Eyes: identity and commemoration in British 18th and 19th century sculpture

While staring right at us, the varied representations of eyes in sculpture have largely gone unrecognised. Their consideration is essential, however, for the contemporary viewer's perception of, and identification with, the political and mythology subjects of eighteenth and nineteenth century statuary. A historical overview of the depiction of eyes reveals contradictions in neo-classical sculptural practices: a move from the emulation of the antique, with coloured eyes, to the presentation of uncarved marble eyeballs. This is highly significant for the individualisation of a statue is most achieved through the expression through the eyes both in facial appearance and gaze

Eyes: identity and commemoration in British 18th and 19th century sculpture

While staring right at us, the varied representations of eyes in sculpture have largely gone unrecognised. Their consideration is essential, however, for the contemporary viewer's perception of, and identification with, the political and mythology subjects of eighteenth and nineteenth century statuary. A historical overview of the depiction of eyes reveals contradictions in neo-classical sculptural practices: a move from the emulation of the antique, with coloured eyes, to the presentation of uncarved marble eyeballs. This is highly significant for the individualisation of a statue is most achieved through the expression through the eyes both in facial appearance and gaze

Imperio, soberanía y Justicia en el pensamiento internacionalista de Francisco de Vitoria: Una re-interretación de De Indis (1532)

This article attempts to offer an alternative interpretation of Francisco de Vitoria's international thought. Much of the literature on his De Indis (1532) characterizes his view of international order as one that either opposed of justified Spanish imperialism in the New World. As against such conventional interpretations, I argue that this text is not fundamentally about the condemnation or justification of empire but, more importantly, a broad view of order that limits the exercise of state power and the recourse to war. Furthermore, it constructs a clear notion of sovereignty and international relations applicable to political communities based on an iusnaturalistic conceptualization of law and politics in the Spanish Renaissance.Este artículo ofrece una interpretación alternativa del pensamiento internacionalista de Francisco de Vitoria. Un segmento importante de la literatura en torno a De Indis (1532) caracteriza su visión del orden internacional como aquel que pudo ya sea oponerse o bien justificar el imperialismo español en el Nuevo Mundo. A diferencia de tales interpretaciones, se argumenta que dicho tracto no constituye, en lo fundamental, una condena, así como tampoco una justificación, del impulso imperial, sino una amplia visión del orden internacional que limita la conducta del poder estatal y el recurso a la guerra. Además, Vitoria ofrece una clara noción de soberanía y de las relaciones internacionales entre comunidades políticas fundamentada en una conceptualización iusnaturalista del derecho y de la política durante el renacimiento español

New hepatitis C therapies in clinical development

With the current standard of care for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, a combination of pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin, sustained virologic response rates can be achieved in approximately 50% of patients only

Assessment of liver fibrosis and associated risk factors in HIV-infected individuals using transient elastography and serum biomarkers

Background: Liver fibrosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals is mostly attributable to co-infection with hepatitis B or C. The impact of other risk factors, including prolonged exposure to combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) is poorly understood. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of liver fibrosis and associated risk factors in HIV-infected individuals based on non-invasive fibrosis assessment using transient elastography (TE) and serum biomarkers (Fibrotest [FT]). Methods: In 202 consecutive HIV-infected individuals (159 men; mean age 47 ± 9 years; 35 with hepatitis-C-virus [HCV] co-infection), TE and FT were performed. Repeat TE examinations were conducted 1 and 2 years after study inclusion. Results: Significant liver fibrosis was present in 16% and 29% of patients, respectively, when assessed by TE (≥ 7.1 kPa) and FT (> 0.48). A combination of TE and FT predicted significant fibrosis in 8% of all patients (31% in HIV/HCV co-infected and 3% in HIV mono-infected individuals). Chronic ALT, AST and γ-GT elevation was present in 29%, 20% and 51% of all cART-exposed patients and in 19%, 8% and 45.5% of HIV mono-infected individuals. Overall, factors independently associated with significant fibrosis as assessed by TE (OR, 95% CI) were co-infection with HCV (7.29, 1.95-27.34), chronic AST (6.58, 1.30-33.25) and γ-GT (5.17, 1.56-17.08) elevation and time on dideoxynucleoside therapy (1.01, 1.00-1.02). In 68 HIV mono-infected individuals who had repeat TE examinations, TE values did not differ significantly during a median follow-up time of 24 months (median intra-patient changes at last TE examination relative to baseline: -0.2 kPa, p = 0.20). Conclusions: Chronic elevation of liver enzymes was observed in up to 45.5% of HIV mono-infected patients on cART. However, only a small subset had significant fibrosis as predicted by TE and FT. There was no evidence for fibrosis progression during follow-up TE examinations

(Re-)constructing Disability through Research: Methodological Challenges of Intersectional Research in Informal Urban Settlements

This chapter argues that categorical approaches are needed to reveal structural and persistent identity-based inequalities and consolidate political consciousness, alongside anti-categorical approaches that aim to respect the agency and complexity of individual research participants. Disability, as a parameter of social identity, is highly associated with inequality in development outcomes. The understanding of the inequalities linked to disability is strongly associated with the competing ways in which it has been defined. The bio-psychosocial model has been presented as a way of integrating the physical, embodied aspects of disability with societal factors. The bio-psychosocial model, taking a person-centred approach, emphasises the importance of understanding disability as a continuum, with impairments only a part of the determinants of the range of abilities of each person, which constitute the human condition, and which vary between all individuals and vary across our life-cycles

Assistive Technology in urban low-income communities in Sierra Leone and Indonesia: Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) survey results

The findings from the surveys presented in this report give a unique insight into disability prevalence and access to AT in five urban low-income communities in Sierra Leone and Indonesia, where a total of 4,256 individuals were surveyed using the rATA tool.4 Designed for the rapid evaluation of the need, use, supply and impact of AT, Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) is a new survey from WHO. A version modified by the Development Planning Unit-University College London DPU/UCL) was conducted in September 2019 for the research project “AT2030 community led solutions”,5 as part of the AT2030 programme led by Global Disability Innovation Hub