Detecting Neutrino Magnetic Moments with Conducting Loops

It is well established that neutrinos have mass, yet it is very difficult to measure those masses directly. Within the standard model of particle physics, neutrinos will have an intrinsic magnetic moment proportional to their mass. We examine the possibility of detecting the magnetic moment using a conducting loop. According to Faraday's Law of Induction, a magnetic dipole passing through a conducting loop induces an electromotive force, or EMF, in the loop. We compute this EMF for neutrinos in several cases, based on a fully covariant formulation of the problem. We discuss prospects for a real experiment, as well as the possibility to test the relativistic formulation of intrinsic magnetic moments.Comment: 6 pages, 4 b/w figures, uses RevTe

The Role of Heterosexual Identity Threat in Differential Support for Same-Sex `Civil Unions' versus `Marriages'

Although US citizens generally oppose the legal recognition of same-sex marriages more than civil unions, the reasons for this opposition remain unclear. In two experiments, we presented participants with one of two hypothetical state laws legally recognizing same-sex partnerships. The laws differed only in the label applied to those partnerships (i.e. civil union or marriage). Across both studies, participants expressed less support for same-sex marriages relative to civil unions. In addition, participants considering the marriage law found it more threatening to heterosexuals' rights and social status than did those reading the civil union law, and this threat partially mediated the effect of the relationship label on support for the law. Thus, consistent with social identity theory, opposition to the same-sex marriage label is, in part, due to perceived threats to heterosexual identity

The Difficulty of Making Reparations Affects the Intensity of Collective Guilt

We examined how the difficulty of making reparations for the harm done to another group affects the intensity of collective guilt. Men were confronted with information documenting male privilege and were told that they would have a chance to help women and reduce patriarchy by collecting signatures on a petition. We manipulated the difficulty of making reparations by asking participants to collect 5, 50, or 100 signatures. As predicted by Brehm's (1999) theory of emotional intensity, collective guilt was a non-monotonic function of the difficulty of making reparations. Men in the moderate difficulty (50 signatures) condition expressed greater collective guilt than participants in the low (5) or high (100) difficulty conditions. Results are discussed in terms of the implications for the theory of emotional intensity, collective guilt, and collective emotions more generally

Perceptual harmony in judgments of group prototypicality and intragroup respect

We test common sense psychology of intragroup relations whereby people assume that intragroup respect and ingroup prototypicality are positively related. In Study 1a, participants rated a group member as more prototypical if they learned that group member was highly respected rather than disrespected. In Study 1b, participants rated a group member as more respected by other group members if they learned that group member was prototypical rather than unprototypical. As a commonsense psychology of groups, we reasoned that the perceived relationship between prototypicality and intragroup respect would be stronger for cohesive groups compared to incohesive groups. The effect of intragroup respect on perceptions of prototypicality (Study 2a & 2c) and the effect of prototypicality on perceptions of intragroup respect (Study 2b) were generally stronger for participants considering cohesive groups relative to incohesive groups. However, the interaction effect of prototypicality and group cohesion on intragroup respect did fail to replicate in Study 2d. In Studies 3, 4a, and 4b we manipulated the relationship between prototypicality and intragroup respect and found that when these variables were in perceptual harmony participants perceived groups as more cohesive. The results of eight out of nine studies conducted are consistent with the prediction that people make inferences about intragroup respect, prototypicality, and group cohesion in a manner that maintains perceptual harmony

Effects of nilotinib on regulatory T cells: the dose matters

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nilotinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor with high target specificity. Here, we characterized the effects of nilotinib for the first time on CD4⁺CD25⁺regulatory T cells (Tregs) which regulate anti-tumor/leukemia immune responses.</p> <p>Design and Methods</p> <p>Carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) and 5-bromo-2-deoxy -uridine (BrdU) were used to assess the proliferation and cell cycle distribution of Tregs. The expression of the transcription factor forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) and the glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (GITR) were measured by flow cytometry. Western blotting analysis was used to detect the effects of nilotinib on the signal transduction cascade of T-cell receptor (TCR) in Tregs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nilotinib inhibited the proliferation and suppressive capacity of Tregs in a dose-dependent manner. However, the production of cytokines secreted by Tregs and CD4⁺CD25^-T cells was only inhibited at high concentrations of nilotinib exceeding the mean therapeutic serum concentrations of the drug in patients. Only high doses of nilotinib arrested both Tregs and CD4⁺CD25^-T cells in the G₀/G₁phase and down-regulated the expression of FoxP3 and GITR. In western blotting analysis, nilotinib did not show significant inhibitory effects on TCR signaling events in Tregs and CD4⁺CD25^-T cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings indicate that nilotinib does not hamper the function of Tregs at clinical relevant doses, while long-term administration of nilotinib still needs to be investigated.</p

Majority group members\u27 negative reactions to future demographic shifts depend on the perceived legitimacy of their status: Findings from the United States and Portugal

© 2018 Outten, Lee, Costa-Lopes, Schmitt and Vala. Using concepts from social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1979), we examined whether racial/ethnic majority group members\u27 reactions to future demographic shifts is a function of the degree to which they perceive their ingroup\u27s higher-status in society to be legitimate. In two studies, participants who varied in the degree to which they perceived their group\u27s status to be legitimate were either exposed to real projections for 2060 (i.e., large decline in proportion of population that is the majority group), or fake projections for 2060-that resembled current figures (i.e., small decline). In Study 1, White Americans who perceived their status to be highly legitimate expressed greater intergroup threat, and negative feelings (anger and fear) toward minorities after exposure to projections with a large decline in the relative size of the White American population. In contrast, demographic shift condition had no effect on intergroup threat and negative feelings toward minorities among White Americans who perceived their status to be relatively illegitimate; negative feelings and threat remained low across both conditions. Similarly, in Study 2, ethnic Portuguese people in Portugal exposed to projections in which there was a large decline in the relative size of the ethnic Portuguese population experienced more intergroup threat and expressed a greater desire to engage in anti-immigration behaviors. The effect of demographic shift condition on intergroup threat and anti-immigration behaviors was stronger among ethnic Portuguese who perceived their status to be legitimate compared to ethnic Portuguese people who perceived their status to be relatively illegitimate. These results highlight that across different cultural contexts, majority group members\u27 beliefs about the legitimacy of intergroup relations can affect their reactions to the prospect of increased diversity

The internal and external causal loci of attributions to prejudice

Portions of this research were presented at the May 2000 meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL, and at the June 2000 meeting of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Minneapolis, MN. We express our sincere thanks to Howard Baumgartel for the Peace and Justice Research Award that supported the first author, and to Mark Alicke and Paul Silvia for their very helpful suggestions on an earlier draft of the manuscript.In two studies, the authors examined the causal loci of attributions to prejudice. Participants were asked to consider a situation in which they were rejected. Whether the rejection was attributable to an exclusively external cause or attributable to bias against one's gender group was manipulated. In contrast to the existing view that attributions to prejudice are external, results from both studies supported the prediction that attributions to prejudice also have a substantial internal component. In Study 2, the authors examined the affective consequences of attributions for rejection and found that for women, attributions to prejudice were more harmful than an exclusively external attribution. For men, however, attributions to prejudice were less harmful than an exclusively external attribution.. Results are discussed in terms of the ways in which attributions to prejudice differ from purely external attributions

Findings from the United States and Portugal

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Experimental measurement of stress at a four-domain junction in lead zirconate titanate

A junction between two lamellar bands of ferroelectric domains in a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic is analysed using Kikuchi diffraction patterns in the transmission electron microscope. Indexing of the diffraction patterns allowed the determination of the 3D relative orientation of the 4 different domains at the junction and thus the characterisation of the domain boundaries. The local c/a ratio could also be determined from the misorientations at the domain boundaries. Analysis of the data showed that large stresses were concentrated at the junction, and that this is inevitable at such band junctions. Such stress concentrations could act as nuclei for cracking of the ceramic under additional loading in service, perhaps particularly as a consequence of extended electromechanical cycling. Moreover, the stresses would increase with increasing c/a making the issues all the more serious for Ti-rich compositions having larger c/a ratios

On the Protective Role of Identification with a Stigmatized Identity:Promoting Engagement and Discouraging Disengagement Coping Strategies

We examined the mechanisms by which identification with a stigmatized ingroup impacts well-being in stigmatized groups. The first three studies were conducted among gay men and lesbians in Europe and North America. Results support the idea that identification with homosexuals protects well-being by decreasing attempts at self-group distancing. Pursuit of self-group distancing was negatively related to well-being (studies 1 to 3a, N=1055). Other coping strategies were associated with identification but had no relationship with well-being. Identification was positively related to engagement coping strategies, namely, collective action, group affirmation and ingroup support, and negative related to disengagement strategies: ingroup blaming and avoidance of discrimination. A fourth study (study 3b) examined these mechanisms among Black North Americans (N=203). Again, identification was positively related to engagement strategies, and negatively related to disengagement; however, only collective action (positively) predicted well-being. Results are discussed in terms of how the effectiveness of different strategies for coping with stigma will differ depending on qualities of the identities in question and the specifics of the intergroup context