2,726 research outputs found
Experimental manifestation of the breakpoint region in the current-voltage characteristics of intrinsic Josephson junctions
The experimental evidence of the breakpoint on the current-voltage
characteristics (IVCs) of the stacks of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) is
presented. The influence of the capacitive coupling on the IVCs of
BiSrCaCuO IJJs has been investigated. At 4.2 K, clear
breakpoint region is observed on the branches in the IVCs. It is found that the
hysteresis observed on the IVC is suppressed due to the coupling compared with
that expected from the McCumber parameter. Measurements agree well with the
results obtained by the theoretical model.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure
Consumer protection laws and regulations in deposit and loan services : a cross-country analysis with a new data set
Consumer protection and financial literacy can contribute to improved efficiency, transparency, competition, and access in retail financial markets by reducing information asymmetries and power imbalances between providers and users of financial services. Financial consumer protection has gained significance in policy debates, especially since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008. This paper presents the results of a survey on consumer protection regulations in 142 countries. The findings indicate that although consumer protection legislation is in place in the majority of countries, these do not necessarily address the issues specific to financial services. There is some evidence that enforcement powers and monitoring capacity are limited in many countries, obstructing the effective implementation of the existing regulations. Furthermore, independent third party dispute resolution mechanisms are not widespread. The paper also compiles comprehensive information on laws and regulations relevant for consumer protection and discusses a number of challenges related to empirical analyses of financial consumer protection to enable cross-country comparison.Financial Literacy,Access to Finance,Emerging Markets,Debt Markets,Bankruptcy and Resolution of Financial Distress
Value Encoding in Single Neurons in the Human Amygdala during Decision Making
A growing consensus suggests that the brain makes simple choices by assigning values to the stimuli under consideration and then comparing these values to make a decision. However, the network involved in computing the values has not yet been fully characterized. Here, we investigated whether the human amygdala plays a role in the computation of stimulus values at the time of decision making. We recorded single neuron activity from the amygdala of awake patients while they made simple purchase decisions over food items. We found 16 amygdala neurons, located primarily in the basolateral nucleus that responded linearly to the values assigned to individual items
Experimental observation of the longitudinal plasma excitation in intrinsic Josephson junctions
We have investigated the current-voltage characteristics (IVCs) of intrinsic
Josephson junctions (IJJs). Recently, it is predicted that the longitudinal
plasma wave can be excited by the parametric resonance in IJJs. Such an
excitation induces a singularity called as breakpoint region around switch back
region in the IVC. We have succeeded in the observation of the breakpoint
region in the IVC of the mesa with 5 IJJs at 4.2 K. Furthermore, it is found
that the temperature dependence of the breakpoint current is in agreement with
the theoretical prediction. This suggests that the wave number of the excited
plasma wave varies with temperature.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures. Dubna-Nano2008, Accepted for JPCS
Very high energy emission from the hard spectrum sources HESS J1641-463, HESS J1741-302 and HESS J1826-130
A recent study of the diffuse -ray emission in the Central Molecular
Zone using very high energy (VHE, E 0.1 TeV) H.E.S.S. data suggests that
the Galactic Center (GC) is the most plausible supplier of Galactic
ultra-relativistic cosmic-rays (CRs) up to the knee at about 10 eV
(PeV). However, the GC might not be the only source capable to accelerate CRs
up to PeV energies in the Galaxy. Here we present H.E.S.S. data analysis
results and interpretation of three H.E.S.S. sources, with spectra extending
beyond 10 TeV and relatively hard spectral indices compared with the average
spectral index of H.E.S.S. sources, namely HESS J1641-463, HESS J1741-302 and
HESS J1826-130. Although the nature of these VHE -ray sources is still
open, their spectra suggest that the astrophysical objects producing such
emission must be capable of accelerating the parental particle population up to
energies of at least several hundreds of TeV. Assuming a hadronic scenario,
dense gas regions can provide rich target material for accelerated particles to
produce VHE -ray emission via proton-proton interactions followed by a
subsequent decay. Thus, detailed investigations of the interstellar
medium along the line of sight to all of these sources have been performed by
using data from available atomic and molecular hydrogen surveys. The results
point out the existence of dense interstellar gas structures coincident with
the best fit positions of these sources. One can find possible hadronic models
with CRs being accelerated close to the PeV energies to explain the
-ray emission from all of these sources, which opens up the possibility
that a population of PeV CR accelerators might be active in the Galaxy.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, in Proceedings of 35th ICRC, Busan (Korea) 201
HESS J1826130: A Very Hard -Ray Spectrum Source in the Galactic Plane
HESS J1826130 is an unidentified hard spectrum source discovered by
H.E.S.S. along the Galactic plane, the spectral index being = 1.6 with
an exponential cut-off at about 12 TeV. While the source does not have a clear
counterpart at longer wavelengths, the very hard spectrum emission at TeV
energies implies that electrons or protons accelerated up to several hundreds
of TeV are responsible for the emission. In the hadronic case, the VHE emission
can be produced by runaway cosmic-rays colliding with the dense molecular
clouds spatially coincident with the H.E.S.S. source.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on
High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy (Gamma2016), Heidelberg, German
Transitional Justice and Security Sector Reform: The Role of the EU and other Multilateral Institutions in Building Kosovo's Police Force
Security Sector Reform (SSR) and transitional justice are increasingly viewed as mutually supporting methodologies in post-conflict situations, yet the relationship between them is largely underexplored, even if they share many of the same goals: accountability for past crimes, capacity building to strengthen the rule of law, and deterrence. This article traces and analyzes the inter-institutional division of labor between the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), and the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) concerning police reform and transitional justice processes in Kosovo.
Transitional justice and SSR are critical in post-conflict settings, particularly when it comes to the reform of judicial systems, intelligence services, police, correctional systems, and the military, and addressing systemic massive human rights abuses committed by individuals representing these institutions. Accordingly, the SSR and transitional justice nexus deserves a special attention from the academic community. International efforts in Kosovo to build a multiethnic police force provide an interesting case study. After briefly summarizing the evolution of cooperation on SSR and transitional justice matters between different international organizations in Kosovo, the paper provides an overview of the literature on transitional justice, SSR and police reform, outlines the role of international organizations in establishing the police service, and discusses the process of recruiting minorities into the force. Following a discussion of some of the obstacles and challenges associated with building and reforming the police, the final section of the paper discusses the linkage between SSR and transitional justice and concludes with a summary of key findings
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