Proximity, pain and State punishment

This article examines the difficulties of calculating the severity of sentences presented by differences in individual penal subjects’ experiences, a key challenge to proportionality-based justifications of punishment. It explores the basic arguments for and against recognising subjective experience, before advancing a model of penal severity based upon the proximity of the pains of punishment to penal State actions. This model could partially resolve foundational problems in giving criminally just sentences. Whilst we cannot wholly reconcile penal subjectivism and objectivism, there are still some opportunities to improve penal policy and sentencing practice by adopting a proximity model for penal severity

Microstructured cladding elements to enhance performance and flexibility of large mode area leakage channel fibers

Large mode area fibers are imperative for scaling up the average power of fiber lasers. Single-mode behavior and low FM loss are the crucial functionalities for these fibers. However, for key applications such as picosecond pulsed lasers, the device length needs to at least a few meters. This makes a certain degree of bend tolerance a prerequisite in the fiber design. While rod-type PCFs have been very successful in offering large mode areas, their rigid configuration limits their application domain. Alternatively, leakage channel fibers (LCFs) have shown a great potential for offering substantial bend tolerance along with large mode areas. However, the proposed use of Fluorine-doped rods in the all-solid version limits their practical design space. Here, we propose a novel design concept to attain single-material, large mode area fibers (mode area >~ 1000µm2) with effectively single mode operation coupled with bending characteristics comparable to all-solid LCFs and greater design flexibility and easier splicing that is comparable to rod-type PCFs

Predicting Structural and Optical Properties of Hollow-Core Photonic Bandgap Fibers from Second Stage Preforms

We propose a simple theory based on mass conservation that allows accurate prediction of guidance properties in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers (HC-PBGF) from knowledge of the second stage preforms from which the fibers are drawn

Penal Impact: Towards a More Intersubjective Measurement of Penal Severity

The measurement of penal severity is vital to a range of different justifications of criminal punishment, not least those that value proportionality. However, despite the wealth of material devoted to the measurement of penal severity, there remain critical weaknesses in our ability to say that like cases have been treated alike in modern (Western) penal systems. This article explores existing measures of sentence severity and argues that each is fundamentally limited for the purposes of analysing penal severity in practice. It then provides an overview of an alternative framework, “penal impact”, which explores subjective experiences of punishment in terms of both the diversity and the quantum of the pains imposed by punishments. It examines some of the epistemological and ethical challenges of pain-based analysis, and concludes on the strengths and limitations of penal impact, in comparison to the other measures canvassed, offering justifications for an intersubjective measurement of penal severity

On the Influence of Stochastic Moments in the Solution of the Neutron Point Kinetics Equation

On the Influence of Stochastic Moments in the Solution of the Neutron Point Kinetics EquationComment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Manufacturing of high performance hollow core microstructured optical fibres

Although fabrication technologies of Microstructured Optical Fibres (MOFs) fibres have matured at an impressive rate over the past ten years, these fibres are widely perceived as "challenging" and some key issues are still outstanding in order to improve their manufacturability. One such issue revolves around methods to improve structural control during the fibre draw. Structural control is of particular importance for certain types of microstructured fibres, such as hollow core Photonic Bandgap Fibres (PBGFs) and Anti-resonant (AR) fibres (also known as Kagome fibres). These fibres exploit resonant and/or anti-resonant guidance mechanisms and thus their transmission properties depend on the structure to a much greater extent as compared to conventional fibres. Hollow core MOFs have been identified as promising media for applications such as low latency (speed-of-light-in-air) communications, fibre sensing (chemical sensing, gyroscopes, sensors based on distributed scattering), laser power delivery (both high-peak and high average). However the successful implementation of these fibres in advanced demonstrators leading to commercial devices has been hindered by high cost, poor consistency and, in some instances, by lack of fibres with sufficiently good properties. We are actively investigating methods to improve structural control during the fibre draw and methods for scaling up the current manufacturing yields. Here we present recent progress in the fabrication hollow core MOFs at the Optoelectronics Research Centre; in particular, we report the fabrication of ultra-low loss (~few dB/km), wide bandwidth (>150nm) Photonic Bandgap Fibres and anti-resonant Hexagram Fibres with broadband low loss transmission suitable for the delivery of extremely high peak optical powers

Understanding wavelength scaling in 19-cell core hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers

First experimental wavelength scaling in 19-cell core HC-PBGF indicates that the minimum loss waveband occurs at longer wavelengths than previously predicted. Record low loss (2.5dB/km) fibers operating around 2µm and gas-purging experiments are also reported

Healthcare Game Design: Behavioral Modeling of Serious Gaming Design for Children with Chronic Diseases

This article introduces the design principles of serious games for chronic patients based on behavioral models. First, key features of the targeted chronic condition (Diabetes) are explained. Then, the role of psychological behavioral models in the management of chronic conditions is covered. After a short review of the existing health focused games, two recent health games that are developed based on behavioral models are overviewed in more detail. Furthermore, design principles and usability issues regarding the creation of these health games are discussed. Finally, the authors conclude that designing healthcare games based on behavioral models can increase the usability of the game in order to improve the effectiveness of the game’s desired healthcare outcomes

Projected ocean acidification and seasonal temperature alter the behaviour and growth of a range extending tropical fish

OnlinePublClimate-driven invasions of ecosystems by range-extending animals are often mediated by behavioural modifications that increase their chances of establishment in foreign biological communities. This creates novel ecological interactions that can affect the behaviour of native species in recipient ecosystems. However, this question has seldom been addressed in marine systems, in particular with the additive effect of ocean acidification and the mediating effects of seasonal climate variability. Here, we performed a laboratory experiment to evaluate how novel species interactions, ocean acidification, and projected future summer versus winter temperatures could affect the behaviour and growth of a range-extending tropical and co-shoaling temperate fish. Compared to current-day summer temperatures, tropical fish became 4% more active, 90% more aggressive, and increased their growth rates (standard length: +42%) during future summers in their novel poleward ranges, but reduced their aggression by 64%, boldness by 52%, feeding by 45% and growth rates (wet weight: −70%, standard length: −26%) during future winters compared to current-day summer temperatures. Additionally, tropical fish became 3% more active under ocean acidification compared to no ocean acidification. Conversely, temperate fish behaviour was unaffected by climate treatments but their growth rates were > 200% faster under future winter versus current and future summer temperatures. We conclude that projected future winter conditions in temperate ecosystems may reduce the performance of range-extending fishes in temperate fish communities and slow down tropicalisation of higher latitudes.Angus Mitchell, Chloe Hayes, David J. Booth, Ivan Nagelkerke