Vortex Softening: Origin of the second peak effect in Bi2_2Sr2_2CaCu2_2O8+δ_{8+\delta}

Transverse ac permeability measurements in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta }$ single crystals at low fields and temperatures in a vortex configuration free of external forces show that the decrease of the critical current as measured by magnetization loops at the second peak effect is an artifact due to creep. On the other hand, the increase of critical current at the second peak is due to a genuine softening of the tilting elastic properties of vortices in the individual pinning regime that precedes the transition to a disorder state.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, RevTex, two column versio

Anomalous Proximity Effect in Underdoped YBaCuO Josephson Junctions

Josephson junctions were photogenerated in underdoped thin films of the YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ family using a near-field scanning optical microscope. The observation of the Josephson effect for separations as large as 100 nm between two wires indicates the existence of an anomalously large proximity effect and show that the underdoped insulating material in the gap of the junction is readily perturbed into the superconducting state. The critical current of the junctions was found to be consistent with the conventional Josephson relationship. This result constrains the applicability of SO(5) theory to explain the phase diagram of high critical temperature superconductors.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Nueva Tecnicatura en Energías Renovables en la Universidad Nacional de Catamarca – Argentina

En Marzo del año 2016 comienza a dictarse en la ciudad de San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Provincia de Catamarca, la Tecnicatura en Energías Renovables, en dependencias de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales de la Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. La creación de esta carrera se realiza para incrementar las oportunidades de acceso y egreso de la educación superior, a los jóvenes en atención de necesidades y demandas de formación superior en orden al desarrollo integral de regiones y localidades. La Tecnicatura en Energías Renovables tiene un plan de estudios de tres años de duración. El objetivo general de la carrera es formar recursos humanos que puedan desempeñarse en el ámbito público y privado contribuyendo a una transformación socio-productiva provincial y regional.In March of 2016 began in the city of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, the Technician career in Renewable Energy, in the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the National University of Catamarca. The creation of this technic career is done with the aim of increasing opportunities of access and graduation of young people to the higher education in function of needs and demands of professionals, in order to the development of regions and localities. The Technician career in Renewable Energy has a study plan of three years. The overall objective of this career is to train human resources to serve the public and private sectors contributing to provincial and regional productive transformation.Tema 10: Educación y capacitación en energías renovables y uso racional de la energía.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Working For the Few: Political Capture and Economic Inequality

Economic inequality is rapidly increasing in the majority of countries. The wealth of the world is divided in two: almost half going to the richest one percent; the other half to the remaining 99 percent. The World Economic Forum has identified this as a major risk to human progress. Extreme economic inequality and political capture are too often interdependent. Left unchecked, political institutions become undermined and governments overwhelmingly serve the interests of economic elites to the detriment of ordinary people

Working For the Few: Political Capture and Economic Inequality

Economic inequality is rapidly increasing in the majority of countries. The wealth of the world is divided in two: almost half going to the richest one percent; the other half to the remaining 99 percent. The World Economic Forum has identified this as a major risk to human progress. Extreme economic inequality and political capture are too often interdependent. Left unchecked, political institutions become undermined and governments overwhelmingly serve the interests of economic elites to the detriment of ordinary people

Quantitative spectroscopy of Galactic BA-type supergiants. I. Atmospheric parameters

BA-type supergiants show a high potential as versatile indicators for modern astronomy. The focus here is on the determination of accurate and precise atmospheric parameters for a sample of 35 Galactic BA-type supergiants. Some first applications include a recalibration of functional relationships between spectral-type, intrinsic colours, bolometric corrections and effective temperature, and an exploration of the reddening-free Johnson Q and Str\"omgren [c_1] and beta-indices as photometric indicators for effective temperatures and gravities of BA-type supergiants. An extensive grid of theoretical spectra is computed based on a hybrid non-LTE approach. The atmospheric parameters are derived spectroscopically by line-profile fits to high-resolution and high-S/N spectra obtained at various observatories. Ionization equilibria of multiple metals and the Stark-broadened H and the neutral He lines constitute our primary indicators for the parameter determination, supplemented by (spectro-)photometry. Data on Teff, logg, helium abundances, microturbulence, macroturbulence and rotational velocities are presented. The interstellar reddening and the ratio of total-to-selective extinction towards the stars are determined. Our empirical spectral-type-Teff scale is steeper than reference relations, the stars are significantly bluer, and bolometric corrections differ significantly from established literature values. Photometric Teff-determinations based on the reddening-free Q-index are found to be of limited use for studies of BA-type supergiants because of large errors of typically +-5%+-3% (1sigma statistical, 1sigma systematic), compared to a spectroscopically achieved precision of 1-2%. The reddening-free [c_1]-index and beta on the other hand are found to provide useful starting values for further analyses, with uncertainties of +-1%+-2.5% in Teff, and +-0.04+-0.13dex in log g. [abriged]Comment: 18 pages, 18 figures; A&

Nueva Tecnicatura en Energías Renovables en la Universidad Nacional de Catamarca – Argentina

En Marzo del año 2016 comienza a dictarse en la ciudad de San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Provincia de Catamarca, la Tecnicatura en Energías Renovables, en dependencias de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales de la Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. La creación de esta carrera se realiza para incrementar las oportunidades de acceso y egreso de la educación superior, a los jóvenes en atención de necesidades y demandas de formación superior en orden al desarrollo integral de regiones y localidades. La Tecnicatura en Energías Renovables tiene un plan de estudios de tres años de duración. El objetivo general de la carrera es formar recursos humanos que puedan desempeñarse en el ámbito público y privado contribuyendo a una transformación socio-productiva provincial y regional.In March of 2016 began in the city of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, the Technician career in Renewable Energy, in the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the National University of Catamarca. The creation of this technic career is done with the aim of increasing opportunities of access and graduation of young people to the higher education in function of needs and demands of professionals, in order to the development of regions and localities. The Technician career in Renewable Energy has a study plan of three years. The overall objective of this career is to train human resources to serve the public and private sectors contributing to provincial and regional productive transformation.Tema 10: Educación y capacitación en energías renovables y uso racional de la energía.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Nueva Tecnicatura en Energías Renovables en la Universidad Nacional de Catamarca – Argentina

En Marzo del año 2016 comienza a dictarse en la ciudad de San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Provincia de Catamarca, la Tecnicatura en Energías Renovables, en dependencias de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales de la Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. La creación de esta carrera se realiza para incrementar las oportunidades de acceso y egreso de la educación superior, a los jóvenes en atención de necesidades y demandas de formación superior en orden al desarrollo integral de regiones y localidades. La Tecnicatura en Energías Renovables tiene un plan de estudios de tres años de duración. El objetivo general de la carrera es formar recursos humanos que puedan desempeñarse en el ámbito público y privado contribuyendo a una transformación socio-productiva provincial y regional.In March of 2016 began in the city of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, the Technician career in Renewable Energy, in the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the National University of Catamarca. The creation of this technic career is done with the aim of increasing opportunities of access and graduation of young people to the higher education in function of needs and demands of professionals, in order to the development of regions and localities. The Technician career in Renewable Energy has a study plan of three years. The overall objective of this career is to train human resources to serve the public and private sectors contributing to provincial and regional productive transformation.Tema 10: Educación y capacitación en energías renovables y uso racional de la energía.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism