140 research outputs found
Corruption in migration management: a network perspective
This paper explores the relation between networks as an emerging mode of public governance and corruption. Adopting the theoretical lens of actor-network theory (ANT), the paper investigates an Italian episode of corruption related to the awarding of government contracts for the management of the Mineo’s CARA, the Europe's largest reception centre for migrants. The analysis shows that a governance network may turn corruption itself into a network where abuse of power can proliferate thanks to the opacity resulting from the multiplicity of actors, interactions, and fragmentation characterizing the governance system
Electromagnetic properties of 21O for benchmarking nuclear Hamiltonians
The structure of exotic nuclei provides valuable tests for state-of-the-art
nuclear theory. In particular electromagnetic transition rates are more
sensitive to aspects of nuclear forces and many-body physics than excitation
energies alone. We report the first lifetime measurement of excited states in
O, finding
\,ps. This
result together with the deduced level scheme and branching ratio of several
-ray decays are compared to both phenomenological shell-model and ab
initio calculations based on two- and three-nucleon forces derived from chiral
effective field theory. We find that the electric quadrupole reduced transition
probability of $\rm B(E2;1/2^+ \rightarrow 5/2^+_{g.s.}) = 0.71^{+0.07\
+0.02}_{-0.06\ -0.06}^2^41/2^+$
state, is smaller than the phenomenological result where standard effective
charges are employed, suggesting the need for modifications of the latter in
neutron-rich oxygen isotopes. We compare this result to both large-space and
valence-space ab initio calculations, and by using multiple input interactions
we explore the sensitivity of this observable to underlying details of nuclear
forces.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figure
Characterization of materials used in the manufacture of ceramic tile with incorporation of ornamental rock waste
The production of ceramic tiles, such as tiles, has a great environmental impact, either in
the extraction of natural raw materials or gas emissions in the burning stages. The use of industrial
solid waste in ceramic materials can contribute to the reduction of these impacts, according to the
characteristics of solid waste and its interaction with ceramic materials in the processing steps. Thus,
this study aimed to characterize the materials needed to make a ceramic tile with incorporation of
ornamental rock waste (ORW), thus evaluating its main characteristics regarding the feasibility of this
incorporation. The physical characterization of the clays used in the production of ceramic artifacts
was performed, and for the waste the mineralogical analyzes were performed, through x-ray diffraction
(XRD), microstructure analysis from confocal optical microscopy, after sintering the prototypes and
chemical analysis by X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Soon after the raw materials went through the step
of conformation and preparation of the prismatic specimens by the process of extrusion of the ceramic
mass, with an incorporation of the ORW in 0% and 15% of the ceramic mass, for its subsequent The
prototypes were sintered at three different temperatures (850 °C, 950 °C and 1,050 °C). The specimens
were submitted to technological tests of mechanical resistance, water absorption, firing shrinkage and
porosity to evaluate the incorporation viability. The results indicated the presence of quartz particles
in all raw materials, and also that the clays of the study region are predominantly kaolinitic. The
presence of these materials in the ceramic masses directly influences the micrographs, because they
result in the formation of liquid phase, inert particles that can turn the site into a stress concentration
point and when incorporated in the ORW the specimens met the technical specifications of the
Brazilian standard for application on ceramic tiles. The results found in the technological tests carried
out, that the incorporation of 15% of ornamental rock waste in both clays did not affect the tile
properties, indicating the feasibility of incorporating this waste in civil construction, minimizing the
impacts generated
Spiranthes vernalis Engelm. & A. Gray
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/21408/thumbnail.jp
Neutrino-driven wind simulations and nucleosynthesis of heavy elements
Neutrino-driven winds, which follow core-collapse supernova explosions,
present a fascinating nuclear astrophysics problem that requires understanding
advanced astrophysics simulations, the properties of matter and neutrino
interactions under extreme conditions, the structure and reactions of exotic
nuclei, and comparisons against forefront astronomical observations. The
neutrino-driven wind has attracted vast attention over the last 20 years as it
was suggested to be a candidate for the astrophysics site where half of the
heavy elements are produced via the r-process. In this review, we summarize our
present understanding of neutrino-driven winds from the dynamical and
nucleosynthesis perspectives. Rapid progress has been made during recent years
in understanding the wind with improved simulations and better micro physics.
The current status of the fields is that hydrodynamical simulations do not
reach the extreme conditions necessary for the r-process and the proton or
neutron richness of the wind remains to be investigated in more detail.
However, nucleosynthesis studies and observations point already to
neutrino-driven winds to explain the origin of lighter heavy elements, such as
Sr, Y, Zr.Comment: Submitted to: J. Phys. G: Nucl. Phy
AWAKE, the advanced proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment at CERN
The Advanced Proton Driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment (AWAKE) aims at studying plasma wakefield generation and electron acceleration driven by proton bunches. It is a proof-of-principle R&D experiment at CERN and the world׳s first proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment. The AWAKE experiment will be installed in the former CNGS facility and uses the 400 GeV/c proton beam bunches from the SPS. The first experiments will focus on the self-modulation instability of the long (rms ~12 cm) proton bunch in the plasma. These experiments are planned for the end of 2016. Later, in 2017/2018, low energy (~15 MeV) electrons will be externally injected into the sample wakefields and be accelerated beyond 1 GeV. The main goals of the experiment will be summarized. A summary of the AWAKE design and construction status will be presented
Serum Stabilities of Short Tryptophan- and Arginine-Rich Antimicrobial Peptide Analogs
Several short antimicrobial peptides that are rich in tryptophan and arginine residues were designed with a series of simple modifications such as end capping and cyclization. The two sets of hexapeptides are based on the Trp- and Arg-rich primary sequences from the "antimicrobial centre" of bovine lactoferricin as well as an antimicrobial sequence obtained through the screening of a hexapeptide combinatorial library.HPLC, mass spectrometry and antimicrobial assays were carried out to explore the consequences of the modifications on the serum stability and microbicidal activity of the peptides. The results show that C-terminal amidation increases the antimicrobial activity but that it makes little difference to its proteolytic degradation in human serum. On the other hand, N-terminal acetylation decreases the peptide activities but significantly increases their protease resistance. Peptide cyclization of the hexameric peptides was found to be highly effective for both serum stability and antimicrobial activity. However the two cyclization strategies employed have different effects, with disulfide cyclization resulting in more active peptides while backbone cyclization results in more proteolytically stable peptides. However, the benefit of backbone cyclization did not extend to longer 11-mer peptides derived from the same region of lactoferricin. Mass spectrometry data support the serum stability assay results and allowed us to determine preferred proteolysis sites in the peptides. Furthermore, isothermal titration calorimetry experiments showed that the peptides all had weak interactions with albumin, the most abundant protein in human serum.Taken together, the results provide insight into the behavior of the peptides in human serum and will therefore aid in advancing antimicrobial peptide design towards systemic applications
Faculty accountability and faculty workload: A preliminary cost analysis of their relationship as revealed by PhD productivity
General concerns for faculty accountability are examined in the context of faculty workload and costs. Graduating a PhD student is used as the unit for analysis. The unit is compared to instructional productivity. The data came from a 10-year interval at a major graduate university. Six liberal arts departments with a 225-member faculty provide the PhD output and workload information. Work equivalents are determined from institutional and faculty self-reports. Graduating a PhD is found to be equivalent to one-third of a full workload. Implications are given for comparisons between programs within a university and between types of institutions in the larger system of higher education. Concerns also emerge for improved personnel practices with respect to faculty work assignments.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43583/1/11162_2004_Article_BF00991561.pd
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