Measurement of the sign of the spectroscopic quadrupole moment for the 21+_{1}^{+} state in 70^{70}Se: no evidence for oblate shape

Using a method whereby molecular and atomic ions are independently selected, an isobarically pure beam of 70Se ions was postaccelerated to an energy of 206 MeV using REX-ISOLDE. Coulomb-excitation yields for states in the beam and target nuclei were deduced by recording deexcitation γ rays in the highly segmented MINIBALL γ-ray spectrometer in coincidence with scattered particles in a silicon detector. At these energies, the Coulomb-excitation yield for the first 2+ state is expected to be strongly sensitive to the sign of the spectroscopic quadrupole moment through the nuclear reorientation effect. Experimental evidence is presented here for a prolate shape for the first 2+ state in 70Se, reopening the question over whether there are, as reported earlier, deformed oblate shapes near to the ground state in the light selenium isotopes

Glueball Spin

The spin of a glueball is usually taken as coming from the spin (and possibly the orbital angular momentum) of its constituent gluons. In light of the difficulties in accounting for the spin of the proton from its constituent quarks, the spin of glueballs is reexamined. The starting point is the fundamental QCD field angular momentum operator written in terms of the chromoelectric and chromomagnetic fields. First, we look at the restrictions placed on the structure of glueballs from the requirement that the QCD field angular momentum operator should satisfy the standard commutation relationships. This can be compared to the electromagnetic charge/monopole system, where the quantization of the field angular momentum places restrictions (i.e. the Dirac condition) on the system. Second, we look at the expectation value of this operator under some simplifying assumptions.Comment: 11 pages, 0 figures; added references and some discussio

Sport supplement use predicts doping likelihood via sport supplement beliefs

Introduction The gateway hypothesis posits that athletes are at risk of progressing to doping if sport supplements are already used for performance enhancement. Recent research has indicated that athletes with stronger beliefs in the effectiveness of sport supplements in improving performance are more likely to use sport supplements (1). Hypothetically, therefore, if athletes’ beliefs about sports supplements influence supplement use, and if supplement use predicts doping (i.e. the gateway hypothesis), it is reasonable to suggest a relationship between beliefs about supplements and doping likelihood. However, this relationship remains untested. This study aimed to test the mediating role of sport supplement beliefs on the relationship between sport supplement use and doping likelihood. Method Four hundred and eighty one competitive athletes (mean + SD: age = 19.6 ± 2.2 yrs, hour per week training = 6.3 ± 4.5, years competing = 5.9 ± 4.6) were recruited from sports clubs and asked to complete measures of sport supplement use, sport supplement beliefs and doping likelihood. Results Sport supplement use was associated with sport supplement beliefs (r = 0.46, p <0.01) and doping likelihood (r = 0.14, p < 0.01), and sport supplement beliefs were correlated with doping likelihood (r = 0.22, p <0.01). Mediation analysis indicated that sport supplement beliefs significantly mediated the relationship between sport supplement use and doping likelihood (β = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.30), whereas sport supplement use was not directly related to doping likelihood (β = 0.04, 95% CI = -0.05 to 0.15). Conclusion The results of this study indicate sport supplement use predicts doping likelihood via sport supplement beliefs. These findings provide novel evidence to suggest that athletes using sport supplements are more likely to dope due to their belief in the effectiveness of these substances and could help further explain why athletes using sport supplements are more likely to progress to doping (i.e. gateway hypothesis)

Sport supplement use predicts doping attitudes and likelihood via sport supplement beliefs

The aim of this study was to examine: 1) whether sport supplement use is related to doping and 2) whether sport supplement beliefs mediated this relationship. In Study 1, athletes (N = 598), completed measures of sport supplement use, sport supplement beliefs, and doping attitudes. In Study 2, athletes (N = 475) completed measures of sport supplement use, sport supplement beliefs, and doping likelihood. In both studies, sport supplement use predicted doping outcomes indirectly via sport supplement beliefs. Our findings provide novel evidence to suggest that sport supplement users, who strongly believe that sport supplements are effective, are more likely to dope. For anti-doping organisations wishing to prevent doping, targeting an athlete’s beliefs about sport supplements may improve the effectiveness of anti-doping prevention programmes

Effects of personal and situational factors on self-referenced doping likelihood

Objectives The present study examined the role of moral identity, self-regulatory efficacy and moral disengagement on athletes' doping likelihood in situations representing potential benefits and costs for themselves. Design Using a cross-sectional design, doping likelihood was assessed indirectly via hypothetical scenarios. Method Athletes (N = 262) indicated their likelihood of doping in hypothetical situations and completed measures of moral identity, doping self-regulatory efficacy, and doping moral disengagement. Results Doping was more likely in benefit situations than in cost situations. Doping likelihood was negatively correlated moral identity, negatively correlated with self-regulatory efficacy, and positively correlated with moral disengagement in both situations. The coefficients were higher for moral identity in cost situations, self-regulatory efficacy in benefit situations, and moral disengagement in benefit situations. Process analyses indicated that moral identity was directly related to doping likelihood only in cost situations and indirectly related to doping likelihood via increased self-regulatory efficacy only in benefit situations. Moral identity was indirectly related to doping likelihood via decreased moral disengagement and via increased self-regulatory efficacy and decreased moral disengagement in both situations. Conclusions By showing that doping likelihood is associated with personal and situational factors our findings provide support for a social cognitive model of doping based on Bandura’s theory of moral thought and action and Aquino’s theory of moral identity

The role of moral identity and regret on cheating in sport

Cheating in sport can have adverse interpersonal consequences and violate the ideal of fair play, which involves abiding by the rules when competing. To help develop effective methods to prevent cheating in sport, research is needed that identifies the psychological factors underpinning an athlete’s decision to cheat. The purpose of this multi-study research was to examine the role of moral identity and regret on cheating in sport. In Study 1, we used a cross-sectional design to examine relationships between moral identity, regret, and cheating attitudes. In Study 2, we used a field design to examine relationships between moral identity, regret, and cheating attitudes during competitive running races to win prize money. After awarding the prize money to the winners, we asked participants whether they would change their decision to cheat if given the opportunity. In Study 1, moral identity was directly and indirectly (via regret) related to cheating attitudes. In Study 2, participants who cheated reported lower moral identity, greater regret, and more favourable cheating attitudes than those who did not cheat. After the prizes were awarded to winners, those who did not cheat, but wanted to change their decision to cheat, reported greater feelings of regret compared to those not wanting to change their decision. In conclusion, cheating in sport elicits regret, which could modify future cheating behaviour. However, athletes may be more likely to cheat in future if they had chosen not to cheat and foregone a benefit

Effect of significant data loss on identifying electric signals that precede rupture by detrended fluctuation analysis in natural time

Electric field variations that appear before rupture have been recently studied by employing the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) as a scaling method to quantify long-range temporal correlations. These studies revealed that seismic electric signals (SES) activities exhibit a scale invariant feature with an exponent $\alpha_{DFA} \approx 1$ over all scales investigated (around five orders of magnitude). Here, we study what happens upon significant data loss, which is a question of primary practical importance, and show that the DFA applied to the natural time representation of the remaining data still reveals for SES activities an exponent close to 1.0, which markedly exceeds the exponent found in artificial (man-made) noises. This, in combination with natural time analysis, enables the identification of a SES activity with probability 75% even after a significant (70%) data loss. The probability increases to 90% or larger for 50% data loss.Comment: 12 Pages, 11 Figure

Cellular automaton rules conserving the number of active sites

This paper shows how to determine all the unidimensional two-state cellular automaton rules of a given number of inputs which conserve the number of active sites. These rules have to satisfy a necessary and sufficient condition. If the active sites are viewed as cells occupied by identical particles, these cellular automaton rules represent evolution operators of systems of identical interacting particles whose total number is conserved. Some of these rules, which allow motion in both directions, mimic ensembles of one-dimensional pseudo-random walkers. Numerical evidence indicates that the corresponding stochastic processes might be non-Gaussian.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

In vivo transcriptome analysis provides insights into host-dependent expression of virulence factors by Yersinia entomophaga MH96, during infection of Galleria mellonella

The function of microbes can be inferred from knowledge of genes specifically expressed in natural environments. Here, we report the in vivo transcriptome of the entomopathogenic bacterium Yersinia entomophaga MH96, captured during initial, septicemic, and pre-cadaveric stages of intrahemocoelic infection in Galleria mellonella. A total of 1285 genes were significantly upregulated by MH96 during infection; 829 genes responded to in vivo conditions during at least one stage of infection, 289 responded during two stages of infection, and 167 transcripts responded throughout all three stages of infection compared to in vitro conditions at equivalent cell densities. Genes upregulated during the earliest infection stage included components of the insecticidal toxin complex Yen-TC (chi1, chi2, and yenC1), genes for rearrangement hotspot element containing protein yenC3, cytolethal distending toxin cdtAB, and vegetative insecticidal toxin vip2. Genes more highly expressed throughout the infection cycle included the putative heat-stable enterotoxin yenT and three adhesins (usher-chaperone fimbria, filamentous hemagglutinin, and an AidA-like secreted adhesin). Clustering and functional enrichment of gene expression data also revealed expression of genes encoding type III and VI secretion system-associated effectors. Together these data provide insight into the pathobiology of MH96 and serve as an important resource supporting efforts to identify novel insecticidal agents