Gamow-Teller GT+ distributions in nuclei with mass A=90-97

We investigate the Gamow-Teller strength distributions in the electron-capture direction in nuclei having mass A=90-97, assuming a 88Sr core and using a realistic interaction that reasonably reproduces nuclear spectroscopy for a wide range of nuclei in the region as well as experimental data on Gamow-Teller strength distributions. We discuss the systematics of the distributions and their centroids. We also predict the strength distributions for several nuclei involving stable isotopes that should be experimentally accessible for one-particle exchange reactions in the near future.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures (from 17 eps files), to be submitted to Phys.Rev.C; corrected typos, minor language change

A study of the relationships between the mechanical response of the tympanic membrane and the electrophysiological indicators of hearing in the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Mechanical response of frog membrane to stimulating frequencies and electrophysiologically determined hearing area

An exploratory study into the factors that influence patients' perceptions of cleanliness in an acute NHS trust hospital

Purpose – If NHS hospitals wish to influence patients to choose them and, as the literature review suggests, cleanliness will be a key-influencing factor in making that choice, it would seem important for hospitals to understand what factors lead people to decide whether a hospital is clean or dirty. The research aims to identify what the key factors are that influence patients' perceptions of cleanliness and to rank these factors in order of importance. Design/methodology/approach – The project utilised a mixed methodology to collect the data. The hospital staff and people who had been recent patients took part in focus groups in order to gather their views. The current hospital in-patients were surveyed through the use of a paper questionnaire. Findings – The main themes that influence the perceptions of cleanliness emerging from the analysis can be summarised under three broad headings – appearance of the environment, physical cleanliness and staff behaviour. The findings suggest that this subject is much more complex than the production of a list. The appearance of the environment is a complex set of perceptions based on what individuals believe to be important, what they observe and what they expect. The research suggests that the appearance of the environment is the most important factor. Originality/value – The paper starts to explore the factors that influence patient perception of cleanliness and provides practical information to NHS estates and facilities managers.</p

Green vs. Green: Measuring the Compensation Required to Site Electrical Generation Windmills in a Viewshed

A willingness to accept framework is used to measure the compensation required to allow wind generation windmills to be built in the mountains of North Carolina. We address why the NIMBY syndrome may arise when choosing site locations, the perceived property rights of view-sheds, as well as the perceptions of the status quo in the southern Appalachian Mountains. We find that individuals who perceive wind energy as a clean source of power require less compensation. Those who retire to the mountains or individuals who have ancestors from Watauga County require more compensation to accept windmills in their view-shed. We find that annual compensation is about twenty three dollars per household. In the aggregate, citizens need to be compensated by about one-half million dollars a year to allow wind electrical generation turbines in Watauga County. In addition, we find in a bivariate-probit analysis that individuals who are more likely to participate in a green energy program also are more likely to allow electrical generation wind mills in their view-shed suggesting that the green on green environmental debate is overstated.

Computation of a Theoretical Membrane Phase Diagram, and the Role of Phase in Lipid Raft-Mediated Protein Organization

Lipid phase heterogeneity in the plasma membrane is thought to be crucial for many aspects of cell signaling, but the physical basis of participating membrane domains such as "lipid rafts" remains controversial. Here we consider a lattice model yielding a phase diagram that includes several states proposed to be relevant for the cell membrane, including microemulsion - which can be related to membrane curvature - and Ising critical behavior. Using a neural network-based machine learning approach, we compute the full phase diagram of this lattice model. We analyze selected regions of this phase diagram in the context of a signaling initiation event in mast cells: recruitment of the membrane-anchored tyrosine kinase Lyn to a cluster of transmembrane of IgE-Fc{\epsilon}RI receptors. We find that model membrane systems in microemulsion and Ising critical states can mediate roughly equal levels of kinase recruitment (binding energy ~ -0.6 kBT), whereas a membrane near a tricritical point can mediate much stronger kinase recruitment (-1.7 kBT). By comparing several models for lipid heterogeneity within a single theoretical framework, this work points to testable differences between existing models. We also suggest the tricritical point as a new possibility for the basis of membrane domains that facilitate preferential partitioning of signaling components.Comment: 33 pages, 7 figures, 16 supplementary pages, 10 supplementary figure