Tajikistan: 'Revolutionary situation' or a Resilient state? EUCAM Policy Brief 12, 19 December 2009

Since 2008, after the period of relative growth and social stability, the situation in Tajikistan has been steadily deteriorating; thus leading to increased speculation that the country could emerge as a failing state. Given its proximity to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the role it plays in the Northern Distribution Network, a line that funnels military supplies from Europe to NATO ISAF troops in Afghanistan, the ramifications of potential instability in Tajikistan would resonate beyond the country. The current brief assesses to what extent such danger is in fact real by outlining developments in the key areas of economy and security, and examining the regime’s coping capacity to deal with emerging challenges

Multiple-choice tests in teaching software engineers : how applied and how applicable?

Although computer-aided assessment has been developed since late 1980’s, advantages and disadvantages of multiple-choice tests (MCTs), as opposed to traditional academic techniques (such as essays), are still greatly debated. This paper overviews current practice of application of MCTs in Computing and generally outlines their applicability in teaching Software Engineering, as a subject area in HE

Liquid and crystal phase of dipolar fermions in two dimensions

The liquid and crystal phase of a single-component Fermi gas with dipolar interactions are investigated using quantum Monte Carlo methods in two spatial dimensions and at zero temperature. The dipoles are oriented by an external field perpendicular to the plane of motion, resulting in a purely repulsive 1/r^3 interaction. In the liquid phase we calculate the equation of state as a function of the interaction strength and other relevant properties characterizing the Fermi-liquid behavior: effective mass, discontinuity at the Fermi surface and pair correlation function. In the high density regime we calculate the equation of state of the Wigner crystal phase and the critical density of the liquid to solid first order phase transition. Close to the freezing density we also search for the existence of a stripe phase, but such a phase is never found to be energetically favorable.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Comment: Food web interactions and biomanipulation in Australian reservoirs

The authors have been studying the control of phytoplankton biomass in several Australian reservoirs. To manipulate fish communities in order to reduce phytoplankton biomass, one needs a thorough understanding of processes in the plankton-associated food webs. In contrast to the situation found in lakes of the northern hemisphere, the planktivorous fish of Australian reservoirs are relatively small and they may deplete small rather than large zooplankters, so that animals as large as the adults of Daphnia carinata may avoid predation. This would result in promotion of Daphnia, particularly if fish eliminate its smaller competitors. The aim of biomanipulation should be the establishment and maintenance of a proper ratio of planktivores/piscivores, adequate for water quality requirements. Successful selection of the appropriate ratio for a given reservoir will depend on the extent of our understanding of its food web interactions. For practical application of biomanipulation in management, further development of the food web theory under Australian conditions is needed

One-dimensional multicomponent Fermi gas in a trap: quantum Monte Carlo study

One-dimensional world is very unusual as there is an interplay between quantum statistics and geometry, and a strong short-range repulsion between atoms mimics Fermi exclusion principle, fermionizing the system. Instead, a system with a large number of components with a single atom in each, on the opposite acquires many bosonic properties. We study the ground-state properties a multi-component Fermi gas trapped in a harmonic trap by fixed-node diffusion Monte Carlo method. We investigate how the energetic properties (energy, contact) and correlation functions (density profile and momentum distribution) evolve as the number of components is changed. It is shown that the system fermionizes in the limit of strong interactions. Analytical expression are derived in the limit of weak interactions within the local density approximation for arbitrary number of components and for one plus one particle using an exact solution.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Dipolar Drag in Bilayer Harmonically Trapped Gases

We consider two separated pancake-shaped trapped gases interacting with a dipolar (either magnetic or electric) force. We study how the center of mass motion propagates from one cloud to the other as a consequence of the long-range nature of the interaction. The corresponding dynamics is fixed by the frequency difference between the in-phase and the out-of-phase center of mass modes of the two clouds, whose dependence on the dipolar interaction strength and the cloud separation is explicitly investigated. We discuss Fermi gases in the degenerate as well as in the classical limit and comment on the case of Bose-Einsten condensed gases.Comment: Submitted to EPJD, EuroQUAM special issue "Cold Quantum Matter - Achievements and Prospects

Increasing territorial capitalization by incorporation of small enterprises into clusters

Modernization of the Russian national economy depends on small businesses and their involvement in capitalization of the territorial potential. This article discusses methods, models, and mechanisms of territorial capitalization based on incorporation of small business enterprises into clusters along with medium- and large businesses. We propose an optimization model for assessing the efficiency of such clusters: our research has shown that this model can be applied for decision-making in regional strategic planning. Methodologically, this study relies on the theories of industrial development and economic growth, the industrial cluster theory, and the works of Russian and international researchers on mechanisms of management of territorial potential, their establishment and implementation. Capitalization of the region's resource potential manifests itself in the form of static and dynamic effects. We developed models of interaction between small and other businesses and structures within a cluster oriented towards territorial capitalization. We demonstrated that incorporation of a university into a cluster structure increases the innovative capacity of all cluster members. This research may be further expanded to study the mechanisms of involving small businesses operating in peripheral areas into clusters