E2 polynomial strengths: A comparison with shell-model results

Polynomial-expansion E2 strengths and sum rules involving (J,T)=(0, 0)and(2, 0) states of (ds)⁶ are compared with shell-model results. The agreement is excellent. The strength distribution is describable as a narrow linear ridge in the energy space. The level-to-level fluctuations in the total strength are small, as expected from a theorem of Dyson and Mehta; fluctuations in the first and second moments are also small. The effect of collectivity and the partitioning of the sum rules into exothermic and endothermic parts are discussed.     

Spectral averaging for single-nucleon-transfer sum rules

Spectral averaging methods are used to calculate, directly in terms of the Hamiltonian matrix elements, the quantities determined by the non-energy-weighted and linear-energy-weighted sum rules for single-nucleon addition and removal. Occupancies and strength centroids, and their isospin decomposition, are given throughout the spectrum for some ds-shell cases.     

Isolation and Structure of a New Antibiotic Related to Rubiflavin A

A novel antibiotic, PD 121,222, was isolated from a complex of pluramycin-like compounds containing mostly kidamycin and neopluramycin. Spectral analyses showed that this compound is the 14,16-dihydroxy analog of rubiflavin A.     

The four-pion final state in pp annihilations at 5.7 GeV/c

577 events from $\text{p}\text{p}\text{→2π}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{2π}{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ annihilations at 5.7 GeV/c are analyzed. Single-particle spectra are studied and an effective matrix element in the form Π_i=1⁴ exp(?Bp_Ti²) is determined. The rates for production of ?° and f⁰ mesons are estimated and the influence of resonances on the angular distributions of pions and dipions is investigated. Transverse momenta correlations can be explained using peripheral phase space.     

Soft modelling in risk communication and management: examples in handling food risk

Our aim in this paper is to explore the use of soft modelling in an integrated risk communication and management process for managing uncertainties and ‘scares’ in the public domain, particularly in the area of food risk and safety. Much has been written in the past 20 years on the issues relating to the management and communication of food risks and safety issues to the public. Most of this research has been based upon post hoc studies of what went wrong—or, occasionally, right. Here we survey those findings briefly, and draw these into a general framework for risk management and communication. By integrating these into a coherent common framework, we believe that public authorities, food producers and industry may develop more effective strategies for managing and communicating risks which, in turn, will enable the public to make more informed decisions on their diet.     

Consensus of opinion

In a decision analysis, it is often necessary to combine a group of individuals' beliefs into a consensus probability distribution. This paper addresses the question whether it is possible to base such consensus distributions only upon the information present within the group or must some arbitrary rule be used to resolve disagreement. Some earlier work on modifying beliefs in the light of another's opinion is developed to apply to groups of n people. Using this as a “benchmark of rationality”, standard methods of forming group consensus probability distributions are found somewhat arbitrary. Furthermore it is argued that the possibility of constructing better procedures is remote.