Associated dependent cooperation. Asymmetric strategic relations between Colombia and the United States

La “exportación” de la seguridad se ha convertido en pieza central de la política exterior de Colombia. Si bien la cooperación prestada por el país a terceros obedece a una estrategia propia de proyección regional e internacional, buena parte de ella es producto de la triangulación con Estados Unidos. El objetivo principal de este artículo es interrogar críticamente este nuevo modelo de interacción bilateral a la luz de la literatura conceptual sobre las relaciones internacionales asimétricas, que gravita en torno a los grados de dependencia, sometimiento, penetración, reciprocidad y autonomía que existen entre Estados con diferencias marcadas de poder. Argumentamos que en situaciones caracterizadas por la asimetría, un comportamiento más autónomo del país débil no necesariamente riñe con ser dependiente del fuerte. Sin embargo, el artículo concluye que la “cooperación dependiente asociada” entre Colombia y Estados Unidos, que parece configurar una relación bilateral más estratégica y de menor subordinación, no está exenta de contradicciones.The “exportation” of security has become a core component of Colombia’s foreign policy. Although the cooperation provided for third parties is a result of the country’s strategy to increase its own regional and international visibility, much of it is the result of triangulation with the United States. The main objective of the article is to critically question this new model of bilateral interaction in light of the conceptual literature on asymmetrical international relations, which gravitates around the degrees of dependency, submission, penetration, reciprocity and autonomy that exist between states with marked power differentials. We argue that in situations characterized by asymmetry, a more autonomous form of behavior on the part of the weak country does not necessarily clash with being dependent on the strong one. However, the article concludes that the “associated dependent cooperation” that exists between Colombia and the United States, although it seems to configure a more strategic and less subordinate bilateral relationship, is not free of contradictions.A “exportação” da segurança se converteu em peça-chave da política exterior da Colômbia. Embora a cooperação prestada pelo país a terceiros obedeça a uma estratégia de projeção regional e internacional, boa parte dela é produto da triangulação com os Estados Unidos. O objetivo principal deste artigo é interrogar criticamente esse novo modelo de interação bilateral à luz da literatura conceitual sobre as relações internacionais assimétricas, que gira em torno dos graus de dependência, submissão, penetração, reciprocidade e autonomia que existem entre os Estados com diferenças marcadas de poder. Argumentamos que, em situações caracterizadas pela assimetria, um comportamento mais autônomo do país débil não necessariamente se contrapõe com ser dependente do forte. Contudo, o artigo conclui que a “cooperação dependente associada” entre a Colômbia e os Estados Unidos, que parece configurar uma relação bilateral mais estratégica e de menor subordinação, não está isenta de contradições

The Air that we Breathe: Neutral and volatile PFAS in Indoor Air

Sources of exposure to per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) include food, water, and, given that humans spend typically 90% of their time indoors, air and dust. Quantifying PFAS that are prevalent indoors, such as neutral, volatile PFAS, and estimating their exposure risk to humans are thus important. To accurately measure these compounds indoors, polyethylene (PE) sheets were employed and validated as passive detection tools and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Air concentrations were compared to dust and carpet concentrations reported elsewhere. Partitioning between PE sheets of different thicknesses suggested that interactions of the PEs with the compounds are occurring by absorption. Volatile PFAS, specifically fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), were ubiquitous in indoor environments. For example, in carpeted Californian kindergarten classrooms, 6:2 FTOH dominated with concentrations ranging from 9 to 600 ng m–3, followed by 8:2 FTOH. Concentrations of volatile PFAS from air, carpet, and dust were closely related to each other, indicating that carpets and dust are major sources of FTOHs in air. Nonetheless, air posed the largest exposure risk of FTOHs and biotransformed perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAA) in young children. This research highlights inhalation of indoor air as an important exposure pathway and the need for further reduction of precursors to PFAA

Quality control of an ophthalmic solution commercialized in Costa Rica macrobiotics that claim to contain natural raw materials

Justificación y objetivo: El Reglamento Técnico Centroamericano (RTCA) 11.03.64:11 (Productos Farmacéuticos. Productos Naturales Medicinales para Uso Humano. Registro Sanitario) especifica que los colirios no se pueden registrar como productos naturales. Se buscó determinar el cumplimiento de los requisitos de calidad, según la Farmacopea de los Estados Unidos (USP) 38 y el RTCA 11.04.41:06, de un colirio comercializado en las macrobióticas de Costa Rica que declara contener materias primas naturales. Métodos: Se evaluaron los requisitos de etiquetado de acuerdo al RTCA 11.04.41:06. También se realizaron las pruebas establecidas en la USP 38 para la determinación de pH, osmolaridad y esterilidad. Además, se llevó a cabo una prueba de conductividad, para el colirio contenido en cada uno de los frascos, a los cuales se les determinó el pH, la osmolaridad y la tinción de Gram a los medios de cultivo empleados para la prueba de esterilidad. Resultados: El colirio cumplió 7 de los 23 rubros de etiquetado evaluados. Para las pruebas de pH y osmolaridad se obtuvieron valores promedio de 6,86 y 0 mOsm/L, respectivamente. El ensayo de conductividad exhibió un valor de 81,8 µS/cm, similar al agua potable (82,4 µS/cm). En la prueba de esterilidad, se observó crecimiento bacteriano en los medios de cultivo de tioglicolato y caseína-soya. Al realizar la tinción de Gram a ambos medios, se reconoció la presencia de bacilos Gram negativos. Conclusión: El colirio no cumple con los requisitos establecidos en el RTCA (etiquetado) y la USP 38 (osmolaridad y esterilidad). Por tal razón, no debe ser comercializado, ni aplicado en seres humanos.Aim: The Central American Technical Regulation (RTCA, for its Spanish acronym) 11.03.64:11 (Pharmaceutical Products. Natural Medicinal Products for Human Use. Sanitary Registry) specifies that ophthalmic solutions can not be registered as natural products. To determine the compliance with quality requirements according to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) 38 and the RTCA 11.04.41:06 of an ophthalmic solution commercialized in Costa Rican macrobiotics that claim to contain natural raw materials. Methods: The eye drops labeling requirements were evaluated according to the RTCA 11.04.41:06. On the same hand, the assays described in the USP 38 for determination of pH, osmolarity and sterility were performed. In addition, a conductivity test for the ophthalmic solution contained in each of the flasks to which the pH and osmolarity were determined, and Gram stain to the culture media used for the sterility test were carried out. Results: The ophthalmic solution fulfilled 7 out of the 23 items of labeling evaluated. For pH and osmolarity tests, mean values of 6,86 and 0 mOsm/L were obtained, respectively. The conductivity test exhibited a value of 81,8 µS/cm, similar to drinking water (82,4 µS/cm). In the sterility test, bacterial growth was observed in the thioglycollate and soybean casein mediums. When performing the Gram staining to both mediums, the presence of Gram negative bacteria was recognized. Conclusion: The ophthalmic solution does not meet the requirements of the RTCA (labelling) and the USP 38 (osmolarity and sterility). Hence, it should not be commercialized, nor applied in humans.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Farmaci

Turismo y Género. Una mirada desde Iberoamérica

En las últimas cuatro décadas ha crecido el interés de la academia, gobiernos y organizaciones internacionales por estudiar cómo ha sido, en qué circunstancias y qué efectos ha traído la incorporación de las mujeres al turismo. De esta forma se inicia un debate internacional en el que se cuestionan, por un lado, los efectos negativos de esta actividad en la vida de las mujeres y, por el otro, se realzan beneficios económicos que mejoran su calidad de vida y la de sus familias. A pesar del interés y la importante participación de mujeres en el sector turístico, aún son insuficientes los estudios enfocados en explicar y evidenciar su situación laboral. En este contexto, surge la idea de publicar un libro que compilara trabajos recientes en torno a las condiciones de las trabajadoras en el sector turístico de Iberoamérica.Esta obra se compone de tres secciones, Aproximaciones teórico metodológicas, Mujer y turismo en zonas rurales y La mujer en empresas turísticas, cuyas investigaciones abordan distintos temas para evidenciar los problemas enfrentados por las mujeres, proponer diversas soluciones y comprender su escenario laboral. En la primera sección, hay dos capítulos que proponen marcos teóricos para analizar el empoderamiento de las mujeres en el turismo rural. Los resultados de investigaciones de la segunda sección visibilizan las desigualdades, reflexionan y proponen acciones para mejorar las condiciones de las trabajadoras turísticas. En la última, en los tres capítulos, concentrados en las actividades empresariales, se estudian las desventajas y obstáculos de la empleada en alguna compañía turística.Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Cooperación dependiente asociada. Relaciones estratégicas asimétricas entre Colombia y Estados Unidos

The "exportation" of security has become a core component of Colombia’s foreign policy. Although the cooperation provided for third parties is a result of the country’s strategy to increase its own regional and international visibility, much of it is the result of triangulation with the United States. The main objective of the article is to critically question this new model of bilateral interaction in light of the conceptual literature on asymmetrical international relations, which gravitates around the degrees of dependency, submission, penetration, reciprocity and autonomy that exist between states with marked power differentials. We argue that in situations characterized by asymmetry, a more autonomous form of behavior on the part of the weak country does not necessarily clash with being dependent on the strong one. However, the article concludes that the "associated dependent cooperation" that exists between Colombia and the United States, although it seems to configure a more strategic and less subordinate bilateral relationship, is not free of contradictions.A "exportação" da segurança se converteu em peça-chave da política exterior da Colômbia. Embora a cooperação prestada pelo país a terceiros obedeça a uma estratégia de projeção regional e internacional, boa parte dela é produto da triangulação com os Estados Unidos. O objetivo principal deste artigo é interrogar criticamente esse novo modelo de interação bilateral À luz da literatura conceitual sobre as relações internacionais assimétricas, que gira em torno dos graus de dependência, submissão, penetração, reciprocidade e autonomia que existem entre os Estados com diferenças marcadas de poder. Argumentamos que, em situações caracterizadas pela assimetria, um comportamento mais autônomo do país débil não necessariamente se contrapõe com ser dependente do forte. Contudo, o artigo conclui que a "cooperação dependente associada" entre a Colômbia e os Estados Unidos, que parece configurar uma relação bilateral mais estratégica e de menor subordinação, não está isenta de contradições.La "exportación" de la seguridad se ha convertido en pieza central de la política exterior de Colombia. Si bien la cooperación prestada por el país a terceros obedece a una estrategia propia de proyección regional e internacional, buena parte de ella es producto de la triangulación con Estados Unidos. El objetivo principal de este artículo es interrogar críticamente este nuevo modelo de interacción bilateral a la luz de la literatura conceptual sobre las relaciones internacionales asimétricas, que gravita en torno a los grados de dependencia, sometimiento, penetración, reciprocidad y autonomía que existen entre Estados con diferencias marcadas de poder. Argumentamos que en situaciones caracterizadas por la asimetría, un comportamiento más autónomo del país débil no necesariamente riñe con ser dependiente del fuerte. Sin embargo, el artículo concluye que la "cooperación dependiente asociada" entre Colombia y Estados Unidos, que parece configurar una relación bilateral más estratégica y de menor subordinación, no está exenta de contradicciones

Associated dependent cooperation. Asymmetric strategic relations between Colombia and the United States

La “exportación” de la seguridad se ha convertido en pieza central de la política exterior de Colombia. Si bien la cooperación prestada por el país a terceros obedece a una estrategia propia de proyección regional e internacional, buena parte de ella es producto de la triangulación con Estados Unidos. El objetivo principal de este artículo es interrogar críticamente este nuevo modelo de interacción bilateral a la luz de la literatura conceptual sobre las relaciones internacionales asimétricas, que gravita en torno a los grados de dependencia, sometimiento, penetración, reciprocidad y autonomía que existen entre Estados con diferencias marcadas de poder. Argumentamos que en situaciones caracterizadas por la asimetría, un comportamiento más autónomo del país débil no necesariamente riñe con ser dependiente del fuerte. Sin embargo, el artículo concluye que la “cooperación dependiente asociada” entre Colombia y Estados Unidos, que parece configurar una relación bilateral más estratégica y de menor subordinación, no está exenta de contradicciones.The “exportation” of security has become a core component of Colombia’s foreign policy. Although the cooperation provided for third parties is a result of the country’s strategy to increase its own regional and international visibility, much of it is the result of triangulation with the United States. The main objective of the article is to critically question this new model of bilateral interaction in light of the conceptual literature on asymmetrical international relations, which gravitates around the degrees of dependency, submission, penetration, reciprocity and autonomy that exist between states with marked power differentials. We argue that in situations characterized by asymmetry, a more autonomous form of behavior on the part of the weak country does not necessarily clash with being dependent on the strong one. However, the article concludes that the “associated dependent cooperation” that exists between Colombia and the United States, although it seems to configure a more strategic and less subordinate bilateral relationship, is not free of contradictions.A “exportação” da segurança se converteu em peça-chave da política exterior da Colômbia. Embora a cooperação prestada pelo país a terceiros obedeça a uma estratégia de projeção regional e internacional, boa parte dela é produto da triangulação com os Estados Unidos. O objetivo principal deste artigo é interrogar criticamente esse novo modelo de interação bilateral à luz da literatura conceitual sobre as relações internacionais assimétricas, que gira em torno dos graus de dependência, submissão, penetração, reciprocidade e autonomia que existem entre os Estados com diferenças marcadas de poder. Argumentamos que, em situações caracterizadas pela assimetria, um comportamento mais autônomo do país débil não necessariamente se contrapõe com ser dependente do forte. Contudo, o artigo conclui que a “cooperação dependente associada” entre a Colômbia e os Estados Unidos, que parece configurar uma relação bilateral mais estratégica e de menor subordinação, não está isenta de contradições

Narrating the “Success Story”: Colombia's Foreign Policy and Security Expertise

En el 2007, un reporte del Centro de Estudios Estratégicos e Internacionales (CSIS, por su sigla en inglés) llamó la atención sobre los que, para propósitos prácticos, no era menos que un milagro. Colombia había “vuelto del abismo” se sobreponía a las predicciones apocalípticas del colapso estatal y la anarquía doméstica de solo unos años antes, cuando una serie de factores convergieron para crear la tormenta perfecta(DeShazo, Primiani y McLean 2007): A mediados de 1990, la violencia política había empeorado a medidaque los actores armados no estatales, las guerrillas y los paramilitares, aumentaban su tamaño, presencia territorial y poderío militar. Esto debido en gran medida a la transformación del narcotráfico y su entrelazamiento con el conflicto armado. Mientras que las Fuerzas ArmadasRevolucionariasde Colombia (FARC) alcanzaban control sobre áreas clave de la producción de coca y asestaban humillantes derrotas a las Fuerzas Armadas, el grupo paramilitar, las Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), conducían una brutal campaña contra las guerrillas , en la que los supuestos simpatizantes civiles también sufrían las consecuencias