Precision measurements of the positron component in the cosmic radiation provide important information about the propagation of cosmic rays and the nature of particle sources in our Galaxy. The ...satellite-borne experiment PAMELA has been used to make a new measurement of the cosmic-ray positron flux and fraction that extends previously published measurements up to 300 GeV in kinetic energy. The combined measurements of the cosmic-ray positron energy spectrum and fraction provide a unique tool to constrain interpretation models. During the recent solar minimum activity period from July 2006 to December 2009, approximately 24,500 positrons were observed. The results cannot be easily reconciled with purely secondary production, and additional sources of either astrophysical or exotic origin may be required.
In this paper, we present the analysis and results of a direct measurement of the cosmic-ray proton spectrum with the CALET instrument onboard the International Space Station, including the detailed ...assessment of systematic uncertainties. The observation period used in this analysis is from October 13, 2015 to August 31, 2018 (1054 days). We have achieved the very wide energy range necessary to carry out measurements of the spectrum from 50 GeV to 10 TeV covering, for the first time in space, with a single instrument the whole energy interval previously investigated in most cases in separate subranges by magnetic spectrometers (BESS-TeV, PAMELA, and AMS-02) and calorimetric instruments (ATIC, CREAM, and NUCLEON). The observed spectrum is consistent with AMS-02 but extends to nearly an order of magnitude higher energy, showing a very smooth transition of the power-law spectral index from -2.81±0.03 (50-500 GeV) neglecting solar modulation effects (or -2.87±0.06 including solar modulation effects in the lower energy region) to -2.56±0.04 (1-10 TeV), thereby confirming the existence of spectral hardening and providing evidence of a deviation from a single power law by more than 3σ.
Extended results on the cosmic-ray electron + positron spectrum from 11 GeV to 4.8 TeV are presented based on observations with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) on the International Space ...Station utilizing the data up to November 2017. The analysis uses the full detector acceptance at high energies, approximately doubling the statistics compared to the previous result. CALET is an all-calorimetric instrument with a total thickness of 30 X_{0} at normal incidence and fine imaging capability, designed to achieve large proton rejection and excellent energy resolution well into the TeV energy region. The observed energy spectrum in the region below 1 TeV shows good agreement with Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) data. In the energy region below ∼300 GeV, CALET's spectral index is found to be consistent with the AMS-02, Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT), and Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE), while from 300 to 600 GeV the spectrum is significantly softer than the spectra from the latter two experiments. The absolute flux of CALET is consistent with other experiments at around a few tens of GeV. However, it is lower than those of DAMPE and Fermi-LAT with the difference increasing up to several hundred GeV. The observed energy spectrum above ∼1 TeV suggests a flux suppression consistent within the errors with the results of DAMPE, while CALET does not observe any significant evidence for a narrow spectral feature in the energy region around 1.4 TeV. Our measured all-electron flux, including statistical errors and a detailed breakdown of the systematic errors, is tabulated in the Supplemental Material in order to allow more refined spectral analyses based on our data.
Trial Sequential Analysis (TSA) is a frequentist method to help researchers control the risks of random errors in meta‐analyses.1 Fisher et al.2 used TSA on cell therapy for heart diseases. The ...present article discusses the usefulness of TSA and its dependence on the choice of the parameters for calculation of the required information size and the adjacent monitoring boundaries, and comments on the approach by Fisher et al.2
STUDY QUESTION
Is sexual dysfunction associated with severity of semen quality impairment in men with couple infertility?
SUMMARY ANSWER
In males of infertile couples the prevalence of erectile ...dysfunction (ED) increases as a function of semen quality impairment severity.
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
Infertile men are at a higher risk for sexual dysfunction, psychopathological and general health disorders. However, it has never been systematically investigated if these problems are associated with severity of semen quality impairment.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
Cross-sectional analysis of a first-time evaluation of 448 males of infertile couples attending an outpatient clinic from September 2010 to November 2015. In addition, 74 age-matched healthy, fertile men from an ultrasound study on male fertility were studied for comparison.
PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
All subjects underwent a complete physical, biochemical, scrotal and flaccid penile colour-Doppler ultrasound evaluation and semen analysis. Patients had already undergone at least one semen analysis; therefore, the majority were aware of their sperm quality before taking part in the study. Validated tools, such as the International Index of Sexual Function-15 (IIEF-15), Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (MHQ), National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), International Prostate Symptom Score and Chronic Disease Score (CDS), were used to evaluate, respectively, sexual dysfunction, premature ejaculation (PE), psychopathological traits, prostatitis-like symptoms, lower urinary tract symptoms and general health status.
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
Among men with couple infertility, 96 showed azoospermia (Group #1), 245 at least one sperm abnormality (Group #2) and 107 normozoospermia (Group #3). Fertile men were considered as a control group (Group #4). After adjusting for age, we observed a higher prevalence of ED (IIEF-15-erectile function domain score <26) (18.3% versus 0%; P = 0.006) and PE (PEDT score >8) (12.9% versus 4.1%; P = 0.036) in males of infertile couples compared with fertile men. The ED prevalence increases as a function of semen quality impairment severity (P < 0.0001), even after adjusting for confounders (age, CDS, MHQ and NIH-CPSI total score), despite similar hormonal, glyco-metabolic and penile vascular status. Compared to fertile men, all three groups of males with couple infertility showed a poorer erectile function, associated with an overall psychopathological burden (MHQ total score), particularly with somatized anxiety (MHQ-S). Azoospermic men showed the worst erectile function and general health: in this group, erectile function was negatively associated not only with psychopathological disturbances (MHQ total and MHQ-S scores; P < 0.0001) but also with a less healthy phenotype (higher CDS; P = 0.015). In addition, azoospermic men reported higher PE prevalence and lower sexual desire and orgasmic function when compared to fertile men (all P < 0.05), all of which were related to psychopathological symptoms.
LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
The cross-sectional nature of the study represents its main limitation. A possible selection bias concerning the control group of healthy, fertile men recruited into an ultrasound study might have occurred. Finally, causality cannot be inferred in this type of study design and hence there should be some caution in interpreting the results.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
Investigation of male sexual function, general health and psychological status in infertile couples, especially if azoospermic, is advisable, in order to improve not only reproductive but also general and sexual health.
STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
Grants were received from the Ministry of University and Scientific Research (SIR project to F.L., protocol number: RBSI14LFMQ). There are no conflicts of interest.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
None.
First results of a cosmic-ray electron and positron spectrum from 10 GeV to 3 TeV is presented based upon observations with the CALET instrument on the International Space Station starting in ...October, 2015. Nearly a half million electron and positron events are included in the analysis. CALET is an all-calorimetric instrument with total vertical thickness of 30 X_{0} and a fine imaging capability designed to achieve a large proton rejection and excellent energy resolution well into the TeV energy region. The observed energy spectrum over 30 GeV can be fit with a single power law with a spectral index of -3.152±0.016 (stat+syst). Possible structure observed above 100 GeV requires further investigation with increased statistics and refined data analysis.
Abstract Aim Increasing literature has shown the usefulness of a dimensional approach to autism. The present study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the Adult Autism Subthreshold ...Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum), a new questionnaire specifically tailored to assess subthreshold forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adulthood. Methods 102 adults endorsing at least one DSM-5 symptom criterion for ASD (ASDc), 143 adults diagnosed with a feeding and eating disorder (FED), and 160 subjects with no mental disorders (CTL), were recruited from 7 Italian University Departments of Psychiatry and administered the following: SCID-5, Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale 14-item version (RAADS-14), and AdAS Spectrum. Results The AdAS Spectrum demonstrated excellent internal consistency for the total score (Kuder–Richardson's coefficient=.964) as well as for five out of seven domains (all coefficients>.80) and sound test–retest reliability (ICC=.976). The total and domain AdAS Spectrum scores showed a moderate to strong (>.50) positive correlation with one another and with the AQ and RAADS-14 total scores. ASDc subjects reported significantly higher AdAS Spectrum total scores than both FED ( p <.001) and CTL ( p <.001), and significantly higher scores on the Childhood/adolescence , Verbal communication , Empathy, Inflexibility and adherence to routine , and Restricted interests and rumination domains (all p <.001) than FED, while on all domains compared to CTL. CTL displayed significantly lower total and domain scores than FED (all p <.001). A significant effect of gender emerged for the Hyper– and hyporeactivity to sensory input domain, with women showing higher scores than men ( p =.003). A Diagnosis* Gender interaction was also found for the Verbal communication ( p =.019) and Empathy ( p =.023) domains. When splitting the ASDc in subjects with one symptom criterion (ASD1 ) and those with a ASD, and the FED in subjects with no ASD symptom criteria (FED0 ) and those with one ASD symptom criterion (FED1 ), a gradient of severity in AdAS Spectrum scores from CTL subjects to ASD patients, across FED0 , ASD1 , FED1 was shown. Conclusions The AdAS Spectrum showed excellent internal consistency and test–retest reliability and strong convergent validity with alternative dimensional measures of ASD. The questionnaire performed differently among the three diagnostic groups and enlightened some significant effects of gender in the expression of autistic traits.
Introduction
It is proven that high levels of disgust contribute to implementing protective behaviors. Investigators also discovered that the emotion of disgust plays a central role in determining ...anxiety related to the contraction of COVID-19. Few data are available about the role of the contamination disgust, a specific disgust domain, in this relationship.
Objectives
The effect of contamination disgust on COVID-19-related anxiety was investigated.
Methods
295 healthy subjects were enrolled through an online survey. They completed Disgust Scale-Revised (DS-R) and were asked to estimate their levels of Covid-19-related anxiety in 12 proposed situations. A total score was then calculated. An ANOVA model having Covid-19-related anxiety total score as dependent variable, and DS-R contamination disgust, age, and sex as predictors was estimated.
Results
The overall model was significant (F(3,291)=6.402, p<0.001) and explained 6.2% of total Covid-19 anxiety variance (R
2
=0.062). The effect of DS-R contamination disgust on Covid-19-related anxiety was positive, significant (B=0.974, t(291)=3.227, p=0.001) and explained 3.5% of Covid-19-related anxiety variance (partial η
2
=0.035). A significant effect of sex was detected
(F(1,291)=4.919, p=0.027), with females having higher Covid-19-related anxiety than males, while no effect was detected for age (B=-0.024, t(291)=-0.884, p=0.377).
Conclusions
The presented data provide preliminary evidence for an effect of contamination disgust on Covid-19-related anxiety.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
Protons and helium nuclei are the most abundant components of the cosmic radiation. Precise measurements of their fluxes are needed to understand the acceleration and subsequent propagation of cosmic ...rays in our Galaxy. We report precision measurements of the proton and helium spectra in the rigidity range 1 gigavolt to 1.2 teravolts performed by the satellite-borne experiment PAMELA (payload for antimatter matter exploration and light-nuclei astrophysics). We find that the spectral shapes of these two species are different and cannot be described well by a single power law. These data challenge the current paradigm of cosmic-ray acceleration in supernova remnants followed by diffusive propagation in the Galaxy. More complex processes of acceleration and propagation of cosmic rays are required to explain the spectral structures observed in our data.
In this paper functoriality of the notion of categorical interior operator is discussed and as a related topic, the property of ℱ-modal interior operator is introduced.
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