The Pulse Scale Conjecture and the Case of BATSE Trigger 2193

The pulses that compose gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are hypothesized to have the same shape at all energies, differing only by scale factors in time and amplitude. This "Pulse Scale Conjecture" is confirmed here between energy channels of the dominant pulse in GRB 930214c (BATSE trigger 2193), the single most fluent single-pulsed GRB that occurred before May 1998. Furthermore, pulses are hypothesized to start at the same time independent of energy. This "Pulse Start Conjecture" is also confirmed in GRB 930214c. Analysis of GRB 930214c also shows that, in general, higher energy channels show shorter temporal scale factors. Over the energy range 100 KeV - 1 MeV, it is found that the temporal scale factors between a pulse measured at different energies are related to that energy by a power law, possibly indicating a simple relativistic mechanism is at work. To test robustness, the Pulse Start and Pulse Scale Conjectures were also tested on the four next most fluent single-pulse GRBs. Three of the four clearly passed, with a second smaller pulse possibly confounding the discrepant test. Models where the pulse rise and decay are created by different phenomena do not typically predict pulses that satisfy both the Pulse Start Conjecture and the Pulse Scale Conjecture, unless both processes are seen to undergo common time dilation.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures, analysis revised and extended, accepted to Ap

"No traitor has been hung" : the United States of America v. Jefferson Davis 1865-1869

The treason charge brought against Jefferson Davis after the American Civil War has been largely ignored by historians. This dissertation examines the imprisonment of the ex-Confederate President, his indictment for treason, and the reasons why the case was never taken to trial. The beginning of this story is straightforward. By May 1865, Jefferson Davis was implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and considered an arch-traitor to the country that had educated him and in which he had risen to political prominence. He was also accused of abusing federal prisoners at Andersonville. At that time, both Northerners and Southerners believed that he might be hanged for these crimes. In the ensuing four years, he was imprisoned, indicted, and his case set for trial many times. However, he was never tried. Ultimately, in 1869, the federal government simply dismissed the case against him. How was it, then, that the political face of the Confederacy escaped a hangman’s noose? Over the last 150 years, this dismissal has primarily been viewed as a political decision. That perception began immediately after his case was dismissed. Northerners regarded it as an example of their magnanimity after having utterly defeated the South. Conversely, white Southerners pointed to the failure to try Davis as proof that he had not committed treason. Their argument went further. If he had not committed treason, then secession had not been unconstitutional. Both of these arguments are consistent with the politics at that time. As Northerners claimed, the federal government was unquestionably generous in victory in many respects. Similarly, as Southerners claimed, a trial of Davis had the potential to reopen the constitutionality of secession. Davis’s defense team was expected to argue that Davis had not violated his loyalty to the United States of America when Mississippi seceded and he followed it out of the Union. The argument made by former Confederates and their supporters was that the dismissal came as a result of fear by Northerners of litigating the constitutionality of secession. By the end of the war, Southerners conceded that secession had been determined to be illegal in a trial by battle. They continued to argue, however, that putting the issue before a court of law might result in the Supreme Court overturning the result of the war. Although both of these justifications are consistent with these political views, there is little factual backing behind either theory. If federal officials had been able to push the case to trial shortly after the war, they certainly would have done so. And, it was unrealistic to believe that an acquittal by a jury, from Richmond, Virginia, no less, would have caused an uncertainty to develop around the question of a State’s right to secede. Instead the evidence will show that the criminal case evolved through the years in a way that led to its ultimate dismissal. In the United States of America v. Jefferson Davis, both parties were represented by preeminent lawyers – Charles O’Conor for Davis and William Evarts for the United States. However, the attorney responsible for putting the case together for the prosecution was Lucius H. Chandler, the local United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Chandler did not have the skill or temperament necessary to put the case on a footing that would lead to trial. Getting Davis to a jury was also exacerbated by the involvement of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Salmon P. Chase, who was to be one of the two trial judges had the case proceeded to trial. Chase made every effort to ensure that he did not have to preside over this divisive and controversial case. In 1868, the impeachment of Andrew Johnson and the presidential election also slowed the momentum of the case. On Christmas Day 1868 President Johnson granted a blanket amnesty to those who participated in the rebellion. All that was left was for the prosecution to formally enter a dismissal in the case. This dissertation will explain how, and why, that happened.Histor

Narco-Submarines: Specially Fabricated Vessels Used for Drug Smuggling Purposes

This work is intended to be an initial primer on the subject of narco-submarines, that is, those specially fabricated vessels utilized principally by Colombian narco traffickers and developed to smuggle cocaine into the United States illicit drug market.https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_facbooks/1029/thumbnail.jp

Fractal dimension of structurally controlled river networks of Pinar del Río, Cuba

Se aborda un nuevo enfoque para el estudio de las redes de drenaje.Se investiga, bajo el enfoque de los sistemas fractales y con base en parámetros morfométricos, la red de drenaje conformada por las cuencas hidrográficas de los ríos Cangre, Los Pozos, Paso Viejo, San Diego, Los Palacios, Santa Cruz y San Cristóbal (Pinar del Río, Cuba). A partir de la configuración de las curvas de nivel y la longitud de los ríos se extrajeron las áreas de drenaje de cada una de las corrientes y se calcularon las longitudes real y euclidiana de estas como paso intermedio para estimar los parámetros del cálculo de la dimensión fractal. Se encontró que para cuencas con características geológicas como las aquí estudiadas, la dimensión fractal promedio de las corrientes según Takayasu parece ser la más apropiada. El desplazamiento de las corrientes de orden 2 con respecto a las de orden 1 se atribuye a zonas de drenaje asociadas a corrientes de corto recorrido, propias de zonas tectónicamente activas. El factor litológico parece influir en las características del drenaje de la cuenca Cangre, aunque la mayor influencia sobre el sistema la ejercen las abundantes fallas y fracturas existentes en el área, lo que se sustenta en los altos valores fractales de las cuencas Cangre, San Diego y Los Palacios. El coeficiente de Hurst de estas cuencas es próximo a uno, lo que revela el comportamiento autosimilar de la red. Para el resto de las cuencas no es posible asumir un tipo de comportamiento debido a que el valor de Hurst es muy superior a uno

Generation of an intense cold-atom beam from a pyramidal magneto-optical trap: experiment and simulation

An intense cold-atom beam source based on a modified pyramidal magneto-optical trap has been developed and characterized. We have produced a slow beam of cold cesium atoms with a continuous flux of 2.2× 10^9 atoms/s at a mean velocity of 15 m/s and with a divergence of 15 mrad. The corresponding radiant intensity is 1.2×10^13 atom s^−1 sr^−1. We have characterized the performance of our beam source over a range of operating conditions, and the measured values for atom flux, mean velocity, and divergence are in good agreement with results from detailed Monte Carlo numerical simulations

Dual nationality and International Law in times of globalization. Challenges and opportunities for consular assistance and diplomatic protection in recent cases

This article studies the interaction of nationality and international law as it may apply to individuals caught in international disputes between states of which they are nationals. The objective of the article is to examine this problem through the lens of the figures of Consular Assistance and Diplomatic Protection. Regarding the methodology, the paper will be elaborated within the following structure. Part 1 will deal with the general concept of nationality at international law. Part 2 will examine “Consular Assistance”, its source, function and application. Part 3 will examine a separate and distinct facet of international law called “Diplomatic Protection” (as distinguished from “Diplomatic Immunity”) and its application to the protection of nationals as well as its weaknesses. Part 4, which develops the original value of this contribution, consist of an analysis of these particular protective measures within the context of particular cases so as to illustrate the weaknesses of these figures as protective of individuals, the limits of nationality as a shield for individuals caught up in international disputes and the almost “second-class” nature of dual nationality from an international law perspective. Part 5 as a conclusion will include some observations as to how states may improve the protections they can afford to their nationals abroad

Planting date effects on the germinability and seedling vigour of Abutilon theophrasti (Malvaceae) seeds

Abutilon theophrasti (Malvaceae) is a troublesome annual weed in many maize and soybean cropping systems of Canada and the United States. Seeds of A. theophrasti exhibit physical dormancy. Differences in the growing environment of parent plants may influence the germinability of seeds and vigour of seedlings produced by this species because of variation in resource allocation to seed development. Thus, the germinability of seeds and subsequent seedling vigour were examined for A. theophrasti plants grown in monoculture at a density of 4.2 plants m-2 under varying natural photoperiods in central New York State. Treatments were established by transplanting A. theophrasti seedlings on three dates: 15 May, 4 June, and 30 June 2000, which correspond to peak photoperiods of 15, 14, and 13 hours, respectively. Seeds produced under the shorter photoperiod (13 h) weighed, on average, 1.5 mg less than seeds produced under the longer photoperiod (15 h). Contrary to expectations, seeds of A. theophrasti that matured under shorter photoperiods had lower germinability (80%) than seeds produced under longer photoperiods (98%). Early radicle growth, a measure of seedling vigour, did not differ between the photoperiod treatments. Environmental conditions other than photoperiod (i.e. water availability) prevailing during the 2000-growing season may have influenced seed coat thickness and consequently affected the germinability of seeds.L’Abutilon theophrasti (Malvaceae) est une mauvaise herbe annuelle qui gêne la production du maïs et du soja dans plusieurs systèmes de culture du Canada et des États-Unis. Les graines de l’A. theophrasti possèdent une dormance physique. Des différences de l’environnement dans lequel croissent les plantes mères peuvent influencer la germination des graines et la vitalité des plantules de cette espèce à cause de variations dans l’affectation des ressources avant que les graines soient pleinement développées. Ainsi, la germination des graines et la vitalité des plantules qui en sont issues ont été étudiées pour l’A. theophrasti en monoculture à une densité de 4,2 plantes m-2 sous diverses photopériodes naturelles du centre de l’État de New York. Les traitements ont débuté par la plantation de plantules de l’A. theophrasti à trois dates, 15 mai, 6 juin et 30 juin 2000, qui correspondent respectivement à des photopériodes maximales de 15, 14 et 13 heures. Les graines produites avec la photopériode la plus courte (13 h) pesaient en moyenne 1,5 mg de moins que les graines produites avec les plus longues photopériodes (15 h). Contrairement à ce qui était prévu, les graines de l’A. theophrasti qui se sont formées lors des photopériodes les plus courtes avaient une germination plus faible (80 %) que les graines formées lors des photopériodes les plus longues (98 %). La croissance précoce de la radicule, une mesure de la vitalité des plantules, est restée la même pour les différentes photopériodes. Les conditions environnementales autres que la photopériode (c.-à-d. la disponibilité en eau) qui régnaient au cours de la saison de croissance de 2000 peuvent avoir influencé l’épaisseur du tégument et avoir ainsi eu un effet sur la germination des graines