The likelihood of local allies free-riding: Testing economic theories of alliances in US counterinsurgency interventions

In counterinsurgency interventions, free-riding by small, local allies is persistent. Yet, the literature on free-riding by small allies is largely limited to conventional multilateral partnerships, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, neglecting other types of asymmetric alliances. Using new data containing 144 US requests to local allies in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, this article tests the logic of economic theories of alliances in counterinsurgency interventions. I find even when small allies are explicitly asked to contribute to alliance-wide security goods, they are likely to free-ride almost half the time (45%), and the likelihood of free-riding is dependent on whether local allies can be excluded by larger allies. This conclusion upholds the logic of economic models, since shared defense goods that exclude local allies fail to meet the criteria of public goods

Tissue-specific Expression of Distinct Spectrin and Ankyrin Transcripts in Erythroid and Nonerythroid Cells

cDNA probes for three components of the erythroid membrane skeleton, α spectrin, β spectrin, and ankyrin, were obtained by using monospecific antibodies to screen a λgt11 expression vector library containing cDNA prepared from chicken erythroid poly(A)^+ RNA. Each cDNA appears to hybridize to one gene type in the chicken genome. Qualitatively distinct RNA species in myogenic and erythroid cells are detected for β spectrin and ankyrin, while α spectrin exists as a single species of transcript in all tissues examined. This tissue-specific expression of RNAs is regulated quantitatively during myogenesis in vitro, since all three accumulate only upon myoblast fusion. Furthermore, RNAs for two of the three genes do not accumulate to detectable levels in chicken embryo fibroblasts, demonstrating that their accumulation can be noncoordinate. These observations suggest that independent gene regulation and tissue-specific production of heterogeneous transcripts from the β spectrin and ankyrin genes underlie the formation of distinct membrane skeletons in erythroid and muscle cells

The Critical Ally: Coercion and Defiance in Counterinsurgency Partnership

In counterinsurgency wars with large-scale foreign military interventions, under what conditions do in-country allies comply with the demands of foreign intervening forces and under what conditions do allies dismiss foreign demands? By examining thousands of primary source documents drawn from foreign interventions in Vietnam, Afghanistan (U.S.S.R.), Sri Lanka, Afghanistan (U.S.), and Iraq, the study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze 460 specific requests from foreign allies to their in-country counterinsurgency partners, measuring conditions affecting in-country allied compliance with (or defiance of) foreign requests. Revisiting definitions of power in international relations and moving beyond underspecified explanations of alliance politics, this study theorizes that certain structures inherent in this type of counterinsurgency partnership influence the behavior of in-country allies. Specifically, the study argues that five factors influence the likelihood of in-country compliance with foreign allied demands, including: 1) the potential unilateral ability of intervening forces to implement the requested policy; 2) the alignment of allied preferences over the policy; 3) the capacity of the host government; 4) wartime complications; and 5) the presence of an acute enemy threat. These variables interact with each other to produce a complex set of incentives for allied cooperation or defiance. In particular, the study argues that whether or not allied interests converge or diverge over a proposed policy interacts with the unilateral ability of intervening forces to implement the policy. For example, if allied preferences converge and the foreign ally can implement the request unilaterally, the host ally has an incentive to free-ride and is unlikely to comply. Conversely, if allied interests diverge and the foreign ally can implement the request unilaterally, the in-country regime has an incentive to participate in order to avoid being undermined by its ally acting unilaterally. Overall, the study found remarkable consistency across this subset of wars, with approximately 1/3 of foreign requests complied with, 1/3 complied with in part, and 1/3 left unfulfilled

Intersecting and dynamic gender rights to néré, a food tree species in Burkina Faso

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A relação entre a percepção de suporte à aprendizagem e crenças sobre o sistema de treinamento

Monografia (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade, Departamento de Administração, 2016.Com a expansão da importância da área de treinamento das organizações, intensificou-se o interesse dos pesquisadores em investigar as percepções sobre os sistemas de treinamento, desenvolvimento e educação e sobre o ambiente organizacional. Assim, identificar essas percepções e desenvolver estratégias para tentar gerenciá-las é importante para que as organizações de fato consigam aquilo que esperam de suas ações de TD&E. O objetivo geral dessa pesquisa foi testar, empiricamente, a relação entre as percepções de suporte à aprendizagem e as crenças dos indivíduos a respeito do sistema de treinamento no âmbito de uma Organização Pública.Para o alcance do objetivo proposto foi aplicado, junto aos empregados, os instrumentos: Escala de Crenças sobre Treinamento – ECST e Escala de Suporte à Aprendizagem. Com amostragem por conveniência foram obtidos 95 questionários válidos. Para a compreensão dos dados foram utilizadas análise estatística descritiva e análise correlacional. Os resultados demonstraram que os empregados da Organização apresentam percepções favoráveis sobre o suporte à aprendizagem, bem como crenças positivas sobre o sistema de treinamento, porém as duas variáveis apresentam correlação positiva fraca, podendo representar falhas no levantamento de necessidades de treinamento. As limitações deste trabalho constituem-se na amostra reduzida a uma única organização e o tipo de análise estatística utilizada. Para futuras investigações, sugere-se a investigação da relação de variáveis sociodemográficas como preditoras na percepção de suporte à aprendizagem e das crenças sobre o sistema de treinamento, utilizando análises estatísticas mais robustas, e a ampliação da amostra

Brain-Biomarker Changes in Body Fluids of Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is rarely diagnosed at an early stage. Although the understanding of PD-related mechanisms has greatly improved over the last decade, the diagnosis of PD is still based on neurological examination through the identification of motor symptoms, including bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, and resting tremor. The early phase of PD is characterized by subtle symptoms with a misdiagnosis rate of approximately 16-20%. The difficulty in recognizing early PD has implications for the potential use of novel therapeutic approaches. For this reason, it is important to discover PD brain biomarkers that can indicate early dopaminergic dysfunction through their changes in body fluids, such as saliva, urine, blood, or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). For the CFS-based test, the invasiveness of sampling is a major limitation, whereas the other body fluids are easier to obtain and could also allow population screening. Following the identification of the crucial role of alpha-synuclein (& alpha;-syn) in the pathology of PD, a very large number of studies have summarized its changes in body fluids. However, methodological problems have led to the poor diagnostic/prognostic value of this protein and alternative biomarkers are currently being investigated. The aim of this paper is therefore to summarize studies on protein biomarkers that are alternatives to & alpha;-syn, particularly those that change in nigrostriatal areas and in biofluids, with a focus on blood, and, eventually, saliva and urine

Changes in glomerular thromboxane A2 receptor expression and ligand binding following immune injury

Changes in glomerular thromboxane A2 receptor expression and ligand binding following immune injury.BackgroundThromboxane (Tx) A2 is a potent vasoconstrictor eicosanoid that attains high levels within nephritic glomeruli and mediates a drop in glomerular filtration rate (GFR). In the course of nephritis, however, GFR recovers despite high intraglomerular TxA2 levels. We hypothesized that this recovery indicates a reduced responsiveness of the glomerular vasculature to TxA2, and explored whether changes in TxA2 receptor protein expression and receptor-ligand binding are underlying mechanisms.MethodsGlomerulonephritis was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats using an antibody raised in rabbits against rat particulate glomerular basement membrane (GBM). Changes in Tx receptor levels were assessed in protein lysates of glomeruli on days 3 and 7 after a single intravenous injection of the anti-GBM antibody. Ligand-binding studies were performed at the same time points using isolated glomeruli and the TxA2 receptor ligand [3H]-SQ-29,548. GFR was measured as the clearance of endogenous creatinine.ResultsThere was a marked increase in Tx receptor protein in the lysates of nephritic glomeruli on days 3 and 7. In contrast, binding sites (Bmax) of [3H]–SQ-29,548 decreased, indicating that the excess receptor became either inaccessible to its ligand (sequestered) or desensitized. Daily administration of the Tx synthase inhibitor Furegrelate starting prior to injection of anti-GBM antibody prevented the decrease in [3H]–SQ-29,548 binding. Furegrelate treatment starting in an established stage of nephritis had no effect. In these animals, GFR was lower than nephritic controls not treated with Furegrelate.ConclusionsThese observations indicate that in the course of glomerulonephritis, there is a marked increase in glomerular Tx receptor expression. The enhanced intraglomerular TxA2 synthesis causes either a sequestration or desensitization of its receptor. As a result, access of unbound TxA2 to efferent arterioles may become facilitated, and constriction of these arterioles may preserve GFR

Excessive intake of iodine and low prevalence of goiter in school age children five years after implementation of national salt iodization in Shebedino woreda, southern Ethiopia

Background Iodine is a trace element required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. The multiple effects of iodine deficiency on human health are called iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs). IDDs have been common nutritional problems in Ethiopia. In 2012, Ethiopia launched a national salt iodization program to address IDDs. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of this program after 5 years by measuring urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and prevalence of goiter in school age children as well as household salt iodine concentration (SIC). Methods A school-based cross-sectional design was employed. After ethical approval, 408 children from eight randomly selected primary schools provided urine samples. UIC was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrophotometry (ICP-MS). A 10 g salt sample was collected from each household of a sampled child. SIC was analyzed with a digital electronic iodine checker (WYD, UNICEF) and goiter was assessed by palpation. Results The mean (±SD) age of the children was 9 ± 2 years. The prevalence of goiter was 4.2% and no child had grade 2 goiter. The median (IQR) UIC was 518 (327, 704) μg/L and UIC ranged from 3.1 to 2530 μg/L. Of the salt samples, 15.6% were not adequately iodized (\u3c 15 ppm), 39.3% were adequately iodized (≥15 to ≤40 ppm), and 45.1% were \u3e 40 ppm. SIC ranged from 4.2 to 195 ppm. Of the mothers, 92% said iodized salt prevents goiter and 8% mentioned prevents mental retardation. Conclusions In 2017 iodine deficiency was no longer a public health problem in the study area. However, the high variability in UIC and SIC and excessive iodine intake are of great concern. It is vital to ensure that salt is homogenously iodized at the production site before being distributed to consumers