Charged particle decay of hot and rotating 88^{88}Mo nuclei in fusion-evaporation reactions

A study of fusion-evaporation and (partly) fusion-fission channels for the $^{88}$Mo compound nucleus, produced at different excitation energies in the reaction $^{48}$Ti + $^{40}$Ca at 300, 450 and 600 MeV beam energies, is presented. Fusion-evaporation and fusion-fission cross sections have been extracted and compared with the existing systematics. Experimental data concerning light charged particles have been compared with the prediction of the statistical model in its implementation in the Gemini++ code, well suited even for high spin systems, in order to tune the main model parameters in a mass region not abundantly covered by exclusive experimental data. Multiplicities for light charged particles emitted in fusion evaporation events are also presented. Some discrepancies with respect to the prediction of the statistical model have been found for forward emitted $\alpha$-particles; they may be due both to pre-equilibrium emission and to reaction channels (such as Deep Inelastic Collisions, QuasiFission/QuasiFusion) different from the compound nucleus formation.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figure

Supervised versus unsupervised categorization: Two sides of the same coin?

Supervised and unsupervised categorization have been studied in separate research traditions. A handful of studies have attempted to explore a possible convergence between the two. The present research builds on these studies, by comparing the unsupervised categorization results of Pothos et al. (submitted; 2008) with the results from two procedures of supervised categorization. In two experiments, we tested 375 participants with nine different stimulus sets, and examined the relation between ease of learning of a classification, memory for a classification, and spontaneous preference for a classification. After taking into account the role of the number of category labels (clusters) in supervised learning, we found the three variables to be closely associated with each other. Our results provide encouragement for researchers seeking unified theoretical explanations for supervised and unsupervised categorization, but raise a range of challenging theoretical questions

Lifetime measurements of short-lived excited states, and shape changes in As 69 and Ge 66 nuclei

Background: The nuclear shape is a macroscopic feature of an atomic nucleus that is sensitive to the underlying nuclear structure in terms of collectivity and the interaction between nucleons. Therefore, the evolution of nuclear shapes has attracted many theoretical and experimental nuclear structure studies. The structure of the A≈70, N≈Z nuclei, lying far from the stability line, is interesting because a particularly strong proton-neutron correlation may occur here due to the occupation of the same orbits by nucleons of both types. In this region, different particle configurations drive a nucleus towards various deformed shapes: prolate, oblate, octupole, or nonaxial. These nuclear shapes change rapidly with nucleon number and also with angular momentum. This is reflected by a presence of different structures (bands) of excited states which exhibit a broad range of lifetimes. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to determine lifetimes of some high-spin excited states in As69 and Ge66 nuclei to examine the shape evolution in these neutron-deficient nuclei. Methods: Lifetimes of high-spin states in As69 and Ge66 have been measured by using the Doppler-shift attenuation technique with the GASP and recoil filter detector setup at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro. The nuclei of interest were produced in the S32(95MeV)+0.8mg/cm2 Ca40 fusion-evaporation reaction. The strongest reaction channels 3p and α2p led to the As69 and Ge66 final nuclei, respectively. Using γ-γ-recoil coincidences we were able to determine very short lifetimes (in the femtosecond range) in the residual nuclei of interest. Results: In As69, the extracted lifetimes are τ=72 (-32, +45) fs for the 33/2+ state at 7897 keV and τ<85 fs for the 37/2+ state at 9820 keV. For the Ge66 case, the lifetime of the 11- state at 7130 keV is τ=122(±41) fs. Lifetimes in As69 and Ge66 reported in this paper have been measured for the first time in the present experiment. Conclusions: The results are discussed in the terms of deformation and shape evolution in As69 and Ge66. The quadrupole moments deduced from the measured lifetimes were compared with the cranked Woods-Saxon-Strutinsky calculations by means of the total Routhian surface method. It turns out that Band 3 in As69 shows an oblate-prolate shape transition, and above spin 33/2+ it corresponds to a prolate collective structure with β2≈0.27 and γ≈20. In turn, in Ge66 the negative-parity band built on the 7- state at 4205 keV corresponds to a triaxial shape with β2=0.33 and γ=31. Analysis of the transitional quadrupole moments derived from the experimental and theoretical ones points to a significant change of deformation in the As69 and Ge66 nuclei with increasing rotational frequency

Soil warming accelerates decomposition of fine woody debris

© The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Plant and Soil 356 (2012): 405-417, doi:10.1007/s11104-012-1130-x.Soil warming from global climate change could increase decomposition of fine woody debris (FWD), but debris size and quality may mitigate this effect. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of soil warming on decomposition of fine woody debris of differing size and quality. We placed FWD of two size classes (2 × 20 cm and 4 × 40 cm) and four species (Acer saccharum, Betula lenta, Quercus rubra and Tsuga canadensis) in a soil warming and ambient area at Harvard Forest in central Massachusetts. We collected the debris from each area over two years and measured mass loss and lignin concentration. Warming increased mass loss for all species and size classes (by as much as 30%), but larger debris and debris with higher initial lignin content decomposed slower than smaller debris and debris with lower initial lignin content. Lignin degradation did not follow the same trends as mass loss. Lignin loss from the most lignin-rich species, T. canadensis, was the highest despite the fact that it lost mass the slowest. Our results suggest that soil warming will increase decomposition of FWD in temperate forests. It is imperative that future models and policy efforts account for this potential shift in the carbon storage pool

Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning

At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 became a global problem. Despite all the efforts to emphasize the relevance of preventive measures, not everyone adhered to them. Thus, learning more about the characteristics determining attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic is crucial to improving future interventions. In this study, we applied machine learning on the multi-national data collected by the International Collaboration on the Social and Moral Psychology of COVID-19 (N = 51,404) to test the predictive efficacy of constructs from social, moral, cognitive, and personality psychology, as well as socio-demographic factors, in the attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic. The results point to several valuable insights. Internalized moral identity provided the most consistent predictive contribution—individuals perceiving moral traits as central to their self-concept reported higher adherence to preventive measures. Similar was found for morality as cooperation, symbolized moral identity, self-control, open-mindedness, collective narcissism, while the inverse relationship was evident for the endorsement of conspiracy theories. However, we also found a non-negligible variability in the explained variance and predictive contributions with respect to macro-level factors such as the pandemic stage or cultural region. Overall, the results underscore the importance of morality-related and contextual factors in understanding adherence to public health recommendations during the pandemic

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic

Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = −0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics

Social and moral psychology of COVID-19 across 69 countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all domains of human life, including the economic and social fabric of societies. One of the central strategies for managing public health throughout the pandemic has been through persuasive messaging and collective behaviour change. To help scholars better understand the social and moral psychology behind public health behaviour, we present a dataset comprising of 51,404 individuals from 69 countries. This dataset was collected for the International Collaboration on Social & Moral Psychology of COVID-19 project (ICSMP COVID-19). This social science survey invited participants around the world to complete a series of moral and psychological measures and public health attitudes about COVID-19 during an early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (between April and June 2020). The survey included seven broad categories of questions: COVID-19 beliefs and compliance behaviours; identity and social attitudes; ideology; health and well-being; moral beliefs and motivation; personality traits; and demographic variables. We report both raw and cleaned data, along with all survey materials, data visualisations, and psychometric evaluations of key variables

Author Correction: National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic

Correction to: Nature Communications https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27668-9, published online 26 January 2022