615 research outputs found

    Polio Eradication: How the War on Terror Has Led to the Persistence of Polio in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria

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    In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated a campaign to eradicate the polio virus from the world population (Bari 2006). Since 1988, the WHO has used polio vaccines to successfully interrupt transmission of the disease to new individuals in all but three countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria (WHO 2012). This paper examines how The War on Terror, stated by President George W. Bush to be a war against every terrorist group of global reach and the governments that support these groups, has led the populations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria, as well as vaccinators and health officials in these countries, to adopt the culture of war (Bush 2001). The purpose of this paper is to examine how this culture, marked by insecurity, hostility, and distrust, has affected the polio eradication campaign. The insecurity felt by the populations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria led Muslim and Taliban leaders in these countries to act out against all Western activity within their borders, including the polio vaccination campaign (Jegede 2007). Although Nigeria is not directly linked to the War on Terror, it participated in the culture of war through its shared Islamic faith with Afghanistan and Pakistan. By participating in the culture of war, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria have harmed eradication efforts and have allowed the polio virus to persist within their countries. If the war continues, it risks potentially unleashing the virus, paralyzing hundreds of thousands of children (Walsh 2012)

    Impact of PWM strategies on RMS current of the DC-link Voltage Capacitor of a dual-three phase drive

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    The major drawback of usual dual three-phase AC machines, when supplied by a Voltage Source Inverter (VSI), is the occurrence of extra harmonic currents which circulate in the stator windings causing additional losses and constraints on the power component. This paper compares dedicated Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) strategies used for controlling a dual three phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous machine supplied by a six-leg VSI. Since the application is intended for low-voltage (48V) mild-hybrid automotive traction, an additional major constraint arises: the compactness of the drive related to the size of the DC-bus capacitor. Thus, the PWM strategy must be chosen by taking into consideration its impact on both, the motor and the RMS value of DC-bus current

    Toxic love:Evolutionary genomics of the enigmatic Sex Peptide

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    Toxic love:Evolutionary genomics of the enigmatic Sex Peptide

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    Toxic love:Evolutionary genomics of the enigmatic Sex Peptide

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    Living organisms compete for survival and reproduction, whereupon the fittest live and thrive and the weakest fail and some cases even die. This battle for life acts on different levels, causing individuals of distinct species as well as individuals of the same species to compete over a variety of limiting resources such as food, breeding sites and mates. An important form of competition is driven by sexual conflict and often occurs when reproductive strategies between males and female diverge. These occur because there are differences in the evolutionary interests of the sexes over, for example, optimal reproductive rate, gamete size and parental investments. This has led to the evolution of different strategies to alter or overcome the manipulation of one sex by other, while maintaining a base line level of cooperation sufficient to ensure successful reproduction. This sexual conflict is an important evolutionary process as it can drive rapid evolutionary change. The manipulation of one sex by the other through molecular interactions has been illuminated in studies using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Males tend to maximize their chances at fatherhood by releasing both sperm and semen inside the female’s body during mating. The effects of semen proteins can benefit both sperm and eggs, but intriguingly they can also favour the interests of males whilst generating costs in females, resulting in sexual conflict. In Drosophila melanogaster, the female body has been the battlefield of sexual conflict, as semen proteins exert their effects in females after mating. This manipulation by males through molecular interactions can inflict substantial physical and physiological costs of mating in females. One enigmatic seminal fluid protein the ‘Sex Peptide’, generates strikingly diverse changes in female physiological and reproductive behaviour. Sex Peptide triggers remarkable female post mating responses including altered fertility, immunity, libido, eating and sleep patterns, by the activation of diverse sets of genes. In many studies of the molecular mechanisms of female manipulation via the effects of Sex Peptide, genetic variation is minimised in order to clearly delineate biological functions. However, to understand the evolutionary processes and dynamics that characterise Sex Peptide mediated interactions between males and females, it is important to study this genetic variation. With high-throughput sequencing technologies that have provided resources such as >200 fully sequenced DGRP lines (Drosophila Genome Reference Panel), we traced the impact of the enigmatic Sex Peptide on the fruitfly genome. In this thesis I performed an in-depth investigation of the phenotypic and genomic differences among 30-32 DGRP lines, with respect to male release of, and female responses to, Sex Peptide. I measured phenotypic variation for Sex Peptide release in males; and in females the phenotypic variation in immune responses, egg laying, receptivity and longevity in response to Sex Peptide receipt. I compared these phenotypic post-mating responses to those of females that mated to males with a null-allele for Sex Peptide, to distinguish the specific response to Sex Pepetide. I mapped these phenotypes to genomic variation using Genome Wide Association Studies and conducted functional characterizations on the genomic variation identified

    Feminism National Identity

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    In this article, I address paradoxes and ambiguities that result from this double oppression, and discuss some of the questions that arise from the formulation of this dichotomy, which forces women to choose between feminist and nationalist agendas. I discuss who formulates this dichotomy, who identifies nationalism and feminism, and who benefits from this identification. To address these topics, I discuss two specific examples: Muslim women in India and Palestinian women within Israel. The reformulation of nationalist/religious identity in such a way as to make it compatible with a feminist perspective is a very important project. Such a project must be built on changing the dominant culture from within. Such a process is long-term, however, and until it is achieved, women will continue to suffer. We cannot demand that oppressed women wait until the rebuilding of the dominant culture is completed. In reality, there is the possibility that utilizing secular courts will force national/ religious institutions to make positive changes

    Redrawing The Boundaries of Citizenship: Israel’s New Hegemony

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    This article focuses on the development since the second Palestinian intifada of a new consensus in Israeli Jewish society with regard to the Arab minority, which the authors call "the New Zionist Hegemony." After describing the attitudes and beliefs undergirding the new consensus, the article focuses on four areas in which it manifests itself: legislation, government policies, public opinion, and public discourse. The result of the new policies is to change the meaning of citizenship for non-Jews in an ethnic Jewish state

    Modelling and experimental investigation of hexagonal nacre-like structure stiffness

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    A highly ordered, hexagonal, nacre-like composite stiffness is investigated using experiments, simulations, and analytical models. Polystyrene and polyurethane are selected as materials for the manufactured specimens using laser cutting and hand lamination. A simulation geometry is made by digital microscope measurements of the specimens, and a simulation is conducted using material data based on component material characterization. Available analytical models are compared to the experimental results, and a more accurate model is derived specifically for highly ordered hexagonal tablets with relatively large in-plane gaps. The influence of hexagonal width, cut width, and interface thickness are analyzed using the hexagonal nacre-like composite stiffness model. The proposed analytical model converges within 1% with the simulation and experimental results

    The Humpty Dumpty Institute Forges Innovative Public-Private Partnerships for Landmine Clearance in the Caucasus

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    The Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI) is a New York-based, non-profit organization dedicated to establishing effective and innovative public-private partnerships to ameliorate the global landmine crisis. The Institute has ongoing partnerships with a variety of public and private organizations. Together, these partnerships have raised over $1.5 million (U.S.) for landmine detection and clearance operations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Mozambique, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Eritrea. To date, HDI’s programs have focused on clearance and subsequent economic re-development in partnership with the U.S. State Department (DOS), the International Trust Fund (ITF), the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI), the New York Wine and Grape Foundation (NYWGF), SkyLink Aviation, the One Sri Lanka Foundation, HALO Trust, the Armenian National Mine Action Center, and the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA)
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