Search for Spatial Correlations of Neutrinos with Ultra-high-energy Cosmic Rays

For several decades, the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) has been an unsolved question of high-energy astrophysics. One approach for solving this puzzle is to correlate UHECRs with high-energy neutrinos, since neutrinos are a direct probe of hadronic interactions of cosmic rays and are not deflected by magnetic fields. In this paper, we present three different approaches for correlating the arrival directions of neutrinos with the arrival directions of UHECRs. The neutrino data are provided by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and ANTARES, while the UHECR data with energies above ∼50 EeV are provided by the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array. All experiments provide increased statistics and improved reconstructions with respect to our previous results reported in 2015. The first analysis uses a high-statistics neutrino sample optimized for point-source searches to search for excesses of neutrino clustering in the vicinity of UHECR directions. The second analysis searches for an excess of UHECRs in the direction of the highest-energy neutrinos. The third analysis searches for an excess of pairs of UHECRs and highest-energy neutrinos on different angular scales. None of the analyses have found a significant excess, and previously reported overfluctuations are reduced in significance. Based on these results, we further constrain the neutrino flux spatially correlated with UHECRs

Immunohistochemical cross-reaction of anti-mammalian LH-RH in lower vertebrates

International audienc

Gonadotropic cells of the rainbow trout pituitary during the annual cycle. Ultrastructure and hormone content

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METABOLISM OF ESTRADIOL, ETHYNYLESTRADIOL, AND MOXESTROL IN RAT UTERUS, VAGINA, AND AORTA: INFLUENCE OF SEX STEROID TREATMENT

This paper is available online at http://dmd.aspetjournals.org ABSTRACT: Estrogen replacement therapy for postmenopausal women consists of an estrogenic and a progestagenic compound. The treatment has a positive estrogenic effect on bone, the cardiovascular system, and vagina but is dependent of the estrogen-progestagen balance in uterus to prevent unwanted proliferation. We were interested in the influence of estrogens and progestagens on estrogen metabolism in target tissues of estrogen replacement therapy. Therefore, we studied the metabolism of estradiol, 17␣-ethynylestradiol, and moxestrol (11␤-methoxy-17␣-ethynylestradiol) in rat uterus, vagina, and aorta. In uterus and vagina, estradiol was converted to estrone, estradiol-3-glucuronide, and estrone-3-glucuronide. These metabolites demonstrate the presence of 17␤-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17␤-HSD) and UDP-glucuronosyl transferase (UDP-GT) in uterus and vagina. We found that the conversion of estradiol by 17␤-HSD in uterus was increased in animals treated with estradiol or with a combination of estradiol and progesterone. The conversion of estradiol in uterus by UDP-GT was estradiol-induced and in contrast, progesterone-suppressed. In the vagina, steroid hormone treatment had no effect on estradiol conversion by 17␤-HSD or UDP-GT. Ethynylestradiol was glucuronidated only, and this was not affected by steroid treatment. Moxestrol was not converted in any of the three organs that were studied, indicating that the 11␤-methoxy substituent renders it a poor substrate for glucuronidation. Overall, the estrogen metabolism, and its regulation by sex steroids, in rat uterus is different compared with human uterus. Therefore, the rat may not be the best-suited model to investigate uterine effects of estradiol-progestagen combined treatment