“Côtier” sexual identity as constructed by the urban Merina of Antananarivo, Madagascar

L’article décrit la définition de l’identité sexuelle des femmes côtières selon la construction sociale de l’élite urbaine merina vivant à Antananarivo. Il juxtapose la hiérarchie sociale des travailleuses du sexe à l’ensemble du système de stratification sociale dans la ville. En s’appuyant plus précisément sur des différences ethniques imaginaires entre travailleuses du sexe des rues et celles des discothèques, ce document traite plus généralement de la dimension importante que joue l’identité ethnique sexualisée dans le système de stratification sociale d’Antananarivo.The paper describes the elite urban Merina social construction of côtiers women’s sexual identity in Antananarivo. It juxtaposes social hierarchy within women’s sex work to the broader system of social stratification in the city of Antananarivo. Specifically, drawing from ethnically-based imagined distinctions between street and nightclub-based sex work, this paper discusses the important dimension that sexualized ethnic identity plays in the social stratification system of Antananarivo more generally

Revisiting the understanding of "transactional sex" in sub-Saharan Africa: A review and synthesis of the literature.

In sub-Saharan Africa, young women ages 15-24 have more than twice the risk of acquiring HIV as their male counterparts. A growing body of epidemiological evidence suggests that the practice of "transactional sex" may contribute to this disparity. Over the last 15 years, the social sciences have contributed significantly to understanding the meaning of and motivations for this practice. The findings from these studies are rich, but varied, rendering lessons difficult to navigate for intervention and further research. We therefore contribute a historically-grounded, comprehensive literature review on the nature and motivations for women's participation in transactional sex in sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing from over 300 studies (through 2014), we distill three prominent paradigms observed in the literature that we review toward presenting a unified conceptualization of the practice. "Sex for basic needs," the first paradigm, positions women as victims in transactional sexual relationships, with implications for interventions that protect girls from exploitation. In contrast, the "sex for improved social status" paradigm positions women as sexual agents who engage in transactional sex toward attaining a middle-class status and lifestyle. Finally, a third paradigm, "sex and material expressions of love," draws attention to the connections between love and money, and the central role of men as providers in relationships. We find important commonalities in the structural factors that shape the three paradigms of transactional sex including gender inequality and processes of economic change. We suggest that there are three continua stretching across these paradigms: deprivation, agency, and instrumentality. This review proposes a definition of transactional sex and discusses implications for research and interventions aiming to reduce young women's risk of HIV through such relationships. We consider the consequences of drawing from too narrow an understanding of the practice, and highlight the benefits of a broader conceptualization

Ultrapräzisionsgefertigte Freiformflächen für Anwendungen in planar integrierten optischen Systemen

Aus der in das Substrat gefalteten optischen Achse planar integrierter freiraum-optischer Systeme resultiert die Notwendigkeit, asphärische Formflächen vorzusehen, um Wellenfrontaberrationen zu vermeiden. Entsprechende Korrekturelemente wurden mittels ZEMAX® entworfen, unter Anwendung des Ultrapräzi-sionsfräsens gefertigt und anschließend im Experiment erfolgreich getestet

Sexual health of adolescent girls and young women in Central Uganda: exploring perceived coercive aspects of transactional sex.

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Uganda are at risk of early sexual debut, unwanted pregnancy, violence, and disproportionally high HIV infection rates, driven in part by transactional sex. This paper examines the extent to which AGYW's participation in transactional sex is perceived to be coerced. We conducted 19 focus group discussions and 44 in-depth interviews using semi-structured tools. Interviews were audio recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis. While AGYW did not necessarily use the language of coercion, their narratives describe a number of coercive aspects in their relationships. First, coercion by force as a result of "de-toothing" a man (whereby they received money or resources but did not wish to provide sex as "obligated" under the implicit "terms" of the relationships). Second, they described the coercive role that receiving resources played in their decision to have sex in the face of men's verbal insistence. Finally, they discussed having sex as a result of coercive economic circumstances including poverty, and because of peer pressure to uphold modern lifestyles. Support for income-generation activities, microfinance and social protection programmes may help reduce AGYW's vulnerability to sexual coercion in transactional sex relationships. Targeting gender norms that contribute to unequal power dynamics and social expectations that obligate AGYW to provide sex in return for resources, critically assessing the meaning of consensual sex, and normative interventions building on parents' efforts to ascertain the source of their daughters' resources may also reduce AGYW's vulnerability to coercion

Ultraprecision micromilling for the fabrication of monolithically integrated refractive microoptical systems

Different classes of optical elements combined in a monolithically integrated microoptical system are fabricated using micromilling. On the resulting surfaces the average roughness height was found to be Ra < 40 nm with an overall shape accuracy < 1.6 μm (based on the determination of the radii of curvature)

“Computational Imaging” zur Optimierung optischer Abbildungssysteme

Durch eine definierte Phasenmodifizierung in optisch abbildenden Systeme (Wave front Coding) und digitale Nachverarbeitung des aufgenommenen Bildes lässt sich eine Vergrößerung der Schärfentiefe bei gleichbleibender Apertur erreichen. Es werden Design- und Fertigungsprozess einer refraktiven kubischen Phasenplatte sowie Experimente zur Punktabbildung beschrieben

Wave-front Coding for increased depth of field of optical systems

Wave-front Coding is used for increasing the depth of field of optical systems. We demonstrate the functionality by using a cubic phase plate. We present design considerations, the fabrication process of the refractive phase plate as well as experimental results with a specific focus on fabrication errors

Optimierte Strahlformungs- und Fokussieroptik zur optischen Mikromanipulation

Optische Pinzetten werden oft mit konventionellen Mikroskopobjektiven mit hoher numerischer Apertur aufgebaut. Diese sind meist auf die gängige Deckglasdicke von 170µm angepasst und dadurch für die Mikromanipulation auf diesen Arbeitsabstand beschränkt. Dies stellt ein erhebliches Problem für die Manipulation z.B. in Fluidikkanälen dar, die aus Gründen der mechanischen Stabilität zumeist mit Wandstärken hergestellt werden, die 0,5 mm oder mehr betragen. Um in diesen Kanalsystemen dennoch mit optischen Pinzetten arbeiten zu können, kann mit relativ aufwändigen Counterpropagating Pinzetten oder mit integrierten Faserpinzetten gearbeitet werden. Ziel unserer Arbeiten ist der Entwurf und die Demonstration einer optimierten Spezialoptik für diese Anwendung. Unterstützt durch numerische Simulation der optischen Kraftwirkung in elektromagnetischen Feldern wir ein optimiertes Design für optische Pinzetten abgeleitet. Daran anschließend wird ein integriertes monolithisches und Fokussierungsobjektiv entworfen. Die Herstellung des Systems erfolgt durch mechanische Ultrapräzisionsbearbeitung der optischen Flächen. Erste Ergebnisse und eine Charakterisierung des Konzepts werden vorgestellt

Improving the Measurement of Transactional Sex in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Critical Review.

BACKGROUND: Transactional sex, or informal sexual exchange, is considered to be an important contributing factor to the disproportionately high HIV infection rates experienced by adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa. Nonetheless, confusion remains over how best to define and measure this practice, hindering efforts to mitigate the role of transactional sex in the epidemic. We critically review current measures and offer evidence-based recommendations for improvement. SETTING: Although transactional sex is practiced around the world, we focus attention on the definition and measurement of this practice in sub-Saharan Africa, given the role it plays in young women's risk of HIV in this region. METHODS: We relied on both secondary and primary data sources. We draw on a systematic review of literature on transactional sex from sub-Saharan Africa and interview data from both key informants and cognitive interviews (n = 160) with young women (ages 14-24) and men (ages 18-35) in Uganda and Tanzania. RESULTS: We find current measures are inconsistent, conflate transactional sex with sex work, and fail to capture the gendered nature of the practice. We provide an evidence-based definition of transactional sex that guides our measurement recommendations. We then detail the development of improved measures through cognitive interviews. Finally, we offer recommended approaches to improved measurement of transactional sex for women and men in large-scale surveys. CONCLUSIONS: Improved measures are critical for accurate estimation of the prevalence of transactional sex and assessment of the extent to which transactional sex determines HIV risk