The Sub-Surface Structure of a Large Sample of Active Regions

We employ ring-diagram analysis to study the sub-surface thermal structure of active regions. We present results using a large number of active regions over the course of Solar Cycle 23. We present both traditional inversions of ring-diagram frequency differences, with a total sample size of 264, and a statistical study using Principal Component Analysis. We confirm earlier results on smaller samples that sound speed and adiabatic index are changed below regions of strong magnetic field. We find that sound speed is decreased in the region between approximately r=0.99R_sun and r=0.995R_sun (depths of 3Mm to 7Mm), and increased in the region between r=0.97R_sun and r=0.985R_sun (depths of 11Mm to 21Mm). The adiabatic index is enhanced in the same deeper layers that sound-speed enhancement is seen. A weak decrease in adiabatic index is seen in the shallower layers in many active regions. We find that the magnitudes of these perturbations depend on the strength of the surface magnetic field, but we find a great deal of scatter in this relation, implying other factors may be relevant.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Solar Physic

How the mere desire for certainty can lead to a preference for men in authority (particularly among political liberals)

Women are harmed by stereotypes about their fit for positions of authority and changing these stereotypes is not a simple task. As stereotypes have strong epistemic properties, individuals with a high need for cognitive closure (NCC; i.e., the desire for epistemic certainty) can be more likely to accept these stereotypes and, consequently, to prefer men in positions of authority. Consistent with the reactive liberal hypothesis, this effect could be actually more visible among individuals with both a high NCC and left-wing political orientations. We supported these hypotheses in a series of three studies. In Study 1 (N = 217), we found that manipulated NCC predicted preference for men in authority through stereotypes of women as not being fit for authority in a measurement-of-mediation design. In Study 2 (N = 151), we supported this effect in a mediation-as-process design. In Study 3 (N = 391), we found the indirect NCC effect on preference for men in authority was more visible among political liberals. A major implication of this work is that ways of changing the effect of these stereotypes should take into account the NCC, but particularly among individuals with left-wing beliefs

Direct and imagined contact moderates the effect of need for cognitive closure on attitudes towards women managers

This research investigated the relationship between individual preference for the need for cognitive closure (NCC) and attitudes towards women as managers and the moderating role of direct or imagined contact with women leaders. In two studies (total N = 369) collected in different countries and with different methods (Study 1: Italy, correlational; Study 2: U.S., experimental), it was found that the positive relationship between NCC and negative attitudes towards women as managers was moderated by the quality, but not the quantity of current or past direct contact experiences with women managers. In Study 1, employees with higher scores on NCC had more positive attitudes towards women managers when they had more positive work experience with women managers. In Study 2, those with higher NCC scores had less negative attitudes towards women as managers when they merely imagined (positive) contact with them (vs. a control group). These results advance the literature on the interaction between NCC and positive intergroup contact; theoretical and practical implications of NCC and positive intergroup contact are presented

Addressing the effect of concern with COVID-19 threat on prejudice towards immigrants: The sequential mediating role of need for cognitive closure and desire for cultural tightness

The link between threat and anti-immigrant prejudice is well-established. Relatedly, recent research has also shown that situational threats (such as concern with COVID-19 threat) increase anti-immigrant prejudice through the mediating role of desire for cultural tightness. This study aims to further our understanding of the psychological processes underlying the relation between concern with COVID-19 threat and increased negative attitudes towards immigrants by considering the mediational role of an individual epistemic motivation (i.e., the need for cognitive closure). A study was conducted on a large sample of Italian respondents covering all the Italian regions. Findings revealed that high concern with COVID-19 threat led to increased negative attitudes towards immigrants through the sequential mediating role of higher need for cognitive closure, leading in turn to higher desire for cultural tightness. Implications of these findings for a timely contextualized study of anti-immigrant prejudice will be highlighted

Two-Dimensional Helioseismic Power, Phase, and Coherence Spectra of {\it Solar Dynamics Observatory} Photospheric and Chromospheric Observables

While the {\it Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager} (HMI) onboard the {\it Solar Dynamics Observatory} (SDO) provides Doppler velocity [$V$], continuum intensity [$I_C$], and line-depth [$Ld$] observations, each of which is sensitive to the five-minute acoustic spectrum, the {\it Atmospheric Imaging Array} (AIA) also observes at wavelengths -- specifically the 1600 and 1700 Angstrom bands -- that are partly formed in the upper photosphere and have good sensitivity to acoustic modes. In this article we consider the characteristics of the spatio--temporal Fourier spectra in AIA and HMI observables for a 15-degree region around NOAA Active Region 11072. We map the spatio--temporal-power distribution for the different observables and the HMI Line Core [$I_L$], or Continuum minus Line Depth, and the phase and coherence functions for selected observable pairs, as a function of position and frequency. Five-minute oscillation power in all observables is suppressed in the sunspot and also in plage areas. Above the acoustic cut-off frequency, the behaviour is more complicated: power in HMI $I_C$ is still suppressed in the presence of surface magnetic fields, while power in HMI $I_L$ and the AIA bands is suppressed in areas of surface field but enhanced in an extended area around the active region, and power in HMI $V$ is enhanced in a narrow zone around strong-field concentrations and suppressed in a wider surrounding area. The relative phase of the observables, and their cross-coherence functions, are also altered around the active region. These effects may help us to understand the interaction of waves and magnetic fields in the different layers of the photosphere, and will need to be taken into account in multi-wavelength local helioseismic analysis of active regions.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, to be published in Solar Physic

Need for closure effect on collective action intentions and behavior toward immigrants in Italy:The mediation of binding foundations and political conservatism

Why are people (de)motivated to mobilize in favor of immigrants? Addressing this question, we investigated the role of individuals' epistemic motivation (i.e., need for closure) in influencing the process of becoming motivated to participate in collective action in favor of immigrants in Italy. Specifically, the mediational role of binding moral foundations and political conservatism in explaining the relationship between need for closure and collective action in favor of immigrants was examined in three studies. It was hypothesized that a heightened need for closure would be indirectly and negatively associated with collective action in favor of immigrants, sequentially mediated first through binding moral foundations and then political conservatism. We found support for this prediction when either dispositional measure (Study 1 and Study 2) or an experimental induction (Study 3) of need for closure were used, and when both collective action intentions (Study 1 and Study 3) and behavior (Study 2) were assessed. The results suggest that need for closure constitutes a powerful motivational force that leads individuals to engage in uncertainty‐reducing evaluations and actions. We discuss these results regarding how they are related with previous work and their implications for research and practice

Time-Distance Helioseismology of Deep Meridional Circulation

A key component of solar interior dynamics is the meridional circulation (MC), whose poleward component in the surface layers has been well observed. Time-distance helioseismic studies of the deep structure of MC, however, have yielded conflicting inferences. Here, following a summary of existing results we show how a large center-to-limb systematics (CLS) in the measured travel times of acoustic waves affect the inferences through an analysis of frequency dependence of CLS, using data from the Helioseismic and Doppler Imager (HMI) onboard Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Our results point to the residual systematics in travel times as a major cause of differing inferences on the deep structure of MC.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the Springer series Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings of "Dynamics of the Sun & Stars: Honoring the Life & Work of Michael Thompson" (2020

Subsurface Flows in and Around Active Regions with Rotating and Non-rotating Sunspots

The temporal variation of the horizontal velocity in subsurface layers beneath three different types of active regions is studied using the technique of ring diagrams. In this study, we select active regions (ARs) 10923, 10930, 10935 from three consecutive Carrington rotations: AR 10930 contains a fast-rotating sunspot in a strong emerging active region while other two have non-rotating sunspots with emerging flux in AR 10923 and decaying flux in AR 10935. The depth range covered is from the surface to about 12 Mm. In order to minimize the influence of systematic effects, the selection of active and quiet regions is made so that these were observed at the same heliographic locations on the solar disk. We find a significant variation in both components of the horizontal velocity in active regions as compared to quiet regions. The magnitude is higher in emerging-flux regions than in the decaying-flux region, in agreement with earlier findings. Further, we clearly see a significant temporal variation in depth profiles of both zonal and meridional flow components in AR 10930, with the variation in the zonal component being more pronounced. We also notice a significant influence of the plasma motion in areas closest to the rotating sunspot in AR 10930 while areas surrounding the non-rotating sunspots in all three cases are least affected by the presence of the active region in their neighborhood.Comment: Solar Physics (in press), includes 11 figure