Behavior analytic perspective on victimology

The field of victimology has become an area of serious scientific enquiry only recently and now attracts a wide range of theories from within multiple disciplines. In this paper the contribution that the science of behavior analysis can make to the conceptualization of the field is explored by investigating what makes people vulnerable to becoming victims or indeed perpetrators of violence and by examining why some people who have experienced violent incidents become victims while others grow to be survivors. A behavior analytic perspective sheds new light on these issues

Integrating field sports, hare population management and conservation

Conflicts between field sports, animal welfare and species conservation are frequently contentious. In Ireland, the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) competitively tests the speed and agility of two greyhounds by using a live hare as a lure. Each coursing club is associated with a number of discrete localities, known as preserves, which are managed favourably for hares including predator control, prohibition of other forms of hunting such as shooting and poaching and the maintenance and enhancement of suitable hare habitat. We indirectly tested the efficacy of such management by comparing hare abundance within preserves to that in the wider countryside. In real terms, mean hare density was 18 times higher, and after controlling for variance in habitat remained 3 times higher, within ICC preserves than the wider countryside. Whilst we cannot rule out the role of habitat, our results suggest that hare numbers are maintained at high levels in ICC preserves either because clubs select areas of high hare density and subsequently have a negligible effect on numbers or that active population management positively increases hare abundance. The Irish hare Lepus timidus hibernicus Bell, 1837 is one of the highest priority species for conservation action in Ireland and without concessions for its role in conservation, any change in the legal status Of hare coursing under animal welfare grounds, may necessitate an increase in Government subsidies for conservation on private land together with a strengthened capacity for legislation enforcement.

Palaeoclimate change recorded in Upper Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) Kazhdumi Formation Borehole spectral Gamma-Ray Logs, South Pars Gas field, Persian Gulf

Th/U and Th/K data from spectral gamma-ray logs obtained from outcrop successions have been used as a rapid and inexpensive proxy for determining possible episodes of humid-arid palaeoclimate change. Such outcrop-based measurements have never been tested using spectral gamma-ray data obtained from wireline logs in subsurface boreholes. Th/K and Th/U ratios have traditionally been used to decipher sequence stratigraphic patterns, at outcrop and in borehole. The possible influence of palaeoclimate on such ratio changes has yet to be proven, especially from borehole data. In this work, we compare borehole-derived Th/K (and to a lesser extent Th/U) to palaeoenvironmental changes inferred from palynology and deduce that both sea level and changing hinterland weathering regimes caused discrete fluctuations observed in the spectral gamma-ray logs. This is the first time such subsurface information has been used in this way. Interpretation of wireline logs in terms of palaeoclimate as well as sea level may now be considered, and the use of such logs in palaeoclimate reconstruction is strengthened.

Trophic interactions and consequent impacts of the invasive fish Pseudorasbora parva in a native aquatic foodweb: a field investigation in the UK

Introduction of the invasive Asian cyprinid fish Pseudorasbora parva into a 0.3 ha pond in England with a fish assemblage that included Cyprinus carpio, Rutilus rutilus and Scardinius erythrophthalmus resulted in their establishment of a numerically dominant population in only 2 years; density estimates exceeded 60 ind. m(-2) and they comprised > 99% of fish present. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) revealed significant trophic overlap between P. parva, R. rutilus and C. carpio, a shift associated with significantly depressed somatic growth in R. rutilus. Despite these changes, fish community composition remained similar between the ponds. Comparison with SIA values collected from an adjacent pond free of P. parva revealed a simplified food web in P. parva presence, but with an apparent trophic position shift for several fishes, including S. erythrophthalmus which appeared to assimilate energy at a higher trophic level, probably through P. parva consumption. The marked isotopic shifts shown in all taxa in the P. parva invaded pond (C-13-enriched, N-15 depleted) were indicative of a shift to a cyanobacteria-dominated phytoplankton community. These findings provide an increased understanding of the ecological consequences of the ongoing P. parva invasion of European freshwater ecosystems.

Detailed analytical investigation of magnetic field line random walk in turbulent plasmas: I. Two-component slab/two-dimensional turbulence

The random displacement of magnetic field lines in the presence of magnetic turbulence in plasmas is investigated from first principles. A two-component (slab/two-dimensional composite) model for the turbulence spectrum is employes. An analytical investigation of the asymptotic behavior of the field-line mean square displacement (FL-MSD) is carried out. It is shown that the magnetic field lines behave superdifusively for every large values of the position variable z, since the FL-MSD sigma varies as sigma similar to z(4/3). An intermediate diffusive regime may also possible exist for finite values of z under conditions which are explicitly determined in terms of the intrinsic turbulent plasma parameters. The superdiffusie asymptotic result is confirmed numerically via an iterative algorithm. The relevance to previous resuslts is discussed.

Detailed analytical investigation of magnetic field line random walk in turbulent plasmas: II. Isotropic turbulence

The random walk of magnetic field lines in the presence of magnetic turbulence in plasmas is investigated from first principles. An isotropic model is employed for the magnetic turbulence spectrum. An analytical investigation of the asymptotic behavior of the field-line mean-square displacement is carried out. in terms of the position variable z. It is shown that varies as similar to z ln z for large distance z. This result corresponds to a superdiffusive behavior of field line wandering. This investigation complements previous work, which relied on a two-component model for the turbulence spectrum. Contrary to that model, quasilinear theory appears to provide an adequate description of the field line random walk for isotropic turbulence.

Berry phase in open quantum systems: a quantum Langevin equation approach

The evolution of a two level system with a slowly varying Hamiltonian, modeled as a spin 1/2 in a slowly varying magnetic field, and interacting with a quantum environment, modeled as a bath of harmonic oscillators is analyzed using a quantum Langevin approach. This allows to easily obtain the dissipation time and the correction to the Berry phase in the case of an adiabatic cyclic evolution.

Strong-field photodetachment of H- by few-cycle laser pulses

The recent adiabatic saddle-point method of Shearer et al. [ Phys. Rev. A 84 033409 (2011)] is applied to study strong-field photodetachment of H- by few-cycle linearly polarized laser pulses of frequencies near the two-photon detachment threshold. The behavior of the saddle points in the complex-time plane for a range of laser parameters is explored. A detailed analysis of the influence of laser intensities [(2×1011)–(6.5 × 1011) W/cm2], midinfrared laser wavelengths (1800–2700 nm), and various values of the carrier envelope phase (CEP) on (i) three-dimensional probability detachment distributions, (ii) photoangular distributions (PADs), (iii) energy spectra, and (iv) momentum distributions are presented. Examination of the probability distributions and PADs reveal main lobes and jetlike structures. Bifurcation phenomena in the probability distributions and PADs are also observed as the wavelength and intensity increase. Our simulations show that the (i) probability distributions, (ii) PADs, and (iii) energy spectra are extremely sensitive to the CEP and thus measuring such distributions provides a useful tool for determining this phase. The symmetrical properties of the electron momentum distributions are also found to be strongly correlated with the CEP and this provides an additional robust method for measuring the CEP of a laser pulse. Our calculations further show that for a three-cycle pulse inclusion of all eight saddle points is required in the evaluation of the transition amplitude to yield an accurate description of the photodetachment process. This is in contrast to recent results for a five-cycle pulse.

Statistical-mechanical description of classical test-particle dynamics in the presence of an external force field: modelling noise and damping from first principles

Aiming to establish a rigorous link between macroscopic random motion (described e.g. by Langevin-type theories) and microscopic dynamics, we have undertaken a kinetic-theoretical study of the dynamics of a classical test-particle weakly coupled to a large heat-bath in thermal equilibrium. Both subsystems are subject to an external force field. From the (time-non-local) generalized master equation a Fokker-Planck-type equation follows as a "quasi-Markovian" approximation. The kinetic operator thus defined is shown to be ill-defined; in specific, it does not preserve the positivity of the test-particle distribution function f(x, v; t). Adopting an alternative approach, previously introduced for quantum open systems, is proposed to lead to a correct kinetic operator, which yields all the expected properties. A set of explicit expressions for the diffusion and drift coefficients are obtained, allowing for modelling macroscopic diffusion and dynamical friction phenomena, in terms of an external field and intrinsic physical parameters.

Microscopic theory for random processes in weakly-coupled open systems

In order to relate macroscopic random motion (described e.g. by Langevin-type theories) to microscopic dynamics, we have undertaken the derivation of a Fokker-Planck-type equation from first microscopic principles. Both subsystems are subject to an external force field. Explicit expressions for the diffusion and drift coefficients are obtained, in terms of the field.

Permafrost response to last interglacial warming: field evidence from non-glaciated Yukon and Alaska

We present stratigraphic observations from three sites in eastern Beringia - Ch'ijee's Bluff in northern Yukon and nearby exposures on the Old Crow River, the Palisades on the Yukon River in Alaska, and placer mining exposures at Thistle Creek in west-central Yukon - which provide insight into the response of permafrost to regional warming during the last interglaciation. Chronology is based on the presence of Old Crow tephra, an important regional stratigraphic marker that dates to late Marine Isotope Stage 6, supplemented by paleoecology and non-finite C ages on wood-rich organic silts. Old Crow tephra overlies several relict ice wedges at the Palisades and Thistle Creek, indicating that permafrost at these sites did not thaw completely during the last interglaciation. Prominent deposits of last interglacial wood-rich organic silt are present at multiple sites in eastern Beringia, and probably represent accumulations of reworked forest vegetation due to thaw slumping or deposition into thermokarst ponds or depressions. Consistent stratigraphic relations between these deposits, Old Crow tephra, and ice wedge pseudomorphs at our three study sites, and at least six other sites in eastern Beringia, suggest that thaw of shallow permafrost was widespread during the last interglaciation. Limited stratigraphic evidence suggests that thaw was probably on the order of meters, rather than 10s of meters. The ubiquity of shallow permafrost degradation during the last interglaciation suggests that current ground warming may foreshadow widespread near-surface thaw under even modest future warming scenarios. However, the persistence of relict pre-last interglacial ice wedges highlights the potential for the regional antiquity of discontinuous permafrost, and provides compelling field evidence for the long-term resilience of deep permafrost during sustained periods of warmer-than-present climate.

BAILII, Legal Education and Open Access to Law

The British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) entered the online legal information landscape in 2001 with charitable status as a provider of UK and European judgments, and has over the past decade or so moved from a system quickly put together with any materials which could be found, to a system which provides a core resource to professionals in law. In this article we provide an overview for the law teacher of the system’s first years and we then look at whether usage in law schools has matched that of the professional, how the JISC funded Open Law project enabled development for law students, and where we might go in the future as part of the Legal Information Institute collective which operates under the ‘Free Access to Law’ banner.
As members of the Open Law team who sought funding, carried out the research and implemented the project, it seems to us that the project was generally successful. Our indications were that prior to Open Law the use of BAILII by students was low – it was not readily found or discussed by lecturers, was difficult to use, and generally less user friendly than it could have been. The changes implemented by Open Law appear to have changed that position considerably. However, our findings also indicate that there is much work to do to re-energise digital legal information as a legal education research field.

Fragility of the spin-glass-like collective state to a magnetic field in an interacting Fe-C nanoparticle system

The effect of applied magnetic fields on the collective nonequilibrium dynamics of a strongly interacting Fe-C nanoparticle system has been investigated. It is experimentally shown that the magnetic aging diminishes to finally disappear for fields of moderate strength. The field needed to remove the observable aging behavior increases with decreasing temperature. The same qualitative behavior is observed in an amorphous metallic spin glass (Fe0.15Ni0.85)(75)P16B6Al3.

Nanoscale Origins of Nonlinear Behavior in Ferroic Thin Films

The nonlinear response of a ferroic to an applied field has been studied through the phenomenological Rayleigh Law for over a hundred years. Yet, despite this, the fundamental physical mechanisms at the nanoscale that lead to macroscopic Rayleigh behavior have remained largely elusive, and experimental evidence at small length scales is limited. Here, it is shown using a combination of scanning probe techniques and phase field modeling, that nanoscale piezoelectric response in prototypical Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 films appears to follow a distinctly non-Rayleigh regime. Through statistical analysis, it is found that an averaging of local responses can lead directly to Rayleigh-like behavior of the strain on a macroscale. Phase-field modeling confirms the twist of the ferroelastic interface is key in enhancing piezoelectric response. The studies shed light on the nanoscale origins of nonlinear behavior in disordered ferroics.

Lorentz TEM investigation of the switching behavior in artificial spin ice building blocks

Frustration – the inability to simultaneously satisfy all interactions – occurs in a wide range of systems including neural networks, water ice and magnetic systems. An example of the latter is the so called spin-ice in pyrochlore materials [1] which have attracted a lot of interest not least due to the emergence of magnetic monopole defects when the ‘ice rules’ governing the local ordering breaks down [2]. However it is not possible to directly measure the frustrated property – the direction of the magnetic moments – in such spin ice systems with current experimental techniques. This problem can be solved by instead studying artificial spin-ice systems where the molecular magnetic moments are replaced by nanoscale ferromagnetic islands [3-8]. Two different arrangements of the ferromagnetic islands have been shown to exhibit spin ice behaviour: a square lattice maintaining four moments at each vertex [3,8] and the Kagome lattice which has only three moments per vertex but equivalent interactions between them [4-7]. Magnetic monopole defects have been observed in both types of lattices [7-8]. One of the challenges when studying these artificial spin-ice systems is that it is difficult to arrive at the fully demagnetised ground-state [6-8].
Here we present a study of the switching behaviour of building blocks of the Kagome lattice influenced by the termination of the lattice. Ferromagnetic islands of nominal size 1000 nm by 100 nm were fabricated in five island blocks using electron-beam lithography and lift-off techniques of evaporated 18 nm Permalloy (Ni80Fe20) films. Each block consists of a central island with four arms terminated by a different number and placement of ‘injection pads’, see Figure 1. The islands are single domain and magnetised along their long axis. The structures were grown on a 50 nm thick electron transparent silicon nitride membrane to allow TEM observation, which was back-coated with a 5 nm film of Au to prevent charge build-up during the TEM experiments.
To study the switching behaviour the sample was subjected to a magnetic field strong enough to magnetise all the blocks in one direction, see Figure 1. Each block obeys the Kagome lattice ‘ice-rules’ of “2-in, 1-out” or “1-in, 2-out” in this fully magnetised state. Fresnel mode Lorentz TEM images of the sample were then recorded as a magnetic field of increasing magnitude was applied in the opposite direction. While the Fresnel mode is normally used to image magnetic domain structures [9] for these types of samples it is possible to deduce the direction of the magnetisation from the Lorentz contrast [5]. All images were recorded at the same over-focus judged to give good Lorentz contrast.
The magnetisation was found to switch at different magnitudes of the applied field for nominally identical blocks. However, trends could still be identified: all the blocks with any injection pads, regardless of placement and number, switched the direction of the magnetisation of their central island at significantly smaller magnitudes of the applied magnetic field than the blocks without injection pads. It can therefore be concluded that the addition of an injection pad lowers the energy barrier to switching the connected island, acting as a nucleation site for monopole defects. In these five island blocks the defects immediately propagate through to the other side, but in a larger lattice the monopoles could potentially become trapped at a vertex and observed [10].
References

[1] M J Harris et al, Phys Rev Lett 79 (1997) p.2554.
[2] C Castelnovo, R Moessner and S L Sondhi, Nature 451 (2008) p. 42.
[3] R F Wang et al, Nature 439 (2006) 303.
[4] M Tanaka et al, Phys Rev B 73 (2006) 052411.
[5] Y Qi, T Brintlinger and J Cumings, Phys Rev B 77 (2008) 094418.
[6] E Mengotti et al, Phys Rev B 78 (2008) 144402.
[7] S Ladak et al, Nature Phys 6 (2010) 359.
[8] C Phatak et al, Phys Rev B 83 (2011) 174431.
[9] J N Chapman, J Phys D 17 (1984) 623.
[10] The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the EPSRC under grant number EP/D063329/1.