A comparative study of educational administration in Jamaica and in the United States of America.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Possible trace of neutrino nonstandard interactions in the supernova

Neutrino non-standard interactions (NSI), previously introduced for the sun, are studied in the supernova context. For normal hierarchy the probability for electron neutrinos and antineutrinos at low energy ($E\lesssim 0.8-0.9 MeV$) is substantially increased with respect to the non-NSI case and joins its value for inverse hierarchy which is constant with energy. Also for inverse hierarchy the NSI and non-NSI probabilities are the same for each neutrino and antineutrino species. These are the possible visible effects of NSI in the supernova. The decay into antineutrinos, which has been previously shown to be implied by dense matter, cannot be seen experimentally, owing to the smallness of the antineutrino production probability.Comment: 5 pages, 3 eps figures. Acknowledgements include

Swimming against the tide: a study of a neighbourhood trying to rediscover its ‘reason for being’– the case of South Bank, Redcar and Cleveland.

Many of the programmes and initiatives to regenerate deprived neighbourhoods appear to have had limited lasting impact. It has been argued that one reason for this is that we still have little real understanding of the nature and scale of the problems some communities face (Bernt, 2009). This article attempts to add to our knowledge through close study of an area with multiple problems and a history of failed regeneration attempts. An in-depth case study, undertaken to explore the current situation and future prospects of South Bank, a small neighbourhood in the North East of England, highlights transferable knowledge which may be applied to other regeneration areas. The analysis considers the nature and consequences of industrial decline; entrenched deprivation; the stigmatization of communities; the value of community consultation and the potential impact of retail-led regeneration. We question whether negative stigma attached to places can be changed and we ask what the future may hold for deprived communities now that public sector funding has largely dried up, and we consider an alternative approach: the potential impacts of private sector retail-led regeneration in the absence of public sector funding

Molecular dynamics simulations of lead clusters

Molecular dynamics simulations of nanometer-sized lead clusters have been performed using the Lim, Ong and Ercolessi glue potential (Surf. Sci. {\bf 269/270}, 1109 (1992)). The binding energies of clusters forming crystalline (fcc), decahedron and icosahedron structures are compared, showing that fcc cuboctahedra are the most energetically favoured of these polyhedral model structures. However, simulations of the freezing of liquid droplets produced a characteristic form of ``shaved'' icosahedron, in which atoms are absent at the edges and apexes of the polyhedron. This arrangement is energetically favoured for 600-4000 atom clusters. Larger clusters favour crystalline structures. Indeed, simulated freezing of a 6525-atom liquid droplet produced an imperfect fcc Wulff particle, containing a number of parallel stacking faults. The effects of temperature on the preferred structure of crystalline clusters below the melting point have been considered. The implications of these results for the interpretation of experimental data is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 18 figues, new section added and one figure added, other minor changes for publicatio

Remaining inconsistencies with solar neutrinos: can spin flavour precession provide a clue?

A few inconsistencies remain after it has been ascertained that LMA is the dominant solution to the solar neutrino problem: why is the SuperKamiokande spectrum flat and why is the Chlorine rate prediction over two standard deviations above the data. There also remains the ananswered and important question of whether the active neutrino flux is constant or time varying. We propose a scenario involving spin flavour precession to sterile neutrinos with three active flavours that predicts a flat SuperK spectrum and a Chlorine rate prediction more consistent with data. We also argue that running the Borexino experiment during the next few years may provide a very important clue as to the possible variability of the solar neutrino flux.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, contribution to TAUP 2009 (Rome

Supported magnetic nanoclusters: Softlanding of Pd clusters on a MgO surface

Low-energy deposition of neutral Pd_N clusters (N=2-7 and 13) on a MgO(001) surface F-center (FC) was studied by spin-density-functional molecular dynamics simulations. The incident clusters are steered by an attractive "funnel" created by the FC, resulting in adsorption of the cluster, with one of its atoms bonded atop of the FC. The deposited Pd_2-Pd_6 clusters retain their gas-phase structures, while for N>6 surface-commensurate isomers are energetically more favorable. Adsorbed clusters with N > 3 are found to remain magnetic at the surface.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figs, Phys.Rev.Lett., accepte

Octocorals in the Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos octocorals were almost unknown until recent years. Of the three orders within the subclass Octocorallia (Anthozoa, Cnidaria), the Pennatulacea (sea pens) and Alcyonacea (soft corals and gorgonians) occur in the Galapagos. Recent collections and research bring the total known octocorallian fauna to three sea pens (Virgularia galapagensis, Ptilosarcus undulatus and Cavernulina darwini) and 15 gorgonians. Of the 13 gorgonians that we have collected, several are new species. Pacifigorgia is widely distributed in the archipelago, with four named species (P. dampieri, P. symbiotica, P. rubripunctata, and P. darwinii), three of them recently described, and two others yet to be described. The genus Muricea contains three widely distributed undescribed species, one of which appears in three chromotypes, and one deepwater species that has not been collected recently. Two species of Heterogorgia occur in the central archipelago, H. verrucosa and the recently described and widely distributed H. hickmani. The remaining gorgonians are Eugorgia daniana, Leptogorgia alba and Adelogorgia telones