Microscopic Description of Nuclear Fission: Fission Barrier Heights of Even-Even Actinides

We evaluate the performance of modern nuclear energy density functionals for predicting inner and outer fission barrier heights and energies of fission isomers of even-even actinides. For isomer energies and outer barrier heights, we find that the self-consistent theory at the HFB level is capable of providing quantitative agreement with empirical data.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table; Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on "Fission and properties of neutron-rich nuclei" (ICFN5), Sanibel Island, Nov. 4-10, 201

The Political Geography of Maine’s Economic Future: Cities and Their Metro Regions

Following a global trend that now has more than 55 percent of the world population living in cities and their metro regions, Maine’s economic and population growth are driven by our cities and the surrounding metro areas. The trend, however, will not meet Maine’s goal to attract a future workforce and reduce greenhouse gas emissions without regional solutions to housing, education, homelessness, climate adaptation, and public transportation. Meeting these challenges will require a loosening of attitudes about local control and an embracing of regional solutions to the critical issues inhibiting Maine’s economic growth. The political leadership of the state, cities, counties, and metro regions must develop new models to achieve greater density for affordable workforce housing and more public transit, including improved bus and new light-rail systems

Missteps in Managing the COVID-19 Crisis

The Covid-19 pandemic surprised the world with the speed of its spread and caught nations woefully unprepared to contain the virus but in hindsight its arrival was readily predictable. Why did the warning signs for Covid-19 go unnoticed? Why did so many leaders fail to plan for a pandemic? And why did they not recognize the outbreak and respond effectively even after the pandemic was at their doorstep? This paper will seek to answer these questions by exploring six stages in crisis management: 1) preventing the crisis, 2) planning for the crisis, 3) recognizing the crisis, 4) containing the crisis, 5) returning the society to normal or non-crisis state, and 6) learning from the crisis. The paper uncovers missteps to aid society to better prepare for the next crisi

Incubating Leaders in Maine

For a sparsely populated state, Maine has produced an extraordinary number of national, bipartisan leaders. What has made Maine an incubator for such leadership? Alexis de Tocqueville, the author of Democracy in America, provides useful insights into Maine’s culture as a breeding ground for its leadership. But rapid societal changes sweeping the country and the world—particularly globalization, urbanization, and the digitization of the economy—will inevitably alter Maine’s culture. This paper explores steps Maine might take to develop leaders in this new environment by preserving its past strengths and adjusting to these new challenges. Maine could overcome its north/south divide and play a role in developing leaders who would bring polarized sectors of the country together

Maine’s Workforce Challenges in an Age of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence will improve productivity, expand the economy, and significantly alter many jobs. To accommodate these changes, Maine will have to upgrade workforce skills in a rapidly changing economy. This article recommends policy proposals in response to the rise of artificial intelligence, including (1) training programs for current and displaced workers; (2) revamped postsecondary education programs to provide a wider group of students with the skills necessary in a postindustrial society; and (3) a much closer relationship between government, employers, and educational institutions to develop the future workforce for Maine. The paper also looks at the deliberations about workforce development in the early twentieth century as the United States transitioned from a largely agricultural economy to an industrial one for insights from the past in arriving at educational programs suitable for a postindustrial society