Marginalised youth, violence and policing: a qualitative study in Recife, Brazil

Few studies have examined the relations between urban marginalised youth and the public security system in the northeast of Brazil. This article addresses this gap in the literature through an examination of youth perceptions of a security programme aimed at reducing violence. It also analyses the effects of this security program by interrogating the hegemonic discourses of state-actors in the region, namely, agents of the criminal justice system. The analysis draws on ethnographic data collected between 2012 and 2016 in Recife, the capital city of the state of Pernambuco in the northeast of Brazil. This approach permits an examination of the nature of new security interventions, and a comparison between two distinct narratives about this new securitisation agenda. One overarching narrative focuses on young people’s vulnerabilities, the other on claims of successful securitisation. An analysis of these narratives widens understandings of the effects and risks of security interventions, contributing to a debate about their impact on young people’s lives and society at large

An Alternative To The Horizontality Condition In Superfield Approach To BRST Symmetries

We provide an alternative to the gauge covariant horizontality condition which is responsible for the derivation of the nilpotent (anti-)BRST symmetry transformations for the gauge and (anti-)ghost fields of a (3 + 1)-dimensional (4D) interacting 1-form non-Abelian gauge theory in the framework of the usual superfield approach to Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) formalism. The above covariant horizontality condition is replaced by a gauge invariant restriction on the (4, 2)-dimensional supermanifold, parameterized by a set of four spacetime coordinates x^\mu (\mu = 0, 1, 2, 3) and a pair of Grassmannian variables \theta and \bar\theta. The latter condition enables us to derive the nilpotent (anti-)BRST symmetry transformations for all the fields of an interacting 4D 1-form non-Abelian gauge theory where there is an explicit coupling between the gauge field and the Dirac fields. The key differences and striking similarities between the above two conditions are pointed out clearly.Comment: LaTeX file, 20 pages, journal versio

Abelian 2-form gauge theory: superfield formalism

We derive the off-shell nilpotent Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) and anti-BRST symmetry transformations for {\it all} the fields of a free Abelian 2-form gauge theory by exploiting the geometrical superfield approach to BRST formalism. The above four (3 + 1)-dimensional (4D) theory is considered on a (4, 2)-dimensional supermanifold parameterized by the four even spacetime variables x^\mu (with \mu = 0, 1, 2, 3) and a pair of odd Grassmannian variables \theta and \bar\theta (with \theta^2 = \bar\theta^2 = 0, \theta \bar\theta + \bar\theta \theta = 0). One of the salient features of our present investigation is that the above nilpotent (anti-)BRST symmetry transformations turn out to be absolutely anticommuting due to the presence of a Curci-Ferrari (CF) type of restriction. The latter condition emerges due to the application of our present superfield formalism. The actual CF condition, as is well-known, is the hallmark of a 4D non-Abelian 1-form gauge theory. We demonstrate that our present 4D Abelian 2-form gauge theory imbibes some of the key signatures of the 4D non-Abelian 1-form gauge theory. We briefly comment on the generalization of our supperfield approach to the case of Abelian 3-form gauge theory in four (3 + 1)-dimensions of spacetime.Comment: LaTeX file, 23 pages, journal versio

NTA 8080 analysis of the JaLo pellet chain

JaLo Biopellets Twente intends to harvest biomass from landscape elements and turn that into pellets for energy purposes. The sustainability of these future operations was assessed through a specially developed sustainability framework consisting of several tools. This NTA 8080 study takes the JaLo chain sustainability assessment one step further. It tests the chain set-up for compliance with a series of formal sustainability requirements, as documented in the Dutch 8080 standard. In addition, the project framework tools are validated against this standard; it is analysed to what extend they cover each of the NTA 8080 sustainability requirements

Truthmakers and necessary connections

In this paper I examine the objection to truthmaker theory, forcibly made by David Lewis and endorsed by many, that it violates the Humean denial of necessary connections between distinct existences. In Sect. 1 I present the argument that acceptance of truthmakers commits us to necessary connections. In Sect. 2 I examine Lewis' 'Things-qua-truthmakers' theory which attempts to give truthmakers without such a commitment, and find it wanting. In Sects. 3-5 I discuss various formulations of the denial of necessary connections and argue that each of them is either false or compatible with truthmaker theory. In Sect. 6 I show how the truthmaker theorist can resist the charge that they are committed to necessary exclusions between possible existents. I conclude that there is no good objection to truthmaker theory on the grounds that it violates the Humean dictum

Agroforestry practices for water quality and quantity benefits

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Turtles all the way down: regress, priority and fundamentality in metaphysics

This paper is a discussion of an intuition commonly held by metaphysicians: that there must be a fundamental layer of reality; that chains of ontological dependence must terminate; that there cannot be turtles all the way down. I discuss application of this intuition with reference to Bradley’s regress, composition, realism about the mental and the cosmological argument. I discuss some arguments for the intuition, but argue that they are unconvincing. I conclude by making some suggestions for how the intuition should be argued for, and discussing the ramifications of giving the justification I think best

Recombination and intrinsicality

In this paper I argue that warrant for Lewis' principle of recombination presupposes warrant for a combinatorial analysis of intrinsicality, which in turn presupposes warrant for the principle of recombination. This, I claim, leads to a vicious circularity: warrant for neither doctrine can get off the ground

Rigid Rotor as a Toy Model for Hodge Theory

We apply the superfield approach to the toy model of a rigid rotor and show the existence of the nilpotent and absolutely anticommuting Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) and anti-BRST symmetry transformations, under which, the kinetic term and action remain invariant. Furthermore, we also derive the off-shell nilpotent and absolutely anticommuting (anti-) co-BRST symmetry transformations, under which, the gauge-fixing term and Lagrangian remain invariant. The anticommutator of the above nilpotent symmetry transformations leads to the derivation of a bosonic symmetry transformation, under which, the ghost terms and action remain invariant. Together, the above transformations (and their corresponding generators) respect an algebra that turns out to be a physical realization of the algebra obeyed by the de Rham cohomological operators of differential geometry. Thus, our present model is a toy model for the Hodge theory.Comment: LaTeX file, 22 page

Augmented Superfield Approach To Unique Nilpotent Symmetries For Complex Scalar Fields In QED

The derivation of the exact and unique nilpotent Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST)- and anti-BRST symmetries for the matter fields, present in any arbitrary interacting gauge theory, has been a long-standing problem in the framework of superfield approach to BRST formalism. These nilpotent symmetry transformations are deduced for the four (3 + 1)-dimensional (4D) complex scalar fields, coupled to the U(1) gauge field, in the framework of augmented superfield formalism. This interacting gauge theory (i.e. QED) is considered on a six (4, 2)-dimensional supermanifold parametrized by four even spacetime coordinates and a couple of odd elements of the Grassmann algebra. In addition to the horizontality condition (that is responsible for the derivation of the exact nilpotent symmetries for the gauge field and the (anti-)ghost fields), a new restriction on the supermanifold, owing its origin to the (super) covariant derivatives, has been invoked for the derivation of the exact nilpotent symmetry transformations for the matter fields. The geometrical interpretations for all the above nilpotent symmetries are discussed, too.Comment: LaTeX file, 17 pages, journal versio