Shell model description of the 14C dating beta decay with Brown-Rho-scaled NN interactions

We present shell model calculations for the beta-decay of the 14C ground state to the 14N ground state, treating the states of the A=14 multiplet as two 0p holes in an 16O core. We employ low-momentum nucleon-nucleon (NN) interactions derived from the realistic Bonn-B potential and find that the Gamow-Teller matrix element is too large to describe the known lifetime. By using a modified version of this potential that incorporates the effects of Brown-Rho scaling medium modifications, we find that the GT matrix element vanishes for a nuclear density around 85% that of nuclear matter. We find that the splitting between the (J,T)=(1+,0) and (J,T)=(0+,1) states in 14N is improved using the medium-modified Bonn-B potential and that the transition strengths from excited states of 14C to the 14N ground state are compatible with recent experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures Updated to include referee comments/suggestion

TMS communications hardware. Volume 2: Bus interface unit

A prototype coaxial cable bus communication system used in the Trend Monitoring System to interconnect intelligent graphics terminals to a host minicomputer is described. The terminals and host are connected to the bus through a microprocessor-based RF modem termed a Bus Interface Unit (BIU). The BIU hardware and the Carrier Sense Multiple Access Listen-While-Talk protocol used on the network are described

A covariant and gauge invariant formulation of the cosmological "backreaction"

Using our recent proposal for defining gauge invariant averages we give a general-covariant formulation of the so-called cosmological "backreaction". Our effective covariant equations allow us to describe in explicitly gauge invariant form the way classical or quantum inhomogeneities affect the average evolution of our Universe.Comment: 12 pages, no figures. Typos corrected, matches version to appear in JCA

The 26^{26}Al Gamma-ray Line from Massive-Star Regions

The measurement of gamma rays from the diffuse afterglow of radioactivity originating in massive-star nucleosynthesis is considered a laboratory for testing models, when specific stellar groups are investigated, at known distance and with well-constrained stellar population. Regions which have been exploited for such studies include Cygnus, Carina, Orion, and Scorpius-Centaurus. The Orion region hosts the Orion OB1 association and its subgroups at about 450~pc distance. We report the detection of $^{26}$Al gamma rays from this region with INTEGRAL/SPI.Comment: Contribution to Symposium "Nuclei in the Cosmos XIV", Niigata, Japan, Jun 2016; 3 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in JPS (Japan Physical Society) Conference Proceedings http://jpscp.jps.jp

A frequency-selective feedback model of auditory efferent suppression and its implications for the recognition of speech in noise

The potential contribution of the peripheral auditory efferent system to our understanding of speech in a background of competing noise was studied using a computer model of the auditory periphery and assessed using an automatic speech recognition system. A previous study had shown that a fixed efferent attenuation applied to all channels of a multi-channel model could improve the recognition of connected digit triplets in noise [G. J. Brown, R. T. Ferry, and R. Meddis, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 943?954 (2010)]. In the current study an anatomically justified feedback loop was used to automatically regulate separate attenuation values for each auditory channel. This arrangement resulted in a further enhancement of speech recognition over fixed-attenuation conditions. Comparisons between multi-talker babble and pink noise interference conditions suggest that the benefit originates from the model?s ability to modify the amount of suppression in each channel separately according to the spectral shape of the interfering sounds

Composite engines for application to a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle

Seven composite engines were designed for application to a reusable single-stage-to-orbit vehicle. The engine designs were variations of the supercharged ejector ramjet engine. The resulting performance, weight, and drawings of each engine form a data base for establishing a potential of this class of composite engine to various missions, including the single-stage-to-orbit application. The impact of advanced technology in the design of the critical fan turbine was established