Tuberculosis/HIV/AIDS coinfection in Porto Alegre, RS/Brazil - invisibility and silencing of the most affected groups

OBJECTIVE: To analyze how belonging to certain social groups contributes to constituting the vulnerabilities associated with illnesses due to tuberculosis/HIV/AIDS coinfection. METHODOLOGYThis is a qualitative study carried out in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, in regions of high social vulnerability. Twenty coinfected people were interviewed in specialized health services between August and December 2016. The analysis was based on the frameworks The Sound of Silence and Vulnerability and Human Rights. RESULTS: Socioeconomic conditions were decisive for the constitution of the vulnerability conditions. Processes of people invisibilization, and the silencing of their voices, in a scenario marked by economic, racial and gender inequalities, contributed for their health needs not to be understood and effectively taken into account in the services actions. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The more effective strategies are to legitimize voices and to understand the needs of those affected by coinfection, the greater the chances that programmatic responses to the problem will be successful

Women’s experiences of gynaecological consultations – uncovering its technological toolboxes: challenges in a Brazilian context

Historically, the medical definition of women as an object of biomedical knowledge has restricted the way by which gynecology is understood. In Brazil’s Unified Health System (Sistema Unificado de Saúde – SUS, in Portuguese), it is the responsibility of gynaecological care services to identify, diagnose and treat reproductive related conditions. However, gynaecological consultations are based predominantly on a medicalised model of diagnosis, treatment and disease management which often fails to address the wider determinants of women’s reproductive health and its impact on their general health and life chances. This paper is focused on the way the Brazilian health system has responded to women’s health needs in gynaecological consultations, given its central role in maintaining and promoting women’s health. it explores variations between “what should be” and “what is” offered to Brazilian women in gynaecological consultations. The authors argue that while gynaecological consultations in Brazil (and elsewhere) are currently restricted to programmatic targets, complaints and symptoms associated with sexual and reproductive functions; consultations could be used to respond to women’s needs, using a broader life course approach if a combination of health technologies ‘toolboxes’ are employed. Implementation of care services utilising a ‘toolbox’ approach provides an opportunity to truly follow the principle of ‘integrality’, one of the doctrinal principles of the Brazilian health system, which furthermore could have application in women’s health care services elsewhere

Looking for hotspots of marine metacommunity connectivity: a methodological framework

Seascape connectivity critically affects the spatiotemporal dynamics of marine metacommunities. Understanding how connectivity patterns emerge from physically and biologically-mediated interactions is therefore crucial to conserve marine ecosystem functions and biodiversity. Here, we develop a set of biophysical models to explore connectivity in assemblages of species belonging to a typical Mediterranean community (Posidonia oceanica meadows) and characterized by different dispersing traits. We propose a novel methodological framework to synthesize species-specific results into a set of community connectivity metrics and show that spatiotemporal variation in magnitude and direction of the connections, as well as interspecific differences in dispersing traits, are key factors structuring community connectivity. We eventually demonstrate how these metrics can be used to characterize the functional role of each marine area in determining patterns of community connectivity at the basin level and to support marine conservation planning

Locating a weak change using diffuse waves (LOCADIFF) : theoretical approach and inversion procedure

We describe a time-resolved monitoring technique for heterogeneous media. Our approach is based on the spatial variations of the cross-coherence of coda waveforms acquired at fixed positions but at different dates. To locate and characterize a weak change that occurred between successive acquisitions, we use a maximum likelihood approach combined with a diffusive propagation model. We illustrate this technique, called LOCADIFF, with numerical simulations. In several illustrative examples, we show that the change can be located with a precision of a few wavelengths and its effective scattering cross-section can be retrieved. The precision of the method depending on the number of source receiver pairs, time window in the coda, and errors in the propagation model is investigated. Limits of applications of the technique to real-world experiments are discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, 1 tabl

Impacto do manejo da palhada sobre sua decomposição em área cultivada com cana-de-açúcar no município de Guaíra-SP.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo acompanhar a dinâmica e as taxas finais de decomposição de diferentes quantidades de palhada de cana-de-açúcar, sob condições de Guaíra-SP. Para isto foi conduzido um experimento em área comercial de cana-de-açúcar, variedade RB 86-7515 na safra 2012-2013, em primeira soca. Como tratamentos foram testados os níveis T(25%), T(50%), T(75%) e T(100%), correspondentes a 4,7; 9,4; 14,1 e 18,8 t ha-1, distribuídos em blocos ao acaso, em quatro repetições. Para o acompanhamento da decomposição avaliou-se a quantidade (t ha-1) e a taxa (%) da massa seca remanescente no solo em coletas realizadas aos: 0, 63, 125, 189, 230, 285 e 328 dias após a instalação; utilizando-se de sacos de serapilheira ("litter bags") nas dimensões 0,50 x 0,75 com 15 mm de abertura. O tratamento estatístico foi feito por análise de variância, regressão e equações de cinética para ajuste do comportamento da decomposição da palhada. Os resultados permitiram concluir que os níveis de palhada alteram a dinâmica da decomposição deste resíduo, sendo o coeficiente de decomposição (K) significativamente superior para os níveis 100% e 75%. As maiores taxas de decomposição ocorrem até os 189 dias do ciclo, sendo mais lenta a partir deste ponto; com média de 41% de massa remanescente aos 328 dias, independente do nível de palhada. Abstract: The project aims to evaluate decomposition dynamic of different inputs of sugarcane straw under conditions of Guaira-SP. The experiment was conducted in a first ratoon commercial area of sugarcane, variety RB 86-7515, in 2012-2013. The treatments were tested by the levels of (25%), T(50%), T(75%) and T(100%), corresponding to 4,7; 9,4; 14,1 and 18,8 t ha -1 , arranged in a randomized block design, with four replications. The development of decomposition was evaluated using the quantity (kg ha -1 ) and the rate (%) remaining of dry matter, evaluated at: 0, 63, 125, 189, 230, 285, 328 days after installation by the use of litter bags (0,75m x 0,50m x 0,015m). The data were analyzed by variance, regression and kinetic equations for adjust the residues decomposition behavior. The results show that the levels of straw can modify the dynamics of this residue decomposition; the decomposition coefficient (K) was significantly higher for the levels of 100% and 75%. The highest rates of decomposition occur until 189 days of the cycle, being slower from this point; averaging 41% to the 328 days (harvest), regardless of the level of straw

Gate stability of GaN-Based HEMTs with P-Type Gate

status: publishe

Mineralização de C e de N na palhada de cana-de-açúcar.

Resumo: A biomassa vegetal que permanece em cima do solo após a colheita pode representar, em longo prazo incremento de matéria orgânica no solo e redução da necessidade de reposição de nutrientes via fertilizantes minerais. O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi avaliar a mineralização de C e de N em diferentes quantidades de palhada da cana-de-açúcar ao longo de um ciclo de cultivo. Os tratamentos avaliados correspondem aos níveis 25% - 50% - 75% e 100% (respectivamente 2,8 - 5,7 - 8,5 -11,3 t ha-1) de palhada remanescentes da colheita da cana-de-açúcar (variedade RB-845210), distribuídos em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições. A avaliação da liberação de carbono e de nitrogênio foi realizada utilizando-se o método do "saco de serrapilheira" ("Litter bag"). Por meio dos resultados foi possível concluir que a dinâmica da mineralização do carbono na palha de cana-de-açúcar é influenciada pelo nível desta biomassa, embora ao final do ciclo as taxas de mineralização do C (70%) se tornem semelhantes para todos os níveis de palhada estudados. O nitrogênio inicialmente fica imobilizado na biomassa. Ao final do ciclo, em função da redução da relação C/N, este elemento começa a ser disponibilizado

A low power and low signal 5-bit 25MS/s pipelined ADC for monolithic active pixel sensors

For CMOS monolithic active pixels sensor readout, we developed a 5 bit low power analog to digital converter using a pipelined architecture. A non-resetting sample and hold stage is included to amplify the signal by a factor of 4. Due to the very low level of the incoming signal, this first stage compensates both the amplifier offset effect and the input common mode voltage dispersion. The converter consists of three 1.5 bit sub-ADC and a 2 bit flash. We present the results of a prototype, made of eight ADC channels. The maximum sampling rate is 25MS/s. The total DC power consumption is 1.7mW/channel on a 3.3V supply voltage recommended for the process. But at a reduced 2.5V supply, it consumes only 1.3mW. The size of each ADC channel layout is only 43μm*1.43mm. This corresponds to the pitch of two pixel columns each one would be 20μm wide. The full analog part of the converter can be quickly switched to a standby idle mode in less than 1μs; thus reducing the power dissipation to a ratio better than 1/1000. This fast shutdown is very important for the ILC vertex detector as the total DC power dissipation becomes directly proportional to the low beam duty cycle

Cosmic Ray Physics with the LOFAR Radio Telescope

The LOFAR radio telescope is able to measure the radio emission from cosmic ray induced air showers with hundreds of individual antennas. This allows for precision testing of the emission mechanisms for the radio signal as well as determination of the depth of shower maximum $X_{\max}$, the shower observable most sensitive to the mass of the primary cosmic ray, to better than 20 g/cm$^2$. With a densely instrumented circular area of roughly 320 m$^2$, LOFAR is targeting for cosmic ray astrophysics in the energy range $10^{16}$ - $10^{18}$ eV. In this contribution we give an overview of the status, recent results, and future plans of cosmic ray detection with the LOFAR radio telescope.Comment: Proceedings of the 26th Extended European Cosmic Ray Symposium (ECRS), Barnaul/Belokurikha, 201