Security governance and the private military industry in Europe and North America

Even before Iraq the growing use of private military contractors has been widely discussed in the academic and public literature. However, the reasons for this proliferation of private military companies and its implications are frequently generalized due to a lack of suitable theoretical approaches for the analysis of private means of violence in contemporary security. As a consequence, this article contends, the analysis of the growth of the private military industry typically conflates two separate developments: the failure of some developing states to provide for their national security and the privatisation of military services in industrialized nations in Europe and North America. This article focuses on the latter and argues that the concept of security governance can be used as a theoretical framework for understanding the distinct development, problems and solutions for the governance of the private military industry in developed countries.The United States Institute of Peace and the German Academic Exchange Service

The Canberra Commission: Paths Followed, Paths Ahead

Despite its inauspicious start and virtual abandonment by the new Coalition government in Australia, the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons continued to attract international attention in arms control and disarmament circles

Absence of N addition facilitates B cell development, but impairs immune responses

The programmed, stepwise acquisition of immunocompetence that marks the development of the fetal immune response proceeds during a period when both T cell receptor and immunoglobulin (Ig) repertoires exhibit reduced junctional diversity due to physiologic terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) insufficiency. To test the effect of N addition on humoral responses, we transplanted bone marrow from TdT-deficient (TdT−/−) and wild-type (TdT+/+) BALB/c mice into recombination activation gene 1-deficient BALB/c hosts. Mice transplanted with TdT−/− cells exhibited diminished humoral responses to the T-independent antigens α-1-dextran and (2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hapten conjugated to AminoEthylCarboxymethyl-FICOLL, to the T-dependent antigens NP19CGG and hen egg lysozyme, and to Enterobacter cloacae, a commensal bacteria that can become an opportunistic pathogen in immature and immunocompromised hosts. An exception to this pattern of reduction was the T-independent anti-phosphorylcholine response to Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is normally dominated by the N-deficient T15 idiotype. Most of the humoral immune responses in the recipients of TdT−/− bone marrow were impaired, yet population of the blood with B and T cells occurred more rapidly. To further test the effect of N-deficiency on B cell and T cell population growth, transplanted TdT-sufficient and -deficient BALB/c IgMa and congenic TdT-sufficient CB17 IgMb bone marrow were placed in competition. TdT−/− cells demonstrated an advantage in populating the bone marrow, the spleen, and the peritoneal cavity. TdT deficiency, which characterizes fetal lymphocytes, thus appears to facilitate filling both central and peripheral lymphoid compartments, but at the cost of altered responses to a broad set of antigens

Identification of regulatory variants associated with genetic susceptibility to meningococcal disease.

Non-coding genetic variants play an important role in driving susceptibility to complex diseases but their characterization remains challenging. Here, we employed a novel approach to interrogate the genetic risk of such polymorphisms in a more systematic way by targeting specific regulatory regions relevant for the phenotype studied. We applied this method to meningococcal disease susceptibility, using the DNA binding pattern of RELA - a NF-kB subunit, master regulator of the response to infection - under bacterial stimuli in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. We designed a custom panel to cover these RELA binding sites and used it for targeted sequencing in cases and controls. Variant calling and association analysis were performed followed by validation of candidate polymorphisms by genotyping in three independent cohorts. We identified two new polymorphisms, rs4823231 and rs11913168, showing signs of association with meningococcal disease susceptibility. In addition, using our genomic data as well as publicly available resources, we found evidences for these SNPs to have potential regulatory effects on ATXN10 and LIF genes respectively. The variants and related candidate genes are relevant for infectious diseases and may have important contribution for meningococcal disease pathology. Finally, we described a novel genetic association approach that could be applied to other phenotypes

ExoDyn: A Cube-Satellite Constellation for the In-Situ Measurement of Upper Atmospheric Composition

Based on the recent performance success of the ion/neutral mass spectrometer (INMS) in orbit, onboard the NSF Exocube mission, we present a new mission concept - ExoDyn - to address the long-standing lack of empirical knowledge of neutral dynamics in the topside ionosphere and exosphere. The ExoDyn mission leverages the advance in technical readiness of the INMS sensor with the increasingly cost-efficient potential for small satellite deployment in a constellation formation. Current understanding of the transport of neutrals in the topside ionosphere or exosphere is limited. MSIS modeled neutral exospheric temperatures and densities rely on (among other things) thermospheric (O) thermalization and (O-H) charge exchange continuity assumptions, almost certainly invalid in a collision-less exosphere. We also do not model well the neutral H(z) profiles above the F2 peak, the associated H flux at the exobase, or how these vary with location or geomagnetic storms. The lack of neutral density knowledge at these altitudes conflates peripheral research that relies on (incorrect) model assumptions; e.g., plasmasphere refilling rates are quite sensitive to LEO H and O densities. But observed filling rates do not appear to agree with empirical model predictions. Further, since the neutral hydrogen distribution also controls the loss of H+ and O+, the neutral dynamics also can alter ring current topology, build up and decay rates. While absolute, global, exospheric H density profiles can be obtained by GOES Ly-a absorption profile inversions, the limited temporal coverage gives only approximate bi-annual density profile estimates. Ground-based forward-modelling of Hydrogen fluorescence can give diurnal average H density profiles and exobase flux estimates, but also must be tied to empirical (or model) density measurements to obtain the unique solution (or validate model atmospheric parameters). In-situ measurements of light neutral and ion species densities at LEO, in high resolution, is critically needed to realistically model topside TEC content and neutral transport dynamics, correctly parameterize atmospheric model boundary conditions, constrain observed spectroscopic profile inversions, and further our understanding of thermo/exospheric response to solar variability and secular forcing

Investigating Near Space Interaction Regions: Developing a Remote Observatory

The Investigating Near Space Interaction Regions (INSpIRe) effort will (1) establish an adaptable research station capable of contributing to terrestrial and planetary aeronomy; (2) integrate two state-of-the-art second generation Fabry-Perot (FP) and Spatial Heteorodyne Spectrometers (SHS) into a remotely operable configuration; (3) deploy this instrumentation to a clear-air site, establishing a stable, well-calibrated observatory; (4) embark on a series of observations designed to contribute to three major areas of geocoronal research: geocoronal physics, structure/coupling, and variability. This poster describes the development of the INSpIRe remote observatory. Based at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), initiative INSpIRe provides a platform to encourage the next generation of researchers to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to real-world science and engineering. Students at ERAU contribute to the INSpIRe effort’s hardware and software needs. Mechanical/optical systems are in design to bring light to any of four instruments. Control software is in development to allow remote users to control everything from dome and optical system operations to calibration and data collection. In April 2016, we also installed and tested our first science instrument in the INSpIRe trailer, the Redline DASH Demonstration Instrument (REDDI). REDDI uses Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) spectroscopy, and its deployment as part of INSpIRe is a collaborative research effort between the Naval Research Lab, St Cloud State University, and ERAU. Similar to a stepped Michelson device, REDDI measures oxygen (630.0 nm) winds from the thermosphere. REDDI is currently mounted in a temporary location under INSpIRe’s main siderostat until its entrance optical system can be modified. First light tests produced good signal-to-noise fringes in ten minute integrations, indicating that we will soon be able to measure thermospheric winds from our Daytona Beach testing site. Future work will involve installation and software integration of FP and SHS systems and the Embry-Riddle Instrument Control System. The INSpIRe project is funded through NSF-CAREER award AGS135231 and the NASA Planetary Solar System Observations Program. The REDDI instrument was supported by the Chief of Naval Research