1. |
- Aad, G., et al.
(author)
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- 2010
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swepub:Mat__t
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- Aad, G., et al.
(author)
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- 2010
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- Aad, G., et al.
(author)
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- 2011
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- Aad, G., et al.
(author)
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- 2010
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- Aad, G., et al.
(author)
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- 2010
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swepub:Mat__t
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13. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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The MACRO detector at Gran Sasso
- 2002
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In: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 486:3, s. 663-707
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- MACRO was an experiment that ran in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso from 1988 to 2000. Its principal goal was to observe magnetic monopoles or set significantly lower experimental flux limits than had been previously available in the velocity range from about beta = 10(-4) to unity. In addition it made a variety of other observations. Examples are: setting flux limits on other so far unobserved particles such as nuclearites and lightly ionizing particles, searching for WIMP annihilations in the Earth and the Sun and for neutrino bursts from stellar collapses in or near our Galaxy, and making measurements relevant to high energy muon and neutrino astronomy and of the flux of up-going muons as a function of nadir angle showing evidence for neutrino oscillations. The apparatus consisted of three principal types of detectors: liquid scintillator counters, limited streamer tubes, and nuclear track etch detectors. In addition, over part of its area it contained a transition radiation detector. The general design philosophy emphasized redundancy and complementarity. This paper describes the technical aspects of the complete MACRO detector, its operational performance, and the techniques used to calibrate it and verify its proper operation. It supplements a previously published paper which described the first portion of the detector that was built and operated. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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14. |
- Aglietta, M, et al.
(author)
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The cosmic ray primary composition between 10(15) and 10(16) eV from Extensive Air Showers electromagnetic and TeV muon data
- 2004
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 20:6, s. 641-652
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The cosmic ray primary composition in the energy range between 10(15) and 10(16) eV, i.e., around the "knee" of the primary spectrum, has been studied through the combined measurements of the EAS-TOP air shower array (2005 m a. s.l., 10(5) m(2) collecting area) and the MACRO underground detector (963 m.a.s.l., 3100 m w.e. of minimum rock overburden, 920 m(2) effective area) at the National Gran Sasso Laboratories. The used observables are the air shower size (N-c) measured by EAS-TOP and the muon number (N-mu) recorded by MACRO. The two detectors are separated on average by 1200 m of rock, and located at a respective zenith angle of about 30degrees. The energy threshold at the surface for muons reaching the MACRO depth is approximately 1.3 TeV. Such muons are produced in the early stages of the shower development and in a kinematic region quite different from the one relevant for the usual N-mu - N-e studies. The measurement leads to a primary composition becoming heavier at the knee of the primary spectrum, the knee itself resulting from the steepening of the spectrum of a primary light component (p, He) of Deltay = 0.7 +/- 0.4 at E-0 similar to 4 x 10(15) eV. The result confirms the ones reported from the observation of the low energy muons at the surface (typically in the GeV energy range), showing that the conclusions do not depend on the production region kinematics. Thus, the hadronic interaction model used (CORSIKA/QGSJET) provides consistent composition results from data related to secondaries produced in a rapidity region exceeding the central one. Such an evolution of the composition in the knee region supports the "standard" galactic acceleration/propagation models that imply rigidity dependent breaks of the different components.. and therefore breaks occurring at lower energies in the spectra of the light nuclei. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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15. |
- Aglietta, M, et al.
(author)
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The cosmic ray proton, helium and CNO fluxes in the 100 TeV energy region from TeV muons and EAS atmospheric Cherenkov light observations of MACRO and EAS-TOP
- 2004
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 21:3, s. 223-240
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The primary cosmic ray (CR) proton, helium and CNO fluxes in the energy range 80-300 TeV are studied at the National Gran Sasso Laboratories by means of EAS-TOP (Campo Imperatore, 2005 m a.s.l.) and MACRO (deep underground, 3100 m w.e., the surface energy threshold for a muon reaching the detector being E-mu(th) approximate to 1.3 TeV). The measurement is based on: (a) the selection of primaries based on their energy/nucleon (i.e., with energy/nucleon sufficient to produce a muon with energy larger than 1.3 TeV) and the reconstruction of the shower geometry by means of the muons recorded by MACRO in the deep underground laboratories; (b) the detection of the associated atmospheric Cherenkov light (C.l.) signals by means of the C.l. detector of EAS-TOP. The C.l. density at core distance r > 100 m is directly related to the total primary energy E-0. Proton and helium ("p + He") and proton, helium and CNO ("p + He + CNO") primaries are thus selected at E-0 approximate to 80 TeV, and at E-0 similar or equal to 250 TeV, respectively. Their flux is measured: J(p+He)(80 TeV) = (1.8 +/- 0.4) x 10(-6) m(-1)-s(-1) sr(-1) TeV-1, and J(p+He+CNO)(250 TeV) = (1.1 +/- 0.3) x 10(-7) m(-2)-s(-1) sr(-1) TeV-1, their relative weights being J(p+He)(J(p+He+CNO)) over bar (250 TeV) = 0.78 +/- 0.17. By using the measurements of the proton spectrum obtained from the direct experiments and hadron flux data in the atmosphere, we obtain for the relative weights of the three components at 250 TeV: J(p) : J(He) : J(CNO) = (0.20 +/- 0.08) : (0.58 +/- 0.19) : (0.22 +/- 0.17). This corresponds to the dominance of helium over proton primaries at 100-1000 TeV, and a possible non-negligible contribution from CNO. The lateral distribution of Cherenkov light in Extensive Air Showers (EASs), which is related to the rate of energy deposit of the primary in the atmosphere, is measured for a selected proton and helium primary beam, and good agreement is found when compared with the one calculated with the CORSIKA/QGSJET simulation model. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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16. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Muon energy estimate through multiple scattering with the MACRO detector
- 2002
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In: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 492:3, s. 376-386
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Muon energy measurement represents an important issue for any experiment addressing neutrino-induced up-going muon studies. Since the neutrino oscillation probability depends on the neutrino energy, a measurement of the muon energy adds an important piece of information concerning the neutrino system. We show in this paper how the MACRO limited streamer tube system can be operated in drift mode by using the TDCs included in the QTPs, an electronics designed for magnetic monopole search. An improvement of the space resolution is obtained, through an analysis of the multiple scattering of muon tracks as they pass through our detector. This information can be used further to obtain an estimate of the energy of muons crossing the detector. Here we present the results of two dedicated tests, performed at CERN PS-T9 and SPS-X7 beam lines, to provide a full check of the electronics and to exploit the feasibility of such a multiple scattering analysis. We show that by using a neural network approach, we are able to reconstruct the muon energy for E-mu < 40 GeV. The test beam data provide an absolute energy calibration, which allows us to apply this method to MACRO data. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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17. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Atmospheric neutrino oscillations from upward throughgoing muon multiple scattering in MACRO
- 2003
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In: Physics Letters B. - 0370-2693 .- 1873-2445. ; 566:1-2, s. 35-44
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The energy of atmospheric neutrinos detected by MACRO was estimated using multiple Coulomb scattering of upward throughgoing muons. This analysis allows a test of atmospheric neutrino oscillations, relying on the distortion of the muon energy distribution. These results have been combined with those coming from the upward throughgoing muon angular distribution only. Both analyses are independent of the neutrino flux normalization and provide strong evidence, above the for level, in favour of neutrino oscillations. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.
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18. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Final results of magnetic monopole searches with the MACRO experiment
- 2002
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In: European Physical Journal C. - : Springer. - 1434-6044 .- 1434-6052. ; 25:4, s. 511-522
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the final results obtained by the MACRO experiment in the search for GUT magnetic monopoles in the penetrating cosmic radiation, for the range 4 x 10(-5) < 3 < 1. Several searches with all the MACRO sub-detectors (i.e. scintillation counters, limited streamer tubes and nuclear track detectors) were performed, both in stand alone and combined ways. No candidates were detected and a 90% Confidence Level (C.L.) upper limit to the local magnetic monopole flux was set at the level of 1.4 x 10(-16) cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1). This result is the first experimental limit obtained in direct searches which is well below the Parker bound in the whole 3 range in which GUT magnetic monopoles are,expected.
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19. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Measurement of the residual energy of muons in the Gran Sasso underground laboratories
- 2003
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 19:3, s. 313-328
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The MACRO detector was located in the Hall B of the Gran Sasso underground laboratories under an average rock overburden of 3700 hg/cm(2). A transition radiation detector composed of three identical modules, covering a total horizontal area of 36 m(2), was installed inside the empty upper part of the detector in order to measure the residual energy of muons. This paper presents the measurement of the residual energy of single and double muons crossing the apparatus. Our data show that double muons are more energetic than single ones. This measurement is performed over a standard rock depth range from 3000 to 6500 hg/cm(2). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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20. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Moon and Sun shadowing effect in the MACRO detector
- 2003
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 20:2, s. 145-156
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using data collected by the MACRO experiment from 1989 to the end of its operations in 2000, we have studied in the underground muon flux the shadowing. effects due to both the Moon and the Sun. We have observed the shadow cast by the Moon at its apparent position with a significance of 6.5sigma. The Moon shadowing effect has been used to verify the pointing capability of the detector and to determine the instrument resolution for the search of muon excesses from any direction of the celestial sphere. The dependence of the effect on the geomagnetic field is clearly shown by splitting the data sample in day and night observations. The Sun shadow, observed with a significance of 4.6sigma is displaced by about 0.6degrees from its apparent position. In this case however the explanation resides in the configuration of the Solar and Interplanetary Magnetic Fields, which affect the propagation of cosmic ray particles between the Sun, and the Earth. The displacement of the Sun shadow with respect to the real Sun position has been used to establish an upper limit on the antimatter flux in cosmic rays of about 48% at 68% c.l. and primary energies of about 20 TeV. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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21. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Search for cosmic ray sources using muons detected by the MACRO experiment
- 2003
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 18:6, s. 615-627
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The MACRO underground detector at Gran Sasso Laboratory recorded 60 million secondary cosmic ray muons from February 1989 until December 2000. Different techniques were used to analyze this sample in search for density excesses from astrophysical point-like sources. No evidence for DC excesses for any source in an all-sky survey is reported. In addition, searches for muon excess correlated with the known binary periods of Cygnus X-3 and Hercules X-1, and searches for statistically significant bursting episodes from known gamma-ray sources are also proved negative. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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22. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Search for diffuse neutrino flux from astrophysical sources with MACRO
- 2003
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 19:1, s. 1-13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many galactic and extragalactic astrophysical sources are currently considered promising candidates as high-energy neutrino emitters. Astrophysical neutrinos can be detected as upward-going muons produced in charged-current interactions with the medium surrounding the detector. The expected neutrino fluxes from various models start to dominate on the atmospheric neutrino background at neutrino energies above some tens of TeV. We present the results of a search for an excess of high-energy upward-going muons among the sample of data collected by MACRO during similar to5.8 years of effective running time. No significant evidence for this signal was found. As a consequence, an upper limit on the flux of upward-going muons from high-energy neutrinos was set at the level of 1.7 x 10(-14) cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1). The corresponding upper limit for the diffuse neutrino flux was evaluated assuming a neutrino power law spectrum. Our result was compared with theoretical predictions and upper limits from other experiments. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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23. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Search for nucleon decays induced by GUT magnetic monopoles with the MACRO experiment
- 2002
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In: European Physical Journal C. - : Springer. - 1434-6044 .- 1434-6052. ; 26:2, s. 163-172
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The interaction of a Grand Unification Magnetic Monopole with a nucleon can lead to a barion-number violating process in which the nucleon decays into a lepton and one or more mesons (catalysis of nucleon decay). In this paper we report an experimental study of the effects of a catalysis process in the MACRO detector. Using a dedicated analysis we obtain new magnetic monopole (MM) flux upper limits at the level of similar to 3 (.) 10(-16) cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) for 1.1(.) 10(-4) less than or equal to \beta\ less than or equal to 5 (.) 10(-3), based on the search for catalysis events in the MACRO data. We also analyze the dependence of the MM flux limit on the catalysis cross section.
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24. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Search for the sidereal and solar diurnal modulations in the total MACRO muon data set
- 2003
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In: Physical Review D. Particles and fields. - : American Physical Society. - 0556-2821 .- 1089-4918. ; 67:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have analyzed 44.3M single muons collected by MACRO from 1991 through 2000 in 2145 live days of operation. We have searched for the solar diurnal, apparent sidereal, and pseudosidereal modulation of the underground muon rate by computing hourly deviations of the muon rate from 6 month averages. We find evidence for statistically significant modulations with the solar diurnal and the sidereal periods. The amplitudes of these modulations are <0.1%, and are at the limit of the detector statistics. The pseudosidereal modulation is not statistically significant. The solar diurnal modulation is due to the daily atmospheric temperature variations at 20 km, the altitude of primary cosmic ray interactions with the atmosphere; MACRO is the deepest experiment to report this result. The sidereal modulation is in addition to the expected Compton-Getting modulation due to solar system motion relative to the local standard of rest; it represents motion of the solar system with respect to the galactic cosmic rays toward the galactic plane.
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25. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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A combined analysis technique for the search for fast magnetic monopoles with the MACRO detector
- 2002
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 18:1, s. 27-41
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe a search method for fast moving (beta = v/c > 5 x 10(-3)) magnetic monopoles using simultaneously the scintillator, streamer tube and track-etch subdetectors of the MACRO apparatus. The first two subdetectors are used primarily for the identification of candidates while the track-etch one is used as the final tool for their rejection or confirmation. Using this technique, a first sample of more than two-years of data has been analyzed without any evidence of a magnetic monopole. We set a 90% CL upper limit to the local monopole flux of 1.5 x 10(-15) cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) in the velocity range 5 x 10(-3) less than or equal to beta less than or equal to 0.99 and for nucleon decay catalysis cross-section smaller than similar to1 mb (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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26. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Matter effects in upward-going muons and sterile neutrino oscillations
- 2001
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In: Physics Letters B. - : Elsevier. - 0370-2693 .- 1873-2445. ; 517:1-2, s. 59-66
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The angular distribution of upward-going muons produced by atmospheric neutrinos in the rock below the MACRO detector shows anomalies in good agreement with two flavor nu (mu) --> nu (tau) oscillations with maximum mixing and Deltam(2) around 0.0024 eV(2). Exploiting the dependence of magnitude of the matter effect on oscillation channel, and using a set of 809 upward-going muons observed in MACRO, we show that the two flavor nu (mu) --> nu (s) oscillation is disfavored with 99% C.L. with respect to nu (mu) --> nu (tau). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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27. |
- Ambrosio, M, et al.
(author)
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Measurements of atmospheric muon neutrino oscillations, global analysis of the data collected with MACRO detector
- 2004
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In: European Physical Journal C. - : Springer. - 1434-6044 .- 1434-6052. ; 36:3, s. 323-339
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The final analysis of atmospheric neutrino events collected with the MACRO detector is presented. Three different classes of events, generated by neutrinos in different energy ranges, are studied looking at rates, angular distributions and estimated energies. The results are consistent for all the subsamples and indicate a flux deficit that depends on energy and path - length of neutrinos. The no - oscillation hypothesis is excluded at similar to 5sigma, while the hypothesis of nu(mu) --> nu(tau) oscillation gives a satisfactory description of all data. The parameters with highest probability in a two flavor scenario are sin(2) 2theta(m) = 1 and Deltam(2) = 0.0023 eV(2). This result is independent of the absolute normalization of the atmospheric neutrino fluxes. The data can also be used to put experimental constrain on this normalization.
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28. |
- Togo, V, et al.
(author)
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Calibrations of CR39 and Makrofol nuclear track detectors and search for exotic particles
- 2003
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In: Nuclear physics B, Proceedings supplements. - : Elsevier. - 0920-5632 .- 1873-3832. ; 125, s. 217-221
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the final results of the search for exotic massive particles in the cosmic radiation performed with the MACRO underground experiment. Magnetic monopoles and nuclearites flux upper limits obtained with the CR39 nuclear track subdetector, the scintillation and streamer tube subdetectors are given. Searches at high altitude with the SLIM experiment are in progress.
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29. |
- Alffenaar, J. W. C., et al.
(author)
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Clinical standards for the dosing and management of TB drugs
- 2022
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In: The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. - Paris, France : International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. - 1027-3719 .- 1815-7920. ; 26:6, s. 483-
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Optimal drug dosing is important to ensure adequate response to treatment, prevent development of drug resistance and reduce drug toxicity. The aim of these clinical standards is to provide guidance on 'best practice' for dosing and management of TB drugs.Methods: A panel of 57 global experts in the fields of microbiology, pharmacology and TB care were identified; 51 participated in a Delphi process. A 5-point Likert scale was used to score draft standards. The final document represents the broad consensus and was approved by all participants.Results: Six clinical standards were defined: Standard 1, defining the most appropriate initial dose for TB treatment; Standard 2, identifying patients who may be at risk of sub-optimal drug exposure; Standard 3, identifying patients at risk of developing drug-related toxicity and how best to manage this risk; Standard 4, identifying patients who can benefit from therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM); Standard 5, highlighting education and counselling that should be provided to people initiating TB treatment; and Standard 6, providing essential education for healthcare professionals. In addition, consensus research priorities were identified.Conclusion: This is the first consensus-based Clinical Standards for the dosing and management of TB drugs to guide clinicians and programme managers in planning and implementation of locally appropriate measures for optimal person-centred treatment to improve patient care.
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33. |
- Benavides, Raquel, et al.
(author)
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The GenTree Leaf Collection : Inter- and intraspecific leaf variation in seven forest tree species in Europe
- 2021
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In: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 30:3, s. 590-597
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Motivation Trait variation within species can reveal plastic and/or genetic responses to environmental gradients, and may indicate where local adaptation has occurred. Here, we present a dataset of rangewide variation in leaf traits from seven of the most ecologically and economically important tree species in Europe. Sample collection and trait assessment are embedded in the GenTree project (EU-Horizon 2020), which aims at characterizing the genetic and phenotypic variability of forest tree species to optimize the management and sustainable use of forest genetic resources. Our dataset captures substantial intra- and interspecific leaf phenotypic variability, and provides valuable information for studying the relationship between ecosystem functioning and trait variability of individuals, and the response and resilience of species to environmental changes. Main types of variable contained We chose morphological and chemical characters linked to trade-offs between acquisition and conservation of resources and water use, namely specific leaf area, leaf size, carbon and nitrogen content and their ratio, and the isotopic signature of stable isotope C-13 and N-15 in leaves. Spatial location and grain We surveyed between 18 and 22 populations per species, 141 in total, across Europe. Time period Leaf sampling took place between 2016 and 2017. Major taxa and level of measurement We sampled at least 25 individuals in each population, 3,569 trees in total, and measured traits in 35,755 leaves from seven European tree species, i.e. the conifers Picea abies, Pinus pinaster and Pinus sylvestris, and the broadleaves Betula pendula, Fagus sylvatica, Populus nigra and Quercus petraea. Software format The data files are in ASCII text, tab delimited, not compressed.
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34. |
- Ebersole, Charles R., et al.
(author)
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Many Labs 5: Testing Pre-Data-Collection Peer Review as an Intervention to Increase Replicability
- 2020
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In: Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. - : Sage. - 2515-2467 .- 2515-2459. ; 3:3, s. 309-331
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Replication studies in psychological science sometimes fail to reproduce prior findings. If these studies use methods that are unfaithful to the original study or ineffective in eliciting the phenomenon of interest, then a failure to replicate may be a failure of the protocol rather than a challenge to the original finding. Formal pre-data-collection peer review by experts may address shortcomings and increase replicability rates. We selected 10 replication studies from the Reproducibility Project: Psychology (RP:P; Open Science Collaboration, 2015) for which the original authors had expressed concerns about the replication designs before data collection; only one of these studies had yielded a statistically significant effect (p < .05). Commenters suggested that lack of adherence to expert review and low-powered tests were the reasons that most of these RP:P studies failed to replicate the original effects. We revised the replication protocols and received formal peer review prior to conducting new replication studies. We administered the RP:P and revised protocols in multiple laboratories (median number of laboratories per original study = 6.5, range = 3-9; median total sample = 1,279.5, range = 276-3,512) for high-powered tests of each original finding with both protocols. Overall, following the preregistered analysis plan, we found that the revised protocols produced effect sizes similar to those of the RP:P protocols (Delta r = .002 or .014, depending on analytic approach). The median effect size for the revised protocols (r = .05) was similar to that of the RP:P protocols (r = .04) and the original RP:P replications (r = .11), and smaller than that of the original studies (r = .37). Analysis of the cumulative evidence across the original studies and the corresponding three replication attempts provided very precise estimates of the 10 tested effects and indicated that their effect sizes (median r = .07, range = .00-.15) were 78% smaller, on average, than the original effect sizes (median r = .37, range = .19-.50).
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35. |
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36. |
- Opgenoorth, Lars, et al.
(author)
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The GenTree Platform : growth traits and tree-level environmental data in 12 European forest tree species
- 2021
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In: GigaScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 2047-217X. ; 10:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Progress in the field of evolutionary forest ecology has been hampered by the huge challenge of phenotyping trees across their ranges in their natural environments, and the limitation in high-resolution environmental information.Findings: The GenTree Platform contains phenotypic and environmental data from 4,959 trees from 12 ecologically and economically important European forest tree species: Abies alba Mill. (silver fir), Betula pendula Roth. (silver birch), Fagus sylvatica L. (European beech), Picea abies (L.) H. Karst (Norway spruce), Pinus cembra L. (Swiss stone pine), Pinus halepensis Mill. (Aleppo pine), Pinus nigra Arnold (European black pine), Pinus pinaster Aiton (maritime pine), Pinus sylvestris L. (Scots pine), Populus nigra L. (European black poplar), Taxus baccata L. (English yew), and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. (sessile oak). Phenotypic (height, diameter at breast height, crown size, bark thickness, biomass, straightness, forking, branch angle, fructification), regeneration, environmental in situ measurements (soil depth, vegetation cover, competition indices), and environmental modeling data extracted by using bilinear interpolation accounting for surrounding conditions of each tree (precipitation, temperature, insolation, drought indices) were obtained from trees in 194 sites covering the species' geographic ranges and reflecting local environmental gradients.Conclusion: The GenTree Platform is a new resource for investigating ecological and evolutionary processes in forest trees. The coherent phenotyping and environmental characterization across 12 species in their European ranges allow for a wide range of analyses from forest ecologists, conservationists, and macro-ecologists. Also, the data here presented can be linked to the GenTree Dendroecological collection, the GenTree Leaf Trait collection, and the GenTree Genomic collection presented elsewhere, which together build the largest evolutionary forest ecology data collection available.
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37. |
- Araujo, I. M., et al.
(author)
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Changes in calcium dynamics following the reversal of the sodium-calcium exchanger have a key role in AMPA receptor-mediated neurodegeneration via calpain activation in hippocampal neurons
- 2007
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In: Cell Death and Differentiation. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1350-9047 .- 1476-5403. ; 14:9, s. 1635-1646
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Proteolytic cleavage of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) by calpains impairs calcium homeostasis, leading to a delayed calcium overload and excitotoxic cell death. However, it is not known whether reversal of the exchanger contributes to activate calpains and trigger neuronal death. We investigated the role of the reversal of the NCX in Ca2+ dynamics, calpain activation and cell viability, in alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA) receptor-stimulated hippocampal neurons. Selective overactivation of AMPA receptors caused the reversal of the NCX, which accounted for approximately 30% of the rise in intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+](i)). The NCX reverse-mode inhibitor, 2-[2-[4-(4-nitrobenzyloxy) phenyl]ethyl] isothiourea (KB-R7943), partially inhibited the initial increase in [Ca2+](i), and prevented a delayed increase in [Ca2+](i). In parallel, overactivation of AMPA receptors strongly activated calpains and led to the proteolysis of NCX3. KB-R7943 prevented calpain activation, cleavage of NCX3 and was neuroprotective. Silencing of NCX3 reduced Ca2+ uptake, calpain activation and was neuroprotective. Our data show for the first time that NCX reversal is an early event following AMPA receptor stimulation and is linked to the activation of calpains. Since calpain activation subsequently inactivates NCX, causing a secondary Ca2+ entry, NCX may be viewed as a new suicide substrate operating in a Ca2+-dependent loop that triggers cell death and as a target for neuroprotection.
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38. |
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39. |
- Pedro, Joana Reis, et al.
(author)
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Transient gain of function of cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the control of frontocortical glucose consumption in a rat model of Type-1 diabetes
- 2020
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In: Brain Research Bulletin. - : Elsevier BV. - 0361-9230. ; 161, s. 106-115
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Here we aimed to unify some previous controversial reports on changes in both cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) expression and glucose metabolism in the forebrain of rodent models of diabetes. We determined how glucose metabolism and its modulation by CB1R ligands evolve in the frontal cortex of young adult male Wistar rats, in the first 8 weeks of streptozotocin-induced type-1 diabetes (T1D). We report that frontocortical CB1R protein density was biphasically altered in the first month of T1D, which was accompanied with a reduction of resting glucose uptake ex vivo in acute frontocortical slices that was normalized after eight weeks in T1D. This early reduction of glucose uptake in slices was also restored by ex vivo treatment with both the non-selective CB1R agonists, WIN55212−2 (500 nM) and the CB1R-selective agonist, ACEA (3 μM) while it was exacerbated by the CB1R-selective antagonist, O-2050 (500 nM). These results suggest a gain-of-function for the cerebrocortical CB1Rs in the control of glucose uptake in diabetes. Although insulin and IGF-1 receptor protein densities remained unaffected, phosphorylated GSKα and GSKβ levels showed different profiles 2 and 8 weeks after T1D induction in the frontal cortex. Altogether, the biphasic response in frontocortical CB1R density within a month after T1D induction resolves previous controversial reports on forebrain CB1R levels in T1D rodent models. Furthermore, this study also hints that cannabinoids may be useful to alleviate impaired glucoregulation in the diabetic cortex.
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- Seferovic, Petar M., et al.
(author)
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Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in heart failure: beyond glycaemic control. A position paper of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology
- 2020
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In: European Journal of Heart Failure. - : WILEY. - 1388-9842 .- 1879-0844. ; 22:9, s. 1495-1503
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Heart failure (HF) is common and associated with a poor prognosis, despite advances in treatment. Over the last decade cardiovascular outcome trials with sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have demonstrated beneficial effects for three SGLT2 inhibitors (empagliflozin, canagliflozin and dapagliflozin) in reducing hospitalisations for HF. More recently, dapagliflozin reduced the risk of worsening HF or death from cardiovascular causes in patients with chronic HF with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus. A number of additional trials in HF patients with reduced and/or preserved left ventricular ejection fraction are ongoing and/or about to be reported. The present position paper summarises recent clinical trial evidence and discusses the role of SGLT2 inhibitors in the treatment of HF, pending the results of ongoing trials in different populations of patients with HF.
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- Bianco, Cristina, et al.
(author)
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Non-invasive stratification of hepatocellular carcinoma risk in non-alcoholic fatty liver using polygenic risk scores.
- 2021
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In: Journal of hepatology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1600-0641 .- 0168-8278. ; 74:4, s. 775-782
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk stratification in individuals with dysmetabolism is a major unmet need. Genetic predisposition contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to exploit robust polygenic risk scores (PRS) that can be evaluated in the clinic to gain insight into the causal relationship between NAFLD and HCC, and to improve HCC risk stratification.We examined at-risk individuals (NAFLD cohort, n=2,566; 226 with HCC; and a replication cohort of 427 German patients with NAFLD) and the general population (UK Biobank [UKBB] cohort, n=364,048; 202 with HCC). Variants in PNPLA3-TM6SF2-GCKR-MBOAT7 were combined in a hepatic fat PRS (PRS-HFC), and then adjusted for HSD17B13 (PRS-5).In the NAFLD cohort, the adjusted impact of genetic risk variants on HCC was proportional to the predisposition to fatty liver (p=0.002) with some heterogeneity in the effect. PRS predicted HCC more robustly than single variants (p<10-13). The association between PRS and HCC was mainly mediated through severe fibrosis, but was independent of fibrosis in clinically relevant subgroups, and was also observed in those without severe fibrosis (p<0.05). In the UKBB cohort, PRS predicted HCC independently of classical risk factors and cirrhosis (p<10-7). In the NAFLD cohort, we identified high PRS cut-offs (≥0.532/0.495 for PRS-HFC/PRS-5) that in the UKBB cohort detected HCC with ∼90% specificity but limited sensitivity; PRS predicted HCC both in individuals with (p<10-5) and without cirrhosis (p<0.05).Our results are consistent with a causal relationship between hepatic fat and HCC. PRS improved the accuracy to detect HCC and may help stratify HCC risk in individuals with dysmetabolism, including those without severe liver fibrosis. Further studies are needed to validate our findings.
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- Espejo, M, et al.
(author)
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Increased survival of dopaminergic neurons in striatal grafts of fetal ventral mesencephalic cells exposed to neurotrophin-3 or glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor
- 2000
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In: Cell transplantation. - : SAGE Publications. - 0963-6897 .- 1555-3892. ; 9:1, s. 45-53
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The transplantation of fetal mesencephalic cell suspensions into the brain striatal system is an emerging treatment for Parkinson's disease. However, one objection to this procedure is the relatively poor survival of implanted cells. The ability of neurotrophic factors to regulate developmental neuron survival and differentiation suggests they could be used to enhance the success of cerebral grafts. We studied the effects of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) or glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) on the survival of dopaminergic neurons from rat fetal ventral mesencephalic cells (FMCs) implanted into the rat striatum. Two conditions were tested: (a) incubation of FMCs in media containing NT-3 and GDNF, prior to grafting, and (b) co-grafting of FMCs with cells engineered to overexpress high levels of NT-3 or GDNF. One week after grafting into the rat striatum, the survival of TH+ neurons was significantly increased by pretreatment of ventral mesencephalic cells with NT-3 or GDNF. Similarly, co-graft of ventral mesencephalic cells with NT-3- or GDNF-overexpressing cells, but not the mock-transfected control cell line, increased the survival of graft-derived dopaminergic neurons. Interestingly, we also found that co-grafting of GDNF-overexpressing cells was less effective than NT-3 at improving the survival of fetal dopaminergic neurons in the grafts, and that only GDNF induced intense TH immunostaining in fibers and nerve endings of the host tissue surrounding the implant. Thus, our results suggest that NT-3, by strongly enhancing survival, and GDNF, by promoting both survival and sprouting, may improve the efficiency of fetal transplants in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
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