Religion in rural central Thailand : an analysis of some rituals and beliefs

The preparation for the research of which this thesis is a result began in 1964, when Dr R.IL van Gulik lent a textbook and gramophone records for the study of the Thai language to a group of undergraduate students at the University of Utrecht. For more than two years these students held regular meetings during which they covered the greater part of the course. Most of them persevered with the study of this language because a plan had been developed to form an anthropological 'expedition' to a small community in Thailand. It was intended to set forth in 1967 and, once in the field, each member would gather data almost independently from other members of the group. In order to prevent duplication of work, and to spread the scope of the research as wide as possible, each member had to choose a certain topic within the anthropological discipline upon which to base fieldwork. One decided to concentrate upon decision-making and authority (the 'power structure' as it was then called), one would look closely at land-tenure, another would deal specifically with problems related to kinship and genealogy, whilst the author of this study would focus his attention upon the religious aspects of social life. Since these plans were conceived while the students involved had only recently commenced their academic studies, it was possible for some of them to map out several courses which would prepare them for the planned fieldwork. The author was thus able to incorporate the reading of Sanskrit and Pali texts and the History of Buddhism in t.he program of the §octoraal examination in cultural anthropology

Zeno and anti-Zeno effects for photon polarization dephasing

We discuss a simple, experimentally feasible scheme, which elucidates the principles of controlling ("engineering") the reservoir spectrum and the spectral broadening incurred by repeated measurements. This control can yield either the inhibition (Zeno effect) or the acceleration (anti-Zeno effect) of the quasi-exponential decay of the observed state by means of frequent measurements. In the discussed scheme, a photon is bouncing back and forth between two perfect mirrors, each time passing a polarization rotator. The horizontal and vertical polarizations can be viewed as analogs of an excited and a ground state of a two level system (TLS). A polarization beam splitter and an absorber for the vertically polarized photon are inserted between the mirrors, and effect measurements of the polarization. The polarization angle acquired in the electrooptic polarization rotator can fluctuate randomly, e.g., via noisy modulation. In the absence of an absorber the polarization randomization corresponds to TLS decay into an infinite-temperature reservoir. The non-Markovian nature of the decay stems from the many round-trips required for the randomization. We consider the influence of the polarization measurements by the absorber on this non-Markovian decay, and develop a theory of the Zeno and anti-Zeno effects in this system.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Cumulant Expansions and the Spin-Boson Problem

The dynamics of the dissipative two-level system at zero temperature is studied using three different cumulant expansion techniques. The relative merits and drawbacks of each technique are discussed. It is found that a new technique, the non-crossing cumulant expansion, appears to embody the virtues of the more standard cumulant methods.Comment: 26 pages, LaTe

Genetic Basis of Myocarditis: Myth or Reality?

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Trans. Richard D. Cushman, The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya edited by David K. Wyatt.

Terwiel B.-J. Trans. Richard D. Cushman, The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya edited by David K. Wyatt.. In: Aséanie 7, 2001. pp. 220-221

Trans. Richard D. Cushman, The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya edited by David K. Wyatt.

Terwiel B.-J. Trans. Richard D. Cushman, The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya edited by David K. Wyatt.. In: Aséanie 7, 2001. pp. 220-221