A satisfação vital: sua relação com o preconceito, a identidade nacional, a autoestima e o bem-estar material, em imigrantes

El propósito de esta investigación fue estudiar la relación de la satisfacción vital con varios factores psicosociales corrientemente vinculados a los procesos de migración internacional. En concreto, este estudio exploró la relación de la satisfacción vital - componente cognitivo del bienestar subjetivo - con las variables prejuicio grupal percibido, discriminación personal percibida, autoestima global personal, identidad nacional y bienestar material percibido. La investigación, de tipo empírico y cuantitativo, se realizó a través de un muestreo no probabilístico con inmigrantes colombianos en varias ciudades del Ecuador (N = 185). Confirmando las hipótesis, se halló una relación positiva entre la satisfacción vital, el bienestar material percibido y la autoestima. Se confirmó así mismo una relación negativa entre la satisfacción vital, la discriminación personal percibida y la identidad nacional. Estas mismas variables; la autoestima, el bienestar material percibido, la discriminación personal percibida y la identidad nacional, emergieron como predictoras de la satisfacción vital. No se confirmó, en cambio, la relación negativa hipotetizada entre la satisfacción vital y el prejuicio grupal percibido. Se hace un análisis de dichos resultados desde la literatura psicosocial.O propósito desta pesquisa foi estudar a relação da satisfação vital com vários fatores psicossociais correntemente vinculados aos processos de migração internacional. Em concreto, este estudo explorou a relação da satisfação vital - componente cognitivo do bem-estar subjetivo - com as variáveis preconceito grupal percebido, discriminação pessoal percebida, autoestima global pessoal, identidade nacional e bem-estar material percebido. A pesquisa, de tipo empírica e quantitativa, foi realizada através de um amostra não probabilística com imigrantes colombianos em várias cidades do Equador (N = 185). Confirmando as hipóteses, foi encontrada uma relação positiva entre a satisfação vital, o bem-estar material percebido e a autoestima. Foi confirmada assim uma relação negativa entre a satisfação vital, a discriminação pessoal percebida e a identidade nacional. Estas mesmas variáveis; a autoestima, o bem-estar material percebido, a discriminação pessoal percebida e a identidade nacional, emergiram como preditoras da satisfação vital. Contudo, não foi confirmada a relação negativa hipotética entre a satisfação vital e o preconceito grupal percebido. É feita uma análise desses resultados desde a literatura psicossocial.The aim of this research was to study the relationship between life satisfaction and various psychosocial variables usually linked to international migration processes. Specifically, this study explored the relationship between life satisfaction-a cognitivedimension of subjective well-being- and perceived group prejudice, perceived personal discrimination, global personal self-esteem, national identity and perceived material well- being. The research, of empirical quantitative type, was conducted with a non-probabilistic sample of Colombian migrants at several cities of Ecuador. As expected, the hypothesis that life satisfaction was positively related to self -esteem and perceived material well-being was confirmed. Also, a negative correlation was confirmed between life satisfaction, perceived personal discrimination and national identity. Results show that the variables self-esteem, perceived material well-being, perceived personal discrimination and national identity are significant predictors of life satisfaction. Findings didn´t confirm the expected negative association between life satisfaction and perceived group prejudice. Results are analyzed from a psychosocial perspective

Virtual Reflexes

Virtual Reality is used successfully to treat people for regular phobias. A new challenge is to develop Virtual Reality Exposure Training for social skills. Virtual actors in such systems have to show appropriate social behavior including emotions, gaze, and keeping distance. The behavior must be realistic and real-time. Current approaches consist of four steps: 1) trainee social signal detection, 2) cognitive-affective interpretation, 3) determination of the appropriate bodily responses, and 4) actuation. The "cognitive" detour of such approaches does not match the directness of human bodily reflexes and causes unrealistic responses and delay. Instead, we propose virtual reflexes as concurrent sensory-motor processes to control virtual actors. Here we present a virtual reflexes architecture, explain how emotion and cognitive modulation are embedded, detail its workings, and give an example description of an aggression training application

Pre-M Phase-promoting Factor Associates with Annulate Lamellae in Xenopus Oocytes and Egg Extracts

We have used complementary biochemical and in vivo approaches to study the compartmentalization of M phase-promoting factor (MPF) in prophase Xenopus eggs and oocytes. We first examined the distribution of MPF (Cdc2/CyclinB2) and membranous organelles in high-speed extracts of Xenopus eggs made during mitotic prophase. These extracts were found to lack mitochondria, Golgi membranes, and most endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but to contain the bulk of the pre-MPF pool. This pre-MPF could be pelleted by further centrifugation along with components necessary to activate it. On activation, Cdc2/CyclinB2 moved into the soluble fraction. Electron microscopy and Western blot analysis showed that the pre-MPF pellet contained a specific ER subdomain comprising "annulate lamellae" (AL): stacked ER membranes highly enriched in nuclear pores. Colocalization of pre-MPF with AL was demonstrated by anti-CyclinB2 immunofluorescence in prophase oocytes, in which AL are positioned close to the vegetal surface. Green fluorescent protein-CyclinB2 expressed in oocytes also localized at AL. These data suggest that inactive MPF associates with nuclear envelope components just before activation. This association may explain why nuclei and centrosomes stimulate MPF activation and provide a mechanism for targeting of MPF to some of its key substrates

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe

Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Measurement of the Lambda(b) cross section and the anti-Lambda(b) to Lambda(b) ratio with Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda decays in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The Lambda(b) differential production cross section and the cross section ratio anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) are measured as functions of transverse momentum pt(Lambda(b)) and rapidity abs(y(Lambda(b))) in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are based on Lambda(b) decays reconstructed in the exclusive final state J/Psi Lambda, with the subsequent decays J/Psi to an opposite-sign muon pair and Lambda to proton pion, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.9 inverse femtobarns. The product of the cross section times the branching ratio for Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda versus pt(Lambda(b)) falls faster than that of b mesons. The measured value of the cross section times the branching ratio for pt(Lambda(b)) > 10 GeV and abs(y(Lambda(b))) < 2.0 is 1.06 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.12 nb, and the integrated cross section ratio for anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) is 1.02 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.09, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Search for new physics in events with opposite-sign leptons, jets, and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) in final states with a pair of opposite-sign isolated leptons accompanied by jets and missing transverse energy. The search uses LHC data recorded at a center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 5 inverse femtobarns. Two complementary search strategies are employed. The first probes models with a specific dilepton production mechanism that leads to a characteristic kinematic edge in the dilepton mass distribution. The second strategy probes models of dilepton production with heavy, colored objects that decay to final states including invisible particles, leading to very large hadronic activity and missing transverse energy. No evidence for an event yield in excess of the standard model expectations is found. Upper limits on the BSM contributions to the signal regions are deduced from the results, which are used to exclude a region of the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Additional information related to detector efficiencies and response is provided to allow testing specific models of BSM physics not considered in this paper.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO