406 research outputs found
The Local, the ‘Indigenous’ and the Limits of Rethinking Peacebuilding
© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2021.1882755Recent critical perspectives on peacebuilding have sought to shed light on experiences so far marginalized by mainstream approaches. In particular, critics have pushed peacebuilding towards radically different ways of thinking about governance, conflict and peace, by engaging with narratives, experiences and knowledge coming from societies perceived as not invested in modernity or liberalism, such as Indigenous communities. Whilst this may force theory to confront questions of human-centrism, colonial erasure, and structural violence, turning to Indigeneity without questioning the impact of liberal peace ‘thinking', might further elicit marginalization and appropriation, and simply ‘save’ liberal peacebuilding through the back door.Peer reviewe
Imaging Light-Induced Migration of Dislocations in Halide Perovskites with 3D Nanoscale Strain Mapping
In recent years, halide perovskite materials have been used to make high
performance solar cell and light-emitting devices. However, material defects
still limit device performance and stability. Here, we use synchrotron-based
Bragg Coherent Diffraction Imaging to visualise nanoscale strain fields, such
as those local to defects, in halide perovskite microcrystals. We find
significant strain heterogeneity within MAPbBr (MA =
CHNH) crystals in spite of their high optoelectronic quality,
and identify both 100 and 110 edge
dislocations through analysis of their local strain fields. By imaging these
defects and strain fields in situ under continuous illumination, we uncover
dramatic light-induced dislocation migration across hundreds of nanometres.
Further, by selectively studying crystals that are damaged by the X-ray beam,
we correlate large dislocation densities and increased nanoscale strains with
material degradation and substantially altered optoelectronic properties
assessed using photoluminescence microscopy measurements. Our results
demonstrate the dynamic nature of extended defects and strain in halide
perovskites and their direct impact on device performance and operational
stability.Comment: Main text and Supplementary Information. Main text: 15 pages, 4
figures. Supplementary Information: 16 pages, 27 figures, 1 tabl
Non-Compliance with Growth Hormone Treatment in Children Is Common and Impairs Linear Growth
BACKGROUND: GH therapy requires daily injections over many years and compliance can be difficult to sustain. As growth hormone (GH) is expensive, non-compliance is likely to lead to suboptimal growth, at considerable cost. Thus, we aimed to assess the compliance rate of children and adolescents with GH treatment in New Zealand. METHODS: This was a national survey of GH compliance, in which all children receiving government-funded GH for a four-month interval were included. Compliance was defined as ≥ 85% adherence (no more than one missed dose a week on average) to prescribed treatment. Compliance was determined based on two parameters: either the number of GH vials requested (GHreq) by the family or the number of empty GH vials returned (GHret). Data are presented as mean ± SEM. FINDINGS: 177 patients were receiving GH in the study period, aged 12.1 ± 0.6 years. The rate of returned vials, but not number of vials requested, was positively associated with HVSDS (p < 0.05), such that patients with good compliance had significantly greater linear growth over the study period (p<0.05). GHret was therefore used for subsequent analyses. 66% of patients were non-compliant, and this outcome was not affected by sex, age or clinical diagnosis. However, Maori ethnicity was associated with a lower rate of compliance. INTERPRETATION: An objective assessment of compliance such as returned vials is much more reliable than compliance based on parental or patient based information. Non-compliance with GH treatment is common, and associated with reduced linear growth. Non-compliance should be considered in all patients with apparently suboptimal response to GH treatment
Single-spin Azimuthal Asymmetries in Electroproduction of Neutral Pions in Semi-inclusive Deep-inelastic Scattering
A single-spin asymmetry in the azimuthal distribution of neutral pions
relative to the lepton scattering plane has been measured for the first time in
deep-inelastic scattering of positrons off longitudinally polarized protons.
The analysing power in the sin(phi) moment of the cross section is 0.019 +/-
0.007(stat.) +/- 0.003(syst.). This result is compared to single-spin
asymmetries for charged pion production measured in the same kinematic range.
The pi^0 asymmetry is of the same size as the pi^+ asymmetry and shows a
similar dependence on the relevant kinematic variables. The asymmetry is
described by a phenomenological calculation based on a fragmentation function
that represents sensitivity to the transverse polarization of the struck quark.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, replaced to correct eprint author field, 2nd
replacement to correct figure; upper limit of model predictions are
corrected. No correction to data or conclusion
Exclusive Leptoproduction of rho^0 Mesons from Hydrogen at Intermediate Virtual Photon Energies
Measurements of the cross section for exclusive virtual-photoproduction of
rho^0 mesons from hydrogen are reported. The data were collected by the HERMES
experiment using 27.5 GeV positrons incident on a hydrogen gas target in the
HERA storage ring. The invariant mass W of the photon-nucleon system ranges
from 4.0 to 6.0 GeV, while the negative squared four-momentum Q^2 of the
virtual photon varies from 0.7 to 5.0 GeV^2. The present data together with
most of the previous data at W > 4 GeV are well described by a model that
infers the W-dependence of the cross section from the dependence on the Bjorken
scaling variable x of the unpolarized structure function for deep-inelastic
scattering. In addition, a model calculation based on Off-Forward Parton
Distributions gives a fairly good account of the longitudinal component of the
rho^0 production cross section for Q^2 > 2 GeV^2.Comment: 10 pages, 6 embedded figures, LaTeX for SVJour(epj) document class.
Revisions: curves added to Fig. 1, several clarifications added to tex
Double-Spin Asymmetry in the Cross Section for Exclusive rho^0 Production in Lepton-Proton Scattering
Evidence for a positive longitudinal double-spin asymmetry = 0.24
+-0.11 (stat) +-0.02 (syst) in the cross section for exclusive diffractive
rho^0(770) vector meson production in polarised lepton-proton scattering was
observed by the HERMES experiment. The longitudinally polarised 27.56 GeV HERA
positron beam was scattered off a longitudinally polarised pure hydrogen gas
target. The average invariant mass of the photon-proton system has a value of
= 4.9 GeV, while the average negative squared four-momentum of the virtual
photon is = 1.7 GeV^2. The ratio of the present result to the
corresponding spin asymmetry in inclusive deep-inelastic scattering is in
agreement with an early theoretical prediction based on the generalised vector
meson dominance model.Comment: 10 pages, 4 embedded figures, LaTe
Reconciling Himalayan midcrustal discontinuities: The Main Central thrust system
The occurrence of thrust-sense tectonometamorphic discontinuities within the exhumed Himalayan metamorphic core can be explained as part of the Main Central thrust system. This imbricate thrust structure, which significantly thickened the orogenic midcrustal core, comprises a series of thrust-sense faults that all merge into a single detachment. The existence of these various structures, and their potential for complex overprinting along the main detachment, may help explain the contention surrounding the definition, mapping, and interpretation of the Main Central thrust. The unique evolution of specific segments of the Main Central thrust system along the orogen is interpreted to be a reflection of the inherent basement structure and ramp position, and structural level of exposure of the mid-crust. This helps explain the variation in the timing and structural position of tectonometamorphic discontinuities along the length of the mountain belt
Clinical trial to assess the effect of physical exercise on endothelial function and insulin resistance in pregnant women
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Preeclampsia (PE) is a common maternal disease that complicates 5 to 10% of pregnancies and remains as the major cause of maternal and neonatal mortality. Cost-effective interventions aimed at preventing the development of preeclampsia are urgently needed. However, the pathogenesis of PE is not well known. Multiple mechanisms such as oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance may contribute to its development. Regular aerobic exercise recovers endothelial function; improves insulin resistance and decreases oxidative stress. Therefore the purpose of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of regular aerobic exercise on endothelial function, on insulin resistance and on pregnancy outcome.</p> <p>Methods and design</p> <p>64 pregnant women will be included in a blind, randomized clinical trial, and parallel assignment. The exercise group will do regular aerobic physical exercise: walking (10 minutes), aerobic exercise (30 minutes), stretching (10 minutes) and relaxation exercise (10 minutes) in three sessions per week. Control group will do the activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, eating, and walking) without counselling from a physical therapist.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>NCT00741312.</p
Reliability of the Dynavision (TM) D2 for Assessing Reaction Time Performance
Recently, the Dynavision (TM) D2 Visuomotor Training Device (D2) has emerged as a tool in the assessment of reaction time (RT); however, information regarding the reliability of the D2 have been limited, and to date, reliability data have been limited to non-generalizable samples. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) for the D2 that are generalizable across a population of recreationally active young adults. Forty-two recreationally active men and women (age: 23.41 +/- 4.84 years; height: 1.72 +/- 0.11 m; mass: 76.62 +/- 18.26 Kg) completed 6 trials for three RT tasks of increasing complexity. Each trial was separated by at least 48-hours. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to detect differences in performance across the six trials. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) standard error of measurement (SEM), and minimal differences (MD) were used to determine the reliability of the D2 from the two sessions with the least significant difference score. Moderate to strong reliability was demonstrated for visual RT (ICC2,1: 0.84, SEM: 0.033), and reactive ability in both Mode A and Mode B tasks (Mode A hits: ICC2,1: 0.75, SEM: 5.44; Mode B hits: ICC2,1: 0.73, SEM: 8.57). Motor RT (ICC2,1: 0.63, SEM: 0.035s) showed fair reliability, while average RT per hit for Modes A and B showed moderate reliability (ICC2,1: 0.68, SEM: 0.43 s and ICC2,1: 0.72, SEM: 0.03 s respectively). It appears that one familiarization trial is necessary for the choice reaction time (CRT) task while three familiarization trials are necessary for reactive RT tasks. In conclusion, results indicate that the Dynavision (TM) D2 is a reliable device to assess neuromuscular reactivity given that an adequate practice is provided. The data presented are generalizable to a population of recreationally active young adults
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