pMSSM Benchmark Models for Snowmass 2013

We present several benchmark points in the phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (pMSSM). We select these models as experimentally well-motivated examples of the MSSM which predict the observed Higgs mass and dark matter relic density while evading the current LHC searches. We also use benchmarks to generate spokes in parameter space by scaling the mass parameters in a manner which keeps the Higgs mass and relic density approximately constant.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

The Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Experiences Survey – Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and Characteristics of Sexual Victimization Experiences in College Men

Estimates of the rate of sexual victimization in college men vary wildly - likely due to the lack of validated measures. This study provides psychometric data on the Sexual Experiences Survey - Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and basic descriptive characteristics of sexual victimization of college men via the SES-SFV. Participants (n = 405) completed a web survey containing the study measures; a subset of 69 participants completed the SES-SFV again 1-3 weeks later. Convergent validity correlations were consistent but modest in size. Two-week test retest reliability estimates varied widely by the type of sexual victimization assessed and scoring format used; dichotomous scores were the most reliable and category scores the worst. Over one in four participants (28%) reported experiencing sexual victimization at Time 1; most reported victimization frequencies greater than one (22.8% of sample). Using behaviorally specific items, one in seven reported experiencing rape (14.1%). The most common type of sexual victimization experienced was unwanted sexual contact. Rape acknowledgement among men who experienced rape (12.2%) was much lower than has been observed in women. Our results indicate mixed evidence for the reliability and validity of the SES-SFV in college men, highlight important characteristics of sexual victimization in college men, and demonstrate the need for further research on the best strategies for the assessment of sexual victimization in college men

Differences in the type and sequence order of self-defense behaviors during a high-risk victimization scenario: Impact of prior sexual victimization

Objective: During a potential sexual assault experience, an active, assertive behavioral response to threat (BRTT) can be protective while a non-assertive BRTT may increase risk. However, little is known about how the sequence of behaviors that a woman engages in during a threatening situation may be related to sexual victimization. The present study investigated the style and sequence of behaviors in college women’s behavioral response to threat using a lab-based date rape self-defense scenario. Method: 135 college women (113 with a history of sexual victimization) completed a lab-based self-defense scenario in which the threat stimuli and situational context were standardized. Participants also completed a comprehensive assessment of multiple BRTT styles and the sequence of behaviors utilized. Results: Most participants endorsed likely using multiple BRTT styles during the hypothetical scenario. Participants with a history of sexual victimization were more likely to endorse diplomatic and immobile style behaviors and using immobile behaviors earlier in the sequence than participants without a victimization history. Conclusions: Prior research has typically assessed whether respondents are likely to engage in one type of BRTT. The present results indicate that women often anticipate using multiple BRTT strategies and that these strategies are likely situation-dependent. Further, women with a history of sexual victimization may utilize different BRTT styles likely as a result of their prior traumatization

Stable silencing of SNAP-25 in PC12 cells by RNA interference

BACKGROUND: SNAP-25 is a synaptic protein known to be involved in exocytosis of synaptic vesicles in neurons and of large dense-core vesicles in neuroendocrine cells. Its role in exocytosis has been studied in SNAP-25 knockout mice, in lysed synaptosomes lacking functional SNAP-25 and in cells after treatment with botulinum toxins A or E that specifically cleave SNAP-25. These studies have shown that SNAP-25 appears to be required for most but not all evoked secretion. In order to further study the role of SNAP-25 in catecholamine secretion from PC12 cells we have used the recently developed technique of RNA interference to generate PC12 cell lines with virtually undetectable levels of SNAP-25. RNA interference is the sequence-specific silencing or knockdown of gene expression triggered by the introduction of double-stranded RNA into a cell. RNA interference can be elicited in mammalian cells in a number of ways, one of which is by the expression of small hairpin RNAs from a transfected plasmid. Selection of stably transfected cell lines expressing a small hairpin RNA allows one-time characterization of the degree and specificity of gene silencing and affords a continuing source of well-characterized knockdown cells for experimentation. RESULTS: A PC12 cell line stably transfected with a plasmid expressing an shRNA targeting SNAP-25 has been established. This SNAP-25 knockdown cell line has barely detectable levels of SNAP-25, but normal levels of other synaptic proteins. Catecholamine secretion elicited by depolarization of the SNAP-25 knockdown cells was reduced to 37% of control. CONCLUSION: Knockdown of SNAP-25 in PC12 cells reduces but does not eliminate evoked secretion of catecholamines. Transient expression of human SNAP-25 in the knockdown cells rescues the deficit in catecholamine secretion

Initial Evidence for the Reliability and Validity of the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Perpetration (SES-SFP) in College Men

This study provides psychometric data on the Sexual Experiences Survey—Short Form Perpetration (SES-SFP), a revision of one of the most widely used measures of sexual perpetration, in a sample of college men. Participants (n = 402) completed a web survey containing the study measures; a subset of 66 participants completed the SES-SFP again 2 weeks later. Our results provide initial evidence of internal consistency and convergent evidence of validity for the SES-SFP in college men but question the measure’s test-retest reliability. The severity of tactics used to coerce sexually aggressive behaviors was more strongly associated with rape empathy than sexual outcome severity scores, indicating utility of assessing coercive tactics. Additional research is needed regarding the psychometric properties of the SES-SFP and other measures of sexual perpetration in order to accurately assess rates of these behaviors and inform preventive interventions

Hydrogen atom in phase space. The Kirkwood-Rihaczek representation

We present a phase-space representation of the hydrogen atom using the Kirkwood-Rikaczek distribution function. This distribution allows us to obtain analytical results, which is quite unique because an exact analytical form of the Wigner functions corresponding to the atom states is not known. We show how the Kirkwood-Rihaczek distribution reflects properties of the hydrogen atom wave functions in position and momentum representations.Comment: 5 pages (and 5 figures

From treebank resources to LFG F-structures

We present two methods for automatically annotating treebank resources with functional structures. Both methods define systematic patterns of correspondence between partial PS configurations and functional structures. These are applied to PS rules extracted from treebanks, or directly to constraint set encodings of treebank PS trees