Necropolitics vs. immigration : (in)justice at the border

Using concepts and theories proposed by Achile Mbembe, Sayak Valencia, and John D. Marquez, I explore two different cases in which undocumented immigrants have died at the hands of legitimate and illegitimate necropower. I explore Mbembe’s concept of legitimate necropower and apply it to the death of Chuy, an undocumented immigrant who died in a detention center in Eloy, Arizona in 2015. For this, I visit the podcast “What Happened to Jose de Jesus,” presented by Daniel Alarcon. I then explore Valencia’s concept of illegitimate necropower and apply it to the deaths of a group of undocumented immigrants in the movie Desierto (2015). I examine particular movie components, scenes, and observations and explain how, even though it’s a fictitious story, real life elements can be found. Upon establishing how legitimate and illegitimate necropower work, I use the work of Marquez to tie them together and show how the end goal of necropower, whether it’s legitimate or illegitimate, is to protect and maintain the sovereignty of the United States. Finally, to show some of the societal responses and consequences of American necropower, I explore the work and help that has been offered by activist individuals and groups such as Ricardo Dominguez with the Transborder Immigrant Tool and Enrique Morones with the Border Angels.Spanish and Portugues

The Binational English & Spanish Telecommunications Network

BESTNET was established in the early 1980\u27s, as an effort to link universities on both sides of the U.S.- Mexico border through microwave, satellite and cable television technologies. In the late 1980\u27s BESTNET focused primarily on the development of asynchronous computer mediated learning and teaching in an internationally networked virtual environment. For the past six years (1990\u27s) BESTNET has strengthened its binational ties and continued its high tech focus through the development of active or vibrant model technology which is assisting in the creation of an on-line binational university setting that is borderless (albeit, seamless to the user). Today, this type of design and linkage for curriculum, learning, teaching, research and performing collaborative scholarly work is called a global virtual university . The design center for BESTNET is the vibrant global model based on METIS software. While the binational (U.S.-Mexico) design of BESTNET continues to flourish, new technologies are being continually assimilated into this highly adaptive project. Specifically, as we are able to combine the interests of a multitude of globally located campuses. We are also working towards a virtual project for higher education. Our operating, developmental premise has always been to redefine faculty, staff and student roles towards this purpose. BESTNET was created with the assistance of the founder of ARPANET a direct precursor to the Internet (even before the Internet was popularized) as a scholar\u27s collaborative network, with the explicit charge of exploring alternative approaches to the structures, substance, and processes which have traditionally defined the scholarly work of institutions of higher education. We have continually demonstrated courage in tackling difficult, but essential, issues of technological renewal. We are committed to developing educational programs which are especially responsive to both regional and global needs, student-centered, interdisciplinary in scope, and technologically innovative in nature. The tremendous success of the BESTNET paradigm is that we are not only renewing, we are also brandnewing an ambitious global and virtual educational model that will yield improved educational outcomes (in both low- and high-tech) settings, within the financial resources of most academic institutions. We have especially developed positive outcomes in Africa, Latin America, the United States and Europe. Because we barter and share collectively our on line resources, we avoid the exchange of funds, academic credits and the multitude of bureaucracies that are associated with traditional institutional exchanges. In short, we create a virtual learning environment for the world evolving student to experience like never before. While other projects are undergoing transformation from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, BESTNET is successfully aligning to the global needs of the Cyber-Age, by design

Role of the central cations in the mechanical unfolding of DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes.

Cations are known to mediate diverse interactions in nucleic acids duplexes but they are critical in the arrangement of four-stranded structures. Here, we use all-atom molecular dynamics simulations with explicit solvent to analyse the mechanical unfolding of representative intramolecular G-quadruplex structures: a parallel, a hybrid and an antiparallel DNA and a parallel RNA, in the presence of stabilising cations. We confirm the stability of these conformations in the presence of [Formula: see text] central ions and observe distortions from the tetrad topology in their absence. Force-induced unfolding dynamics is then investigated. We show that the unfolding events in the force-extension curves are concomitant to the loss of coordination between the central ions and the guanines of the G-quadruplex. We found lower ruptures forces for the parallel configuration with respect to the antiparallel one, while the behaviour of the force pattern of the parallel RNA appears similar to the parallel DNA. We anticipate that our results will be essential to interpret the fine structure rupture profiles in stretching assays at high resolution and will shed light on the mechanochemical activity of G-quadruplex-binding machinery

Creating A New University Through Object Oriented Enterprise Modeling: A Study of Communications Knowledge Management & Distributed Cognition

Enterprise based object oriented (OO) and Unified Modeling Language (UML) modeling makes it possible to build the needed visual environments to organize people, technologies and activities (Arias, 1999d). In our modeling approach, the focus is on things and relationships between things described in commonly used terms. The modeling software bridges the so-called semantic gap between the people and the computer language (Booch, Rumbaugh & Jacobson, 1999). An object can be a product, a process, a person, a team, a company, an application or the inter-relationship between other objects. Objects can be pictured on the screen as maps formed by personalized “icons” with their relationships. Once a “map” of objects has been produced, users can navigate and visualize very complex relationships. Objects can hold data, such as cost, schedule data, weight and other relevant information (Zack & Serino, 1996). Another important property of an Object is its ability to perform work scripted in “methods.” Thus an Object can be given the capability to perform functions, such as performing computations, gathering data from other computers, showing video of servicing a part or accessing a 3D-CAD drawing for viewing. This “active model” is much more than a map for navigation in an abstract process model (Arias, 1999a). It becomes the actual work environment for individuals and teams. It creates an occasioned environment for learning, assessing issues and impacts, communication, configuration management and control and more. In short, it is the user interface or “ control center” from where to manage the organization (whether it be an institution of higher education or a corporation). UML technology allows us to model a complex enterprise, while OO technology builds on the former and generates complex applications. The point at which these two technologies meet becomes the intersection that enables planners and stakeholders to develop a new paradigm for looking not only at their organization, but also at precisely what their contributions are to the overall enterprise (Arias, 1998). In this paper we will present the use and design of object oriented enterprise computer models (OO) for the purposes of creating and/or transforming organizations. We will also provide proof of concept on how OO contributes to the reshaping of relationships among people and their organizations and, also, how OO can transform the processes of discovery, learning, research and communication through emerging forms of distributed cognition (Arias & Bellman, 1995)

The toad fly Lucilia bufonivora: its evolutionary status and molecular identification

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordThe blow fly genus Lucilia is composed largely of saprophages and facultative myasis agents, including the economically important species Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen). Only one species is generally recognized as an obligate agent of myiasis, Lucilia bufonivora Moniez, and this is an obligate parasite of toads. Lucilia silvarum (Meigen), a sister species, behaves mainly as a carrion breeder; however, it has also been reported as a facultative parasite of amphibians. Morphologically, these species are almost identical, and historically this has led to misidentification, taxonomic ambiguity and a paucity of studies of L. bufonivora. In this study, dipterous larvae were analysed from toad myiasis cases from the U.K., The Netherlands and Switzerland, together with adult specimens of fly species implicated in amphibian parasitism: L. bufonivora, L. silvarum and Lucilia elongata Shannon (from North America). Partial sequences of two genes, cox1 and ef1α, were amplified. Seven additional blow fly species were analysed as outgroups. Bayesian inference trees of cox1, ef1α and a combined-gene dataset were constructed. All larvae isolated from toads were identified as L. bufonivora and no specimens of L. silvarum were implicated in amphibian myiasis. This study confirms L. silvarum and L. bufonivora as distinct sister species and provides unambiguous molecular identification of L. bufonivora.The award of a PhD studentship to G.A.‐R. from the CONACYT (Mexico) is gratefully acknowledged

Ferromagnetic resonance in periodic particle arrays

We report measurements of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectra of arrays of submicron size periodic particle arrays of permalloy produced by electron-beam lithography. In contrast to plane ferromagnetic films, the spectra of the arrays show a number of additional resonance peaks, whose position depends strongly on the orientation of the external magnetic field and the interparticle interaction. Time-dependent micromagnetic simulation of the ac response show that these peaks are associated with coupled exchange and dipolar spin wave modesComment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Ecological and geographical speciation in Lucilia bufonivora: The evolution of amphibian obligate parasitism

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this record. Lucilia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a genus of blowflies comprised largely of saprophagous and facultative parasites of livestock. Lucilia bufonivora, however, exhibits a unique form of obligate parasitism of amphibians, typically affecting wild hosts. The evolutionary route by which amphibian myiasis arose, however, is not well understood due to the low phylogenetic resolution in existing nuclear DNA phylogenies. Furthermore, the timing of when specificity for amphibian hosts arose in L. bufonivora is also unknown. In addition, this species was recently reported for the first time in North America (Canada) and, to date, no molecular studies have analysed the evolutionary relationships between individuals from Eastern and Western hemispheres. To provide broader insights into the evolution of the amphibian parasitic life history trait and to estimate when the trait first arose, a time-scaled phylogeny was inferred from a concatenated data set comprising mtDNA, nDNA and non-coding rDNA (COX1, per and ITS2 respectively). Specimens from Canada, the UK, Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany were analysed, as well as individuals from its sister taxa, the saprophage Lucilia silvarum and a Nearctic species also implicated in amphibian myiasis, Lucilia elongata. Obligate amphibian parasitism appears to have arisen ~4 mya, likely as a result of niche displacement of a saprophagous/facultative parasite ancestor. Consistent paraphyly of L. bufonivora with respect to L. elongata across single-gene phylogenies and high mtDNA genetic distances between Nearctic and Palearctic individuals suggest on-going cryptic speciation facilitated by geographical isolation. These findings suggest that recent reports of L. bufonivora in the Nearctic do not constitute a recent introduction, but instead suggest that it remained unrecorded due to taxonomic confusion and low abundance. This is the first study to confirm the involvement of L. bufonivora in amphibian myiasis in Canada using DNA-based identification methods.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, MexicoPolish National Science Centr

Scoring system to facilitate diagnosis of Gaucher disease

Background: Gaucher disease (GD) manifests heterogeneously and other conditions are often misdiagnosed in its place, leading to diagnostic delays. The Gaucher Earlier Diagnosis Consensus (GED‐C) initiative proposed a point‐scoring system (PSS) based on the signs and covariables that are most indicative of GD to help clinicians identify which individuals to test for GD. Aims: To validate the PSS retrospectively in a test population including patients with GD and other conditions with overlapping manifestations. Methods: Four cohorts of adults with GD, liver disease (LD), haematological malignancy (HM) or immune thrombocytopenia were identified from hospital records. Clinical data were audited for GED‐C factors identified as potentially indicative of GD and aggregate scores calculated (sum of scores/number of factors) based on published PSS weightings. Threshold discriminatory PSS scores, sensitivity and specificity were determined by receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: Among 100 patients (GD, n = 25; non‐GD, n = 75), analyses based on 11 possible factors estimated group mean (standard deviation) PSS scores of: GD (n = 14), 1.08 (0.25); non‐GD (n = 38), 0.58 (0.31). Mean between‐group difference (95% confidence interval (CI)) was (−0.49 (−0.68, −0.31)) and area under the ROC analysis curve (95% CI) was 0.88 (0.78, 0.97). A threshold PSS score of 0.82 identified all 14 patients with GD in the analysis set (100% sensitivity) and 27 of 38 patients in the non‐GD group (71% specificity). Patients with LD and HM were most likely to have manifestations overlapping GD. Conclusions: Preliminary validation of the GED‐C PSS discriminated effectively between patients with GD and those with overlapping signs