We report measurements by the T2K experiment of the parameters θ23 and Δm322, which govern the disappearance of muon neutrinos and antineutrinos in the three-flavor PMNS neutrino oscillation model at ...T2K's neutrino energy and propagation distance. Utilizing the ability of the experiment to run with either a mainly neutrino or a mainly antineutrino beam, muon-like events from each beam mode are used to measure these parameters separately for neutrino and antineutrino oscillations. Data taken from 1.49×1021 protons on target (POT) in neutrino mode and 1.64 × 1021 POT in antineutrino mode are used. The best-fit values obtained by T2K were sin2 (θ23) = 0.51−0.07+0.06(0.43−0.05+0.21) and Δm322=2.47−0.09+0.08(2.50−0.13+0.18)× 10−3 eV2/c4 for neutrinos (antineutrinos). No significant differences between the values of the parameters describing the disappearance of muon neutrinos and antineutrinos were observed. An analysis using an effective two-flavor neutrino oscillation model where the sine of the mixing angle is allowed to take nonphysical values larger than 1 is also performed to check the consistency of our data with the three-flavor model. Our data were found to be consistent with a physical value for the mixing angle.
Abstract
High-energy neutrinos are unique messengers of the high-energy universe, tracing the processes of cosmic ray acceleration. This paper presents analyses focusing on time-dependent neutrino ...point-source searches. A scan of the whole sky, making no prior assumption about source candidates, is performed, looking for a space and time clustering of high-energy neutrinos in data collected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory between 2012 and 2017. No statistically significant evidence for a time-dependent neutrino signal is found with this search during this period, as all results are consistent with the background expectation. Within this study period, the blazar 3C 279, showed strong variability, inducing a very prominent gamma-ray flare observed in 2015 June. This event motivated a dedicated study of the blazar, which consists of searching for a time-dependent neutrino signal correlated with the gamma-ray emission. No evidence for a time-dependent signal is found. Hence, an upper limit on the neutrino fluence is derived, allowing us to constrain a hadronic emission model.
CUORE is a large scale cryogenic experiment searching for neutrinoless double
beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) in $^{130}$Te. The CUORE detector is made of
natural tellurium, providing the possibility ...of rare event searches on isotopes
other than $^{130}$Te. In this work we describe a search for neutrinoless
positron emitting electron capture ($0\nu\beta^+EC$) decay in $^{120}$Te with a
total TeO$_2$ exposure of 355.7 kg $\cdot$ yr, corresponding to 0.2405 kg
$\cdot$ yr of $^{120}$Te. Albeit $0 \nu \beta\beta$ with two final state
electrons represents the most promising channel, the emission of a positron and
two 511-keV $\gamma$s make $0\nu\beta^+EC$ decay signature extremely clear. To
fully exploit the potential offered by the detector modularity we include
events with different topology and perform a simultaneous fit of five selected
signal signatures. Using blinded data we extract a median exclusion sensitivity
of $3.4 \cdot 10^{22}$ yr at 90% Credibility Interval (C.I.). After unblinding
we find no evidence of $0\nu\beta^+EC$ signal and set a 90% C.I. Bayesian lower
limit of $2.9 \cdot 10^{22}$ yr on $^{120}$Te half-life. This result improves
by an order of magnitude the existing limit from the combined analysis of
CUORE-0 and Cuoricino.
The association between alcohol consumption and bladder cancer risk has been insufficiently investigated in East Asian populations, who frequently have the inactive enzyme for metabolizing ...acetaldehyde. Given that acetaldehyde associated with alcohol consumption is assessed as a carcinogen, consideration of differences in acetaldehyde exposure would aid accuracy in assessing the bladder cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption. Here, we conducted a population‐based cohort study in Japan to examine this association, including information on the flushing response as a surrogate marker of the capacity of acetaldehyde metabolism. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. During follow up from 1990 through 2012 for the 95,915 subjects (45,649 men and 50,266 women, aged 40–69 years), 354 men and 110 women were newly diagnosed with bladder cancer. No significant association between alcohol consumption and bladder cancer risk was observed in the overall analysis. Among male flushers, HRs were 1.04 (95% CI 0.70–1.54), 1.67 (1.16–2.42), 1.02 (0.62–1.67) and 0.63 (0.33–1.20) for alcohol consumption of 1–150, 151–300, 301–450, >450 g/week of pure ethanol compared with non‐drinkers and occasional drinkers, respectively, indicating an inverted U‐shaped association between alcohol consumption and bladder cancer risk. In contrast, no significant association was identified among male non‐flushers. The marginally significant interaction between alcohol consumption and the flushing response (p for interaction = 0.083) may support our hypothesis that acetaldehyde derived from alcohol consumption is associated with bladder cancer risk. A prospective study considering polymorphisms of genes involved in acetaldehyde metabolism is warranted.
What's new?
Many East Asians possess an inactive form of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, the enzyme responsible for metabolizing acetaldehyde, a breakdown product of ethanol. Whether this diminished capacity for acetaldehyde metabolism affects bladder cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption remains unclear. In this population‐based cohort study in Japan, stratified analyses by facial flushing response, reflecting the capacity for acetaldehyde metabolism, show that moderate drinking (151–300 grams pure ethanol/week) is associated with elevated bladder cancer risk among flushers. Risk was not increased for heavy drinks or non‐flushers. The results suggest that acetaldehyde metabolized from alcohol influences bladder cancer development.
This paper reports the first T2K measurement of the transverse kinematic imbalance in the single- π+ production channel of neutrino interactions. We measure the differential cross sections in the ...muon-neutrino charged-current interaction on hydrocarbon with a single π+ and at least one proton in the final state, at the ND280 off axis near detector of the T2K experiment. The extracted cross sections are compared to the predictions from different neutrino-nucleus interaction event generators. Overall, the results show a preference for models that have a more realistic treatment of nuclear medium effects including the initial nuclear state and final-state interactions.
Muons produced in atmospheric cosmic ray showers account for the by far dominant part of the event yield in large-volume underground particle detectors. The IceCube detector, with an instrumented ...volume of about a cubic kilometer, has the potential to conduct unique investigations on atmospheric muons by exploiting the large collection area and the possibility to track particles over a long distance. Through detailed reconstruction of energy deposition along the tracks, the characteristics of muon bundles can be quantified, and individual particles of exceptionally high energy identified. The data can then be used to constrain the cosmic ray primary flux and the contribution to atmospheric lepton fluxes from prompt decays of short-lived hadrons.
In this paper, techniques for the extraction of physical measurements from atmospheric muon events are described and first results are presented. The multiplicity spectrum of TeV muons in cosmic ray air showers for primaries in the energy range from the knee to the ankle is derived and found to be consistent with recent results from surface detectors. The single muon energy spectrum is determined up to PeV energies and shows a clear indication for the emergence of a distinct spectral component from prompt decays of short-lived hadrons. The magnitude of the prompt flux, which should include a substantial contribution from light vector meson di-muon decays, is consistent with current theoretical predictions.
The variety of measurements and high event statistics can also be exploited for the evaluation of systematic effects. In the course of this study, internal inconsistencies in the zenith angle distribution of events were found which indicate the presence of an unexplained effect outside the currently applied range of detector systematics. The underlying cause could be related to the hadronic interaction models used to describe muon production in air showers.
Various extensions of the Standard Model motivate the existence of stable magnetic monopoles that could have been created during an early high-energy epoch of the Universe. These primordial magnetic ...monopoles would be gradually accelerated by cosmic magnetic fields and could reach high velocities that make them visible in Cherenkov detectors such as IceCube. Equivalently to electrically charged particles, magnetic monopoles produce direct and indirect Cherenkov light while traversing through matter at relativistic velocities. This paper describes searches for relativistic (
v
≥
0.76
c
) and mildly relativistic (
v
≥
0.51
c
) monopoles, each using one year of data taken in 2008/2009 and 2011/2012, respectively. No monopole candidate was detected. For a velocity above
0.51
c
the monopole flux is constrained down to a level of
1.55
×
10
-
18
cm
-
2
s
-
1
sr
-
1
. This is an improvement of almost two orders of magnitude over previous limits.
The genome of Aspergillus oryzae, a fungus important for the production of traditional fermented foods and beverages in Japan, has been sequenced. The ability to secrete large amounts of proteins and ...the development of a transformation system have facilitated the use of A. oryzae in modern biotechnology. Although both A. oryzae and Aspergillus flavus belong to the section Flavi of the subgenus Circumdati of Aspergillus, A. oryzae, unlike A. flavus, does not produce aflatoxin, and its long history of use in the food industry has proved its safety. Here we show that the 37-megabase (Mb) genome of A. oryzae contains 12,074 genes and is expanded by 7-9 Mb in comparison with the genomes of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Comparison of the three aspergilli species revealed the presence of syntenic blocks and A. oryzae-specific blocks (lacking synteny with A. nidulans and A. fumigatus) in a mosaic manner throughout the genome of A. oryzae. The blocks of A. oryzae-specific sequence are enriched for genes involved in metabolism, particularly those for the synthesis of secondary metabolites. Specific expansion of genes for secretory hydrolytic enzymes, amino acid metabolism and amino acid/sugar uptake transporters supports the idea that A. oryzae is an ideal microorganism for fermentation.
Objective
The aim of this study is to characterize immunohistochemical profiles of lining epithelia of nasopalatine duct cyst (NPC) as well as to correlate those findings with their ...clinicopathological features to understand the histopathogenesis of NPC.
Materials and methods
Forty‐one surgical specimens from NPC were examined for clinical profiles and expression of keratin‐7, 13, MUC‐1, and P63 by immunohistochemistry, compared to radicular cyst (RC) and maxillary sinusitis.
Results
Nasopalatine duct cyst was clinically characterized by male predominant occurrence: 44% of the cases involved tooth roots, and 70% with inflammatory backgrounds. Lining epithelia of NPCs without daughter cysts were immunohistochemically distinguished into three layers: a keratin 7‐positive (+) ciliated cell layer in the surface, a keratin‐13+ middle layer, and a MUC‐1+/P63+ lower half, indicating that they were not respiratory epithelia, and the same layering pattern was observed in RC. However, those immunolocalization patterns of the main cyst lining with daughter cyst were exactly the same as those of daughter cyst linings as well as duct epithelia of mucous glands.
Conclusions
Two possible histopathogeneses of NPC were clarified: one was inflammatory cyst like RC and the other was salivary duct cyst‐like mucocele.
Water structures in protein-water mixtures and cheeses were examined by Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The relaxation time obtained from TDR increased and the ...diffusion coefficient obtained from NMR decreased with increasing protein concentration, even if those physical quantities and time scales of respective observation techniques were considerably different. The correlation of these dynamic behaviors obtained from TDR and NMR is also found for water structures in cheeses. Fractal analysis of protein solutions by TDR measurements suggested that water structures in both systems were same with usual dispersion systems much more than solution systems. The fractal analysis with the tau - beta diagram using geometric characteristics of the whole diagram is effective to characterize various water structures.
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