Indigenous Self-Determination in Health in Guatemala: Lessons from Chile and Canada Title: Indigenous Self-Determination in Health in Guatemala: Lessons from Chile and Canada Examining Committee

Abstract As a response to the poor health conditions that indigenous people experience worldwide, indigenous groups in many countries have demanded increased autonomy and control over health care in hopes of developing more accessible and responsive health services. The purpose of this work is to explore factors required for selfdetermining indigenous health systems, and consider whether these would work in Guatemala. To accomplish this, a review of the literature was conducted and two examples of indigenous self-determination in health from Chile (Makewe Hospital) and Canada (NAN's Crisis Teams) were selected. The formation and implementation process of these initiatives was analysed to identify factors that enable indigenous selfdetermination in health. Factors that would be feasible to replicate in Guatemala include strong community involvement in organizing health care, revalorization and revitalization of indigenous knowledge and culture, leadership capacity, flexibility, and integration of Western and traditional medical systems

MultiNet: An interactive program for analysing and visualizing complex networks

MultiNet is a Windows-based computer program designed for exploratory data analysis of social and other networks. MultiNet is highly interactive and always provides both textual and visual representations of results. The visualizations are innovative in the use of colour and interaction, and some are unique to MultiNet. MultiNet was designed from the beginning to handle large amounts of data, and uses compact data formats, special storage schemes, and calculation methods that are highly efficient in terms of both space and time. MultiNet was also designed to handle large numbers of variables, both attribute (node) and network (link); it allows easy construction of new variables of either type by means of various operations on existing ones. Hybrid variables are easily constructed: node variables derived fiom networks; link variables derived fiom attributes. These capabilities provide crucial links among other parts of the program. The application of spectral methods to large, sparse networks is both the theoretical and practical centre of the research and development that has gone into MultiNet. Spectral methods provide analytic visualizations of network data: pictures that not only provide understanding, but that provide numerical values that can be used in further analysis. The results of the spectral methods, as well as other attribute and network data, are used together with simple, standard statistical methods such as cross-tabulations, analysis of variance and correlations for testing hypotheses about relationships among the data. MultiNet provides unique methods that allow attributes and networks to be freely mixed in such analyses, and presents results in both textual and interactive visualizations that include two or three discrete or continuous variables. The largest part of this thesis consists of descriptions of the seven main MultiNet program modules. Supplementary sections describe the theoretical background for spectral analysis and provide specific examples of spectral analysis, including a peer-reviewed, published paper that uses most of the parts of MultiNet together. In addition, a separate CDROM provides a working version ofthe program, electronic documentation, sample datasets, software aids and videos showing how the program is used

Examining Committee: Date Approved

ii Clothes and fashion open a secondary i.e. non-verbal communication channel that allows individuals to make connections with each other. Our work proposes the concept of Digital Fashion, which uses technology to connect people in close proximity by enhancing a visual secondary communication channel. Non-private profile information known as shared knowledge is communicated via an online poll system that activates poll questions periodically. Our Digital Fashion implementation utilizes a handheld computer connected to a wireless radio network to drive a public wearable display worn on the user’s body. The wearable display system consists of flexible electroluminescent wire and a light controller responsive to wireless communications. Shared knowledge is stored as answers to poll questions. As poll questions become active, the wearable display changes colours to reflect the wearers ’ answer to the active poll question. Several user studies were conducted to evaluate this technology with data from field observations, questionnaires and interviews. The results from our user studies revealed that technology could play a useful role within social settings if designed appropriately. We found the choice of fashion as a secondary communication channel very appropriate because of its unobtrusiveness. Our system did not appear to hinder interactions but rather helped to create richer social interactions. ii