Monocular UHECR Spectra as Measured by HiRes

We have measured the spectrum of UHE cosmic rays in monocular mode using separately both detectors the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment. We describe the two detectors and the basic methods of analysis, and we present our measured spectra. We compare these spectra with that produced by an astrophysical source model with galactic and uniformly distributed extra-galactic sources. We also compare our spectra to the spectra produced by the AGASA experiment.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of ICHEP 200

Cerenkov Events Seen by The TALE Air Fluorescence Detector

The Telescope Array Low-Energy Extension (TALE) is a hybrid, Air Fluorescence Detector (FD) / Scintillator Array, designed to study cosmic ray initiated showers at energies above $\sim3\times10^{16}$ eV. Located in the western Utah desert, the TALE FD is comprised of 10 telescopes which cover the elevation range 31-58$^{\circ}$ in addition to 14 telescopes with elevation coverage of 3-31$^{\circ}$. As with all other FD's, a subset of the shower events recorded by TALE are ones for which the Cerenkov light produced by the shower particles dominates the total observed light signal. In fact, for the telescopes with higher elevation coverage, low energy Cerenkov events form the vast majority of triggered cosmic ray events. In the typical FD data analysis procedure, this subset of events is discarded and only events for which the majority of signal photons come from air fluorescence are kept. In this talk, I will report on a study to reconstruct the "Cerenkov Events" seen by the high elevation viewing telescopes of TALE. Monte Carlo studies and a first look at real events observed by TALE look very promising. Even as a monocular detector, the geometrical reconstruction method employed in this analysis allows for a pointing accuracy on the order of a degree. Preliminary Monte Carlo studies indicate that, the expected energy resolution is better than 25$$. It may be possible to extend the low energy reach of TALE to below $10^{16}$ eV. This would be the first time a detector designed specifically as an air fluorescence detector is used as an imaging Cerenkov detector.Comment: Presentation at the DPF 2013 Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Particles and Fields, Santa Cruz, California, August 13-17, 2013. 5 pages, 2 figure

A Measurement of the UHECR Spectrum with the HiRes FADC Detector

We have measured the energy spectrum of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) with the HiRes FADC detector (HiRes-2) in monocular mode. A detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the detector response to air showers has been used to calculate the energy dependent acceptance of the air fluorescence detector. The measured spectrum complements the measurement by the HiRes-1 detector down to lower energies. Systematic effects of the assumed input spectrum and composition on the aperture are presented, as well as systematics due to the atmosphere.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, to be included in the CRIS '04 (Cosmic Ray International Seminar) proceedings (Nucl. Phys. B

Assessing Diabetes Integrated Patient Education And Glucose Control And Differential Diabetes Treatment Response By Gender In Jordan

Background: Between 1994 and 2004 the prevalence of diabetes in Jordan increased from 13.0% to 17.1%. Among individuals with diabetes in Jordan, 54% had unsatisfactory blood glucose control. In response to the diabetes epidemic in Jordan, the National Center for Diabetes Endocrinology and Genetics (NCDEG) was founded. NCDEG\u27s primary objective is to improve diabetes treatment in Jordan, and does so by offering treatment facilities specific for diabetic patient needs. In 2008 NCDEG began implementation of an integrated patient education strategy (IPE). Certified diabetes educators joined NCDEG and were provided space within each diabetes clinic within the center for individual patient counseling. The program was fully implemented by 2009. However, NCDEG did not have a feedback mechanism to assess the effectiveness of the program. Methods: To assess the effectiveness of the integrated education program and assess whether response differed between gender, we sampled patients attending NCDEG prior IPE implementation (01Jan2006 - 31Dec2007) (P1) and patients enrolled at NCDEG after implementation (01Jan2010 - 31Dec2011) (P2). Patients eligible for study were diabetic, were new patients within each time period, had at least three visits to the center within each time period, and could not be pregnant during the periods of study. To collect data, an iPad application was developed to extract data from charts on the first 3 visits to the center. A team of physicians at NCDEG was assembled to collect the data. Chi-square tests and F-Tests were used to compare categorical variables and t-tests were used to compare continuous variables. A linear model was created with period being the primary predictor variable. Results: Univariate analyses showed that change in HbA1c did not differ between P1 (-1.54 SD=1.81) and P2 (-1.52 SD=1.85) (p=0.894). Univariate analysis showed that change in HbA1c differed between females (-1.30 SD=1.80) and males (-1.77 SD=1.84) (p\u3c0.001). Univariate analysis showed the change in HbA1c was different between females and males within each period: female P1 (-1.26 SD=1.77) versus male P1 (-1.80 SD=1.81) (p=0.007) and female P2 (-1.32 SD=1.82) versus male P2 (-1.74 SD=1.87) (p=0.019). When controlling for Gender, Age, Duration of Diabetes, HbA1c at V1, Time between V2 and V3, BMI between V1 and V3 Chronic Kidney Disease status, Hyperthyroidism status, Sulfonylurea prescription, MIX Insulin prescription and NPH prescription the average change in HbA1c in P2 was -0.177 (SD=0.012) higher than in P1 and the average change of male HbA1c decrease was -0.222 (SD=0.088) higher than for females. Conclusions: Glucose control improved after implementation of diabetes education intervention and this improvement was more pronounced among male than female patients

Fitting the HiRes Spectra and Monocular Composition

This paper consists of two sections. In the first section, we discuss our fits to the latest HiRes monocular spectra. We find that the best fit for the extragalactic component has a spectral index of $\gamma=-2.38\pm0.04$ with a distribution of sources varying with a evolution parameter $m=2.8\pm0.3$. In the second section, we discuss preliminary results from a new composition measurement using HiRes monocular data. We find a predominantly light spectrum above $10^{17.6}$ eV.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures; to appear in the proceedings of CRIS 2004, Catania, Italy, 31 May - 4 June 200

The Influence of Dopamine Transporter Gene Polymorphisms on Hippocampus Cognitive Function of Generalization

The human ability to generalize previously learned information and stimuli to novel situations is essential for adaptation. It has been shown that the interactions between the basal ganglia and the medial temporal lobe may play a role in learning and generalization. Different genes are involved in regulating dopaminergic function in the basal ganglia. Synaptic dopamine signals are regulated by the dopamine transporter (DAT). Despite the significance of dopamine in modulating learning, it is still unclear how generalization can be modulated by the dopaminergic pathways. In this study, we will examine how dopamine regulates generalization by studying a naturally-occurring variable tandem repeats polymorphism, the 3’UTR VNTR, in the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1). The 3’UTR VNTR polymorphism regulates the expression of the DAT. A sample of 400 healthy participants from Al-Quds University completed an acquired equivalence computer-based cognitive task for generalization. This task aimed to evaluate the ability to learn stimulus associations and generalize the learned rules to novel stimuli. Our results showed that participants with the 9-repeat genotype, which is known to be associated with less DAT expression and higher levels of dopamine, exhibited better performance in the learning phase than participants who were 10/10 homozygotes (higher DAT and less dopamine). There was no effect of genotypes on performance in the generalization phase. Our study shows that dopamine levels could play an important role in regulating the learning process that relates to basal ganglia functionality. Dissociating the contributions of dopamine function to the basal ganglia vs. medial temporal lobe cognitive function can significantly further our understanding of these two crucial neural systems

The Effect of Clouds on Air Showers Observation from Space

Issues relating to extensive air showers observation by a space-borne fluorescence detector and the effects of clouds on the observations are investigated using Monte Carlo simulation. The simulations assume the presence of clouds with varying altitudes and optical depths. Simulated events are reconstructed assuming a cloud-free atmosphere. While it is anticipated that auxiliary instruments, such as LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging), will be employed to measure the atmospheric conditions during actual observation, it is still possible that these instruments may fail to recognize the presence of a cloud in a particular shower observation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects on the reconstructed shower parameters in such cases. Reconstruction results are shown for both monocular and stereo detectors and for the two limiting cases of optically thin, and optically thick clouds.Comment: 31 pages, 13 figure

Measurements of the Muon Content of UHECR Air Showers with the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Observatory, recently completed, has been operational since 2004. As a hybrid experiment, it allows for a wide range of measurements of UHECR-induced extensive air showers (EAS), including measurements of the EAS particle content on ground which is sensitive to high-energy hadronic interactions. We present the results of several independent measurements of the EAS muon content on ground in Auger data at a primary energy of 10 EeV. We discuss implications on high-energy hadronic interaction models and cosmic ray composition.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures; proceedings of ISVHECRI 2008 - XV International Symposium on Very High Energy Cosmic Ray Interaction