Neutrino scattering on polarized electron target and neutrino magnetic moment

The completed and proposed experiments for the measurement of the neutrino magnetic moment are discussed. To improve the sensitivity of the search for the neutrino magnetic moment we suggest to use a polarized electron target in the processes of neutrino (antineutrino) -- electron scattering. It is shown that in this case the weak interaction term in the total cross section is few times smaller comparing with unpolarized case, but the electromagnetic term does not depend on electron polarization.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures. Talk given at the XXVIII ITEP Winter School of Physics, Snegiri, Russia, February 22 - March 1, 200

CSL-1: a chance projection effect or serendipitous discovery of a gravitational lens induced by a cosmic string?

CSL-1 (Capodimonte--Sternberg--Lens Candidate, No.1) is an extragalactic double source detected in the OAC-DF (Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte - Deep Field). It can be interpreted either as the chance alignment of two identical galaxies at z=0.46 or as the first case of gravitational lensing by a cosmic string. Extensive modeling shows in fact that cosmic strings are the only type of lens which (at least at low angular resolution) can produce undistorted double images of a background source. We propose an experimentum crucis to disentangle between these two possible explanations. If the lensing by a cosmic string should be confirmed, it would provide the first measurements of energy scale of symmetry breaking and of the energy scale of Grand Unified Theory (GUT).Comment: Accepted for publication in the Mon. Not. Royal Astron. Societ

An engineered anti-idiotypic antibody-derived killer peptide (KP) early activates swine inflammatory monocytes, CD3+CD16+ natural killer T cells and CD4+CD8α+ double positive CD8β+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes associated with TNF-α and IFN-γ secretion

This study evaluated the early modulation of the phenotype and cytokine secretion in swine immune cells treated with an engineered killer peptide (KP) based on an anti-idiotypic antibody functionally mimicking a yeast killer toxin. The influence of KP on specific immunity was investigated using porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) as ex vivo antigens. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy pigs were stimulated with KP and with a scramble peptide for 20 min, 1, 4 and 20 h or kept unstimulated. The cells were analyzed using flow cytometry and ELISA. The same time-periods were used for KP pre-incubation/co-incubation to determine the effect on virus-recalled interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) secreting cell (SC) frequencies and single cell IFN-γ productivity using ELISPOT. KP induced an early dose-dependent shift to pro-inflammatory CD172α+CD14+high monocytes and an increase of CD3+CD16+ natural killer (NK) T cells. KP triggered CD8α and CD8β expression on classical CD4−CD8αβ+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and double positive (DP) CD4+CD8α+ Th memory cells (CD4+CD8α+low CD8β+low). A fraction of DP cells also expressed high levels of CD8α. The two identified DP CD4+CD8α+high CD8β+low/+high CTL subsets were associated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and IFN-γ secretion. KP markedly boosted the reactivity and cross-reactivity of PRRSV type-1- and PCV2b-specific IFN-γ SC. The results indicate the efficacy of KP in stimulating Th1-biased immunomodulation and support studies of KP as an immunomodulator or vaccine adjuvant

Vortex Loop Phase Transitions in Liquid Helium, Cosmic Strings, and High-T_c Superconductors

The distribution of thermally excited vortex loops near a superfluid phase transition is calculated from a renormalized theory. The number density of loops with a given perimeter is found to change from exponential decay with increasing perimeter to algebraic decay as T_c is approached, in agreement with recent simulations of both cosmic strings and high-T_c superconductors. Predictions of the value of the exponent of the algebraic decay at T_c and of critical behavior in the vortex density are confirmed by the simulations, giving strong support to the vortex-folding model proposed by Shenoy.Comment: Version to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett, with a number of corrections and addition

Dynamics of Shock Probes in Driven Diffusive Systems

We study the dynamics of shock-tracking probe particles in driven diffusive systems and also in equilibrium systems. In a driven system, they induce a diverging timescale that marks the crossover between a passive scalar regime at early times and a diffusive regime at late times; a scaling form characterises this crossover. Introduction of probes into an equilibrium system gives rise to a system-wide density gradient, and the presence of even a single probe can be felt across the entire system.Comment: Accepted in Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experimen