The Political Economy of Myanmar's Transition

This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article whose final and definitive form, the Version of Record, has been published in the JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY ASIA, 07 Feb 2013, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00472336.2013.764143.Since holding elections in 2010, Myanmar has transitioned from a direct military dictatorship to a formally democratic system and has embarked on a period of rapid economic reform. After two decades of military rule, the pace of change has startled almost everyone and led to a great deal of cautious optimism. To make sense of the transition and assess the case for optimism, this article explores the political economy of Myanmar's dual transition from state socialism to capitalism and from dictatorship to democracy. It analyses changes within Myanmar society from a critical political economy perspective in order to both situate these developments within broader regional trends and to evaluate the country's current trajectory. In particular, the emergence of state-mediated capitalism and politico-business complexes in Myanmar's borderlands are emphasised. These dynamics, which have empowered a narrow oligarchy, are less likely to be undone by the reform process than to fundamentally shape the contours of reform. Consequently, Myanmar's future may not be unlike those of other Southeast Asian states that have experienced similar developmental trajectories

EBSD characterisation of the B2 orientation in -TiAl based alloy

Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) has been conducted to determine the orientation relationship of the remnant B2 phase in an -solidified -Ti-45Al-2Nb-0.3Si (at. %) based intermetallic alloy. The morphology and microstructural characterisation was investigated using conventional methods. The results showed that the B2-grains exhibits a Blackburn orientation relationship (BOR) with the 2 grains viz. {111}B2 // {0001}2 and {110}B2 // {11- 20}2. Moreover, mis-orientation axes of B2-grains were found in the clusters between and in 57-630 angles, in the Y0 directions. In addition, it was also observed that the overall B2 grains in the alloy structure was textured and comprised of high angle boundaries of misorientations above 150 angles.http://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1757-899Xam2020Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineerin

Deformation and fracture behaviour of the g-TiAl based intermetallic alloys

The b-solidifying g-TiAl intermetallic alloys of nominal composition Ti-48Al (binary alloy), Ti-48Al-2Nb (ternary alloy), Ti-48Al-2Nb-0.7Cr (quaternary alloy), and Ti-48Al-2Nb-0.7Cr-0.3Si (quinary alloy) (in at.%) were developed. The materials produced were tensile tested at room temperature. The as-cast microstructures and fracture surfaces of the tensile tested specimens were examined using conventional metallographic methods. Microstructural examination indicated that the alloys were comprised of lamellar structures (a2+g) embedded in columnar dendritic cores in the as-cast condition. However, the quinary alloy contained a Ti5Si3 second phase. The alloys exhibited no detectable ductility during tensile deformation, indicating the brittleness of all the materials. The fracture surfaces revealed that the alloys failed by translamellar fracture with correspondingly few cleavage facets.The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the CSIR.http://www.saimm.co.za/journal-papersam2022Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineerin

Structure-property orientation relationship of a γ/α2/Ti5Si3 in as-cast Ti-45Al-2Nb-0.7Cr-0.3Si intermetallic alloy

Structure-property relationship of the as-cast γ-Ti-45Al-2Nb-0.7Cr-0.3Si based intermetallic alloy was examined. The phases stable at room temperature in the alloy were γ/α2/Ti5Si3, respectively; while their crystal structures were described by means of chemical formulas, Pearson's number, space groups, lattice parameters, atomic positions and occupancy numbers using a Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP) software for materials design. Moreover, high resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HSEBSD) was used to analyse the orientation relationship of both the as-cast (β-solidifying) and heat-treated (α-solidifying) microstructural phases. The results showed that the formation of γ/α2/Ti5Si3 follows the Blackburn orientation relationship (BOR): (β-solidifying) {110}β//{0001}α and β//α, and for (α-solidifying) = (111)γ || (0001)α and α.Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR).http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jalcom2019-10-15hj2018Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineerin

Cold-pressing and vacuum arc melting of γ-TiAl based alloys

Beta (β) solidifying γ-TiAl intermetallic alloys of nominal composition Ti-48Al, Ti-48Al-2Nb, Ti-48Al-2Nb-0.7Cr alloys have been cold pressed and vacuum arc melted. The Al loss was due to compaction method used prior to the melting technique, since it was evident after compaction that Al particles migrated to the surface in contact with the die facets after cold pressing. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)-orientation mapping demonstrated that the α-precipitation from the parent β-phase follows the Blackburn orientation relationship (BOR). Microstructural characterization of the alloys was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) for micro-analysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was used to detect phase compositions.Department of Science and Technology (DST) South Africa and Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR).http://www.elsevier.com/locate/apt2020-12-01hj2019Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineerin

Eliminating HIV transmission through breast milk from women taking antiretroviral drugs

publishedVersio

Closing the gaps to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) in South Africa : understanding MTCT case rates, factors that hinder the monitoring and attainment of targets, and potential game changers

BACKGROUND. Ninety percent of the world’s HIV-positive pregnant women live in 22 countries. These 22 countries, including South Africa (SA) have prioritised the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (EMTCT). Since 2016 all 22 countries recommend lifelong antiretroviral treatment for all HIV-positive pregnant and lactating women. To measure South African national, provincial and district-level progress towards attaining EMTCT, we analysed the number of in utero (IU) paedatric HIV infections per 100 000 live births (IU case rate), and synthesised factors hindering the monitoring of EMTCT progress and attainment from the viewpoint of provincial and district-level healthcare managers and implementers. We highlight potential innovations to strengthen health systems and improve EMTCT programme delivery. METHODS. We reviewed national-, provincial- and district-level birth HIV testing data from routine National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) records between April 2016 and March 2017. To obtain a qualitative perspective from healthcare managers and implementers, we synthesised information from the nine 2016 provincial-level EMTCT stock-taking workshops. These workshops involve key provincial and district-level staff, mentors and supporting partners. Lastly, we highlight potential innovations presented at these workshops to overcome operational challenges. RESULTS. The national IU mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rate was 0.9%, which translated to an IU case rate of 245 HIV-positive neonates per 100 000 live births. Provincial IU percent MTCT risk ranged from 0.6% to 1.3%, with IU case rates ranging between 168 and 325 cases per 100 000 live births. District-level IU percent MTCT risk ranged from 0.4% to 1.9%. Potential game changers include: pre-conception counselling to optimise maternal-partner health, weekly dissemination of HIV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and viral load reports from the NHLS to specific individuals who trace mothers and infants needing care, use of ward-based outreach teams and community caregivers to trace HIV-infected mothers and their infants to link them into care, inclusion of a unique identifier in patient-held infant Road to Health booklets to facilitate infant tracing and continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes within facilities and districts and implementation of an HIV-positive baby tool to understand the characteristics and risks of HIV-positive infants. On an ecological level, provinces and districts using community-based approaches and CQI methodology seemed to have lower MTCT and IU case rates. CONCLUSIONS. More quantitative analyses are needed to understand what proportion of the success can be attributed to community-based and CQI approaches and the impact of the potential game changers on progress towards EMTCT.The South African Medical Research Council paid for the time of AG, WC and NN, and, in partnership with UNICEF, covered the cost of this publication.http://www.samj.org.zaam2019Paediatrics and Child Healt

The Elephant in the Room: Off-shore companies, liberalisation and extension of presidential power in DR Congo

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, donors promoted rapid liberalisation and presidential elections in the aftermath of the war, and after two terms, President Kabila has not left office. This article engages with the question of how liberalisation and elections are connected, and how they are related to the extension of presidential power. It finds that the international market for minerals has shaped the domestic political economy but its nature has effectively been ignored in the formulation of donor policy; efforts at regulating trade have been concentrated on due diligence of origin in Congo but have not addressed the secrecy of international trade. Liberalisation has removed control of economic resources from Congo, provided returns for elite politicians and funded violence to control the disenfranchised population. The offshore companies are the elephant in the room; without acknowledging them, analysis of the liberalisation and its interaction with presidential tenure lacks assessment of the opportunities, interests and power that shaped the processes

Eliminating HIV transmission through breast milk from women taking antiretroviral drugs

Mothers taking antiretroviral drugs with low plasma viral loads may still transmit HIV to their breastfeeding children. Given the widely acknowledged benefits of breastfeeding, eliminating the risk of vertical transmission of HIV through breast milk must be a priority.https://bjsm.bmj.comam2022Paediatrics and Child Healt