International System and Technologies of Rebellion: How the End of the Cold War Shaped Internal Conflict

15 páginas, 3 figuras, 3 tablas.Recent research on civil wars finds that the end of the Cold War had no impact on internal conflict. By disaggregating civil wars on the basis of the ways in which civil wars are fought (the technology of rebellion: irregular, conventional, and symmetric non-conventional), we reach a different conclusion: we identify a massive decline of irregular wars or insurgencies following the end of the Cold War, something that amounts to a radical transformation of civil war. This decline is striking and very robust to multivariate analysis. Our theoretical account highlights the effect of shifting superpower support for both states and rebels on the residual capacity of states; it brings the international system into the study of internal conflict, underscores the relevance of warfare for the study of civil wars, and demonstrates that rather than being a universal technology of rebellion, the predominance of insurgency is a historically contingent political phenomenon linked to the structural dynamics of the Cold War

A Loss of Purpose? Sartori and the Current State of Political Science

This article revisits Giovanni Sartori's seminal critique of political science, examining its relevance in the contemporary context. It acknowledges the significant advancements in political science since the early 1990s, particularly in the sophistication of concepts, methods, and data and questions the idea that social sciences can match the 'hard' sciences. Sartori's four identified errors — parochialism, misclassification, degreeism, and conceptual stretching — are critically engaged with, providing a nuanced assessment of their persistence and evolution over time. The article, originally conceived as a lecture for the Annual Congress of the Società Italiana di Scienza Politica, adopts an autobiographical perspective to extend Sartori's critique to broader contemporary issues in political science, advocating for a more constructive approach in addressing these enduring challenges

Dual Energy Method for Breast Imaging: A Simulation Study

Dual energy methods can suppress the contrast between adipose and glandular tissues in the breast and therefore enhance the visibility of calcifications. In this study, a dual energy method based on analytical modeling was developed for the detection of minimum microcalcification thickness. To this aim, a modified radiographic X-ray unit was considered, in order to overcome the limited kVp range of mammographic units used in previous DE studies, combined with a high resolution CMOS sensor (pixel size of 22.5 m) for improved resolution. Various filter materials were examined based on their K-absorption edge. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) was used to simulate microcalcifications. The contrast to noise ratio (CNR ) of the subtracted images was calculated for both monoenergetic and polyenergetic X-ray beams. The optimum monoenergetic pair was 23/58 keV for the low and high energy, respectively, resulting in a minimum detectable microcalcification thickness of 100 m. In the polyenergetic X-ray study, the optimal spectral combination was 40/70 kVp filtered with 100 m cadmium and 1000 m copper, respectively. In this case, the minimum detectable microcalcification thickness was 150 m. The proposed dual energy method provides improved microcalcification detectability in breast imaging with mean glandular dose values within acceptable levels

Dual energy subtraction method for breast calcification imaging

The aim of this work was to present an experimental dual energy (DE) method for the visualization of microcalcifications (μCsμCs). A modified radiographic X-ray tube combined with a high resolution complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor (APS) X-ray detector was used. A 40/70 kV spectral combination was filtered with 100 μmμm cadmium (Cd) and 1000 μmμm copper (Cu) for the low/high-energy combination. Homogenous and inhomogeneous breast phantoms and two calcification phantoms were constructed with various calcification thicknesses, ranging from 16 to 152 μmμm. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was calculated from the DE subtracted images for various entrance surface doses. A calcification thickness of 152 μmμm was visible, with mean glandular doses (MGD) in the acceptable levels (below 3 mGy). Additional post-processing on the DE images of the inhomogeneous breast phantom resulted in a minimum visible calcification thickness of 93 μmμm (MGD=1.62 mGy). The proposed DE method could potentially improve calcification visibility in DE breast calcification imaging

'Glocal' disorder: causes, conduct and consequences of the 2008 Greek unrest

This article examines the unrest that emanated in Athens and rolled out across Greek cities in December 2008 as a case through which to advance understanding of how local, national and international arenas may together shape localised episodes of disorder. We begin by addressing the proximate and structural causes of the unrest, before turning to explore the multifarious character of protest actions, including novel and derivative forms of contestation deployed by protestors, and public debate about the appropriate apportioning of blame amongst the variety of actors involved. Finally, we look at the diverse outcomes of the unrest and their impact upon extant socio-political tensions. For each stage of the lifecycle of the unrest, we evaluate the relevance of international actors, practices and discourses. Our analysis of the Greek unrest of 2008 suggests, first, that the array of intersections between global, national and local dimensions of unrest are more diverse than has heretofore been recognised by pertinent scholarship; and second, that international or transnational factors may play a significant role in the emergence, conduct and consequences of disorder even in instances where national and local dynamics remain predominant