http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/ucsd/rss Recent eScholarship items from UC San Diego Mon, 9 Nov 2026 14:10:03 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wf8f4p8 We analyze a historical episode to generate evidence on how federal eminent domain authority&nbsp;affected construction of energy transportation infrastructure. The 1947 amendment&nbsp;to the Natural Gas Act gave federally approved interstate natural gas pipelines&nbsp;the power to acquire rights of way by eminent domain when negotiations with landowners&nbsp;failed. We compare construction of interstate gas pipelines with construction of oil&nbsp;pipelines and of within-state gas pipelines, neither of which was directly affected by&nbsp;the reform, using newly digitized historical government records and trade press listings.&nbsp;After 1947, annual additions to interstate gas pipeline mileage rose nearly sixfold while&nbsp;oil pipeline growth held steady, and the gain in interstate mileage was nearly five times&nbsp;the gain for within-state pipelines. Both comparisons suggest that the amendment&nbsp;substantially increased interstate gas pipeline construction. We discuss what... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wf8f4p8 Fri, 6 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Liscow, Zachary Shapiro, Joseph S. Williams, Heidi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fb5w31f The authors conducted a mixed-methods study to examine emotional intelligence and happiness of academic librarians in a cross-sectional analysis following up on previous studies. The researchers sought to understand whether respondents who rated themselves as highly emotional intelligent would rate themselves as satisfied with life; the researchers also sought to understand whether academic librarians who responded to this study had meaningful differences in happiness and emotional intelligence than librarians who responded to the original study in 2020. Results from this study show that academic librarians' self-reported levels of satisfaction with life and emotional intelligence were within average range for both instruments, however, these numbers were lower than the previous study and examples from the qualitative section of this research bear that out. Finally, the authors discuss limitations, implications for future research, and conclusions. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fb5w31f Fri, 6 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Martin, Lisa Villagran, Michele AL https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bb694qz Conventional economic reasoning suggests that linking cap-and-trade programs createsefficiency gains by lowering costs while holding emissions constant. When cap-and-trade&nbsp;programs have price floors or ceilings, however, linking may increase emissionsand decrease welfare. I investigate this phenomenon within California and Québec,&nbsp;where cap-and-trade linkage increased emissions by 17.5 million tons CO2e and reduced&nbsp;welfare by $331 million annually – an outcome that was ex-ante foreseeable. A&nbsp;reformed linked market could have remained emissions-neutral while instead increasing&nbsp;welfare by up to $32 million annually. I argue that political and institutional frictions&nbsp;prevented such reforms from being implemented and propose that policy makers prioritized&nbsp;cutting emissions cheaply over equating marginal damages and benefits. Given&nbsp;these constraints, linking with trading ratios remains incentive-compatible and recovers&nbsp;over three-fifths... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bb694qz Fri, 6 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Larson, Thor https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9z37j48v ABSTRACT The July 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquake sequence involved two large events—the M&nbsp;6.4 foreshock and the M&nbsp;7.1 mainshock that ruptured a system of intersecting strike-slip faults. We present analysis of space geodetic observations including Synthetic Aperture Radar and Global Navigation Satellite System data, geological field mapping, and seismicity to constrain the subsurface rupture geometry and slip distribution. The data render a complex pattern of faulting with a number of subparallel as well as cross-cutting fault strands that exhibit variations in both strike and dip angles, including a “flower structure” formed by shallow splay faults. Slip inversions are performed using both homogeneous and layered elastic half-space models informed by the local seismic tomography data. The inferred slip distribution suggests a moderate amount of the shallow coseismic slip deficit. The peak moment release occurred in the depth interval of 3–4&nbsp;km, consistent... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9z37j48v Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jin, Zeyu Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9x77d6g8 We construct an explicit distribution $\mathbf{D}$ over $\{0,1\}^N$ that exhibits an essentially optimal separation between adaptive and non-adaptive cell-probe sampling. The distribution can be sampled exactly when each output bit is allowed two adaptive probes to an arbitrarily long sequence of independent uniform symbols from $[N]$. In contrast, any non-adaptive sampler requires $\widetildeΩ(N)$ non-adaptive cell probes to generate a distribution with total variation distance less than $1-o(1)$ from $\mathbf{D}$. This provides a $2$-vs-$\widetildeΩ(N)$ separation for sampling with adaptive versus non-adaptive cell probes, improving upon the $2$-vs-$\widetildeΩ(\log N)$ separation of Yu and Zhan (ITCS '24) and the $(\log N)^{O(1)}$-vs-$N^{Ω(1)}$ separation of Alekseev, Göös, Myasnikov, Riazanov, and Sokolov (STOC '26). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9x77d6g8 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Byramji, Farzan Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Morris, Jackson Ostuni, Anthony https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9sh0x2qh ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACES): IMPLICATIONS FOR PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE, AND FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT IN A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF OLDER COMMUNITY-DWELLING ADULTS https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9sh0x2qh Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lee, Victoria M Hargrave, Anita S Lisha, Nadra E Huang, Alison https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9j0417cw We study the task of noiseless linear regression under Gaussian covariates in the presence of additive oblivious contamination. Specifically, we are given i.i.d.\ samples from a distribution $(x, y)$ on $\mathbb{R}^d \times \mathbb{R}$ with $x \sim \mathcal{N}(0,\mathbf{I}_d)$ and $y = x^\top β+ z$, where $z$ is drawn independently of $x$ from an unknown distribution $E$. Moreover, $z$ satisfies $\mathbb{P}_E[z = 0] = α&gt;0$. The goal is to accurately recover the regressor $β$ to small $\ell_2$-error. Ignoring computational considerations, this problem is known to be solvable using $O(d/α)$ samples. On the other hand, the best known polynomial-time algorithms require $Ω(d/α^2)$ samples. Here we provide formal evidence that the quadratic dependence in $1/α$ is inherent for efficient algorithms. Specifically, we show that any efficient Statistical Query algorithm for this task requires VSTAT complexity at least $\tildeΩ(d^{1/2}/α^2)$. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9j0417cw Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Gao, Chao Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Lafferty, John Pensia, Ankit https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9h9156ff Terrain observation by progressive scans (TOPS)-mode synthetic aperture radar interferometry requires high accuracy of burst alignments. Geometrical burst alignment relying on precise orbits and digital topography is not always sufficient for Sentinel-1A TOPS-mode interferometry. Enhanced spectral diversity (ESD) method was proposed to estimate a constant azimuth shift between radar images that minimizes phase discontinuities across the bursts. In some cases, however, the ESD refinement fails to align the bursts in Sentinel-1 interferograms, possibly because of ionospheric propagation effects. Here, we show that in such cases, a bivariate shift (that depends on both azimuth and range) can efficiently remove phase discontinuities across the bursts. The bivariate shift can be derived from the double-differenced radar phase in the burst overlap regions. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9h9156ff Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wang, Kang Xu, Xiaohua Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xs4j7s9 We study multivariate linear regression under Gaussian covariates in two settings, where data may be erased or corrupted by an adversary under a coordinate-wise budget. In the incomplete data setting, an adversary may inspect the dataset and delete entries in up to an $η$-fraction of samples per coordinate; a strong form of the Missing Not At Random model. In the corrupted data setting, the adversary instead replaces values arbitrarily, and the corruption locations are unknown to the learner. Despite substantial work on missing data, linear regression under such adversarial missingness remains poorly understood, even information-theoretically. Unlike the clean setting, where estimation error vanishes with more samples, here the optimal error remains a positive function of the problem parameters. Our main contribution is to characterize this error up to constant factors across essentially the entire parameter range. Specifically, we establish novel information-theoretic lower bounds... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xs4j7s9 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Diakonikolas, Jelena Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Lee, Jasper CH Pittas, Thanasis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8pc549sg We study the task of agnostically learning general (as opposed to homogeneous) ReLUs under the Gaussian distribution with respect to the squared loss. In the passive learning setting, recent work gave a computationally efficient algorithm that uses $poly(d,1/ε)$ labeled examples and outputs a hypothesis with error $O(opt)+ε$, where $opt$ is the squared loss of the best fit ReLU. Here we focus on the interactive setting, where the learner has some form of query access to the labels of unlabeled examples. Our main result is the first computationally efficient learner that uses $d polylog(1/ε)+\tilde{O}(\min\{1/p, 1/ε\})$ black-box label queries, where $p$ is the bias of the target function, and achieves error $O(opt)+ε$. We complement our algorithmic result by showing that its query complexity bound is qualitatively near-optimal, even ignoring computational constraints. Finally, we establish that query access is essentially necessary to improve on the label complexity of passive... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8pc549sg Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Ma, Mingchen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8nt459v2 Abstract Strength of the upper brittle part of the Earth's lithosphere controls deformation styles in tectonically active regions, surface topography, seismicity, and the occurrence of plate tectonics, yet it remains one of the most debated quantities in geophysics. Direct measurements of stresses acting at seismogenic depths are largely lacking. Seismic data (in particular, earthquake focal mechanisms) have been used to infer orientation of the principal stress axes. I show that the focal mechanism data can be combined with information from precise earthquake locations to place constraints not only on the orientation, but also on the magnitude of absolute stress at depth. The proposed method uses relative attitudes of conjugate faults to evaluate the amplitude and spatial heterogeneity of the deviatoric stress and frictional strength in the seismogenic zone. Relative fault orientations (dihedral angles) and sense of slip are determined using quasi‐planar clusters of seismicity... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8nt459v2 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Fialko, Y https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8nc003fm Abstract Observations from the Anza section of the San Jacinto Fault in Southern California reveal that microseismicity extends to depths of 15–18 km, while the geodetically determined locking depth is less than ~10 km. This contrasts with observations from other major faults in the region and also with predictions of fault models assuming a simple layered distribution of frictional properties with depth. We suggest that an anomalously shallow geodetic fault locking may result from a transition zone at the bottom of seismogenic layer with spatially heterogeneous frictional properties. Numerical models of faults that incorporate stochastic heterogeneity at transitional depths successfully reproduce the observed depth relation between seismicity and geodetic locking, as well as complex spatiotemporal patterns of microseismicity with relatively scarce repeating earthquakes. Our models predict propagation of large earthquakes to the bottom of the transition zone, and ubiquitous aseismic... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8nc003fm Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jiang, Junle Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8778z93r Abstract The San Jacinto Fault (SJF) splits into several active branches southeast of Anza, including the Clark fault and the Coyote Creek fault. The Clark fault, originally believed to terminate at the southern tip of the Santa Rosa Mountains, was suggested to extend further to the southeast to a junction with the Superstition Hills fault based on space geodetic observations and geologic mapping. We present new interferometric synthetic aperture radar and GPS data that confirm high deformation rates along the southeastern extent of the Clark fault. We derive maps of horizontal and vertical average velocities by combining data from the ascending and descending satellite orbits with an additional constraint provided by the azimuth of the horizontal component of secular velocities from GPS data. The resulting high‐resolution surface velocities are differentiated to obtain a map of maximum shear strain rate. Joint inversions of InSAR and GPS data suggest that the hypothesized blind... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8778z93r Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Tymofyeyeva, Ekaterina Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7vc5w6kj This work studies information-computation gaps for statistical problems. A common approach for providing evidence of such gaps is to show sample complexity lower bounds (that are stronger than the information-theoretic optimum) against natural models of computation. A popular such model in the literature is the family of low-degree polynomial tests. While these tests are defined in such a way that make them easy to analyze, the class of algorithms that they rule out is somewhat restricted. An important goal in this context has been to obtain lower bounds against the stronger and more natural class of low-degree Polynomial Threshold Function (PTF) tests, i.e., any test that can be expressed as comparing some low-degree polynomial of the data to a threshold. Proving lower bounds against PTF tests has turned out to be challenging. Indeed, we are not aware of any non-trivial PTF testing lower bounds in the literature. In this paper, we establish the first non-trivial PTF testing... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7vc5w6kj Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Liu, Sihan Pittas, Thanasis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7tg8h55b Abstract Dynamic earthquake triggering often involves a time delay relative to the peak stress perturbation. In this study, we investigate the physical mechanisms responsible for delayed triggering. We compute detailed spatiotemporal changes in dynamic and static Coulomb stresses at the 2019 7.1 Ridgecrest mainshock hypocenter, induced by the 5.4 foreshock, using 3D dynamic rupture models. The computed stress changes are used to perturb simulations of 2D quasi‐dynamic sequences of earthquakes and aseismic slip on the mainshock fault governed by rate‐and‐state friction. We explore multiple scenarios with varying hypocenter depths, perturbation amplitudes and timing, and different evolution laws (aging, slip, and stress‐dependent). Most of the perturbed models show a mainshock clock advance of several hours. Instantaneous triggering occurs only if the peak stress perturbation is comparable to the strength excess during quasi‐static nucleation. While both aging and slip laws yield... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7tg8h55b Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yun, Jeena Gabriel, Alice‐Agnes May, Dave A Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rv3f4zk We construct a family of distributions $\{\mathcal{D}_n\}_n$ with $\mathcal{D}_n$ over $\{0, 1\}^n$ and a family of depth-$7$ quantum circuits $\{C_n\}_n$ such that $\mathcal{D}_n$ is produced exactly by $C_n$ with the all zeros state as input, yet any constant-depth classical circuit with bounded fan-in gates evaluated on any binary product distribution has total variation distance $1 - e^{-Ω(n)}$ from $\mathcal{D}_n$. Moreover, the quantum circuits we construct are geometrically local and use a relatively standard gate set: Hadamard, controlled-phase, CNOT, and Toffoli gates. All previous separations of this type suffer from some undesirable constraint on the classical circuit model or the quantum circuits witnessing the separation. Our family of distributions is inspired by the Parity Halving Problem of Watts, Kothari, Schaeffer, and Tal (STOC, 2019), which built on the work of Bravyi, Gosset, and König (Science, 2018) to separate shallow quantum and classical circuits for... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rv3f4zk Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Grier, Daniel Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Morris, Jackson Ostuni, Anthony Wu, Kewen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7ft3x4sn Abstract Zou and Fialko (2024a), https://doi.org/10.1029/2024ea003824 analyzed the fault length statistics using several data sets spanning a wide range of length scales from millimeters to tens of kilometers, and concluded that the cumulative fault length distribution follows a universal power law with an exponent close to −2, implying that small faults can accommodate an appreciable fraction of tectonic strain. C. Scholz wrote a Comment in which he agrees with the main conclusions of our study, but questions the methodology that “fortuitously” gave rise to a correct answer. In particular, Scholz suggests that there is a spurious correlation in our estimation of the slope of a composite data set, which cancels out due to a lower‐dimensional sampling bias. Here we show that our estimated absolute value of the power law exponent of is not a result of normalizing the fault length‐frequency distribution by the map area, as suggested by Scholz. We also maintain that the lower‐dimensional... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7ft3x4sn Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zou, Xiaoyu Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7d9046q6 We study the complexity of smoothed agnostic learning, recently introduced by~\cite{CKKMS24}, in which the learner competes with the best classifier in a target class under slight Gaussian perturbations of the inputs. Specifically, we focus on the prototypical task of agnostically learning halfspaces under subgaussian distributions in the smoothed model. The best known upper bound for this problem relies on $L_1$-polynomial regression and has complexity $d^{\tilde{O}(1/σ^2) \log(1/ε)}$, where $σ$ is the smoothing parameter and $ε$ is the excess error. Our main result is a Statistical Query (SQ) lower bound providing formal evidence that this upper bound is close to best possible. In more detail, we show that (even for Gaussian marginals) any SQ algorithm for smoothed agnostic learning of halfspaces requires complexity $d^{Ω(1/σ^{2}+\log(1/ε))}$. This is the first non-trivial lower bound on the complexity of this task and nearly matches the known upper bound. Roughly speaking,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7d9046q6 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6w67h2rf Consider the following problem: given two arbitrary densities $q_1,q_2$ and a sample-access to an unknown target density $p$, find which of the $q_i$'s is closer to $p$ in total variation. A remarkable result due to Yatracos shows that this problem is tractable in the following sense: there exists an algorithm that uses $O(ε^{-2})$ samples from $p$ and outputs~$q_i$ such that with high probability, $TV(q_i,p) \leq 3\cdot\mathsf{opt} + ε$, where $\mathsf{opt}= \min\{TV(q_1,p),TV(q_2,p)\}$. Moreover, this result extends to any finite class of densities $\mathcal{Q}$: there exists an algorithm that outputs the best density in $\mathcal{Q}$ up to a multiplicative approximation factor of 3. We complement and extend this result by showing that: (i) the factor 3 can not be improved if one restricts the algorithm to output a density from $\mathcal{Q}$, and (ii) if one allows the algorithm to output arbitrary densities (e.g.\ a mixture of densities from $\mathcal{Q}$), then the approximation... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6w67h2rf Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bousquet, Olivier Kane, Daniel https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Moran, Shay https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6t69s73x Linear Regression under Missing or Corrupted Coordinates https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6t69s73x Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Diakonikolas, Jelena Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Lee, Jasper CH Pittas, Thanasis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qv94735 We present new Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations of surface deformation in the Altiplano–Puna region (South America) where previous studies documented a broad uplift at an average rate of ∼10 mm/yr. We use data from the Sentinel-1 satellite mission to produce high-resolution velocity maps and time series of surface displacements between years 2014–2017. The data reveal that the uplift has slowed down substantially compared to the 1992–2010 epoch and is characterized by short-term fluctuations on time scales of months to years. The observed variations in uplift rate may indicate a non-steady supply of melt and/or volatiles from the partially molten Altiplano–Puna Magma Body (APMB) into an incipient diapir forming in the roof of the APMB. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qv94735 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lau, Nicholas Tymofyeyeva, Ekaterina Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6q05c0n8 We study robust regression under a contamination model in which covariates are clean while the responses may be corrupted in an adaptive manner. Unlike the classical Huber's contamination model, where both covariates and responses may be contaminated and consistent estimation is impossible when the contamination proportion is a non-vanishing constant, it turns out that the clean-covariate setting admits strictly improved statistical guarantees. Specifically, we show that the additional information in the clean covariates can be carefully exploited to construct an estimator that achieves a better estimation rate than that attainable under Huber contamination. In contrast to the Huber model, this improved rate implies consistency even when the contamination is a constant. A matching minimax lower bound is established using Fano's inequality together with the construction of contamination processes that match $m&gt; 2$ distributions simultaneously, extending the previous two-point... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6q05c0n8 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Gao, Chao Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Pensia, Ankit Xie, Dong https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6p22h3wz Mania is a defining feature of bipolar disorder, although its pathophysiology remains incompletely understood. Multiple substances are known to precipitate mania in susceptible individuals. Here we describe the case of a 22-year-old male with no prior psychiatric history, who was hospitalized due to mania three times within four months. Each relapse corresponded to either increasing or restarting creatine supplementation. The patient met DSM-5-TR criteria for bipolar I disorder. However, the full and rapid recovery with each episode, similar symptoms in a first-degree relative that resolved on cessation, and the consistent temporal relationship with creatine supplementation raise the possibility that creatine contributed to precipitating these symptoms. Causality was rated as probable on the Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale. This case suggests a possible link between creatine supplementation and mania. It also highlights the importance of screening for supplement... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6p22h3wz Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Perekopskiy, David Lee, Victoria M Tiefenthaler, Casey Caballero, Noe Thackaberry, Jessica L https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9535-1660 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hw994z7 Abstract The deep limit to seismicity in continental crust is believed to be controlled by a transition from velocity‐weakening to velocity‐strengthening friction based on experimental measurements of the rate dependence of friction at different temperatures. Available experimental data on granite suggest a transition to stable creep at about 350°C (∼15&nbsp;km depth). Here we present results from unconfined experiments on Westerly granite at both dry and hydrated conditions that show increasingly unstable slip (velocity‐weakening behavior) at temperature up to 600°C. A comparison of previously published experimental results with those presented in this study suggests that the rate and state friction parameters strongly depend on normal stress and pore pressure at high (&gt;400°C) temperature, which may help explain regional variations in the depth distribution of earthquakes in continental crust. Temperature dependence of the rate and state friction parameters may also contribute... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hw994z7 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Mitchell, EK Fialko, Y https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 Brown, KM https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gt8q9qq Over the past decade, the low-degree heuristic has been used to estimate the algorithmic thresholds for a wide range of average-case planted vs null distinguishing problems. Such results rely on the hypothesis that if the low-degree moments of the planted and null distributions are sufficiently close, then no efficient (noise-tolerant) algorithm can distinguish between them. This hypothesis is appealing due to the simplicity of calculating the low-degree likelihood ratio (LDLR) -- a quantity that measures the similarity between low-degree moments. However, despite sustained interest in the area, it remains unclear whether low-degree indistinguishability actually rules out any interesting class of algorithms. In this work, we initiate the study and develop technical tools for translating LDLR upper bounds to rigorous lower bounds against concrete algorithms. As a consequence, we prove: for any permutation-invariant distribution $\mathsf{P}$, 1. If $\mathsf{P}$ is over $\{0,1\}^n$... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gt8q9qq Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hsieh, Jun-Ting Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Kothari, Pravesh K Li, Jerry Mohanty, Sidhanth Tiegel, Stefan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6462s0qv We study the algorithmic task of testably learning general Massart halfspaces under the Gaussian distribution. In the testable learning setting, the aim is the design of a tester-learner pair satisfying the following properties: (1) if the tester accepts, the learner outputs a hypothesis and a certificate that it achieves near-optimal error, and (2) it is highly unlikely that the tester rejects if the data satisfies the underlying assumptions. Our main result is the first testable learning algorithm for general halfspaces with Massart noise and Gaussian marginals. The complexity of our algorithm is $d^{\mathrm{polylog}(\min\{1/γ, 1/ε\})}$, where $ε$ is the excess error and $γ$ is the bias of the target halfspace, which qualitatively matches the known quasi-polynomial Statistical Query lower bound for the non-testable setting. The analysis of our algorithm hinges on a novel sandwiching polynomial approximation to the sign function with multiplicative error that may be of broader... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6462s0qv Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Iakovidis, Giannis Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Liu, Sihan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5hw7k5b6 We provide a unified method for constructing explicit distributions which are difficult for restricted models of computation to generate. Our constructions are based on a new notion of robust extractors, which are extractors that remain sound even when a small number of points violate the min-entropy constraint. Using such objects, we show that for a broad range of sampling models (e.g., low-depth circuits, small-space sources, etc.), every output of the model has distance $1 - o(1)$ from our target distribution, qualitatively recovering essentially all previously known hardness results. Our work extends that of Viola (SICOMP '14), who developed an earlier unified framework based on traditional extractors to rule out sampling with very small error. As a further application of our technique, we leverage a recent extractor construction of Chattopadhyay, Goodman, and Gurumukhani (ITCS '24) to present the first explicit distribution with distance $1 - o(1)$ from the output of any... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5hw7k5b6 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Byramji, Farzan Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Morris, Jackson Ostuni, Anthony https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cj652xs Residual topography and gravity anomalies reveal a tectonic boundary in northeast Japan, which is proposed to represent the offshore continuation of the Median Tectonic Line; the contrast in frictional properties across this structure may control earthquake behaviour there, as recently demonstrated by the giant 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cj652xs Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bassett, Dan Sandwell, David T https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5657-8707 Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 Watts, Anthony B https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5640j3s9 Abstract The 2021 Maduo earthquake ruptured a 150 km‐long left‐lateral fault in the northeast Tibet. We used Synthetic Aperture Radar data collected by the Sentinel‐1A/B satellites within days of the earthquake to derive a finite fault model and investigate the details of slip distribution with depth. We generated coseismic interferograms and pixel offsets from different look directions corresponding to the ascending and descending satellite orbits. At the eastern end the rupture bifurcated into two sub‐parallel strands, with larger slip on the northern strand. Inversions of coseismic displacements show maximum slip to the east of the epicenter. The averaged coseismic slip has a peak at depth of 3–4&nbsp;km, similar to slip distributions of a number of shallow strike‐slip earthquakes. Postseismic observations over several weeks following the Maduo earthquake reveal surface slip with amplitude up to 0.1&nbsp;m that at least partially eliminated the coseismic slip deficit in the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5640j3s9 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jin, Zeyu Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54m1b5gz Abstract We present RADARSAT‐2 Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) observations of deformation due to fluid extraction at the Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field (CPGF) and afterslip on the 2010 M 7.2 El Mayor‐Cucapah (EMC) earthquake rupture during 2011–2016. Advanced multidimensional time series analysis reveals subsidence at the CPGF with the maximum rate greater than 100&nbsp;mm/yr accompanied by horizontal motion (radial contraction) at a rate greater than 30&nbsp;mm/yr. During the same time period, more than 30&nbsp;mm of surface creep occurred on the Indiviso fault ruptured by the EMC earthquake. We performed inversions of DInSAR data to estimate the rate of volume changes at depth due to the geothermal production at the CPGF and the distribution of afterslip on the Indiviso fault. The maximum coseismic slip due to the EMC earthquake correlates with the Coulomb stress changes on the Indiviso fault due to fluid extraction at the CPGF. Afterslip occurs... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54m1b5gz Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Samsonov, Sergey V Feng, Wanpeng Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4hq980rr Abstract Observations of shallow fault creep reveal increasingly complex time‐dependent slip histories that include quasi‐steady creep and triggered as well as spontaneous accelerated slip events. Here we report a recent slow slip event on the southern San Andreas fault triggered by the 2017 M w 8.2 Chiapas (Mexico) earthquake that occurred 3,000&nbsp;km away. Geodetic and geologic observations indicate that surface slip on the order of 10&nbsp;mm occurred on a 40‐km‐long section of the southern San Andreas fault between the Mecca Hills and Bombay Beach, starting minutes after the Chiapas earthquake and continuing for more than a year. Both the magnitude and the depth extent of creep vary along strike. We derive a high‐resolution map of surface displacements by combining Sentinel‐1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar acquisitions from different lines of sight. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar‐derived displacements are in good agreement with the creepmeter data... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4hq980rr Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Tymofyeyeva, Ekaterina Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 Jiang, Junle Xu, Xiaohua Sandwell, David https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5657-8707 Bilham, Roger Rockwell, Thomas K Blanton, Chelsea Burkett, Faith Gontz, Allen Moafipoor, Shahram https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4dv8k0wq Abstract We present a method for estimating radar phase delays due to propagation through the troposphere and the ionosphere based on the averaging of redundant interferograms that share a common scene. Estimated atmospheric contributions can then be subtracted from the radar interferograms to improve measurements of surface deformation. Inversions using synthetic data demonstrate that this procedure can considerably reduce scatter in the time series of the line‐of‐sight displacements. We demonstrate the feasibility of this method by comparing the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) time series derived from ERS‐1/2 and Envisat data to continuous Global Positioning System data from eastern California. We also present results from several sites in the eastern California shear zone where anomalous deformation has been reported by previous studies, including the Blackwater fault, the Hunter Mountain fault, and the Coso geothermal plant. Key Points We present a new... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4dv8k0wq Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Tymofyeyeva, Ekaterina Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/45n8n1c6 Fracture mechanics considers conditions for the onset, propagation, and arrest of shear and tensile ruptures. Because earthquakes can be thought of as elastodynamic shear instabilities, fracture mechanics forms the theoretical basis of earthquake seismology. Earthquake ruptures involve a number of mechanical processes, including yielding and material breakdown around the propagating rupture front, complex time-dependent evolution of friction on a slipping interface behind the rupture front, radiation of seismic waves, wear, communition, and heating of the fault zone material, etc. These processes are intrinsically coupled, and must be considered jointly. Recent theoretical, experimental, and field data suggest that fracture mechanics models assuming small-scale yielding and constant residual friction on a fault surface may not be an adequate theoretical description of earthquake ruptures. This is because the fault interface may undergo a continuous weakening with rapid slip (e.g.,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/45n8n1c6 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Fialko, Y https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4319w6h9 We characterize the symmetric distributions that can be (approximately) generated by shallow Boolean circuits. More precisely, let $f\colon \{0,1\}^m \to \{0,1\}^n$ be a Boolean function where each output bit depends on at most $d$ input bits. Suppose the output distribution of $f$ evaluated on uniformly random input bits is close in total variation distance to a symmetric distribution $\mathcal{D}$ over $\{0,1\}^n$. Then $\mathcal{D}$ must be close to a mixture of the uniform distribution over $n$-bit strings of even Hamming weight, the uniform distribution over $n$-bit strings of odd Hamming weight, and $γ$-biased product distributions for $γ$ an integer multiple of $2^{-d}$. Moreover, the mixing weights are determined by low-degree, sparse $\mathbb{F}_2$-polynomials. This extends the previous classification for generating symmetric distributions that are also uniform over their support. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4319w6h9 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Ostuni, Anthony Wu, Kewen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41p950t1 Abstract On 7 January 2025, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Tingri County in the south of the Tibetan Plateau, China, producing widespread damage in the Lhatse-Sa’gya-Tingri region and adjacent areas. The earthquake ruptured a pair of conjugate north-south striking normal faults in the Dengmecuo graben, and was the largest normal earthquake instrumentally recorded in the region. We use Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar observations from Sentinel-1A, Advanced Land Observation Satellite-2, and Lutan-1 satellites to investigate coseismic and early postseismic deformation due to the 2025 Tingri earthquake. We invert line-of-sight displacements and pixel offsets for the fault geometry and slip distribution using an iterative scheme that incorporates a 3D curved fault geometry and layered rigidity structure constrained by seismic tomography. The ruptured faults are modeled using a triangular mesh with a linear variation in slip between the nodes. The preferred model suggests... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41p950t1 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zou, Xiaoyu Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3x8672k3 Abstract Numerical and laboratory models of earthquake cycles on faults governed by rate‐and‐state friction often show cycle‐invariant behavior, while natural faults exhibit considerable variability in slip history. Possible explanations include heterogeneities in fault stress and frictional properties. We investigate how various types of heterogeneity in simulations of quasi‐dynamic sequences of seismic and aseismic slip affect rupture complexity, hypocenter location, and slow slip events (SSEs). We model a 2D vertical strike‐slip fault and study the roles of self‐affine fractal heterogeneities in normal stress, rate‐and‐state parameter , and characteristic slip‐weakening distance, as well as the effects of a low‐rigidity fault zone. We find that only a combination of heterogeneous parameters introduces variability in the modeled rupture extent, hypocenter depth, and recurrence interval. In particular, variable hypocenter depths require creeping patches within the velocity‐weakening... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3x8672k3 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yun, Jeena Gabriel, Alice‐Agnes May, Dave A Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tv275rc Over 52,000 US service members were wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over two decades of war. These years also witnessed a continued evolution in the treatment of polytraumatized patients, especially those injured in combat. Because most of those wounded in action sustain musculoskeletal injuries, providing skilled treatment as soon as possible after injury has saved the lives of numerous service members and improved the musculoskeletal function of those injured in these conflicts. Orthopaedic surgeons have been crucial members of forward surgical teams that have performed life and limb-saving care under challenging forward-deployed conditions, sometimes under fire. In this setting, military orthopaedic surgery has continued to evolve, building in part on experience gained in smaller conflicts where the United States was not a principal belligerent but where war trauma familiarity was acquired that contributed to improvements in forward orthopaedic care during the recent... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tv275rc Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Covey, Captain Dana C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4023-6304 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3jv9n7d3 We study the basic task of mean estimation in the presence of mean-shift contamination. In the mean-shift contamination model, an adversary is allowed to replace a small constant fraction of the clean samples by samples drawn from arbitrarily shifted versions of the base distribution. Prior work characterized the sample complexity of this task for the special cases of the Gaussian and Laplace distributions. Specifically, it was shown that consistent estimation is possible in these cases, a property that is provably impossible in Huber's contamination model. An open question posed in earlier work was to determine the sample complexity of mean estimation in the mean-shift contamination model for general base distributions. In this work, we study and essentially resolve this open question. Specifically, we show that, under mild spectral conditions on the characteristic function of the (potentially multivariate) base distribution, there exists a sample-efficient algorithm that estimates... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3jv9n7d3 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Iakovidis, Giannis Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Liu, Sihan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/39t114dc Studying the seismicity triggering response of fault systems to periodic stress fluctuations can improve our understanding of earthquake nucleation, rupture failure processes, and local stress states. Geothermal fields are well known to be susceptible to triggering, as the injection and extraction activities change the local stress and fluid flow conditions. Here, we examine the modulation of earthquakes by Earth tides within California's Coso geothermal field (CGF) and its vicinity. To maximize our resolution to detect modulation of small earthquakes, we take advantage of the new Quake Template Matching catalog in southern California, which has nearly twice as many events in the Coso region as the standard catalog and is complete down to about magnitude 0.3. We observe strong tidal triggering of earthquakes within the CGF, even though the fluctuations of tidal stresses are small (∼2 kPa). The tidally-triggered earthquakes tend to occur near the time of maximum tensile tidal stress.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/39t114dc Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wang, Wei Shearer, Peter M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2992-7630 Vidale, John E Xu, Xiaohua Trugman, Daniel T Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/38x8s7rm Abstract The Salton Trough represents a complex transition between the spreading center in Baja California and the strike‐slip San Andreas fault system and is one of the most active zones of deformation and seismicity in California. We present a high‐resolution interseismic velocity field for the Salton Trough derived from 74 continuous GPS sites and 109 benchmarks surveyed in three GPS campaigns during 2008–2009 and previous surveys between 2000 and 2005. We also investigate small‐scale deformation by removing the regional velocity field predicted by an elastic block model for Southern California from the observed velocities. We find a total extension rate of 11 mm/yr from the Mesquite Basin to the southern edge of the San Andreas Fault, coupled with 15 mm/yr of left‐lateral shear, the majority of which is concentrated in the southern Salton Sea and Obsidian Buttes and is equivalent to 17 mm/yr oriented in the direction of the San Andreas Fault. Differential shear strain is exclusively... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/38x8s7rm Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Crowell, Brendan W Bock, Yehuda Sandwell, David T https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5657-8707 Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/31s3h86v Abstract We use the L‐band Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) and C‐band Envisat interferometric synthetic aperture data and campaign GPS observations to study the postseismic deformation due to the 2005 magnitude 7.6 Kashmir (Pakistan) earthquake that occurred in the northwestern Himalaya. Envisat data are available from both the descending and ascending orbits and span a time period of ~4.5 years immediately following the earthquake (2005–2010), with nearly monthly acquisitions. However, the Envisat data are highly decorrelated due to high topography and snow cover. ALOS data are available from the ascending orbit and span a time period of ~2.5 years between 2007 and 2009, over which they remain reasonably well correlated. We derive the mean line‐of‐sight (LOS) postseismic velocity maps in the epicentral area of the Kashmir earthquake using persistent scatterer method for Envisat data and selective stacking for ALOS data. LOS velocities from all data sets indicate an... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/31s3h86v Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wang, Kang Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2t07279j Abstract We investigate the spatial pattern of surface creep and off‐fault deformation along the southern segment of the San Andreas Fault using a combination of multiple interferometric synthetic aperture radar viewing geometries and survey‐mode GPS occupations of a dense array crossing the fault. Radar observations from Envisat during the period 2003–2010 were used to separate the pattern of horizontal and vertical motion, providing a high‐resolution image of uplift and shallow creep along the fault trace. The data reveal pervasive shallow creep along the southernmost 50 km of the fault. Creep is localized on a well‐defined fault trace only in the Mecca Hills and Durmid Hill areas, while elsewhere creep appears to be distributed over a 1–2 km wide zone surrounding the fault. The degree of strain localization is correlated with variations in the local fault strike. Using a two‐dimensional boundary element model, we show that stresses resulting from slip on a curved fault can... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2t07279j Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lindsey, Eric O Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 Bock, Yehuda Sandwell, David T https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5657-8707 Bilham, Roger https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2g52d97b We investigate interseismic deformation across the San Jacinto fault at Anza, California where previous geodetic observations have indicated an anomalously high shear strain rate. We present an updated set of secular velocities from GPS and InSAR observations that reveal a 2–3 km wide shear zone deforming at a rate that exceeds the background strain rate by more than a factor of two. GPS occupations of an alignment array installed in 1990 across the fault trace at Anza allow us to rule out shallow creep as a possible contributor to the observed strain rate. Using a dislocation model in a heterogeneous elastic half space, we show that a reduction in shear modulus within the fault zone by a factor of 1.2–1.6 as imaged tomographically by Allam and Ben-Zion (Geophys J Int 190:1181–1196, 2012) can explain about 50&nbsp;% of the observed anomalous strain rate. However, the best-fitting locking depth in this case (10.4&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.3&nbsp;km) is significantly less than the local depth... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2g52d97b Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lindsey, Eric O Sahakian, Valerie J Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 Bock, Yehuda Barbot, Sylvain Rockwell, Thomas K https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2f60h66h Hydrologic loads can stimulate seismicity in the Earth’s crust1. However, evidence for the triggering of large earthquakes remains elusive. The southern San Andreas Fault (SSAF) in Southern California lies next to the Salton Sea2, a remnant of ancient Lake Cahuilla that periodically filled and desiccated over the past millennium3–5. Here we use new geologic and palaeoseismic data to demonstrate that the past six major earthquakes on the SSAF probably occurred during highstands of Lake Cahuilla5,6. To investigate possible causal relationships, we computed time-dependent Coulomb stress changes7,8 due to variations in the lake level. Using a fully coupled model of a poroelastic crust9–11 overlying a viscoelastic mantle12,13, we find that hydrologic loads increased Coulomb stress on the SSAF by several hundred kilopascals and fault-stressing rates by more than a factor of 2, which is probably sufficient for earthquake triggering7,8. The destabilizing effects of lake inundation are... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2f60h66h Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hill, Ryley G Weingarten, Matthew Rockwell, Thomas K Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2623f37b Abstract We analyze a suite of geodetic observations across the Imperial Fault in southern California that span all parts of the earthquake cycle. Coseismic and postseismic surface slips due to the 1979 M 6.6 Imperial Valley earthquake were recorded with trilateration and alignment surveys by Harsh (1982) and Crook et al. (1982), and interseismic deformation is measured using a combination of multiple interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)‐viewing geometries and continuous and survey‐mode GPS. In particular, we combine more than 100 survey‐mode GPS velocities with InSAR data from Envisat descending tracks 84 and 356 and ascending tracks 77 and 306 (149 total acquisitions), processed using a persistent scatterers method. The result is a dense map of interseismic velocities across the Imperial Fault and surrounding areas that allows us to evaluate the rate of interseismic loading and along‐strike variations in surface creep. We compare available geodetic data to models... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2623f37b Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lindsey, Eric O Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2308n3wk The incidence and mortality of high-grade endometrial cancers are increasing, and heterozygous hotspot mutations in <i>PPP2R1A</i> are drivers of the most aggressive forms of uterine cancer. <i>PPP2R1A</i> encodes the Aα scaffolding subunit of the heterotrimeric phosphatase PP2A. These recurrent mutations, specifically at the Pro¹⁷⁹ and Ser²⁵⁶ residues, disrupt the binding of tumor-suppressive substrate-directing B56 and B55 subunits to the PP2A scaffolding subunit while maintaining binding to other regulatory subunits. Here, we identified a series of molecular glues that correct PP2A trimer formation in the context of the P179R (Pro¹⁷⁹→Arg) and S256F (Ser²⁵⁶→Phe) mutants. A small-molecule library was designed to fit into the pocket at the binding interface of the Aα/B56α/C heterotrimer. The lead molecule, RPT04402, promoted B56α heterotrimerization to the Aα^P179R and Aα^S256F mutant scaffolds. In mice, RPT04402... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2308n3wk Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Peris, Irene Haanen, Terrance J Day, Alexander Hu, Jiang Callahan, Catherine Hodges-Onishi, Gabrielle Zawacki, Kaitlin P Tran, Brian Harold, Alexis Dowdican, Amanda Nino, Charles A Huang, Wei Leonard, Daniel Hinderman, Matthew Barrie, Kelsey Raines, Brynne Sangodkar, Jaya Boock, Sophie Shankar, Varsha Giambi, Miranda Romero-Murillo, Silvia Arbitman, Leah Shenolikar, Shirish Trainor, George Cachoux, Frederic Rabal, Obdulia Gherbovet, Olga Fourmois, Laura Brautigan, David L DiFeo, Analisa V Taylor, Derek J O'Connor, Caitlin M Narla, Goutham https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1r60q5gj We initiate a systematic investigation of distribution testing in the framework of algorithmic replicability. Specifically, given independent samples from a collection of probability distributions, the goal is to characterize the sample complexity of replicably testing natural properties of the underlying distributions. On the algorithmic front, we develop new replicable algorithms for testing closeness and independence of discrete distributions. On the lower bound front, we develop a new methodology for proving sample complexity lower bounds for replicable testing that may be of broader interest. As an application of our technique, we establish near-optimal sample complexity lower bounds for replicable uniformity testing -- answering an open question from prior work -- and closeness testing. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1r60q5gj Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Gao, Jingyi Kane, Daniel https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Liu, Sihan Ye, Christopher https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1kg0j0rg Abstract We conducted a series of experiments to explore the rate and state frictional properties of gabbro at conditions thought to be representative of slow slip events (SSEs) in subduction zones. The experiments were conducted using a heated direct shear apparatus. We tested both solid and simulated gouge samples at low effective normal stress (5–30 MPa) over a broad range of temperatures (20–600°C) under dry and hydrated conditions. In tests performed on dry solid samples, we observed stable sliding at low temperatures (20–150°C), stick slip at high temperatures (350–600°C), and a transitional “episodic slow slip” behavior at intermediate temperatures (200–300°C). In tests performed on dry gouge samples, we observed stable sliding at all temperatures. Under hydrated conditions, the gouge samples exhibited episodic slow slip and stick‐slip behavior at temperatures between 300 and 500°C. Our results show a decrease in the rate parameter ( a − b ) with temperature for both solid... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1kg0j0rg Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Mitchell, EK Fialko, Y https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 Brown, KM https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1jd0p5tq We study the complexity of two closely related learning problems, one quantum and one classical. In the quantum setting, we consider agnostic tomography for the natural class of product mixed states. Given $N$ copies of an $n$-qubit state $ρ$, the goal is to output a nearly optimal product mixed state approximation in trace distance. While recent work has focused on pure-state ansatz (e.g., product or stabilizer states), no polynomial-time guarantees were previously known for mixed-state ansatz. In the classical setting, we study robust learning of binary product distributions: given samples from an unknown distribution on ${0,1}^n$, the goal is to output a nearly optimal product approximation. Our main contributions are as follows. (1) We give a semi-agnostic tomography algorithm for product mixed states with polynomial sample and computational complexity achieving error $O(\mathrm{opt}\log(1/\mathrm{opt}))$, where $\mathrm{opt}$ is the trace distance to the best product approximation.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1jd0p5tq Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Arulandu, Alvan Diakonikolas, Ilias Kane, Daniel https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Li, Jerry https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1f29k5b4 Early JWST/NIRCam surveys revealed a puzzling population of high-redshift massive galaxy candidates largely absent from previous rest-frame UV surveys. Spectroscopic follow-up has both confirmed and contested these candidates, whose potential overabundance may challenge traditional models of galaxy formation. In this study, we evaluate the reliability of the photometric selections used to identify these candidates in observational data by applying them to galaxies in the TNG300 simulation with synthetic dust-attenuated photometry. Among the five observational selection criteria considered, we find that the selection presented by Pérez-González et al. is the most reliable and inclusive. Nevertheless, only 1 of the 18 galaxies at z ∼ 5 with M⋆ ≥ 1011 M⊙ in the simulation satisfies this selection; the remaining 17 galaxies are on average ∼0.5 mag bluer than the color selection under the adopted dust model. We construct an improved JWST/NIRCam color–magnitude selection that provides... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1f29k5b4 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Baxter, Devontae C Coil, Alison L https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2583-5894 Nadler, Ethan O https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1182-3825 Shen, Xuejian Vogelsberger, Mark https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1cm1k00c Abstract The 2015 M7.2 Sarez (Pamir) earthquake occurred at the north‐west margin of the Tibetan Plateau. We use Sentinel‐1 and ALOS‐2 Synthetic Aperture Radar and Global Navigation Satellite System data to investigate coseismic and postseismic deformation due to the Sarez earthquake. Kinematic inversions show that the earthquake ruptured a ∼80&nbsp;km long, sub‐vertical fault producing the maximum surface offset of 3–4&nbsp;m on the south‐west and central fault segments. In contrast, the largest postseismic displacements are observed at the north‐east end of the earthquake rupture, predominantly on the west (hanging wall) side of the fault with an average rate of 20–30&nbsp;mm/yr in the satellite line of sight. We use the derived coseismic and postseismic slip models to investigate mechanisms of time‐dependent relaxation, stress transfer and possible triggering relationships between the Sarez earthquake and a sequence of strong M6+ events that occurred within ∼100&nbsp;km of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1cm1k00c Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jin, Zeyu Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 Zubovich, Alexander Schöne, Tilo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1b759110 LINSCAN - A Linearity Based Clustering Algorithm https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1b759110 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dennehy, Andrew Zou, Xiaoyu Semnani, Shabnam J Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 Cloninger, Alexander https://escholarship.org/uc/item/15n8k6kq We present three‐dimensional (3‐D) numerical models of postseismic deformation following repeated earthquakes on a vertical strike‐slip fault. Our models use linear Maxwell, Burgers, and temperature‐dependent power law rheology for the lower crust and upper mantle. We consider effects of viscous shear zones that result from thermomechanical coupling and investigate potential kinematic similarities between viscoelastic models incorporating shear zones and elastic models incorporating rate‐strengthening friction on a deep aseismic fault root. We find that the thermally activated shear zones have little effect on postseismic relaxation. In particular, the presence of shear zones does not change the polarity of vertical displacements in cases of rheologies that are able to generate robust postseismic transients. Stronger rheologies can give rise to an opposite polarity of vertical displacements, but the amplitude of the predicted transient deformation is generally negligible. We conclude... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/15n8k6kq Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Takeuchi, Christopher S Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/14b0z3r1 Observations in tectonically active areas increasingly reveal sets of high-angle conjugate faults (‘cross-faults’) that apparently contradict theories of faulting based on experimental data. Possible explanations include a low in situ coefficient of friction, dominant control of ductile shear zones in the lower crust, and tectonic rotation. Discrimination between these mechanisms has been hindered by uncertainties in the state of stress, deformation history and fault geometry at seismogenic depths. Here we use a combination of seismic, geodetic and geologic data to demonstrate that ubiquitous cross-faults in the Ridgecrest (California) area, including those ruptured in the sequence of strong earthquakes in 2019, result from rotation from an initially optimal orientation consistent with experimental data. The inferred rotation pattern can be explained by the geodetically measured velocity field. Our model suggests that the observed asymmetric rotation of faults in the Eastern California... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/14b0z3r1 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 Jin, Zeyu https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12h215tg Editorial: The spectrum of eating behaviours in athletes: health and performance consequences https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12h215tg Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hower, Heather https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9411-2059 Dooley-Hash, Suzanne Firouzjah, Morteza Homayounnia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wn6d3m5 PB2247 Multicenter Validation of a Pediatric Hospital-Wide Venous Thromboembolism Risk Assessment Model: A Children's Healthcare Advancements in Thrombosis (CHAT) Study https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wn6d3m5 Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jaffray, Julie Branchford, Brian Moshe, Maua Young, Guy Zakai, Neil Krava, Emily Stillings, Amy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0153-0279 Bredeck, Amanda Ashour, Dina Maida, Deanna Martinelli, Marie Silvey, Michael Sochet, Anthony Walker, Shannon Wilson, Hope Zaheer, Sibgha Goldenberg, Neil Amankwah, Ernest https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0qs7g95r Abstract We use space geodetic data to investigate coseismic and postseismic deformation due to the 2015 M w 7.8 Gorkha earthquake that occurred along the central Himalayan arc. Because the earthquake area is characterized by strong variations in surface relief and material properties, we developed finite element models that explicitly account for topography and 3‐D elastic structure. We computed the line‐of‐sight displacement histories from three tracks of the Sentinel‐1A/B Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) satellites, using persistent scatter method. InSAR observations reveal an uplift of up to ∼70&nbsp;mm over ∼20&nbsp;months after the main shock, concentrated primarily at the downdip edge of the ruptured asperity. GPS observations also show uplift, as well as southward movement in the epicentral area, qualitatively similar to the coseismic deformation pattern. Kinematic inversions of GPS and InSAR data and forward models of stress‐driven creep suggest that... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0qs7g95r Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wang, Kang Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0nz0s7vn We study mean estimation for a Gaussian distribution with identity covariance in $\mathbb{R}^d$ under a missing data scheme termed realizable $ε$-contamination model. In this model an adversary can choose a function $r(x)$ between 0 and $ε$ and each sample $x$ goes missing with probability $r(x)$. Recent work Ma et al., 2024 proposed this model as an intermediate-strength setting between Missing Completely At Random (MCAR) -- where missingness is independent of the data -- and Missing Not At Random (MNAR) -- where missingness may depend arbitrarily on the sample values and can lead to non-identifiability issues. That work established information-theoretic upper and lower bounds for mean estimation in the realizable contamination model. Their proposed estimators incur runtime exponential in the dimension, leaving open the possibility of computationally efficient algorithms in high dimensions. In this work, we establish an information-computation gap in the Statistical Query model... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0nz0s7vn Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Pittas, Thanasis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0k72903z Abstract We use surface deformation measurements including Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar data acquired by the ALOS‐2 mission of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and Global Positioning System (GPS) data to invert for the fault geometry and coseismic slip distribution of the 2015 M w 7.8 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal. Assuming that the ruptured fault connects to the surface trace of the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT) fault between 84.34°E and 86.19°E, the best fitting model suggests a dip angle of 7°. The moment calculated from the slip model is 6.08 × 10 20 &nbsp;Nm, corresponding to the moment magnitude of 7.79. The rupture of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake was dominated by thrust motion that was primarily concentrated in a 150&nbsp;km long zone 50 to 100&nbsp;km northward from the surface trace of the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), with maximum slip of ∼&nbsp;5.8&nbsp;m at a depth of ∼8&nbsp;km. Data thus indicate that the 2015 Gorkha earthquake ruptured a deep part of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0k72903z Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wang, Kang Fialko, Yuri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-8467 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/08r7h9kd This article presents new stratigraphic, ceramic, and radiocarbon data from the recently excavated Area S at Megiddo, providing a refined absolute chronology for the early Middle Bronze Age (MB I) in the southern Levant. Excavations were conducted behind the Stratum XIII fortifications, in the northwestern sector of the mound, initially exposed by the University of Chicago. The aim was to clarify the complex architectural sequence of the MB I gate and fortification systems and establish a well-dated sequence for the late third and early second millennia bce. The secure, stratified contexts from Area S provide a ceramic sequence beginning in the Intermediate Bronze Age and extending into the Aphek-based MB I Phases 1, 2, and 3. The accompanying radiocarbon dataset of short-lived samples originating in occupation debris and two destruction layers enables construction of a new absolute chronology of MB I at Megiddo and beyond. Bayesian modeling suggests that MB I began in the late... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/08r7h9kd Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yasur-Landau, Assaf Piasetzky, Eli Adams, Matthew J Roth, Helena Dunseth, Zachary https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2081-0089 Finkelstein, Israel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/07g1d15w High-Dimensional Gaussian Mean Estimation under Realizable Contamination https://escholarship.org/uc/item/07g1d15w Thu, 5 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Diakonikolas, Ilias Kane, Daniel M https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9647-2609 Pittas, Thanasis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7x35w5pq Large antenna arrays have become foundational to modern wireless communication systems, providing the array gain and spectral efficiency needed to meet growing user demand across new frequency bands. Increasing the number of antennas, however, also raises the power consumption, cost, and physical footprint of the hardware. Reconfigurable antennas have emerged as a way to add flexibility to the array while keeping power and cost low, enabling more energy-efficient systems. Among these, the dynamic metasurface antenna (DMA) is a particularly promising candidate, achieving low-power, reconfigurable beamforming through an array of tunable radiating elements. The DMA, however, is subject to physical constraints not present in conventional phased arrays, such as a restricted set of achievable beamforming weights. These constraints can degrade the performance and are not yet fully understood in the current literature.In this dissertation, we develop new models, beamforming algorithms,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7x35w5pq Wed, 4 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Carlson, Joseph Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gz404kj Timeseries of ground surface displacement derived from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) provide critical information about aquifer characteristics and groundwater sustainability. We observe subsidence and uplift in Lehi, Utah corresponding closely to industrial groundwater extraction at a semiconductor manufacturing plant (Chapter 1). We compare the surface deformation with public timeseries of extraction volumes to provide a sustainability analysis demonstrating that the aquifer has been pumped at a generally sustainable level but also that some permanent compaction has occurred. To investigate the effect of noises on InSAR timeseries, we compare InSAR with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) timeseries in the Mojave desert, using a formal approach which allowing us to place statistical error bounds on the InSAR-based temporal resolution of the post-seismic motion of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake (Chapter 2). We find spatial referencing schemes introducing... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gz404kj Wed, 4 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hurewitz, Zel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0xt0t04x Many estuaries in the Mediterranean climate of Southern California are low-inflow estuaries (LIEs), where minimal freshwater input only intermittently drives the buoyancy gradient. LIEs therefore have circulation structures and ecological communities distinct from classical estuaries, and face stressors including mouth closure from sill buildup, and slow flushing pollution. This dissertation characterizes the biological and hydrodynamic components of two Southern California LIEs, Los Peñasquitos Lagoon (LPL) and San Diego Bay (SDB). In LPL, in situ oyster valvometry and environmental observations distinguished the behavior of near-surface and near-bottom Magallana gigas oysters on tidal, diurnal, and tidally averaged time scales. Near-surface oysters responded strongly to salinity and dissolved oxygen, opened and closed in phase with solar insolation, and closed consistently during low tides, whereas near-bottom oysters responded weakly to measured variables, with a lagged response... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0xt0t04x Wed, 4 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Anidjar, Niv Orent https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5v35p6r8 Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified tens of thousands of associations between genomic regions and complex traits in humans, but identifying the causal variants underlying these associations is challenging. Statistical fine-mapping techniques attempt to quantify the probability of causality of individual variants while accounting for the correlation induced by linkage disequilibrium (LD) between nearby variants. Existing fine-mapping solutions are limited to considering additive and independent contributions of individual variants, and also assume the causal variant is included in the analysis. Here, we introduce a novel fine-mapping method, happler, which models the effects of variant haplotypes (sets of alleles of two or more variants in cis) in addition to individual variants. By identifying haplotype proxies for causal variants, happler can infer additional effects including those driven by combinations of variants in cis and ungenotyped causal variants,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5v35p6r8 Tue, 3 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Massarat, Arya https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5xx5t80t Conditional statements often imply meanings that go beyond their literal content. Consider “If you mow the lawn, you will receive $5.” Logically, the sentence says only that mowing suffices for the reward and leaves open whether the money might be earned another way. Yet listeners routinely strengthen it into a biconditional, treating the stated condition as the only route to the consequent. This pragmatic inference, known as Conditional Perfection (CP), is the central phenomenon investigated in this dissertation. Across three chapters, I ask how listeners arrive at these strengthened interpretations, what determines whether a conditional is understood literally or pragmatically, and how this ability develops in children. Most accounts treat perfection like scalar implicature, derived by generating and negating a set of stronger lexical alternatives. I argue instead that it arises from a more global exhaustivity assumption that does not depend on a fixed set of lexical alternatives,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5xx5t80t Mon, 2 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Evcen, Ebru https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cp43226 Decreasing sea ice extent, increasing storm activity, and warming weather conditions are driving widespread erosion of Arctic permafrost coasts. This erosion threatens infrastructure, indigenous cultural practices, and regional economic development. It also leads to the influx of carbon and other compounds into the ocean, with implications both for ocean ecology and global carbon cycling. Understanding the drivers of Arctic coastal erosion is crucial for resilience efforts and carbon modeling, but the processes driving erosion are complex and hard to accurately quantify. Airborne and spaceborne lidar provide a way to quantify Arctic shore zone morphology, which is an important factor in modulating local shoreline change. This dissertation focuses on using cross-shore elevation profiles from lidar to capture spatiotemporal variations in coastal morphology and relate different shore types to the dynamic response of the shoreline to spatiotemporal variations in ocean and atmospheric... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cp43226 Mon, 2 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bryant, Marnie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wh4d8vp Earthquakes produce damaging ground motions generally increasing with their size, or moment. Moment reflects the low-frequency energy that an earthquake radiates, but earthquakes of similar moment can produce very different amounts of high-frequency shaking that is destructive to infrastructure. Stress drop, the change in average shear stress across a fault due to a rupture, is a geophysical parameter often used to quantify this variation. For earthquakes without surface rupture or deformation, stress drop must be inferred from the earthquake’s radiated waves. This inference requires assumptions about rupture models, attenuation models, and signal-processing parameter choices, such that studies using similar methods can differ by an order of magnitude or more in their estimates of the same event. Relative stress drop between events is better constrained, and can reveal robust spatial variations in high-frequency content, but is still susceptible to bias due to model and parameter... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wh4d8vp Mon, 2 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Vandevert, Ian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9v65w9kq Abstract We develop an optical classification of marine particle assemblages from an extensive dataset of particle optical properties collected in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the spectral particulate backscattering‐to‐absorption ratio partitioned the dataset into seven optically‐distinct clusters of particle assemblages, each associated with different characteristics of particle concentration, composition, and phytoplankton taxonomic composition and size. Three phytoplankton‐dominated clusters were identified. One was characterized by small‐sized phytoplankton that are typically associated with regenerated production, and comprised samples from the subsurface chlorophyll‐ a maximum in oligotrophic waters of the Beaufort Sea. The other two clusters represented diatom‐dominated particle assemblages in turbid shelf waters with differing contributions of photoprotective pigments. Such situations are generally associated with significant new production.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9v65w9kq Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Neukermans, Griet Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 Stramski, Dariusz https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8g58h588 Global observations of ocean color from space provide a unique capability to conduct multi-decadal studies of biogeochemical constituents and processes in the upper ocean layers at the regional, basin, and global scales. The concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the surface ocean waters is one of the biogeochemically important data products derivable from satellite ocean color observations. The data record of standard global POC product is available from NASA and has been obtained from the empirical power-function relationship between POC and a single blue-to-green band ratio of ocean remote-sensing reflectance, R rs(λ), which is here referred to as the BR-PF algorithm. Recently, we formulated a new suite of satellite ocean-color sensor-specific global POC algorithms that are referred to as hybrid algorithms because they contain two components, one based on the maximum band-ratio (MBR) and the other on the band ratio difference index (BRDI) of reflectance (Stramski... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8g58h588 Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Joshi, Ishan D Stramski, Dariusz Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 Robinson, Dale H https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71s724hn Extrapolation of near-surface underwater measurements is the most common method to estimate the water-leaving spectral radiance, L_w(λ) (where λ is the light wavelength in vacuum), and remote-sensing reflectance, R_rs(λ), for validation and vicarious calibration of satellite sensors, as well as for ocean color algorithm development. However, uncertainties in L_w(λ) arising from the extrapolation process have not been investigated in detail with regards to the potential influence of inelastic radiative processes, such as Raman scattering by water molecules and fluorescence by colored dissolved organic matter and chlorophyll-a. Using radiative transfer simulations, we examine high-depth resolution vertical profiles of the upwelling radiance, L_u(λ), and its diffuse attenuation coefficient, K_{L_u}(λ), within the top 10 m of the ocean surface layer and assess the uncertainties in extrapolated values of L_w(λ). The... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71s724hn Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Li, Linhai Stramski, Dariusz Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65b0z3sd We measured the linearly polarized light scattering of pure water and seawater at various salinities and estimated the depolarization ratio using five different methods of data analysis after removing the scattering due to contamination by residual nanoparticles. The depolarization ratio values (δ) estimated for pure water using these different methods are largely consistent with each other and result in a mean value of 0.039±0.001. For seawater, our results reveal a trend of a slight linear increase of δ with salinity (S), δ=0.039+a₁×S, where a₁ varies in the range of 1×10^-4 to 2×10^-4 between the methods. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65b0z3sd Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zhang, Xiaodong Stramski, Dariusz Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 Blocker, E Riley https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vs0w0s9 Extending the capabilities of optical remote sensing and inverse optical algorithms, which have been commonly focused on the visible (VIS) range of the electromagnetic spectrum, to derive the optical properties of seawater in the ultraviolet (UV) range is important to advancing the understanding of various optical, biological, and photochemical processes in the ocean. In particular, existing remote-sensing reflectance models that derive the total spectral absorption coefficient of seawater, a(λ), and absorption partitioning models that partition a(λ) into the component absorption coefficients of phytoplankton, a_ph(λ), non-algal (depigmented) particles, a_d(λ), and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), a_g(λ), are restricted to the VIS range. We assembled a quality-controlled development dataset of hyperspectral measurements of a_g(λ) (N = 1294) and a_d(λ) (N = 409) spanning a wide range of values across various ocean basins,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vs0w0s9 Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kehrli, Matthew D Stramski, Dariusz Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 Joshi, Ishan D https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5r0431zk As the concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the surface ocean plays a key role in marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems, its assessment from satellite observations of the global ocean is of significant interest. To achieve a global multi-decadal data record of POC by merging observations from multiple satellite ocean color missions, we formulated a new suite of empirical POC algorithms for several satellite sensors. For the algorithm development we assembled a field dataset of concurrent POC and remote-sensing reflectance, R rs(λ), measurements collected in all major ocean basins encompassing tropical, subtropical, and temperate latitudes as well as the northern and southern polar latitudes. This dataset is characterized by a globally-representative probability distribution of POC with a broad range of values between about 10 and 1000&nbsp;mg&nbsp;m−3. This development dataset was created with the use of additional inclusion and exclusion criteria based on... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5r0431zk Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Stramski, Dariusz Joshi, Ishan Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5nh462hr Accurate estimates of the oceanic particulate organic carbon concentration (POC) from optical measurements have remained challenging because interactions between light and natural assemblages of marine particles are complex, depending on particle concentration, composition, and size distribution. In particular, the applicability of a single relationship between POC and the spectral particulate backscattering coefficient bbp (λ) across diverse oceanic environments is subject to high uncertainties because of the variable nature of particulate assemblages. These relationships have nevertheless been widely used to estimate oceanic POC using, for example, in situ measurements of bbp from Biogeochemical (BGC)-Argo floats. Despite these challenges, such an in situbased approach to estimate POC remains scientifically attractive in view of the expanding global-scale observations with the BGC-Argo array of profiling floats equipped with optical sensors. In the current study, we describe... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5nh462hr Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Koestner, Daniel Stramski, Dariusz Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5g60c186 This erratum serves to correct an inadvertent error made during the presentation of results involving the mislabeling of the orientation of linear polarization perpendicular as parallel and vice versa in Appl. Opt.59, 8314 (2020)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.396709. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5g60c186 Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Koestner, Daniel Stramski, Dariusz Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/58r270vv AbstractBackground<p>Varoglutamstat (PQ912) is an oral small molecule inhibitor of glutaminyl cyclases which reduces the pyroglutamate formation of Aβ and CCL2. Preclinical and Ph1 trials support this Ph2 evaluation in early AD. Our objectives included selecting the highest safe and well‐tolerated dose of varoglutamstat with futility analysis at 24 weeks (Ph2A) followed by seamless evaluation of longer‐term safety and efficacy at 72 weeks at this dose (Ph2B).</p>Method<p>Participants with biomarker confirmed early AD were randomized to varoglutamstat or placebo. A sequential design tested 3 descending doses (600mg, 300mg, 150mg BID) using a continuous Pocock safety boundary. A Stage Gate futility analysis of the first 180 subjects at 24 weeks was designed to guide the decision from Ph2A‐B (Figure 1). The Ph2B primary endpoint was CDR‐sum‐of‐boxes (CDR‐SB), with secondary endpoints CFC2, ABC score, spectral EEG, FAQ, ADAS‐Cog‐13, and NPI.</p>Result<p>Table 1 presents baseline characteristics... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/58r270vv Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Feldman, Howard H https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9258-4538 Messer, Karen Zhang, Jing Quach, Natalie E Leger, Gabriel C Jacobs, Diane M https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0886-6784 Edland, Steven D Duehring, Jasmin MacKelfresh, Andrew Pol, Alessandra Revta, Carolyn Lupo, Jody‐Lynn Balasubramanian, Archana Lama, Nicola Wassmann, Tanja Schaeffer, Michael Meyer, Antje Schell‐Mader, Sylvia Wenzkowski, Christine Weber, Frank Group, ADCS VIVA‐MIND Study https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zx0w3cx The MALINA oceanographic campaign was conducted during summer 2009 to investigate the carbon stocks and the processes controlling the carbon fluxes in the Mackenzie River estuary and the Beaufort Sea. During the campaign, an extensive suite of physical, chemical and biological variables were measured across seven shelf–basin transects (south–north) to capture the meridional gradient between the estuary and the open ocean. Key variables such as temperature, absolute salinity, radiance, irradiance, nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll a concentration, bacteria, phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance and taxonomy, and carbon stocks and fluxes were routinely measured onboard the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen and from a barge in shallow coastal areas or for sampling within broken ice fields. Here, we present the results of a joint effort to compile and standardize the collected data sets that will facilitate their reuse in further studies of the changing Arctic Ocean.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zx0w3cx Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Massicotte, Philippe Amon, Rainer MW Antoine, David Archambault, Philippe Balzano, Sergio Bélanger, Simon Benner, Ronald Boeuf, Dominique Bricaud, Annick Bruyant, Flavienne Chaillou, Gwenaëlle Chami, Malik Charrière, Bruno Chen, Jing Claustre, Hervé Coupel, Pierre Delsaut, Nicole Doxaran, David Ehn, Jens Fichot, Cédric Forget, Marie-Hélène Fu, Pingqing Gagnon, Jonathan Garcia, Nicole Gasser, Beat Ghiglione, Jean-François Gorsky, Gaby Gosselin, Michel Gourvil, Priscillia Gratton, Yves Guillot, Pascal Heipieper, Hermann J Heussner, Serge Hooker, Stanford B Huot, Yannick Jeanthon, Christian Jeffrey, Wade Joux, Fabien Kawamura, Kimitaka Lansard, Bruno Leymarie, Edouard Link, Heike Lovejoy, Connie Marec, Claudie Marie, Dominique Martin, Johannie Martín, Jacobo Massé, Guillaume Matsuoka, Atsushi McKague, Vanessa Mignot, Alexandre Miller, William L Miquel, Juan-Carlos Mucci, Alfonso Ono, Kaori Ortega-Retuerta, Eva Panagiotopoulos, Christos Papakyriakou, Tim Picheral, Marc Prieur, Louis Raimbault, Patrick Ras, Joséphine Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 Rochon, André Rontani, Jean-François Schmechtig, Catherine Schmidt, Sabine Sempéré, Richard Shen, Yuan Song, Guisheng Stramski, Dariusz Tachibana, Eri Thirouard, Alexandre Tolosa, Imma Tremblay, Jean-Éric Vaïtilingom, Mickael Vaulot, Daniel Vaultier, Frédéric Volkman, John K Xie, Huixiang Zheng, Guangming Babin, Marcel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/34g0k0m2 The light scattering properties of seawater play important roles in radiative transfer in the ocean and optically-based methods for characterizing marine suspended particles from in situ and remote sensing measurements. The recently commercialized LISST-VSF instrument is capable of providing in situ or laboratory measurements of the volume scattering function, β p ( ψ ) , and the degree of linear polarization, DoLP p ( ψ ) , associated with particle scattering. These optical quantities of natural particle assemblages have not been measured routinely in past studies. To fully realize the potential of LISST-VSF measurements, we evaluated instrument performance, and developed calibration correction functions from laboratory measurements and Mie scattering calculations for standard polystyrene beads suspended in water. The correction functions were validated with independent measurements. The improved LISST-VSF protocol was applied to measurements of β p ( ψ ) and DoLP p ( ψ ) taken... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/34g0k0m2 Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Koestner, Daniel Stramski, Dariusz Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/30w324fd Abstract Measurements of the particulate volume scattering function, β p ( ψ ) , at light wavelength of 532 nm, particle size distribution, PSD, and several metrics of particulate concentration and composition were made on eight contrasting seawater samples from nearshore and coastal oceanic environments including river estuary and offshore locations. Both β p ( ψ ) and PSDs were measured on original (unfiltered) samples and particle size‐fractionated samples obtained through filtration using mesh filters with pore sizes of 5 and 20 μm. We present results based on direct size‐fractionated measurements and data adjusted for imperfect fractionation, which provide insights into the roles played by particle size and composition in angle‐resolved light scattering produced by highly variable natural assemblages of aquatic particles. Despite intricate interplay between the effects of particle size and composition, small particles (&lt; 5 μm in size) consistently produced a major... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/30w324fd Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Koestner, Daniel Stramski, Dariusz Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2h54z6ww The particulate beam attenuation coefficient at 660 nm, c p (660), was measured in conjunction with properties of suspended particle assemblages in August&nbsp;2009 within the Canadian Beaufort Sea continental margin, a region heavily influenced by freshwater and sediment discharge from the Mackenzie River, but also by sea ice melt. The mass concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM) ranged from 0.04 to 140 g m −3 , its composition varied from mineral to organic dominated, and the median particle diameter determined over the range 0.7–120 µm varied from 0.78 to 9.45 µm, with the fraction of particles &lt;1 µm in surface waters reflecting the degree influenced by river water. Despite this range in particle characteristics, a strong relationship between SPM and c p (660) was found and used to determine SPM distributions across the shelf based on measurements of c p (660) taken during summer seasons of 2004, 2008, and 2009. SPM spatial patterns on the stratified shelf reflected... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2h54z6ww Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ehn, Jens K Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 Stramski, Dariusz Doxaran, David Lansard, Bruno Babin, Marcel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/22q2z81n The magnitude and spectral shape of the optical backscattering coefficient of particles, bbp(λ), is being increasingly used to infer information about the particles present in seawater. Relationships between bbp and particle properties in the Arctic are poorly documented, and may differ from other oceanic regions which contribute the majority of data used to develop and parameterize optical models. We utilize recent field measurements from the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas to examine relationships between the spectral backscattering coefficient of particles in seawater and the mass concentration, bulk composition, and size distribution of the suspended particle assemblage. The particle backscattering coefficient spanned six orders of magnitude from the relatively clear waters of the Beaufort Sea to extremely turbid waters on the Mackenzie shelf. This coefficient was highly correlated with the mass concentration of particles, and to a lesser extent with other measures of concentration... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/22q2z81n Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 Stramski, Dariusz Neukermans, Griet https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0297r76f Optical proxies based on light scattering measurements have potential to improve the study and monitoring of aquatic environments. In this study, we evaluated several optical proxies for characterization of particle mass concentration, composition, and size distribution of suspended particulate matter from two contrasting coastal marine environments. We expanded upon our previous study of Southern California coastal waters, which generally contained high proportions of organic particles, by conducting angle-resolved polarized light scattering measurements in predominantly turbid and inorganic-particle dominated Arctic coastal waters near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. We observed that the particulate backscattering coefficient <i>b</i>_bp was the most effective proxy for the mass concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM) when compared with particulate scattering and attenuation coefficients <i>b</i>_p and <i>c</i>_p. Improvements were seen with <i>b</i>_bp... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0297r76f Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Koestner, Daniel Stramski, Dariusz Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/01094342 Abstract We present an inverse model (referred to as LS2) for estimating the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of seawater, specifically the spectral absorption, a ( λ ), and backscattering, b b ( λ ), coefficients within the ocean surface layer, from measurements of ocean remote‐sensing reflectance, R rs ( λ ). The nonwater absorption, a nw ( λ ), and particulate backscattering, b bp ( λ ), coefficients can be derived after subtracting pure seawater contributions. The LS2 requires no spectral assumptions about IOPs and provides solutions at arbitrary light wavelengths in the visible spectrum independently of one another. As the LS2 can operate with the inputs of R rs ( λ ) and solar zenith angle it is applicable to satellite ocean color remote sensing. The model can also operate with additional input of the diffuse attenuation coefficient of downward irradiance, which provides somewhat improved model performance for applications using in situ radiometric measurements as inputs.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/01094342 Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Loisel, Hubert Stramski, Dariusz Dessailly, David Jamet, Cédric Li, Linhai Reynolds, Rick A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-3600 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2b12q4z8 Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are the preferred vascular access for apheresis; however, veins that initially appear suitable may develop venous spasms, resulting in poor inlet flow and frequent pressure alarms. Ports used for apheresis can also experience inlet pressure alarms due to catheter or venous occlusion. When conservative measures failed, we implemented a novel double-draw technique in which a second draw line was connected via a four-way stopcock and male-to-male adapter to the initial draw access (either a PIVC or port) to improve inlet flow. The double-draw technique was performed in 26 procedures (therapeutic plasma exchange [TPE], n = 10 and lipoprotein apheresis [LA], n = 16) in 8 patients. During TPE, median negative inlet pressure improved from -179 mmHg (IQR -218 to -69) with single-draw access to -71 mmHg (IQR -78 to -62) following placement of a second draw line (p = 0.0162). Inlet flow rate during TPE improved from median 47 mL/min (IQR, 40-58 mL/min)... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2b12q4z8 Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Sanchez, Amber P Perez, Dan Norman Nicodemus Han, Yeon Su Park, Janice https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6398-5562 Cabandong, Marian Malong, Jerel Lee S https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1j1901nh Bacterial degradation of marine snow aggregates is a major component of global carbon cycling. Whether aggregate carbon is released in the upper ocean or is sequestered at depth depends on its sinking speed and degradation rate. However, little is known about the physical constraints of bacterial colonization and degradation of individual aggregates. Using molecular rotors to measure the nanoscale viscosity field of natural aggregates, we show that aggregates are highly structured microhabitats with less-viscous regions that are accessible for colonization and more-viscous regions that correlate to a barrier to bacterial infiltration. By quantifying the viscosity degradation rate, we demonstrate that more viscous aggregates take longer to degrade, sink farther, and contribute more to carbon sequestration, revealing a microscale physical constraint of the global ocean carbon pump. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1j1901nh Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Inman, Bryce G Humphries, Stuart Azam, Farooq https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19w1j0s1 Barrier epithelia are shielded from the external environment by their apical extracellular matrices (aECMs). The molecular complexity of aECMs has challenged understanding of their organization in vivo. To define the molecular architecture of a model aECM we generated a toolkit of 105 fluorescently tagged aECM components using gene editing in C. elegans, focusing on proteins secreted by the epidermis to form the collagen-rich cuticle. We developed efficient pipelines for modular protein tagging and rapid fluorophore swapping. Most tagged collagens were functional and exhibited exquisitely specific patterning across stages, cell types, and matrix substructures. We define multiple reference markers for key substructures including the little-understood cortical layer, as well as the helical crossed fiber arrays that function as a hydrostatic skeleton to maintain organismal shape. We further tagged 30 members of key aECM protein classes including proteases, protease inhibitors, and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19w1j0s1 Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ragle, James Matthew Pooranachithra, Murugesan Ashley, Guinevere E Cadena, Emma Blank, Batia Kang, Katelyn Chen, Cincy Bhowmick, Aditree R Mercado, Soraya H Wells, Tabatha E Clancy, John C Chisholm, Andrew D Ward, Jordan D https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9870-8936 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vm4q711 Coral reef systems host a diverse array of life, ranging from large megafauna to unicellular microbiota and viruses. This spectrum of life exists and interacts within an amalgamation of physical and chemical processes. Together, this biochemical landscape is a major driver of coral health, although these complexities are often overlooked in a coral restoration framework. This dissertation assesses settlement and survival outcomes, as well as holobiont trajectories, of early life history corals in the Caribbean from both a restoration and a molecular lens. Its results aim to inform applied restoration techniques and advance molecular tools for more accurately examining early life history corals and their associated bacterial communities. I begin with an ecological and economic evaluation of three rearing investment strategies for sexually propagated corals, finding that in situ nurseries confer significantly higher survival in comparison to direct outplanting or aquaculture facility... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vm4q711 Tue, 27 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Nixon, Emily North https://escholarship.org/uc/item/22s3t4z3 <p>Immune cell-mediated damage to acinar cells plays a central role in Sjögren's syndrome (SS) pathogenesis, with T-cell recruitment being critical in the early stages. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing was employed to generate transcriptomic profiles of labial gland tissues from SS patients, focusing on GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T cells and their correlation with SS clinical pathology. The role of GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T cells in inducing acinar cell senescence and secretory dysfunction was investigated by co-culturing SMG-C6 acinar cells with GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T cells and recombinant granzyme K. Mechanistically, GZMK induces oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, thereby promoting senescent phenotypes in acinar cells. Additionally, GZMK-mediated downregulation of TMEM16A contributes to reduced chloride transport and salivary secretion dysfunction. This study provides novel insights into the immune-epithelial crosstalk in SS progression by revealing the relationship between GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T cells and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/22s3t4z3 Tue, 27 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chai, Maosheng Xie, Yufei https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7158-6895 Cong, Xin Ding, Chong Wei, Pan Zhou, Peiru Li, Binbin Hua, Hong https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0t78x55m This dissertation investigates how large-language-model-based generative agents can support autonomous network management in complex wireless systems. Modern wireless networks are increasingly heterogeneous, programmable, and difficult to manage manually. As network components, control applications, and configuration parameters interact in increasingly complex ways, future network management requires systems that can adapt to changing environments, coordinate decisions across independently developed components, and generate executable control logic from high-level objectives.This dissertation advances the thesis that autonomous network management can berealized by decomposing complex wireless networking tasks into domain-grounded generative-agent workflows that reason over demonstrations, environments, user intents, and specifications to produce adaptive strategies, coordinated decisions, and executable network logic. The dissertation develops this idea across network management... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0t78x55m Tue, 27 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 KWON, DAE CHEOL https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9gb0z0zh <p>AlphaFold2 (AF2) has spurred a revolution in predicting unresolved structures of wild-type proteins with high accuracy. However, AF2 falls short of predicting the effects of missense mutations on unresolved protein structures that may be informative to efforts in personalized medicine. Over the last decade, countless in-silico methods have been developed to predict the pathogenicity of point mutations on resolved structures, but no studies have evaluated their capabilities on unresolved protein structures predicted by AF2. Herein, we investigated Alzheimer's disease (AD)-causing coding variants of the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) receptor using in-silico mutagenesis techniques on the AF2-predicted structure. We first demonstrated that the predicted structure retained a high accuracy in critical regions of the extracellular domain and subsequently validated the in-silico mutagenesis methods by evaluating the effects of the strongest risk variant R47H... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9gb0z0zh Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Pillai, Joshua Sung, Kijung Wu, Chengbiao https://escholarship.org/uc/item/838833xp River plumes serve as major sources of terrestrial runoff into the coastal ocean, carrying land-based and estuary-modified particles, sediment, debris, and pollutants. Understanding river plume transport across temporal and spatial scales is important for assessing impacts on ecosystem and human health. This dissertation investigates variability in small river plume occurrence and transport from the low-inflow estuary (LIE) Los Peñasquitos Lagoon (LPL) in San Diego, California and has findings relevant to LIEs globally, which are common but under-studied.I show the occurrence of small river plumes in the far-field is influenced by climate patterns using 105 years of daily salinity measurements. Climate oscillations influence precipitation which impacts the tendency for small plumes to transport significantly into the far-field. This work illustrates that small, intermittent LIE plumes have a robust impact on coastal ocean freshening when there is enough rainfall. With higher resolution... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/838833xp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Byrne, Sierra Michelle https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80r7m5gf <b>Background:</b> Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) presents with unpredictable, often debilitating symptoms, yet detailed clinical characterization, particularly in pediatric populations, remains limited. Improved understanding of clinical profiles and comorbidities may guide management strategies. <b>Objective:</b> The objective was to characterize clinical presentation, comorbid type 2 inflammatory diseases, and treatment responses in a large cohort of pediatric and adult patients with CSU across multiple allergy practices. <b>Methods:</b> A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted across four U.S. allergy clinics, including two pediatric- and two adult-focused practices. Medical records of 400 patients with CSU (189 pediatric patients, 211 adults) with ≥ 6 months of follow-up between 2013 and 2023 were reviewed for demographic data, comorbidities, clinical presentation, clinician-documented disease severity, and treatment outcomes. <b>Results:</b> Disease... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80r7m5gf Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Smiley, Kathryn Galli, Lauren Grippen Goddard, Amanda Moore, Lindsey Smigiel, Claire Tambay, Anoushka Barseghyan, Emma Probst, Ashly Nguyen, Lily Navasero, Nicole Wetklow, Brittany Oldenburg, Reid https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1423-4927 Geng, Bob https://escholarship.org/uc/item/72w2v297 Boundary layers arise wherever a fluid moves relative to a solid surface. They govern key performance limits in aerospace and marine vehicles, energy systems and thermal management of high-performance electronics. Whether they remain laminar or become turbulent affects drag, heat transfer, mixing, noise and engineering performance. Yet laminar--turbulent transition remains a central unresolved problem in fluid dynamics.This dissertation examines that transition through a unifying dynamical-systems framework: turbulence emerges through progressive symmetry breaking in space and time. To this end, we derive symmetry-decomposed Navier--Stokes equations and a corresponding stability framework for temporal and spatial symmetry breaking about a symmetry-preserving reference state. High-fidelity simulations reveal that canonical transition first proceeds through precisely such a state: fully nonlinear and rich in turbulence-like vortical structure, yet time-periodic and reflection-symmetric.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/72w2v297 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lin, Cong https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4sg5g9m8 Ions in aqueous solution play pivotal roles in many fundamental processes across chemical, atmospheric, and biological systems. Accurately modeling their interactions remains challenging because long-range electrostatics coexist with short-range quantum-mechanical effects. Classical force fields are computationally efficient and scalable, but their simplified functional forms often omit effects such as charge transfer, limiting their transferability beyond the conditions used for parameterization. Machine-learned interatomic potentials (MLIPs) can describe complex local environments, but many lack an explicit treatment of long-range electrostatics and therefore struggle to represent aqueous ionic systems accurately.This dissertation uses the many-body energy (MB-nrg) framework to model ion--water and ion--ion interactions while retaining physical insight through many-body energy decomposition. First, molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous halides in bulk solution are compared... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4sg5g9m8 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Agnew, Henry Dionisio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kt0z1gd Background: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a mast cell-driven condition defined by recurrent wheals and/or angioedema lasting over 6 weeks without an identifiable trigger. Though CSU is known to co-occur with atopic diseases and share Th2-dominant immunologic pathways, prior studies have not adequately addressed these relationships in diverse populations. Objectives: To examine associations between CSU and atopic comorbidities in the All of Us (AoU) research program, a diverse, nationwide National Institutes of Health cohort focused on increasing enrollment from historically underrepresented groups. Methods: We conducted a matched, case-control study of AoU participants aged ≧ 18 years enrolled between May 6, 2018 and October 1, 2023. CSU cases were identified using SNOMED codes 51611005 and 42265009. Controls were matched 4:1 by age, sex, race, ethnicity, and smoking status. We compared rates of atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, nasal polyps, food allergy,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kt0z1gd Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Cortes, Julian A Adjei‐Frimpong, Nana Ama Fakhouri, Savannah K Delacqua, Francesco Oldenburg, Reid https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1423-4927 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4gc9z869 Cosmic inflation is the leading theory for the generation of fluctuations in the early universe. Proposed interactions during inflation can lead to the generation of novel signatures on top of the minimal Gaussian, nearly scale-invariant fluctuations predicted by the standard model of cosmology. While the fields generating these signatures have long since decayed and are no longer relevant for the dynamics of the late-time universe, their interactions with the inflaton leave perturbations in the spacetime curvature that seed the matter distribution of the present-day universe through gravitational interactions, allowing the large-scale structure (LSS) to be a laboratory for probing these primordial interactions at the present day. In this dissertation, we study the non-Gaussian signals generated by field interactions during inflation by analyzing the scale-dependent features they imprint in the power spectrum of galaxies, and the degeneracies with nonlinear evolution and other... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4gc9z869 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Han, Jiashu https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4b42p9sz Reactive infectious mucocutaneous eruption (RIME) is a mucocutaneous blistering eruption that frequently follows a respiratory infection. Treatment with immunomodulatory therapies have been used, and emerging evidence supports the use of etanercept, a TNF-alpha inhibitor. This multi-center case series evaluates the use of etanercept monotherapy in pediatric RIME. This IRB exempt case-series collected deidentified data across four institutions. Patients ages 0-17 years with a confirmed diagnosis of RIME and treatment with etanercept monotherapy were included. Ten patients met inclusion criteria. Median age was 14 years (10-months to 16-years), and 90% were male. All patients had oral involvement, 80% ocular, 70% genital, and 20% anal with minimal cutaneous involvement (median 0%; 0%-4%). The most common suspected trigger was Mycoplasma pneumoniae (60%). Etanercept was initiated a median of 5-days after mucocutaneous symptoms started and 2-days after admission with 60% receiving... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4b42p9sz Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Elkhammas, Holden Jobe, Alyssa Oldenburg, Reid https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1423-4927 Luu, Minnelly Zilberstein, Ashley Ramien, Michele Chiu, Yvonne https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3xx6453v <p>Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2), an immune receptor expressed on the surface of microglia, has been identified through genome-wide association studies to be one of the risk factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several studies have also identified missense variants of TREM2 to be associated with frontotemporal dementia and Nasu-Hakola disease (NHD). To date, 51 novel missense variants of TREM2 have been identified in the literature, with the disease risk profiles of most variants still unknown. Assessing and classifying the pathogenicity of these variants is essential to investigate the disease mechanisms and develop effective treatments. Herein, we classified 44 missense variants involved in TREM2 using structural bioinformatic data with AlphaFold2. Using the protocol described in our previous work [1], we determined the structural, stability, and potential functional effects of these variants. Our evaluations of the mutations were divided into those... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3xx6453v Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Pillai, Joshua Sung, Kijung Shi, Linda Wu, Chengbiao https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bh188v9 Decoupling Pathogenicity from Mechanism: Evaluating Nine Variant Effect Predictors on a Mechanosensitive Ion Channel Panel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bh188v9 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Gao, Zhou Quan Eric Hung, Mandy Virk, Harleen Suh, Olivia Kim, Han Pillai, Joshua Shi, Linda Wu, Chengbiao