“La frontera norte tiene tres problemas: tráfico de armas, de drogas y de migrantes”. Migración irregular y discursos ‘securitarios’ en Centroamérica: el caso de Costa Rica

Tomando Costa Rica como caso ejemplar, en el ensayo se explora la tematización y el tratamiento institucional de la migración irregular en Centroamérica. Partiendo del paradigma mundial de una “securitización” de la migración irregular (Waever et al., 1993; Weiner, 1995), y aplicando un marco de análisis transnacional y de multiniveles, se preguntará por los repertorios discursivos, los actores y medidas específicos que confluyen en la creación de un nexo migración/(in)seguridad en Centroamérica en general y en Costa Rica en particular. La hipótesis principal es que se está fomentando un nuevo régimen regional de migración y de fronteras que (ya) no proyecta principalmente reforzar los mecanismos de control del territorio nacional, proteger las fronteras y detener las migraciones irregulares. Más bien se trata de establecer, a través de ciertos ‘discursos securitarios’, una nueva gobernabilidad (Foucault, 1991) de la alta permeabilidad de las fronteras centroamericanas y de los movimientos de los individuos que las cruzan. Usando métodos etnográficos y análisis del discurso (Jäger ,2001), el artículo analiza cómo los ‘discursos securitarios’ que circulan a nivel mundial y regional se manifiestan, por un lado, en la nueva legislación de migración en Costa Rica, y por otro, en las prácticas de “movilidad transfronteriza” y de control de la misma en la llamada “frontera norte” que separa Costa Rica y Nicaragua

Grenzen im Transit: Zur Konstitution politischer Subjektivitäten in transmigrantischen Räumen

This essay deals with the chances and problems of intersectionality and border feminism for empirical research on transnational migration. Empirically based on a qualitative research of the return movement of guatemalan refugees, the focus of the paper will be on the importance of borders and experiences of bordercrossings for the formation of political subjectivities within transmigrant communities. Parting from a postcolonial perspective the theoretical and methodical inputs and limits of the concepts of intersectionality and border feminism will be discussed. Secondly, the developed analytical framework will be applied to the return movement of guatemalan war refugees

"La frontera norte tiene tres problemas: tráfico de armas, de drogas y de migrantes". Migración irregular y discursos 'securitarios' en Centroamérica: el caso de Costa Rica

Key words: irregular migration; border; securitization; governance; system theoryDOI: 10.5377/encuentro.v42i87.247Encuentro 2010/ Año XLII, N° 87, 38-60Tomando Costa Rica como caso ejemplar, en el ensayo se explora la tematización y el tratamiento institucional de la migración irregular en Centroamérica. Partiendo del paradigma mundial de una "securitización" de la migración irregular (Waever et al., 1993; Weiner, 1995), y aplicando un marco de análisis transnacional y de multiniveles, se preguntará por los repertorios discursivos, los actores y medidas específicos que confluyen en la creación de un nexo migración/(in)seguridad en Centroamérica en general y en Costa Rica en particular. La hipótesis principal es que se está fomentando un nuevo régimen regional de migración y de fronteras que (ya) no proyecta principalmente reforzar los mecanismos de control del territorio nacional, proteger las fronteras y detener las migraciones irregulares. Más bien se trata de establecer, a través de ciertos ‘discursos securitarios’, una nueva gobernabilidad (Foucault, 1991) de la alta permeabilidad de las fronteras centroamericanas y de los movimientos de los individuos que las cruzan. Usando métodos etnográficos y análisis del discurso (Jäger, 2001), el artículo analiza cómo los 'discursos securitarios' que circulan a nivel mundial y regional se manifiestan, por un lado, en la nueva legislación de migración en Costa Rica, y por otro, en las prácticas de "movilidad transfronteriza" y de control de la misma en la llamada "frontera norte" que separa Costa Rica y Nicaragua

Struggles of migration as in-/visible politics

Ever since the Hungarian authorities enacted a temporary halt on international train travel from Keleti Station in Budapest and more or less abandoned thousands of stranded refugees, countless images, both impressive and deeply disturbing, reach us daily: Refugees by the hundreds making their way on foot through Hungary, Austria, Germany and Denmark, walking on motorways and train tracks because international train and bus travel has been shut down; overwhelming transnational willingness to support refugees by offering rides in private cars, by welcoming them and providing for them at train stations, or by organising aid convoys to Hungary, Croatia, Greece and Macedonia. But we also witness violent behaviour of border officials and camp personnel, neo-Nazis stirring up hatred, bawling ‘concerned citizens’, and the burning down of refugee shelters. During this “long summer of migration” (Kasparek/Speer2015), Schengen and the project of the European Union as a whole have entered a severe crisis, as highlighted not only by the reinstated controls along the borders of Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark, but also by the de facto suspension of the Dublin system. In the past months, through these marches and other enactments of the freedom of movement, the struggles of migration have become more dynamic every day and asserted their self-determined mobilities, thereby exposing the contradictions of the European border regim

A multicenter randomized-controlled trial of hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) for human liver grafts before transplantation

Background &amp; Aims: Machine perfusion is a novel method intended to optimize livers before transplantation. However, its effect on morbidity within a 1-year period after transplantation has remained unclear. Methods: In this multicenter controlled trial, we randomly assigned livers donated after brain death (DBD) for liver transplantation (LT). Livers were either conventionally cold stored (control group), or cold stored and subsequently treated by 1-2 h hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) before implantation (HOPE group). The primary endpoint was the occurrence of at least one post-transplant complication per patient, graded by the Clavien score of ≥III, within 1-year after LT. The comprehensive complication index (CCI), laboratory parameters, as well as duration of hospital and intensive care unit stay, graft survival, patient survival, and biliary complications served as secondary endpoints. Results: Between April 2015 and August 2019, we randomized 177 livers, resulting in 170 liver transplantations (85 in the HOPE group and 85 in the control group). The number of patients with at least one Clavien ≥III complication was 46/85 (54.1%) in the control group and 44/85 (51.8%) in the HOPE group (odds ratio 0.91; 95% CI 0.50-1.66; p = 0.76). Secondary endpoints were also not significantly different between groups. A post hoc analysis revealed that liver-related Clavien ≥IIIb complications occurred less frequently in the HOPE group compared to the control group (risk ratio 0.26; 95% CI 0.07-0.77; p = 0.027). Likewise, graft failure due to liver-related complications did not occur in the HOPE group, but occurred in 7% (6 of 85) of the control group (log-rank test, p = 0.004, Gray test, p = 0.015). Conclusions: HOPE after cold storage of DBD livers resulted in similar proportions of patients with at least one Clavien ≥III complication compared to controls. Exploratory findings suggest that HOPE decreases the risk of severe liver graft-related events. Impact and implications: This randomized controlled phase III trial is the first to investigate the impact of hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) on cumulative complications within a 12-month period after liver transplantation. Compared to conventional cold storage, HOPE did not have a significant effect on the number of patients with at least one Clavien ≥III complication. However, we believe that HOPE may have a beneficial effect on the quantity of complications per patient, based on its application leading to fewer severe liver graft-related complications, and to a lower risk of liver-related graft loss. The HOPE approach can be applied easily after organ transport during recipient hepatectomy. This appears fundamental for wide acceptance since concurring perfusion technologies need either perfusion at donor sites or continuous perfusion during organ transport, which are much costlier and more laborious. We conclude therefore that the post hoc findings of this trial should be further validated in future studies.</p

A multicenter randomized-controlled trial of hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) for human liver grafts before transplantation

Background &amp; Aims: Machine perfusion is a novel method intended to optimize livers before transplantation. However, its effect on morbidity within a 1-year period after transplantation has remained unclear. Methods: In this multicenter controlled trial, we randomly assigned livers donated after brain death (DBD) for liver transplantation (LT). Livers were either conventionally cold stored (control group), or cold stored and subsequently treated by 1-2 h hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) before implantation (HOPE group). The primary endpoint was the occurrence of at least one post-transplant complication per patient, graded by the Clavien score of ≥III, within 1-year after LT. The comprehensive complication index (CCI), laboratory parameters, as well as duration of hospital and intensive care unit stay, graft survival, patient survival, and biliary complications served as secondary endpoints. Results: Between April 2015 and August 2019, we randomized 177 livers, resulting in 170 liver transplantations (85 in the HOPE group and 85 in the control group). The number of patients with at least one Clavien ≥III complication was 46/85 (54.1%) in the control group and 44/85 (51.8%) in the HOPE group (odds ratio 0.91; 95% CI 0.50-1.66; p = 0.76). Secondary endpoints were also not significantly different between groups. A post hoc analysis revealed that liver-related Clavien ≥IIIb complications occurred less frequently in the HOPE group compared to the control group (risk ratio 0.26; 95% CI 0.07-0.77; p = 0.027). Likewise, graft failure due to liver-related complications did not occur in the HOPE group, but occurred in 7% (6 of 85) of the control group (log-rank test, p = 0.004, Gray test, p = 0.015). Conclusions: HOPE after cold storage of DBD livers resulted in similar proportions of patients with at least one Clavien ≥III complication compared to controls. Exploratory findings suggest that HOPE decreases the risk of severe liver graft-related events. Impact and implications: This randomized controlled phase III trial is the first to investigate the impact of hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) on cumulative complications within a 12-month period after liver transplantation. Compared to conventional cold storage, HOPE did not have a significant effect on the number of patients with at least one Clavien ≥III complication. However, we believe that HOPE may have a beneficial effect on the quantity of complications per patient, based on its application leading to fewer severe liver graft-related complications, and to a lower risk of liver-related graft loss. The HOPE approach can be applied easily after organ transport during recipient hepatectomy. This appears fundamental for wide acceptance since concurring perfusion technologies need either perfusion at donor sites or continuous perfusion during organ transport, which are much costlier and more laborious. We conclude therefore that the post hoc findings of this trial should be further validated in future studies.</p

The Eighth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Data from SDSS-III

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) started a new phase in August 2008, with new instrumentation and new surveys focused on Galactic structure and chemical evolution, measurements of the baryon oscillation feature in the clustering of galaxies and the quasar Ly alpha forest, and a radial velocity search for planets around ~8000 stars. This paper describes the first data release of SDSS-III (and the eighth counting from the beginning of the SDSS). The release includes five-band imaging of roughly 5200 deg^2 in the Southern Galactic Cap, bringing the total footprint of the SDSS imaging to 14,555 deg^2, or over a third of the Celestial Sphere. All the imaging data have been reprocessed with an improved sky-subtraction algorithm and a final, self-consistent photometric recalibration and flat-field determination. This release also includes all data from the second phase of the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Evolution (SEGUE-2), consisting of spectroscopy of approximately 118,000 stars at both high and low Galactic latitudes. All the more than half a million stellar spectra obtained with the SDSS spectrograph have been reprocessed through an improved stellar parameters pipeline, which has better determination of metallicity for high metallicity stars.Comment: Astrophysical Journal Supplements, in press (minor updates from submitted version