22. Commission des étoiles Filantes

The past few years have witnessed a great increase in the amount of work done on meteors and in the number of observers. At several observatories programmes of work have been undertaken in the hope of solving specific problems. Several countries now have flourishing meteor societies, or sections of larger astronomical societies, devoted to this field. To solve the problems that have arisen the help of other scientists, especially in physics, geology, and meteorology, has been enlisted to the mutual benefit of all. Historical research, particularly in Asia, has added much to our knowledge of meteor showers for the past thousand or more years.</jats:p

Economic Outcomes of Treatment Strategies for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Coronary Artery Disease in the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes Trial

BACKGROUND: The economic outcomes of clinical management strategies are important in assessing their value to patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: BARI 2D randomized patients with Type 2 diabetes and angiographically documented, stable coronary disease to strategies of 1) prompt revascularization vs. medical therapy with delayed revascularization as needed to relieve symptoms, and 2) insulin sensitization vs. insulin provision. Prior to randomization, the physician declared whether CABG or PCI would be used if the patient were assigned to revascularization. We followed 2005 patients for medical utilization and costs, and assessed the cost-effectiveness of these management strategies. Medical costs were higher for revascularization than medical therapy, with a significant interaction with the intended method of revascularization (p<0.0001). In the CABG stratum, four-year costs were $80,900 for revascularization vs.$60,600 for medical therapy (p<0.0001). In the PCI stratum, costs were $73,400 for revascularization vs.$67,800 for medical therapy (p<0.02). Costs also were higher for insulin sensitization ($71,300) vs. insulin provision ($70,200). Other factors that significantly (p<0.05) and independently increased cost included insulin use and dose at baseline, female sex, white race, body mass index ≥30, and albuminuria. Cost-effectiveness based on four-year data favored the strategy of medical therapy over prompt revascularization and the strategy of insulin provision over insulin sensitization. Lifetime projections of cost-effectiveness showed that medical therapy was cost-effective compared with revascularization in the PCI stratum ($600 per life-year added) with high confidence. Lifetime projections suggest revascularization may be cost-effective in the CABG stratum ($47,000 per life-year added), but with lower confidence. CONCLUSION: Prompt coronary revascularization significantly increases costs among patients with Type 2 diabetes and stable coronary disease. The strategy of medical therapy (with delayed revascularization as needed) appears to be cost-effective compared with the strategy of prompt coronary revascularization among patients identified a priori as suitable for PCI

22. Commission des étoiles Filantes, de la Lumière Zodiacale et des Problèmes Analogues

The Commission formed a Sub-Commission on Zodiacal Light, presided over by Prof. Issei Yamamoto. The constitution of a sub-commission on the light of the night sky and kindred phenomena was proposed, but left in abeyance, pending the Stockholm Meeting. Dr Jean Dufay kindly consented to write, at the president’s request, a paper on the present state of the problem of the light of the night sky, which is printed with this Report.</jats:p

Race-ethnicity and COVID-19 Vaccination Beliefs and Intentions: A Cross-Sectional Study among the General Population in the San Francisco Bay Area

Objective: The study was designed to compare intentions to receive COVID-19 vaccination by race–ethnicity, to identify beliefs that may mediate the association between race–ethnicity and intention to receive the vaccine and to identify the demographic factors and beliefs most strongly predictive of intention to receive a vaccine. Design: Cross-sectional survey conducted from November 2020 to January 2021, nested within a longitudinal cohort study of the prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 among a general population-based sample of adults in six San Francisco Bay Area counties (called TrackCOVID). Study Cohort: In total, 3161 participants among the 3935 in the TrackCOVID parent cohort responded. Results: Rates of high vaccine willingness were significantly lower among Black (41%), Latinx (55%), Asian (58%), Multi-racial (59%), and Other race (58%) respondents than among White respondents (72%). Black, Latinx, and Asian respondents were significantly more likely than White respondents to endorse lack of trust of government and health agencies as a reason not to get vaccinated. Participants’ motivations and concerns about COVID-19 vaccination only partially explained racial–ethnic differences in vaccination willingness. Concerns about a rushed government vaccine approval process and potential bad reactions to the vaccine were the two most important factors predicting vaccination intention. Conclusions: Vaccine outreach campaigns must ensure that the disproportionate toll of COVID-19 on historically marginalized racial–ethnic communities is not compounded by inequities in vaccination. Efforts must emphasize messages that speak to the motivations and concerns of groups suffering most from health inequities to earn their trust to support informed decision making.</jats:p

Race-ethnicity and Perceptional Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions: A Cross-sectional Study Among Health Workers and the General Population in the San Francisco Bay Area

AbstractObjectiveTo compare intention to receive COVID-19 vaccination by race-ethnicity, to identify perceptional factors that may mediate the association between race-ethnicity and intention to receive the vaccine, and to identify the demographic and perceptional factors most strongly predictive of intention to receive a vaccine.DesignCross-sectional survey conducted from November, 2020 to January, 2021, nested within two longitudinal cohort studies of prevalence and incidence of SARS CoV-2 among the general population and healthcare workers.Study Cohort3,161 participants in the Track COVID cohort (a population-based sample of adults) and 1,803 participants in the CHART Study cohort (a cohort of employees at three large medical centers).ResultsRates of high vaccine willingness were significantly lower among Black (45.3%), Latinx (62.5%), Asian (65%), multi-racial (67.2%), and other race (61.0%) respondents than among white respondents (77.6%). Black, Latinx, and Asian respondents were significantly more likely than white respondents to endorse reasons to not get vaccinated, especially lack of trust. Participants’ motivations and concerns about COVID-19 vaccination only partially explained racial-ethnic differences in vaccination willingness. Being a health worker in the CHART cohort and concern about a rushed government vaccine approval process were the two most important factors predicting vaccination intention.ConclusionsSpecial efforts are required to reach historically marginalized racial-ethnic communities to support informed decision-making about COVID-19 vaccination. These campaigns must acknowledge the history of racism in biomedical research and health care delivery that has degraded the trustworthiness of health and medical science institutions among non-white population and may continue to undermine confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.</jats:sec

Morphodynamics of braided rivers under environmental change: controls on the evolution of channel flood conveyance capacity &amp;#160;

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Braided rivers are often characterised by dynamic behaviour that is driven by both internal process-form feedbacks and external variations in water and sediment supply. Such behaviour can involve river bed aggradation or degradation, significant channel widening or narrowing, and changes in planform morphology (e.g., braid intensity). Moreover, such dynamics have the potential to drive changes in the flood conveyance capacity of the river, and to propagate downstream over time. These effects have been observed in numerous field case studies. However, as of yet it has proven difficult to develop a general theory or quantitative understanding of how braided rivers respond to environmental change, or how the morphodynamic sensitivity of such channels is controlled by factors such as valley morphology, flood regime or lateral channel stability.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The current study seeks to investigate these phenomena by performing a series of 2D physically-based morphodynamic model simulations of braided river evolution over periods of multiple centuries. Simulations were carried out to model the development of equilibrium channel morphologies, following which environmental perturbations were applied to investigate the effects of: (i) climate change; (ii) increased sediment delivery from hillslopes; and (iii) the impact of dam construction. For each environmental scenario, multiple simulations were conducted to investigate different combinations of variables that control the river morphology. For example, we examine varying degrees of channel confinement (valley width), differences in hydrologic regime, and changes in vegetation dynamics that control floodplain development and river width adjustment.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Model results demonstrate that long-term (decadal to centennial) variations in flow and sediment supply can drive significant changes in channel flow conveyance capacity, stage-discharge relationships and the frequency of overbank flooding in braided rivers. Width adjustment represents a dominant mode of river response to environmental change. For example, braided rivers tend to accommodate downstream increases in discharge primarily through adjustments in total flow width. In contrast, constraints on adjustment in channel width lead to the concentration of floodwaters within a narrower channel belt, thereby amplifying vertical channel responses to change while potentially creating laterally stable channel nodes. While concern over future changes in flood regime tend to focus on increases in flood magnitude and frequency, model results illustrate that flood duration may also exert an important influence on channel morphodynamics and hence flow conveyance capacity.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</jats:p