AIDS activism, stigma and violence: A literature review.

yesThis paper provides an overview of the literature on AIDS activism, stigma, and violence. The literature on AIDS activism, stigma and violence discussed suggests that the physical, emotional and social violence that AIDS as a disease, and stigma as a social construct tied to that disease, can be turned into an empowering experience that joins HIV positive people in productive and constructive networks, that this empowerment fundamentally changes one¿s identity, and that such disease-based identities are reshaping notions of citizenship around the globe. This hypothesis is built, however, on theory and on experiences in a) richer countries with a completely different epidemiology than that of sub-Saharan Africa, b) a highly politicised and activist country such as South Africa, and on c) initial ethnographic evidence from West African countries. Although this seems enough evidence to tentatively observe a trend, we need far more evidence from diverse contexts if this transformative potential is to be explored to the full. The paper concludes by drawing out a research agenda

Precarious future: Community volunteers and HIV/AIDS in a Tanzanian roadside town.

yesThis study focuses on a widely promoted belief that community-driven and community-based interventions for development are not only cost-effective, but also just and democratic. In particular, this study examines community-based initiatives with regard to HIV/AIDS in one Tanzanian roadside town. The interventions I discuss suggest that increased community participation does not automatically lead to more equitable access to services, to the empowerment of the poor, or even to the planned service delivery at all. Dependence on local volunteers with multiple motives and interests can hamper the relationship between provider and beneficiary. A concern for minimal state involvement and maximum decentralisation can easily lead to institutional abandonment, and trust in an undefined `community¿ can prevent rather than encourage coordination at community-level. As I discuss below, such factors can result not only in a service not being delivered, but can also readily lead to increased local conflict over scarce resources, increasing unfulfilled expectations, affirmation of inequalities, and government neglect. In the absence of a strong institutional framework such as the state, community structures and social relationships ¿ unquantifiable and often particular to specific locations ¿ seem central to the functioning of community-based development interventions, including those of AIDS related prevention and care.DfI

Spatial moment analysis of transport of nonlinearly absorbing pesticides using analytical approximations

Analytical approximations were derived for solute transport of pesticides subject to Freundlich sorption, and first-order degradation restricted to the liquid phase. Solute transport was based on the convection-dispersion equation (CDE) assuming steady flow. The center of mass (first spatial moment) was approximated both for a non-degraded solute pulse and for a pulse degraded in the liquid phase. The remaining mass (zeroth spatial moment) of a linearly sorbing solute degraded in the liquid phase was found to be a function of only the center of mass (first spatial moment) and the Damköhler number (i.e., the product of degradation rate coefficient and dispersivity divided by flow velocity). This relationship between the zeroth and first spatial moments was shown to apply to nonlinearly sorbing pulses as well. The mass fraction leached of a pesticide subject to Freundlich sorption and first-order degradation in the solution phase only was found to be a function of the Damköhler number and of the dispersivity, so independent of sorption. Hence perceptions of the effects of sorption on pesticide leaching should be reconsidered. These conclusions equally hold for other micropollutants that degrade in the solution phase onl

Cold collisions of alkali atoms in a laser field

+134hlm.;24c

Neutrality: a cornerstone of facilitation practice?

There is a growing need for sustainability transitions in the world. Inclusive environmental governance could be a tool to enable these and is therefore getting increasingly popular. The use of stakeholder and citizen dialogues is recognized to be fundamental to strategies for inclusive environmental governance. Here, facilitators come in to elicit equitable and effective dialogues through structuring diverging interests and thoughts together with the participants. Facilitators hold a special place in the process and several scholars identified tensions that the facilitator consequently faces within the practice. To enable the desired dialogue, they must be able to switch smoothly between different roles; On the one hand, the responsibility for a fair process and, on the other hand, ensuring that the values of the participants are sufficiently acknowledged in the dialogue. There is a common understanding about that a facilitator should be neutral, while at the same time actively making sure that all parties get to have a voice in the process. This causes for tensions in the identities of the facilitators. The potential of facilitation is in the effective representation of resource users’ interests in the deliberative process which in turn can contribute to more equitable decisions on resource allocation, access and management rights. Though, the confusion about neutrality tends to make it more difficult to fulfil this potential. The role of neutrality seems to be underexplored in studies on facilitation practice. This thesis research dives deeper into notions about neutrality that underpin facilitation practice and therefore addresses the research question: How is the concept of neutrality used in the practice of facilitation for sustainability dialogues? This research contributes to the practice by deconstructing the use of the concept of neutrality within facilitation practice for sustainability dialogue and further uncovering tensions with regards to neutrality. Drawing on an interpretative approach, a frame analysis has been carried out on facilitator identities through facilitation guidance documents and interview data from experienced facilitators active in the field. The analysis revealed four identity frames connected to neutrality, namely the facilitator as mediator, the facilitator as transparent practitioner, the facilitator as value-neutral expert and the facilitator as a multi-partial process guide. Further analysis of underlying ideas and assumptions underpins the conclusion that neutrality is a central concept in facilitation practice. The findings show that two identity frames subscribe to and use neutrality when facilitators explain who they are, namely that of the mediator and that of the value-neutral expert. Contrarily, in the other two identity frames, that of the transparent practitioner and that of the multi-partial process guide, facilitators distinguish their identities by contrasting what they want to be, with neutrality. The value in this thesis lies in its potential for the findings to be used by facilitators as a language for reflection and explaining choices. If facilitators were to use the findings in clarifying processes and establishing trust, this in turn may lead to more equitable decisions