An Investigation of the Application of the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci Sequence Associated with the Chart of Nuclides

The aim of this investigation was to examine the relationship between the golden ratio and atomic structure. The chart of nuclides was evaluated for evidence of a true golden ratio. That is, the neutron number divided by the proton number needed to equal 1.618 and the atomic number (neutrons plus protons) divided by the neutron number needed to equal 1.618. Across the chart of nuclides, this ratio approximated the golden ratio to a varying degree of accuracy for some nuclides but rarely for both calculations. This relationship (golden ratio in the chart of nuclides) has not been previously reported. It was determined that specific nuclides exhibit the golden ratio between protons and neutrons, and that these produce a trend line on the chart of nuclides. The Fibonacci sequence is mathematically evident and this information can be used to postulate new nuclides or elements

Superfund Cleanups and Infant Health

We are the first to examine the effect of Superfund cleanups on infant health rather than focusing on proximity to a site. We study singleton births to mothers residing within 5km of a Superfund site between 1989-2003 in five large states. Our “difference in differences” approach compares birth outcomes before and after a site clean-up for mothers who live within 2,000 meters of the site and those who live between 2,000- 5,000 meters of a site. We find that proximity to a Superfund site before cleanup is associated with a 20 to 25% increase in the risk of congenital anomalies.NIH grant #HD055613-02 and the MacArthur Foundatio

Influencing student retention and success : a qualitative assessment of library use by distance education students from low socio-economic backgrounds

Poster presentatio

Do Housing Prices Reflect Environmental Health Risks? Evidence from More than 1600 Toxic Plant Openings and Closings

A ubiquitous and largely unquestioned assumption in studies of housing markets is that there is perfect information about local amenities. This paper measures the housing market and health impacts of 1,600 openings and closings of industrial plants that emit toxic pollutants. We find that housing values within one mile decrease by 1.5 percent when plants open, and increase by 1.5 percent when plants close. This implies an aggregate loss in housing values per plant of about $1.5 million. While the housing value impacts are concentrated within 1/2 mile, we find statistically significant infant health impacts up to one mile away

Visualising interoperability : ARH, aggregation, rationalisation and harmonisation

This paper proposes a visualisation of interoperability to assist real-world deployment of metadata. For some time, resource managers in many organisations have been acting on faith, creating 'standards compliant' metadata with the aim of exposing their resources to provide interoperability in discovery activities. In some cases, their faith has led them to miss the very essence of the work they are doing, and they have not got what they worked for. The authors report a case study involving government agencies in Victoria, Australia. A number of departmental agencies have implemented, more or less, the DC-based Australian Government Locator Service (AGLS) application profile, at least for their web resources. They have done this with care and precision, with the long-term aim of developing a fully interoperable system. In the case study, typical would-be records for seven government departments were studied and it was shown that the tiniest, and typical, variation in use of the standard can be expected to thwart the aimsof interoperability in significant ways. In the context of the government’s move to seeking interoperable metadata for all resources, including those within document management systems, the authors make visible how a small 'creep' can lead away from interoperability and how it might be contained in the future. They use a 3-step approach of 'aggregation, rationalisation and harmonisation' to expose the problems with 'nearly good enough' interoperability and the benefits of good interoperability, and encourage true harmonisation