50/50 by 2020: poverty and redistributive politics in post-independence Fiji

The affirmative action program launched by the Fiji Government in 2002 espoused a '50/50 by 2020' vision; that is, by the year 2020, some 50 per cent of all economic activities would be owned by the indigenous population. The surprising impact of this heavy-handed redistribution of income and wealth from the non-indigenous to the indigenous population has been poverty-raising. One in eight in the population lived in poverty in 1977, the figure had risen to one in four by 1990/91 and one in three by 2002/2003; and on current trends, would reach one in two (that is 50 per cent) by 2020. Such an outcome would be a direct consequence of these redistributive policies. While the politics of redistribution may have been compelling, its economic costs, including the impact on poverty, are devastating. The 2006 military takeover was executed to rid the country of corruption and race-based politics. Achieving these goals may have a bonus in terms of reversing the rise in poverty. Only time will tell

Signs of low frequency dispersions in disordered binary dielectric mixtures (50-50)

Dielectric relaxation in disordered dielectric mixtures are presented by emphasizing the interfacial polarization. The obtained results coincide with and cause confusion with those of the low frequency dispersion behavior. The considered systems are composed of two phases on two-dimensional square and triangular topological networks. We use the finite element method to calculate the effective dielectric permittivities of randomly generated structures. The dielectric relaxation phenomena together with the dielectric permittivity values at constant frequencies are investigated, and significant differences of the square and triangular topologies are observed. The frequency dependent properties of some of the generated structures are examined. We conclude that the topological disorder may lead to the normal or anomalous low frequency dispersion if the electrical properties of the phases are chosen properly, such that for ``slightly'' {\em reciprocal mixture}--when $\sigma_1\gg\sigma_2$, and $\epsilon_1<\epsilon_2$--normal, and while for ``extreme'' {\em reciprocal mixture}--when $\sigma_1\gg\sigma_2$, and $\epsilon_1\ll\epsilon_2$--anomalous low frequency dispersions are obtained. Finally, comparison with experimental data indicates that one can obtain valuable information from simulations when the material properties of the constituents are not available and of importance.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Anomalous electrical conductivity in rapidly crystallized Cu50−x{}_{50-x}Zrx{}_{x} (x = 50 - 66.6) alloys

Cu${}_{50-x}$Zr${}_{x}$ (x = 50, 54, 60 and 66.6) polycrystalline alloys were prepared by arc-melting. The crystal structure of the ingots has been examined by X-ray diffraction. Non-equilibrium martensitic phases with monoclinic structure were detected in all the alloys except Cu${}_{33.4}$Zr${}_{66.6}$. Temperature dependencies of electrical resistivity in the temperature range of T = 4 - 300 K have been measured as well as room temperature values of Hall coefficients and thermal conductivity. Electrical resistivity demonstrates anomalous behavior. At the temperatures lower than 20 K, their temperature dependencies are non-monotonous with pronounced minima. At elevated temperatures they have sufficiently non-linear character which cannot be described within framework of the standard Bloch--Gr\"{u}neisen model. We propose generalized Bloch--Gr\"{u}neisen model with variable Debye temperature which describes experimental resistivity dependencies with high accuracy. We found that both the electrical resistivity and the Hall coefficients reveal metallic-type conductivity in the Cu-Zr alloys. The estimated values of both the charge carrier mobility and the phonon contribution to thermal and electric conductivity indicate the strong lattice defects and structure disorder.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

50 years in the Landau Institute environment

It is impossible to review all the fundamental works of Landau Institute, which made important contribution to physics in general. Here I will discuss only a part of these works, only those which directly influence my own work during 50 years (1968-2018). Khalatnikov created the unique Institute, where practically all important areas of theoretical physics have been represented, opening broad possibilities for collaboration. The multidisciplinary environment of the Landau Institute was the main element of inspiration.Comment: 23 pages, 20 figures, article dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Khalatninko

Absolute astrometry in the next 50 years

With Gaia in orbit since December 2013 it is time to look at the future of fundamental astrometry and a time frame of 50 years is needed in this matter. A space mission with Gaia-like astrometric performance is required, but not necessarily a Gaia-like satellite. It should be studied whether this can be obtained within the budget of a medium-size ESA mission. A dozen science issues for a Gaia successor mission in twenty years, with launch about 2033, are presented and in this context also other possibilities for absolute astrometry with milliarcsecond (mas) or sub-mas accuracies are discussed. The three powerful techniques: VLBI, the MICADO camera on the E-ELT, and the LSST are described and documented by literature references and by an extensive correspondence with leading astronomers who readily responded with all the information I needed. In brief, the two Gaia-like missions would provide an astrometric foundation for all branches of astronomy from the solar system and stellar systems, including exo-planet systems, to compact galaxies, quasars and dark matter (DM) substructures by data which cannot be surpassed in the next 50 years. - In April 2017 ESA selected our proposal Hobbs et al. (2016) for study of a detector with NIR sensitivity for a Gaia successor mission, called GaiaNIR.Comment: 36 pages, 7 figures. Updates up to 12 June 2017 are included. Author - [email protected]

Towards a first principles description of phonons in Ni50_{50}Pt50_{50} disordered alloys: the role of relaxation

Using a combination of density-functional perturbation theory and the itinerant coherent potential approximation, we study the effects of atomic relaxation on the inelastic incoherent neutron scattering cross sections of disordered Ni$_{50}$Pt$_{50}$ alloys. We build on previous work, where empirical force constants were adjusted {\it ad hoc} to agree with experiment. After first relaxing all structural parameters within the local-density approximation for ordered NiPt compounds, density-functional perturbation theory is then used to compute phonon spectra, densities of states, and the force constants. The resulting nearest-neighbor force constants are first compared to those of other ordered structures of different stoichiometry, and then used to generate the inelastic scattering cross sections within the itinerant coherent potential approximation. We find that structural relaxation substantially affects the computed force constants and resulting inelastic cross sections, and that the effect is much more pronounced in random alloys than in ordered alloys.Comment: 8 pages, 3 eps figures, uses revtex

Quantum Chaos in A=46--50 Atomic Nuclei

The spectral statistics of low--lying states of several $fp$ shell nuclei are studied with realistic shell--model calculations. For Ca isotopes, we find significant deviations from the predictions of the random--matrix theory which suggest that some spherical nuclei are not as chaotic in nature as the conventional view assumes.Comment: 12 pages, LaTex, 2 figures available upon request, to be published in Physics Letters