Food Aid Targeting in Ethiopia: An Ethnographic Study of the Early Warning System in the North-Western Zones of the Amhara Regional State

This article examines the politics of food security through the prism of a measurement tool, called the Early Warning System (EWS). Like statistics, the EWS is both a tool for gathering information and a means of controlling the population (Desrosieres 2002). In Ethiopia, the recurrence of famines has often led to political upheaval (Pankhurst 1990) and food security remains a key priority, as the Ethiopian government is still dependent on international food aid (Lautze et al. 2009). Beyond t..

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy ameliorates osteonecrosis in patients by modulating inflammation and oxidative stress

Early stages of avascular necrosis of the femoral head (AVNFH) can be conservatively treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). This study investigated how HBOT modulates inflammatory markers and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in patients with AVNFH. Twenty-three male patients were treated with two cycles of HBOT, 30 sessions each with a 30 days break between cycles. Each session consisted of 90 minutes of 100% inspired oxygen at 2.5 absolute atmospheres of pressure. Plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alfa (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and ROS production were measured before treatment (T0), after 15 and 30 HBOT sessions (T1 and T2), after the 30-day break (T3), and after 60 sessions (T4). Results showed a significant reduction in TNF-α and IL-6 plasma levels over time. This decrease in inflammatory markers mirrored observed reductions in bone marrow edema and reductions in patient self-reported pain

Pulse modulation

Presented on November 7, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. in the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, room 236.Aaron Enten is a PhD student in Bioengineering at Georgia Tech.Runtime: 03:02 minute

Les systèmes d'alerte précoce (SAP) en Éthiopie comme jeux d'acteurs, de normes et d'échelles: Fabrique et usage des chiffres de l’aide alimentaire en Éthiopie (2002/2004 et 2016)

Early Warning Systems (EWS) are food security assessment devices that quantify the need of food aid for humanitarian and government decision-makers in the targeting of emergency food aid through quantified and mapped analyzes. Analyzed through the sociological prism, the EWS is a blurr « system of expertise » stabilizing institutional consensus in uncertain environments, thanks to its investment of quantified and mapped form. The thesis is based on the central hypothesis that the Ethiopian EWS participates in strategies of extraversion of the international aid by the State Party, reinforcing its capacities of control and supervision of the populations and the administration. This hypothesis is verified through analyzes of experts in charge of targeting aid, acting as development brokers located at multiple institutional interfaces - through their professional, practical and social norms, and following different steps from micro to macro scales of the device. We shall first recall how the technical-scientific register of EWS derives from the technical and apolitical representations of famines and the evolution of the international food aid regime. A first ethnographic exploration of the practice of agents reveals that these norms are a hybridization between humanitarian norms and bureaucratic norms. We will study these norms separately through sociological, anthropological and historical analyzes, highlighting how the technical register makes possible to aggregate these two universes, hidding political dimensions. An ethnographic study detailing the sets of norms will show how their articulation by the agents, along the hierarchical scales, is presided over by empiricism and negotiation, adjusting the margins of maneuver to the kadre of the Party, to discreetly influence the results and the target of aid. At the village level, we will see how the targeting of aid reinforces the supervision and control of the populations by the kadre. Finally, we will return to the methodological stakes of the field investigations conducted by a former humanitarian.Les Systèmes d’alerte précoce (SAP) sont des dispositifs d’évaluation de la sécurité alimentaire permettant de guider les décideurs humanitaires et gouvernementaux dans le ciblage de l’aide alimentaire d’urgence, grâce à des analyses quantifiées et cartographiées. Analysé au travers du prisme sociologique, le SAP est lu comme un système expert flou permettant de stabiliser des consensus institutionnels dans des environnements incertains, grâce à son investissement de forme chiffré et cartographié. La thèse est articulée autour de l’hypothèse centrale que le SAP éthiopien participe aux stratégies d’extraversion de l’aide internationale par l’État-Parti, renforçant ses capacités de contrôle et d’encadrement des populations et de l’administration. Cette hypothèse est vérifiée au travers d’analyses de jeux d’acteurs – les experts en charge du ciblage de l’aide, agissant comme des courtiers de développement situés aux interfaces institutionnelles multiples – , au travers des normes professionnelles, pratiques et sociales mobilisées lors des exercices d’évaluation, et des jeux d’échelles passant du micro au macro. Une première partie démontre comment le registre technico-scientifique du SAP découle des représentations techniques et apolitiques des famines et de l’évolution du régime de l’aide alimentaire internationale. L’exploration ethnographique de la pratique des agents révèle que les normes officielles du SAP éthiopien relèvent d’une hybridation entre des normes humanitaires et des normes de la bureaucratie éthiopienne. Les généalogies des normes humanitaires et de la bureaucratie éthiopiennes conduites au travers d’analyses sociologiques, anthropologiques et historiques, mettent en exergue comment le registre technique permet d’agréger ces deux mondes institutionnels, en occultant toute dimension politique. Un retour ethnographique détaillant les jeux de normes montre comment leur articulation par les agents, le long des échelles de la hiérarchie, est présidée par l’empirisme et la négociation, aménageant les marges de manœuvre aux kadre du Parti, pour influer discrètement sur les résultats et le ciblage de l’aide. À l’échelle villageoise, nous verrons comment le ciblage de l’aide renforce l’encadrement et le contrôle des populations par les kadre. Enfin, nous reviendrons sur les enjeux méthodologiques des enquêtes de terrain conduites par un ancien humanitaire

LES SYSTÈMES D’ALERTE PRÉCOCE (SAP) EN ÉTHIOPIE COMME JEUX D’ACTEURS, DE NORMES ET D’ÉCHELLES: Fabrique et usage des chiffres de l’aide alimentaire en Éthiopie (2002/2004 et 2016)

Early Warning Systems (EWS) are food security assessment devices that quantify the need of food aid for humanitarian and government decision-makers in the targeting of emergency food aid through quantified and mapped analyzes. Analyzed through the sociological prism, the EWS is a blurr « system of expertise » stabilizing institutional consensus in uncertain environments, thanks to its investment of quantified and mapped form. The thesis is based on the central hypothesis that the Ethiopian EWS participates in strategies of extraversion of the international aid by the State Party, reinforcing its capacities of control and supervision of the populations and the administration. This hypothesis is verified through analyzes of experts in charge of targeting aid, acting as development brokers located at multiple institutional interfaces - through their professional, practical and social norms, and following different steps from micro to macro scales of the device. We shall first recall how the technical-scientific register of EWS derives from the technical and apolitical representations of famines and the evolution of the international food aid regime. A first ethnographic exploration of the practice of agents reveals that these norms are a hybridization between humanitarian norms and bureaucratic norms. We will study these norms separately through sociological, anthropological and historical analyzes, highlighting how the technical register makes possible to aggregate these two universes, hidding political dimensions. An ethnographic study detailing the sets of norms will show how their articulation by the agents, along the hierarchical scales, is presided over by empiricism and negotiation, adjusting the margins of maneuver to the kadre of the Party, to discreetly influence the results and the target of aid. At the village level, we will see how the targeting of aid reinforces the supervision and control of the populations by the kadre. Finally, we will return to the methodological stakes of the field investigations conducted by a former humanitarian.Les Systèmes d’alerte précoce (SAP) sont des dispositifs d’évaluation de la sécurité alimentaire permettant de guider les décideurs humanitaires et gouvernementaux dans le ciblage de l’aide alimentaire d’urgence, grâce à des analyses quantifiées et cartographiées. Analysé au travers du prisme sociologique, le SAP est lu comme un système expert flou permettant de stabiliser des consensus institutionnels dans des environnements incertains, grâce à son investissement de forme chiffré et cartographié. La thèse est articulée autour de l’hypothèse centrale que le SAP éthiopien participe aux stratégies d’extraversion de l’aide internationale par l’État-Parti, renforçant ses capacités de contrôle et d’encadrement des populations et de l’administration. Cette hypothèse est vérifiée au travers d’analyses de jeux d’acteurs – les experts en charge du ciblage de l’aide, agissant comme des courtiers de développement situés aux interfaces institutionnelles multiples – , au travers des normes professionnelles, pratiques et sociales mobilisées lors des exercices d’évaluation, et des jeux d’échelles passant du micro au macro. Une première partie démontre comment le registre technico-scientifique du SAP découle des représentations techniques et apolitiques des famines et de l’évolution du régime de l’aide alimentaire internationale. L’exploration ethnographique de la pratique des agents révèle que les normes officielles du SAP éthiopien relèvent d’une hybridation entre des normes humanitaires et des normes de la bureaucratie éthiopienne. Les généalogies des normes humanitaires et de la bureaucratie éthiopiennes conduites au travers d’analyses sociologiques, anthropologiques et historiques, mettent en exergue comment le registre technique permet d’agréger ces deux mondes institutionnels, en occultant toute dimension politique. Un retour ethnographique détaillant les jeux de normes montre comment leur articulation par les agents, le long des échelles de la hiérarchie, est présidée par l’empirisme et la négociation, aménageant les marges de manœuvre aux kadre du Parti, pour influer discrètement sur les résultats et le ciblage de l’aide. À l’échelle villageoise, nous verrons comment le ciblage de l’aide renforce l’encadrement et le contrôle des populations par les kadre. Enfin, nous reviendrons sur les enjeux méthodologiques des enquêtes de terrain conduites par un ancien humanitaire

Flow rate modulated periodic backflush to improve dead-end filtration

Dead-end filtration using patterned microsieves, fiber meshwork, and membranes of various materials is a standard technique to isolate desired particles of various sizes and is used in clinical and laboratory settings for both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Both biological and physical suspensions can be filtered to yield high purity and enrichment at a high throughput. Unfortunately, dead-end filters are especially susceptible to fouling, which leads to lower recovery percentage and yield as a direct result. High recovery percentages, enrichment, and throughput determine the success of sorting technologies. A process which could stop fouling, reintegrate the fouling material into the bulk flow, and allow for further processing could be used to improve the recovery percentage of dead-end systems increasing their success and use. The purpose of this research is to determine if novel flow profiles with variable duty cycles can reduce fouling and improve permeate flux without substantial tradeoffs to processing time by controlling forward volume flow rate, reverse volume flow rate, and the time spent in each phase. This objective was accomplished through 1) the development of pulse modulated (PM) periodic backflush using a square wave duty cycle fluid flow control systems to interrupt membrane fouling, 2) the development of a model to better understand how experimental results compare to what might be achievable, 3) the optimization of amplitude and frequency to reduce and minimize costs to throughput by increasing yield, and 4) demonstration that the control algorithms can be applied to important applications of particle purification, cell enrichment, and scaffold seeding. These practical tests also help to define the conditions upon which the developed methods optimally apply. Ultimately, this thesis work established that pulse modulation is an effective technique to interrupt fouling and reintegrate the cake into the bulk flow to improve the recovery percentage of both microparticle and cellular products while minimizing the anticipated costs to throughput. Pulse modulated periodic backflush was shown to be a useful and innovative approach to controlling fluid flow rate that contributes significantly to advancement and revitalization of dead-end filtration systems. Using pulse modulated backflush, dead-end systems are able to outperform cross-flow filtration devices in both recovery percentage and throughput. We have shown that particle redistribution is a result of convective currents during backflush events and that, for square wave-based volume control, detachment and reintegration of the fouling layer is minimally dependent on backflush velocity. Additionally, we show that we can maximize system throughput by modulating the amplitude and frequency of flow rates. Finally, we demonstrate practical use cases in conjugated particle and cellular recovery and apply the technology to scaffold seeding to improve the uniformity and seed density, significantly improving outcomes compared to what is currently available. This thesis serves to prove that pulse modulated backflush of dead-end filtration systems is the key to maximizing recovery percentage of targeted particles in fluidic suspensions and drives the restoration of flux capacity through clearance and reintegration of fouling layers.Ph.D