We have searched for intermediate-scale anisotropy in the arrival directions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays with energies above 57 EeV in the northern sky using data collected over a 5 yr period by ...the surface detector of the Telescope Array experiment. We report on a cluster of events that we call the hotspot, found by oversampling using 20degrees radius circles. The hotspot has a Li-Ma statistical significance of 5.1sigma, and is centered at R.A. = 146degrees.7, decl. = 43degrees.2. The position of the hotspot is about 19degrees off of the supergalactic plane. The probability of a cluster of events of 5.1sigma significance, appearing by chance in an isotropic cosmic-ray sky, is estimated to be 3.7 x 10 super(-4) (3.4sigma).
The Telescope Array (TA) collaboration has measured the energy spectrum of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) with primary energies above 1.6 x 10 super(18) eV. This measurement is based upon ...four years of observation by the surface detector component of TA. The spectrum shows a dip at an energy of 4.6 x 10 super(18) eV and a steepening at 5.4 x 10 super(19) eV which is consistent with the expectation from the GZK cutoff. We present the results of a technique, new to the analysis of UHECR surface detector data, that involves generating a complete simulation of UHECRs striking the TA surface detector. The procedure starts with shower simulations using the CORSIKA Monte Carlo program where we have solved the problems caused by use of the "thinning" approximation. This simulation method allows us to make an accurate calculation of the acceptance of the detector for the energies concerned.
We study the anisotropy of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR) events collected by the Telescope Array (TA) detector in the first 40 months of operation. Following earlier studies, we examine event ...sets with energy thresholds of 10 EeV, 40 EeV, and 57 EeV. We find that the distributions of the events in right ascension and declination are compatible with an isotropic distribution in all three sets. We then compare with previously reported clustering of the UHECR events at small angular scales. No significant clustering is found in the TA data. We then check the events with E > 57 EeV for correlations with nearby active galactic nuclei. No significant correlation is found. Finally, we examine all three sets for correlations with the large-scale structure (LSS) of the universe. We find that the two higher-energy sets are compatible with both an isotropic distribution and the hypothesis that UHECR sources follow the matter distribution of the universe (the LSS hypothesis), while the event set with E > 10 EeV is compatible with isotropy and is not compatible with the LSS hypothesis at 95% CL unless large deflection angles are also assumed. We show that accounting for UHECR deflections in a realistic model of the Galactic magnetic field can make this set compatible with the LSS hypothesis.
We search for correlations between the positions of extragalactic objects and the arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) with primary energy E > or =, slanted 40 EeV as observed ...by the surface detector array of the Telescope Array (TA) experiment during the first 40 months of operation. We examine several public astronomical object catalogs, including the Veron-Cetty and Veron catalog of active galactic nuclei. We count the number of TA events correlated with objects in each catalog as a function of three parameters: the maximum angular separation between a TA event and an object, the minimum energy of the events, and the maximum redshift of the objects. We determine the combination of these parameters that maximizes the correlations, and we calculate the probability of having the same levels of correlations from an isotropic distribution of UHECR arrival directions. No statistically significant correlations are found when penalties for scanning over the above parameters and for searching in several catalogs are taken into account.
Objectives
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disease. We aimed to identify the relationship and factor structure among its different features.
Materials & methods
Motor, ...olfactory and cognitive function, and cardiac sympathetic denervation were evaluated in 125 patients with PD using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) part III score, odor stick identification test for the Japanese (OSIT‐J), Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), and 123I meta‐iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) cardiac scintigraphy (heart‐to‐mediastinum (H/M) ratio). Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to evaluate the association among the four measures with age, gender, and disease duration as the covariates. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the underlying factor structure among the measures and covariates.
Results
Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis showed correlations between OSIT‐J score and MIBG H/M ratio, OSIT‐J and MMSE scores, UPDRS part III score and MIBG H/M ratio, UPDRS part III score and disease duration, and MMSE score and age. Factor analysis identified three factors: (i) age and MMSE score; (ii) MIBG H/M ratio and OSIT‐J score; and (iii) UPDRS part III score and disease duration.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that aging, PD‐related pathogenesis, and disease duration underlie the multisystem neurodegeneration present in PD. Moreover, age and disease duration are the major risk factors for cognitive impairment and motor symptoms, respectively. Olfactory impairment and cardiac sympathetic denervation are strongly associated in PD.
The 2011 Tohoku‐oki earthquake occurred with a rupture length of 500 km along the Japan Trench, causing a large slip (>30 m) at the shallowest portion of the plate boundary fault south of 39°N off ...Miyagi and a smaller slip (~10 m) north of 39°N off Sanriku, the northern part of the source area. We estimated the P wave velocity (Vp) structure around the shallowest portion of the plate boundary along the trench to investigate the spatial correlation between the structural variation and coseismic shallow slip distribution of the 2011 earthquake. For this purpose, we analyzed data from an air gun‐ocean bottom seismometer survey on an along‐arc line on the lower part of the landward slope of the Japan Trench. We detected a high Vp zone in the hanging wall of the plate interface off Miyagi, which corresponds to the Cretaceous backstop. The Vp model also showed the absence of the high Vp zone off Sanriku. This suggests that the low‐Vp deformed prism is wider off Sanriku than off Miyagi. Therefore, the backstop is close to the trench particularly off Miyagi. We suggest a correlation between this along‐arc variation of the hanging wall side structure and the extent of the coseismic shallow slip in the trench axial region; the large slip reached the trench off Miyagi but not off Sanriku.
Plain Language Summary
This study estimated the P wave velocity structure to investigate the spatial correlation between the structural variation and coseismic shallow slip distribution of the 2011 Tohoku‐oki earthquake through an air gun‐ocean bottom seismometer survey on an along‐arc line of the deformed sedimentary prism on the landward slope of the Japan Trench. We detected a high P wave velocity zone in the hanging wall of the plate interface off Miyagi, but not off Sanriku, implying that the deformed prism off Sanriku is wider than off Miyagi. This implies that rigid rock would be in contact with the plate interface considerably closer to the trench off Miyagi than off Sanriku. We suggest that this along‐arc variation of the hanging wall side structure is a possible factor controlling the extent of the coseismic shallow slip in the trench axial region.
Key Points
Seismic structural study land side of Japan Trench showed along‐arc Vp heterogeneity above the plate boundary
High Vp backstop localized south of 39°N implies the backstop protrusion in that area, thus closer to the trench than north of 39°N
Trench axial zone of 38°–39°N with the backstop protrusion corresponds to the “slip to the trench” area during 2011 Tohoku‐oki event
1-Kestose is a trisaccharide prebiotic that modifies immune responses in humans and rodents with allergic diseases by altering the intestinal microbiota. In the present study, we examined the effects ...of 1-kestose supplementation on the intestinal microbiota, peripheral lymphocyte subsets, and antibody production in healthy dogs. Fecal IgA levels and serum antibody titers against the rabies vaccine were not significantly affected by 1-kestose supplementation. In a flow cytometric analysis, the percentage of T cells among total lymphocytes decreased, whereas that of B cells increased in supplemented dogs. A metagenomic analysis of the intestinal microbiota showed that the proportion of Bifidobacterium increased, while that of Lactobacillus did not decrease in supplemented dogs. Furthermore, a quantification analysis using real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that the proportion of Bifidobacterium increased in supplemented dogs. These results suggest that 1-kestose supplementation induced modifications in the intestinal microbiota of dogs, which presumably enhanced the immune system. 1-Kestose may be a useful food material as a prebiotic for dogs.
ABSTRACT We report on the search for steady point-like sources of neutral particles around 1018 eV between 2008 and 2013 May with the scintillator SD of the Telescope Array experiment. We found ...overall no significant point-like excess above 0.5 EeV in the northern sky. Subsequently, we also searched for coincidence with the Fermi bright Galactic sources. No significant coincidence was found within the statistical uncertainty. Hence, we set an upper limit on the neutron flux that corresponds to an averaged flux of 0.07 km−2 yr−1 for EeV in the northern sky at the 95% confidence level. This is the most stringent flux upper limit in a northern sky survey assuming point-like sources. The upper limit at the 95% confidence level on the neutron flux from Cygnus X-3 is also set to 0.2 km−2 yr−1 for EeV. This is an order of magnitude lower than previous flux measurements.
A Gram-positive, short diphtheroid-shaped organism was isolated from a sow's placenta of an abortion. This novel isolate, strain Murakami(T), was examined physiologically, chemotaxonomically and ...phylogenetically. Cells had an irregular V-shaped or palisade arrangement. Colonies appeared translucent on TMVL agar. Cells were strictly anaerobic, negative for catalase and gelatin decomposition and positive for nitrate reduction and soluble starch hydrolysis. Fourteen sugars including glucose were utilized as carbon sources for growth, but 15 sugars including arabinose were not. alpha-Galactosidase, beta-galactosidase, alpha-glucosidase and leucine arylamidase were produced, but beta-glucosidase was not. Fermentation products were lactic, succinic and acetic acids. Sugars of whole cells consisted of rhamnose and ribose. The amino-acid composition of the peptidoglycan was glutamic acid, alanine and lysine in the molar ratio of 1 : 2 : 1. The main fatty acid components of whole cells were C(14 : 0), C(16 : 0), C(16 : 1)omega7 and C(18 : 1)omega9. The bacterial menaquinone was MK-10(H(4)). The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and two unknown phosphatidylinositol mannosides. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain Murakami(T) was 63.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences from strain Murakami(T) and other members of the genus Arcanobacterium supported the phenotypic findings that strain Murakami(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Arcanobacterium abortisuis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Murakami(T) (=ATCC BAA-1522(T) =DSM 19515(T) =JCM 14813(T)).
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