N=2\mathcal{N} = 2 Schur index and line operators

4d $\mathcal{N} = 2$ SCFTs and their invariants can be often enriched by non-local BPS operators. In this paper we study the flavored Schur index of several types of N = 2 SCFTs with and without line operators, using a series of new integration formula of elliptic functions and Eisenstein series. We demonstrate how to evaluate analytically the Schur index for a series of $A_2$ class-$\mathcal{S}$ theories and the $\mathcal{N} = 4$ SO(7) theory. For all $A_1$ class-$\mathcal{S}$ theories we obtain closed-form expressions for SU(2) Wilson line index, and 't Hooft line index in some simple cases. We also observe the relation between the line operator index with the characters of the associated chiral algebras. Wilson line index for some other low rank gauge theories are also studied.Comment: 72 pages, 9 figures, 5 table

Embracing Safe Contacts with Contact-aware Planning and Control

Unlike human beings that can employ the entire surface of their limbs as a means to establish contact with their environment, robots are typically programmed to interact with their environments via their end-effectors, in a collision-free fashion, to avoid damaging their environment. In a departure from such a traditional approach, this work presents a contact-aware controller for reference tracking that maintains interaction forces on the surface of the robot below a safety threshold in the presence of both rigid and soft contacts. Furthermore, we leveraged the proposed controller to extend the BiTRRT sample-based planning method to be contact-aware, using a simplified contact model. The effectiveness of our framework is demonstrated in hardware experiments using a Franka robot in a setup inspired by the Amazon stowing task. A demo video of our results can be seen here: https://youtu.be/2WeYytauhNgComment: RSS 2023. Workshop: Experiment-oriented Locomotion and Manipulation Researc

Design of Partially Etched GaP-OI Microresonators for Two-Color Kerr Soliton Generation at NIR and MIR

We present and theoretically investigate a dispersion engineered GaP-OI microresonator containing a partially-etched gap of 250 nm x 410 nm in a 600 nm x 2990 nm waveguide. This gap enables a 3.25 {\mu}m wide anomalous dispersion spectral span covering both the near-infrared and the mid-infrared spectra. This anomalous dispersion is manifested by two mechanisms, being the hybridization of the fundamental TE modes around 1550 nm and the geometric dispersion of the higher order TE mode around the 3100 nm wavelengths, respectively. Two Kerr soliton combs can be numerically generated with 101 GHz and 97 GHz teeth spacings at these spectral windows. The proposed structure demonstrates the design flexibility thanks to the partially etched gap and paves the way towards potential coherent multicolor frequency comb generation in the emerging GaP-OI platform

Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography for Detecting Subclinical Left Ventricular Dysfunction in Patients With Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Myocardial ischemia and left ventricular dysfunction have been documented in young adults with familial hypercholesterolemia. We investigated whether speckle-tracking echocardiography can be used to detect subclinically impaired global and regional myocardial function in patients with this lipid disorder. This single-center study included 47 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and 37 healthy control subjects who underwent transthoracic Doppler echocardiography and speckle-tracking echocardiography from January 2003 through December 2016. Conventional echocardiographic and strain parameters in the 2 groups were analyzed and compared. Left ventricular dimensions were significantly larger at end-diastole (P=0.02) and end-systole (P=0.013), left ventricular walls were significantly thicker (

MeerKLASS L-band deep-field intensity maps:entering the HI dominated regime

We present results from MeerKAT single-dish HI intensity maps, the final observations to be performed in L-band in the MeerKAT Large Area Synoptic Survey (MeerKLASS) campaign. The observations represent the deepest single-dish HI intensity maps to date, produced from 41 repeated scans over $236\,{\rm deg}^2$, providing 62 hours of observational data for each of the 64 dishes before flagging. By introducing an iterative self-calibration process, the estimated thermal noise of the reconstructed maps is limited to ${\sim}\,1.21\,$mK ($1.2\,\times$ the theoretical noise level). This thermal noise will be sub-dominant relative to the HI fluctuations on large scales ($k\,{\lesssim}\,0.15\,h\,\text{Mpc}^{-1}$), which demands upgrades to power spectrum analysis techniques, particularly for covariance estimation. In this work, we present the improved MeerKLASS analysis pipeline, validating it on both a suite of mock simulations and a small sample of overlapping spectroscopic galaxies from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. Despite only overlapping with ${\sim}\,25\%$ of the MeerKLASS deep field, and a conservative approach to covariance estimation, we still obtain a {>}\,4\,\sigma detection of the cross-power spectrum between the intensity maps and the 2269 galaxies at the narrow redshift range $0.39\,

Is dexmedetomidine superior to non-dexmedetomidine sedatives (particularly propofol) for sedation in critically ill patients with septic shock? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BackgroundDexmedetomidine (DEX) and propofol (PROP) are both recommended as first-line short-acting sedative-analgesic agents for sepsis patients. However, existing studies have reported inconsistent clinical outcomes potentially attributable to their distinct hemodynamic profiles. The aim of our study was to systematically evaluate the comparative clinical efficacy and safety of DEX vs. non-Dexmedetomidine sedatives (particularly Propofol) in patients with septic shock.MethodsThe study protocol was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024626139). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) meeting eligibility criteria were systematically searched up to December 2024. Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan 5.4, and trial sequential analysis (TSA) was employed to determine the required sample size.Results17 RCTs were enrolled with 1,422 patients. Compared with non-DEX group, DEX group presented significantly reduced 28-day mortality (odds ratio [OR] 0.68, 95% CI 0.49–0.94, p = 0.02), lower IL-6 (mean difference [MD] −3.11 ng/L, 95% CI −5.32 to −0.90, p = 0.006) and TNF-α (MD −0.21 ng/L, 95% CI −0.30 to −0.12, p < 0.001). Importantly, the incidence of adverse effects did not increase compared to non-DEX groups, as evidenced by delirium (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.34 to 1.97, p = 0.66), bradycardia (OR 1.36, 95% CI 0.66 to 2.78, p = 0.40), and hypotension (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.59 to 3.19, p = 0.46). In the subgroup analysis, PROP showed no significant differences over DEX for key clinical outcomes, including: 28-day mortality and duration of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), length of stay in Intensive Care Unit (ICU LOS), etc. Regrettably, existing RCTs lacked sufficient data regarding inflammatory biomarkers and adverse event profiles above in direct comparisons between DEX and PROP. TSA on 28-day mortality between DEX and PROP indicated that a minimum of 1,269 additional participants would have required to achieve conclusive evidence (α = 0.10; β = 0.30; relative risk reduction [RRR] = 12.5%).ConclusionDEX demonstrated superiority over non-DEX sedatives in critically ill patients with septic shock without increasing hemodynamic adverse events. However, current evidence showed no significant differences between DEX and PROP, warranting further high-quality RCTs for definitive conclusions

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data