UN Peacekeeping Economies and Local Sex Industries: Connections and Implications

“Peacekeeping economies” have not been subject to much analysis of either their economic or socio-cultural and political impacts. This paper uses a gendered lens to explore some ramifications and lasting implications of peacekeeping economies, drawing on examples from four post-conflict countries with past or ongoing United Nations peacekeeping missions: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liberia, and Haiti. The paper is particularly concerned with the interplay between the peacekeeping economy and the sex industry. It examines some of the characteristics and impacts of peacekeeping economies, arguing that these are highly gendered – but that the “normalization” of peacekeeping economies allows these effects to be overlooked or obscured. It also contends that these gendered characteristics and impacts have (or are likely to have) broad and lasting consequences. Finally, the paper considers the initial impacts of UN efforts to tackle negative impacts of peacekeeping economies, particularly the zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and the effort to “mainstream” gender and promote gender equality in and through peacekeeping. The paper suggests that the existence and potential longterm perpetuation of a highly gendered peacekeeping economy threatens to undermine the gender goals and objectives that are a component of most peace operations.Peacekeeping; Gender; Sex industry; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Kosovo; Liberia; Haiti

Paraziti crevnog trakta deverike abramis brama (linnaeus, 1758) Dunava u beogradskom delu toka

Izučavanje parazitofaune riba prirodnih voda od izuzetnog je značaja, ne samo u naučnom pogledu, već i za njihov uspešan intenzivan način gajenja u akvakulturi. U radu su predstavljeni rezultati istraživanja crevnih parazitskih vrsta deverike Abramis brama L. 1758. Primerci riba su sakupljeni tokom perida 2007–2009 na dva lokaliteta uzorkovanja duž toka reke Dunav koji protiče kroz beogradski region. Ukupno je pregledano 177 jedinki deverike različite starosti (2+ to 6+). Prtisustvo crevnih parazitskih vrsta identifikovano je kod 97 pregledanih primeraka deverike, sa intenzitetom infekcije u rasponu 1–165, predstavljajući 54.80% od ukupnog broja sakupljenih i pregledanih primeraka riba. U inficiranim jedinkama deverike utvrđeno je prisustvo 27 taksona endoparazita (helminta) iz četiri klase: jedanaest vrsta pantljičara (Cestoda), pet vrsta i jedan takson metilja (Trematoda), dve vrste klase Nematoda i osam vrsta Acanthocephala. Sprovedena istraživanja su pokazala da je inficiranost deverike Dunava u beogradskom regionu značajna, s obzirom na brojnost i raznovrsnost identifikovanih crevnih parazita. Buduća istraživanja su neophodna da bi se utvrdila uloga crevnih parazita u regulisanju brojnosti populacija deverike Dunava

Semiconductor Gas Sensors: Materials, Technology, Design, and Application

This paper presents an overview of semiconductor materials used in gas sensors, their technology, design, and application. Semiconductor materials include metal oxides, conducting polymers, carbon nanotubes, and 2D materials. Metal oxides are most often the first choice due to their ease of fabrication, low cost, high sensitivity, and stability. Some of their disadvantages are low selectivity and high operating temperature. Conducting polymers have the advantage of a low operating temperature and can detect many organic vapors. They are flexible but affected by humidity. Carbon nanotubes are chemically and mechanically stable and are sensitive towards NO and NH3, but need dopants or modifications to sense other gases. Graphene, transition metal chalcogenides, boron nitride, transition metal carbides/nitrides, metal organic frameworks, and metal oxide nanosheets as 2D materials represent gas-sensing materials of the future, especially in medical devices, such as breath sensing. This overview covers the most used semiconducting materials in gas sensing, their synthesis methods and morphology, especially oxide nanostructures, heterostructures, and 2D materials, as well as sensor technology and design, application in advance electronic circuits and systems, and research challenges from the perspective of emerging technologies. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Acute hydrops followed by corneal perforation five years after corneal cross-linking for keratoconus.

We report a case of acute corneal hydrops followed by corneal perforation five years after corneal cross-linking for keratoconus. A healthy 24-year-old female patient underwent Dresden protocol cross-linking in her left eye due to advanced keratoconus. After five years of a stable cornea, she returned with epiphora, blurred vision, and a soft left eye. Acute hydrops and corneal perforation were diagnosed. There was no history of pregnancy, atopy, eye rubbing, trauma, or contact lens use. Local antibiotic and eye patching were applied. Three months after the resolution of the acute episode, she retained useful visual acuity with no need for further surgery. Although cross-linking efficiently halts keratoconus, progression can occur, leading to corneal hydrops and perforation, even in the absence of any risk factors

HEALTHY WORK IN THE AGEING EUROPE

Workplace health promotion (WHP) has been defined as the combined efforts of employers, employees and society to improve the health and well-being of people at work. This is achieved through a combination of: improving the work organization and the working environment , promoting the active participation of employees in health activities, encouraging personal development. In our country, this subject is still unpopular, and organized work on introduction and implementation of already existing directives of ENWHP still does not exist. As a result, the competitiveness of the European Union during the next few decades will depend on the contribution of older workers, especially in comparison with North America and Asia. The general aim, therefore, is to extend workability and health up to a higher age. The most important force for change is the workplace. There are different action plans and a host of tools with which the health, qualifications, motivation and therefore the work ability and employability of a company’s older workers both now and in the future can be fostered

Forenzički aspekti postmortalne analize transferina s nedostatkom ugljenih hidrata kao markera zloupotrebe alkohola

Introduction Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) has been suggested as one of alcohol abuse indicators having produced good results in forensic medicine for years. Objective The aim of the study was to identify correlation between present methodology of alcohol abuse diagnosis at autopsy (macroscopic and microscopic findings) and CDT examination using the method of isoelectrofocusing (IEF) in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). We also analyzed if the time interval between the moment of death and blood sample collection influences CDT findings. Methods The method used for CDT analysis was IEF-PAGE. Sera of 49 males and 11 females aged 14-87 years, average age 46.85 +/- 18.53, were used in this study. Control group consisted of five patients who died after medical treatment that lasted longer than 15 days, and five patients who started Disulfiram therapy in controlled hospital environment. Results The results obtained in CDT examination in dead bodies' sera showed sensitivity 59% and specificity 71%. A high incidence of falsely positive CDT result was noticed in liver failure and cirrhosis of non-alcoholic origin. CDT analysis is also possible to be done in samples collected postmortem up to 76 hours. Conclusion In forensic medicine, the method of CDT determination is reliable for the diagnosis of alcohol abuse.Uvod. Poslednjih godina transferin s nedostatkom ugljenih hidrata (engl. carbohydrate-deficient transferrin - CDT) jedan je od markera zloupotrebe alkohola koji je pokazao najbolje rezultate u sudskoj medicini. Cilj rada. Cilj studije je bio da se odredi korelacija između aktuelne metodologije dijagnoze zloupotrebe alkohola na postmortalnom materijalu (makroskopski i mikroskopski nalaz) i određivanja CDT korišćenjem metode isoelektrofokusiranja (engl. isoelectric focusing - IEF) u poliakrilamidnom gelu (engl. polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - PAGE). Utvrđivano je da li interval između vremena smrti i uzimanja uzoraka za CDT analizu utiče na nalaz CDT. Metode rada. Za analizu CDT korišćena je metoda IEF-PAGE. Za studiju su analizirani serumi 49 muškaraca i 11 žena prosečne starosti od 46,85±18,53 godina (raspon 14-87 godina). Kontrolnu grupu činilo je pet pacijenata koji su umrli nakon bolničkog lečenja koje je trajalo duže od 15 dana i pet pacijenata kod kojih je u kontrolisanim bolničkim uslovima počelo lečenje disulfiramom. Rezultati. Dobijeni rezultati pokazuju da ova metoda analize CDT na postmortalnom materijalu ima senzitivnost od 59% i specifičnost od 71%. Visoka učestalost lažno pozitivnih rezultata utvrđena je kod oboljenja jetre i ci- roze nealkoholnog porekla. Analizu CDT je moguće raditi i iz uzoraka uzetih do 76 sati nakon smrti. Zaključak. U sudskomedicinskoj praksi ova metoda analize CDT može se koristiti za dijagnostikovanje hronične zloupotrebe alkohola

Photoelectrochemical properties of sol–gel obtained titanium oxide

The photoelectrochemical properties of a sol–gel prepared titanium oxide coating applied onto a Ti substrate were investigated. The oxide coating was formed from an inorganic sol thermally treated in air at 350 °C. The coating consisted of agglomerates of narrow size distribution around 100 nm. The photoelectrochemical characteristics were evaluated by investigating the changes in the open circuit potential, current transients and impedance characteristics of a Ti/TiO2 electrode upon illumination by UV light in H2SO4 solution and in the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The electrode was found to be active for photoelectrochemical reactions in the investigated solutions