This article aims at establishing new benchmark scenarios for Galactic cosmic-ray propagation in the GV-TV rigidity range, based on fits to the AMS-02 boron to carbon ratio (B/C) data with the usine ...v3.5 propagation code. We employ a new fitting procedure, cautiously taking into account data systematic error correlations in different rigidity bins and considering Solar modulation potential and leading nuclear cross section as nuisance parameters. We delineate specific low, intermediate, and high-rigidity ranges that can be related to both features in the data and peculiar microphysics mechanisms resulting in spectral breaks. We single out a scenario which yields excellent fits to the data and includes all the presumably relevant complexity, the BIG model. This model has two limiting regimes: (i) the SLIM model, a minimal diffusion-only setup, and (ii) the QUAINT model, a convection-reacceleration model where transport is tuned by nonrelativistic effects. All models lead to robust predictions in the high-energy regime (≳10 GV), i.e., independent of the propagation scenario: at 1σ, the diffusion slope δ is 0.43–0.53, whereas K10, the diffusion coefficient at 10 GV, is 0.26–0.36 kpc2 Myr−1; we confirm the robustness of the high-energy break, with a typical value Δh∼0.2. We also find a hint for a similar (reversed) feature at low rigidity around the B/C peak (∼4 GV) which might be related to some effective damping scale in the magnetic turbulence.
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a precision particle physics detector on the International Space Station (ISS) conducting a unique, long-duration mission of fundamental physics research in ...space. The physics objectives include the precise studies of the origin of dark matter, antimatter, and cosmic rays as well as the exploration of new phenomena. Following a 16-year period of construction and testing, and a precursor flight on the Space Shuttle, AMS was installed on the ISS on May 19, 2011. In this report we present results based on 120 billion charged cosmic ray events up to multi-TeV energies. This includes the fluxes of positrons, electrons, antiprotons, protons, and nuclei. These results provide unexpected information, which cannot be explained by the current theoretical models. The accuracy and characteristics of the data, simultaneously from many different types of cosmic rays, provide unique input to the understanding of origins, acceleration, and propagation of cosmic rays.
Context. The positron fraction in cosmic rays has recently been measured with improved accuracy up to 500 GeV, and it was found to be a steadily increasing function of energy above ~10 GeV. This ...behaviour contrasts with standard astrophysical mechanisms, in which positrons are secondary particles, produced in the interactions of primary cosmic rays during their propagation in the interstellar medium. The observed anomaly in the positron fraction triggered a lot of excitement, as it could be interpreted as an indirect signature of the presence of dark matter species in the Galaxy, the so-called weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). Alternatively, it could be produced by nearby sources, such as pulsars. Aims. These hypotheses are probed in light of the latest AMS-02 positron fraction measurements. As regards dark matter candidates, regions in the annihilation cross section to mass plane, which best fit the most recent data, are delineated and compared to previous measurements. The explanation of the anomaly in terms of a single nearby pulsar is also explored. Methods. The cosmic ray positron transport in the Galaxy is described using a semi-analytic two-zone model. Propagation is described with Green functions as well as with Bessel expansions. For consistency, the secondary and primary components of the positron flux are calculated together with the same propagation model. The above mentioned explanations of the positron anomaly are tested using χ2 fits. The numerical package MicrOMEGAs is used to model the positron flux generated by dark matter species. The description of the positron fraction from conventional astrophysical sources is based on the pulsar observations included in the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) catalogue. Results. The masses of the favoured dark matter candidates are always larger than 500 GeV, even though the results are very sensitive to the lepton flux. The Fermi measurements point systematically to much heavier candidates than the recently released AMS-02 observations. Since the latter are more precise, they are much more constraining. A scan through the various individual annihilation channels disfavours leptons as the final state. On the contrary, the agreement is excellent for quark, gauge boson, or Higgs boson pairs, with best-fit masses in the 10 to 40 TeV range. The combination of annihilation channels that best matches the positron fraction is then determined at fixed WIMP mass. A mixture of electron and tau lepton pairs is only acceptable around 500 GeV. Adding b-quark pairs significantly improves the fit up to a mass of 40 TeV. Alternatively, a combination of the four-lepton channels provides a good fit between 0.5 and 1 TeV, with no muons in the final state. Concerning the pulsar hypothesis, the region of the distance-to-age plane that best fits the positron fraction for a single source is determined. Conclusions. The only dark matter species that fulfils the stringent gamma ray and cosmic microwave background bounds is a particle annihilating into four leptons through a light scalar or vector mediator, with a mixture of tau (75%) and electron (25%) channels, and a mass between 0.5 and 1 TeV. The positron anomaly can also be explained by a single pulsar, and a list of five pulsars from the ATNF catalogue is given. We investigate how this list could evolve when more statistics are accumulated. Those results are obtained with the cosmic ray transport parameters that best fit the B/C ratio. Uncertainties in the propagation parameters turn out to be very significant. In the WIMP annihilation cross section to mass plane for instance, they overshadow the error contours derived from the positron data.
We report the observation of new properties of primary cosmic rays He, C, and O measured in the rigidity (momentum/charge) range 2 GV to 3 TV with 90×10^{6} helium, 8.4×10^{6} carbon, and 7.0×10^{6} ...oxygen nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) during the first five years of operation. Above 60 GV, these three spectra have identical rigidity dependence. They all deviate from a single power law above 200 GV and harden in an identical way.
We report on the observation of new properties of secondary cosmic rays Li, Be, and B measured in the rigidity (momentum per unit charge) range 1.9 GV to 3.3 TV with a total of 5.4×10^{6} nuclei ...collected by AMS during the first five years of operation aboard the International Space Station. The Li and B fluxes have an identical rigidity dependence above 7 GV and all three fluxes have an identical rigidity dependence above 30 GV with the Li/Be flux ratio of 2.0±0.1. The three fluxes deviate from a single power law above 200 GV in an identical way. This behavior of secondary cosmic rays has also been observed in the AMS measurement of primary cosmic rays He, C, and O but the rigidity dependences of primary cosmic rays and of secondary cosmic rays are distinctly different. In particular, above 200 GV, the secondary cosmic rays harden more than the primary cosmic rays.
We report the observation of new properties of primary cosmic rays, neon (Ne), magnesium (Mg), and silicon (Si), measured in the rigidity range 2.15 GV to 3.0 TV with 1.8 × 106 Ne , 2.2 × 106 Mg , ...and 1.6 × 106 Si nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment on the International Space Station. The Ne and Mg spectra have identical rigidity dependence above 3.65 GV. The three spectra have identical rigidity dependence above 86.5 GV, deviate from a single power law above 200 GV, and harden in an identical way. Unexpectedly, above 86.5 GV the rigidity dependence of primary cosmic rays Ne, Mg, and Si spectra is different from the rigidity dependence of primary cosmic rays He, C, and O. This shows that the Ne, Mg, and Si and He, C, and O are two different classes of primary cosmic rays.
A precision measurement by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station of the positron fraction in primary cosmic rays in the energy range from 0.5 to 350 GeV based on 6.8 × ...10(6) positron and electron events is presented. The very accurate data show that the positron fraction is steadily increasing from 10 to ∼ 250 GeV, but, from 20 to 250 GeV, the slope decreases by an order of magnitude. The positron fraction spectrum shows no fine structure, and the positron to electron ratio shows no observable anisotropy. Together, these features show the existence of new physical phenomena.
We report the observation of new properties of primary iron (Fe) cosmic rays in the rigidity range 2.65 GV to 3.0 TV with 0.62×10^{6} iron nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer ...experiment on the International Space Station. Above 80.5 GV the rigidity dependence of the cosmic ray Fe flux is identical to the rigidity dependence of the primary cosmic ray He, C, and O fluxes, with the Fe/O flux ratio being constant at 0.155±0.006. This shows that unexpectedly Fe and He, C, and O belong to the same class of primary cosmic rays which is different from the primary cosmic rays Ne, Mg, and Si class.
Cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) overexpression is implicated in breast cancer, but whether it has a primary or only a cooperative tumorigenic role is unclear. Here, we show that transgenic CDK12 ...overexpression in the mouse mammary gland per se is sufficient to drive the emergence of multiple and multifocal tumors, while, in cooperation with known oncogenes, it promotes earlier tumor onset and metastasis. Integrative transcriptomic, metabolomic and functional data reveal that hyperactivation of the serine-glycine-one-carbon network is a metabolic hallmark inherent to CDK12-induced tumorigenesis. Consistently, in retrospective patient cohort studies and in patient-derived xenografts, CDK12-overexpressing breast tumors show positive response to methotrexate-based chemotherapy targeting CDK12-induced metabolic alterations, while being intrinsically refractory to other types of chemotherapy. In a retrospective analysis of hormone receptor-negative and lymph node-positive breast cancer patients randomized in an adjuvant phase III trial to 1-year low-dose metronomic methotrexate-based chemotherapy or no maintenance chemotherapy, a high CDK12 status predicts a dramatic reduction in distant metastasis rate in the chemotherapy-treated vs. not-treated arm. Thus, by coupling tumor progression with metabolic reprogramming, CDK12 creates an actionable vulnerability for breast cancer therapy and might represent a suitable companion biomarker for targeted antimetabolite therapies in human breast cancers.
To evaluate the role of immunological tests for monitoring lupus nephritis (LN) activity.
C3, C4, anti-dsDNA and anti-C1q antibodies were prospectively performed over 6 years in 228 patients with LN.
...In membranous LN only anti-C1q antibodies differentiated proteinuric flares from quiescent disease (p = 0.02). However, in this group 46% of flares occurred with a normal value of anti-C1q antibodies versus 20% in proliferative LN (p = 0.02). In patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (APL), 33% of flares occurred with normal levels of anti-C1q antibodies versus 14.5% in patients that were APL-negative (p = 0.02). In proliferative LN, anti-C1q antibodies showed a slightly better sensitivity and specificity (80.5 and 71% respectively) than other tests for the diagnosis of renal flares. All four tests had good negative predictive value (NPV). At univariate analysis anti-C1q was the best renal flare predictor (p<0.0005). At multivariate analysis, the association of anti-C1q with C3 and C4 provided the best performance (p<0.0005, p<0.005, p<0.005 respectively).
Anti-C1q is slightly better than the other tests to confirm the clinical activity of LN, particularly in patients with proliferative LN and in the absence of APL. All four "specific" tests had a good NPV, suggesting that, in the presence of normal values of each, active LN is unlikely.
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