1,195 research outputs found
Participate for Peace: The Impacts of Participatory Deliberative Democracy on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding in Central America
Liberal peacebuilding is at the center of a critical debate amongst scholars and practitioners due to the horrific consequence of conflict relapse or escalation in the wake of failed international interventions. Despite international efforts to promote durable peace, empirical research suggests that up to one half of all civil wars relapse into conflict within five years of negotiated settlement (Collier & Hoeffler, 2002; Suhrke & Samset, 2007). As an alternative to top-down liberal peace, locally-led post-conflict peacebuilding has been proposed as an innovative solution (Mac Ginty & Richmond, 2013). Participatory deliberative democracy, when applied in post-conflict contexts, aligns with this ‘local turn\u27 by supporting ‘hybridity’ in peacebuilding practice. However, its potential for contributing to sustainable peace has not yet been empirically tested. This dissertation explores how two post-conflict nations in Central America—El Salvador and Guatemala—have implemented participatory deliberative democracy mechanisms following civil war and the impacts of these mechanisms on the long-term peace process. Combining theoretical frameworks from across political science, economics, and conflict resolution disciplines alongside an international comparative mixed methodology, this study identifies the impacts associated with participatory deliberative democracy over time in two Central American post-conflict countries and the structural and contextual factors that influence deliberative decision making as a possible mechanism to support lasting peace following civil war
Laser cooling with electromagnetically induced transparency: Application to trapped samples of ions or neutral atoms
A novel method of ground state laser cooling of trapped atoms utilizes the
absorption profile of a three (or multi-) level system which is tailored by a
quantum interference. With cooling rates comparable to conventional sideband
cooling, lower final temperatures may be achieved. The method was
experimentally implemented to cool a single Ca ion to its vibrational
ground state. Since a broad band of vibrational frequencies can be cooled
simultaneously, the technique will be particularly useful for the cooling of
larger ion strings, thereby being of great practical importance for
initializing a quantum register based on trapped ions. We also discuss its
application to different level schemes and for ground state cooling of neutral
atoms trapped by a far detuned standing wave laser field.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Appl Phys B 200
Physical properties of the jet from DG Tauri on sub-arcsecond scales with HST/STIS
We derive the physical properties at the base of the jet from DG Tau both
along and across the flow and as a function of velocity. We analysed seven
optical spectra of the DG Tau jet, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope
Imaging Spectrograph. The spectra were obtained by placing a long-slit parallel
to the jet axis and stepping it across the jet width. The resulting
position-velocity diagrams in optical forbidden emission lines allowed access
to plasma conditions via calculation of emission line ratios.
We find at the base of the jet high electron density, 10, and
very low ionisation, , which combine to give a total
density up to 3 10. This analysis confirms previous reports of
variations in plasma parameters along the jet, (i.e. decrease in density by
several orders of magnitude, increase of from 0.05 to a plateau at 0.7
downstream at 2 from the star). Furthermore, a spatial coincidence is
revealed between sharp gradients in the total density and supersonic velocity
jumps. This strongly suggests that the emission is caused by shock excitation.
The position-velocity diagrams indicate the presence of both fast accelerating
gas and slower, less collimated material. We derive the mass outflow rate,
, in the blue-shifted lobe in different velocity channels, that
contribute to a total of 8 4 10 M
yr. We estimate that a symmetric bipolar jet would transport at the low
and intermediate velocities probed by rotation measurements, an angular
momentum flux of 2.9 1.5 10 M yr
AU km s.
The derived properties of the DG Tau jet are demonstrated to be consistent
with magneto-centrifugal theory. However, non-stationary modelling is required
in order to explain all of the features revealed at high resolution.Comment: 16 pages, 18 figure
Proper Motions of the Jets in the Region of HH 30 and HL/XZ Tau. Evidence for a Binary Exciting Source of the HH 30 Jet
We present [SII] images of the HH 30 and HL/XZ Tau region obtained at two
epochs, as well as long-slit optical spectroscopy of the HH 30 jet. We measured
proper motions of about 100-300 km/s for the HH 30 jet and counterjet, and of
about 120 km/s for the HL Tau jet. Inclination angles with respect to the plane
of the sky are 0-40 deg for the HH 30 jet and 60 deg for the HL Tau jet.
Comparison with previous observations suggests that most of the jet knots
consist of persisting structures. Also, we corroborate that the HH 30-N knots
correspond to the head of the HH 30 jet. The overall HH 30 jet structure can be
well described by a wiggling ballistic jet, arising either by the orbital
motion of the jet source around a primary or by precession of the jet axis
because of the tidal effects of a companion. In the first scenario, the orbital
period would be 53 yr and the total mass 0.25-2 solar masses. In the precession
scenario, the mass of the jet source would be 0.1-1 solar masses, the orbital
period <1 yr, and the mass of the companion less than a few times 0.01 solar
masses, thus being a substellar object or a giant exoplanet. In both scenarios
a binary system with a separation <18 AU (<0.13 arcsec) is required. Since the
radius of the flared disk observed with the HST is about 250 AU, we conclude
that this disk appears to be circumbinary rather than circumstellar, suggesting
that the search for the collimating agent of the HH 30 jet should be carried
out at much smaller scales.Comment: 42 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables. To Appear in The Astronomical Journal,
Vol. 133 No. 6 (June 2007
Meta-analysis of studies of occupational exposure to vinyl chloride in relation to cancer mortality
Copyright: Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Objective. A meta-analysis was made of studies addressing occupational exposure to vinyl chloride in relation to cancer mortality. Methods. Two recently updated multicenter cohort studies and six smaller studies were identified. For selected neoplasms, standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were abstracted (or calculated from raw data). In cases of lack of heterogeneity (P-value ≥0.01), meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects model. Results. With SMR values ranging from 1.63 to 57.1, all six studies for which these ratios could be obtained suggested an increased risk of liver cancer. For four of these studies, excesses persisted when known cases of angiosarcoma of the liver (ASL) were excluded. The meta-SMR for liver cancers other than ASL (based on the 2 large cohorts) was 1.35 (95% CI 1.04-1.77). The meta-SMR for lung cancer was 0.90 (95% CI 0.77-1.00, based on 5 studies), although higher SMR values were reported in early studies. The meta-SMR for brain cancer, based on 5 studies, was 1.26 (95% CI 0.98-1.62). For soft tissue sarcomas, the meta-SMR based on 4 studies was 2.52 (95% CI 1.56-4.07). The meta-SMR for lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms in the 2 large studies was 0.90 (95% CI 0.75-1.01), although 3 of the smaller studies reported significant excesses. Conclusions. Apart from the known risk of ASL, workers exposed to vinyl chloride may experience an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and soft-tissue sarcoma; however, these results may have been influenced by the underdiagnosis of true ASL. Increased mortality from lung and brain cancers and from lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms cannot be excluded; mortality from other neoplasms does not appear to be increased.publishersversionPeer reviewe
Experiments towards quantum information with trapped Calcium ions
Ground state cooling and coherent manipulation of ions in an rf-(Paul) trap
is the prerequisite for quantum information experiments with trapped ions. With
resolved sideband cooling on the optical S1/2 - D5/2 quadrupole transition we
have cooled one and two 40Ca+ ions to the ground state of vibration with up to
99.9% probability. With a novel cooling scheme utilizing electromagnetically
induced transparency on the S1/2 - P1/2 manifold we have achieved simultaneous
ground state cooling of two motional sidebands 1.7 MHz apart. Starting from the
motional ground state we have demonstrated coherent quantum state manipulation
on the S1/2 - D5/2 quadrupole transition at 729 nm. Up to 30 Rabi oscillations
within 1.4 ms have been observed in the motional ground state and in the n=1
Fock state. In the linear quadrupole rf-trap with 700 kHz trap frequency along
the symmetry axis (2 MHz in radial direction) the minimum ion spacing is more
than 5 micron for up to 4 ions. We are able to cool two ions to the ground
state in the trap and individually address the ions with laser pulses through a
special optical addressing channel.Comment: Proceedings of the ICAP 2000, Firenz
Dust rings and filaments around the isolated young star V1331 Cygni
We characterize the small and large scale environment of the young star V1331
Cygni with high resolution HST/WFPC2 and Digitized Sky Survey images. In
addition to a previously known outer dust ring (~30'' in diameter), the
HST/WFPC2 scattered light image reveals an inner dust ring for the first time.
This ring has a maximum radius of 6.5'' and is possibly related to a molecular
envelope. Large-scale optical images show that V1331 Cyg is located at the tip
of a long dust filament linking it to the dark cloud LDN 981. We discuss the
origin of the observed dust morphology and analyze the object's relation to its
parent dark cloud LDN 981. Finally, based on recent results from the
literature, we investigate the properties of V1331 Cyg and conclude that in its
current state the object does not show suffcient evidence to be characterized
as an FU Ori object.Comment: 15 pages ApJ preprint style including 3 figures, accepted for
publication in ApJ (Feb. 2007
Coupling a single atomic quantum bit to a high finesse optical cavity
The quadrupole S -- D optical transition of a single trapped
Ca ion, well suited for encoding a quantum bit of information, is
coherently coupled to the standing wave field of a high finesse cavity. The
coupling is verified by observing the ion's response to both spatial and
temporal variations of the intracavity field. We also achieve deterministic
coupling of the cavity mode to the ion's vibrational state by selectively
exciting vibrational state-changing transitions and by controlling the position
of the ion in the standing wave field with nanometer-precision
Spectroscopic characterisation of CARMENES target candidates from FEROS, CAFE and HRS high-resolution spectra
CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with
Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs) started a new planet survey on
M-dwarfs in January this year. The new high-resolution spectrographs are
operating in the visible and near-infrared at Calar Alto Observatory. They will
perform high-accuracy radial-velocity measurements (goal 1 m s-1) of about 300
M-dwarfs with the aim to detect low-mass planets within habitable zones. We
characterised the candidate sample for CARMENES and provide fundamental
parameters for these stars in order to constrain planetary properties and
understand star-planet systems. Using state-of-the-art model atmospheres
(PHOENIX-ACES) and chi2-minimization with a downhill-simplex method we
determine effective temperature, surface gravity and metallicity [Fe/H] for
high-resolution spectra of around 480 stars of spectral types M0.0-6.5V taken
with FEROS, CAFE and HRS. We find good agreement between the models and our
observed high-resolution spectra. We show the performance of the algorithm, as
well as results, parameter and spectral type distributions for the CARMENES
candidate sample, which is used to define the CARMENES target sample. We also
present first preliminary results obtained from CARMENES spectra
Precession of collimated outflows from young stellar objects
We consider several protostellar systems where either a precessing jet or at
least two misaligned jets have been observed. We assume that the precession of
jets is caused by tidal interactions in noncoplanar binary systems. For Cep E,
V1331 Cyg and RNO 15-FIR the inferred orbital separations and disk radii are in
the range 4-160 AU and 1-80 AU, respectively, consistent with those expected
for pre-main sequence stars. Furthermore, we assume or use the fact that the
source of misaligned outflows is a binary, and evaluate the lengthscale over
which the jets should precess as a result of tidal interactions. For T Tau, HH1
VLA 1/2 and HH 24 SVS63, it may be possible to detect a bending of the jets
rather than 'wiggling'. In HH 111 IRS and L1551 IRS5, 'wiggling' may be
detected on the current observed scale. Our results are consistent with the
existence of noncoplanar binary systems in which tidal interactions induce jets
to precess.Comment: 5 pages (including 1 figure), LaTeX, uses emulateapj.sty, to be
published in ApJ Letters, also available at
http://www.ucolick.org/~ct/home.html and
http://www.tls-tautenburg.de/research/research.htm
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