Precision Constraints for Three-Flavor Neutrino Oscillations from the Full MINOS+ and MINOS Dataset.

We report the final measurement of the neutrino oscillation parameters Δm_{32}^{2} and sin^{2}θ_{23} using all data from the MINOS and MINOS+ experiments. These data were collected using a total exposure of 23.76×10^{20} protons on target producing ν_{µ} and ν[over ¯]_{µ} beams and 60.75 kt yr exposure to atmospheric neutrinos. The measurement of the disappearance of ν_{µ} and the appearance of ν_{e} events between the Near and Far detectors yields |Δm_{32}^{2}|=2.40_{-0.09}^{+0.08}(2.45_{-0.08}^{+0.07})×10^{-3} eV^{2} and sin^{2}θ_{23}=0.43_{-0.04}^{+0.20}(0.42_{-0.03}^{+0.07}) at 68% C.L. for normal (inverted) hierarchy.

Search for Sterile Neutrinos in MINOS and MINOS+ Using a Two-Detector Fit.

A search for mixing between active neutrinos and light sterile neutrinos has been performed by looking for muon neutrino disappearance in two detectors at baselines of 1.04 and 735 km, using a combined MINOS and MINOS+ exposure of 16.36×10^{20} protons on target. A simultaneous fit to the charged-current muon neutrino and neutral-current neutrino energy spectra in the two detectors yields no evidence for sterile neutrino mixing using a 3+1 model. The most stringent limit to date is set on the mixing parameter sin^{2}θ_{24} for most values of the sterile neutrino mass splitting Δm_{41}^{2}>10^{-4} eV^{2}.

Search for Sterile Neutrinos Mixing with Muon Neutrinos in MINOS.

We report results of a search for oscillations involving a light sterile neutrino over distances of 1.04 and 735 km in a ν_{µ}-dominated beam with a peak energy of 3 GeV. The data, from an exposure of 10.56×10^{20} protons on target, are analyzed using a phenomenological model with one sterile neutrino. We constrain the mixing parameters θ_{24} and Δm_{41}^{2} and set limits on parameters of the four-dimensional Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata matrix, |U_{µ4}|^{2} and |U_{τ4}|^{2}, under the assumption that mixing between ν_{e} and ν_{s} is negligible (|U_{e4}|^{2}=0). No evidence for ν_{µ}→ν_{s} transitions is found and we set a world-leading limit on θ_{24} for values of Δm_{41}^{2}≲1 eV^{2}.

Representing the thermal state in time-dependent density functional theory.

Classical molecular dynamics (MD) provides a powerful and widely used approach to determining thermodynamic properties by integrating the classical equations of motion of a system of atoms. Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) provides a powerful and increasingly useful approach to integrating the quantum equations of motion for a system of electrons. TDDFT efficiently captures the unitary evolution of a many-electron state by mapping the system into a fictitious non-interacting system. In analogy to MD, one could imagine obtaining the thermodynamic properties of an electronic system from a TDDFT simulation in which the electrons are excited from their ground state by a time-dependent potential and then allowed to evolve freely in time while statistical data are captured from periodic snapshots of the system. For a variety of systems (e.g., many metals), the electrons reach an effective state of internal equilibrium due to electron-electron interactions on a time scale that is short compared to electron-phonon equilibration. During the initial time-evolution of such systems following electronic excitation, electron-phonon interactions should be negligible, and therefore, TDDFT should successfully capture the internal thermalization of the electrons. However, it is unclear how TDDFT represents the resulting thermal state. In particular, the thermal state is usually represented in quantum statistical mechanics as a mixed state, while the occupations of the TDDFT wavefunctions are fixed by the initial state in TDDFT. We work to address this puzzle by (A) reformulating quantum statistical mechanics so that thermodynamic expectations can be obtained as an unweighted average over a set of many-body pure states and (B) constructing a family of non-interacting (single determinant) TDDFT states that approximate the required many-body states for the canonical ensemble.

First measurement of neutrino and antineutrino coherent charged pion production on argon.

We report on the first cross section measurements for charged current coherent pion production by neutrinos and antineutrinos on argon. These measurements are performed using the ArgoNeuT detector exposed to the NuMI beam at Fermilab. The cross sections are measured to be 2.6(-1.0)(+1.2)(stat)(-0.4)(+0.3)(syst)×10(-38) cm(2)/Ar for neutrinos at a mean energy of 9.6 GeV and 5.5(-2.1)(+2.6)(stat)(-0.7)(+0.6)(syst)×10(-39) cm(2)/Ar for antineutrinos at a mean energy of 3.6 GeV.

Combined analysis of νµ disappearance and νµâ†’νe appearance in MINOS using accelerator and atmospheric neutrinos.

We report on a new analysis of neutrino oscillations in MINOS using the complete set of accelerator and atmospheric data. The analysis combines the ν(µ) disappearance and ν(e) appearance data using the three-flavor formalism. We measure |Δm(32)(2)| = [2.28-2.46] × 10(-3) eV(2) (68% C.L.) and sin(2)θ(23) = 0.35-0.65 (90% C.L.) in the normal hierarchy, and |Δm(32)(2)| = [2.32-2.53] × 10(-3) eV(2) (68% C.L.) and sin(2)θ(23) = 0.34-0.67 (90% C.L.) in the inverted hierarchy. The data also constrain δ(CP), the θ(23} octant degeneracy and the mass hierarchy; we disfavor 36% (11%) of this three-parameter space at 68% (90%) C.L.

Electron neutrino and antineutrino appearance in the full MINOS data sample.

We report on ν(e) and ν(e) appearance in ν(µ) and ν(µ) beams using the full MINOS data sample. The comparison of these ν(e) and ν(e) appearance data at a 735 km baseline with θ13 measurements by reactor experiments probes δ, the θ23 octant degeneracy, and the mass hierarchy. This analysis is the first use of this technique and includes the first accelerator long-baseline search for ν(µ) → ν(e). Our data disfavor 31% (5%) of the three-parameter space defined by δ, the octant of the θ23, and the mass hierarchy at the 68% (90%) C.L. We measure a value of 2sin(2)(2θ13)sin(2)(θ23) that is consistent with reactor experiments.

Measurement of neutrino and antineutrino oscillations using beam and atmospheric data in MINOS.

We report measurements of oscillation parameters from ν(µ) and ν(µ) disappearance using beam and atmospheric data from MINOS. The data comprise exposures of 10.71×10(20) protons on target in the ν(µ)-dominated beam, 3.36×10(20) protons on target in the ν(µ)-enhanced beam, and 37.88 kton yr of atmospheric neutrinos. Assuming identical ν and ν oscillation parameters, we measure |Δm2| = (2.41(-0.10)(+0.09))×10(-3) eV2 and sin2(2θ) = 0.950(-0.036)(+0.035). Allowing independent ν and ν oscillations, we measure antineutrino parameters of |Δm2| = (2.50(-0.25)(+0.23))×10(-3) eV2 and sin2(2θ) = 0.97(-0.08)(+0.03), with minimal change to the neutrino parameters.

Improved measurement of muon antineutrino disappearance in MINOS.

We report an improved measurement of ν(µ) disappearance over a distance of 735 km using the MINOS detectors and the Fermilab Main Injector neutrino beam in a ν(µ)-enhanced configuration. From a total exposure of 2.95×10(20) protons on target, of which 42% have not been previously analyzed, we make the most precise measurement of Δm2=[2.62(-0.28)(+0.31)(stat)±0.09(syst)]×10(-3) eV2 and constrain the ν(µ) mixing angle sin2(2θ)>0.75 (90% C.L.). These values are in agreement with Δm2 and sin2(2θ) measured for ν(µ), removing the tension reported in [P. Adamson et al. (MINOS), Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 021801 (2011).].

Measurement of the neutrino mass splitting and flavor mixing by MINOS.

Measurements of neutrino oscillations using the disappearance of muon neutrinos from the Fermilab NuMI neutrino beam as observed by the two MINOS detectors are reported. New analysis methods have been applied to an enlarged data sample from an exposure of 7.25×10(20) protons on target. A fit to neutrino oscillations yields values of |Δm(2)|=(2.32(-0.08)(+0.12))×10(-3) eV(2) for the atmospheric mass splitting and sin(2)(2θ)>0.90 (90% C.L.) for the mixing angle. Pure neutrino decay and quantum decoherence hypotheses are excluded at 7 and 9 standard deviations, respectively.

Active to sterile neutrino mixing limits from neutral-current interactions in MINOS.

Results are reported from a search for active to sterile neutrino oscillations in the MINOS long-baseline experiment, based on the observation of neutral-current neutrino interactions, from an exposure to the NuMI neutrino beam of 7.07×10(20) protons on target. A total of 802 neutral-current event candidates is observed in the Far Detector, compared to an expected number of 754 ± 28(stat) ± 37(syst) for oscillations among three active flavors. The fraction f(s) of disappearing ν(µ) that may transition to ν(s) is found to be less than 22% at the 90% C.L.

First direct observation of muon antineutrino disappearance.

This Letter reports the first direct observation of muon antineutrino disappearance. The MINOS experiment has taken data with an accelerator beam optimized for ν(µ) production, accumulating an exposure of 1.71 × 10²° protons on target. In the Far Detector, 97 charged current ν(µ) events are observed. The no-oscillation hypothesis predicts 156 events and is excluded at 6.3σ. The best fit to oscillation yields |Δm²| = [3.36(-0.40)(+0.46)(stat) ± 0.06(syst)] × 10⁻³ eV², sin²(2θ) = 0.86(-0.12)(+0.11)(stat) ± 0.01(syst). The MINOS ν(µ) and ν(µ) measurements are consistent at the 2.0% confidence level, assuming identical underlying oscillation parameters.

Improved search for Muon-neutrino to electron-neutrino oscillations in MINOS.

We report the results of a search for ν(e) appearance in a ν(µ) beam in the MINOS long-baseline neutrino experiment. With an improved analysis and an increased exposure of 8.2 × 10(20) protons on the NuMI target at Fermilab, we find that 2 sin(2) (θ(23))sin(2)(2θ(13))<0.12(0.20) at 90% confidence level for δ = 0 and the normal (inverted) neutrino mass hierarchy, with a best-fit of 2sin(2) (θ(23))sin(2)(2θ(13)) = 0.041(-0.031)(+0.047) (0.079(-0.053) (+0.071)). The θ(13) = 0 hypothesis is disfavored by the MINOS data at the 89% confidence level.

Search for Lorentz invariance and CPT violation with the MINOS far detector.

We searched for a sidereal modulation in the MINOS far detector neutrino rate. Such a signal would be a consequence of Lorentz and CPT violation as described by the standard-model extension framework. It also would be the first detection of a perturbative effect to conventional neutrino mass oscillations. We found no evidence for this sidereal signature, and the upper limits placed on the magnitudes of the Lorentz and CPT violating coefficients describing the theory are an improvement by factors of 20-510 over the current best limits found by using the MINOS near detector.

Hydrocarbon resources of the eastern overthrust belt: a realistic evaluation.

By considering the present occurrence of hydrocarbons, past geologic conditions, and timing of deposition, deformation, and metamorphism, realistic limits to hydrocarbon occurrences in the Appalachians may be defined. Additional consideration of thermal gradients and present depths to possible sedimentary rocks in the footwall beneath the Blue Ridge-Piedmont overthrust indicates that hydrocarbon stability is unlikely beneath much of it today.

Polydrug- and methadone-addicted newborns: a continuum of impairment?

Two groups of infants born to drug-addicted mothers were evaluated in a prospective controlled study and compared with a third control group. Group I infants (N = 39) were born to mothers on well-controlled low-dose methadone maintenance. Group II infants (N = 19) were born to polydrug-abusing mothers, and group III infants (N = 27) were born to control mothers who had no history or evidence of drug abuse. All three groups were matched for maternal factors that might affect neonatal outcome. Group I infants were significantly smaller than control infants for all growth measurements and had a significantly smaller head circumference than group II infants. Utilizing the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, group I infants showed more depression of interactive behaviors and state controls than group II infants, who in turn were more depressed than group III infants. The effects of nonnarcotic drugs on intrauterine growth and neonatal behavior appear to place the polydrug-addicted newborn in an intermediate zone of deficit between normal and opiate-addicted newborns.

Prenatal exposure to cocaine and other drugs. Outcome at four to six years.

In a longitudinal, prospective study, 95 children born to mothers who used cocaine and other drugs during pregnancy and 75 matched, nonexposed children born to mothers who had no evidence of alcohol or illicit substance use during pregnancy were evaluated for cognitive and behavioral outcome at 6 years of age. Prenatal exposure to cocaine and other drugs had no direct effect on the child's cognitive outcome (measured as IQ), but it had an indirect effect as mediated through the home environment. However, prenatal exposure to cocaine and other drugs did have a direct effect on the child's behavioral characteristics at 4-6 years of age, with the home environment having little impact. This study helps us to understand the fragile interaction of biological and environmental factors affecting the cognitive and behavioral development of children prenatally exposed to cocaine and other drugs.

The radioreceptor assay for hCG in ectopic pregnancy.

The Biocept-G test (Wampole) is a commercial modification of the radioreceptor assay for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) which takes 1 hours to process and has a sensitivity of 200 mIU/ml for hCG. Over a 9 1/2-month period, 70 consecutive patients with proven ectopic pregnancy were evaluated by the Biocept-G test, 2-minute urine slide test, and culdocentesis. Of 67 of these patients, 94% had a positive Biocept-G test, 82% had a positive culdocentesis, and 69% had a positive urine slide test. Sixty-nine (97%) of the 70 patients had either a positive Biocept-G and/or a positive culdocentesis, while only 1.7% had both a negative culdocentesis and a negative Biocept-G. Thirty-two patients underwent laparoscopy or laparotomy during this time period to rule out ectopic pregnancy but were not found to have this condition. The Biocept-G had a 94% accuracy rate in determining the presence or absence of intrauterine pregnancy in this group, compared to an 82% accuracy rate for the urine slide test. The Biocept-G has the highest true-positive rate for ectopic pregnancy published to date for a rapidly performed, commercially available pregnancy test.

Rh immunoglobulin utlization after spontaneous and induced abortion.

To monitor the utilization of Rh immunoglobulin (RhIG), we reviewed the charts of 389 spontaneous and 1350 induced abortion patients treated in 1975 at a metropolitan hospital. The rate of ascertainment of Rh type was significantly higher for induced (99.6%) than for spontaneous abortion patients (95.1%) (P less than 0.001). Utilization of Rh immunoglobulin (RhIG) also was significantly higher for induced (98.9%) than for spontaneous abortion patients (80.6%) (P less than 0.001). Women at risk who did not receive RhIG after spontaneous abortion were mostly young, of low gravidity, and at gestational ages (mean 14.4 weeks) associated with substantial risks of Rh sensitization. Eradication of Rh hemolytic disease requires improvement in the system of identifying and treating patients who need prophylaxis.

PIP: The charts of 389 spontaneous and 1350 induced abortion patients treated at a metropolitan hospital in 1975 were reviewed to assess the extent to which Rh immunoglobulin (RhIG) was utilized. The rate of determination of Rh type was 99.6% for cases of induced abortion and 95.1% for spontaneous abortion (p less than .001). RhIG was utilized in 98.9% of the induced abortion cases and in 80.6% of the cases of spontaneous abortion (p less than .001). Those women who did not receive RhIG after spontaneous abortion were primarily young, of low parity, and at those stages of pregnancy associated with a substantial risk of Rh sensitization (mean 14.4 weeks). The results point out the need for a better system for identifying and treating patients at risk of Rh hemolytic disease.

A guide to interpreting contraceptive efficacy studies.

Results of trials of various birth control methods and contraceptive products may provide misleading data and engender unrealistic expectations regarding efficacy. An analysis of published efficacy-trials reveals numerous fallacies in their design, performance, and reporting. Consequently, family planning clinicians find it virtually impossible to make valid comparisons among the methods or products. This article reviews the definitions and measures that have been used to assess contraceptive efficacy, describes and illustrates some of the flaws that confound interpretation and comparison of studies, and presents a set of recommendations for future studies. A summary table providing comparative failure rates for all methods of contraception is included.