OUTSIDER PRESIDENTS, INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE, AND GOVERNABILITY IN LATIN AMERICA

In the last 25 years, eight outsider candidates won presidential elections in Latin America. Outsiders are candidates with little political experience running with new parties. This reality presents a dual puzzle, which is the focus of this dissertation. First, what explains the sudden rise and election of political outsiders in presidential elections? Second, what are the consequences of the election of outsiders for democratic governability and institutional performance? I address these questions through a combination of quantitative analyses and an in-depth qualitative analysis of the case of Alberto Fujimori (outsider president of Peru who governed between 1990 and 2000). Against the conventional wisdom, the first part of my dissertation shows that the rise of outsiders is not a “peril of presidentialism.” When other important economic and political factors are controlled for, the political system (presidential vs. parliamentary) is not a good predictor of outsider success. The rise of outsiders in Latin America is associated with a combination of supply and demand factors. A series of institutional design characteristics (compulsory voting, reelection provisions, and non-concurrent elections) make it easier for outsiders to run. Once viable outsiders are in the race, their success is facilitated in contexts where a severe crisis of representation exists. Dealigned citizens and voters whose preferences are not reflected in the established party system are more likely to support outsiders on election day. The second main contribution of this dissertation is to show that outsiders are more likely to threaten democratic governability and to commit authoritarian excesses. There are three main factors that contribute to executive abuses when political outsiders reach the presidency: 1) the lack of democratic political socialization of outsiders, 2) the difficult socio-political context faced by outsiders –which creates a “window of opportunity” for executive excesses–, and 3) the lack of a strongly organized party monitoring the actions of outsider presidents. This work shows that executive-legislative relations tend to be more acrimonious when the president is an outsider. The in-depth analysis of the Fujimori case also suggests that outsiders tend to form very inexperienced cabinets, which generates serious governability problems

Kerma and photons absorbed-dose from Ir-192 HDR seeds

Precise calculations of absorbed dose (AD) are a difficult task involving physical phenomena such as emission, transport, and absorption of radiation. We used the Monte Carlo method to calculate Kerma as well as AD in water imparted by two different Ir-192 HDR brachytherapy seeds (Flexisource and microSelectron-v2) taking into account the AAPM TG-43 formalism and AAPM & ESTRO most recent reports recommendations. The aim of this work is to evaluate when can Kerma be used as a measurement of AD for this type of seeds. Thus, we analyse the behaviour of both quantities in whole space, putting special emphasis near the source surface. We carried out calculations using microvoxels to obtain high spatial resolution of data close to the source. We observed differences of up to 6 % between AD and Kerma within 1 mm around the seed, and less than 1 % in any other region of the phantom. This allows us to analyse build-up region for Ir-192 HDR brachytherapy seeds. As it will be further discussed in this paper, our results can be explained in terms of partial electronic equilibrium reached on different regions of the phantom. Both seeds showed common overall behaviour, providing generality to the conclusions drawn. The complete bearing of the radial dose function (defined in the TG43 formalism) as it traverses the surface of the seed is reported. Whenever comparisons are possible, our results are in agreement with those reported by other authors. Tables of radial dose function, including new data computed from AD rate (instead of Kerma rate), are presented.http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/archive.aspx?journalid=117&issueid=1170206publishedVersionFil: Chesta, Miguel Ángel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Chesta, Miguel Ángel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Poma, Ana Lucía. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Mc Donnell, Dionisio José. Terapia Radiante Cumbres. Departamento de Física Médica; Argentina.Física Atómica, Molecular y Química (física de átomos y moléculas incluyendo colisión, interacción con radiación, resonancia magnética, Moessbauer Efecto.

A Systematic Review

Background In team sports, it is imperative that the warm-up improves acute explosive performance. However, the exact strategies, methods, and consequences of different warm-up practices remain unclear. A time delay between the warm-up and match and during half-time could negate the positive metabolic effects of the warm-up. Objectives We conducted a systematic review to synthesize and analyze the potential effects of strategies during a warm-up (before match), post-warm-up (time between the end of warm-up and the start of a match), and re-warm-up (half-time break within a match) on explosive performance in team sports. Furthermore, we examined optimal warm-up strategies based on the included studies. [...]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Providing surgical care in Somalia: A model of task shifting.

ABSTRACT

Repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Emergency Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at a Referral Hospital in Portugal

Objective. COVID-19 has spread worldwide and Portugal decreed the State of Emergency on March 18th, 2020. During this period, the population was encouraged to stay at home. Still, there were no restrictions on access to health care. Therefore, we aimed to compare the major causes for attending the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Emergency Department (ED) from a referral centre (Maternidade Dr. Alfredo da Costa, in Lisbon). Materials and Methods. Several variables were collected and compared between two periods of time: from 19th March to 2nd April 2020 and the same period of 2019. Results. During the COVID-19 pandemic period, 49.4% fewer patients visited the ED. We observed a higher number of urgent patients and hospitalization rate than previous year. Conclusions. We experienced a reduction number of admissions to the Obstetrics and Gynaecology ED, but apparently the severity of cases that visited the ED increased.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Yielding and irreversible deformation below the microscale: Surface effects and non-mean-field plastic avalanches

Nanoindentation techniques recently developed to measure the mechanical response of crystals under external loading conditions reveal new phenomena upon decreasing sample size below the microscale. At small length scales, material resistance to irreversible deformation depends on sample morphology. Here we study the mechanisms of yield and plastic flow in inherently small crystals under uniaxial compression. Discrete structural rearrangements emerge as series of abrupt discontinuities in stress-strain curves. We obtain the theoretical dependence of the yield stress on system size and geometry and elucidate the statistical properties of plastic deformation at such scales. Our results show that the absence of dislocation storage leads to crucial effects on the statistics of plastic events, ultimately affecting the universal scaling behavior observed at larger scales.Comment: Supporting Videos available at http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.002041

Use of benzodiazepines in obsessive-compulsive disorder

© 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. This study aimed to determine the frequency of benzodiazepine (BDZ) use in a large sample of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and ascertain the type of BDZ used and the correlates and predictors of BDZ use in OCD. The sample consisted of 955 patients with OCD from a comprehensive, cross-sectional, multicentre study conducted by the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders between 2003 and 2009. The rate of BDZ use over time in this OCD sample was 38.4%. Of individuals taking BDZs, 96.7% used them in combination with other medications, usually serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The most commonly used BDZ was clonazepam. Current age, current level of anxiety and number of additional medications for OCD taken over time significantly predicted BDZ use. This is the first study to comprehensively examine BDZ use in OCD patients, demonstrating that it is relatively common, despite recommendations from treatment guidelines. Use of BDZs in combination with several other medications over time and in patients with marked anxiety suggests that OCD patients taking BDZs may be more complex and more difficult to manage. This calls for further research and clarification of the role of BDZs in the treatment of OCD

Integración de la reflexión en la docencia para perfeccionar el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar la importancia de la integración de la reflexión en la docencia para perfeccionar el proceso de enseñanza –aprendizaje. Para ello se ha tenido en cuenta el criterio de varios autores que han investigado sobre el tema en cuestión. Asimismo, en esta investigación se trabajaron los conceptos de reflexión y docencia además de abordar otros términos o categorías que intervienen en la integración de estos dos conceptos como son: proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, reflexividad y conocimiento práctico, para una mejor comprensión de la problemática planteada. Cambiar, transformarse, revisar críticamente un proceso es necesario para alcanzar un estadio superior de desarrollo. En el caso de la educación los cambios serían necesarios para luchar contra métodos educativos estáticos y memorísticos. Se necesitan crear espacios de reflexión donde los docentes se analicen y mejoren con sistematicidad, profesionales que impartan sus clases para jóvenes que pertenecen a una sociedad cada vez más compleja y exigente. Palabras clave: Educación, docencia, enseñanza-aprendizaje, reflexión.   ABSTRACT This paper aims to analyze the importance of integrating reflection in teaching to improve the teaching-learning process. For this, the criteria of several authors who have investigated the subject in question have been taken into account. Likewise, in this research were worked on the concepts of reflection and teaching, in addition to addressing other terms or categories that intervene in the integration of these two concepts, such as: teaching-learning process, reflexivity and practical knowledge, for a better understanding of the problem raised. Changing, transforming, critically reviewing a process is necessary to reach a higher stage of development. In the case of education, the changes would be necessary to fight against static and rote educational methods. It is necessary to create spaces for reflection where teachers systematically analyze and improve themselves, professionals who teach their classes for young people who belong to an increasingly complex and demanding society. Keywords: Eeducation, teaching, teaching- learning, reflection