Support assembly for cryogenically coolable low-noise choke waveguide

A compact cryogenically coolable choked waveguide for low-noise input coupling into a cryogenically cooled device, such as a maser or parametric amplifier, utilizes coaxial stainless steel support tubes surrounding the waveguide and connected in cascade to provide a folded low thermal conduction path. The edges of the tubes connected are welded

Indexing microwave switch Patent

Microwave waveguide switch with rotor position contro

The relationships between the maned wolf and people

The maned wolf is a large carnivore, the largest one in South America. Although it was described as a wolf by early agents of the Portuguese crown, it is monophyletic and therefore difficult to mistake with any other species. The fact that the maned wolf is unique and distinctive is important if its image is to represent the Cerrado biome and all of its dwindling biodiversity. Do people’s relationships with the maned wolf make it charismatic and likable enough to earn the badge of flagship species for the Cerrado conservation? The validity of the one species approach to conservation has been questioned in favour of a focus on ecosystems. However the single species has its merits when the species in question “plays the role of keystone or umbrella species…” (Boitani et al. 2004:158; McNeely 2000; Gittleman et al. 2001; Sergio et al. 2006). The maned wolf is, arguably, a charismatic carnivore with a wide home range, qualifying it to fit both roles. Between 2005 and 2008 I conducted a field study on local people’s attitudes towards the maned wolf in the state of São Paulo that helped to bring an answer to this question. The objectives of my study were to shed some light into associations between the way local people perceive the maned wolf and its decline, and to enable a comparison between such associations in urban and rural areas. The study aimed to improve the understanding of people’s relationships with the maned wolf to help the planning of conservation strategies for the species. In this chapter I review and discuss key issues that are instrumental to the panorama of local people’s attitudes towards the maned wolf in the southeast of Brazil, referring to data from my research as evidence

Seasonal dependency of polar cap patches in the high-latitude nightside ionosphere

Observations and a computer simulation were used to investigate the seasonal dependency of the occurrence of polar cap patches in the high-latitude nightside ionosphere together with the relative importance of the driving processes. Measurements were conducted above northern Scandinavia around solar maximum (1999-2001) under conditions predicted to be favourable for observing patches with the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR). The requirements were that the ESR was poleward of the convection reversal boundary, in antisunward cross polar cap flow and that IMF Bz was predominantly negative. The high latitude convection pattern was inferred from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) and the IMF was taken from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. In each study the patch-to-background ratio was calculated and, in most of the winter cases, this ratio was greater than two consistent with a polar cap patch. In summer clear electron density enhancements were seen in the nightside ionosphere, but the patch-to-background ratio was less than two. While these enhancements could not formally be called patches, it was clear that the high-latitude convection pattern was responsible for electron density enhancements. Using a computer simulation the relative importance of the physical processes driving the variation in the patch-to-background ratio was investigated. The dominant factor was changes in the thermospheric composition influencing plasma production and recombination rates

Conservation of the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus): carnivore and people relationships in the southeast of Brazil

Maned wolves are endangered carnivores endemic to Brazil. This research aimed to compare the attitudes of interest groups towards the conservation of the maned wolf in urban and rural areas; to investigate how such attitudes may influence the maned wolf's status and conservation; and to recommend ways to incorporate such knowledge into strategies to conserve both wolf and habitat. The methodology used questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires targeted people living in the neighbourhood of conservation areas, staff and students (year 8 and sixth-form) of local schools; staff and visitors to conservation areas and zoos in three main research locations: Greater São Paulo, the Low Mogiana region and São Carlos city. Other conservation areas and zoos within the São Paulo state contributed further data. The relationship between socio-demographic factors and attitudes towards the maned wolf conservation was also investigated to identify the most positive and negative profiles of respondents. Overall, results indicate a lack of antagonism between urban and rural populations. Results suggest that negative attitudes towards the maned wolf related to: misconceptions about feeding habits and to a lack of clear differentiation between the maned wolf and Canis lupus; perceptions of threat connected to the presence of the maned wolf on people's properties; and possibly values undermining local wildlife. Results, however, consistently indicated local people's tolerance towards the species and towards occasional predation events. Results also indicate discrepancies existing between bio/education professionals' expectations of local people's attitudes and the actual attitudes displayed by the latter. Recommendations addressed misconceptions and values regarding the maned wolf, inclusion of the local community and their issues, and relationships between interest groups for the benefit of maned wolf conservation. The positive attitudes of a majority towards the maned wolf suggest they may support actions favourable to the species and maintain their position in case of conflict. However, further investigation is advised into local people's awareness of the causes of the decline of the maned wolf and of how their behaviour may affect populations of wolves

Low-noise microwave polarimeter

Two quarterwave-plate polarizers inserted between rotary waveguide joints transform received signals from arbitrary linear to circular polarizations and then from circular to fixed linear polarizations. Fixed linear polarizations are applied to amplifiers and filters in usual fashion

Secularism before the Strasbourg Court: Abstract Constitutional Principles as a Basis for Limiting Rights

The justification for the restrictions on religion inherent in secularism is the subject of lively debate in constitutional and political theory. In Ebrahimian v France the Strasbourg Court was required to assess whether the European Convention on Human Rights can accommodate a secularism whose aims and justifications go beyond the protection of the rights of others and include abstract goals such as upholding the religious neutrality of the state. The resulting judgment highlights both the inability of rights to provide an adequate account of the relationship between religion and the state and how the text of the Convention struggles to give adequate weight to constitutional principles whose justification arises from sources other than the protection of fundamental rights. I suggest that the Court was correct to reaffirm its stance that secularism and strict neutrality can be in harmony with the values of the Convention. However, it needs to be more clear about the reasons for this stance and to be vigilant in its protection of private autonomy so that the use of abstract principles to restrict religious expression does not give excessive latitude to states to restrict individual autonomy and minority right

La religion, la loi et l'Etat dans l'Europe contemporaine: perspective comparative des principaux dilemmes

Cet article traite des principaux éléments de la réglementation des liens entre la religion, le droit et l’État en Europe. Il analyse les principaux défis auxquels ces réglementations sont confrontées, et notamment la façon dont l’immigration et la diversité religieuse posent problème aux modèles existants. Enfin, l’article esquisse une comparaison entre les approches européennes et américaines, afin d’évaluer si les États-Unis peuvent constituer une source d’inspiration aussi bien pour les États que pour les institutions pan européennes

Dissemination and Implementation of Alternative Treatment Methods into Idaho’s Unipolar Mood Disorder Treatment

Research has documented the effects of some alternative methods on mood: exercise (Legrand & Heuze, 2007), diet (Appleton et al., 2007) and supplementation with micronutrients such as iron (Beard et al., 2005), fatty acids (Nemets et al, 2002) and St. John’s wort (Mulrow, 2005), for example, have all demonstrated an ability to positively affect mood. It is unknown to what extent this research has been disseminated or implemented into practice. Procedure: Mental health care practitioners (n = 306) in Idaho were randomly surveyed. Items measuring knowledge and use of the following three methods were asked: exercise, diet, supplementation. Results: Sixty-eight percent of respondents had encountered exercise as a mood disorder treatment option in professional discussion within the last 2 years, 44.7% had encountered dietary methods and 46.5% had encountered supplemental methods in the same context. Sixty-six percent (n=204) of respondents indicated that they used exercise methods to treat mood disorders, 35% (n=108) reported using dietary measures and 19% (n=60) reported using supplemental methods. Specific types of exercise, dietary and supplemental methods used-e.g. yoga, St. John’s wort, etc-are also discussed. Conclusions: The use of some alternative methods for the treatment of mood disorders is common in mental health care practitioners