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The meaning of norms is empirically contested. Supposing an inherent instability of norm meaning, contestation, therefore, represents a fundamental conceptual challenge to the mainstream view on norms as shared understandings. By offering a grammatical reading of Antje Wiener’s approach to contestation, we examine how norm research addresses this challenge to its theoretical core assumption. We argue that the grammar of Wiener’s approach, despite its reflexive starting point, ultimately reintroduces an understanding of norms as facts and leads to a normative ‘politics of reality’. This effectively turns contestation into a disruption of the ‘normal’ state of norms. Demonstrating the challenges of theorising norms with rather than against contestation, the article concludes that norm research has yet to find ways to account for contestation ‘all the way down’ in order to sustain norms as a productive analytical concept in IR.

Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is the leading experiment on the path of demonstrating that stellarators are a feasible concept for a future power plant. One of its major goals is to prove quasi-steady-state operation in a reactor-relevant parameter regime. The surveillance and protection of the water-cooled plasma-facing components (PFCs) against overheating is fundamental to guarantee a safe steady-state high-heat-flux operation. The system has to detect thermal events in real-time and timely interrupt operation if it detects a critical event. The fast reaction times required to prevent damage to the device make it imperative to automate fully the image analysis algorithms. During the past operational phases, W7-X was equipped with inertially cooled test divertor units and the system still required manual supervision. With the experience gained, we have designed a new real-time PFC protection system based on image processing techniques. It uses a precise registration of the entire field of view against the CAD model to determine the temperature limits and thermal properties of the different PFCs. Instead of reacting when the temperature limits are breached in certain regions of interest, the system predicts when an overload will occur based on a heat flux estimation, triggering the interlock system in advance to compensate for the system delay. To conclude, we present our research roadmap towards a feedback control system of thermal loads to prevent unnecessary plasma interruptions in long high-performance plasmas.

Der Beitrag untersucht, wie die Syrien-Vetos im Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen seit 2011 gerechtfertigt und kritisiert wurden. Er argumentiert, dass Ähnlichkeiten in den Argumentationen von Unterstützer_innen und Gegner_innen der Vetos auf eine Pluralität normativer Ordnungen im Rat verweisen. Der Beitrag zeigt auf, dass Vetos im Sicherheitsrat nicht nur Ausdruck klassischer Großmachtpolitik sind, sondern auch auf die normativen Fundamente des Rats verweisen. Mittels der Praxistheorie von Luc Boltanski analysiert der Beitrag die Ratsdebatten zu den SyrienVetos und identifiziert drei unterschiedliche normative Wertmaßstäbe, die auf mögliche normative Ordnungen verweisen. Es zeigt sich jedoch, dass weniger die inhaltliche Substanz der entsprechenden Rechtfertigungsordnungen, sondern vielmehr die Koordination ihrer Pluralität von konstitutiver Bedeutung für den Sicherheitsrat ist. Gerade weil normative Ordnungen umstritten und instrumentalisierbar sind, können sie diese Koordinationsfunktion entfalten.

Late Holocene vegetation, climate and fire dynamics of mountain forest and paramo ecosystems, as well as human impact, are presented from the upper Rio San Francisco valley, southeastern Ecuadorian Andes. Palaeoenvironmental changes, inferred from three soil monoliths, spanning an altitudinal gradient between 1,990 and 3,200 m and the high resolution multi-proxy sediment record from Laguna Zurita (2,590 m), were investigated by pollen, spore and charcoal analyses, in combination with XRF- and magnetic susceptibility-scanning. Three of the four pollen records show a marked change in the floristic composition between ca. 900 and 350 cal B.P. (interpolated age). Past fires have strongly influenced the floristic composition of the mountain rainforest ecosystem. Frequent fires, together with the relatively high occurrence of grasses and some Zea mays plantations document past human activities in the upper Rio San Francisco valley. A large number of areas of probably ancient Z. mays cultivation in the upper Rio San Francisco valley has been identified, using GIS-based calculation. High occurrences of Cyperaceae and Isoetes indicate the development of marshy lake shores in response to a lower lake level at Laguna Zurita before ca. 700 cal B.P. The decrease of Isoetes and Cyperaceae after ca. 1200 cal B.P. reflects a lake level rise, due to increasing moisture and/or human activities.

Der Beitrag untersucht, wie die Syrien-Vetos im Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen seit 2011 gerechtfertigt und kritisiert wurden. Er argumentiert, dass Ähnlichkeiten in den Argumentationen von Unterstützer_innen und Gegnerinnen der Vetos auf eine Pluralität normativer Ordnungen im Rat verweisen. Der Beitrag zeigt auf, dass Vetos im Sicherheitsrat nicht nur Ausdruck klassischer Großmachtpolitik sind, sondern auch auf die normativen Fundamente des Rats verweisen. Mittels der Praxistheorie von Luc Boltanski analysiert der Beitrag die Ratsdebatten zu den SyrienVetos und identifiziert drei unterschiedliche normative Wertmaßstäbe, die auf mögliche normative Ordnungen verweisen. Es zeigt sich jedoch, dass weniger die inhaltliche Substanz der entsprechenden Rechtfertigungsordnungen, sondern vielmehr die Koordination ihrer Pluralität von konstitutiver Bedeutung für den Sicherheitsrat ist. Gerade weil normative Ordnungen umstritten und instrumentalisierbar sind, können sie diese Koordinationsfunktion entfalten The article analyses how the vetoes on Syria have been justified and criticized in the UN Security Council since 2011. It argues that identifiable commonalities in argumentations by supporters and opponents of the vetoes reveal a plurality of normative orders apparent in the Security Council. The article changes an understanding of the veto as representing traditional great power politics by emphasizing its importance for the Council’s normative foundation. Using Luc Boltanski’s practice theory, an analysis of the records of the Council’s meetings facing the Syria vetoes identifies three different principles of normative worth that point to possible normative orders. As the analysis demonstrates, the coordination of the plurality of these orders, rather than their substance is important for the constitution of the Council. Precisely because normative orders are contested and subject of instrumentalisation, they have the ability to unfold this ordering capacity.

Palaeoenvironmental changes, inferred from a 492 cm long lake sediment core from Laguna Rabadilla de Vaca (3312 m) in Podocarpus National Park, southeastern Ecuadorian Andes, were investigated using multiple proxies. Pollen, spore and charcoal analyses, as well as x-ray fluorescence and magnetic susceptibility scanning reflect the last c. 11 700 cal. yr BP of climate and vegetation history. Pollen data indicate that the herb-paramo was the main vegetation type at Laguna Rabadilla de Vaca during the early-Holocene period, before c. 8990 cal. yr BP. The herb-paramo was rich in Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Valeriana and Huperzia, reflecting cold and relatively wet climatic conditions. During the middle Holocene from c. 8990 to 3680 cal. yr BP Weinmannia increases markedly, indicating warmer climatic conditions than present-day, probably related to the Holocene thermal optimum, because of a spread of shrub-paramo vegetation and/or a shift of mountain rainforest and sub-paramo vegetation zones to higher elevations. XRF data indicate a drier period from c. 8990 to 6380 cal. yr BP and a wetter period from c. 6380 to 3680 cal. yr BP. A Poaceae-dominated herb-paramo occurred from c. 3680 cal. yr BP until modern times, reflecting cooler climatic conditions relative to the middle Holocene. XRF and charcoal data indicate a decrease in precipitation during this period.

In order to study the stability and dynamics of highly biodiverse mountain rain forest and paramo ecosystems, the late Pleistocene and Holocene climate and fire variability, as well as human impact in the Podocarpus National Park region, the first comprehensive. palaeoenvironmental study from the southeastern Ecuadorian Andes is presented An initial study of recent vegetation/modern pollen rain relationship on an altitudinal transects between 1800 and 3200 m elevation in the mountain forest and (sub)-paramo vegetation of the ECSF (Estacion Cientifica San Francisco) research area provide important background information in the interpretation of late Quaternary pollen records. Cluster analysis on the pollen rain data, provided by CONISS, clearly reflects the zonation of the different vegetation units, lower mountain forest (LMF), upper mountain forest (UMF) and (sub)-paramo. A relatively high number of pollen taxa correspond to the altitudinal distribution of genera and families of modern vegetation. The modern tree line in the research aren is at ca. 2790 m, which is pointed out by an increase of (sub)-paramo taxa and a decrease of mountain forest taxa in the pollen rain data. Palaeoenvironmental changes, inferred from 9 lake, peat bog and soil deposits, collected at different elevations hetween ca. 2000 and 3300 m, were investigated by pollen, spores and charcoal analysis, in combination with XRF data and magnetic susceptibility scanning on the lake sediment cores During the late Pleistocene from ca. 21,000 to 11,200 cal yr BP, grass-paramo vegetation occurred at the El Tiro-Pass (2810 m), reflecting cold and moist climatic conditions, as well as a shift of vegetation zones into lower elevation during this period. During the transition from late Pleistocene to early Holocene from ca. 14,500 to 9700 cal yr BP, arboreal taxa, mainly Weinmannia strongly increased at Laguna Cocha Caranga (2710 m), reflecting a raise in temperature. The early Holocene from ca. 11,200 to 8900 cal yr BP (El Tiro-Pass) is characterised by an increase of temperature and moisture, as well as a shift of vegetation zones into higher elevation. During the mid Holocene period, from ca. 8900 to 3300 cal yr BP, upper mountain forest vegetation developed at the El Tiro-Pass, where sub paramo vegetation occurred in recent times, suggesting a warmer climate than present day at this elevation. XRF-scanning data from Laguna Rabadilla de Vaca (3310 m) reflects a drier period from ca. 8990 to 6380 cal yr BP and a wetter period from ca. 6380 to 3680 cal yr BP. The green algae Botryococcus braumii, Isoetes and Cyperaceae were used to reconstruct Holocene wet/dry phases at Laguna Cocha Caranga. Drier climatic conditions occurred from ca. 9700 to 6900 cal yr BP and from ca. 4200 to 1300 cal yr BP. From ca. 6900 to 4200 cal yr BP and from ca. 1300 cal yr BP to modern times wetter climatic conditions occurred. During the late Holocene, modern climatic conditions, as well as recent vegetation established since ca. 3680 cal yr BP at Laguna Rabadilla de Vaca and since ca. 3300 cal yr BP at the El Tiro-Pass. An increase of fire intensity during the early to mid Holocene period after ca. 9700 cal yr BP at Laguna Cocha Caranga and after about 7500 cal yr BP at the El Tiro-Pass reflects the beginning of human impact on the ecosystem in the Podocarpus National Park region. High values of grasses documents that past fires have markedly influenced the floristic composition of the mountain rain forest and paramo ecosystems during the mid to late Holocene period. The reduction of fire intensity coupled with a decrease of grasses after ca. 1300 cal yr BP (Laguna Cocha Caranga) and between ca. 970 to 400 cal yr BP (Upper Rio San Francisco valley), coupled with a missing of Zea murys pollen, suggests a reduction and/or absence of human activities, may be as a result of political unrest. After the reduction and/or absence of human influence the mountain forest vegetation starts to recover.

This paper analyzes how formative events have influenced the change of the role conception and the behavior of the UN Security Council (SC) with regard to human rights protection since the beginning of the 1990s. Although being shaped by heterogeneous membership and partial power interests, the SC is under pressure to develop consistent strategies in dealing with crises. In this regard we identify three different strategies -- trivialization, justification and rectification -- which are used by the SC to reduce existing incongruities between its role conception and a perceived crisis. The choice of particular strategies is thereby determined by experiences from the respective former crisis. This leads to an oscillation between pro-active, even military action and evasive behavior. The emergence of a human rights protection norm, thus, can be best understood as a path-dependent, non-linear process. Adapted from the source document.

Modelling the scrape-off layer of a stellarator is challenging due to the complex magnetic 3D geometry. The here presented study analyses simulations of the scrape-off layer (SOL) of the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) using the EMC3-EIRENE code for the magnetic standard configuration. Comparing with experimental observations, the transport model is validated. Based on the experimentally observed strike line width, the anomalous transport coefficients, used as input to the code are determined to around \\(0.2\\,\\)m\\(^2/\\)s. This is however in disagreement with upstream measurements, where such small cross-field transport leads to temperatures higher than measured experimentally.

Modelling the scrape-off layer of a stellarator is challenging due to the complex magnetic 3D geometry. The here presented study analyses simulations of the scrape-off layer (SOL) of the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) using spatially varying diffusion coefficients for the magnetic standard configuration, extending our previous study. Comparing the EMC3-Eirene simulations with experimental observations, an inconsistency between the strike-line width (SLW) and the upstream parameters was observed. While to match the experimental SLW a particle diffusion coefficient \\(D \\approx 0.2\\) is needed, \\(D \\approx 1\\) is needed to get experimental separatrix temperatures of 50\\,eV at the given experimental heating power. We asses the impact of physically motivated spatially varying transport coeffients. Agreement with experimental data can be improved, but various differences remain. We show that drifts are expected to help overcome the discrepancies and, thus, the development of SOL transport models including drifts is a necessary next step to study the SOL transport of the W7-X stellarator.