Chiaroscuro: the uses of ‘homophobia’ and homophobic violence in armed conflicts and political transitions

This research connects studies of gender and sexualities with studies of political conflicts, conflict resolution and democratisation, using two in-depth case studies (Colombia and South Africa). It explores the hypothesis that homophobia, or the set of hatreds bundled under that term, plays a fundamental role in the dispute for hegemony between antagonists during political transitions. The study shows how homophobia, as a form of gender and sexual violence, has both a constructive and deconstructive character in political transitions. It contributes to the transformation of gender and sexual orders required by warfare and deployed by armed groups. It also reinforces the creation of consensus around the projects of change implemented by them. From the perspective of individuals and their organisations such hatreds are part of the embodied experience of violence caused by protracted conflicts and social inequalities. In their struggles for dignity, such violence becomes a reason to mobilise and to transform themselves into political activists. This PhD research is important for theoretical, methodological and political reasons. Theoretically, it creates links between fields of study that have been developed separately from each other, reading concepts applied in one field with the lens of the other. Debates on ‘non-normative’ sexualities are useful in discussing normative concepts such as ‘conflict resolution’. Methodologically, the research analyses issues of documentation, memory and case construction that are of relevance in the field of human rights and gender in post-conflict reconstruction. In terms of political significance, this research is developed at a time in which discrimination against individuals and collectives, because of their sexual orientation and gender identities, is being increasingly recognised in the international arena. This research provides information that has not yet been collected and provides a systematic analysis useful for NGOs and state institutions

Design and Implementation of a Passive Neurostimulator with Wireless Resonance-Coupled Power Delivery and Demonstration on Frog Sciatic Nerve and Gastrocnemius Muscle

The thesis presented has four goals: to perform a comprehensive literature review on current neurostimulator technology; to outline the current issues with the state-of-the-art; to provide a neurostimulator design that solves these issues, and to characterize the design and demonstrate its neurostimulation features. The literature review describes the physiology of a neuron, and then proceeds to outline neural interfaces and neurostimulators. The neurostimulator design process is then outlined and current requirements in the field are described. The novel neurostimulator circuit that implements a solution that has wireless capability, passive control, and small size is outlined and characterized. The circuit is demonstrated to operate wirelessly with a resonance-coupled multi-channel implementation, and is shown powering LEDs. The circuit was then fabricated in a miniature implementation which utilized a 10 x 20 x 3 mm&179 antenna, and occupied a volume approximating 1 cm&179. This miniature circuit is used to stimulate frog sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius muscle in vitro. These demonstrations and characterization show the device is capable of neurostimulation, can operate wirelessly, is controlled passively, and can be implemented in a small size, thus solving the aforementioned neurostimulator requirements. Further work in this area is focused on developing an extensive characterization of the device and the wireless power delivery system, optimizing the circuit design, and performing in vivo experiments with restoration of motor control in injured animals. This device shows promise to provide a comprehensive solution to many application-specific problems in neurostimulation, and be a modular addition to larger neural interface systems

Neurostimulator with Waveforms Inspired by Nature for Wearable Electro-Acupuncture

The work presented here has 3 goals: establish the need for novel neurostimulation waveform solutions through a literature review, develop a neurostimulation pulse generator, and verify the operation of the device for neurostimulation applications. The literature review discusses the importance of stimulation waveforms on the outcomes of neurostimulation, and proposes new directions for neurostimulation research that would help in improving the reproducibility and comparability between studies. The pulse generator circuit is then described that generates signals inspired by the shape of excitatory or inhibitory post-synaptic potentials (EPSP, IPSP). The circuit analytical equations are presented, and the effects of the circuit design components are discussed. The circuit is also analyzed with a capacitive load using a simplified Randles model to represent the electrode-electrolyte interface, and the output is measured in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution as the load with acupuncture needles as electrodes. The circuit is designed to be used in different types of neurostimulators depending on the needs of the application, and to study the effects of varying neurostimulation waveforms. The circuit is used to develop a remote-controlled wearable veterinary electro-acupuncture machine. The device has a small form-factor and 3D printed enclosure, and has a weight of 75 g with leads attached. The device is powered by a 500 mAh lithium polymer battery, and was tested to last 6 hours. The device is tested in an electro-acupuncture animal study on cats performed at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, where it showed expected electro-acupuncture effects. Then, a 2-channel implementation of the device is presented, and tested to show independent output amplitude, frequency, and stimulation duration per channel. Finally, the software and hardware requirements for control of the wearable veterinary electro-acupuncture machine are detailed. The number of output channels is limited to the number of hardware PWM timers available for use. The Arduino software implements PWM control for the output amplitude and frequency. The stimulation duration control is provided using software timers. The communications protocol between the microcontroller board and Android App are described, and communications are performed via Bluetooth

A validated clinical approach for the management of aspergillosis in critically ill patients: ready, steady, go!

The clinical relevance of recovering Aspergillus species in intensive care unit patients is unknown. Diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is extremely difficult because there are no specific tests sensitive enough to detect it. The rapidly fatal prognosis of this infection without treatment justifies early antifungal therapy. A clinical algorithm may aid clinicians to manage critically ill patients from whose respiratory specimens Aspergillus spp. have been isolated. This new tool needs to be validated in a large cohort of patients before it can be recommended

Evaluación de la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud de personas que viven con VIH/SIDA, que asisten a la UNidad de Atención Integral )clínica 12) del Hospital Nacional Juan José Ortega de Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango.

Abstract Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) is a multidimensional concept, which has been used as an outcome measure in of medical interventions, treatment and care. In the Integrated Care Unit (clinic12) of “Juan José Ortega” National Hospital there are no studies regarding the HRQOL. The present study objective was to evaluate the HRQOL of people living with HIV/AIDS in Guatemala, and the influence of socio-demographic and, clinical variables, and the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), on the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire for HIV brief version (WHOQOL-HIV BREF) scores. A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 128 people with HIV/AIDS. The HRQOL was measured using the WHOQOL-HIV BREF instrument. The description was performed by using measures of central tendency, dispersion and relative frequency (percentages). Normality was assessed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro Wilk tests, the comparison of variables was performed with parametric and nonparametric tests, and the reliability was assessed with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Domains with a higher score were spirituality/religion/beliefs (16.0 + 3.4), physical (15.6 + 2.9), level of independence (15.1 + 2.9) and psychological (14.1 + 3.0). Social relationships (13.3 + 3.3) and environment (13.0 + 2.6) had a low score. There is a statistically significant association (p<0.05) between the socioeconomic status and the physical, psychological, level of independence, social relationships and environment. The confidence interval was from 0.62 to 0.75. Overall these scores relate an acceptable HRQOL. Socioeconomic status influences almost all the components of the questionnaire. Scores are stable between the different elements of the questionnaire. Key words:HIV/AIDS; WHOQOL-BREF; Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL); Integrated Care Unit (Clinic 12); Juan José Ortega National Hospital.                                     Resumen La Calidad de Vida Relacionada con la Salud (CVRS) es un concepto multidimensional, que se ha utilizado como medida de resultado en intervenciones, tratamientos y cuidados médicos. En la Unidad de Atención Integral (clínica 12) del Hospital Nacional Juan José Ortega, no se han realizado estudios sobre CVRS. El objetivo fue evaluar la CVRS de personas que viven con VIH/SIDA y la influencia de las variables socio-demográficas, clínico-epidemiológicas y del tratamiento antirretroviral de gran actividad (TARGA); sobre las puntuaciones del cuestionario WHOQOL-HIV BREF. Se utilizó un diseño de estudio transversal analítico en una muestra de 128 personas con VIH/SIDA. La CVRS se midió por medio del instrumento WHOQOL-HIV BREF. La descripción se realizó con medidas de tendencia central, dispersión y frecuencias porcentuales. La normalidad se determinó con el test de Kolmogorov-Smirnov y Shapiro Wilk, la comparación de variables se realizó con pruebas paramétricas y no paramétricas, la confiabilidad se evaluó con Alfa de Crombach. Los dominios con una puntuación mayor fueron espiritualidad/religión/creencias (16.0 + 3.4), salud física (15.6 + 2.9), nivel de independencia (15.1 + 2.9) y salud psicológica (14.1 + 3.0). Las relaciones sociales (13.3 + 3.3) y ambiente (13.0 + 2.6), tuvieron una puntuación baja. Existe una asociación estadísticamente significativa (p<0.05) entre nivel socioeconómico con salud física, salud psicológica, nivel de independencia, relaciones sociales y ambiente. El rango de confiabilidad fue de 0.62 a 0.75. En general estas puntuaciones refieren una CVRS aceptable. El nivel socioeconómico influye en casi todos los componentes del cuestionario. Las puntuaciones son estables entre los diferentes elementos que componen el cuestionario.  

Metabolomics profiling of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) F1 population to characterize flavour and nutritional traits

The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) is a highly consumed fruit known for its delicate flavour and nutritional characteristics. However, as fruit quality attributes have been lost after years of traditional breeding, new technological tools, such as high throughput metabolomics, are necessary for the identification of factors responsible of these traits. Here we present the metabolomics profiling for the content of primary and secondary metabolites of a 95 F1 individuals strawberry population derived from genotype “1392”, selected for its superior flavour, and “232” (Zorrilla-Fontanesi et al., 2011; Zorrilla-Fontanesi et al., 2012). Metabolite profiling was performed on mature fruits of the strawberry population using gas chromatography hyphenated to time-of-flight mass spectrometry for primary metabolites and ultra performance liquid chromatography Exactive Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry for secondary metabolites.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Isotope Effect of Tritium in the Acid Hydrolysis of Methyl P-methyl-t-benzoate

Chemistr

Identificación de peligros, evaluación y control de riesgos en la sección de maestranza y el sistema de gestión de seguridad y salud en el trabajo de la empresa agraria azucarera Andahuasi S.A.A.

Objetivo: Determinar la relación entre la identificación de peligros, evaluación y control de riesgos en Maestranza y el Sistema de Gestión de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo, de la Empresa Agraria Azucarera Andahuasi S.A.A. Materiales y métodos: Las capacitaciones y actividades lúdicas personalizadas o por grupos específicos según la labor desempeñada, fueron métodos de trabajo necesarios para lograr la eficacia de la formación impartida Resultados. Los resultados, obtenidos permiten cimentar el despegue de logros hacia mejores indicadores de gestión de seguridad y salud ocupacional, en la sección de Maestranza de la Empresa Andahuasi S.A.A. Conclusiones. En el aspecto técnico y en las máquinas críticas como tornos, fresas y taladros, se convertían en sus herramientas de corte. En el aspecto anterior, se resuelve, inspeccionando frecuentemente estas partes, para prevención y/o desarrollo de correctivos. La detección de riesgos, se ha logrado establecer con el panorama de riesgos (Método Fine); por lo que ha permitido consolidar un Programa de Seguridad y Salud Laboral; en Maestranza y Reformulación del Comité de S.S.T