bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of magnetic chains in a shear flow under the influence of a uniform magnetic field
Authors: Kang Tae Gon , Hulsen Martien A. , den Toonder Jaap M. J.
Published: April 2012

We numerically investigate dynamics of magnetic chains and flow characteristics in a two-dimensional shear flow under the influence of a magnetic field applied externally. A direct simulation method is employed to solve the particulate flow in the creeping flow regime, taking into account both magnetic and hydrodynamic interactions in a coupled manner. In a periodic channel, the dynamics of chains is found to be significantly influenced by the Mason number (the ratio of viscous force to magnetic force), the magnetic susceptibility, and the particle fraction. Below a critical Mason number, a chain rotates and reaches an equilibrium. Above the critical value, however, the chain continuously rotates as a rigid body. Thinning behavior in the wall shear stress is found above a threshold value of the Mason number. As for chain rupture in the shear flow, three regimes of the Mason number are found, showing three typical conformations of the chains: (i) complex chains with branches rather than linear chains, (ii) tilted linear chains broken in the middle, generating a slip zone between the upper and lower chains, and (iii) shortened chains rotating in the channel.
Deformation measurement of individual cells in large populations using a single-cell microchamber array chip
Authors: Doh I. , Lee W. C. , Cho Y.-H. , Pisano A. P. , Kuypers F. A.
Published: April 2012

We analyze the deformability of individual red blood cells (RBCs) using SiCMA technology. Our approach is adequate to quickly measure large numbers of individual cells in heterogeneous populations. Individual cells are trapped in a large-scale array of micro-wells, and dielectrophoretic (DEP) force is applied to deform the cells. The simple structures of micro-wells and DEP electrodes facilitate the analysis of thousands of RBCs in parallel. This unique method allows the correlation of red cell deformation with cell surface and cytosolic characteristics to define the distribution of individual cellular characteristics in heterogeneous populations.
Homogeneous and elongation-free 3D microfabrication by a femtosecond laser pulse and hologram
Authors: Yamaji M. , Kawashima H. , Suzuki J. , Tanaka S. , Shimizu M. , Hirao K. , Shimotsuma Y. , Miura K.
Published: April 2012

A new 3D microfabrication method has been developed, which uses only a single femtosecond laser pulse and a hologram. For the microfabrication inside transparent materials, the optical axial elongation of the fabricated structure is a major problem that has thus far limited design flexibility, especially for the direction along the optical axis. By controlling the light intensity distribution profile and using the adequate focal length of the hologram, this problem was solved and homogeneous and elongation-free 3D microfabrication was achieved.
Secondary resonance magnetic force microscopy
Authors: Tanaka Suguru , Azuma Yasuo , Majima Yutaka
Published: April 2012

In this study, we have developed secondary resonance magnetic force microscopy (SR-MFM) for imaging alternating magnetic fields from a sample surface at the secondary resonant frequency of the magnetic cantilever at the same time as the topographic image. SR-MFM images of alternating magnetic fields diverging from the main pole in a driving perpendicular magnetic recording head are presented, and the divergence and convergence of the fields are discussed. The spatial resolution of SR-MFM is estimated to be 18 nm; this is 2.5 times smaller than that of conventional MFM.
Orientation-dependent surface potential behavior in Nb-doped BiFeO3
Authors: Yan F. , Xing G. Z. , Islam M. , Li S. , Lu L.
Published: April 2012

Single-phase epitaxial Nb doped BiFeO3 (BFNO) films have been grown on diverse oriented-SrTiO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The orientation dependent surface potential distributions arising from combination of the screen and polarization charges on the BFNO surfaces were characterized by Kelvin probe force microscopy combining with corresponding domain structures investigation using piezoresponse force microscopy. The relationship between surface potential and potential barrier was quantitatively analyzed through tuning the substrate orientation. The present study indicates that data stability and storage density can be controlled via engineering the substrate orientations.
Surface photoluminescence and magnetism in hydrothermally grown undoped ZnO nanorod arrays
Authors: Xu Xiaoyong , Xu Chunxiang , Lin Yi , Ding Tao , Fang Shengjiang , Shi Zengliang , Xia Weiwei , Hu Jingguo
Published: April 2012

ZnO nanorod arrays were synthesized by a hydrothermal method on the Si substrate with ZnO thin film as seed layer prepared by magnetron sputtering. The presence of -OH ligands on the surface of the as-grown sample was confirmed, and its dominant role in both suppressing the visible emission and boosting the room-temperature ferromagnetism (FM) was revealed. Through alternative H2 and O2 annealing to remove the -OH ligands, reconstruct surface-states and tune the oxygen occupancy in ZnO nanorods, the clear correlation between the characteristic green emission and ferromagnetism was established.
Evolution of nanodomains under DC electrical bias in Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3: An In-situ transmission electron microscopy study
Authors: Sato Yukio , Hirayama Tsukasa , Ikuhara Yuichi
Published: April 2012

Domain structure and its evolution under electrical biases play important roles in piezoelectrics. The effects could be more significant in morphotropic phase boundary piezoelectrics, such as Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT), since domains are miniaturized down to nanometer scale. Here, we report in-situ transmission electron microscopy observations for evolution of nanodomains under DC electrical biases in PMN-PT. We find that nanodomains switch with redistributions of invariant nanodomains population for the unpoled crystals, which is consistent with our previous results for the poled cases. This suggests that response of nanodomains for the unpoled and poled crystals can be understood in similar ways.
Role of donor-acceptor complexes and impurity band in stabilizing ferromagnetic order in Cu-doped SnO2 thin films
Authors: Li Yongfeng , Deng Rui , Tian Yufeng , Yao Bin , Wu Tom
Published: April 2012

Our complementary magnetic and photoluminescence measurements reveal the correlation between the donor-acceptor complex and the ferromagnetic order in Cu-doped SnO2 thin films. Oxygen vacancies (VO) and Cu dopants form defect complexes of donor-acceptor pairs, and the associated spin-polarized impurity band leads to the narrowing of bandgap. Electronic structure calculations based on the first-principles method demonstrate that the Cu-VO complex has low formation energy and can stabilize the ferromagnetic coupling. Our results suggest that intrinsic defects and their complexes with dopants play a key role for establishing the ferromagnetic order in doped wide-bandgap oxides.
The role of Ni-Mn hybridization on the martensitic phase transitions in Mn-rich Heusler alloys
Authors: Khan Mahmud , Jung J. , Stoyko S. S. , Mar Arthur , Quetz Abdiel , Samanta Tapas , Dubenko Igor , Ali Naushad , Stadler Shane , Chow K. H.
Published: April 2012

Room temperature x-ray diffraction, dc magnetization, and ac susceptibility measurements have been performed on a series of Mn rich Ni50Mn37-xCrxSb13 and Ni50+xMn37-xSb13 Heusler alloys. Depending on the value of x, the room temperature crystal structures of the samples are either L21 cubic or orthorhombic. It is a commonly accepted idea that the martensitic transition temperatures in Ni-Mn-Z (Z = Ga, In, Sb, Sn) based Heusler alloys decrease (increase) with decreasing (increasing) valence electron concentration, e/a. However, the present work shows that regardless of the change in e/a, the martensitic transition temperature (TM) decreases with increasing Cr or Ni concentration. These results support the model where, in the case of Mn rich Heusler alloys, it is the hybridization between the Ni atoms and the Mn atoms in the Z sites that plays the dominant role in driving the martensitic transformation.
The contribution of narrow band and modulation of thermoelectric performance in doped layered cobaltites Bi2Sr2Co2Oy
Authors: Yin L. H. , Ang R. , Huang Y. N. , Jiang H. B. , Zhao B. C. , Zhu X. B. , Song W. H. , Sun Y. P.
Published: April 2012

We have performed the temperature dependence of resistivity ρ(T) and thermoelectric power S(T) by a series of doping in layered cobaltites Bi2Sr2Co2Oy. For all samples, a metallic ρ(T) behavior and a large temperature-independent S is observed at higher temperatures, while we found a upturning ρ(T) but without corresponding variation of S(T) at lower temperatures. The present results strongly demonstrate the contribution of narrow band. Moreover, the doping could effectively modulate the thermoelectric performance. Especially for Bi2Sr1.9Ca0.1Co2Oy, it may provide an excellent platform to be a promising candidate of thermoelectric materials.
Bounded Rationality in Policy Learning Amongst Cities: Lessons from the Transport Sector
Authors: Marsden Greg , Frick Karen Trapenberg , May Anthony D , Deakin Elizabeth
Published: April 2012

The internationalization of policy regimes and the reorganization of the state have provided new opportunities for cities to bypass nation-state structures and work with other cities internationally. This provides greater opportunity for cities to learn from each other and could be an important stimulus to the transfer of policies across the globe. Few studies exist however which focus on the processes that shape the search for policy lessons and how they are affected by the institutional context within which they are conducted. This paper describes research conducted in the field of urban transport and planning policy across eleven cities in Northern Europe and North America which seeks to explore the motivations for and mechanisms supporting learning about new policies. Thirty policies were examined across the eleven sites using document review and interviews with key actors. The paper explores the search for lessons and the learning process and considers the influences of institutional context, organizational behaviour, and individual cognitive constraints. The process of seeking out and learning policy lessons is defined by individuals operating within a particular policy space and exhibits a number of characteristics of strongly bounded rational choice. The search parameters are significantly influenced by preconceptions of the nature of the preferred solutions and the likelihood of cities in other contexts offering meaningful learning opportunities. Trusted peer networks emerge as critical in overcoming information overload, resource constraints, and uncertainty in the potential for policy transfer. The mobility of policies seems also to be linked to the mobility of the key transfer agents. Cities adopt quite different approaches to engaging with the communities of policy mobilizers which seems likely to impact on the pace and pattern of the movement of policies.
Institutions and Sectoral Logics in Creative Industries: The Media Cluster in Cologne
Authors: Apitzsch Birgit , Piotti Geny
Published: April 2012

Institutional actors at the regional or local level increasingly see the development of the creative industry sector as a means of improving local competitiveness. However, research on relations between institutions and local development barely considers the interaction between policies and a sectoral logic of work organization and labor-market functioning. On the basis of qualitative research on the locally clustered media sector in Cologne, Germany, we argue that a sectoral logic which relies strongly on the use of networks can hinder or ‘convert’, the course of policies aimed at improving the skill supply, and thereby produce unintended effects.
The New Zealand Index of Neighbourhood Social Fragmentation: Integrating Theory and Data
Authors: Ivory Vivienne , Witten Karen , Salmond Clare , Lin En-Yi , You Ru Quan , Blakely Tony
Published: April 2012

We report on the development and validation of a neighbourhood measure of social fragmentation. Firstly, we developed a theoretical model of neighbourhood-level social fragmentation, as the structural antecedent to collective social functioning, with three domains (attachment, resources, and means of sharing of norms and values). Secondly, utilising the New Zealand 1996 and 2001 Censuses, variables were constructed to create the New Zealand Index of Neighbourhood Social Fragmentation (NeighFrag) at the small-area level. Nine census variables contributed substantively to a principal components analysis: homeownership, mobility, marital status, nonfamily households, single-person households, children, immigrants, non-English/Māori speakers, and long-term residents. Thirdly, relationships between NeighFrag and other contextual measures were examined, as well as its relationship with individual perceptions of neighbourhood cohesion. The NeighFrag index had a moderate association with deprivation and social capital. It was inversely associated with individual perception of neighbourhood cohesion in multilevel analyses, after adjusting for individual factors and neighbourhood deprivation. Combined, this suggests that NeighFrag provides a meaningful national-level index of neighbourhood social environments for use in analyses.
Relational Power in the Governance of a South African E-Waste Transition
Authors: Lawhon Mary
Published: April 2012

Transition studies attempts to explain sociotechnical change over time and to develop policy prescriptions to help guide transitions towards more sustainable outcomes. While this literature has made significant contributions to our understanding of transitions and achieving greater sustainability, most transition theory and practice overlooks the central role of power in shaping the direction and outcomes of transitions. In this paper I apply the transitions framework to electronic waste (e-waste) management in South Africa, and assess the attempts to instigate and guide a transition through the establishment of an industry-led e-waste association. I use a relational–political–ecological approach in which I show how power is built relationally through particular engagements between members of the e-waste association and with others outside the association. I describe the attempts by the association to extend power and the strategies employed by members to resist or reconstruct this relationship. While stakeholders' concerns with the e-waste association are various, I focus on articulating their responses, specifically actions which revise their particular way of relating to the association. I group these into three main responses: (i) establishing a new connection or disengaging from the network; (ii) frustrated participation and/or reformed expectations; and (iii) establishing an alternative network. My analysis of relational power in the process of attempting to guide a transition is intended to show a new way of incorporating conceptualizations of power into transition studies to increase its theoretical rigour and enhance its potential to make positive contributions towards achieving a just sustainability.
Transnational Families and the Family Nexus: Perspectives of Indonesian and Filipino Children Left behind by Migrant Parent(s)
Authors: Graham Elspeth , Jordan Lucy P , Yeoh Brenda S A , Lam Theodora , Asis Maruja , Su-Kamdi
Published: April 2012

As a significant supplier of labour migrants, Southeast Asia presents itself as an important site for the study of children in transnational families who are growing up separated from at least one migrant parent and sometimes cared for by ‘other mothers’. Through the often-neglected voices of left-behind children, we investigate the impact of parental migration and the resulting reconfiguration of care arrangements on the subjective well-being of migrants' children in two Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia and the Philippines. We theorise the child's position in the transnational family nexus through the framework of the ‘care triangle’, representing interactions between three subject groups—‘left-behind’ children, non-migrant parents/other carers; and migrant parent(s). Using both quantitative (from 1010 households) and qualitative (from 32 children) data from a study of child health and migrant parents in Southeast Asia, we examine relationships within the caring spaces both of home and of transnational spaces. The interrogation of different dimensions of care reveals the importance of contact with parents (both migrant and nonmigrant) to subjective child well-being, and the diversity of experiences and intimacies among children in the two study countries.
‘The Church is … My Family’: Exploring the Interrelationship between Familial and Religious Practices and Spaces
Authors: Sharma Sonya
Published: April 2012

This paper considers the interrelationship between family and church, their practices and spaces. Three areas that emerged from qualitative interviews with women who were current and former churchgoers are addressed. First, women described their ‘church as family’ because of personal histories of attending with family and family-like relationships. Second, the resonance between family and church practices and spaces mapped onto other geographies such as gender. Third, experiences of belonging were narrated through the trope ‘church as family’, yet disrupted by racial and classed encounters. The women's experiences demonstrate that intimate practices and spaces of family are permeable and not necessarily bound to conventional formations or sites. They can stretch beyond the household into other spaces, such as church, whereby congregational members are part of kin networks or become ‘chosen families' or a ‘personal community’ that is familial. By looking at this interrelationship, the ways in which people ‘do family’ may offer insights into how and why people may ‘do church’.
Precariousness, Precarity, and Family: Notes from Palestine
Authors: Harker Christopher
Published: April 2012

Geographical studies which have engaged the family have generally done so by critiquing the patriarchal, heternormative, family. However, this paper argues that families are enmeshed in a plurality of political and ethical spacings that exceed this singular focus—a claim advanced by reviewing recent studies of Palestinian families. These studies reveal ways in which Palestinian families have been constituted by colonialism and nationalism, and are also the means through which colonisation and violence have been resisted. I then put these studies into conversation with the recent work of Judith Butler to argue for the importance of studying families at the intersections of different spatial, political, and ethical practices and discourses. Butler argues for a social ontology of precariousness—the ways in which one's life is dependent on the lives of others—and a concomitant ethics of precarity, a means to challenge the ways in which certain subjects and populations are put at greater risk of death and suffering than others. I employ studies of Palestinian family spaces to read Butler's arguments spatially. A spatially attentive reading of Butler's ideas helps in turn to conceptualise the different ways in which families do political and ethical work. In particular, I focus on family spatial practices which reduce or alleviate heightened exposure to violence—some of which can be understood as a source of ethical responsiveness. This leads to a call for more geographically, politically, and ethically nuanced approaches to apprehending family spaces.
Changes in population abundance, reproduction and habitat use of the rice-field rat, Rattus argentiventer, in relation to rice-crop growth stage in a lowland rice agroecosystem in Vietnam
Authors: Phung Nguyen Thi My , Brown Peter R. , Leung Luke K.-P.
Published: April 2012

Context Rice-field rodent pests cause substantial economic losses in Asia. In Vietnam, the rice-field rat (Rattus argentiventer) causes 5–10% annual pre-harvest loss in rice yield. A sound ecological knowledge of this species would be useful for developing strategies for managing this pest. Aims We tested the hypotheses that there would be changes in the population abundance, breeding performance and habitat use of R. argentiventer in response to rice-crop growth stage. Methods Capture–mark–recapture and kill trapping and spool-and-line tracking were used to assess population abundance, breeding and habitat use in different rice-bank habitats, at 3–5-week intervals, through a 2-month flooding period and a rice cropping season. The study was conducted between October 2008 and April 2009 in An Giang Province in The Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Key results The population abundance of R. argentiventer was significantly related to rice-crop growth stage and rice-bank habitat. More rats were captured after harvest (P < 0.001) and more were captured in the large and medium-sized banks (P < 0.05). The breeding performance of adult females responded to rice-crop growth stage (P = 0.006). When rice cover was sparse, adult females were located in the burrows during the day, whereas when the cover became abundant, adult females remained in the fields during both the day and at night time. After harvest, rats returned to utilise burrows along rice-field banks. Conclusions and implications (1) Rat control activities should be conducted prior to the seedling stage of the rice crop, before the onset of breeding and when vegetative cover is sparse, allowing the animals to be targeted in their burrows; and (2) vegetation on the rice-field banks should be cut to <10 cm to limit the availability of suitable nesting habitat in large and medium-sized banks.
“What I want you to remember is…”
Authors: Ädel Annelie
Published: April 2012

This article offers some background on notions related to intersubjectivity in applied linguistics, specifically as studied in EAP. The study takes a reflexive approach to metadiscourse, investigating audience orientation in three monologic academic genres: advanced student writing, published academic prose and spoken lectures. Specifically, audience orientation involving second person you is examined from the perspective of the discourse functions in which the word is involved. A randomly selected dataset of 150 examples from each of the three genres was coded for metadiscursive functions, applying Ädel’s (2010) taxonomy. The results showed that the distribution of discourse functions was similar in the three registers; however, the highest frequency of metadiscourse was found in the spoken lectures, not in the written modes.
Intersubjectivity and intersubjectification
Authors: Ghesquière Lobke , Brems Lieselotte , Van de Velde Freek
Published: April 2012

In this paper we present our views on intersubjectivity and intersubjectification with reference to case studies on adjectives, hedges, tags, honorifics, etc. Building on Diessel’s notion of “joint attention” and Traugott’s approach to intersubjectivity, we propose a distinction between three types of intersubjectivity: attitudinal, responsive, and textual. We evaluate and propose formal recognition criteria to operationalize this essentially semantic typology, such as left versus right periphery and prosodic features. In addition, we address the issue of directionality between subjectification and intersubjectification. Rather than seeing subjectivity as a prerequisite for intersubjectivity, we argue that in our typology intersubjective meanings of constructions may diachronically precede subjective ones.
Trait emotional intelligence and mental distress: The mediating role of positive and negative affect
Authors: Kong Feng , Zhao Jingjing , You Xuqun
Published: April 2012

Over the past decade, emotional intelligence (EI) has received much attention in the literature. Previous studies indicated that higher trait or ability EI was associated with greater mental distress. The present study focused on mediating effects of positive and negative affect on the association between trait EI and mental distress in a sample of Chinese adults. The participants were 726 Chinese adults (384 females) with an age range of 18–60 years. Data were collected by using the Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that EI was a significant predictor of positive affect, negative affect and mental distress. Further mediation analysis showed that positive and negative affect acted as partial mediators of the relationship between EI and mental distress. Furthermore, effect contrasts showed that there was no significant difference between the specific indirect effects through positive affect and through negative affect. This result indicated that positive affect and negative affect played an equally important function in the association between EI and distress. The significance and limitations of the results are discussed.
Impact of Minimum Dissolved Oxygen Concentration on Grow-Out Performance of Blue Catfish with Comparison to Channel Catfish
Authors: Torrans Les , Ott Brian , Bosworth Brian
Published: April 2012

Feed intake, the feed conversion ratio (FCR), and the production of blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus and channel catfish I. punctatus were examined in 1-acre ponds maintained at either a high or low minimum dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (mean values of 4.29 and 2.54 ppm [55% and 32% air saturation], respectively). Two additional studies were conducted examining only blue catfish in 0.25-acre ponds maintained at either a high (mean values of 4.43 and 4.46 ppm [56% and 55% air saturation] in the two studies) or low (mean values of 1.41 and 1.64 ppm [18% and 20% air saturation]) minimum DO concentration. Blue and channel catfish exhibited similar feed intake (13,432 versus 13,063 lb/acre), growth (1.40 versus 1.49 lb/fish), gross production (6,662 versus 6,663 lb/acre), and net production (5,935 versus 5,813 lb/acre) in the high-DO treatments in the 1-acre ponds. Within the low-DO treatment, feed intake was not significantly different (13,555 versus 12,398 lb/acre for blue and channel catfish, respectively), but both gross production (6,796 versus 5,810 lb/acre) and net production (6,069 versus 4,960 lb/acre) were significantly lower in the channel catfish ponds. The FCR was similar between species (2.25 versus 2.38) and was not affected by DO treatment. In the blue catfish studies in the 0.25-acre ponds, ponds in the high-DO treatments had significantly higher feed intake (+23.0% and +33.4% in 2006 and 2007, respectively) and net weight gain (+38.0% versus +42.3%) than those in the low-DO treatments; both gross production (16,898 versus 12,963 lb/acre) and net production (14,768 versus 10,855 lb/acre) were significantly higher in the high-DO treatment in 2006. Food conversion ratios averaged 1.86 in 2006 and 2007 and were similar in fish among DO treatments in both years. Data from these and other similar controlled studies indicate that most blue catfish production variables tend to be affected less by low DO concentrations than are channel catfish.
The Development/Peacebuilding Nexus: A Typology and History of Changing Paradigms
Authors: Uvin Peter
Published: April 2012

In the space of one decade, the nexus between development and peace has become a central focus of development thinking and practice. This article presents a typology and critical discussion of seven ways in which the development enterprise has conceived of its interactions with conflict and violence. These are: 1. Rhetorical repackaging: development by definition promotes peace; thus, no changes in development practice are required — only more of it; 2. Military conditionality: donors withdraw aid to punish recipients for their excessive military expenditure or military aggression. In its more positive version, security sector reform assists recipients with reform of their military, police, and judicial systems in ways that improve governance and decrease violence; 3. The post-conflict agenda: in countries coming out of war, aid agencies invest in new fields such as justice and reconciliation, demobilization and reintegration, and democratic policing; 4. The “Do No Harm” approach: minimise the negative impact of all humanitarian and development assistance under conditions of conflict; 5. The conflict prevention agenda: agencies undertake a range of early and preferably coherent and coordinated actions to prevent conflict from turning violent; 6. The concept of human security: “freedom from fear” and “freedom from want” are inseparable sides of the same coin; and, 7. The “ global system reform” movement: infuses concerns with development and conflict nexus in all North-South relations of trade, investment, and consumption.
Commitment and Contradiction: The Philippine Tuna Trade and the War on Terror
Authors: Garrido Marco Z.
Published: April 2012

The US-led war on terror has made global security the foremost international priority. The true measure of international commitment to this goal will be whether and how it extends to areas of national interest, particularly in the economic domain. The campaigns for and against the Andean Trade Preference Expansion Act both invoke commitments to security which, upon scrutiny, prove to be specious. Both the US and the Philippines argue variations of the popular contention that greater trade will lead to greater security. In reality, greater trade in the Philippine fisheries sector has contributed to both the food and livelihood insecurity of low-income Filipinos and small-scale fisherfolk. It would seem that policies justified in the name of security more truly serve elite national economic interests. Where elite national interest trumps international commitments, contradictions become apparent and undermine the moral claims of the war effort.
Identity and Exclusion in the Post–War Era: Zimbabwe's Women Former Freedom Fighters
Authors: Sadomba Frederick , Dzinesa Gwinyayi Albert
Published: April 2012

This study examines how demobilisation and reintegration processes affected the roles and status of women ex-combatants after the liberation war in Zimbabwe. The success of post-war demobilisation and reintegration depends on the formulation and implementation of programmes that recognise the contributions of women and treat them as a differentiated mass with specific aspirations. In disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) processes after most wars, the roles of women in the conflicts and their post-war needs are ignored or not adequately addressed. Their critical roles and contributions in the conflict and its resolution are rarely recognised. The vital contribution that women fighters made in Zimbabwe's liberation struggle between 1962 and 1979 has gone largely unsung. Through extensive interviews with female ex-combatants, this article argues that the absence of a gender-sensitive demobilisation and reintegration policy resulted in the marginalisation and exclusion of women ex-combatants in the military, social, political and professional spheres. What then, it asks, are the lessons that can be learnt from Zimbabwe's experience of demobilisation and reintegration?
Bridging the Panj: Forging a Peacebuilding Livelihoods Strategy on the Afghan-Tajik Border
Authors: Gerstle Daniel J.
Published: April 2012

This article explores strategies to address food security and livelihood threats faced by poor families in the Afghan-Tajik border region of Central Asia. Costly barriers include not only isolation and inadequate infrastructure, but also corrupt security agents, drug-related conflicts and regional rivalry. Development actors working towards improved economic circulation in the region to reduce hunger vulnerability find that success depends as much on confronting local-level security and empowerment issues as building bridges and brokering bilateral agreements.
The Nuts and Bolts of Post-Conflict Capacity Building: Practicable Lessons from East Timor
Authors: Huang Reyko , Harris Joseph
Published: April 2012

‘Capacity building’ has become a ubiquitous term in the international peacebuilding community. While the need for capacity building in post-conflict contexts is widely accepted, discussions rarely venture into what it is in practical and operational terms, and how it ought to be done. This article 1 examines a major capacity building project in East Timor, focusing on capacity building as it occurs day to day and on the ground. Following a brief overview of the concept of capacity building, it identifies a number of key challenges that arise in initiatives in which internationals work directly with local actors to build their capacity. It then offers a set of concrete proposals, targeted at capacity builders and their managing institutions, for improved practice.
Natural Resource Transformation: Incorporating Identity
Authors: Hallward Maia Carter
Published: April 2012

Natural resource issues provide a useful context for analysing and intervening in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because environmental destruction harms both Israelis and Palestinians given their close proximity in a small, ecologically fragile landscape. This article argues that because Israeli and Palestinian national narratives both assume a special relationship between their peoples and the land, a traditional natural resources management (NRM) approach treating land as a finite resource to be ‘managed’ or divided will not help to resolve the issue. Instead, politicians, scholars and practitioners should draw upon the principles of conflict transformation in designing intervention strategies and work to create a new ‘ecological’ narrative that weaves the long-term wellbeing of the two peoples together with the environment. Looking at the conflict over land in one location along the route of the separation barrier, the author applies a natural resource transformation framework in analysing the land conflict between Israeli authorities, the settlement of Zufin and the villagers of Jayyous.
Reflections on Peacebuilding and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework
Authors: Rose Tore
Published: April 2012

In each country where the United Nations agencies are present, the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) defines a strategy for assistance over five years that must be coherent internally as well as coherent with national strategies and the plans of other donors. Conflict prevention and peacebuilding have become more important to aid donors in recent years, and have entered the mainstream of development assistance; consequently the UNDAF needs to be rethought in its approach to conflict prevention and peacebuilding in contested, fragile, and post-conflict states. This is because, first, in such states political issues become particularly dominant in the UNDAF process, and second, legitimate national processes to promote reconciliation and to develop a vision for a better future cannot easily be time-constrained to fit into externally driven programming exercises. This article reviews the nature of the UNDAF, examines some illustrative experiences in Rwanda and Sri Lanka, and summarises key elements of effective conflict prevention and peacebuilding practice. It then identifies the main ‘process’ issues that need to be dealt with by international assistance actors wishing to support conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and suggests a realistic perspective on the UNDAF as a mechanism in this respect.
Water Scarcity in the Middle East: Balancing Conflict, Development, and Survival in Turkey, Syria and Iraq
Authors: Abdel-Samad Mounah , Khoury Amal
Published: April 2012

This article highlights the importance of water as a source of conflict in the Middle East and as an element of peacebuilding and development. It studies the internal and external factors that create and increase water scarcity – and thus the prospects for conflict – between Turkey, Syria and Iraq. The causes and impacts of water scarcity are examined and possible solutions are presented for reducing scarcity and achieving development and peace in these neighbouring countries.
Citizen Security – the Role of NGOs and Broader Civil Society in Ceasefire Monitoring: Lessons from Mindanao
Authors: Colletta Nat J.
Published: April 2012

This article examines the role of NGOs and broader civil society in laying the ground for sustainable peace and development by maintaining and promoting early security and stability through the monitoring of ceasefire agreements. Central activities include preventing protagonists from engaging in violence, monitoring the peace process, documenting violations and promoting dialogue. The article draws lessons from an analysis of the ‘Bantay Ceasefire’ (Ceasefire Watch), a closely networked grassroots movement of NGO and other civil society actors which was formed to establish community security through monitoring a ceasefire agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Mindanao, the second largest island of the Philippines. The article adds to the growing literature on the strategic role of NGOs and wider civil society in enabling citizen security as the missing link at the nexus of peace, security and development.
Linking Peace, Security and Developmental Regionalism: Regional Economic and Security Integration in Africa
Authors: Francis David J.
Published: April 2012

The multiplicity of wars and armed conflicts in Africa, coupled with diverse security threats and challenges, has refocused international policy and academic attention on the peace-securitydevelopment nexus. A particular area of concern is what role African regional economic and security organisations can play in conflict stabilisation, conflict management and winning the peace in transition societies in post-Cold War Africa. This article critically explores the nexus of peace, security and development within the framework of the resurgence of economic and security regionalisms with a particular focus on regionalist projects in Africa, including ECOWAS in West Africa, SADC in Southern Africa and IGAD in the Horn of Africa. It explores the role of viable, strong and modern states in driving and strengthening the nexus within the framework of economic and security regionalism in Africa.
Beyond Disaster: A Comparative Analysis of Tsunami Interventions in Sri Lanka and Indonesia/Aceh
Authors: Bauman Peter , Ayalew Mengistu , Paul Gazala
Published: April 2012

This article investigates the impact of the tsunami and the tsunami interventions on the protracted conflicts in Sri Lanka and Indonesia/Aceh. Several variables helped to advance peace in one country and drove the escalation of violence in the other. Natural catastrophe alone did not lead to the mitigation of conflict: where neither side perceived an option for military victory, the tsunami itself, coupled with international support and pressure, offered a way out. However, lessons repeatedly learned during humanitarian interventions were not applied. The tsunami interventions were marked by major shortcomings, among them the failure to reach thousands of people displaced by conflict, a lack of effective coordination, conflict insensitivity, low levels of beneficiary participation, and the undermining of local capacities.
Security Sector Reform and Peacebuilding in Nepal: A Critical Reflection
Authors: Dhungana Shiva K.
Published: April 2012

The Nepalese monarchy has always relied on the military to consolidate its power both against growing popular opposition and during violent uprisings. The issue of security sector reform and the role of the monarchy have therefore been at the core of the debate about conflict transformation and peacebuilding. This article attempts to critically analyse the political dynamics after the birth of Nepal's Maoist insurgency and its influence on the role of civil society and the parliamentary political parties in the popular struggle for democracy. It also examines how internal security in Nepal is threatened by the efforts of India, China and the United States to secure a role for the monarchy in a future political system.
Young Peacebuilders: Exploring Youth Engagement with Conflict and Social Change
Authors: Drummond-Mundal Lori , Cave Guy
Published: April 2012

Changes in the nature of war in the course of the last century are thrusting young people inevitably into more intimate relationships with conflict. This article builds on a critical approach to the issues of young people living in conflict zones which promotes their agency in conflict transformation and peacebuilding. ‘Participation’ is explored in the context of conflict transformation theory and is linked with child rights-based approaches to development. Examples of young people's contributions to peacebuilding in several parts of the world are shared demonstrating their political and social capacities. The article concludes that there is a need to understand how young people perceive conflict and what drives some to become involved in violent conflict when others choose non-violence. It is argued that it is necessary to seek non-violent ways for young people to impact conditions that lead to, and out of, conflict. This will require young people's empowerment. Development actors can look to models of conflict transformation and peacebuilding to better understand how to promote inclusion of young people in peace processes and their more constructive engagement with conflict.
Criminal Legacies of War Economies
Authors: Newman Edward , Keller Niklas
Published: April 2012

Many contemporary civil wars are characterised by a political economy of violence – a ‘war economy’ – whose actors are highly motivated by profit. Examining cases of Afghanistan and Bosnia-Herzegovina, this article draws attention to a different but related notion: criminal economic activities which characterise the political economy of violence during civil war develop a self-serving momentum and continue, after ‘resolution’ of the political conflict, to do great harm. The article explores the impact of illegal money-making – a legacy of the ‘war economy’ – on societies in post-conflict transition. It suggests that, in some conflict resolution efforts, the pressure to impose a ‘political’ resolution causes peacebuilders to neglect this legacy and so threatens the peacebuilding agenda.
The Future of Somalia's Legal System and its Contribution to Peace and Development
Authors: Maru Mehari Taddele
Published: April 2012

This article argues that the distressing situation in Somalia offers an opportunity to introduce new legal institutions with less colonial path-dependence and greater sensitivity to the security and development needs of Somalians. Peace and stability could be enhanced by allowing customary law and Islamic courts to operate within the framework of the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC). A civil law system with the judicial discretion and selection of a common law system would help to enhance economic development by attracting foreign direct investment. A single court system which unifies ordinary and Sharia courts would create a more enabling legal environment for law and order and economic development than the dual court system. Moreover, as international human rights law is mainly in the form of conventions and treaties in the style of civil law, promotion and protection of human rights may be better served predominantly through a civil law system in which a judge applies particular provisions of specific conventions and treaties. Such a system would also help to harmonise a legal system which is cobbled together from five different sources of law.
When Process Matters: The Potential Implications of Organisational Learning for Peacebuilding Success
Authors: Campbell Susanna P.
Published: April 2012

Despite considerable attention given to professionalising methods and analysing best practices, peacebuilding organisations (i.e. any organisation aiming to impact the causes of peace) continue to have difficulty understanding and demonstrating their collective and individual impact. This article argues that this is in part due to the barriers they encounter in organisational learning. To impact the causes of peace, peacebuilding organisations have to learn what works in each conflict context. To improve their chances at learning, peacebuilding organisations have to measure and understand their successes and failures. As a result, this article argues, peacebuilding organisations' learning processes have an important role in determining their capacity to identify and influence the causes of peace in countries emerging from violent conflict.
Same Car, Different Driver? The Impact of Peacebuilding Partnerships and the Chiefdom System in Sierra Leone
Authors: Labonte Melissa
Published: April 2012

Practitioners and scholars in the humanitarian internationale focus on partnership type as a hedge against many of the traditional challenges and undesirable outcomes associated with peacebuilding. ‘Active’ partnerships are strongly encouraged; ‘dependent’ partnerships are to be avoided. The West African nation of Sierra Leone and its government-sponsored Community-driven Development (CDD) programme are an ideal lens through which to examine whether and how conventional emphasis on partnership type affects peacebuilding outcomes. A political economy analysis of two empirical case studies of CDD from Sierra Leone's early peacebuilding phase reveals that partnership type is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition to accomplish peacebuilding goals. In both cases, CDD exacerbated social exclusion, especially among ex-combatants and war-affected youth, and failed to enhance meaningfully the skills, capacities and knowledge of local actors. Close attention should be paid to the potential positive and negative spillover effects generated by the intersection of peacebuilding, CDD and the chiefdom system.
Global Uneven Development, Primitive Accumulation and Political-Economic Conflict in Africa: The Return of the Theory of Imperialism
Authors: Bond Patrick
Published: April 2012

The world is witnessing a political-economic passage on a global scale: from economic stagnation, amplified uneven development and financial volatility to worsening primitive accumulation (‘looting’) and socio-economic conflict. Considering Africa's plight in this way suggests intellectual links between the political economy and security disciplines. Reforms proposed at the global level by elite bodies are apparently ineffectual and actions taken by elites in the name of conflict resolution often undermine peace because they reinforce the very dynamic of external looting. If these reforms continue to fail, it is to popular struggles that we should turn, especially in Africa where oppression is most extreme and global and local elites have the least credibility. For social movements, the objective of transforming power relations as the basis for ending conflict and underdevelopment requires engaging this new theoretical approach with the critique of capitalism. Conflict and peace theorists should also consider other innovations in political economy which address uneven and combined development, primitive accumulation and imperialism more broadly.
Experiences of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission in Sierra Leone and Burundi
Authors: Street Anne M. , Mollett Howard , Smith Jennifer
Published: April 2012

The creation of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission in 2005 was a landmark event for the UN as an institution. However, the true measure of success for any institution is not found in its lofty ideals, but in its ability to deliver a positive impact on people's lives. In mid-2007, ActionAid, CAFOD and CARE researched the Peacebuilding Commission's work in Sierra Leone and Burundi to try to capture local opinions and experiences of interacting with this nascent institution one year after its establishment. What they found was an institution whose impact was largely positive, but which faced important challenges and lessons to be learned. Now, one year on from that initial research, the Peacebuilding Commission has had time to overcome many of the initial teething problems common to new organisations and has become better placed to articulate its unique role in post-conflict contexts.