Kenya and the Global War on Terror:Neglecting History and Geopolitics in Approaches to Counterterrorism

This article explores the relationship between Kenya and the Global War on Terror (GWOT) insofar as it relates to national politics, regional security, and the international community. The author first examines the historical context of Kenya’s relationship with terrorism on a domestic level, then offers a profile for past and future perpetrators, and lastly explains the reasons that Kenya is a common and attractive target to terrorists. Specifically analyzing criminological and root cause theories while taking into account inherent policy flaws, the author seeks to offer insight into the importance of Kenya’s anti-terrorism strategy in maintaining global security

United States Aid to Kenya: A Study on Regional Security and Counterterrorism Assistance Before and After 9/11

Following 9/11 and the beginning of the global War on Terror, it became obvious that the United States needed an ally in East Africa. Kenya, a country that has remained relatively stable while surrounded by regional insecurities, was chosen by the U.S. as an African ally to which large sums of aid and resources would be sent. United States assistance to Kenya is largely given for developmental and humanitarian purposes but millions of dollars each year are directed specifically towards regional security and anti-terrorism. This observational paper highlights the differences in U.S. aid to Kenya before and after 2001. Using analyses of secondary resources, this article offers details of the economic measures, training initiatives, and legislative steps taken by the United States government, as well as subsequent Kenyan criticisms, to form the present-day relationship that ensures America’s hegemonic presence in East Africa. Kenya itself has been the victim of two large-scale terrorist incidents: the first in 1998 and the second in 2002. It is important to note that the 2002 Kikambala hotel attack, while severe in nature, targeted Israel and is not directly relevant to this article. In addition, the effects of the attack on U.S. counterterrorism policy are largely unknown and therefore, excluded from consideration in this article

Collisional and thermal dissociation of J/ψJ/\psi and Υ\Upsilon states at the LHC

We present new results for the suppression of high transverse momentum charmonium [$J/\psi, \psi(2S)$] and bottomonium [$\Upsilon(1S),\Upsilon(2S),\Upsilon(3S)$] states in Pb+Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. Our theoretical formalism combines the collisional dissociation of quarkonia, as they propagate in the quark-gluon plasma, with the thermal wavefunction effects due to the screening of the $Q\bar{Q}$ attractive potential in the medium. We find that a good description of the relative suppression of the ground and higher excited quarkonium states, transverse momentum and centrality distributions is achieved, when comparison to measurements at a center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV is performed. Theoretical predictions for the highest Pb+Pb center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV at the LHC, where new experimental results are being finalized, are also presented.Comment: 8 pages, 8 eps figures; 2 figures and references added, introduction restructured; version to appear in PL

Brown\u27s In Town : March & Two Step

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-ps/1779/thumbnail.jp

Biophysical methods bridging signal pathway architecture and dynamics in multigenerational bacterial processes

Cells sense their environment and process changes through intracellular signaling networks to coordinate behavioral changes, such as cell fate decisions. In bacterial systems, these changes often occur over time periods longer than a single cell cycle. While we are now able to experimentally track and monitor these behavioral changes over multiple generations, we have a limited conceptual understanding of how these decisions are mediated by signaling pathways. Here, I present two projects that build predictive frameworks for understanding signaling pathway dynamics over multiple generations informed by the signal network architectures. In the first section, I use computational simulations to understand how signaling pathway architecture controls the duration over which related cells maintain similar concentrations of signaling pathway components following division from a common mother cell. I find that signal amplification is a requirement for similarity between related cells. In the second section, I take a joint theory-experiment approach to analyze the accumulation timescale of the signaling molecule cyclic di-GMP during biofilm initiation in the soil bacterium B. subtilis. Here I predict that the accumulation occurs over many generations, suggesting the possibility cyclic di-GMP is used as a cellular timer mechanism during biofilm initiation. These results both explain previous experimental findings as well as generate new predictions for how signaling pathways mediate single-cell behaviors in bacterial populations. Together, my work demonstrates the power of a joint theory-experiment approach to understand the long-term, dynamical behavior of intracellular signaling pathways by linking their architecture to their dynamical function

Communicating new knowledge on previously reported genetic variants

Genetic tests often identify variants whose significance cannot be determined at the time they are reported. In many situations, it is critical that clinicians be informed when new information emerges on these variants. It is already extremely challenging for laboratories to provide these updates. These challenges will grow rapidly as an increasing number of clinical genetic tests are ordered and as the amount of patient DNA assayed per test expands; the challenges will need to be addressed before whole-genome sequencing is used on a widespread basis. Information technology infrastructure can be useful in this context. We have deployed an infrastructure enabling clinicians to receive knowledge updates when a laboratory changes the classification of a variant. We have gathered statistics from this deployment regarding the frequency of both variant classification changes and the effects of these classification changes on patients. We report on the system's functionality as well as the statistics derived from its use. Genet Med 2012:14(8):713–71

Correlated double-electron additions at the edge of a two-dimensional electronic system

We create laterally large and low disorder quantum well based quantum dots to study single electron additions to two dimensional electron systems (2DES). Electrons tunnel into these dots across an AlGaAs tunnel barrier from a single $n+$ electrode. Using single-electron capacitance spectroscopy in a dilution refrigerator, we identify capacitance peaks for the addition of the first electron to a dot and record subsequent peaks in the addition spectrum up to occupancies of thousands of electrons. Here, we report two remarkable phenomena that occur in the filling factor range $\nu=2$ to $\nu=5$ while selectively probing electron additions to the edge states of the dot: (1) Coulomb blockade peaks arise from the entrance of two electrons rather than one; (2) at and near filling factor 5/2 and at fixed gate voltage, these double-height peaks appear uniformly with a periodicity of $h/2e$. At other filling factors in the range $\nu=2$ to $\nu=5$, the mean periodicity for the twice-height electron peaks remains $h/2e$, but the twice-height peaks are instead further bunched into pairs of double-height peaks, with pairs spaced $h/e$ apart. The unusual two-electron Coulomb blockade peaks suggest a novel pair tunneling effect that involves electron correlations that arise in the quantum dot, with spectra at $\nu=5/2$ identical to those previously only seen in superconducting dots.Comment: Added discussion to "bunching phenomena" section in supplemen

Restoring natural capital: without reserves, no goods and no services

Una de las ideas más innovadoras y atractivas que se están acuñando en la actualidad está relacionada con la necesidad que tiene la humanidad de preservar y manejar los recursos naturales - o capital natural - remanente e invertir en la restauración del capital natural (RCN) degradado para reincorporarlo a la cadena de bienes y servicios que la sociedad requiere. En este artículo, presentamos definiciones y conceptos básicos, para mostrar como la RCN es un enfoque más amplio en relación al propuesto en la restauración ecológica de ecosistemas naturales. Damos a conocer estudios de caso, como ejemplos del enfoque de la RCN, y su impacto sobre el suministro de bienes y servicios en Argentina, Colombia, México y Chile. Terminamos con una breve discusión y algunas recomendaciones para la investigación y el desarrollo de la RCN a nivel local, regional y global.One of the most innovative and attractive ideas to emerge in recent years is the call for humanity to preserve and manage what remains of our natural resources, or natural capital, and to invest in the restoration of degraded natural capital (RNC), in order to replenish the reserves which assure the flows of natural goods and services that society requires. In this paper, we present definitions and basic concepts to show that RNC is a broader approach than that of the ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems. We present case studies from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Chile explaining in each case the RNC approach and the impact on ecosystem services. We conclude with a brief discussion and some recommendations for research and development of RNC at local, regional and global scales

Panoramic optical and near-infrared SETI instrument: prototype design and testing

The Pulsed All-sky Near-infrared Optical Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (PANOSETI) is an instrument program that aims to search for fast transient signals (nano-second to seconds) of artificial or astrophysical origin. The PANOSETI instrument objective is to sample the entire observable sky during all observable time at optical and near-infrared wavelengths over 300 - 1650 nm$^1$. The PANOSETI instrument is designed with a number of modular telescope units using Fresnel lenses ($\sim$0.5m) arranged on two geodesic domes in order to maximize sky coverage$^2$. We present the prototype design and tests of these modular Fresnel telescope units. This consists of the design of mechanical components such as the lens mounting and module frame. One of the most important goals of the modules is to maintain the characteristics of the Fresnel lens under a variety of operating conditions. We discuss how we account for a range of operating temperatures, humidity, and module orientations in our design in order to minimize undesirable changes to our focal length or angular resolution.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

Band structure engineering using a moir\'e polar substrate

Applying long wavelength periodic potentials on quantum materials has recently been demonstrated to be a promising pathway for engineering novel quantum phases of matter. Here, we utilize twisted bilayer boron nitride (BN) as a moir\'e substrate for band structure engineering. Small-angle-twisted bilayer BN is endowed with periodically arranged up and down polar domains, which imprints a periodic electrostatic potential on a target two-dimensional (2D) material placed on top. As a proof of concept, we use Bernal bilayer graphene as the target material. The resulting modulation of the band structure appears as superlattice resistance peaks, tunable by varying the twist angle, and Hofstadter butterfly physics under a magnetic field. Additionally, we demonstrate the tunability of the moir\'e potential by altering the dielectric thickness underneath the twisted BN. Finally, we find that near-60{\deg}-twisted bilayer BN provides a unique platform for studying the moir\'e structural effect without the contribution from electrostatic moir\'e potentials. Tunable moir\'e polar substrates may serve as versatile platforms to engineer the electronic, optical, and mechanical properties of 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure