The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the effects of graded levels of sulfur amino acids (SAA) in the diet of weaned piglets, and to compare the effects of the source of added free-methionine ...(Met). The experiment was set up according to a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement, with two Met sources (DL-2-hydroxy-4(methylthio) butanoic acid, HMTBa; Novus Europe SA/NV, Belgium vs. DL-methionine, DL-Met; Adisseo, France) and four graded levels (-6, 0, +6, +12% of the requirement) of Met. All the diets were formulated to meet 2008 CVB requirements for weaning piglets for energy (NE 9.37 MJ/kg) and slightly limiting in standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys (11 g SID Lys/kg). The basal diet (0%) was formulated at 0.6 SID SAA/SID Lys, and the different levels were obtained by the inclusion of the Met source on molar content of HMTBa compared to DL-Met in the commercial products. In total 480 piglets (Tempo × Topigs 20, Topigs Norsvin; boars and gilts) with an average BW of 7.35 ± 0.70 kg and an average age of 26 ± 1 d old entered the trial at the day of weaning. The piglets received a standard diet during the first 7 d. The experimental diets were fed ad libitum from d 7 post-weaning during 4 wk. Body weights (BW) were measured at weaning, on 7, 21, and 35 d post-weaning, and ADG, ADFI, and FCR were calculated accordingly. Data were analyzed as a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement in a randomized block design by analysis of variance (ANOVA), using GenStat® for Windows (17th edition). During d 7-21 of the trial, neither ADG nor ADFI were affected by the treatment. During d 21-35 of the trial, and overall (7-35 d), piglets supplemented with HMTBa showed a greater ADFI (P = 0.046), ADG (P = 0.037), and final BW (P = 0.043) with no effect of level nor interaction. In conclusion, there was no effect of level of Met or SAA on growth performance suggesting that SID Met and SID SAA were above the piglets' requirements. Piglets supplemented with HMTBa showed greater feed intake and subsequent growth than piglets receiving diets containing DL-Met.
The first measurements of the d(gamma,p)n differential cross section at forward angles and photon energies above 4 GeV were performed at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab). The ...results indicate evidence of an angular dependent scaling threshold. Results at straight theta(cm) = 37 degrees are consistent with the constituent counting rules for E(gamma) greater, similar 4 GeV, while those at 70 degrees are consistent with the constituent counting rules for E(gamma) greater, similar 1.5 GeV.
Single-spin asymmetries for semi-inclusive electroproduction of charged pions in deep-inelastic scattering of positrons are measured for the first time with transverse target polarization. The ...asymmetry depends on the azimuthal angles of both the pion (phi) and the target spin axis (phi(S)) about the virtual-photon direction and relative to the lepton scattering plane. The extracted Fourier component sin((phi+phi(S))(pi)(UT) is a signal of the previously unmeasured quark transversity distribution, in conjunction with the Collins fragmentation function, also unknown. The component sin((phi-phi(S)(pi)(UT) arises from a correlation between the transverse polarization of the target nucleon and the intrinsic transverse momentum of quarks, as represented by the previously unmeasured Sivers distribution function. Evidence for both signals is observed, but the Sivers asymmetry may be affected by exclusive vector meson production.
A search for high-energy neutrinos coming from the direction of the Galactic Centre is performed using the data recorded by the ANTARES neutrino telescope from 2007 to 2012. The event selection ...criteria are chosen to maximise the sensitivity to possible signals produced by the self-annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles accumulated around the centre of the Milky Way with respect to the atmospheric background. After data unblinding, the number of neutrinos observed in the line of sight of the Galactic Centre is found to be compatible with background expectations. The 90% C.L. upper limits in terms of the neutrino+anti-neutrino flux, $\rm \Phi_{\nu_{\mu}+\bar{\nu}_\mu}$, and the velocity averaged annihilation cross-section, $\rm <\sigma_{A}v>$, are derived for the WIMP self-annihilation channels into $\rm b\bar{b},W^{+}W^{-},\tau^{+}\tau^{-},\mu^{+}\mu^{-},\nu\bar{\nu}$. The ANTARES limits for $\rm <\sigma_{A}v>$ are shown to be the most stringent for a neutrino telescope over the WIMP masses $\rm 25\,GeV < M_{WIMP} < 10\,TeV$.
We describe the APERture Tile In Focus (Apertif) system, a phased array feed (PAF) upgrade of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope that transforms this telescope into a high-sensitivity, ...wide-field-of-view L-band imaging and transient survey instrument. Using novel PAF technology, up to 40 partially overlapping beams are formed on the sky simultaneously, significantly increasing the survey speed of the telescope. With this upgraded instrument, an imaging survey covering an area of 2300 deg2 is being performed that will deliver both continuum and spectral line datasets, of which the first data have been publicly released. In addition, a time domain transient and pulsar survey covering 15 000 deg2 is in progress. An overview of the Apertif science drivers, hardware, and software of the upgraded telescope is presented, along with its key performance characteristics.
In the past decade, a new class of bright transient radio sources with millisecond duration has been discovered. The origin of these so-called fast radio bursts (FRBs) is still a mystery, despite the ...growing observational efforts made by various multiwavelength and multimessenger facilities. To date, many models have been proposed to explain FRBs, but neither the progenitors nor the radiative and the particle acceleration processes at work have been clearly identified. In this paper, we assess whether hadronic processes may occur in the vicinity of the FRB source. If they do, FRBs may contribute to the high-energy cosmic-ray and neutrino fluxes. A search for these hadronic signatures was carried out using the ANTARES neutrino telescope. The analysis consists in looking for high-energy neutrinos, in the TeV–PeV regime, that are spatially and temporally coincident with the detected FRBs. Most of the FRBs discovered in the period 2013–2017 were in the field of view of the ANTARES detector, which is sensitive mostly to events originating from the Southern hemisphere. From this period, 12 FRBs were selected and no coincident neutrino candidate was observed. Upper limits on the per-burst neutrino fluence were derived using a power-law spectrum, dN/dEν∝E−γν, for the incoming neutrino flux, assuming spectral indexes γ = 1.0, 2.0, 2.5. Finally, the neutrino energy was constrained by computing the total energy radiated in neutrinos, assuming different distances for the FRBs. Constraints on the neutrino fluence and on the energy released were derived from the associated null results
This study investigates the prognostic and predictive value of YKL-40 in stage IIB-III melanoma patients who were randomized to adjuvant interferon α-2b (IFN) or observation. Serum YKL-40 was ...determined postoperatively in patients from the Nordic IFN Trial (n=602), EORTC 18952 (n=246), and EORTC 18991 (n=386) (EORTC, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer). YKL-40 protein expression was determined in 300 tissue sections of primary melanoma or lymph node metastases from 204 Danish patients from the Nordic IFN Trial. Multivariate Cox analysis (including sex, age, stage, ulceration, YKL-40) showed that elevated baseline YKL-40 level was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) in observation groups from the Nordic IFN Trial and EORTC 18952 hazard ratio (HR)=1.33; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.74; P=0.04, but not in the interferon groups (1-year IFN: HR=0.97; 95% CI 0.76-1.25; P=0.83; 2-years IFN: HR=1.06; 95% CI 0.83-1.34; P=0.64). During follow-up, increases in YKL-40 were significantly associated with shorter OS, but not with recurrence-free survival in univariate analysis. YKL-40 expression was stronger in tumor-associated macrophages than melanoma cells in primary melanoma. High YKL-40 expression in macrophages in lymph node metastases was associated with shorter OS in the observation group (HR=2.76; 95% CI: 1.13-6.76, P=0.02), but not in the interferon-treated groups. YKL-40 was an independent prognostic biomarker of OS in melanoma patients stage IIB-III. High serum YKL-40 in poor-prognosis patients may originate from macrophages in the tumor microenvironment and the melanoma cells. Furthermore, we hypothesize that elevated serum YKL-40 after surgery may predict the efficacy of adjuvant IFN treatment.
Muons created by charged current (CC) interactions in the water surrounding the ANTARES neutrino telescope have been almost exclusively used so far in searches for cosmic neutrino sources. Due to ...their long range, highly energetic muons inducing Cherenkov radiation in the water are reconstructed with dedicated algorithms that allow for the determination of the parent neutrino direction with a median angular resolution of about 0 4 for an neutrino spectrum. In this paper, an algorithm optimized for accurate reconstruction of energy and direction of shower events in the ANTARES detector is presented. Hadronic showers of electrically charged particles are produced by the disintegration of the nucleus both in CC and neutral current interactions of neutrinos in water. In addition, electromagnetic showers result from the CC interactions of electron neutrinos while the decay of a tau lepton produced in CC interactions will, in most cases, lead to either a hadronic or an electromagnetic shower. A shower can be approximated as a point source of photons. With the presented method, the shower position is reconstructed with a precision of about 1 m; the neutrino direction is reconstructed with a median angular resolution between 2° and 3° in the energy range of 1-1000 TeV. In this energy interval, the uncertainty on the reconstructed neutrino energy is about 5%-10%. The increase in the detector sensitivity due to the use of additional information from shower events in the searches for a cosmic neutrino flux is also presented.
A search for Secluded Dark Matter annihilation in the Sun using 2007-2012 data of the ANTARES neutrino telescope is presented. Three different cases are considered: a) detection of dimuons that ...result from the decay of the mediator, or neutrino detection from: b) mediator that decays into a dimuon and, in turn, into neutrinos, and c) mediator that decays directly into neutrinos. As no significant excess over background is observed, constraints are derived on the dark matter mass and the lifetime of the mediator.
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