Recent uci items

DESI DR1 Lyα 1D power spectrum: Validation of estimators

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Data Release 1 (DR1) of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is the largest sample to date for small-scale Lyα forest cosmology, accessed through its one-dimensional power spectrum (P 1D). The Lyα forest P 1D is extracted from quasar spectra that are highly inhomogeneous (both in wavelength and between quasars) in noise properties due to intrinsic properties of the quasar, atmospheric and astrophysical contamination, and also sensitive to low-level details of the spectral extraction pipeline. We employ two estimators in DR1 analysis to measure P 1D: the optimal estimator and the fast Fourier transform (FFT) estimator. To ensure robustness of our DR1 measurements, we validate these two power spectrum and covariance matrix estimation methodologies against the challenging aspects of the data. First, using a set of 20 synthetic 1D realizations of DR1, we derive the masking bias corrections needed for the FFT estimator and the continuum fitting bias needed for both estimators....

A Unified Photometric Redshift Calibration for Weak Lensing Surveys Using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The effective redshift distribution n(z) of galaxies is a critical component in the study of weak gravitational lensing. Here, we introduce a new method for determining n(z) for weak lensing surveys based on high-quality redshifts and neural-network-based importance weights. Additionally, we present the first unified photometric redshift calibration of the three leading stage-III weak lensing surveys, the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) survey, and the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS), with state-of-the-art spectroscopic data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). We verify our method using a new, data-driven approach and obtain n(z) constraints with statistical uncertainties of the order of σz¯∼0.01 and smaller. Our analysis is largely independent of previous photometric redshift calibrations and, thus, provides an important cross-check in light of recent cosmological tensions. Overall, we find excellent agreement with previously published results...

Combined tracer analysis for DESI 2024 BAO

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper demonstrates how the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Data Release 1 (DR1) and future baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) analyses can optimally combine overlapping tracers (galaxies of distinct types) in the same redshift range. We make a unified catalog of Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) and Emission Line Galaxies (ELGs) in the redshift range 0.8 < z < 1.1 and investigate the impact on the BAO constraints. DESI DR1 contains ∼ 30% of the final DESI LRG sample and less than 25% of the final ELG sample, and the combination of LRGs and ELGs increases the number density and reduces the shot noise. We developed a pipeline to merge the overlapping tracers using galaxy bias as an approximately optimal weight and tested the pipeline on a suite of Abacus simulations, calibrated on the final version of the DESI Early Data Release. When applying our pipeline to the DESI DR1 catalog, we find an improvement in the BAO constraints of 11% for α iso and ∼ 7.0% for α AP...

Galaxy-multiplet clustering from DESI DR2

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT We present an efficient estimator for higher order galaxy clustering using small groups of nearby galaxies, or multiplets. Using the Luminous Red Galaxy sample from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Data Release 2, we identify galaxy multiplets as discrete objects and measure their cross-correlations with the general galaxy field. Our results show that the multiplets exhibit stronger clustering bias as they trace more massive dark matter haloes than individual galaxies. When comparing the observed clustering statistics with the mock catalogues generated from the N-body simulation AbacusSummit, we find that the mocks underpredict multiplet clustering despite reproducing the galaxy two-point autocorrelation reasonably well. This discrepancy indicates that the standard Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) model is insufficient to describe the properties of galaxy multiplets, revealing the greater constraining power of this higher order statistic on galaxy–halo...

The Backup Program of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument’s Milky Way Survey

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Milky Way Backup Program (MWBP), a survey currently underway with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) on the Nicholas U. Mayall 4 m Telescope, works at the margins of the DESI Main surveys to obtain spectra of millions of additional stars from the Gaia catalog. Efficiently utilizing times between ∼12° and 18° twilight and poor weather conditions, the MWBP extends the range of stellar sources studied to both brighter magnitudes and lower Galactic latitude and declination than the stars studied in DESI’s Main Milky Way Survey. While the MWBP prioritizes candidate giant stars selected from the Gaia catalog (using color and parallax criteria), it also includes an unbiased sample of bright stars (i.e., 11.2 ≲ G < 16 mag) as well as fainter sources (to G ≲ 19 mag). As of 2025 March 1, the survey had obtained spectra of ∼7 million stars, approximately 1.2 million of which are included in the DESI Data Release 1. The DESI spectra cover the wavelength range from 3600...

The DESI Single Fiber Lens Search. I. Four Thousand Spectroscopically Selected Galaxy–Galaxy Gravitational Lens Candidates

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We present 4110 strong gravitational lens candidates, 3887 of which are new discoveries, selected from a sample of 5,837,154 luminous red galaxies (LRGs) observed with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). Candidates are identified via the presence of background ionized oxygen [O ii] nebular emission lines in the foreground LRG spectra, which may originate from the lensing of higher-redshift star-forming galaxies. Using the measured foreground redshift, background redshift, and integrated flux of the background [O ii] doublet, we integrate over impact parameters to compute the probability that each candidate is a lens. We expect 53% of candidates to be true lenses with Einstein radii ranging from 0 .″ 1–4″, which can be confirmed with high-resolution imaging. Confirmed strong lenses from this sample will form a valuable cosmological data set, as strong gravitational lensing is the only method to directly measure dark matter halo substructure at cosmological distances....

Testing T2K’s Bayesian constraints with priors in alternate parameterisations

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Bayesian analysis results require a choice of prior distribution. In long-baseline neutrino oscillation physics, the usual parameterisation of the mixing matrix induces a prior that privileges certain neutrino mass and flavour state symmetries. Here we study the effect of privileging alternate symmetries on the results of the T2K experiment. We find that constraints on the level of CP violation (as given by the Jarlskog invariant) are robust under the choices of prior considered in the analysis. On the other hand, the degree of octant preference for the atmospheric angle depends on which symmetry has been privileged.

Clustering analysis of medium-band selected high-redshift galaxies

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Next-generation large-scale structure spectroscopic surveys will probe cosmology at high redshifts (2.3 < z < 3.5), relying on abundant galaxy tracers such as Lyα emitters (LAEs) and Lyman break galaxies (LBGs). Medium-band photometry has emerged as a potential technique for efficiently selecting these high-redshift galaxies. In this work, we present clustering analysis of medium-band selected galaxies at high redshift, utilizing photometric data from the Intermediate Band Imaging Survey (IBIS) and spectroscopic data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). We interpret the clustering of such samples using both Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) modeling and a perturbation theory description of large-scale structure. Our modeling indicates that the current target sample is composed from an overlapping mixture of LAEs and LBGs with emission lines. Despite differences in target selection, we find that the clustering properties are consistent with previous studies,...

DESI DR2 reference mocks: clustering results from Uchuu-BGS and LRG

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The aim of this work is to construct mock galaxy catalogues that accurately reproduce the redshift evolution of galaxy number density, clustering statistics, and baryonic properties, such as stellar mass for luminous red galaxies (LRGs) and absolute magnitude in the r-band for the bright galaxy sample (BGS), based on the first three years of observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). To achieve this, we applied the subhalo abundance matching (SHAM) technique to the Uchuu N-body simulation, which follows the evolution of 2.1 trillion particles within a volume of 8 h -3 Gpc3, assuming a Planck base-ΛCDM cosmology. Using SHAM, we populated Uchuu subhalos with LRGs and BGS-BRIGHT (r < 19.5) galaxies up to redshift z = 1.1, assigning stellar masses to LRGs and luminosities to BGS galaxies (up to M r ≤ 20). Furthermore, we analyzed the clustering dependence on stellar mass and luminosity for each tracer. Our results show that the Uchuu BGS-BRIGHT and LRG mocks...

The DESI DR1 Peculiar Velocity Survey: Global Zero-point and H0 Constraints

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) in its first Data Release (DR1) already provides more than 100,000 galaxies with relative distance measurements. The primary purpose of this paper is to perform the calibration of the zero-point for the DESI Fundamental Plane and Tully–Fisher relations, which allows us to measure the Hubble constant, H0. This sample has a lower statistical uncertainty than any previously used to measure H0, and we investigate the systematic uncertainties in absolute calibration that could limit the accuracy of that measurement. We improve upon the DESI Early Data Release Fundamental Plane H0 measurement by (a) using a group catalog to increase the number of calibrator galaxies and (b) investigating alternative calibrators in the nearby Universe. Our baseline measurement calibrates to the SH0ES/Pantheon+ type Ia supernovae, and finds H0 = 73.7 ± 0.06 (stat.) ± 1.1 (syst.) km s−1 Mpc−1. Calibrating to surface brightness fluctuation distances yields...

From the Revenue Rule to Soft Law and Back Again: The Consequences for ‘Society’ of the Social Governance of International Tax Competition

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This chapter reflects on the implications for the anthropology of law. As anthropologists turn to transnational and international legal processes, the question of the ‘social’ takes on a particular salience and has the potential to create productive theoretical muddles. The chapter serves as a demonstration of Thrift’s statement, and points toward a less linear, less causal account of the role of the ‘social’ in transnational, multilateral governance today. It proceeds by reviewing the notion of soft law and its incorporation/creation of a category of the social. It then analyses the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) effort to curb harmful tax practices as an initiative designed to incorporate ‘society’ into governance. It concludes by reflecting on the observation among legal anthropologists and law and society scholars that international legal processes resemble and contingently re-assemble something called ‘society’ in the process of trying to...

Structural Inequalities in the Global Legal System

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Structural Inequalities in the Global Legal System

H 0 without the sound horizon (or supernovae): A 2% measurement in DESI DR1

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The sound horizon scale rs is a key source of information for measurements of H 0 from early-time data, and is therefore a common target of new physics proposed to solve the Hubble tension. We present a sub-2% measurement of the Hubble constant that is independent of this scale, using data from the first data release of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI DR1). Building on previous work, we remove dependency on the sound horizon size using a heuristic rescaling procedure at the power spectrum level. A key innovation is the inclusion of uncalibrated (agnostic to rs ) post-reconstruction BAO measurements from DESI DR1, as well as using the CMB acoustic scale θ * as a high-redshift anchor. Uncalibrated type-Ia supernovae are often included as an independent source of Ωm information; here we demonstrate the robustness of our results by additionally considering two supernova-independent alternative datasets. We find somewhat higher values of H 0 relative to our previous...

The DESI DR1 peculiar velocity survey: growth rate measurements from the maximum likelihood fields method

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We present the constraint on the growth rate of structure from the combination of DESI DR1 BGS sample, Fundamental Plane, and Tully-Fisher peculiar velocity catalogues using the maximum likelihood fields method. The combined catalogue contains 415,523 galaxy redshifts and 76,616 peculiar velocity measurements. To handle the large amount of data in the DESI DR1 peculiar velocity catalogue, we significantly improve the computational efficiency by rewriting the algorithm with JAX. After removing outliers and Tully-Fisher galaxies that are affected by systematics, we find f σ 8 = 0.483-0.043 +0.080(stat) ± 0.018(sys), consistent within 1σ with the power spectrum and correlation function analysis using the same dataset. Combining all three measurements with appropriate correlations, the consensus measurement is f σ 8 (z eff = 0.07) = 0.450±0.055, consistent with Planck +ΛCDM cosmology (f σ 8 = 0.449 ± 0.008). Combining with the high redshift growth rate of structure measurements from...

Results from the T2K Experiment on Neutrino Mixing Including a New Far Detector μ-like Sample

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We have made improved measurements of three-flavor neutrino mixing with 19.7(16.3)×10^{20} protons on target in (anti-)neutrino-enhanced beam modes. A new sample of muon-neutrino events with tagged pions has been added at the far detector, as well as new proton and photon-tagged samples at the near detector. Significant improvements have been made to the flux and neutrino interaction modeling. T2K data continue to prefer the normal mass ordering and upper octant of sin^{2}θ_{23} with a near-maximal value of the charge-parity violating phase with best-fit values in the normal ordering of δ_{CP}=-2.18_{-0.47}^{+1.22}, sin^{2}θ_{23}=0.559_{-0.078}^{+0.018} and Δm_{32}^{2}=(+2.506_{-0.052}^{+0.039})×10^{-3} eV^{2}.

DESI Strong Lens Foundry. I. HST Observations and Modeling with GIGA-Lens

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We present the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Strong Lens Foundry. We discovered ∼3500 new strong gravitational lens candidates in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys using residual neural networks (ResNet). We observed a subset (51) of our candidates using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Except for one ambiguous case, we have confirmed 50 of the 51 candidates to be strong lenses. We also briefly describe spectroscopic follow-up observations by DESI and Keck NIRES programs. From this very rich data set, a number of studies will be carried out, including evaluating the quality of the ResNet search candidates and lens modeling. In this paper, we present our initial effort in these directions. In particular, as a demonstration, we present the lens model for DESI-165.4754−06.0423, with imaging data from HST, and lens and source redshifts from DESI and Keck NIRES, respectively. In this effort, we have applied a fully forward-modeling Bayesian approach (GIGA-Lens), using...

Probing the limits of cosmological information from the Lyman-α forest 2-point correlation functions

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The standard cosmological analysis with the Lyα forest relies on a continuum fitting procedure that suppresses information on large scales and distorts the three-dimensional correlation function on all scales. In this work, we present the first cosmological forecasts without continuum fitting distortion in the Lyα forest, focusing on the recovery of large-scale information. Using idealized synthetic data, we compare the constraining power of the full shape of the Lyα forest auto-correlation and its cross-correlation with quasars using the baseline continuum fitting analysis versus the true continuum. We find that knowledge of the true continuum enables a ∼ 10% reduction in uncertainties on the Alcock-Paczyński (AP) parameter and the matter density, Ωm. We also explore the impact of large-scale information by extending the analysis up to separations of 240 h -1Mpc along and across the line of sight. The combination of these analysis choices can recover significant large-scale information,...

A DECADAL SURVEY OF THE SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES: A Research Agenda for Advancing Intelligence Analysis

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The primary function of the intelligence analyst is to make sense of information about the world, but the way analysts do that work will look profoundly different a decade from now. Technological changes will bring both new advances in conducting analysis and new risks related to technologically based activities and communications around the world. Because these changes are virtually inevitable, the Intelligence Community will need to make sustained collaboration with researchers in the social and behavioral sciences (SBS) a key priority if it is to adapt to these changes in the most productive ways. A Decadal Survey Of The Social and Behavioral Sciences provides guidance for a 10-year research agenda. This report identifies key opportunities in SBS research for strengthening intelligence analysis and offers ideas for integrating the knowledge and perspectives of researchers from these fields into the planning and design of efforts to support intelligence analysis.

Inference of the linear matter power spectrum at z = 0 using DESI DR1 Full-Shape data

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Measurements of galaxy distributions at large cosmic distances capture clustering from the past. In this study, we use a cosmological model to translate these observations into the present-day galaxy distribution. Specifically, we reconstruct the 3D linear matter power spectrum at redshift z = 0 using Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Year 1 (DR1) galaxy clustering data and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations, assuming the ΛCDM model, and compare it to the result assuming the w 0 wa CDM model. Building on previous state-of-the-art methods, we apply Effective Field Theory (EFT) modelling of the galaxy power spectrum to account for small-scale effects in the 2-point statistics of galaxy data. Implementation of the EFT approach improves the modelling of the galaxy power spectrum, providing a more robust consistency test of the assumed cosmological model. By casting both CMB and galaxy clustering observations, spanning distinct redshift regimes, into k-space,...

Can a Computer Understand? Hermeneutics in Computer Science (Thinking Through Heidegger, Habermas, and Dilthey)

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The article highlights the critique of science put forth by Wilhelm Dilthey and subsequent discussions of technology by members of the Frankfurt School and in the phenomenological tradition, may appear to have had little effect within the scientific tradition itself. It reports that positivist science works that permits a technical mastery of the world it presupposes and simultaneously constructs.

Foreword: Rusing risk

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A ruse, says the Oxford English Dictionary, is a ‘‘detour; a doubling or turning of a hunted animal to elude the dogs.’’ The term derives from the French ‘‘ruser,’’ from which English also acquired the word ‘‘rush,’’ as in a frontal impact that drives an opposing force away, leading it in turn to ruse, to flee and scatter in all directions. This quality of turning about and scattering in all directions, like game in the hunt, also lends the word its more common and more modern English meaning of trickery. Hunted animals, it would seem, deceive in order to escape their pursuers. In doing so, they take unexpected tacks and twists in direction, thwarting the hunters’ forward rush. The chapters assembled in this fascinating collection lend new sig- nificance to the techniques of misdirection and meandering of the ruse. For, in documenting efforts to govern through risk in the recent history of the ‘‘war on terror,’’ the authors demonstrate that new forms of governance are attempting...

Measurements of Quasar Proximity Zones with the Lyα Forest of DESI Y1 Quasars

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The intergalactic medium (IGM) around a quasar is shaped by its dense environment and by its excess ionizing radiation, which form a “quasar proximity zone” whose size and anisotropy depend on the quasar’s halo mass, luminosity, age, and radiation geometry. Using over 10,000 quasar pairs from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Year 1 data, with projected comoving separations r⊥ < 2h−1 Mpc, we investigate how the proximity zone of foreground quasars at z ∼ 2–3.5 affects Lyα absorption in their background quasars. The large DESI sample enables unprecedented precision in measuring this “transverse proximity” effect, allowing a detailed investigation of the signal’s dependence on the projected separation of quasar pairs and the luminosity of the foreground quasar. We find that enhanced gas clustering near quasars dominates over their ionizing effect, leading to stronger absorption on neighboring sightlines. Under the assumption that quasar ionizing luminosity is isotropic...

The Lyman-α forest from LBGs: First 3D correlation measurement with DESI and prospects for cosmology

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Lyman-α (Lyα) forest is a key tracer of large-scale structure at redshifts z > 2, traditionally studied using the spectra of luminous but relatively rare quasars. In this work, we explore the viability of using the fainter yet significantly more abundant Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) as alternative background sources for Lyα forest studies. We analyze 4,151 Lyα forest skewers extracted from LBG spectra obtained in the DESI pilot surveys conducted in the COSMOS and XMM-LSS fields. From this dataset, we present the first measurement of the Lyα forest auto-correlation function derived exclusively from LBG spectra, probing comoving separations up to 48 h -1 Mpc at an effective redshift of z eff = 2.70. The measured LBG Lyα forest auto-correlation is consistent with that derived from DESI DR2 quasar Lyα forest spectra at a comparable redshift, validating the use of LBGs as reliable background sources for Lyα forest analyses. In addition, we measure the cross-correlation between...

Extensive analysis of reconstruction algorithms for DESI 2024 baryon acoustic oscillations

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Reconstruction of the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) signal has been a standard procedure in BAO analyses over the past decade and has helped to improve the BAO parameter precision by a factor of ∼2 on average. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) BAO analysis for the first year (DR1) data uses the “standard” reconstruction framework, in which the displacement field is estimated from the observed density field by solving the linearized continuity equation in redshift space, and galaxy and random positions are shifted in order to partially remove non-linearities. There are several approaches to solving for the displacement field in real survey data, including the multigrid (MG), iterative Fast Fourier Transform (iFFT), and iterative Fast Fourier Transform particle (iFFTP) algorithms. In this work, we analyze these algorithms and compare them with various metrics including two-point statistics and the displacement itself using realistic DESI mocks. We focus on three...

Measurement of the mean number of muons with energies above 500 GeV in air showers detected with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We present a measurement of the mean number of muons with energies larger than 500 GeV in near-vertical extensive air showers initiated by cosmic rays with primary energies between 2.5 and 100 PeV. The measurement is based on events detected in coincidence between the surface and in-ice detectors of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Air showers are recorded on the surface by IceTop, while a bundle of high-energy muons (TeV muons) from the shower can subsequently produce a tracklike event in the IceCube in-ice array. Results are obtained assuming the hadronic interaction models Sibyll 2.1, QGSJet-II.04, and EPOS-LHC. The measured number of TeV muons is found to be in agreement with predictions from air-shower simulations. The results have also been compared to a measurement of low-energy muons by IceTop, indicating an inconsistency between the predictions for low- and high-energy muons in simulations based on the EPOS-LHC model.

Implementation of a Novel Agitated Behavior Score and Its Association with Code Violet Activation: A Case Series

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Agitation in the emergency department (ED) poses a significant safety concern for staff and patients. Multidisciplinary responses, such as Code Violet activations, are common but resource-intensive. Early identification and intervention may reduce escalation, but ED-specific data are limited. The objective of the study was to evaluate the implementation of a novel agitated behavior score (ABS) and assess whether higher ABS scores are associated with increased risk of Code Violet activation.

Case Series: This prospective observational study included adult patients admitted to a behavioral health unit in a community teaching hospital ED. Trained staff administered a novel 25-point ABS incorporating altered mentation, verbal agitation, and motor agitation. The primary outcome was Code Violet activation; secondary outcomes included pharmacologic interventions and substance use. Among 83 patients, 27 (33%) experienced ≥ 1 Code...

Study of the connected four-point correlation function of galaxies from the DESI Data Release 1 luminous red galaxy sample

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We present a measurement of the non-Gaussian four-point correlation function (4PCF) from the DESI DR1 luminous red galaxy (LRG) sample. For the gravitationally induced parity-even 4PCF, we detect a signal with a significance of using our fiducial setup. We assess the robustness of this detection through a series of validation tests, including auto and cross-correlation analyses, sky partitioning across multiple patch combinations, and variations in radial scale cuts. Due to the low completeness of the sample, we find that differences in fiber assignment implementation schemes can significantly impact estimation of the covariance and introduce biases in the data vector. After correcting for these effects, all tests yield consistent results. This is one of the first measurements of the connected 4PCF on the DESI LRG sample; the good agreement between the simulation and the data implies that the amplitude of the density fluctuation inferred from the connected 4PCF is consistent...

A Diagnostic Pitfall in the Emergency Department —Aortic Dissection Masquerading as Acute Paraplegia: A Case Report

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Acute aortic dissection is a life-threatening emergency with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. Neurological deficits as the initial manifestation of aortic dissection are uncommon and may result in delayed or missed diagnosis. This case describes aortic dissection presenting primarily as acute paraplegia without persistent chest pain or other classic features.

Case Report: We report a 52-year-old male who presented with sudden-onset paraplegia. Neurological examination revealed flaccid paralysis of both lower limbs, with loss of pain and temperature sensation below the first lumbar dermatome and preserved dorsal column modalities. The patient was hypertensive on presentation. A clinical diagnosis of anterior spinal artery syndrome was made. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the chest and abdomen demonstrated a Stanford type A aortic dissection. The patient was counseled regarding the need for urgent surgical...

Cosmological neutrino mass: a frequentist overview in light of DESI

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We derive constraints on the neutrino mass using a variety of recent cosmological datasets, including DESI BAO, the full-shape analysis of the DESI matter power spectrum and the one-dimensional power spectrum of the Lyman-α forest (P1D) from eBOSS quasars as well as the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The constraints are obtained in the frequentist formalism by constructing profile likelihoods and applying the Feldman-Cousins prescription to compute confidence intervals. This method avoids potential prior and volume effects that may arise in a comparable Bayesian analysis. Parabolic fits to the profiles allow one to distinguish changes in the upper limits from variations in the constraining power σ of the different data combinations. We find that all profiles in the ΛCDM model are cut off by the ∑mν ≥ 0 bound, meaning that the corresponding parabolas reach their minimum in the unphysical sector. The most stringent 95% C.L. upper limit is obtained by the combination of DESI...

Electricity Sector Emissions Leakage in California’s Cap-and-Trade Program

Sat, 1 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study quantifies the extent to which the reported reductions in emissions from California’s electricity imports from 2011 through 2021 have been impacted by emissions leakage in the surrounding western electric grid. This evaluation looks at aggregate outcomes and does not evaluate specific transactions, imports for individual load-serving entities or compliance with regulatory provisions to minimize emissions leakage.Our empirical analysis presents two complementary estimation approaches. First, we apply marginal emissions estimation methods to quantify the amount of emissions caused by California imports each year and compare multi-year changes in our estimates of the import-driven emissions to the reduction in emissions from imports reported to CARB. Second, we apply an attributional approach to compare trends in the output of reported sources with their observed output overall. Both approaches indicate that Roughly half of the 29.6 MMT reduction in emissions from electricity...

Do Tax Credits Increase Heat Pump Adoption?

Sat, 1 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Economists have long argued that many recipients of clean energy subsidies are likely non-additional, but there are relatively few empirical studies. This paper uses U.S. monthly shipment data to test whether income tax credits increase heat pump adoption. When the tax credit increased from $300 to $2000 in January 2023, there was no increase in shipments. Then, when the tax credit expired in January 2026, there was no decrease in shipments. This lack of a discernible relationship persists after controlling for seasonal patterns, energy prices, and housing starts. The evidence suggests that most recipients of the $2000 tax credit were non-additional, and would have installed a heat pump even without the subsidy. The paper discusses implications for policydesign, economic efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Finally, the paper points out that heat pump shipments continue at a strong pace thus far in 2026 even without the tax credit, with large benefits for the environment.

EKG Bootcamp—A Novel Emergency Medicine Small Group Session