Auditing Economic Policy in the Light of Obligations on Economic and Social Rights

One of the things we have learned so far is that the realization of human rights, especially economic and social rights, requires resources as well as laws. The availability and use of resources is strongly influenced by the type of economic policies that States Parties implement. This paper considers how concerned citizens might audit economic policies from a human rights perspective, with a particular focus on economic and social rights. It draws on an ongoing project, directed by Radhika Balakrishnan, advised by Diane Elson, and funded by the Ford Foundation, on economic policy and economic and social rights in Mexico and the USA. The project brings together human rights experts and activists who are focussing on economic and social rights, and economists who are critical of the neo-liberal economic policies being pursued by so many governments and international economic policy institutions, such as the IMF and World Bank. (Amartya Sen has called these critical economists ?non-conformist economists?, because they do not conform to the currently dominant forms of economic analysis and policy prescription). These economists share the concerns of the human rights community about poverty, deprivation and inequality; and draw on a range of other approaches to economic policy, including Keynesian, human development and feminist economics approaches. The project aims to audit key economic polices in the two countries in the light of human rights obligations, and the analysis produced by ?non-conformist? economists

Vibrational energy transfer in ultracold molecule - molecule collisions

We present a rigorous study of vibrational relaxation in p-H2 + p-H2 collisions at cold and ultracold temperatures and identify an efficient mechanism of ro-vibrational energy transfer. If the colliding molecules are in different rotational and vibrational levels, the internal energy may be transferred between the molecules through an extremely state-selective process involving simultaneous conservation of internal energy and total rotational angular momentum. The same transition in collisions of distinguishable molecules corresponds to the rotational energy transfer from one vibrational state of the colliding molecules to another.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Analytic calculation of energy transfer and heat flux in a one-dimensional system

In the context of the problem of heat conduction in one-dimensional systems, we present an analytical calculation of the instantaneous energy transfer across a tagged particle in a one-dimensional gas of equal-mass, hard-point particles. From this, we obtain a formula for the steady-state energy flux, and identify and separate the mechanical work and heat conduction contributions to it. The nature of the Fourier law for the model, and the nonlinear dependence of the rate of mechanical work on the stationary drift velocity of the tagged particle, are analyzed and elucidated.Comment: 17 pages including title pag

Decision noise may mask criterion shifts: Reply to Balakrishnan and MacDonald (2008)

J. D. Balakrishnan and J. A. MacDonald (2008) argue that RTbased measures of signal detection processes provide evidence against signal detection theory’s notion of a flexible decision criterion. They argue that this evidence is immune to the alternative explanation proposed by S. T. Mueller and C. T. Weidemann (2008), that decision noise may mask criterion shifts. We show that noise in response times can produce the same effects as are produced by noise in confidence ratings. Given these results, the evidence is not sufficient to categorically reject the notion of a flexible response policy implemented through shifts in a decision criterion

Quantum dynamics of the Li+HF-->H+LiF reaction at ultralow temperatures

Quantum mechanical calculations are reported for the Li+HF(v=0,1,j=0)-->H+LiF(v',j') bimolecular scattering process at low and ultralow temperatures. Calculations have been performed for zero total angular momentum using a recent high accuracy potential energy surface for the X 2A' electronic ground state. For Li+HF(v=0,j=0), the reaction is dominated by resonances due to the decay of metastable states of the Li...F-H van der Waals complex. Assignment of these resonances has been carried out by calculating the eigenenergies of the quasibound states. We also find that while chemical reactivity is greatly enhanced by vibrational excitation the resonances get mostly washed out in the reaction of vibrationally excited HF with Li atoms. In addition, we find that at low energies, the reaction is significantly suppressed due to the formation of rather deeply bound van der Waals complexes and the less efficient tunneling of the relatively heavy fluorine atom.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, submitted to J. Chem. Phy

Evolution of spin correlations in SrDy2O4 in an applied magnetic field

The development of short- and long-range magnetic order induced in a frustrated zig-zag ladder compound SrDy2O4 by an applied field is studied using neutron diffraction techniques. In zero field, SrDy2O4 lacks long-range magnetic order down to temperatures as low as 60 mK, and the observed powder neutron diffraction (PND) patterns are dominated by very broad diffuse scattering peaks. Single crystal neutron diffraction reveals that the zero-field magnetic structure consists of a collection of antiferromagnetic chains running along the c axis and that there is very little correlation between the chains in the ab plane. In an applied magnetic field, the broad diffuse scattering features in PND are gradually replaced by much sharper peaks, however, the pattern remains rather complex, reflecting the highly anisotropic nature of SrDy2O4. Single crystal neutron diffraction shows that a moderate field applied along the b axis induces an up-up-down magnetic order associated with a 1/3-magnetisation plateau, in which magnetic correlation length in the ab plane is significantly increased, but it nevertheless remains finite. The resolution limited k = 0 peaks associated with a ferromagnetic arrangement appear in powder and single crystal neutron diffraction patterns in fields of 2.5 T and above.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure

Ecology of African Civet (Civettictis civetta) in Arba Minch Forest, Arba Minch, Ethiopia

The population density, diet and scent-marking of African civets (Civettictis civetta) were assessed at Arba Minch Forest within Nechi Sar National Park in Arba Minch, Ethiopia. The Civet population was estimated over a 5-months period to be 0. 27/ha, of which 0.16 were adults and 0.11 young. Civet diet was analyzed by examining 578 scats during the same period to determine preference of adult Civets to plant material over animal material and vice versa. This viverrid can be termed a generalist omnivore as per these findings. Civets were found to use plants, metallic objects and poles to mark scent. Out of the 92 scent marking sites observed, a vast majority were within 100 m radius of civetries or latrine sites. In the wild, the amount of civet – the perineal gland secretion collected from each marked site varied from 0.0047 g to 0.98 g, but in captivity 0.034 g to 2.0 g was collected. Much as Ethiopia is the world’s largest supplier of civet musk to perfumery industry in Europe, its Civet farming practices needs to be regulated for acceptable welfare standards.Keywords: African Civet Population Omnivorous generalists Scat analysis Scent markin