Abstract
The three-rung distance ladder, which calibrates Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) through stellar distances linked to geometric measurements, provides the highest precision direct measurement of ...the Hubble constant. In light of the Hubble tension, it is important to test the individual components of the distance ladder. For this purpose, we report a measurement of the Hubble constant from 35 extragalactic Cepheid hosts measured by the SH0ES team, using their distances and redshifts at
cz
≤ 3300 km s
−1
, instead of any more distant SNe Ia, to measure the Hubble flow. The Cepheid distances are calibrated geometrically in the Milky Way, NGC 4258, and the Large Magellanic Cloud. Peculiar velocities are a significant source of systematic uncertainty at
z
∼ 0.01, and we present a formalism for both mitigating and quantifying their effects, making use of external reconstructions of the density and velocity fields in the nearby universe. We identify a significant source of uncertainty originating from different assumptions about the selection criteria of this sample, whether distance or redshift limited, as it was assembled over three decades. Modeling these assumptions yields central values ranging from
H
0
= 71.7 to 76.4 km s
−1
Mpc
−1
. Combining the four best-fitting selection models yields
H
0
=
72.9
−
2.2
+
2.4
as a fiducial result, at 2.4
σ
tension with Planck. While SNe Ia are essential for a precise measurement of
H
0
, unknown systematics in these supernovae are unlikely to be the source of the Hubble tension.
•We studied trends in climate and agricultural nutrient transport from 20 Finnish river basins.•We found increase in seasonal temperatures and decrease in summer runoff.•We found increase in N and ...decrease in P concentrations.•P load decreased steadily by 20% but N load started to decrease only in last years.
The ecological state of the Baltic Sea and the inland waters has raised interest in reducing nutrient loads from anthropogenic sources. In this study our main aim was to estimate the trends in agricultural nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes and to explain them by large scale changes in land use and climate. We used long-term monitoring data of discharge and nutrient concentrations of seven small catchments and 20 river basins. In the analysis we used two regression based models to calculate nutrient fluxes and to make source apportionment, and Mann-Kendall statistics to study trends in nutrient concentrations and climatic variables. Annual mean temperature increased at six meteorological stations out of the 16 stations included in the study. There was a statistically significant increase in temperature in late summer/early autumn at 14 stations. There were no trends in annual mean runoff in any of the river basins but there was a decrease in runoff in spring or early summer in 15 and an increase in mid-winter runoff in 13 river basins. There was an increasing trend in the nitrogen concentrations and a decreasing trend in the phosphorus concentrations. The flow normalized nitrogen flux to the Baltic Sea increased steadily until the mid 2000s and has decreased by 20% from that time until 2012. The flow normalized phosphorus flux has steadily decreased from early 1990s to 2012. The specific agricultural nitrogen loading value was 1340kgkm−2yr−1 and the phosphorus loading value 83kgkm−2yr−1. Clearing of new fields explained 50% of the increase in the nitrogen flux to the Baltic Sea between the periods 1995–1999 and 2000–2006. September mean temperature explained 15–30% of the variance in the nitrogen concentrations in the small catchments and 53% of that in the large river basins. Changes in field area or climate did not explain changes in the phosphorus fluxes.
COVID-19 can cause important sequels in the respiratory system and frequently presents loss of strength, dyspnea, polyneuropathies and multi-organic affectation. Physiotherapy interventions acquire a ...fundamental role in the recovery of the functions and the quality of life. Regarding the recovery phases after hospital discharge, the current evidence available is very preliminary. Telerehabilitation is presented as a promising complementary treatment method to standard physiotherapy. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of a personalized telerehabilitation intervention after discharge from hospital for the improvement of functional capacity and quality of life compared to a program of health education and/or care in a rehabilitation center. As secondary objectives, to identify the satisfaction and perception of patients with the telerehabilitation intervention and the presence of barriers to its implementation, as well as to evaluate the cost-effectiveness from the perspective of the health system. This study protocol will be carried out through a single blind multicenter randomized clinical trial in the south of Spain. We hypothesize that the implementation of a telerehabilitation program presents results not inferior to those obtained with the current standard intervention. If the hypothesis is confirmed, it would be an opportunity to define new policies and interventions to address this disease and its consequences. Trial registration NCT04742946.
We report a review of Pubmed (Medline), CENTRAL, Web of Science, and Scopus to test the effectiveness of the combined application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial ...direct current stimulation in the improvement of different functional variables of the upper limb in people with stroke. Two independent reviewers assessed eligibility and evaluated the quality of the studies. Five articles were included in the final review according to the inclusion criteria: Most show statistically significant differences in motor function improvement in favor of the experimental group, but not in activity. Due to the heterogeneity of the observed studies, the results should be interpreted with caution—more high‐quality studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness of these interventions in different stages of stroke patients.
Energy supply in remote areas (mainly in developing countries such as Colombia) has become a challenge. Hybrid microgrids are local and reliable sources of energy for these areas where access to the ...power grid is generally limited or unavailable. These systems generally include a diesel generator, solar modules, wind turbines, and storage devices such as batteries. Battery life estimation is an essential factor in the optimization of a hybrid microgrid since it determines the system’s final costs, including future battery replacements. This article presents a comparison of different technologies and battery models in a hybrid microgrid. The optimization is achieved using the iHOGA software, based on data from a real microgrid in Colombia. The simulation results allowed the comparison of prediction models for lifespan calculation for both lead–acid and lithium batteries in a hybrid microgrid, showing that the most accurate models are more realistic in predicting battery life by closely estimating real lifespans that are shorter, unlike other simplified methods that obtain much longer and unrealistic lifetimes.
In this case report, we analyze the possible causes of the poor health status of a professional Apis mellifera iberiensis apiary located in Gajanejos (Guadalajara, Spain). Several factors that ...potentially favor colony collapse were identified, including Nosema ceranae infection, alone or in combination with other factors (e.g., BQCV and DWV infection), and the accumulation of acaricides commonly used to control Varroa destructor in the beebread (coumaphos and tau-fluvalinate). Based on the levels of residues, the average toxic unit estimated for the apiary suggests a possible increase in vulnerability to infection by N. ceranae due to the presence of high levels of acaricides and the unusual climatic conditions of the year of the collapse event. These data highlight the importance of evaluating these factors in future monitoring programs, as well as the need to adopt adequate preventive measures as part of national and international welfare programs aimed at guaranteeing the health and fitness of bees.
To study the effects of ocular hypertension (OHT) on the visual system of C57BL/6 pigmented mice, the limbal and episcleral veins of the left eye were laser photocoagulated (LP). LP increased the ...intraocular pressure during the first five days (d), reaching basal values at 7d. To investigate the effect of OHT on the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) retrograde axonal transport, hydroxistilbamidine methanesulfonate (OHSt) was applied to both superior colliculi (SCi) and the retinas were dissected 2 or 4 weeks after LP. To determine RGC survival, these same retinas were immunoreacted against Brn3a (general RGC population) and melanopsin (intrinsically photosensitive RGCs, m+RGCs). To study whether OHT affected non-RGC neurons in the ganglion cell layer (GCL), RGCs were immunodetected with Brn3a and all GCL nuclei counterstained with DAPI in a group of animals examined 4 weeks post-LP. Innervation of the SCi was examined at 10 days, 8 or 14 weeks after LP with the orthogradely transported cholera toxin subunit-B. OHT resulted in diffuse and sectorial loss of OHSt+RGCs (50% at 2 weeks and 62% at 4 weeks) and in a comparable loss of Brn3a+RGCs at the same time intervals. m+RGCs decreased to 59% at 2 weeks and to 46% at 4 weeks, such loss was diffuse, did not parallel the sectorial loss of the general RGC population and was more severe in the superior-temporal retina. In the GCL, cell loss is selective for RGCs and does not affect other non-RGC neurons. The retinotectal innervation appeared significantly reduced at 10 days (55.7%) and did not progress further up to 14 weeks (46.6%). Thus, LP-induced OHT results in retrograde degeneration of RGCs and m+RGCs, as well as in the loss of CTB-labelled retinotectal terminals.
In Finland, a recent ecological classification of surface waters showed that the rivers and coastal waters need attention to improve their ecological state. We combined eco-hydrological and empirical ...models to study chlorophyll-a concentration as an indicator of eutrophication in a small agricultural river. We used a modified story-and-simulation method to build three storylines for possible changes in future land use due to climate change and political change. The main objective in the first storyline is to stimulate economic activity but also to promote the sustainable and efficient use of resources. The second storyline is based on the high awareness but poor regulation of environmental protection, and the third is to survive as individual countries instead of being part of a unified Europe. We assumed trade of agricultural products to increase to countries outside Europe. We found that chlorophyll-a concentration in the river depended on total phosphorus concentration. In addition, there was a positive synergistic interaction between total phosphorus and water temperature. In future storylines, chlorophyll-a concentration increased due to land use and climate change. Climate change mainly had an indirect influence via increasing nutrient losses from intensified agriculture. We found that well-designed agri-environmental measures had the potential to decrease nutrient loading from fields, as long as the predicted increase in temperature remained under 2 °C. However, we were not able to achieve the nutrient reduction stated in current water protection targets. In addition, the ecological status of the river deteriorated. The influence of temperature on chlorophyll-a growth indicates that novel measures for shading rivers to decrease water temperature may be needed in the future.
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•Chl-a depended on TP with synergistic interaction with water temperature.•Climate change influences mainly indirectly via intensifying agriculture.•Riparian re-forestration for shading the river to decrease water temperature is needed.
High concentration systems make use of the direct solar beam and therefore are suitable for application in regions with high annual direct irradiation values. III–V PV cells with a nominal efficiency ...of up to 39% are readily available in today's market, with further efficiency improvements expected in the years ahead. The relatively high cost of III–V cells limits their terrestrial use to applications under high concentration, usually above 400
suns. In this way the relatively high cell cost is compensated through the low amount for cells needed per kW nominal system output.
This paper presents a state of the art of high concentration photovoltaics using III–V cells. This PV field accounts already for more than 20 developed systems, which are commercially available or shortly before market introduction.
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