U.S. Military Intelligence in Mexico, 1917-1927: An Analysis

The Military Intelligence Division (MID) was the U.S. Army\u27s intelligence agency that reported to the Chief of Staff within the War Department. During the years 1917- 1927, the MID routinely conducted surveillance of Mexico, including: espionage, mail censorship, radio intercepts, intelligence gathering, and development of plans for the invasion of Mexico. This study utilizes a tripartite model to evaluate the production and analysis of military intelligence by the MID in Mexico during the period 1917-1927. First, the organization and development of the Military Intelligence Division from its origins in 1885 through the year 1927 is explored with sections on institutional history and objects of investigation. Second, a quantitative analysis of intelligence documents identifies the focus and priorities of the MID in Mexico. Third, a textual analysis of intelligence documents makes use of a cross-cultural framework to demonstrate the prevailing attitudes, perspectives and world views of the MID toward the Mexican state and its peoples. The thesis question as to whether the U.S. Military Intelligence Division created an accurate and complete picture of reality of Mexico is answered in the negative. The MID perspective was colored by cultural bias, ignorance, and misunderstanding. Ultimately, the MID failed to grasp the reality of Mexico because it failed to ask the right questions. It seriously misunderstood the nature of Mexico and its peoples, especially in its relationship with the United States .. The particular model developed for this study lends itself to the possibility of further research in the area of international history and cross-cultural studies. The use of multiple analysis techniques provides a more comprehensive picture of the various factors involved that influence historical events

Diffusion in a Fluid Membrane with a Flexible Cortical Cytoskeleton

We calculate the influence of a flexible network of long-chain proteins, which is anchored to a fluid membrane, on protein diffusion in this membrane. This is a model for the cortical cytoskeleton and the lipid bilayer of the red blood cell, which we apply to predict the influence of the cytoskeleton on the diffusion coefficient of a mobile band 3 protein. Using the pressure field that the cytoskeleton exerts on the membrane, from the steric repulsion between the diffusing protein and the cytoskeletal filaments, we define a potential landscape for the diffusion within the bilayer. We study the changes to the diffusion coefficient on removal of one type of anchor proteins, e.g., in several hemolytic anemias, as well as for isotropic and anisotropic stretching of the cytoskeleton. We predict an overall increase of the diffusion for a smaller number of anchor proteins and increased diffusion for anisotropic stretching in the direction of the stretch, because of the decrease in the spatial frequency as well as in the height of the potential barriers