Racionalismo y socialización femenina: vivir en laico

La existencia de un hilo conductor entre distintas corrientes del feminismo histórico español, desde los presupuestos del laicismo, ha sido ya puesta de manifiesto. En este artículo se intenta analizar dicho proceso desde la educación femenina, lo que permite incorporar nuevas protagonistas al universo femenino laico. El debate sobre religión-laicismo, moral y emancipación de las mujeres subyace al interés por la instrucción femenina. Las estrategias educativas emprendidas en las escuelas neutras y laicas, frente al modelo de la Iglesia católica, se plasman en la implantación de una educación mixta o en la coeducación. Se subraya asimismo la pluralidad de formas de entender el racionalismo y el laicismo, desde la religiosidad de espiritistas y masonas del siglo XIX al ateísmo de las anarquistas del siglo XX.

Part-time and fractional staff in the learning and skills sector

This Universities and College Union Launch Event presentation reported on the findings of Learning and Skills Research Network (LSRN) London and South East (LSE) Regional Research Project. The presentation reflected on research carried out during 2002-06 on the development and deployment of part-time staff in the Learning and Skills Sector. Although the lifelong learning sector is the largest UK education sector, little attention has as yet been paid to the role of LSC sector part-time staff. Worrying trends of an increasing casualisation of staffing have been reported. The role of part-timers as highly committed (philanthropic) but generally underpaid and exploited staff (ragged-trousered) emerged from the data collected by this investigation, which examined the role of part-timers in several colleges and adult education institutions in London and the South East. The metaphor of the 'ragged-trousered philanthropist' was consciously selected to investigate the interactivity between philantrophy, employment practices for PT staff, and education as social action, in addressing the need for good practice to achieve quality outcomes in learning and teaching. The results are to some extent transferable to other education and training sectors employing part-time staff, e.g. higher education institutions and work-based training organisations.

FACTORS AFFECTING DIPOREIA GROWTH RATES IN LAKE SUPERIOR

An ability to predict population dynamics of the amphipod Diporeia is important in understanding how energy pathways in the Lake Superior food web might be altered by disturbances to the ecosystem. Estimating growth rates for this prominent prey item for fish requires information on the physiological effects of changes to its environment. These effects have been investigated for Diporeia in other Great Lakes, but little is known about Lake Superior populations. The primary objective of this study is to obtain quantitative data for rates of Diporeia respiration and consumption that can be incorporated into a bioenergetics model for Lake Superior. Benthic communities in Lake Superior were sampled bimonthly from April through September during 2011 and 2012 to investigate spatial and temporal trends of Diporeia abundances as well as size class structures of the population. Additional samples of Diporeia were collected and kept alive in natural sediment for laboratory experiments. Respiration rates for Diporeia were measured by monitoring dissolved oxygen concentrations in microcosoms using microelectrodes. Additionally, a series of experiments to estimate consumption rates based on food availability were conducted using 14C-labeled algae (Selenastrum capricornutum). Amphipod population densities are highest between 30-110 m (slope) compared to 0-30 m (shelf) or >110 m (profundal) regions in Lake Superior. This heterogeneous distribution of Diporeia in Lake Superior is an important component to quantifying lake-wide biomass. Rates of oxygen consumption by Diporeia range from 32.0 to 44.7 mgO2*gDW-1*d-1, and do not vary significantly with body size per individual. The predicted consumption rate corresponding to average Lake Superior algal carbon fluxes was 0.08 ± SE mgC*gDW-1*d-1. Data on Lake Superior Diporeia biomass and bioenergetics found in this study can be incorporated in a model used to estimate the viability of this population under potential future environmental stressors.

Organized Labor and U.S. Foreign Policy: The Solidarity Center in Historical Context

During the Cold War the foreign policy of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), was heavily criticized by scholars and activists for following the lead of the U.S. state in its overseas operations. In a wide range of states, the AFL-CIO worked to destabilize governments selected by the U.S. state for regime change, while in others the Federation helped stabilize client regimes of the U.S. state. In 1997 the four regional organizations that previously carried out AFL-CIO foreign policy were consolidated into the American Center for International Labor Solidarity (Solidarity Center). My dissertation is an attempt to analyze whether the foreign policy of the AFL-CIO in the Solidarity Center era is marked by continuity or change with past practices. At the same time, this study will attempt to add to the debate over the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the post-Cold War era, and its implications for future study. Using the qualitative “process-tracing” detailed by of Alexander George and Andrew Bennett (2005) my study examines a wide array of primary and secondary sources, including documents from the NED and AFL-CIO, in order to analyze the relationship between the Solidarity Center and the U.S. state from 2002-2009. Furthermore, after analyzing broad trends of NED grants to the Solidarity Center, this study examines three dissimilar case studies including Venezuela, Haiti, and Iraq and the Middle East and North African (MENA) region to further explore the connections between U.S. foreign policy goals and the Solidarity Center operations. The study concludes that the evidence indicates continuity with past AFL-CIO foreign policy practices whereby the Solidarity Center follows the lead of the U.S. state. It has been found that the patterns of NED funding indicate that the Solidarity Center closely tailors its operations abroad in areas of importance to the U.S. state, that it is heavily reliant on state funding via the NED for its operations, and that the Solidarity Center works closely with U.S. allies and coalitions in these regions. Finally, this study argues for the relevance of “top-down” NGO creation and direction in the post-Cold War era.

Pirates, Exiles, and Empire: English Seamen, Atlantic Expansion, and Jamaican Settlement, 1558-1658

A life of piracy offered marginal men a profession with a degree of autonomy, despite the brand of “outlaw” and the fear of prosecution. At various times throughout history, governments and crowned heads suspended much of their piracy prosecution, licensing men to work as “privateers” for the state, supplementing naval forces. This practice has a long history, but in sixteenth-century England, Elizabeth I (1558-1603) significantly altered this tradition. Recognizing her own weakness in effectively prosecuting these men and the profit they could contribute to the government, Elizabeth began incorporating pirates into the English naval corps in peacetime—not just in war. This practice increased English naval resources, income, and presence in the emerging Atlantic World, but also increased conflict with the powerful Spanish empire. By 1605, making peace with Spain, James VI/I (1603-1625) retracted Elizabeth’s privateering promotion, prompting an emigration of English seamen to the American outposts they had developed in the previous century. Now exiles, no longer beholden to the Crown, seamen reverted back to piracy. The Carolinas and Jamaica served as bases for these rover communities. In 1650, the revolutionary leader Oliver Cromwell (1649-1658) once again recognized the merits of such policies. Determined to demonstrate his authority and solidify his rule, Cromwell offered citizenship and state support to Caribbean exiles in exchange for their aiding of his navy in the taking of Spanish Jamaica. Official chartering of Port Royal, Jamaica served as reward for these men’s efforts and as the culmination of a century-long cycle of piracy legislation, creating one of England’s most lucrative colonies in the middle of a traditionally Spanish Caribbean empire. Through legal and diplomatic records, correspondence, and naval and demographic records from England and Spain, this dissertation explores early modern piracy/privateering policy and its impact on the development of the Atlantic World. European disputes and imperial competition converged in these piracy debates with significant consequences for the definitions of criminality and citizenship and for the development of Atlantic empire.

An Ethnographic Study: Becoming a Physics Expert in a Biophysics Research Group

Expertise in physics has been traditionally studied in cognitive science, where physics expertise is understood through the difference between novice and expert problem solving skills. The cognitive perspective of physics experts only create a partial model of physics expertise and does not take into account the development of physics experts in the natural context of research. This dissertation takes a social and cultural perspective of learning through apprenticeship to model the development of physics expertise of physics graduate students in a research group. I use a qualitative methodological approach of an ethnographic case study to observe and video record the common practices of graduate students in their biophysics weekly research group meetings. I recorded notes on observations and conduct interviews with all participants of the biophysics research group for a period of eight months. I apply the theoretical framework of Communities of Practice to distinguish the cultural norms of the group that cultivate physics expert practices. Results indicate that physics expertise is specific to a topic or subfield and it is established through effectively publishing research in the larger biophysics research community. The participant biophysics research group follows a learning trajectory for its students to contribute to research and learn to communicate their research in the larger biophysics community. In this learning trajectory students develop expert member competencies to learn to communicate their research and to learn the standards and trends of research in the larger research community. Findings from this dissertation expand the model of physics expertise beyond the cognitive realm and add the social and cultural nature of physics expertise development. This research also addresses ways to increase physics graduate student success towards their PhD. and decrease the 48% attrition rate of physics graduate students. Cultivating effective research experiences that give graduate students agency and autonomy beyond their research groups gives students the motivation to finish graduate school and establish their physics expertise.

Consecuencias literarias del 11-S: la representación de la violencia en la novela angloamericana

In my eight years as a professional journalist, I have been a front line observer of the extreme level of violence which occurs everyday in our society. As victims, consumers or perpetrators of violence, this phenomenon is now a part of our existence. As a reporter for the Spanish national newspaper El País I have been witness to the most terrible acts of violence. In Venezuela, with one of the highest rates of criminality in the world, I saw piles of bodies stacked up in mortuaries. In Argentina, I reported on the most brutal crimes including the rape of children by policemen. I believe that my interest in the manifestations and causes of violence was aroused during my time as a journalist. On a personal level, I was deeply affected by the twin poles of attraction/repulsion which the violent images produced in me. The first time I visited New York in 2003, I talked to various people who were selling photos of the victims of the Twin Tower attacks. They had laid out their wares along the wire fence that separated Ground Zero from the main public areas. One particular photograph made an indelible impression on my mind: a ghost like corpse covered in white dust which was streaked with blood. It is an image I will never forget. If I remember well, a complete album of these gruesome images cost about ten dollars. At the same time, I also became interested in islamic terrorism: its complexity and the great impact it has made on Western society. One only has to look at the front page of the press around the world to read about war, terrorism or the constant violation of human rights. The words Al-Qaeda, Daesh, Boko Haram and Islamic State have sadly become parts of our everyday language. The nihilistic philosophy which promisess eternal life in exchange for self-inmolation is a new, highly worrying reality, especially painful when it involves young people who become indoctrinated through the social media. They have become the most loyal supporters of a fanatical and uncompromising version of Islam. The stark reality is that these young recruits to Jihad (holy war) were born in places like London, Paris, Rome or Madrid...

El futuro de la ropa ecológica en Colombia a partir de las tendencias desarrolladas en Reino Unido y Suecia y su impacto ambiental

Durante los últimos años, los consumidores han tomado conciencia acerca del cuidado medio ambiental, obligando a las empresas a realizar modificaciones tanto en sus procesos como en los insumos empleados. Un claro ejemplo de ello es la ropa ecológica, esta industria busca promover la fabricación de prendas de vestir a partir de insumos orgánicos y/o reciclados, minimizando desperdicios e impacto durante su proceso de producción. Actualmente, hay varias empresas que han empezado a fabricar este tipo de prendas, especialmente en Europa, siendo Suecia y Reino Unido los más representativos. El presente trabajo estudió la factibilidad de la ropa ecológica en Colombia, tomando como punto de referencia los países mencionados. Para lograrlo, se realizaron encuestas a una muestra representativa, al igual que un análisis detallado sobre la producción y tendencias de consumo de la ropa ecológica en Bogotá, Colombia. Además, mediante las encuestas aplicadas, se estudió el comportamiento del consumidor colombiano y se realizó un comparativo frente a estudios desarrollados en países europeos en los últimos años. En conclusión, se encontró que a pesar de la ausencia de empresas y tiendas enfocadas en dicha industria, el consumidor colombiano estaría dispuesto a comprar ropa ecológica. A lo largo del documento, se explica con detalle las características que buscan los colombianos al momento de comprar estas prendas, el lugar en donde prefieren hacerlo, el valor que están dispuestos a pagar y las razones o motivos por los cuales realizan estas acciones.

Prevalencia e incidencia de cáncer en habitantes de Sibaté, y georeferenciación de casos 2010-2014

Introducción: El Cáncer es prevenible en algunos casos, si se evita la exposición a sustancias cancerígenas en el medio ambiente. En Colombia, Cundinamarca es uno de los departamentos con mayores incrementos en la tasa de mortalidad y en el municipio de Sibaté, habitantes han manifestado preocupación por el incremento de la enfermedad. En el campo de la salud ambiental mundial, la georreferenciación aplicada al estudio de fenómenos en salud, ha tenido éxito con resultados válidos. El estudio propuso usar herramientas de información geográfica, para generar análisis de tiempo y espacio que hicieran visible el comportamiento del cáncer en Sibaté y sustentaran hipótesis de influencias ambientales sobre concentraciones de casos. Objetivo: Obtener incidencia y prevalencia de casos de cáncer en habitantes de Sibaté y georreferenciar los casos en un periodo de 5 años, con base en indagación de registros. Metodología: Estudio exploratorio descriptivo de corte transversal,sobre todos los diagnósticos de cáncer entre los años 2010 a 2014, encontrados en los archivos de la Secretaria de Salud municipal. Se incluyeron unicamente quienes tuvieron residencia permanente en el municipio y fueron diagnosticados con cáncer entre los años de 2010 a 2104. Sobre cada caso se obtuvo género, edad, estrato socioeconómico, nivel académico, ocupación y estado civil. Para el análisis de tiempo se usó la fecha de diagnóstico y para el análisis de espacio, la dirección de residencia, tipo de cáncer y coordenada geográfica. Se generaron coordenadas geográficas con un equipo GPS Garmin y se crearon mapas con los puntos de la ubicación de las viviendas de los pacientes. Se proceso la información, con Epi Info 7 Resultados: Se encontraron 107 casos de cáncer registrados en la Secretaria de Salud de Sibaté, 66 mujeres, 41 hombres. Sin división de género, el 30.93% de la población presento cáncer del sistema reproductor, el 18,56% digestivo y el 17,53% tegumentario. Se presentaron 2 grandes casos de agrupaciones espaciales en el territorio estudiado, una en el Barrio Pablo Neruda con 12 (21,05%) casos y en el casco Urbano de Sibaté con 38 (66,67%) casos. Conclusión: Se corroboro que el análisis geográfico con variables espacio temporales y de exposición, puede ser la herramienta para generar hipótesis sobre asociaciones de casos de cáncer con factores ambientales.

Interpretación de la construcción de un racismo de Estado : política inmigratoria de Angela Merkel en Alemania (2005-2014)

El objetivo de esta monografía es interpretar, desde la biopolítica, la construcción de un racismo de Estado en Alemania a través de la política inmigratoria bajo el mandato de Angela Merkel (2005-2014). Por medio de tres apartados se presenta de manera organizada la teoría de la biopolítica desarrollada por Michel Foucault, con sus postulados y conceptos principales, resaltando el concepto de racismo de Estado. También se enuncia de manera breve la historia de la inmigración en Alemania, su ley de inmigración actual y la ley de nacionalidad. De esta forma, se puede analizar que en Alemania se ha construido un racismo de Estado, desde la visión teórica de la biopolítica de Foucault, a través de la consolidación de la política inmigratoria vigente en dicho Estado (2005-2014), que reúne el tema de la migración internacional regular.

Geographical gradients in Argentinean terrestrial mammal species richness and their environmental correlates.

We analysed the main geographical trends of terrestrial mammal species richness (SR) in Argentina, assessing how broad-scale environmental variation (defined by climatic and topographic variables) and the spatial form of the country (defined by spatial filters based on spatial eigenvector mapping (SEVM)) influence the kinds and the numbers of mammal species along these geographical trends. We also evaluated if there are pure geographical trends not accounted for by the environmental or spatial factors. The environmental variables and spatial filters that simultaneously correlated with the geographical variables and SR were considered potential causes of the geographic trends. We performed partial correlations between SR and the geographical variables, maintaining the selected explanatory variables statistically constant, to determine if SR was fully explained by them or if a significant residual geographic pattern remained. All groups and subgroups presented a latitudinal gradient not attributable to the spatial form of the country. Most of these trends were not explained by climate.We used a variation partitioning procedure to quantify the pure geographic trend (PGT) that remained unaccounted for. The PGT was larger for latitudinal than for longitudinal gradients. This suggests that historical or purely geographical causes may also be relevant drivers of these geographical gradients in mammal diversity.

La traduzione e ricezione della letteratura cinese in Italia: questioni e strategie a partire dal caso delle traduzioni di alcuni romanzi di Su Tong, Yu Hua, Zhang Jie e Mo Yan

Negli ultimi anni, in Italia sono stati tradotti un gran numero di opere letterarie cinesi grazie all’impegno e alla passione di numerosi sinologi, studiosi e traduttori italiani. Tuttavia, gli studi sulla traduzione della letteratura cinese sono, sia in Cina che in Italia, relativamente pochi e non sempre uniformi: in Cina è difficile trovare dati completi, sistematici e dotati di un certo valore di riferimento, e in Italia, una ricerca di questo tipo ha avuto origine nell’ambito degli studi sinologici italiani, piuttosto che in quello degli studi sulla traduzione. A partire da una rassegna dei principali approcci agli studi sulla traduzione (letteraria) dalla seconda metà del XX secolo fino ai nostri giorni, questo lavoro di tesi tenta di analizzare da un lato le tendenze generali relative alla traduzione e alla pubblicazione delle opere letterarie cinesi in Italia in un arco temporale che va dal 1942 al 2018, tramite alcune analisi di tipo sia quantitativo che qualitativo basate su una tabella di dati concernenti la letteratura cinese sul mercato editoriale italiano che è stata costruita appositamente; dall’altro, questa ricerca intende investigare le strategie utilizzate per tradurre i diversi riferimenti culturali riscontrati nel corpus di testi scelti e che sono stati suddivisi nelle seguenti categorie: antroponimi, intertestualità, riferimenti al contesto politico e culturale, gastronomia e altri riferimenti culturali. Attraverso un’analisi comparativa e descrittiva dei testi di partenza e dei testi di arrivo, ai fini della tesi si sono indagate le problematiche riguardanti la traduzione e la ricezione della letteratura cinese in Italia e le tendenze che tale letteratura ha avuto sia in ambito editoriale che nel campo della traduzione letteraria.

Trends and strategies of ozone application in environmental problems

Efforts presented by the scientific community in recent years towards the development of numerous green chemical processes and wastewater treatment technologies are presented and discussed. In the light of these approaches, environmentally friendly technologies, as well as the key role played by the well-known advanced oxidation processes, are discussed, giving special attention to the ones comprising ozone applications. Fundamentals and applied aspects dealing with ozone technology and its application are also presented.

Time trends and predictors of mortality from ill-defined causes in old age: 9 year folllow-up of the Bambuí cohort study (Brazil)

The study objective was to examine differentials in time trends and predictors of deaths assigned to symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions in comparison with other ill-defined conditions (ill-defined cardiovascular diseases, cancer and injury) in a population-based cohort study. Of 1,606 baseline participants aged 60 years and over, 524 died during 9-year follow-up and were included in this study. Deaths coded to "symptoms" declined by 77% in the period from 1997-1999 to 2003-2005. Deaths coded to other ill-defined conditions remained unchanged. The calendar period 2003-2005 (RR = 0.25; 95%CI: 0.09-0.70) and in-hospital deaths (RR = 0.16; 95%CI: 0.08-0.34) were independently associated with "symptoms", but not with other ill-defined conditions. Baseline socio-demographic characteristics and chronic diseases were not predictors of these outcomes. International and national agencies have focused on the reduction of deaths assigned to "symptoms" to improve the registration of vital statistics, while other ill-defined conditions have received little attention. Our data provide evidence supporting the need to redress this situation.

Trends in dermatomyositis- and polymyositis-related mortality in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1985-2007: multiple cause-of-death analysis

Background: Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) are rare systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases with high fatality rates. There have been few population-based mortality studies of dermatomyositis and polymyositis in the world, and none have been conducted in Brazil. The objective of the present study was to employ multiple-cause of-death methodology in the analysis of trends in mortality related to dermatomyositis and polymyositis in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, between 1985 and 2007. Methods: We analyzed mortality data from the Sao Paulo State Data Analysis System, selecting all death certificates on which DM or PM was listed as a cause of death. The variables sex, age and underlying, associated or total mentions of causes of death were studied using mortality rates, proportions and historical trends. Statistical analysis were performed by chi-square and H Kruskal-Wallis tests, variance analysis and linear regression. A p value less than 0.05 was regarded as significant. Results: Over a 23-year period, there were 318 DM-related deaths and 316 PM-related deaths. Overall, DM/PM was designated as an underlying cause in 55.2% and as an associated cause in 44.8%; among 634 total deaths females accounted for 71.5%. During the study period, age-and gender-adjusted DM mortality rates did not change significantly, although PM as an underlying cause and total mentions of PM trended lower (p < 0.05). The mean ages at death were 47.76 +/- 20.81 years for DM and 54.24 +/- 17.94 years for PM (p = 0.0003). For DM/PM, respectively, as underlying causes, the principal associated causes of death were as follows: pneumonia (in 43.8%/33.5%); respiratory failure (in 34.4%/32.3%); interstitial pulmonary diseases and other pulmonary conditions (in 28.9%/17.6%); and septicemia (in 22.8%/15.9%). For DM/PM, respectively, as associated causes, the following were the principal underlying causes of death: respiratory disorders (in 28.3%/26.0%); circulatory disorders (in 17.4%/20.5%); neoplasms (in 16.7%/13.7%); infectious and parasitic diseases (in 11.6%/9.6%); and gastrointestinal disorders (in 8.0%/4.8%). Of the 318 DM-related deaths, 36 involved neoplasms, compared with 20 of the 316 PM-related deaths (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Our study using multiple cause of deaths found that DM/PM were identified as the underlying cause of death in only 55.2% of the deaths, indicating that both diseases were underestimated in the primary mortality statistics. We observed a predominance of deaths in women and in older individuals, as well as a trend toward stability in the mortality rates. We have confirmed that the risk of death is greater when either disease is accompanied by neoplasm, albeit to lesser degree in individuals with PM. The investigation of the underlying and associated causes of death related to DM/PM broaden the knowledge of the natural history of both diseases and could help integrate mortality data for use in the evaluation of control measures for DM/PM.