Illicit Narcotic Economies and State Fragmentation: Colombia and Afghanistan

This thesis argues that the illicit narcotics economy in Afghanistan and Colombia is the central force fragmenting state power through two main processes of internal regression and external attack. Internal regression refers to the capture, infiltration and corruption of the state by the drug industry that impairs effective state function. External attack refers to the territorial control, coercive force and political legitimacy that the illicit economy provides non-state armed actors. In this way, I contend that the fragmentation of state power by the illicit narcotics economy is two- fold. First, it diminishes state power in absolute terms - hindering the effective state function in terms of key institutions. Second the illicit narcotics reduces state power in relative terms - drug rents providing for the growth in reach and operational capacities of non-state power rivals when the state at the same time is losing its own

“Tell Me I Did Well” And Other Things Left Unsaid

A collection of short stories built around a disease that turns you into a stone flower. The stories explore sadness, loneliness and helplessness and the ultimate effects that can have on people

Unpacking the Network Pictures of the ICT industry in Taiwan

This study analyzes how a developmental state fosters its ICT industries through the network alliances among a boundary organization and ICT industries. The cooperative networks of ICT industries play a strategic role for the national development in a global networked economy. We argue that different network pictures lead to different managerial strategies and capabilities. Drawing on studies of network pictures, this study details an interpretive case study in a major semi-government sponsored ICT marketing research institute in Taiwan. We explore the relationships between this boundary organization, ICT businesses and their dynamic networking relationship. The findings highlight how the inertia of network pictures stabilizes value creation activities and capabilities in the boundary organization, thus limiting it opening to a more radical future-oriented strategic network

Mitochondrial amyloid-beta peptide: Pathogenesis or late-phase development?

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://iospress.metapress.com/content/8q4cf2u7gw6cllxt/?genre=article&issn=1387-2877&volume=9&issue=2&spage=127Mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction have been linked to Alzheimer's disease for some time. Key questions regarding this association concern the nature and mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction, and whether such changes in metabolic properties are pathogenic or secondary, with respect to neuronal degeneration. In terms of mitochondria and Alzheimer's, altered function could reflect intrinsic properties of this organelle, potentially due to mutations in mitochondrial DNA, or extrinsic changes secondary to signal transduction mechanisms activated in the cytosol. This review presents data relevant to these questions, and considers the implication of recent findings demonstrating the presence of amyloid-β peptide in mitochondria, as well as intra-mitochondrial molecular targets with which it can interact. Regardless of the underlying mechanism(s), it is likely that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to oxidant stress which is commonly observed in brains of patients with Alzheimer's and transgenic models of Alzheimer's-like pathology

Fractonic order in infinite-component Chern-Simons gauge theories

2+1D multi-component U(1) gauge theories with a Chern-Simons (CS) term provide a simple and complete characterization of 2+1D Abelian topological orders. In this paper, we extend the theory by taking the number of component gauge fields to infinity and find that they can describe interesting types of 3+1D "fractonic" order. "Fractonic" describes the peculiar phenomena that point excitations in certain strongly interacting systems either cannot move at all or are only allowed to move in a lower dimensional sub-manifold. In the simplest cases of infinite-component CS gauge theory, different components do not couple to each other and the theory describes a decoupled stack of 2+1D fractional Quantum Hall systems with quasi-particles moving only in 2D planes -- hence a fractonic system. We find that when the component gauge fields do couple through the CS term, more varieties of fractonic orders are possible. For example, they may describe foliated fractonic systems for which increasing the system size requires insertion of nontrivial 2+1D topological states. Moreover, we find examples which lie beyond the foliation framework, characterized by 2D excitations of infinite order and braiding statistics that are not strictly local

Myoepithelioma of minor salivary gland on the base of the tongue: a case report

This study reports a case of myoepithelioma of minor salivary gland on the base of the tongue of a 58 year-old patient. This theme is discussed because it is a rare tumor, and in this case, it was located in an uncommon position. The diagnosis was given by the pathologic and immunohistochemical study of the excised tumor. The course is usually benign, and the cure is possible if it is completely excised.Os autores apresentam um caso de mioepitelioma de glândula salivar menor, localizado na base da língua de uma paciente de 58 anos. O mioepitelioma é um tumor pouco freqüente, de evolução benigna, sendo possível obter-se a cura através da excisão cirúrgica completa da lesão. Neste caso, apresentou-se numa posição bastante incomum, a base da língua. Foi realizada a exérese da lesão, com margens de segurança, e a paciente está assintomática e sem recidiva local depois de 6 meses de acompanhamento pós-operatório. O diagnóstico foi obtido através do estudo anatomopatológico e imuno-histoquímico da peça.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM) Departamento de Otorrinolaringologia e Distúrbios da Comunicação HumanaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de Otorrinolaringologia e Distúrbios da Comunicação HumanaSciEL

Computational inference of mRNA stability from histone modification and transcriptome profiles

Histone modifications play important roles in regulating eukaryotic gene expression and have been used to model expression levels. Here, we present a regression model to systematically infer mRNA stability by comparing transcriptome profiles with ChIP-seq of H3K4me3, H3K27me3 and H3K36me3. The results from multiple human and mouse cell lines show that the inferred unstable mRNAs have significantly longer 3′Untranslated Regions (UTRs) and more microRNA binding sites within 3′UTR than the inferred stable mRNAs. Regression residuals derived from RNA-seq, but not from GRO-seq, are highly correlated with the half-lives measured by pulse-labeling experiments, supporting the rationale of our inference. Whereas, the functions enriched in the inferred stable and unstable mRNAs are consistent with those from pulse-labeling experiments, we found the unstable mRNAs have higher cell-type specificity under functional constraint. We conclude that the systematical use of histone modifications can differentiate non-expressed mRNAs from unstable mRNAs, and distinguish stable mRNAs from highly expressed ones. In summary, we represent the first computational model of mRNA stability inference that compares transcriptome and epigenome profiles, and provides an alternative strategy for directing experimental measurements

Local structure of glassy lithium phosphorus oxynitride thin films: a combined experimental and ab initio approach

Lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) is an amorphous solid-state lithium ion conductor displaying exemplary cyclability against lithium metal anodes. There is no definitive explanation for this stability due to the limited understanding of the structure of LiPON. We provide a structural model of RF-sputtered LiPON via experimental and computational spectroscopic methods. Information about the short-range structure results from 1D and 2D solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments investigating chemical shift anisotropy and dipolar interactions. These results are compared with first principles chemical shielding calculations of Li-P-O/N crystals and ab initio molecular dynamics-generated amorphous LiPON models to unequivocally identify the glassy structure as primarily isolated phosphate monomers with N incorporated in both apical and as bridging sites in phosphate dimers. Structural results suggest LiPON's stability is a result of its glassy character. Free-standing LiPON films are produced that exhibit a high degree of flexibility highlighting the unique mechanical properties of glassy materials