Geodetic Precession in PSR B1913+16

We review the observational evidence for geodetic precession in PSR B1913+16 and present the latest observations and results from modelling the system geometry and beam.Comment: 4 pages,to appear in "Radio Pulsars" (ASP Conf. Ser.), eds. M. Bailes, D. Nice, & S. Thorset

Giant Pulses with Nanosecond Time Resolution detected from the Crab Pulsar at 8.5 and 15.1 GHz

We present a study of shape, spectra and polarization properties of giant pulses (GPs) from the Crab pulsar at the very high frequencies of 8.5 and 15.1 GHz. Studies at 15.1 GHz were performed for the first time. Observations were conducted with the 100-m radio telescope in Effelsberg in Oct-Nov 2007 at the frequencies of 8.5 and 15.1 GHz as part of an extensive campaign of multi-station multi-frequency observations of the Crab pulsar. A selection of the strongest pulses was recorded with a new data acquisition system, based on a fast digital oscilloscope, providing nanosecond time resolution in two polarizations in a bandwidth of about 500 MHz. We analyzed the pulse shapes, polarisation and dynamic spectra of GPs as well as the cross-correlations between their LHC and RHC signals. No events were detected outside main pulse and interpulse windows. GP properties were found to be very different for GPs emitted at longitudes of the main pulse and the interpulse. Cross-correlations of the LHC and RHC signals show regular patterns in the frequency domain for the main pulse, but these are missing for the interpulse GPs. We consider consequences of application of the rotating vector model to explain the apparent smooth variation in the position angle of linear polarization for main pulse GPs. We also introduce a new scenario of GP generation as a direct consequence of the polar cap discharge. We find further evidence for strong nano-shot discharges in the magnetosphere of the Crab pulsar. The repetitive frequency spectrum seen in GPs at the main pulse phase is interpreted as a diffraction pattern of regular structures in the emission region. The interpulse GPs however have a spectrum that resembles that of amplitude modulated noise. Propagation effects may be the cause of the differences.Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics (accepted

Recent astrophysical and accelerator based results on the Hadronic Equation of State

In astrophysics as well as in hadron physics progress has recently been made on the determination of the hadronic equation of state (EOS) of compressed matter. The results are contradictory, however. Simulations of heavy ion reactions are now sufficiently robust to predict the stiffness of the (EOS) from (i) the energy dependence of the ratio of $K^+$ from Au+Au and C+C collisions and (ii) the centrality dependence of the $K^+$ multiplicities. The data are best described with a compressibility coefficient at normal nuclear matter density $\kappa$ around 200 MeV, a value which is usually called ``soft'' The recent observation of a neutron star with a mass of twice the solar mass is only compatible with theoretical predictions if the EOS is stiff. We review the present situation.Comment: invited talk Strange Quark Matter Conference SQM06 in Los Angele

Population Health Innovations and Payment to Address Social Needs Among Patients and Communities With Diabetes.

Policy Points Population health efforts to improve diabetes care and outcomes should identify social needs, support social needs referrals and coordination, and partner health care organizations with community social service agencies and resources. Current payment mechanisms for health care services do not adequately support critical up-front investments in infrastructure to address medical and social needs, nor provide sufficient incentives to make addressing social needs a priority. Alternative payment models and value-based payment should provide up-front funding for personnel and infrastructure to address social needs and should incentivize care that addresses social needs and outcomes sensitive to social risk. CONTEXT: Increasingly, health care organizations are implementing interventions to improve outcomes for patients with complex health and social needs, including diabetes, through cross-sector partnerships with nonmedical organizations. However, fee-for-service and many value-based payment systems constrain options to implement models of care that address social and medical needs in an integrated fashion. We present experiences of eight grantee organizations from the Bridging the Gap: Reducing Disparities in Diabetes Care initiative to improve diabetes outcomes by transforming primary care and addressing social needs within evolving payment models. METHODS: Analysis of eight grantees through site visits, technical assistance calls, grant applications, and publicly available data from US census data (2017) and from Health Resources and Services Administration Uniform Data System Resources data (2018). Organizations represent a range of payment models, health care settings, market factors, geographies, populations, and community resources. FINDINGS: Grantees are implementing strategies to address medical and social needs through augmented staffing models to support high-risk patients with diabetes (e.g., community health workers, behavioral health specialists), information technology innovations (e.g., software for social needs referrals), and system-wide protocols to identify high-risk populations with gaps in care. Sites identify and address social needs (e.g., food insecurity, housing), invest in human capital to support social needs referrals and coordination (e.g., embedding social service employees in clinics), and work with organizations to connect to community resources. Sites encounter challenges accessing flexible up-front funding to support infrastructure for interventions. Value-based payment mechanisms usually reward clinical performance metrics rather than measures of population health or social needs interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Federal, state, and private payers should support critical infrastructure to address social needs and incentivize care that addresses social needs and outcomes sensitive to social risk. Population health strategies that address medical and social needs for populations living with diabetes will need to be tailored to a range of health care organizations, geographies, populations, community partners, and market factors. Payment models should support and incentivize these strategies for sustainability