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The voice and role of communities, particularly their capacity to organise and resist, has been understudied in the specialised literature on illicit crops and largely ignored in policy debates. Based on ongoing research in Colombia, this policy paper explores the capacity of communities to organise and resist – as a manifestation of cultural and social capital – in the context of illicit economies. The paper argues that in the context of weak states, the effectiveness of drug policies could be enhanced by drawing upon and investing in communities’ organisational capacity and active local leadership to increase the non-monetary benefits of eradication and substitution. Acknowledging how resistance reflects the experiences of communities and responds to their different needs, the paper offers relevant insights for policy that can inform drug policy formulation in Colombia and similar contexts.

En este artículo exploramos los mecanismos en los cuales se fundamenta la capacidad de las comunidades para resistir de manera efectiva la influencia de los cultivos de uso ilícito o las condiciones que explican la mayor dotación de capital social, a partir de la experiencia en un Consejo Comunitario Afrocolombiano al sur del municipio de Buenaventura. Nuestro caso de estudio tiene varios antecedentes de resistencia comunitaria a las económicas ilícitas y ha sido particularmente efectivo en detener la expansión de cultivos de coca y minería ilegal en su territorio. Partiendo de datos y resultados recogidos en trabajos de campo previos, así como insumos adicionales a partir de entrevistas y discusiones con un líder de este Consejo y coautor del artículo, seguimos un método cualitativo de análisis temático para profundizar en los mecanismos que explican la resistencia efectiva. Identificamos tres condiciones que permiten explicar dicha resistencia: la complementariedad funcional entre las organizaciones de base, el ejercicio del liderazgo distribuido (o colectivo) y la influencia de liderazgos fundacionales. Estas condiciones no son fácilmente transferibles. Por lo tanto, la posibilidad de replicar la capacidad de resistencia comunitaria en otros contextos es limitada. No obstante, el caso brinda elementos que pueden ser útiles para comunidades y territorios en contextos similares.

Thin films of BaM hexaferrite (BaFe12O19) were grown on α-Al2O3(0001) substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy. Structural, magnetic, and magneto-optical properties were studied using medium-energy ion scattering, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, magneto-optical spectroscopy, and magnetometric techniques, and the dynamics of magnetization by ferromagnetic resonance method. It was shown that even a short time annealing drastically changes the structural and magnetic properties of films. Only annealed films demonstrate magnetic hysteresis loops in PMOKE and VSM experiments. The shape of hysteresis loops depends on thickness of films showing practically rectangular loops and high value of remnant magnetization (Mr/Ms~99%) for thin films (50 nm) and much broader and sloped loops in thick (350–500 nm) films. The magnitude of magnetization 4πMs ≈ 4.3 kG in thin films corresponds to that in bulk BaM hexaferrite. Photon energy and sign of bands in magneto-optical spectra of thin films correspond to ones observed earlier in bulk samples and films of BaM hexaferrite. FMR spectra of 50 nm films at 50 GHz consist of a number of narrow lines. The width of main line ΔH~20 Oe is lower than has been reported up to now.

We present a description of the recent advances in the development of the KORTES assembly—the first solar oriented mission designed for the Russian segment of the International Space Station. KORTES consists of several imaging and spectroscopic instruments collectively covering a wide spectral range extending from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths to X-rays. The EUV telescopes inside KORTES will trace the origin and dynamics of various solar phenomena, e.g., flares, CMEs, eruptions etc. EUV spectra provided by grazing-incidence spectroheliographs will enable precise DEM-diagnostics during these events. The monochromatic X-ray imager will observe the formation of hot plasma in active regions and outside them. The SolpeX module inside KORTES will offer an opportunity to measure fluxes, Doppler shifts and polarization of soft X-ray emission both in lines and continuum. SolpeX observations will contribute to studies of particle beams and chromospheric evaporation. The instrumentation of KORTES will employ a variety of novel multilayer and crystal optics. The deployment of KORTES is planned for 2024.

Background. Retina is the highest oxygen-demanding and vascularized tissue in the body. Retinal development and function require proper vascularization and blood vessel function and integrity. Dll4 is most prominently expressed in the endothelium of angiogenic blood vessels and in quiescent arteries and capillaries in all tissues and organs of the mammalian species, and it is the key regulator of blood vessel sprouting. Results. Dll4 is a transmembrane protein that acts as a ligand for Notch receptors 1 and 4. Genetic deletion of Dll4 causes severe abnormalities in embryonic and postnatal vascular development. Deletion of even a single Dll4 allele results in almost complete embryonic lethality due to severe vascular abnormalities, the phenomenon called haploinsufficiency indicating the critical role of Dll4/Notch in vascular development. Dll4/Notch pathway interplays at multiple levels with other signaling pathways including VEGF, Wnt/Fzd, and genes controlling vascular toning. Multiple studies of the effects of Dll4 inhibition were performed in the developing retina to elucidate the key functions of Dll4 in normal and pathological angiogenesis. Several genetic approaches and therapeutic molecules were tested to evaluate the biological and therapeutic effects of acute and prolonged Dll4 inhibition in the eye and oncology. Conclusions. All current studies demonstrated that Dll4 controls blood vessel sprouting, growth, and remodeling in normal and pathological conditions as well as arterial-venous differentiation. Genetic and therapeutic Dll4 modulation studies show that Dll4 inhibition can promote blood vessel sprouting and might be useful to stimulate vessel growth in the ischemic retina and Dll4 is the key modulator of the postangiogenic vascular remodeling that ultimately defines vascular patterning.