Identifying routes to remedy for violations of economic, social and cultural rights

This article examines the status of economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights in Scotland and identifies routes to remedy for violations of these rights. ESC rights relate to areas such as housing, education, employment, standard of living and health. Violations of ESC rights impact on the most vulnerable in society. The mapping of rights conducted by the Scottish Human Rights Commission before the publication of the Getting It Right report revealed a legal deficit in the protection of ESC rights in Scotland. The evidence identified that protection mechanisms for socio-economic rights in Scotland are either insufficient or non-existent. This article builds on the evidence by exploring the legal nature of ESC rights: how they are currently protected in Scotland and how they are protected in other jurisdictions. It then examines the concept of a ‘remedy’ in international human rights law and proposes models for the better protection of ESC rights for potential future implementation in Scotland. This includes an examination of the risks and benefits in constitutionalising or legislating for ESC rights. This will be of interest to an international audience in terms of identifying justiciability mechanisms and models of constitutionalisation for ESC rights in different constitutional contexts, including Scotland

Raising the Dead: Clues to Type Ia Supernova Physics from the Remnant 0509-67.5

We present Chandra X-ray observations of the young supernova remnant (SNR) 0509-67.5 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), believed to be the product of a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia). The remnant is very round in shape, with a distinct clumpy shell-like structure. Our Chandra data reveal the remnant to be rich in silicon, sulfur, and iron. The yields of our fits to the global spectrum confirm that 0509-67.5 is the remnant of an SN Ia and show a clear preference for delayed detonation explosion models for SNe Ia. We study the spectrum of the single brightest isolated knot in the remnant and find that it is enhanced in iron by a factor of roughly two relative to the global remnant abundances. This feature, along with similar knots seen in Tycho's SNR, argues for the presence of modest small-scale composition inhomogeneities in SNe Ia. The presence of both Si and Fe, with abundance ratios that vary from knot to knot, indicates that these came from the transition region between the Si- and Fe-rich zones in the exploded star, possibly as a result of energy input to the ejecta at late times due to the radioactive decay of 56Ni and 56Co. Two cases for the continuum emission from the global spectrum were modeled: one where the continuum is dominated by hydrogen thermal bremsstrahlung radiation; another where the continuum arises from non-thermal synchrotron radiation. The former case requires a relatively large value for the ambient density (~1 cm^-3). Another estimate of the ambient density comes from using the shell structure of the remnant in the context of dynamical models. This requires a much lower value for the density (<0.05 cm^-3) which is more consistent with other evidence known about 0509-67.5. We therefore conclude that the bulk of the continuum emission from 0509-67.5 has a non-thermal origin.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figures (1 color), accepted to ApJ (10 June 2004 issue); correction made to calculation of magnetic field, small sentence change

Exploring the Physics of Type Ia Supernovae Through the X-ray Spectra of their Remnants

We present the results of an ongoing project to use the X-ray observations of Type Ia Supernova Remnants to constrain the physical processes involved in Type Ia Supernova explosions. We use the Tycho Supernova Remnant (SN 1572) as a benchmark case, comparing its observed spectrum with models for the X-ray emission from the shocked ejecta generated from different kinds of Type Ia explosions. Both the integrated spectrum of Tycho and the spatial distribution of the Fe and Si emission in the remnant are well reproduced by delayed detonation models with stratified ejecta. All the other Type Ia explosion models fail, including well-mixed deflagrations calculated in three dimensions.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the "Stellar end products" workshop, 13-15 April 2005, Granada, Spain, ed. M.A. Perez-Torres, Vol. 77 (Jan 2006) of MmSA

Analytical modeling of circuit aerodynamics in the new NASA Lewis wind tunnel

Rehabilitation and extention of the capability of the altitude wind tunnel (AWT) was analyzed. The analytical modeling program involves the use of advanced axisymmetric and three dimensional viscous analyses to compute the flow through the various AWT components. Results for the analytical modeling of the high speed leg aerodynamics are presented; these include: an evaluation of the flow quality at the entrance to the test section, an investigation of the effects of test section bleed for different model blockages, and an examination of three dimensional effects in the diffuser due to reentry flow and due to the change in cross sectional shape of the exhaust scoop

Characterizing spiral arm and interarm star formation

Interarm star formation contributes significantly to a galaxy's star formation budget, and provides an opportunity to study stellar birthplaces unperturbed by spiral arm dynamics. Using optical integral field spectroscopy of the nearby galaxy NGC 628 with VLT/MUSE, we construct Halpha maps including detailed corrections for dust extinction and stellar absorption to identify 391 HII regions at 35pc resolution over 12 kpc^2. Using tracers sensitive to the underlying gravitational potential, we associate HII regions with either arm (271) or interarm (120) environments. Using our full spectral coverage of each region, we find that most HII region physical properties (luminosity, size, metallicity, ionization parameter) are independent of environment. We calculate the fraction of Halpha luminosity due to the diffuse ionized gas (DIG) background contaminating each HII region, and find the DIG surface brightness to be higher within HII regions compared to the surroundings, and slightly higher within arm HII regions. Use of the temperature sensitive [SII]/Halpha line ratio map instead of the Halpha surface brightness to identify HII region boundaries does not change this result. Using the dust attenuation as a tracer of the gas, we find depletion times consistent with previous work (2 x 10^9 yr) with no differences between the arm and interarm, however this is very sensitive to the DIG correction. Unlike molecular clouds, which can be dynamically affected by the galactic environment, we see fairly consistent HII region properties in both arm and interarm environments. This suggests either a difference in arm star formation and feedback, or a decoupling of dense star forming clumps from the more extended surrounding molecular gas.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Ap

Use of self-referential (ipsative) feedback to motivate and guide distance learners

Distance learners often rely on written feedback for learning and for motivation. But feedback that is 'given' to learners and that relies on praise to motivate does not engage learners in the process of self-development. We propose that an ipsative approach to assessment and feedback based on a comparison with a learner's previous performance motivates distance learners by developing a self-awareness of progress that encourages learners to interact with feedback and apply this to future work. A study of a distance learning Masters programme in Educational Leadership indicated that formal self-referential (ipsative) feedback was largely absent. An ipsative feedback scheme was therefore developed in consultation with the tutors in which students completed a reflection on their progress in implementing past feedback. Tutors provided both an ipsative and a developmental response. Student and tutor evaluations of the scheme indicated that feedback on progress has the potential to motivate distance learners and to encourage them to act on developmental feedback, but can also raise grade expectations. Sustainable methods of applying ipsative feedback to a wide range of distance learning programmes are worth further exploration

Sexual Orientation Differences in the Relationship Between Victimization and Hazardous Drinking Among Women in the National Alcohol Survey

This study examined relationships between past experiences of victimization (sexual abuse and physical abuse in childhood, sexual abuse and physical abuse in adulthood, and lifetime victimization) and hazardous drinking among sexual minority women compared to exclusively heterosexual women. Data were from 11,169 women responding to sexual identity and sexual behavior questions from three National Alcohol Survey waves: 2000 (n = 3,880), 2005 (n = 3,464), and 2010 (n = 3,825). A hazardous drinking index was constructed from five dichotomous variables (5+ drinking in the past year, drinking two or more drinks daily, drinking to intoxication in the past year, two or more lifetime dependence symptoms, and two or more lifetime drinking-related negative consequences). Exclusively heterosexual women were compared with three groups of sexual minority women: lesbian, bisexual, and women who identified as heterosexual but reported same-sex partners. Each of the sexual minority groups reported significantly higher rates of lifetime victimization (59.1% lesbians, 76% bisexuals, and 64.4% heterosexual women reporting same-sex partners) than exclusively heterosexual women (42.3%). Odds for hazardous drinking among sexual minority women were attenuated when measures of victimization were included in the regression models. Sexual minority groups had significantly higher odds of hazardous drinking, even after controlling for demographic and victimization variables: lesbian (OR [sub]adj[sub] = 2.0, CI = 1.1–3.9, p \u3c .01; bisexual (OR [sub]adj[sub] = 1.8, CI = 1.0–3.3, p \u3c .05; heterosexual with same-sex partners (ORadj = 2.7; CI = 1.7–4.3, p \u3c .001). Higher rates of victimization likely contribute to, but do not fully explain, higher rates of hazardous drinking among sexual minority women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)

Influence of surface passivation on ultrafast carrier dynamics and terahertz radiation generation in GaAs

The carrier dynamics of photoexcited electrons in the vicinity of the surface of (NH4)2S-passivated GaAs were studied via terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy and optical-pump THz-probe spectroscopy. THz emission spectroscopy measurements, coupled with Monte Carlo simulations of THz emission, revealed that the surface electric field of GaAs reverses after passivation. The conductivity of photoexcited electrons was determined via optical-pump THz-probe spectroscopy, and was found to double after passivation. These experiments demonstrate that passivation significantly reduces the surface state density and surface recombination velocity of GaAs. Finally, we have demonstrated that passivation leads to an enhancement in the power radiated by photoconductive switch THz emitters, thereby showing the important influence of surface chemistry on the performance of ultrafast THz photonic devices.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Applied Physics Letter

Posteruptive phenomena in coronal mass ejections and substorms: Indicators of a universal process?

[1] We examine phenomena associated with eruptions in the two different regimes of the solar corona and the terrestrial magnetosphere. We find striking similarities between the speeds of shrinking magnetic field lines in the corona and dipolarization fronts traversing the magnetosphere. We also examine the similarities between supra-arcade downflows observed during solar flares and bursty bulk flows seen in the magnetotail and find that these phenomena have remarkably similar speeds, velocity profiles, and size scales. Thus we show manifest similarities in the magnetic reconfiguration in response to the ejection of coronal mass ejections in the corona and the ejection of plasmoids in the magnetotail. The subsequent return of loops to a quasi-potential state in the corona and field dipolarization in the magnetotail are physical analogs and trigger similar phenomena such as downflows, which provides key insights into the underlying drivers of the plasma dynamics