39 research outputs found
Update on the correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic matter
Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory through 31 August 2007 showed
evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above the
Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min energy threshold, \nobreak{eV}. The
anisotropy was measured by the fraction of arrival directions that are less
than from the position of an active galactic nucleus within 75 Mpc
(using the V\'eron-Cetty and V\'eron catalog). An updated
measurement of this fraction is reported here using the arrival directions of
cosmic rays recorded above the same energy threshold through 31 December 2009.
The number of arrival directions has increased from 27 to 69, allowing a more
precise measurement. The correlating fraction is , compared
with expected for isotropic cosmic rays. This is down from the early
estimate of . The enlarged set of arrival directions is
examined also in relation to other populations of nearby extragalactic objects:
galaxies in the 2 Microns All Sky Survey and active galactic nuclei detected in
hard X-rays by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. A celestial region around the
position of the radiogalaxy Cen A has the largest excess of arrival directions
relative to isotropic expectations. The 2-point autocorrelation function is
shown for the enlarged set of arrival directions and compared to the isotropic
expectation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics on 31 August 201
Advanced functionality for radio analysis in the Offline software framework of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The advent of the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) necessitates the
development of a powerful framework for the analysis of radio measurements of
cosmic ray air showers. As AERA performs "radio-hybrid" measurements of air
shower radio emission in coincidence with the surface particle detectors and
fluorescence telescopes of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the radio analysis
functionality had to be incorporated in the existing hybrid analysis solutions
for fluoresence and surface detector data. This goal has been achieved in a
natural way by extending the existing Auger Offline software framework with
radio functionality. In this article, we lay out the design, highlights and
features of the radio extension implemented in the Auger Offline framework. Its
functionality has achieved a high degree of sophistication and offers advanced
features such as vectorial reconstruction of the electric field, advanced
signal processing algorithms, a transparent and efficient handling of FFTs, a
very detailed simulation of detector effects, and the read-in of multiple data
formats including data from various radio simulation codes. The source code of
this radio functionality can be made available to interested parties on
request.Comment: accepted for publication in NIM A, 13 pages, minor corrections to
author list and references in v
Search for First Harmonic Modulation in the Right Ascension Distribution of Cosmic Rays Detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory
We present the results of searches for dipolar-type anisotropies in different
energy ranges above eV with the surface detector array of
the Pierre Auger Observatory, reporting on both the phase and the amplitude
measurements of the first harmonic modulation in the right-ascension
distribution. Upper limits on the amplitudes are obtained, which provide the
most stringent bounds at present, being below 2% at 99% for EeV
energies. We also compare our results to those of previous experiments as well
as with some theoretical expectations.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figure
An Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Perceived Social Distancing Policies in Relation to Planning, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy Meals: An Observational Study in 38 Countries Worldwide
Objectives: To examine changes in planning, selecting, and preparing healthy foods in relation to personal factors (time, money, stress) and social distancing policies during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods: Using cross-sectional online surveys collected in 38 countries worldwide in April-June 2020 (N = 37,207, Mage 36.7 SD 14.8, 77% women), we compared changes in food literacy behaviors to changes in personal factors and social distancing policies, using hierarchical multiple regression analyses controlling for sociodemographic variables. Results: Increases in planning (4.7 SD 1.3, 4.9 SD 1.3), selecting (3.6 SD 1.7, 3.7 SD 1.7), and preparing (4.6 SD 1.2, 4.7 SD 1.3) healthy foods were found for women and men, and positively related to perceived time availability and stay-at-home policies. Psychological distress was a barrier for women, and an enabler for men. Financial stress was a barrier and enabler depending on various sociodemographic variables (all p < 0.01). Conclusion: Stay-at-home policies and feelings of having more time during COVID-19 seem to have improved food literacy. Stress and other social distancing policies relate to food literacy in more complex ways, highlighting the necessity of a health equity lens. Copyright 2021 De Backer, Teunissen, Cuykx, Decorte, Pabian, Gerritsen, Matthys, Al Sabbah, Van Royen and the Corona Cooking Survey Study Group.This research was funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (G047518N) and Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HBC.2018.0397). These funding sources had no role in the design of the study, the analysis and interpretation of the data or the writing of, nor the decision to publish the manuscript.Scopu
A century of trends in adult human height
Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5-22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3-19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8-144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries
Two‐week oral treatment of tinea pedis, comparing terbinafine (250 mg/day) with itraconazole (100 mg/day): a double‐blind, multicentre study
In this randomized double‐blind trial, two new antifungal compounds were compared in patients with interdigital or more extensive forms of tinea pedis. Two weeks of oral treatment with either terbinafine, an allylamine and new chemical entity, 250 mg daily, or itraconazole 100 mg daily, was given to 366 patients (184 terbinafine, 182 itraconazole). Of 13 patients who did not return after the first visit, 11 were lost to follow‐up (five on terbinafine, six on itraconazole) and two reported adverse events. Another nine patients (three on terbinafine and six on itraconazole) were excluded because it was uncertain to which group they were randomized. A central laboratory performed both the mycology and safety tests. In 355 patients who received the study medications and were available for analysis of side‐effects, 18 out of 179 (10·0%) in the terbinafine group and 10 out of 176 (5·7%) in the itraconazole group reported adverse events. No new clinically significant laboratory abnormalities were seen after treatment. At week 8 the efficacy analysis in 117 patients with mycologically confirmed dermatophyte infections (51 on terbinafine, 66 on itraconazole) showed that clinical symptoms were absent or minimal in 94·1% of the terbinafine and 72·7% of the itraconazole group (P=0·0095); mycology was negative in 86·3% of the terbinafine and 54·5% of the itraconazole group (P=0·0002). With terbinafine, negative mycology at week 8 was 81.3% in the interdigital and 88·6% in the more extensive forms of tinea pedis; with itraconazole mycology was negative in 65·0% and 50·0% of patients, respectively. This study demonstrates that the primary fungicidal action of terbinafine, i.e. its ability to kill fungi at minimal inhibitory concentrations, is of substantial clinical and economic benefit to patients with tinea pedis. After a 2‐week oral treatment period of any form of tinea pedis, terbinafine produced significantly higher mycological cure rates and significantly better clinical improvement than itraconazole. Copyright © 1994, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reservedSCOPUS: ar.jFLWNAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe
Supplementary Material for: The SQ House Dust Mite SLIT-Tablet Is Well Tolerated in Patients with House Dust Mite Respiratory Allergic Disease
<p><b><i>Background:</i></b> The SQ house dust mite (HDM) SLIT-tablet
(ALK, Denmark) addresses the underlying cause of HDM respiratory
allergic disease, and a clinical effect has been demonstrated for both
HDM allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma. Here, we present pooled
safety data from an adult population with HDM respiratory allergy, with
particular focus on the impact of asthma on the SQ HDM SLIT-tablet
tolerability profile. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Safety data from 2
randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials were
included: MT-04: 834 adults with HDM allergic asthma not well controlled
by inhaled corticosteroids and with HDM allergic rhinitis, and MT-06:
992 adults with moderate-to-severe HDM allergic rhinitis despite the use
of allergy pharmacotherapy and with or without asthma. <b><i>Results:</i></b>
The proportion of subjects experiencing adverse events (AEs) was
greater in the active treatment group (12 SQ-HDM; 73% of subjects)
compared to placebo (53%). The most common treatment-related AEs were
local allergic reactions. No AEs were reported as systemic allergic
reactions. Regardless of asthma status, most AEs were mild or moderate
(>97% of AEs) and the frequency of serious AEs was low. Subgroup
analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in the risk of
experiencing moderate or severe treatment-related AEs for subjects with
asthma compared to subjects without asthma (<i>p</i> = 0.88). In
addition, subjects with partly controlled or uncontrolled asthma were no
more likely to experience moderate or severe treatment-related AEs than
subjects with controlled asthma (<i>p</i> = 0.42). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b>
The SQ HDM SLIT-tablet is well tolerated, and the safety profile was
comparable for subjects with HDM respiratory allergic disease
irrespective of asthma status.</p