Russian mercenaries in the Central African Republic create problems for democratic actors

Russia’s use of mercenary groups in conflict zones is an increasingly used tool to gain influence across Africa. Mercenaries allow Russia to deploy military forces to bolster autocratic regimes abroad and support regimes who back its global ambitions. However, these mercenaries lack accountability and allow the ability to deny military involvement in foreign countries

Democracy in Difficult Terrain: The Outcome of Western Democracy Promotion in Tajikistan

Democracy promotion is a key foreign policy tool for western actors in Tajikistan, yet the prevailing opinion amongst academics is that current efforts have failed to provide meaningful democratisation. Examining two levels of democracy promotion through government and civil society, this article argues that a basic ‘package’ of values that enable democracy, such as economic liberalisation, have been established. Furthermore, a focus has been made upon civil society with the anticipation that the younger generation of Tajiks, who are without the experience of the civil conflict and a drive to seek stability will push the state towards western liberal democracy in the future. Thus, this article acknowledges the failure of fully fledged democracy but demonstrates that the current outcome of democracy promotion in Tajikistan is one of looking forward towards the next generation

Planetary-geometric constraints on isopycnal slope in the Southern Ocean

On planetary scales, surface wind stress and differential buoyancy forcing act together to produce isopycnal surfaces that are relatively flat in the tropics/subtropics and steep near the poles, where they tend to outcrop. Tilted isopycnals in a rapidly rotating fluid are subject to baroclinic instability. The turbulent, mesoscale eddies generated by this instability have a tendency to homogenize potential vorticity (PV) along density surfaces. In the Southern Ocean (SO), the tilt of isopycnals is largely maintained by competition between the steepening effect of surface forcing and the flattening effect of turbulent, spatially inhomogeneous eddy fluxes of PV. Here we use quasi-geostrophic theory to investigate the influence of a planetary-geometric constraint on the equilibrium slope of tilted density/buoyancy surfaces in the SO. If the meridional gradients of relative vorticity and PV are small relative to β, then quasi-geostrophic theory predicts ds/dz = β/ f0 = cot(ϕ0)/a, or equivalently r ≡ |∂zs/(β/ f0)| = 1, where s is the isopycnal slope, ϕ0 is a reference latitude, a is the planetary radius, and r is the depth-averaged criticality parameter. We find that the strict r = 1 condition holds over specific averaging volumes in a large-scale climatology. A weaker r = O(1) condition for depth-averaged quantities is generally satisfied away from large bathymetric features. We employ the r = O(1) constraint to derive a depth scale to characterize large-scale interior stratification, and we use an idealized sector model to test the sensitivity of this relationship to surface wind forcing. Finally, we discuss the possible implications for eddy flux parameterization and for the sensitivity of SO circulation/stratification to changes in forcing

Receiving end of life care at home: experiences of the bereaved carers of cancer patients cared for by health care assistants

First paragraph: Many terminally ill cancer patients and their families prefer for death to occur at home rather than in an institution where the majority of care falls to the patient’s family and friends. As death approaches caring can become an increasing burden for the patient’s informal carers. This issue has long been recognized by health care professionals and also in current policy for end of life care, with the End of Life Care Strategy for England (DH, 2008) highlighting the need for community services to enable home death by supporting both patient and their family carers. Basic nursing, social and respite home care has frequently been provided by basically trained, unqualified nursing staff, including auxiliary nurses and health care assistants (HCA). Whilst increasing research has been undertaken into the needs of family carers (Stajduhar et al, 2010; Funk et al 2010), relatively little has focused on the care HCAs deliver (Herber & Johnston 2012) and very few studies have explored the experience of bereaved family carers of patients who have received such services

Towards an optimized all lattice-matched InAlAs/InGaAsP/InGaAs multijunction solar cell with efficiency >50%

An approach for an all lattice-matched multijunction solar cell optimized design is presented with 5.807 Å lattice constant, together with a detailed analysis of its performance by means of full device modeling. The simulations show that a (1.93 eV)In_(0.37)Al_(0.63)As/(1.39 eV)In_(0.38)Ga_(0.62)As_(0.57)P_(0.43)/(0.94 eV)In_(0.38)Ga_(0.62)As 3-junction solar cell can achieve efficiencies >51% under 100-suns illumination (with V_(oc) = 3.34 V). As a key proof of concept, an equivalent 3-junction solar cell lattice-matched to InP was fabricated and tested. The independently connected single junction solar cells were also tested in a spectrum splitting configuration, showing similar performance to a monolithic tandem device, with V_(oc) = 1.8 V

Rural palliative care in North India: Rapid evaluation of a program using a realist mixed method approach

Context: Palliative care has not developed widely in rural North India. Since 2010, the Emmanuel Hospitals Association (EHA) has been developing a model of palliative care appropriate for this setting, based on teams undertaking home visits with the backup of outpatient and inpatient services. A project to further develop the model operated from 2012 to 2015 supported by funding from the UK. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the EHA palliative care project. Settings and Design: Rapid evaluation method using a mixed method realist approach at the five project hospital sites. Methods: An overview of the project was obtained by analyzing project documents and key informant interviews. Questionnaire data from each hospital were collected, followed by interviews with staff, patients, and relatives and observations of home visits and other activities at each site. Analysis: Descriptive analysis of quantitative and thematic analysis of qualitative data was undertaken. Each site was measured against the Indian Minimum Standards Tool for Palliative Care (IMSTPC). Results: Each team followed the EHA model, with local modifications. Services were nurse led with medical support. Eighty percent of patients had cancer. Staff demonstrated good palliative care skills and patients and families appreciated the care. Most essential IMSTPC markers were achieved but morphine licenses were available to only two teams. Remarkable synergy was emerging between palliative care and community health. Hospitals planned to fund palliative care through income from surgical services. Conclusions: Excellent palliative care appropriate for rural north India is delivered through the EHA model. It could be extended to other similar sites.sch_nur24pub5356pub