Abstract
We present a new and independent determination of the local value of the Hubble constant based on a calibration of the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) applied to Type Ia supernovae ...(SNe Ia). We find a value of
H
0
= 69.8 ± 0.8 (±1.1% stat) ± 1.7 (±2.4% sys) km s
−1
Mpc
−1
. The TRGB method is both precise and accurate and is parallel to but independent of the Cepheid distance scale. Our value sits midway in the range defined by the current Hubble tension. It agrees at the 1.2
σ
level with that of the Planck Collaboration et al. estimate and at the 1.7
σ
level with the
Hubble Space Telescope
(
HST
)
SHoES
measurement of
H
0
based on the Cepheid distance scale. The TRGB distances have been measured using deep
HST
Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging of galaxy halos. The zero-point of the TRGB calibration is set with a distance modulus to the Large Magellanic Cloud of 18.477 ± 0.004 (stat) ± 0.020 (sys) mag, based on measurement of 20 late-type detached eclipsing binary stars, combined with an
HST
parallax calibration of a 3.6
μ
m Cepheid Leavitt law based on
Spitzer
observations. We anchor the TRGB distances to galaxies that extend our measurement into the Hubble flow using the recently completed Carnegie Supernova Project I ( CSP-I ) sample containing about 100 well-observed SNe Ia . There are several advantages of halo TRGB distance measurements relative to Cepheid variables; these include low halo reddening, minimal effects of crowding or blending of the photometry, only a shallow (calibrated) sensitivity to metallicity in the
I
band, and no need for multiple epochs of observations or concerns of different slopes with period. In addition, the host masses of our TRGB host-galaxy sample are higher, on average, than those of the Cepheid sample, better matching the range of host-galaxy masses in the CSP-I distant sample and reducing potential systematic effects in the SNe Ia measurements.
Abstract
Background
It is nearly impossible to overestimate the burden of chronic pain, which is associated with enormous personal and socioeconomic costs. Chronic pain is the leading cause of ...disability in the world, is associated with multiple psychiatric comorbidities, and has been causally linked to the opioid crisis. Access to pain treatment has been called a fundamental human right by numerous organizations. The current COVID-19 pandemic has strained medical resources, creating a dilemma for physicians charged with the responsibility to limit spread of the contagion and to treat the patients they are entrusted to care for.
Methods
To address these issues, an expert panel was convened that included pain management experts from the military, Veterans Health Administration, and academia. Endorsement from stakeholder societies was sought upon completion of the document within a one-week period.
Results
In these guidelines, we provide a framework for pain practitioners and institutions to balance the often-conflicting goals of risk mitigation for health care providers, risk mitigation for patients, conservation of resources, and access to pain management services. Specific issues discussed include general and intervention-specific risk mitigation, patient flow issues and staffing plans, telemedicine options, triaging recommendations, strategies to reduce psychological sequelae in health care providers, and resource utilization.
Conclusions
The COVID-19 public health crisis has strained health care systems, creating a conundrum for patients, pain medicine practitioners, hospital leaders, and regulatory officials. Although this document provides a framework for pain management services, systems-wide and individual decisions must take into account clinical considerations, regional health conditions, government and hospital directives, resource availability, and the welfare of health care providers.
We present an analysis of the final data release of the Carnegie Supernova Project I, focusing on the absolute calibration of the luminosity-decline rate relation for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) ...using new intrinsic color relations with respect to the color-stretch parameter, sBV, enabling improved dust extinction corrections. We investigate to what degree the so-called fast-declining SNe Ia can be used to determine accurate extragalactic distances. We estimate the intrinsic scatter in the luminosity-decline rate relation and find it ranges from 0.13 mag to 0.18 mag with no obvious dependence on wavelength. Using the Cepheid variable star data from the SH0ES project, the SN Ia distance scale is calibrated and the Hubble constant is estimated using our optical and near-infrared sample, and these results are compared to those determined exclusively from a near-infrared subsample. The systematic effect of the supernova's host galaxy mass is investigated as a function of wavelength and is found to decrease toward redder wavelengths, suggesting this effect may be due to dust properties of the host. Using estimates of the dust extinction derived from optical and near-infrared wavelengths and applying these to the H band, we derive a Hubble constant , whereas using a simple B − V color correction applied to the B band yields . Photometry of two calibrating SNe Ia from the CSP-II sample, SN 2012ht and SN 2015F, is presented and used to improve the calibration of the SN Ia distance ladder.
Laser ranging (LIDAR) with dual optical frequency combs enables high-resolution distance measurements over long ranges with fast update rates. However, the high complexity of stabilized dual optical ...frequency comb systems makes it challenging to use this technique in industrial applications. To address this issue, here we demonstrate laser ranging directly from the output of both a free-running dual-comb diode-pumped semiconductor and solid-state laser oscillator. Dual-comb operation from a single cavity is achieved via polarization duplexing with intracavity birefringent crystals. We perform ranging experiments with two implementations of this scheme: a modelocked integrated external cavity surface-emitting laser (MIXSEL) and a Yb:CaF 2 solid-state laser. For these proof of principle demonstrations, we measure the distance to a moving mirror mounted on a home-made shaker. The MIXSEL laser has a repetition rate of 2.736 GHz and a repetition rate difference of 52 kHz, and yields a measurement resolution of 1.36 µm. The Yb:CaF 2 laser has a repetition rate of 137 MHz and a repetition rate difference of 952 Hz, and yields a measurement resolution of 0.55 µm. In both cases the resolution is inferred by a parallel measurement with a HeNe interferometer. These results represent the first laser ranging with free-running dual-comb solid-state oscillators. With further optimization, resolution well below 1 µm and range well above 1 km are expected with this technique.
We present a SESAM modelocked Yb:YAG solid-state laser providing low-noise narrowband pulses with a pulse duration of 606 fs at a 1.09-GHz repetition rate, delivering up to 2.5 W of average output ...power. This laser provides access to a new parameter space that could previously not be reached by solid-state lasers and, to the best of our knowledge, is the first modelocked solid-state Yb:YAG laser in the gigahertz regime. This is achieved by introducing a single additional intracavity element, specifically a nonlinear birefringent YVO 4 crystal, for soliton formation, polarization selection, and cavity intensity clamping. The isotropic pump absorption in Yb:YAG allows for stable and low-noise operation with multimode fiber pumping. This laser is ideally suited as a seed source for many commercial high-power Yb-doped amplification systems operating at a center wavelength around 1.03 µm. The laser exhibits a high power per comb line of 5.0 mW which also makes it interesting for applications in frequency comb spectroscopy, especially if it is used to pump an optical parametric oscillator. We measure a relative intensity noise (RIN) of 0.03%, integrated from 1 Hz to 10 MHz. Furthermore, we show that the laser timing jitter for noise frequencies >2 kHz is fully explained by a power-dependent shift in the center wavelength of 0.38 nm/W due to the quasi-three-level laser gain material. The narrow gain bandwidth of Yb:YAG reduces this contribution to noise in comparison to other SESAM modelocked Yb-doped lasers.
Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is the main enzyme responsible for degradation of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in the CNS. MAGL catalyzes the conversion of 2-AG to arachidonic ...acid (AA), a precursor to the proinflammatory eicosannoids such as prostaglandins. Herein we describe highly efficient MAGL inhibitors, identified through a parallel medicinal chemistry approach that highlighted the improved efficiency of azetidine and piperidine-derived carbamates. The discovery and optimization of 3-substituted azetidine carbamate irreversible inhibitors of MAGL were aided by the generation of inhibitor-bound MAGL crystal structures. Compound 6, a highly efficient and selective MAGL inhibitor against recombinant enzyme and in a cellular context, was tested in vivo and shown to elevate central 2-AG levels at a 10 mg/kg dose.
We present a systematic study on the influence of thin-disk aberrations on the performance of thin-disk laser oscillators. To evaluate these effects, we have developed a spatially resolved numerical ...model supporting arbitrary phase profiles on the intracavity components that estimates the intracavity beam shape and the output power of thin-disk laser oscillators. By combining this model with the experimentally determined phase profile of the thin-disk (measured with interferometry), we can predict the operation mode of high-power thin-disk lasers, including mode degradation, higher-order mode coupling, and stability zone shrinking, all of which are in good agreement with experiment. Our results show that one of the main mechanisms limiting the performance is the small deviation of the disk’s phase profile from perfect radial symmetry. This result is an important step to scaling modelocked thin-disk oscillators to the kW-level and will be important in the design of future active multi-pass cavity arrangements.
We present final natural-system optical (ugriBV) and near-infrared (YJH) photometry of 134 supernovae (SNe) with probable white dwarf progenitors that were observed in 2004-2009 as part of the first ...stage of the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP-I). The sample consists of 123 Type Ia SNe, 5 Type Iax SNe, 2 super-Chandrasekhar SN candidates, 2 Type Ia SNe interacting with circumstellar matter, and 2 SN 2006bt-like events. The redshifts of the objects range from to 0.0835; the median redshift is 0.0241. For 120 (90%) of these SNe, near-infrared photometry was obtained. Average optical extinction coefficients and color terms are derived and demonstrated to be stable during the five CSP-I observing campaigns. Measurements of the CSP-I near-infrared bandpasses are also described, and near-infrared color terms are estimated through synthetic photometry of stellar atmosphere models. Optical and near-infrared magnitudes of local sequences of tertiary standard stars for each supernova are given, and a new calibration of Y-band magnitudes of the Persson et al. standards in the CSP-I natural system is presented.
BACKGROUND:The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis of unprecedented proportions that has altered the practice of medicine. The pandemic has required pain clinics to transition in-person ...visits to telemedicine, postpone procedures and cancel face-to-face educational sessions. There are no data on how fellowship programs have adapted.
METHODS:A 17-question survey was developed covering topics including changes in education, clinical care, and psychological stress due to the COVID pandemic. The survey was hosted by Qualtrics Inc. and disseminated by the Association of Pain Program Directors on April 10, 2020 to program directors at ACGME-accredited fellowships. Results are reported descriptively and stratified by COVID infection rate, which was calculated from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on state infections, and census data.
RESULTS:Among 107 surveys distributed, 70 (65%) programs responded. Twenty-nine programs were located in states in the upper tertile for per capita infection rates, 17 in the middle third, and 23 in the lowest tertile. Nearly all programs (93%) reported a decreased workload, with 11 (16%) reporting a dramatic decrease (only urgent or emergent cases). Just over half of programs had either already deployed (14%) or credentialed (39%) fellows to provide non-pain care. Higher state infection rates were significantly associated with reduced clinical demand (Rs = 0.31, 95% CI 0.08, 0.51, P = .011) and redeployment of fellows to non-pain areas (Rs = 0.30, 95% CI 0.07, 0.50, P = .013). Larger program size but not infection rate was associated with increased perceived anxiety level of trainees.
CONCLUSIONS:We found a shift to online alternatives for clinical care and education, with correlations between per capita infection rates, and clinical care demands and redeployment, but not with overall trainee anxiety levels. It is likely that medicine in general, and pain medicine in particular, will change after COVID-19, with greater emphasis on telemedicine, virtual education, and greater national and international cooperation. Physicians should be prepared for these changes.
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