The Search for Neutrino-Antineutrino Mixing Resulting from Lorentz Invariance Violation using neutrino interactions in MINOS

We searched for a sidereal modulation in the rate of neutrinos produced by the NuMI beam and observed by the MINOS far detector. The detection of such harmonic signals could be a signature of neutrino-antineutrino mixing due to Lorentz and CPT violation as described by the Standard Model Extension framework. We found no evidence for these sidereal signals and we placed limits on the coefficients in this theory describing the effect. This is the first report of limits on these neutrino-antineutrino mixing coefficients.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 3 table

Testing Lorentz and CPT Invariance with MINOS Near Detector Neutrinos

We present an analysis designed to search for Lorentz and CPT violations as predicted by the SME framework using the charged current neutrino events in the MINOS near detector. In particular we develop methods to identify periodic variations in the normalized number of charged current neutrino events as a function of sidereal phase. To test these methods, we simulated a set of 1,000 experiments without Lorentz and CPT violation signals using the standard MINOS Monte Carlo. We performed an FFT on each of the simulated experiments to find the distribution of powers in the sidereal phase diagram without a signal. We then injected a signal of increasing strength into the sidereal neutrino oscillation probability until we found a 5$\sigma$ deviation from the mean in the FFT power spectrum. By this method, we can establish upper limits for the Lorentz and CPT violating terms in the SME.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, CPT'07 Conference proceeding

Immunological basis of differences in disease resistance in the chicken

Genetic resistance to diseases is a multigenic trait governed mainly by the immune system and its interactions with many physiologic and environmental factors. In the adaptive immunity, T cell and B cell responses, the specific recognition of antigens and interactions between antigen presenting cells, T cells and B cells are crucial. It occurs through a network of mediator proteins such as the molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), T cell receptors, immunoglobulins and secreted proteins such as the cytokines and antibodies. The diversity of these proteins that mainly is due to an intrinsic polymorphism of the genes causes phenotypic variation in disease resistance. The well-known linkage of MHC polymorphism and Marek's disease resistance difference represents a classic model revealing immunological factors in resistance differences and diversity of mediator molecules. The molecular bases in any resistance variation to infectious pathogens are vaguely understood. This paper presents a review of the major immune mediators involved in resistance and susceptibility to infectious diseases and their functional mechanisms in the chicken. The genetic interaction of disease resistance with production traits and the environment is mentioned

Probing Relativity using Space-Based Experiments

An overview of space tests searching for small deviations from special relativity arising at the Planck scale is given. Potential high-sensitivity space-based experiments include ones with atomic clocks, masers, and electromagnetic cavities. We show that a significant portion of the coefficient space in the Standard-Model Extension, a framework that covers the full spectrum of possible effects, can be accessed using space tests. Some remarks on Lorentz violation in the gravitational sector are also given.Comment: 12 pages, invited talk at International Workshop, From Quantum to Cosmos, Warrenton, VA, USA, May 22-24, 200

Cultivating Textbook Alternatives From the Ground Up: One Public University’s Sustainable Model for Open and Alternative Educational Resource Proliferation

This note from the field reviews the sustainability of an institution-wide program for adopting and adapting open and alternative educational resources (OAER) at Kansas State University (K-State). Developed in consult of open textbook initiatives at other institutions and modified around the needs and expectations of K-State students and faculty, this initiative proposes a sustainable means of incentivizing faculty participation via institutional support, encouraging the creation and maintenance of OAER through recurring funding, promoting innovative realizations of “educational resources” beyond traditional textbooks, and rallying faculty participation in adopting increasingly open textbook alternatives. The history and resulting structure of the initiative raise certain recommendations for how public universities may sustainably offset student textbook costs while also empowering the pedagogies of educators via a more methodical approach to adopting open materials