National counter-terrorism (C-T) policies and challenges to human rights and civil liberties: Case study of United Kingdom

In the UK the rise post-2005 in “home-grown” terrorism, relying to a significant extent on strikes on soft targets by “self-starters,” means that the search for effective preventive measures remains a continuing concern. Below a number of the preventive counter-terror measures adopted post-9/11, and incrementally strengthened in response to the current threat, are found to fall into three categories and represent interventions at the stages in the path toward attacks. This chapter focuses on selected examples of these preventive measures. In terms of three key stages, firstly, there is the attempt to prevent radicalization, under the “Prevent” strategy. A second strategy relies on taking certain measures to control the activities of those considered likely – on the balance of probabilities – to engage in terrorist-related activity. A third preventive strategy relies on the special terrorism offences under the Terrorism Acts 2000 and 2006, as amended, intended to allow for intervention at a very early stage in terrorist plots and in preparing or instigating terrorist acts (“precursor” offences)

Evidence from the Very Long Baseline Array that J1502SE/SW are Double Hotspots, not a Supermassive Binary Black Hole

SDSS J150243.09+111557.3 is a merging system at z = 0.39 that hosts two confirmed AGN, one unobscured and one dust-obscured, offset by several kiloparsecs. Deane et al. recently reported evidence from the European VLBI Network (EVN) that the dust-obscured AGN exhibits two flat-spectrum radio sources, J1502SE/SW, offset by 26 mas (140 pc), with each source being energized by its own supermassive black hole (BH). This intriguing interpretation of a close binary BH was reached after ruling out a double-hotspot scenario, wherein both hotspots are energized by a single, central BH, a configuration occuring in the well-studied Compact Symmetric Objects. When observed with sufficient sensitivity and resolution, an object with double hotspots should have an edge-brightened structure. We report evidence from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) for just such a structure in an image of the obscured AGN with higher sensitivity and resolution than the EVN images. We thus conclude that a double-hotspot scenario should be reconsidered as a viable interpretation for J1502SE/SW, and suggest further VLBA tests of that scenario. A double-hotspot scenario could have broad implications for feedback in obscured AGNs. We also report a VLBA detection of high-brightness-temperature emssion from the unobscured AGN that is offset several kiloparsecs from J1502SE/SW.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, accepted by ApJL on 2014 July 2

The numerical evaluation of the maximum-likelihood estimate of a subset of mixture proportions

Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for a maximum likelihood estimate of a subset of mixture proportions. From these conditions, likelihood equations are derived satisfied by the maximum-likelihood estimate and a successive-approximations procedure is discussed as suggested by equations for numerically evaluating the maximum-likelihood estimate. It is shown that, with probability one for large samples, this procedure converges locally to the maximum-likelihood estimate whenever a certain step-size lies between zero and two. Furthermore, optimal rates of local convergence are obtained for a step-size which is bounded below by a number between one and two

An iterative procedure for obtaining maximum-likelihood estimates of the parameters for a mixture of normal distributions

A general iterative procedure is given for determining the consistent maximum likelihood estimates of normal distributions. In addition, a local maximum of the log-likelihood function, Newtons's method, a method of scoring, and modifications of these procedures are discussed

Numerical residual perturbation solutions applied to the problem of a close satellite of the smaller body in the restricted three-body problem

Numerical residual perturbation solution for prediction of satellite position in restricted three-body proble

An iterative procedure for obtaining maximum-likelihood estimates of the parameters for a mixture of normal distributions, Addendum

New results and insights concerning a previously published iterative procedure for obtaining maximum-likelihood estimates of the parameters for a mixture of normal distributions were discussed. It was shown that the procedure converges locally to the consistent maximum likelihood estimate as long as a specified parameter is bounded between two limits. Bound values were given to yield optimal local convergence

Recent MOST space photometry

The Microvariability and Oscillations of STars (MOST) photometric satellite has already undertaken more than 64 primary campaigns which include some clusters and has obtained observations of >850 secondary stars of which ~180 are variable. More than half of the variables pulsate, with the majority being of B-type. Since 2006 January, MOST has operated with only a single CCD for both guiding and science. The resulting increase in read-out cadence has improved precision for the brightest stars. The 2007 light curve for Procyon confirms the lack of predicted p-modes with photometric amplitudes exceeding 8 ppm as we found in 2004 and 2005. p-modes have been detected in other solar-type stars as well as pre-main sequence objects, roAp and delta Scuti variables. g-modes have been detected in a range of slowly pulsating B stars, Be stars and beta Cephei variables. Differential rotation has been defined for several spotted solar-type stars and limits set to the albedo of certain transiting planets and the presence of other perturbing planets. The mission is expected to continue as long as the experiment operates.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, from HELAS-II meetin