Subclinical Hearing Loss, Longer Sleep Duration, and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Japanese General Population

Hearing loss leads to impaired social functioning and quality of life. Hearing loss is also associated with sleeping disorders and cardiometabolic risk factors. Here, we determined whether subclinical hearing loss is associated with sleep duration and cardiometabolic risk factors in a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of healthy Japanese general population. 48,091 men and women aged 20–79 years who underwent medical checkups were included in a cross-sectional study, and 6,674 were included in an 8-year longitudinal study. The prevalence of audiometrically determined hearing loss (>25 dB) at 4000 and 1000 Hz increased significantly with increasing sleep duration in any age strata. Logistic regression analysis showed that compared with reference sleep duration (6 h) longer sleep duration (≥8 h) was significantly associated with hearing loss, even after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Simultaneously, hearing loss was significantly associated with male sex, diabetes, and no habitual exercise. In the longitudinal study, the risk of longer sleep duration (≥8 h) after 8 years was significantly greater in subjects with hearing loss at 4000 Hz at baseline. In conclusion, current results suggest a potential association of subclinical hearing loss with longer sleep duration and cardiometabolic risk factors in a Japanese general population

RCSLenS: testing gravitational physics through the cross-correlation of weak lensing and large-scale structure

The unknown nature of ‘dark energy’ motivates continued cosmological tests of large-scale gravitational physics. We present a new consistency check based on the relative amplitude of non-relativistic galaxy peculiar motions, measured via redshift-space distortion, and the relativistic deflection of light by those same galaxies traced by galaxy–galaxy lensing. We take advantage of the latest generation of deep, overlapping imaging and spectroscopic data sets, combining the Red Cluster Sequence Lensing Survey, the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey, the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. We quantify the results using the ‘gravitational slip’ statistic EG, which we estimate as 0.48 ± 0.10 at z = 0.32 and 0.30 ± 0.07 at z = 0.57, the latter constituting the highest redshift at which this quantity has been determined. These measurements are consistent with the predictions of General Relativity, for a perturbed Friedmann–Robertson–Walker metric in a Universe dominated by a cosmological constant, which are EG = 0.41 and 0.36 at these respective redshifts. The combination of redshift-space distortion and gravitational lensing data from current and future galaxy surveys will offer increasingly stringent tests of fundamental cosmology

Validity and Reliability of the Japanese Version of the Rome III Diagnostic Questionnaire for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Functional Dyspepsia

Background/AimsReliable diagnostic instruments for measuring the presence of functional gastrointestinal disorders based on the Rome III criteria have been lacking in Japan. The aims of the present study were to translate and validate the Rome III diagnostic questionnaire which was widely used in Western countries.MethodsThe original version of Rome III diagnostic questionnaire was translated from English into Japanese through 3 independent forward translations, resolution, back translation and reconciliation of the differences. Forty-nine patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), 32 patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and 56 subjects without any current GI symptoms as controls were recruited from three hospitals located in different regions of Japan and completed the IBS and FD diagnostic modules twice within 14 days. Kappa statistic was used to assess test-retest reliability. The sensitivity and specificity of each diagnostic module for distinguishing IBS or FD patients from controls was tested.ResultsMedian kappa statistics were 0.63 for the translated IBS diagnostic module and 0.68 for the FD module. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predict value of the IBS module against physician diagnosis was 61.2%, 100%, and 100% and those of the FD module was 53.2%, 98.2%, and 94.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, IBS patients were significantly more likely to report blood in stools compared to controls (18.4% vs 1.8%, P < 0.01).ConclusionsThe IBS and FD diagnostic modules on the Japanese version of the Rome III diagnostic questionnaire are valid and reliable. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the diagnostic utility of the red flag questionnaire

RCSLenS: testing gravitational physics through the cross-correlation of weak lensing and large-scale structure

The unknown nature of dark energy motivates continued cosmological tests of large-scale gravitational physics. We present a new consistency check based on the relative amplitude of non-relativistic galaxy peculiar motions, measured via redshift-space distortion, and the relativistic deflection of light by those same galaxies traced by galaxy-galaxy lensing. We take advantage of the latest generation of deep, overlapping imaging and spectroscopic datasets, combining the Red Cluster Sequence Lensing Survey (RCSLenS), the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS), the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). We quantify the results using the "gravitational slip" statistic E_G, which we estimate as 0.48 +/- 0.10 at z=0.32 and 0.30 +/- 0.07 at z=0.57, the latter constituting the highest redshift at which this quantity has been determined. These measurements are consistent with the predictions of General Relativity, for a perturbed Friedmann-Robertson-Walker metric in a Universe dominated by a cosmological constant, which are E_G = 0.41 and 0.36 at these respective redshifts. The combination of redshift-space distortion and gravitational lensing data from current and future galaxy surveys will offer increasingly stringent tests of fundamental cosmology.Comment: 25 pages, 24 figures, version accepted for publication by MNRAS, blind analysi

The masses of satellites in GAMA galaxy groups from 100 square degrees of KiDS weak lensing data

We use the first 100 deg2 of overlap between the Kilo-Degree Survey and the Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey to determine the average galaxy halo mass of ∼10 000 spectroscopically confirmed satellite galaxies in massive (M > 1013 h−1 M⊙) galaxy groups. Separating the sample as a function of projected distance to the group centre, we jointly model the satellites and their host groups with Navarro–Frenk–White density profiles, fully accounting for the data covariance. The probed satellite galaxies in these groups have total masses log 〈Msub/(h−1 M⊙)〉 ≈ 11.7–12.2 consistent across group-centric distance within the errorbars. Given their typical stellar masses, log 〈M⋆, sat/(h−2 M⊙)〉 ∼ 10.5, such total masses imply stellar mass fractions of 〈M⋆, sat〉/〈Msub〉 ≈ 0.04 h−1. The average subhalo hosting these satellite galaxies has a mass Msub ∼ 0.015Mhost independent of host halo mass, in broad agreement with the expectations of structure formation in a Λ cold dark matter universe.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Unveiling galaxy bias via the halo model, KiDS, and GAMA

Large scale structure and cosmolog

The stellar-to-halo mass relation of GAMA galaxies from 100 deg2of KiDS weak lensing data

We study the stellar-to-halo mass relation of central galaxies in the range 9.7 5 × 1010h-2M&sun;, the stellar mass increases with halo mass as ˜ {}M_h^{0.25}. The ratio of dark matter to stellar mass has a minimum at a halo mass of 8 × 1011h-1M&sun; with a value of M_h/M_*=56_{-10}^{+16} [h]. We also use the GAMA group catalogue to select centrals and satellites in groups with five or more members, which trace regions in space where the local matter density is higher than average, and determine for the first time the stellar-to-halo mass relation in these denser environments. We find no significant differences compared to the relation from the full sample, which suggests that the stellar-to-halo mass relation does not vary strongly with local density. Furthermore, we find that the stellar-to-halo mass relation of central galaxies can also be obtained by modelling the lensing signal and stellar mass function of satellite galaxies only, which shows that the assumptions to model the satellite contribution in the halo model do not significantly bias the stellar-to-halo mass relation. Finally, we show that the combination of weak lensing with the stellar mass function can be used to test the purity of group catalogues

Halo ellipticity of GAMA galaxy groups from KiDS weak lensing

We constrain the average halo ellipticity of ~2 600 galaxy groups from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey, using the weak gravitational lensing signal measured from the overlapping Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS). To do so, we quantify the azimuthal dependence of the stacked lensing signal around seven different proxies for the orientation of the dark matter distribution, as it is a priori unknown which one traces the orientation best. On small scales, the major axis of the brightest group/cluster member (BCG) provides the best proxy, leading to a clear detection of an anisotropic signal. In order to relate that to a halo ellipticity, we have to adopt a model density profile. We derive new expressions for the quadrupole moments of the shear field given an elliptical model surface mass density profile. Modeling the signal with an elliptical Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile on scales < 250 kpc, which roughly corresponds to half the virial radius, and assuming that the BCG is perfectly aligned with the dark matter, we find an average halo ellipticity of e_h=0.38 +/- 0.12. This agrees well with results from cold-dark-matter-only simulations, which typically report values of e_h ~ 0.3. On larger scales, the lensing signal around the BCGs does not trace the dark matter distribution well, and the distribution of group satellites provides a better proxy for the halo's orientation instead, leading to a 3--4 sigma detection of a non-zero halo ellipticity at scales between 250 kpc and 750 kpc. Our results suggest that the distribution of stars enclosed within a certain radius forms a good proxy for the orientation of the dark matter within that radius, which has also been observed in hydrodynamical simulations

The third data release of the Kilo-Degree Survey and associated data products

The Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) is an ongoing optical wide-field imaging survey with the OmegaCAM camera at the VLT Survey Telescope. It aims to image 1500 square degrees in four filters (ugri). The core science driver is mapping the large-scale matter distribution in the Universe, using weak lensing shear and photometric redshift measurements. Further science cases include galaxy evolution, Milky Way structure, detection of high-redshift clusters, and finding rare sources such as strong lenses and quasars. Here we present the third public data release (DR3) and several associated data products, adding further area, homogenized photometric calibration, photometric redshifts and weak lensing shear measurements to the first two releases. A dedicated pipeline embedded in the Astro-WISE information system is used for the production of the main release. Modifications with respect to earlier releases are described in detail. Photometric redshifts have been derived using both Bayesian template fitting, and machine-learning techniques. For the weak lensing measurements, optimized procedures based on the THELI data reduction and lensfit shear measurement packages are used. In DR3 stacked ugri images, weight maps, masks, and source lists for 292 new survey tiles (~300 sq.deg) are made available. The multi-band catalogue, including homogenized photometry and photometric redshifts, covers the combined DR1, DR2 and DR3 footprint of 440 survey tiles (447 sq.deg). Limiting magnitudes are typically 24.3, 25.1, 24.9, 23.8 (5 sigma in a 2 arcsec aperture) in ugri, respectively, and the typical r-band PSF size is less than 0.7 arcsec. The photometric homogenization scheme ensures accurate colors and an absolute calibration stable to ~2% for gri and ~3% in u. Separately released are a weak lensing shear catalogue and photometric redshifts based on two different machine-learning techniques.Comment: small modifications; 27 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic