Public health emergencies: a new peacekeeping mission? Insights from UNMIL’s role in the Liberia Ebola outbreak

The UN Security Council meeting on 18 September 2014 represented a major turning-point in the international response to the Ebola outbreak then underway in West Africa. However, in the light of widespread criticism over the tardiness of the international response, it can be argued that the UN, and particularly the Security Council, failed to make best use of a potential resource it already had on the ground in Liberia: the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). This article examines whether UNMIL could have done more to contribute to the emergency response and attempts to draw some lessons from this experience for potential peacekeeper involvement in future public health emergencies. UNMIL could have done more than it did within the terms of its mandate, although it may well have been hampered by factors such as its own capacities, the views of Troop Contributing Countries and the approach taken by the Liberian government. This case can inform broader discussions over the provision of medical and other forms of humanitarian assistance by peacekeeping missions, such as the danger of politicising humanitarian aid and peacekeepers doing more harm than good. Finally, we warn that a reliance on peacekeepers to deliver health services during ‘normal’ times could foster a dangerous culture of dependency, hampering emergency responses if the need arises

Mismatch-Shaped Pseudo-Passive Two-Capacitor DAC

A simple mismatch-shaping scheme is proposed for a two-capacitor DAC. Unlike in other mismatchshaping systems, the shaped error is generated by direct filtering of a well-defined bounded signal, which can be generated as white noise. The operation is closely related to a specific digital interpolation filter, but arbitrary properties of the overall interpolation characteristic can be assured. Simulations indicate that the scheme can be used for the realization of DACs with 16-bit linearity and SNR performance, with only 0.1 % capacitance accuracy. The DAC is pseudo-passive, i.e. an active element is required only to buffer the output signal. Hence, it is potentially a very low-power circuit, suitable for portable applications

Effect of polyethylene glycol-intercalated organoclay on vulcanization characteristics and reinforcement of natural rubber nanocomposites

Organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) clay was intercalated with low-molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) oligomer at melt stage. The intercalation behaviour of PEG into the OMMT clay galleries and its interaction with clay platelets were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetric techniques. A natural rubber (NR)-organoclay nanocomposite (NROCN) was prepared by melt-compounding of NR with PEG-treated organoclay (P-OMMT) and other compounding chemicals using a laboratory-scale internal mixer. XRD analysis of the nanocomposites revealed the intercalation of NR molecules into the P-OMMT clay galleries and subsequent exfoliation during the melt-compounding process. Vulcanization characteristics of the NROCN, especially processing safety and optimum curing time, have been interpreted with reference to the organic modifier of the montmorillonite clay, PEG modification and the degree of exfoliation. Solid-state mechanical properties of P-OMMT clay-filled NROCN vulcanizates have shown a significant enhancement in stiffness and strength characteristics whilst without scarifying the elasticity of the nanocomposites. Results have been explained in terms of the degree of exfoliation, dispersibility of the organoclay and strain-induced crystallization of the natural rubber.The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article

Rapid acceptability and adherence testing of a lipid-based nutrient supplement and a micronutrient powder among refugee children and pregnant and lactating women in Algeria

OBJECTIVE: To assess the acceptability and adherence to daily doses of lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) among children and micronutrient powder (MNP) among children and pregnant and lactating women. DESIGN: Household interviews and sachet counting were conducted to measure acceptability and adherence, 15 and 30 d after product distribution. Qualitative information on product acceptability was collected using focus group discussions. SETTING: Saharawi refugee camps, Algeria, August-October 2009. SUBJECTS: LNS was distributed to 123 children aged 6-35 months (LNS-C), and MNP to 112 children aged 36-59 months (MNP-C) and 119 pregnant or lactating women (MNP-W). RESULTS: At the end of the test 98·4 % of LNS-C, 90·4 % of MNP-C and 75·5 % of MNP-W participants reported that they liked the product (P<0·05). Other measures of acceptability did not differ. Median consumption of sachets was highest in the LNS-C group (P<0·001). 'Good' adherence to the daily regimen (consumption of 75-125 % of recommended dose) was 89·1 % in the LNS-C, compared with 57·0 % in the MNP-C and 65·8 % in the MNP-W groups (P<0·001). Qualitative findings supported the quantitative measures and guided selection of local product names, packaging designs, distribution mechanisms, and the design of the information campaign in the subsequent programme scale-up. CONCLUSIONS: Acceptability, consumption and adherence were higher in participants receiving LNS compared with MNP. However, both products were found to be suitable when compared with predefined acceptability criteria. Acceptability studies are feasible and important in emergency nutrition programmes when the use of novel special nutritional products is considered

Inequality and violent crime: evidence from data on robbery and violent theft

This article argues that the link between income inequality and violent property crime might be spurious, complementing a similar argument in prior analysis by the author on the determinants of homicide. In contrast, Fajnzylber, Lederman & Loayza (1998; 2002a, b) provide seemingly strong and robust evidence that inequality causes a higher rate of both homicide and robbery/violent theft even after controlling for country-specific fixed effects. Our results suggest that inequality is not a statistically significant determinant, unless either country-specific effects are not controlled for or the sample is artificially restricted to a small number of countries. The reason why the link between inequality and violent property crime might be spurious is that income inequality is likely to be strongly correlated with country-specific fixed effects such as cultural differences. A high degree of inequality might be socially undesirable for any number of reasons, but that it causes violent crime is far from proven

On ‘Organized Crime’ in the illicit antiquities trade: moving beyond the definitional debate

The extent to which ‘organized crime’ is involved in illicit antiquities trafficking is unknown and frequently debated. This paper explores the significance and scale of the illicit antiquities trade as a unique transnational criminal phenomenon that is often said to be perpetrated by and exhibit traits of so-called ‘organized crime.’ The definitional debate behind the term ‘organized crime’ is considered as a potential problem impeding our understanding of its existence or extent in illicit antiquities trafficking, and a basic progression-based model is then suggested as a new tool to move beyond the definitional debate for future research that may help to elucidate the actors, processes and criminal dynamics taking place within the illicit antiquities trade from source to market. The paper concludes that researchers should focus not on the question of whether organized criminals- particularly in a traditionally conceived, mafia-type stereotypical sense- are involved in the illicit antiquities trade, but instead on the structure and progression of antiquities trafficking itself that embody both organized and criminal dynamics

Rereading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: plurality and contestation, not consensus

In this paper I examine the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. My analysis counters conventional narratives of consensus and imposition that characterize the development of the UN human rights regime. The central argument is that within the founding text of the contemporary human rights movement there is an ambiguous account of rights, which exceeds easy categorization of international rights as universal moral principles or merely an ideological imposition by liberal powers. Acknowledging this ambiguous history, I argue, opens the way to an understanding of human rights as an ongoing politics, a contestation over the terms of legitimate political authority and the meaning of “humanity” as a political identity

Partisan Asymmetries in Online Political Activity

We examine partisan differences in the behavior, communication patterns and social interactions of more than 18,000 politically-active Twitter users to produce evidence that points to changing levels of partisan engagement with the American online political landscape. Analysis of a network defined by the communication activity of these users in proximity to the 2010 midterm congressional elections reveals a highly segregated, well clustered partisan community structure. Using cluster membership as a high-fidelity (87% accuracy) proxy for political affiliation, we characterize a wide range of differences in the behavior, communication and social connectivity of left- and right-leaning Twitter users. We find that in contrast to the online political dynamics of the 2008 campaign, right-leaning Twitter users exhibit greater levels of political activity, a more tightly interconnected social structure, and a communication network topology that facilitates the rapid and broad dissemination of political information.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 6 table

Spatial and Temporal Pattern of Rift Valley Fever Outbreaks in Tanzania; 1930 to 2007

Rift Valley fever (RVF)-like disease was first reported in Tanzania more than eight decades ago and the last large outbreak of the disease occurred in 2006–07. This study investigates the spatial and temporal pattern of RVF outbreaks in Tanzania over the past 80 years in order to guide prevention and control strategies. A retrospective study was carried out based on disease reporting data from Tanzania at district or village level. The data were sourced from the Ministries responsible for livestock and human health, Tanzania Meteorological Agency and research institutions involved in RVF surveillance and diagnosis. The spatial distribution of outbreaks was mapped using ArcGIS 10. The space-time permutation model was applied to identify clusters of cases, and a multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors associated with the occurrence of outbreaks in the district. RVF outbreaks were reported between December and June in 1930, 1947, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1968, 1977– 79, 1989, 1997–98 and 2006–07 in 39.2% of the districts in Tanzania. There was statistically significant spatio-temporal clustering of outbreaks. RVF occurrence was associated with the eastern Rift Valley ecosystem (OR = 6.14, CI: 1.96, 19.28), total amount of rainfall of .405.4 mm (OR = 12.36, CI: 3.06, 49.88), soil texture (clay [OR = 8.76, CI: 2.52, 30.50], and loam [OR = 8.79, CI: 2.04, 37.82]). RVF outbreaks were found to be distributed heterogeneously and transmission dynamics appeared to vary between areas. The sequence of outbreak waves, continuously cover more parts of the country. Whenever infection has been introduced into an area, it is likely to be involved in future outbreaks. The cases were more likely to be reported from the eastern Rift Valley than from the western Rift Valley ecosystem and from areas with clay and loam rather than sandy soil texture