Sexuality and nationality: homophobic discourse and the 'national threat' in contemporary Latvia

This paper considers why attitudes towards gays and lesbians in Latvia appear to be more intolerant than in all other EU member states. The paper argues that while the legacy of communist discourses on homosexuality and the impact of post-communist transition have played a role in shaping attitudes towards sexuality and sexual minorities in Central and Eastern Europe, these factors cannot sufficiently explain the divergence among post-communist states and, in particular, do not account for Latvia’s extreme position. While acknowledging that intolerance towards non-heteronormative sexualities cannot be explained by a single factor, the paper argues that homosexuality has become particularly reviled in Latvia because it has been widely discursively constructed as a threat to the continued existence of the nation

Spontaneous Raman scattering for simultaneous measurements of in-cylinder species

A technique for multi-species mole fraction measurement in internal combustion engines is described. The technique is based on the spontaneous Raman scattering. It can simultaneously provide the mole fractions of several species of N-2, O-2, H2O, CO2 and fuel. Using the system, simultaneous measurement of air/fuel ratio and burnt residual gas are carried out during the mixture process in a Controlled Auto Ignition (CAI) combustion engine. The accuracy and consistency of the measured results were confirmed by the measured air fuel ratio using an exhaust gas analyzer and independently calculated mole fraction values. Measurement of species mole fractions during combustion process has also been demonstrated. It shows that the SRS can provide valuable data on this process in a CAI combustion engine

Smallholder Cashew Development Opportunities and Linkages to Food Security in Nampula Province, Mozambique: Summary of Findings and Implications for Policy, Research and Extension Efforts

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Directorate of Economics, Republic of Mozambiquefood security, food policy, Mozambique, cashew, Crop Production/Industries, Food Security and Poverty, Q18,

Thermal Decomposition of Some Linear Perfluoroalkanes in an Inconel Tube

The products of the pyrolysis reactions of perfluoropropane, perfluoroethane, and carbon tetrafluoride in an Inconel bomb are described. The values for the energy of activation and frequency factor for the first-order pyrolysis reactions are respectively: (1) 80 kcal. per mole and 2x10(exp14) sec.(exp-1) for perfluoropropane; (2) 53 kcal. per mole and 3x10(exp7) sec.(exp-1) for perfluoroethane; and (3) 96 kcal. per mole and 4x10(exp13) sec.(exp-1) for carbon tetrafluoride

Composition and luminescence of AlInGaN layers grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

A study of AlInGaN epilayers, grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, was performed using spatially resolved x-ray microanalysis and luminescence spectroscopy in order to investigate competition between the incorporation of In, Al, and Ga as a function of the growth temperature in the 565-660 °C range and the nominal AlN mole fraction. The samples studied have AlN and InN mole fractions in the ranges of 4%-30% and 0%-16%, respectively. Composition measurements show the effect of decreasing temperature to be an increase in the incorporation of InN, accompanied by a small but discernible decrease in the ratio of GaN to AlN mole fractions. The incorporation of In is also shown to be significantly increased by decreasing the Al mole fraction. Optical emission peaks, observed by cathodoluminescence mapping and by photoluminescence, provide further information on the epilayer compositions as a function of substrate temperature, and the dependencies of peak energy and linewidth are plotted