202 research outputs found
The politics of the world bank's socio-institutional neoliberalism
No full textThis thesis analyses the so called post-Washington consensus (PWC) and the role of the World Bank in its promotion and implementation. It argues that the PWC represents the promotion of a new form of neoliberalism - socio-institutional neoliberalism (SIN) - which stems from the conflict and contradiction associated with the Washington consensus based around earlier neoliberal prescriptions such as fiscal discipline, trade liberalisation and privatisation. While seeking the continued extension of liberal markets attempted by proponents of the Washington consensus, SIN rigorously specifies the institutional elements that neoliberals now see markets requiring. It stipulates a particular state form and even allocates roles to specific social institutions. Vitally, SIN is not just about policy content. Indeed, it is an attempt to shape the very environment through which policy can be contested. To this end, SIN includes important delivery devices and political technologies to aid with embedding reform, in an attempt to resolve one of the major problems for the Washington consensus: insufficient progress in reform implementation.
SIN is highly political in terms of its ideological commitments, the policy matrices that these commitments generate and the processes by which the implementation of reform is attempted. As a political programme, SIN seeks nothing less than the embedding of a form of governance that attempts to contain the inevitable clashes associated with the extension of market relations. While this attempt at extending market relations inextricably links the Washington consensus with the PWC, it is the substantive efforts and new methods associated with the latter to deliver and deeply embed policy which make it distinct.
Yet SIN continues to face differing degrees of acceptance and resistance in the underdeveloped world. Here it is essential to consider internal Bank dynamics, relations between the Bank and member countries, and the various alliances and conflicts within these countries and their involvement in either promoting or resisting SIN reform. A feature of this thesis is the analytical framework that allows systematic consideration of these diverse political dynamics. Crucially, the reality of such political dynamics means that there is often a significant gap between what the World Bank promotes and what occurs on the ground
O'Donnell-Luria-Rodan syndrome: Description of a second multinational cohort and refinement of the phenotypic spectrum
No full textBackground: O'Donnell-Luria-Rodan syndrome (ODLURO) is an autosomal-dominant neurodevelopmental disorder caused by pathogenic, mostly truncating variants in KMT2E. It was first described by O'Donnell-Luria et al in 2019 in a cohort of 38 patients. Clinical features encompass macrocephaly, mild intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) susceptibility and seizure susceptibility. Methods: Affected individuals were ascertained at paediatric and genetic centres in various countries by diagnostic chromosome microarray or exome/genome sequencing. Patients were collected into a case cohort and were systematically phenotyped where possible. Results: We report 18 additional patients from 17 families with genetically confirmed ODLURO. We identified 15 different heterozygous likely pathogenic or pathogenic sequence variants (14 novel) and two partial microdeletions of KMT2E. We confirm and refine the phenotypic spectrum of the KMT2E-related neurodevelopmental disorder, especially concerning cognitive development, with rather mild ID and macrocephaly with subtle facial features in most patients. We observe a high prevalence of ASD in our cohort (41%), while seizures are present in only two patients. We extend the phenotypic spectrum by sleep disturbances. Conclusion: Our study, bringing the total of known patients with ODLURO to more than 60 within 2 years of the first publication, suggests an unexpectedly high relative frequency of this syndrome worldwide. It seems likely that ODLURO, although just recently described, is among the more common single-gene aetiologies of neurodevelopmental delay and ASD. We present the second systematic case series of patients with ODLURO, further refining the mutational and phenotypic spectrum of this not-so-rare syndrome
Explaining Myanmar's Regime Transition: The Periphery is Central
No full textIn 2010, Myanmar (Burma) held its first elections after 22 years of direct military rule. Few compelling explanations for this regime transition have emerged. This article critiques popular accounts and potential explanations generated by theories of authoritarian ‘regime breakdown’ and ‘regime maintenance’. It returns instead to the classical literature on military intervention and withdrawal. Military regimes, when not terminated by internal factionalism or external unrest, typically liberalise once they feel they have sufficiently addressed the crises that prompted their seizure of power. This was the case in Myanmar. The military intervened for fear that political unrest and ethnic-minority separatist insurgencies would destroy Myanmar’s always-fragile territorial integrity and sovereignty. Far from suddenly liberalising in 2010, the regime sought to create a ‘disciplined democracy’ to safeguard its preferred social and political order twice before, but was thwarted by societal opposition. Its success in 2010 stemmed from a strategy of coercive state-building and economic incorporation via ‘ceasefire capitalism’, which weakened and co-opted much of the opposition. Having altered the balance of forces in its favour, the regime felt sufficiently confident to impose its preferred settlement. However, the transition neither reflected total ‘victory’ for the military nor secured a genuine or lasting peace
Enhanced magnetic moment with cobalt dopant in SnS2semiconductor
No full text© 2021 Author(s).We report the strong ferromagnetic order in van der Waals (vdW) layered SnS2 induced by cobalt substitution. The single-crystal Co-doped SnS2 grown by a self-flux method reveals a relatively high Curie temperature (TC) of ∼131 K with an in-plane magnetic easy axis and a large saturation magnetization of ∼0.65 emu g-1 for the 2 at. % Co concentration, which is two orders of magnitude larger than the previously reported value for transition-metal-doped SnS2. The average magnetic moment per Co atom, as high as 1.08 μB, is consistent with the calculated value based on density functional theory, i.e., 1 μB, indicating a negligible antiferromagnetic coupling between Co atoms. Magnetoresistance shows a change in sign from positive to negative, which further confirms the ferromagnetic order in Co-doped SnS2. Our s-p hybridized vdW layered SnS2 serves as a host semiconductor material to search for a suitable magnetic dopant with a high magnetic moment and room temperature TC for next-generation spintronics.11Nsciescopu
Rosenstein-Rodan and his time in Vienna
No full textABSTRACT The aim of the article is to understand the intellectual milieu of Rosenstein-Rodan’s academic training, as well as the context in which he wrote his first works and their content. To this end, the article outlines Vienna’s intellectual environment during Rosenstein-Rodan’s formative and early career years. Subsequently, the article addresses some of the works, collaborations, and research interests developed by the author in that period. Finally, it also explores his departure from the city in the midst of the rising anti-Semitism, the extensive emigration of his colleagues, and work and research opportunities abroad
Homozygous deletion of 21q22.2 in a patient with hypotonia, developmental delay, cortical visual impairment, and retinopathy
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N-Acetylcysteine Therapy in an Infant with Transaldolase Deficiency Is Well Tolerated and Associated with Normalization of Alpha Fetoprotein Levels
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