A Geometrical Model for Stagnant Motion in Hamiltonian Systems with Many Degrees of Freedom

We introduce a model of Poincar\'e mappings which represents hierarchical structure of phase spaces for systems with many degrees of freedom. The model yields residence time distribution of power type, hence temporal correlation remains long. The power law behavior is enhanced as the system size increases.Comment: 6 pages, 3 Encapsulated Postscript figures, LaTeX (58 kb

Spin-oscillator model for DNA/RNA unzipping by mechanical force

We model unzipping of DNA/RNA molecules subject to an external force by a spin-oscillator system. The system comprises a macroscopic degree of freedom, represented by a one-dimensional oscillator, and internal degrees of freedom, represented by Glauber spins with nearest-neighbor interaction and a coupling constant proportional to the oscillator position. At a critical value $F_c$ of an applied external force $F$, the oscillator rest position (order parameter) changes abruptly and the system undergoes a first-order phase transition. When the external force is cycled at different rates, the extension given by the oscillator position exhibits a hysteresis cycle at high loading rates whereas it moves reversibly over the equilibrium force-extension curve at very low loading rates. Under constant force, the logarithm of the residence time at the stable and metastable oscillator rest position is proportional to $(F-F_c)$ as in an Arrhenius law.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, submitted to PR

Towards the Next Phase of the EU’s Area of Freedom, Security and Justice: The European Commission’s Proposals for the Stockholm Programme. CEPS Policy Brief No. 196, 20 August 2009

The European Union is currently engaged in formulating a new five-year strategy for the development of the next phase of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ), to replace The Hague Programme of 2004, which expires at the end of this year. In June 2009, the European Commission published its views on the new so-called ‘Stockholm Programme’, which will be adopted under the Swedish Presidency in December, in its Communication “An area of Freedom, Security and Justice serving the citizen: Wider freedom in a safer environment”. In this Policy Brief, JHA specialists Elspeth Guild and Sergio Carrera take a closer look at the Commission’s Communication and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches adopted for each of the different policy domains falling under the AFSJ rubric. Their commentary on the three areas also provides answers to some of the thorny questions raised in the priorities for the Stockholm Programme, which are spelt out in the conclusions and policy recommendations

Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues

[Excerpt] The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides that all aliens (i.e., persons who are not citizens or nationals of the United States) must enter pursuant to the INA. The major categories of aliens are immigrants, refugees and asylees (all admitted for or adjusted to legal permanent residence), and nonimmigrants (admitted for temporary reasons, e.g., students, tourists, or business travelers). Foreign nationals who lack proper immigration authorization are generally of three kinds: (1) those who overstay their nonimmigrant visas, (2) those who enter the country surreptitiously without inspection, and (3) those who are admitted on the basis of fraudulent documents. In all three instances, the aliens are in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and subject to removal. As a signatory to the United Nations Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (hereinafter, U.N. Protocol), the United States agrees to the principle of nonrefoulement, which means that it will not return an alien to a country where his life or freedom would be threatened. Nonrefoulement is embodied in several provisions of U.S. immigration law. Most notably, it is reflected in the provisions requiring the government to withhold the removal of aliens to a country in which the alien’s life or freedom would be threatened on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion

Comparative Perspectives of Constitutional Asylum in France, Italy and Germany: Requiescat in Pace?

Most countries provide asylum through domestic legislation, such as a statute incorporating the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. France, Italy, and Germany stand out as three of very few European countries specifically to guarantee a right of asylum in their national Constitutions. The origin, wording, and scope of these constitutional provisions vary, depending on historical factors specific to each country. This article examines the right of asylum guaranteed in the Constitutions of France, Italy, and Germany from a historical perspective. It discusses how this right has evolved in all three countries, especially in light of the Refugee Convention and recent European Asylum Legislation. It concludes that however unique and individual constitutional asylum has traditionally been regarded as in France, Italy, and Germany, international obligations and recent European commitments have absorbed its distinctiveness, making it a redundant, almost obsolete, concept

The Legality of University-Conducted Dormitory Searches for Internal Disciplinary Purposes

The issue examined is whether those unique characteristics of the university environment that have led to the development of a judicially-sanctioned general regulatory power will automatically render a warrantless disciplinary search reasonable within the terms of the fourth amendment. (LBH