7,540 research outputs found
First direct observation of two protons in the decay of Fe with a TPC
The decay of the ground-state two-proton emitter 45Fe was studied with a
time-projection chamber and the emission of two protons was unambiguously
identified. The total decay energy and the half-life measured in this work
agree with the results from previous experiments. The present result
constitutes the first direct observation of the individual protons in the
two-proton decay of a long-lived ground-state emitter. In parallel, we
identified for the first time directly two-proton emission from 43Cr, a known
beta-delayed two-proton emitter. The technique developped in the present work
opens the way to a detailed study of the mechanism of ground-state as well as
beta-delayed two-proton radioactivity.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Globalization, the ambivalence of European integration and the possibilities for a post-disciplinary EU studies
Using the work of Manuel Castells as a starting point, this article explores the ambivalent relationship between globalization and European integration and the variety of ways in which the mainstream political science of the EU has attempted to deal with this issue. The analysis here suggests that various 'mainstreaming' disciplinary norms induce types of work that fail to address fully the somewhat paradoxical and counter-intuitive range of possible relationships between globalization and European integration. The article explores critically four possible analytical ways out of this paradoxâabandonment of the concept of globalization, the development of definition precision in globalization studies, the reorientation of work to focus on globalization as discourse, and inter- and post-disciplinarity. The argument suggests that orthodox discussions of the relationship require a notion of social geography that sits at odds with much of the literature on globalization and while greater dialogue between disciplines is to be welcomed, a series of profound epistemological questions need to be confronted if studies of the interplay between global and social process are to be liberated from their disciplinary chains
Host plant specialization and species turnover of caterpillars among hosts in the Brazilian Cerrado.
A Generic Framework for Criterion-Referenced Assessment of Undergraduate Essays
This paper presents a brief review of the relative merits of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment of undergraduate students' written work. Acknowledging that there are both positive and negative aspects of criterion referencing, a generic framework for such assessment of undergraduate essays is presented. It comprises criteria and standards (organised by `dimensions of achievement', i.e. content, process, affect and skills), proficiency standards for English language and communication competence, and cartographic and graphic skills. Problems of implementation include the size and complexity of the framework and the need to interpret and clarify the criteria and standards for students
Heat flow and calculus on metric measure spaces with Ricci curvature bounded below - the compact case
We provide a quick overview of various calculus tools and of the main results
concerning the heat flow on compact metric measure spaces, with applications to
spaces with lower Ricci curvature bounds.
Topics include the Hopf-Lax semigroup and the Hamilton-Jacobi equation in
metric spaces, a new approach to differentiation and to the theory of Sobolev
spaces over metric measure spaces, the equivalence of the L^2-gradient flow of
a suitably defined "Dirichlet energy" and the Wasserstein gradient flow of the
relative entropy functional, a metric version of Brenier's Theorem, and a new
(stronger) definition of Ricci curvature bound from below for metric measure
spaces. This new notion is stable w.r.t. measured Gromov-Hausdorff convergence
and it is strictly connected with the linearity of the heat flow.Comment: To the memory of Enrico Magenes, whose exemplar life, research and
teaching shaped generations of mathematician
A local-global principle for linear dependence of noncommutative polynomials
A set of polynomials in noncommuting variables is called locally linearly
dependent if their evaluations at tuples of matrices are always linearly
dependent. By a theorem of Camino, Helton, Skelton and Ye, a finite locally
linearly dependent set of polynomials is linearly dependent. In this short note
an alternative proof based on the theory of polynomial identities is given. The
method of the proof yields generalizations to directional local linear
dependence and evaluations in general algebras over fields of arbitrary
characteristic. A main feature of the proof is that it makes it possible to
deduce bounds on the size of the matrices where the (directional) local linear
dependence needs to be tested in order to establish linear dependence.Comment: 8 page
Re-imagining the Borders of US Security after 9/11: Securitisation, Risk, and the Creation of the Department of Homeland Security
The articulation of international and transnational terrorism as a key issue in US security policy, as a result of the 9/11 attacks, has not only led to a policy rethink, it has also included a bureaucratic shift within the US, showing a re-thinking of the role of borders within US security policy. Drawing substantively on the 'securitisation' approach to security studies, the article analyses the discourse of US security in order to examine the founding of the Department of Homeland Security, noting that its mission provides a new way of conceptualising 'borders' for US national security. The securitisation of terrorism is, therefore, not only represented by marking terrorism as a security issue, it is also solidified in the organisation of security policy-making within the US state. As such, the impact of a 'war on terror' provides an important moment for analysing the re-articulation of what security is in the US, and, in theoretical terms, for reaffirming the importance of a relationship between the production of threat and the institutionalisation of threat response. Š 2007 Taylor & Francis
Baseline spatial distribution of malaria prior to an elimination programme in Vanuatu
BACKGROUND: The Ministry of Health in the Republic of Vanuatu has implemented a malaria elimination programme in Tafea Province, the most southern and eastern limit of malaria transmission in the South West Pacific. Tafea Province is comprised of five islands with malaria elimination achieved on one of these islands (Aneityum) in 1998. The current study aimed to establish the baseline distribution of malaria on the most malarious of the province's islands, Tanna Island, to guide the implementation of elimination activities. METHODS: A parasitological survey was conducted in Tafea Province in 2008. On Tanna Island there were 4,716 participants from 220 villages, geo-referenced using a global position system. Spatial autocorrelation in observed prevalence values was assessed using a semivariogram. Backwards step-wise regression analysis was conducted to determine the inclusion of environmental and climatic variables into a prediction model. The Bayesian geostatistical logistic regression model was used to predict malaria risk, and associated uncertainty across the island. RESULTS: Overall, prevalence on Tanna was 1.0% for Plasmodium falciparum (accounting for 32% of infections) and 2.2% for Plasmodium vivax (accounting for 68% of infections). Regression analysis showed significant association with elevation and distance to coastline for P. vivax and P. falciparum, but no significant association with NDVI or TIR. Colinearity was observed between elevation and distance to coastline with the later variable included in the final Bayesian geostatistical model for P. vivax and the former included in the final model for P. falciparum. Model validation statistics revealed that the final Bayesian geostatistical model had good predictive ability. CONCLUSION: Malaria in Tanna Island, Vanuatu, has a focal and predominantly coastal distribution. As Vanuatu refines its elimination strategy, malaria risk maps represent an invaluable resource in the strategic planning of all levels of malaria interventions for the island
Sharks of the order Carcharhiniformes from the British Coniacian, Santonian and Campanian (Upper Cretaceous).
Bulk sampling of phosphate-rich horizons within the British Coniacian to Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) yielded very large samples of shark and ray teeth. All of these samples yielded teeth of diverse members of the Carcharhiniformes, which commonly dominate the fauna. The following species are recorded and described: Pseudoscyliorhinus reussi (Herman, 1977) comb. nov., Crassescyliorhinus germanicus (Herman, 1982) gen. nov., Scyliorhinus elongatus (Davis, 1887), Scyliorhinus brumarivulensis sp. nov., ? Palaeoscyllium sp., Prohaploblepharus riegrafi (MĂźller, 1989) gen. nov., ? Cretascyliorhinus sp., Scyliorhinidae inc. sedis 1, Scyliorhinidae inc. sedis 2, Pteroscyllium hermani sp. nov., Protoscyliorhinus sp., Leptocharias cretaceus sp. nov., Palaeogaleus havreensis Herman, 1977, Paratriakis subserratus sp. nov., Paratriakis tenuis sp. nov., Paratriakis sp. indet. and ? Loxodon sp. Taxa belonging to the families ?Proscylliidae, Leptochariidae, and Carcharhinidae are described from the Cretaceous for the first time. The evolutionary and palaeoecological implications of these newly recognised faunas are discussed
- âŚ