The challenge and response to global tourism in the post-modern era: the commodification, reconfiguration and mutual transformation of Habana Vieja, Cuba

There is a growing literature on the symbolic and cultural meanings of tourism and the ways in which cities are increasingly competing for tourists through the promotion of cultural assets and different forms of spectacle in the `tourist bubble'. To date, research on the role and impact of tourism in cities has largely been confined to those in Western, post-industrial economies. This paper examines the growth of cultural tourism in the central area of Havana, Cuba, and explores the range of unique, devolved, state-owned enterprises that are attempting to use tourism as a funding mechanism to achieve improvements in the social and cultural fabric of the city for the benefit of residents. The paper concludes with an assessment of the implications of this example for our understanding of how the pressures for restructuring and commodification can be moderated at the city level. Copyright 2008 SAGE Publications. All rights reserved. Not for commercial use or unauthorized distribution

ZnO-based scintillating bolometers: New prospects to study double beta decay of 64^{64}Zn

The first detailed study on the performance of a ZnO-based cryogenic scintillating bolometer as a detector to search for rare processes in zinc isotopes was performed. A 7.2 g ZnO low-temperature detector, containing more than 80\% of zinc in its mass, exhibits good energy resolution of baseline noise 1.0--2.7 keV FWHM at various working temperatures resulting in a low-energy threshold for the experiment, 2.0--6.0 keV. The light yield for $\beta$/$\gamma$ events was measured as 1.5(3) keV/MeV, while it varies for $\alpha$ particles in the range of 0.2--3.0 keV/MeV. The detector demonstrate an effective identification of the $\beta$/$\gamma$ events from $\alpha$ events using time-properties of only heat signals. %(namely, Rise time parameter). The radiopurity of the ZnO crystal was evaluated using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, an ultra-low-background High Purity Ge $\gamma$-spectrometer, and bolometric measurements. Only limits were set at the level of $\mathcal{O}$(1--100) mBq/kg on activities of \Nuc{K}{40}, \Nuc{Cs}{137} and daughter nuclides from the U/Th natural decay chains. The total internal $\alpha$-activity was calculated to be 22(2) mBq/kg, with a major contribution caused by 6(1) mBq/kg of \Nuc{Th}{232} and 12(2) mBq/kg of \Nuc{U}{234}. Limits on double beta decay (DBD) processes in \Nuc{Zn}{64} and \Nuc{Zn}{70} isotopes were set on the level of $\mathcal{O}(10^{17}$--$10^{18})$ yr for various decay modes profiting from 271 h of acquired background data in the above-ground lab. This study shows a good potential for ZnO-based scintillating bolometers to search for DBD processes of Zn isotopes, especially in \Nuc{Zn}{64}, with the most prominent spectral features at $\sim$10--20 keV, like the two neutrino double electron capture. A 10 kg-scale experiment can reach the experimental sensitivity at the level of $\mathcal{O}(10^{24})$ yr.Comment: Prepared for submission to JINST; 27 pages, 9 figures, and 7 table

Low-lying states and structure of the exotic 8^8He via direct reactions on the proton

International audienceThe structure of the light exotic nucleus 8He was investigated using direct reactions of the 8He SPIRAL beam on a proton-rich target. The (p,p') scattering to the Click to view the MathML source state, the (p,d)7He and (p,t)6He transfer reactions, were measured at the energy Elab=15.7 A.MeV. The light charged particles (p,d,t) were detected in the MUST Si-strip telescope array. The excitation spectrum of 8He was extracted from the (p,p') reaction. Above the known Click to view the MathML source excited state at 3.6 MeV, a second resonance was found around 5.4 MeV. The cross sections were analyzed within the coupled-reaction channels framework, using microscopic potentials. It is inferred that the 8He ground state has a more complex neutron-skin structure than suggested by previous α+4n models assuming a pure (1p3/2)4 configuration

Charge and current-sensitive preamplifiers for pulse shape discrimination techniques with silicon detectors

New charge and current-sensitive preamplifiers coupled to silicon detectors and devoted to studies in nuclear structure and dynamics have been developed and tested. For the first time shapes of current pulses from light charged particles and carbon ions are presented. Capabilities for pulse shape discrimination techniques are demonstrated.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, to be published in Nucl. Inst. Meth.

Experimental evidence for subshell closure in 8^{8}He and indication of a resonant state in 7^{7}He below 1 MeV

NESTERThe spectroscopy of the unstable $^{8}$He and unbound $^{7}$He nuclei is investigated via the p($^{8}$He, d) transfer reaction with a 15.7A MeV $^{8}$He beam from the SPIRAL facility. The emitted deuterons were detected by the telescope array MUST. The results are analyzed within the coupled-channels Born approximation framework, and a spectroscopic factor $C^2$S=4.4±1.3 for neutron pickup to the $^{7}$He_g.s.$is deduced. This value is consistent with a full p3/2 subshell for$^{8}$He. Tentative evidence for the first excited state of$^{7}$He is found at$E^*$=0.9±0.5 MeV (width$\Gamma$=1.0±0.9 MeV). The second one is observed at a position compatible with previous measurements,$E^*$=2.9±0.1 MeV. Both are in agreement with previous separate measurements. The reproduction of the first excited state below 1 MeV would be a challenge for the most sophisticated nuclear theories

Strong enhancement of extremely energetic proton production in central heavy ion collisions at intermediate energy

The energetic proton emission has been investigated as a function of the reaction centrality for the system 58Ni + 58Ni at 30A MeV. Extremely energetic protons (EpNN > 130 MeV) were measured and their multiplicity is found to increase almost quadratically with the number of participant nucleons thus indicating the onset of a mechanism beyond one and two-body dynamics.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Resonances of 6He via the 8He(p,t)6He reaction

We investigated the low-lying spectroscopy of 6He via the 2-neutron transfer reaction induced by the 8He SPIRAL beam at 15.4 A.MeV on a proton-rich target. The light charged recoil particles produced by the direct reactions were measured using theMUST2 Si-strip telescope array. Two new resonances were observed above the known 2+ state in 6He, and the angular momentum transfer was deduced through the analysis of the angular distributions. Results are discussed in comparison with the recent calculations of various nuclear structure theories which include the coupling to the continuum technique and to the ones which give an understanding of the cluster correlations in the light weakly-bound nuclei

Virtual coupling potential for elastic scattering of 10,11^{10,11}Be on proton and carbon targets

International audienceThe 10;11Be(p,p) and (12C, 12C) reactions were analyzed to determine the in uence of the weak binding energies of exotic nuclei on their interaction potential. The elastic cross sections were measured at GANIL in inverse kinematics using radioactive 10;11Be beams produced at energies of 39:1 A and 38:4A MeV. The elastic proton scattering data were analyzed within the framework of the microscopic Jeukenne-Lejeune-Mahaux (JLM) nucleon-nucleus potential. The angular distributions are found to be best reproduced by reducing the real part of the microscopic optical potential, as a consequence of the coupling to the continuum. These effects modify deeply the elastic potential. Including the Virtual Coupling Potential (VCP), we show the ability of the general optical potentials to reproduce the data for scattering of unstable nuclei, using realistic densities. Finally, the concepts needed to develop a more general and microscopic approach of the VCP are discussed

Resonances of 6He via the 8He(p,t)6He reaction

CERN-Proceedings-2010-001 available at http://www.fluka.org/Varenna2009/procmat.htmInternational audienceWe investigated the low-lying spectroscopy of 6He via the 2-neutron transfer reaction induced by the 8He SPIRAL beam at 15.4 A.MeV on a proton-rich target. The light charged recoil particles produced by the direct reactions were measured using theMUST2 Si-strip telescope array. Two new resonances were observed above the known 2+ state in 6He, and the angular momentum transfer was deduced through the analysis of the angular distributions. Results are discussed in comparison with the recent calculations of various nuclear structure theories which include the coupling to the continuum technique and to the ones which give an understanding of the cluster correlations in the light weakly-bound nuclei