Third World Themes in the International Politics of the Ceaușescu Regime or the International Affirmation of the ‘Socialist Nation’

The present article aims to offer a synoptic picture of communist Romania’s relations with Third World countries during the Ceaușescu regime. Within these relations, economic and geopolitical motivations coexisted along with ideological ones, thus making the topic one of the most interesting and relevant key for understanding RSR’s complex and cunning international strategy. However, I intend to prove that mere pragmatism is not enough to comprehend the drive behind Ceaușescu’s diplomatic efforts in post-colonial Africa; ideological factors need also to be taken into account

Experimental and modeling study of collagen scaffolds with the effects of crosslinking and fiber alignment

Collagen type I scaffolds are commonly used due to its abundance, biocompatibility, and ubiquity. Most applications require the scaffolds to operate under mechanical stresses. Therefore understanding and being able to control the structural-functional integrity of collagen scaffolds becomes crucial. Using a combined experimental and modeling approach, we studied the structure and function of Type I collagen gel with the effects of spatial fiber alignment and crosslinking. Aligned collagen scaffolds were created through the flow of magnetic particles enmeshed in collagen fibrils to mimic the anisotropy seen in native tissue. Inter- and intra- molecular crosslinking was modified chemically with Genipin to further improve the stiffness of collagen scaffolds. The anisotropic mechanical properties of collagen scaffolds were characterized using a planar biaxial tensile tester and parallel plate rheometer. The tangent stiffness from biaxial tensile test is two to three orders of magnitude higher than the storage moduli from rheological measurements. The biphasic nature of collagen gel was discussed and used to explain the mechanical behavior of collagen scaffolds under different types of mechanical tests. An anisotropic hyperelastic constitutive model was used to capture the characteristics of the stress-strain behavior exhibited by collagen scaffolds

North Korea and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Lesson Learned and Opportunities From North Korea Involvement in NAM

Many experts still believe that engagement would be the answer towards the recent situation in Korean peninsula. Up to now, few contacts which have taken place can hardly be called as negotiations. Looking at the situation, a new player could be added into the negotiation process to solve North Korea's nuclear crisis. The new player should be free of interest, reliable, and has a strong connection with North Korea. It is already over 40 years since North Korea was accepted as full-fledged member and North Korea has gained immeasurably by joining Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Thus NAM is probably one of the most promising exit strategies for North Korea nuclear crisis, the engagement that could provide coalition for punishment tomorrow. The movement could be an opportunity for North Korean nuclear problem, since it has long history with North Korea, freer from superpower interest, and provide a lot of benefits to North Korean regime

A Guide to Critical Legal Studies

Review of: A Guide to Critical Legal Studies. By Mark Kelman. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England, 1987