformation through deformation fields rather than direct image synthesis. DRDM introduces a topology-preserving deformation field generation strategy, which randomly samples and integrates multi-scale Deformation Velocity Fields (DVFs). DRDM is trained to learn to recover unrealistic deformation components, thus restoring randomly deformed images to a realistic distribution. This formulation enables the generation of diverse yet anatomically plausible deformations that preserve structural integrity, thereby improving data augmentation and synthesis for downstream tasks such as few-shot learning and image registration. Experiments on cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging and pulmonary Computed Tomography show that DRDM is capable of creating diverse, large-scale deformations, while maintaining anatomical plausibility of deformation fields. Additional evaluations on 2D image segmentation and 3D image registration tasks indicate notable performance gains, underscoring DRDM’s potential to enhance both image manipulation and generative modeling in medical imaging applications
On the threshold of dreams: Proust and Maine de Biran
Get PDFOn the opening page of Proust’s novel, the narrator describes the fluctuations of his consciousness between sleep and wakefulness as a dialectic between passive identification and active separation. Among all the possible philosophical intertexts that have been evoked to understand this passage, there is one notable reference that often goes unnoticed. This famous and yet enigmatic page can be elucidated if we look at a specific conception of consciousness that was introduced by Maine de Biran at the beginning of the nineteenth century. If Bergson’s influence on Proust has often been discussed, the study of the afterlife of Biran’s philosophy can bring new light to the literary and philosophical understanding of key aspects of the Recherche, particularly concerning the themes of sleep, dreams, and awakening. It is perhaps not coincidental that the only explicit reference to Biran in Proust’s work is nestled within a famous passage about sleep
Structure-guided design of a PfCyRPA-based vaccine against blood-stage malaria
Get PDFEffective vaccines against malaria are urgently required. All components of the PfPCRCR complex are essential for erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium falciparum and are potential vaccine immunogens against blood-stage malaria. Of these, PfRH5 has progressed furthest in clinical development, while PfCyRPA also induces parasite growth-inhibitory antibodies. Here, we used direct nanoparticle coupling and structure-guided design to generate improved PfCyRPA-based immunogens. PfCyRPA is a six-bladed β-propeller. Blades 1 and 2 are exposed in the PfPCRCR complex and contain the epitopes of the most potent known growth-inhibitory antibodies. We therefore performed structure-guided design to generate a correctly folded, thermostable epitope mimic, PfCyRPA-EM, containing blades 1 and 2. In a pre-clinical model, PfCyRPA-EM elicited antibodies that inhibited parasite growth at lower concentrations than those elicited by PfCyRPA. In addition, the higher thermostability of PfCyRPA-EM and its improved expression as an I53-50 nanoparticle fusion make it well-suited for clinical development, alone or with other immunogens