Constraints on Minute-Scale Transient Astrophysical Neutrino Sources

High-energy neutrino emission has been predicted for several short-lived astrophysical transients including gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), core-collapse supernovae with choked jets, and neutron star mergers. IceCube's optical and x-ray follow-up program searches for such transient sources by looking for two or more muon neutrino candidates in directional coincidence and arriving within 100 s. The measured rate of neutrino alerts is consistent with the expected rate of chance coincidences of atmospheric background events and no likely electromagnetic counterparts have been identified in Swift follow-up observations. Here, we calculate generic bounds on the neutrino flux of short-lived transient sources. Assuming an E^{-2.5} neutrino spectrum, we find that the neutrino flux of rare sources, like long gamma-ray bursts, is constrained to <5% of the detected astrophysical flux and the energy released in neutrinos (100 GeV to 10 PeV) by a median bright GRB-like source is <10^{52.5}  erg. For a harder E^{-2.13} neutrino spectrum up to 30% of the flux could be produced by GRBs and the allowed median source energy is <10^{52}  erg. A hypothetical population of transient sources has to be more common than 10^{-5}  Mpc^{-3}  yr^{-1} (5×10^{-8}  Mpc^{-3}  yr^{-1} for the E^{-2.13} spectrum) to account for the complete astrophysical neutrino flux.

Employment and Occupational Outcomes of a Self-Determination Program for Adults With Intellectual Disability

Date Presented 4/19/2018

This study furthers research on programs based on self-determination principles to support adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) to attain competitive employment goals. It suggests that implementing the Self-Determined Career Development Model can result in increased self-rated performance of and satisfaction with meaningful activities in adults with ID.

Primary Author and Speaker: Lyndsey Hoffman

Additional Authors and Speakers: Jordan Harbour, Kayla Clark, Evan Dean

Search for neutrinos from decaying dark matter with IceCube: IceCube Collaboration

With the observation of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, interest has risen in models of PeV-mass decaying dark matter particles to explain the observed flux. We present two dedicated experimental analyses to test this hypothesis. One analysis uses 6 years of IceCube data focusing on muon neutrino 'track' events from the Northern Hemisphere, while the second analysis uses 2 years of 'cascade' events from the full sky. Known background components and the hypothetical flux from unstable dark matter are fitted to the experimental data. Since no significant excess is observed in either analysis, lower limits on the lifetime of dark matter particles are derived: we obtain the strongest constraint to date, excluding lifetimes shorter than10 28 s at 90% CL for dark matter masses above 10 TeV .

Measurement of the ν μ energy spectrum with IceCube-79: IceCube Collaboration

IceCube is a neutrino observatory deployed in the glacial ice at the geographic South Pole. The ν μ energy unfolding described in this paper is based on data taken with IceCube in its 79-string configuration. A sample of muon neutrino charged-current interactions with a purity of 99.5% was selected by means of a multivariate classification process based on machine learning. The subsequent unfolding was performed using the software Truee. The resulting spectrum covers an E ν -range of more than four orders of magnitude from 125 GeV to 3.2 PeV. Compared to the Honda atmospheric neutrino flux model, the energy spectrum shows an excess of more than 1.9 σ in four adjacent bins for neutrino energies E ν ≥ 177.8 TeV . The obtained spectrum is fully compatible with previous measurements of the atmospheric neutrino flux and recent IceCube measurements of a flux of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos.

Longitudinal study on the use of dried blood spots for home monitoring in children after kidney transplantation

The use of DBSs for home monitoring has been limited due to unsatisfactory blood sampling and analytical difficulties. The aim of this longitudinal feasibility trial was to assess the utility of DBS to monitor TAC and Cr at home in transplant recipients. A total of 30 participants (2-21 years, mean±SD, 13.6±5.4 year) were enrolled over 12 months. Eighteen were males. Monthly DBS samples were obtained at home and mailed to the central laboratory for analysis of TAC and Cr. Nineteen patients completed the study, and 216 cards were received in the laboratory from a total of 279 cards expected, with 416/519 (80%) blood spots being suitable for analysis. We found a high correlation between blood TAC and Cr levels by DBS and the clinical laboratory, R² =.81 and .95, respectively. Fifteen parents and 15 youth completed measures of satisfaction with and preference for DBS testing. All but one parent/caregiver and youth reported satisfaction and preference for this method of testing over laboratory blood draws. We conclude that home DBS monitoring is a feasible method to monitor TAC and Cr in pediatric transplant recipients.

Dark Matter Search Results from the PICO-60 C_{3}F_{8} Bubble Chamber

New results are reported from the operation of the PICO-60 dark matter detector, a bubble chamber filled with 52 kg of C_{3}F_{8} located in the SNOLAB underground laboratory. As in previous PICO bubble chambers, PICO-60 C_{3}F_{8} exhibits excellent electron recoil and alpha decay rejection, and the observed multiple-scattering neutron rate indicates a single-scatter neutron background of less than one event per month. A blind analysis of an efficiency-corrected 1167-kg day exposure at a 3.3-keV thermodynamic threshold reveals no single-scattering nuclear recoil candidates, consistent with the predicted background. These results set the most stringent direct-detection constraint to date on the weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-proton spin-dependent cross section at 3.4×10^{-41}  cm^{2} for a 30-GeV c^{-2} WIMP, more than 1 order of magnitude improvement from previous PICO results.

Longitudinal maternal hemodynamics in pregnancies affected by fetal growth restriction

OBJECTIVE

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a powerful determinant of poor perinatal outcome. From our previous work in pregnancies at high risk of development of hypertension we found impaired cardiovascular adaptation early in gestation in those destined to deliver growth-restricted infants. In this study, we monitored serially maternal hemodynamics from the first to third trimester in a similar high-risk cohort, in order to determine whether this distinct hemodynamic profile found at presentation persisted throughout pregnancy in those complicated by FGR.

METHODS

This was a prospective observational study based at a specialist antenatal hypertension clinic at a tertiary hospital in London. Maternal hemodynamics were evaluated serially using a non-invasive bioreactance method in pregnant women referred to the clinic with a history of chronic hypertension or a history of hypertensive disorder in a previous pregnancy. Differences in maternal hemodynamic parameters were compared between women who delivered a baby with a birth weight ≥ 10^th vs < 10^th percentile and ≥ 5^th vs < 5^th percentile.

RESULTS

Eighty-four pregnant women were included in the study. Mean gestational age at presentation was 14.3 weeks. Sixteen women delivered babies with a birth weight < 10^th percentile and 11 with a birth weight < 5^th percentile. In pregnancies with a birth weight ≥ 10^th percentile, longitudinal maternal hemodynamics showed a pattern consistent with well-established physiological changes in pregnancy, i.e. a reduction in vascular resistance and an increase in cardiac output with advancing gestation until mid-pregnancy. However, women who delivered babies with a birth weight < 10^th percentile showed a static pattern with no change during gestation and lower cardiac output and higher peripheral vascular resistance. Similar differences were seen when the 5^th percentile was used to discriminate between appropriately-grown and growth-restricted babies.

CONCLUSION

Serial assessment of maternal hemodynamics in high-risk women identifies distinctive trends associated with pregnancies destined to deliver babies with birth weights < 10^th and < 5^th percentiles. These pregnancies have a suppressed and static maternal cardiac output and stroke volume, and have consistently raised peripheral vascular resistance. This suggests that, in women with chronic hypertension or a history of hypertensive disorder in a previous pregnancy, FGR is associated with a primary and persistent failure of maternal cardiovascular adaptation in pregnancy. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Serial hemodynamic monitoring to guide treatment of maternal hypertension leads to reduction in severe hypertension

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether treatment for hypertension in pregnancy that is guided by serial monitoring of maternal central hemodynamics leads to a reduction in the rate of severe hypertension, defined as blood pressure ≥ 160/110 mmHg; and to assess the distinct longitudinal hemodynamic profiles associated with beta-blocker monotherapy, vasodilator monotherapy and dual agent therapy, and their relationships with outcomes, including fetal growth restriction.

METHODS

This was a prospective observational study at a dedicated antenatal hypertension clinic in a tertiary UK hospital. Fifty-two untreated women presenting with hypertension were recruited consecutively and started on treatment, either with a beta-blocker or a vasodilator. The choice of initial antihypertensive agent was determined according to a model constructed previously to predict the response to the beta-blocker labetalol in pregnant women needing antihypertensive treatment. At presentation, the demographic and maternal hemodynamic variables associated with a therapeutic response to labetalol, defined as blood pressure control < 140/90 mmHg with labetalol monotherapy throughout pregnancy, were ascertained and analyzed with logistic regression to create a model to predict sustained blood pressure control as described above. The women were reviewed regularly until delivery and underwent serial hemodynamic monitoring throughout pregnancy. If their blood pressure was elevated, the prediction model was referred to again to determine if alternative antihypertensive therapy, either with additional beta-blocker or a vasodilator, should be added.

RESULTS

Treatment by referring to results of serial hemodynamic monitoring reduced the rate of severe antenatal hypertension from 18% to 3.8%. Seventy-seven percent of women were initially prescribed a beta-blocker and 23% a vasodilator. The group that maintained good blood pressure control with beta-blocker monotherapy had the best fetal and maternal outcomes. They had lower blood pressures at presentation and throughout gestation, demonstrated well-maintained cardiac output and had the lowest rates of fetal growth restriction. The groups that required dual therapy to control their blood pressure had persistently higher blood pressure and rate of fetal growth restriction. The groups that required vasodilator therapy due to high levels of peripheral vascular resistance, either at presentation or later in pregnancy, accounted for 81% of cases with fetal growth restriction.

CONCLUSION

Using serial hemodynamic monitoring in pregnancy to guide treatment of hypertension significantly reduces the rate of severe hypertension and allows identification of high-resistance, low-output hypertensive pregnancies that are associated with an increased rate of fetal growth restriction. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

RESUMEN OBJETIVOS

Examinar si el tratamiento para la hipertensión en el embarazo guiado por un seguimiento en serie de las principales constantes hemodinámicas de la madre conduce a una reducción en la tasa de hipertensión grave, definida como presión arterial ≥ 160/110 mmHg; y evaluar los diferentes perfiles hemodinámicos longitudinales asociados a la monoterapia con beta-bloqueantes, la monoterapia con vasodilatadores y la terapia dual, y su relación con los resultados, como la restricción del crecimiento fetal. MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio observacional prospectivo en una clínica especializada en hipertensión prenatal de un hospital de atención terciaria del Reino Unido. Se reclutaron consecutivamente a cincuenta y dos mujeres no tratadas que presentaban hipertensión y se comenzó a tratarlas, bien con un beta-bloqueante o bien con un vasodilatador. La elección del agente antihipertensivo inicial se determinó de acuerdo con un modelo elaborado previamente para predecir la respuesta al beta-bloqueante labetalol en mujeres embarazadas que necesitaban tratamiento antihipertensivo. Al inicio se registraron las características demográficas y las variables hemodinámicas maternas asociadas con una respuesta terapéutica al labetalol, definida como un control de la presión arterial < 140/90 mmHg con monoterapia de labetalol durante todo el embarazo que se analizó mediante regresión logística para crear un modelo con el que pronosticar un control sostenido de la presión arterial, como se describe arriba. Las mujeres fueron sometidas a revisiones regulares hasta el momento del parto y se les hizo un seguimiento hemodinámico en serie durante todo el embarazo. Si la presión arterial era elevada, se empleó de nuevo el modelo de predicción para determinar si se debería añadir un tratamiento antihipertensivo alternativo, ya sea con un beta-bloqueante adicional o con un vasodilatador.

RESULTADOS

El tratamiento que tuvo en cuenta los resultados del seguimiento hemodinámico en serie redujo la tasa de hipertensión prenatal grave del 18% al 3,8%. Al 77% de las mujeres se les recetó inicialmente un y al 23% un vasodilatador. El grupo que mantuvo un buen control de la presión arterial con monoterapia de beta-bloqueantes logró mejores resultados fetales y maternos. Este grupo tuvo menor presión arterial al inicio y durante toda la gestación, mostró un gasto cardíaco en buen estado y tuvo las tasas más bajas de restricción del crecimiento fetal. Los grupos que requirieron terapia dual para controlar su presión arterial mostraron persistentemente una mayor presión arterial y un mayor ritmo de restricción del crecimiento fetal. Los grupos que requirieron tratamiento vasodilatador debido a los altos niveles de resistencia vascular periférica, tanto al inicio como durante el embarazo, representaron el 81% de los casos con restricción del crecimiento fetal. CONCLUSIÓN: El uso de un seguimiento hemodinámico en serie en el embarazo como guía para el tratamiento de la hipertensión reduce significativamente la tasa de hipertensión severa y permite la identificación de embarazos con hipertensión de alta resistencia y malos resultados, asociados con una mayor tasa de restricción del crecimiento fetal. : (≥ 160/110 mmHg);β、,()。 : 。52、,β。β。,(<140/90 mmHg),logistic,。,。,(β)。 : ,18%3.8%。77%β,23%。β。,,。,。,81%。 : ,,、。.

Constraints on Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic-Ray Sources from a Search for Neutrinos above 10 PeV with IceCube

We report constraints on the sources of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) above 10^{9}  GeV, based on an analysis of seven years of IceCube data. This analysis efficiently selects very high- energy neutrino-induced events which have deposited energies from 5×10^{5}  GeV to above 10^{11}  GeV. Two neutrino-induced events with an estimated deposited energy of (2.6±0.3)×10^{6}  GeV, the highest neutrino energy observed so far, and (7.7±2.0)×10^{5}  GeV were detected. The atmospheric background-only hypothesis of detecting these events is rejected at 3.6σ. The hypothesis that the observed events are of cosmogenic origin is also rejected at >99% CL because of the limited deposited energy and the nonobservation of events at higher energy, while their observation is consistent with an astrophysical origin. Our limits on cosmogenic neutrino fluxes disfavor the UHECR sources having a cosmological evolution stronger than the star formation rate, e.g., active galactic nuclei and γ-ray bursts, assuming proton-dominated UHECRs. Constraints on UHECR sources including mixed and heavy UHECR compositions are obtained for models of neutrino production within UHECR sources. Our limit disfavors a significant part of parameter space for active galactic nuclei and new-born pulsar models. These limits on the ultrahigh-energy neutrino flux models are the most stringent to date.

Searches for Sterile Neutrinos with the IceCube Detector

The IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole has measured the atmospheric muon neutrino spectrum as a function of zenith angle and energy in the approximate 320 GeV to 20 TeV range, to search for the oscillation signatures of light sterile neutrinos. No evidence for anomalous ν_{μ} or ν[over ¯]_{μ} disappearance is observed in either of two independently developed analyses, each using one year of atmospheric neutrino data. New exclusion limits are placed on the parameter space of the 3+1 model, in which muon antineutrinos experience a strong Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein-resonant oscillation. The exclusion limits extend to sin^{2}2θ_{24}≤0.02 at Δm^{2}∼0.3  eV^{2} at the 90% confidence level. The allowed region from global analysis of appearance experiments, including LSND and MiniBooNE, is excluded at approximately the 99% confidence level for the global best-fit value of |U_{e4}|^{2}.

Abstract P1-10-12: Biopsychosocial concerns of adolescent young adults (AYA) with breast cancer

Background: The natural history of breast cancer in the AYAs with breast cancer is reported to be more aggressing than that observed in older women. We wanted to determine the level of biopsychological distress in this population compared with women in other age groups.

Methods: All new patients seen at City of Hope complete a tablet-based self report biopsychosocial screening questionnaire (SupportScreen®). Patients are asked to score a series of problems on a 5-point Likert scale ("not a problem" to "very severe problem") and are asked if they are interested in obtaining help for that problem. Results: To date 1,159 women have undergone screening; 79 pts (6.9%) were age 18-39 yrs (AYA), 807 (69.6%) age 40-64 yrs, and 273 (23.6%) &gt; 65 yrs. The concerns that were unique to the AYA population included: Ability to have children (p=0.001) and physical appearance (p=0.047 for 40-64 yrs and p=0.018 for age &gt; 65 yrs). Older women were more concerned that AYAs or middle aged women about transportation (p=0.008), walking, climbing stairs (p=0.000). Compared to older women, those age 40-64 yrs were more likely to identify feeling anxious or fearful (p=0.032) and managing work, school or home life (p=0.018). In comparison to AYAs, those age 40-64 yrs had more distress related to recent weight change (p=0.034) and difficulty sleeping (p=0.006).

Conclusions: Biopsychosocial concerns change over the continuum of age. Compared to other age groups, the AYA population was more concerned about their ability to have children and their physical appearance. In other domains of distress, they were comparable to women age 40-65 yrs.

Citation Format: Smith R, Mortimer J, Loscalzo M, Clark K. Biopsychosocial concerns of adolescent young adults (AYA) with breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-10-12.

Isolation of live Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochaetes from patients with undefined disorders and symptoms not typical for Lyme borreliosis

Lyme borreliosis is a multisystem disorder with a diverse spectrum of clinical manifestations, caused by spirochaetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. It is an infectious disease that can be successfully cured by antibiotic therapy in the early stages; however, the possibility of the appearance of persistent signs and symptoms of disease following antibiotic treatment is recognized. It is known that Lyme borreliosis mimics multiple diseases that were never proven to have a spirochaete aetiology. Using complete modified Kelly-Pettenkofer medium we succeeded in cultivating live B. burgdorferi sensu lato spirochaetes from samples taken from people who suffered from undefined disorders, had symptoms not typical for Lyme borreliosis, but who had undergone antibiotic treatment due to a suspicion of having Lyme disease even though they were seronegative. We report the first recovery of live B. burgdorferi sensu stricto from residents of southeastern USA and the first successful cultivation of live Borrelia bissettii-like strain from residents of North America. Our results support the fact that B. bissettii is responsible for human Lyme borreliosis worldwide along with B. burgdorferi s.s. The involvement of new spirochaete species in Lyme borreliosis changes the understanding and recognition of clinical manifestations of this disease.

Evidence for Astrophysical Muon Neutrinos from the Northern Sky with IceCube

Results from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory have recently provided compelling evidence for the existence of a high energy astrophysical neutrino flux utilizing a dominantly Southern Hemisphere data set consisting primarily of ν(e) and ν(τ) charged-current and neutral-current (cascade) neutrino interactions. In the analysis presented here, a data sample of approximately 35,000 muon neutrinos from the Northern sky is extracted from data taken during 659.5 days of live time recorded between May 2010 and May 2012. While this sample is composed primarily of neutrinos produced by cosmic ray interactions in Earth's atmosphere, the highest energy events are inconsistent with a hypothesis of solely terrestrial origin at 3.7σ significance. These neutrinos can, however, be explained by an astrophysical flux per neutrino flavor at a level of Φ(E(ν))=9.9(-3.4)(+3.9)×10(-19)  GeV(-1) cm(-2) sr(-1) s(-1)(E(ν)/100  TeV(-2), consistent with IceCube's Southern-Hemisphere-dominated result. Additionally, a fit for an astrophysical flux with an arbitrary spectral index is performed. We find a spectral index of 2.2(-0.2)(+0.2), which is also in good agreement with the Southern Hemisphere result.

Lessons learned from implementing the HIV infant tracking system (HITSystem): A web-based intervention to improve early infant diagnosis in Kenya

OBJECTIVES

Guided by the RE-AIM model, we describe preliminary data and lessons learned from multiple serial implementations of an eHealth intervention to improve early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV in Kenya.

METHODS

We describe the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance of the HITSystem, an eHealth intervention that links key stakeholders to improve retention and outcomes in EID. Our target community includes mother-infant pairs utilizing EID services and government health care providers and lab personnel. We also explore our own role as program and research personnel supporting the dissemination and scale up of the HITSystem in Kenya.

RESULTS

Key findings illustrate the importance of continual adaptation of the HITSystem interface to accommodate varied stakeholders' workflows in different settings. Surprisingly, technology capacity and internet connectivity posed minimal short-term challenges. Early and sustained ownership of the HITSystem among stakeholders proved critical to reach, effectiveness and successful adoption, implementation and maintenance.

CONCLUSIONS

Preliminary data support the ability of the HITSystem to improve EID outcomes in Kenya. Strong and sustained collaborations with stakeholders improve the quality and reach of eHealth public health interventions.