Do actions occur inside the body?

The paper offers a critical examination of Jennifer Hornsby's view that actions are internal to the body. It focuses on three of Hornsby's central claims: (P) many actions are bodily movements (in a special sense of the word “movement”) (Q) all actions are tryings; and (R) all actions occur inside the body. It is argued, contra Hornsby, that we may accept (P) and (Q) without accepting also the implausible (R). Two arguments are first offered in favour of the thesis (Contrary-R): that no actions occur inside the body. Three of Hornsby's arguments in favour of R are then examined. It is argued that we need to make a distinction between the causes and the causings of bodily movements (in the ordinary sense of the word “movement”) and that actions ought to be identified with the latter rather than the former. This distinction is then used to show how Hornsby's arguments for (R) may be resisted

Measurement of CP violation at a Neutrino Factory

The prospects of measuring CP violation in the leptonic sector using the intense neutrino beams arising from muon decay in the straight sections of a muon accumulator ring (the so-called neutrino factory) are discussed.Comment: Invited talk given at the CP2000 Conference in Ferrara, September, 200

Optimization of the design of OMNIS, the observatory of multiflavor neutrinos from supernovae

A Monte Carlo code has been developed to simulate the operation of the planned detectors in OMNIS, a supernova neutrino observatory. OMNIS will detect neutrinos originating from a core collapse supernova by the detection of spalled neutrons from Pb- or Fe-nuclei. This might be accomplished using Gd-loaded liquid scintillator. Results for the optimum configuration for such modules with respect to both neutron detection efficiency and cost efficiency are presented. Careful consideration has been given to the expected levels of radioactive backgrounds and their effects. The results show that the amount of data to be processed by a software trigger can be reduced to the <10kHz region and a neutron, once produced in the detector, can be detected and identified with an efficiency of >30%.Comment: Elsevier preprint; 29 pages, 23 figure

Density functional study of Aun_n (n=2-20) clusters: lowest-energy structures and electronic properties

We have investigated the lowest-energy structures and electronic properties of the Au$_n$(n=2-20) clusters based on density functional theory (DFT) with local density approximation. The small Au$_n$ clusters adopt planar structures up to n=6. Tabular cage structures are preferred in the range of n=10-14 and a structural transition from tabular cage-like structure to compact near-spherical structure is found around n=15. The most stable configurations obtained for Au$_{13}$ and Au$_{19}$ clusters are amorphous instead of icosahedral or fcc-like, while the electronic density of states sensitively depend on the cluster geometry. Dramatic odd-even alternative behaviors are obtained in the relative stability, HOMO-LUMO gaps and ionization potentials of gold clusters. The size evolution of electronic properties is discussed and the theoretical ionization potentials of Au$_n$ clusters compare well with experiments.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

Data visualization in yield component analysis: an expert study

Even though data visualization is a common analytical tool in numerous disciplines, it has rarely been used in agricultural sciences, particularly in agronomy. In this paper, we discuss a study on employing data visualization to analyze a multiplicative model. This model is often used by agronomists, for example in the so-called yield component analysis. The multiplicative model in agronomy is normally analyzed by statistical or related methods. In practice, unfortunately, usefulness of these methods is limited since they help to answer only a few questions, not allowing for a complex view of the phenomena studied. We believe that data visualization could be used for such complex analysis and presentation of the multiplicative model. To that end, we conducted an expert survey. It showed that visualization methods could indeed be useful for analysis and presentation of the multiplicative model

A radium assay technique using hydrous titanium oxide adsorbent for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

As photodisintegration of deuterons mimics the disintegration of deuterons by neutrinos, the accurate measurement of the radioactivity from thorium and uranium decay chains in the heavy water in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is essential for the determination of the total solar neutrino flux. A radium assay technique of the required sensitivity is described that uses hydrous titanium oxide adsorbent on a filtration membrane together with a beta-alpha delayed coincidence counting system. For a 200 tonne assay the detection limit for 232Th is a concentration of 3 x 10^(-16) g Th/g water and for 238U of 3 x 10^(-16) g U/g water. Results of assays of both the heavy and light water carried out during the first two years of data collection of SNO are presented.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Healthcare-associated viral and bacterial infections in dentistry

Infection prevention in dentistry is an important topic that has gained more interest in recent years and guidelines for the prevention of cross-transmission are common practice in many countries. However, little is known about the real risks of cross-transmission, specifically in the dental healthcare setting. This paper evaluated the literature to determine the risk of cross-transmission and infection of viruses and bacteria that are of particular relevance in the dental practice environment. Facts from the literature on HSV, VZV, HIV, Hepatitis B, C and D viruses, Mycobacterium spp., Pseudomonas spp., Legionella spp. and multi-resistant bacteria are presented. There is evidence that Hepatitis B virus is a real threat for cross-infection in dentistry. Data for the transmission of, and infection with, other viruses or bacteria in dental practice are scarce. However, a number of cases are probably not acknowledged by patients, healthcare workers and authorities. Furthermore, cross-transmission in dentistry is under-reported in the literature. For the above reasons, the real risks of cross-transmission are likely to be higher. There is therefore a need for prospective longitudinal research in this area, to determine the real risks of cross-infection in dentistry. This will assist the adoption of effective hygiene procedures in dental practice

Three Generation Neutrino Oscillation Parameters after SNO

We examine the solar neutrino problem in the context of the realistic three neutrino mixing scenario including the SNO charged current (CC) rate. The two independent mass squared differences $\Delta m^2_{21}$ and $\Delta m^2_{31} \approx \Delta m^2_{32}$ are taken to be in the solar and atmospheric ranges respectively. We incorporate the constraints on $\Delta$m$^2_{31}$ as obtained by the SuperKamiokande atmospheric neutrino data and determine the allowed values of $\Delta m^2_{21}$, $\theta_{12}$ and $\theta_{13}$ from a combined analysis of solar and CHOOZ data. Our aim is to probe the changes in the values of the mass and mixing parameters with the inclusion of the SNO data as well as the changes in the two-generation parameter region obtained from the solar neutrino analysis with the inclusion of the third generation. We find that the inclusion of the SNO CC rate in the combined solar + CHOOZ analysis puts a more restrictive bound on $\theta_{13}$. Since the allowed values of $\theta_{13}$ are constrained to very small values by the CHOOZ experiment there is no qualitative change over the two generation allowed regions in the $\Delta m^2_{21} - \tan^2 \theta_{12}$ plane. The best-fit comes in the LMA region and no allowed area is obtained in the SMA region at 3$\sigma$ level from combined solar and CHOOZ analysis.Comment: One reference added. Version to apprear in PR

Can R-parity violation explain the LSND data as well?

The recent Super-Kamiokande data now admit only one type of mass hierarchy in a framework with three active and one sterile neutrinos. We show that neutrino masses and mixings generated by R-parity-violating couplings, with values within their experimental upper limits, are capable of reproducing this hierarchy, explaining all neutrino data particularly after including the LSND results.Comment: 7 pages, Latex, 3 PS figures; in v2 a few clarifying remarks included and two references added (to appear in Physical Review D

Neutrino oscillation constraints on neutrinoless double beta decay

We have studied the constraints imposed by the results of neutrino oscillation experiments on the effective Majorana mass || that characterizes the contribution of Majorana neutrino masses to the matrix element of neutrinoless double-beta decay. We have shown that in a general scheme with three Majorana neutrinos and a hierarchy of neutrino masses (which can be explained by the see-saw mechanism), the results of neutrino oscillation experiments imply rather strong constraints on the parameter ||. From the results of the first reactor long-baseline experiment CHOOZ and the Bugey experiment it follows that || < 3x10^{-2} eV if the largest mass-squared difference is smaller than 2 eV^2. Hence, we conclude that the observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay with a probability that corresponds to || > 10^{-1} eV would be a signal for a non-hierarchical neutrino mass spectrum and/or non-standard mechanisms of lepton number violation.Comment: 20 pages, including 4 figure