The Role of Diffusive Shock Acceleration on Nonequilibrium Ionization in Supernova Remnant Shocks II: Emitted Spectra

We present a grid of nonequilibrium ionization models for the X-ray spectra from supernova remnants undergoing efficient diffusive shock acceleration. The calculation follows the hydrodynamics of the blast wave as well as the time-dependent ionization of the plasma behind the shock. The ionization state is passed to a plasma emissivity code to compute the thermal X-ray emission, which is combined with the emission from nonthermal synchrotron emission to produce a self-consistent model for the thermal and nonthermal emission from cosmic-ray dominated shocks. We show how plasma diagnostics such as the G'-ratio of He-like ions, defined as the ratio of the sum of the intercombination, forbidden, and satellite lines to the resonance line, can vary with acceleration efficiency, and discuss how the thermal X-ray emission, when the time-dependent ionization is not calculated self-consistently with the hydrodynamics, can differ from the thermal X-ray emission from models which do account for the hydrodynamics. Finally we compare the thermal X-ray emission from models which show moderate acceleration (~ 35%) to the thermal X-ray emission from test-particle models.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures. accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

The Role of Youth in Post Accord Transformation in Northern Ireland

Despite increased international interest in the contribution of education to peacebuilding, there has been a neglect of the role that non-formal youth programming can play in this process. This article examines three such youth programmes in post-accord Northern Ireland through the theoretical lens of their contribution to social, economic and political transformations. Given the sustained context of segregation and limitations of the formal education sector as a mechanism for transformation, the paper argues that the non-formal sector has played an important role in ensuring inclusion of multiple youth perspectives in a divided society. It also raises a number of critical questions regarding the politics of multiple youth representation and the strength of genuine commitment to peacebuilding in terms of conflict transformation

Hopeful Homecomings: Women, Prison Reentry and the Arts

Previous studies have highlighted the importance of having gender-responsive programs for women involved in the criminal justice system, that address their different needs, separate from men. Formerly incarcerated women face many challenges as they transition from prison back into society. There are an increasing number of artists with an interest in providing arts programming for this special population as a tool for rehabilitation and transformation. Using website analyses, survey responses, and interview transcriptions, this comparative qualitative study explores why and how three different arts organizations – Poetic Justice Project, Prison Creative Arts Project, and the Judy Dworin Performance Project – use various art approaches to help formerly incarcerated women transition from prison back into society. Although these organizations are limited in resources, my findings suggest that the arts programs provide a community of support for formerly incarcerated women, increase their self-sufficiency, and increase public awareness about incarceration and those affected