Representar el sufrimiento de las víctimas en conflictos violentos: alcances, obstáculos y perspectivas

El propósito central del artículo es el de analizar qué tipo de sentimientos morales serían los que deberían despertar los testimonios de las víctimas en los miembros de una comunidad política que pretende ser democrática, incluyente y respetuosa de los derechos humanos. De la mano de Avishai Margalit, Tzvetan Todorov, Peter Strawson, Martha Nussbaum, Elizabeth Spelman y Manuel Reyes Mate, a lo largo del texto defenderemos la tesis de que las narraciones y representaciones del sufrimiento injusto padecido por las víctimas son aquellas que son capaces de despertar una indignación y compasión informada en los ciudadanos. Para mostrar el alcance y significado de esta tesis, nos centraremos en analizar dos de los problemas más serios a los que se enfrenta una política de la memoria que privilegia a las víctimas. El primero de ellos tiene que ver con los riesgos que se presentan por las distorsiones que son usuales en los relatos de las víctimas y que en buena parte están ligadas a una especie de sacralidad que se les atribuye a quienes atestiguan acerca de la violencia que han padecido. El segundo problema que analizaremos está relacionado con la recepción e interpretación que hacen los miembros de la comunidad política acerca de ese sufrimiento. En concreto, discutiremos los distintas formas de banalización que pueden darse entre los ciudadanos al momento de interpretar las narraciones que representan el daño. En la última parte del texto, analizaremos el testimonio ejemplar de Harriet Jacobs con el fin de mostrar de que manera un testimonio puede generar en su audiencia sentimientos de indignación y compasión informadas.

Aproximación a un modelo metodológico orientado a los procesos de gestión de conocimiento generadores de valor en organizaciones del sector salud en Colombia

En las organizaciones del sector salud en Colombia, se realizan procedimientos que a pesar de ser homólogos entre ellos, no se discriminan ocasionando que no siempre se escoja el que genere mejores resultados, no solo desde el punto de vista médico sino también de la dirección que se ejerce en las organizaciones la cual debe estar en función de optimizar cualquiera de los procesos propios de la actividad, en este caso, en busca de generación de valor usando como vía la apropiada GC, éste documento está orientado a demostrar que la GC aporta herramientas que permiten desarrollar la aproximación a un modelo metodológico que procura facilitar la elección de procedimientos en salud si se toman los costos asociados como criterios relevantes del análisis, se seleccionaron como instrumento de demostración a los procesos denominados Traqueostomía Quirúrgica y Traqueostomía Percutánea la intensión de desarrollar una aproximación a un modelo metodológico orientado a los procesos de gestión de conocimiento generadores de valor en organizaciones del sector salud en Colombia.

Governing Climate Change.

El problema del cambio climático ha llegado a formar parte prioritaria de las agendas políticas. Se trata de un Cambio Global que está interconectado a otras cuestiones globales y debe ser abordado con las herramientas que permitan observar su carácter complejo. Las transformaciones en curso están causadas fundamentalmente por la acción humana, por lo que deben ser afrontadas por la sociedad convirtiendo los desafíos del cambio climático en desafíos sociales. La confirmación de que existen otras maneras de entender la relación entre naturaleza y sociedad puede ayudar a solucionar el problema de forma integral e interdisciplinar.

The ultimate book of science.

El último libro de la ciencia es una introducción a la ciencia, sus conceptos básicos, principios y prácticas para niños de 7 años de edad. Cubriendo plantas, animales, espacio, clima, materiales y mucho más, los jóvenes lectores disfrutarán aplicando nuevos conocimientos científicos a sus vidas de cada día. Los contenidos del libro son: El planeta Tierra, el clima y el medio ambiente, el cuerpo humano, plantas y animales, el espacio, la física y como nuestro mundo funciona, química, materiales y estructuras, tecnología y máquinas, la industria y el transporte.

Stomatal conductance and not stomatal density determines the long-term reduction in leaf transpiration of poplar in elevated CO2

Using a free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment, poplar trees (Populus · euramericana clone I214) were exposed to either ambient or elevated [CO2] from planting, for a 5-year period during canopy development, closure, coppice and re-growth. In each year, measurements were taken of stomatal density (SD, number mm2) and stomatal index (SI, the proportion of epidermal cells forming stomata). In year 5, measurements were also taken of leaf stomatal conductance (gs, lmol m2 s1), photosynthetic CO2 fixation (A, mmol m2 s1), instantaneous water-use efficiency (A/E) and the ratio of intercellular to atmospheric CO2 (Ci:Ca). Elevated [CO2] caused reductions in SI in the first year, and in SD in the first 2 years, when the canopy was largely open. In following years, when the canopy had closed, elevated [CO2] had no detectable effects on stomatal numbers or index. In contrast, even after 5 years of exposure to elevated [CO2], gs was reduced, A/E was stimulated, and Ci:Ca was reduced relative to ambient [CO2]. These outcomes from the long-term realistic field conditions of this forest FACE experiment suggest that stomatal numbers (SD and SI) had no role in determining the improved instantaneous leaf-level efficiency of water use under elevated [CO2]. We propose that altered cuticular development during canopy closure may partially explain the changing response of stomata to elevated [CO2], although the mechanism for this remains obscure.

Sesquiterpenoids lactones: benefits to plants and people

Sesquiterpenoids, and specifically sesquiterpene lactones from Asteraceae, may play a highly significant role in human health, both as part of a balanced diet and as pharmaceutical agents, due to their potential for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer. This review highlights the role of sesquiterpene lactones endogenously in the plants that produce them, and explores mechanisms by which they interact in animal and human consumers of these plants. Several mechanisms are proposed for the reduction of inflammation and tumorigenesis at potentially achievable levels in humans. Plants can be classified by their specific array of produced sesquiterpene lactones, showing high levels of translational control. Studies of folk medicines implicate sesquiterpene lactones as the active ingredient in many treatments for other ailments such as diarrhea, burns, influenza, and neurodegradation. In addition to the anti-inflammatory response, sesquiterpene lactones have been found to sensitize tumor cells to conventional drug treatments. This review explores the varied ecological roles of sesquiterpenes in the plant producer, depending upon the plant and the compound. These include allelopathy with other plants, insects, and microbes, thereby causing behavioural or developmental modification to these secondary organisms to the benefit of the sesquiterpenoid producer. Some sesquiterpenoid lactones are antimicrobial, disrupting the cell wall of fungi and invasive bacteria, whereas others protect the plant from environmental stresses that would otherwise cause oxidative damage. Many of the compounds are effective due to their bitter flavor, which has obvious implications for human consumers. The implications of sesquiterpenoid lactone qualitiesfor future crop production are discussed.

Wearable device to assist independent living

Older people increasingly want to remain living independently in their own homes. The aim of the ENABLE project is to develop a wearable device that can be used to support older people in their daily lives and which can monitor their health status, detect potential problems, provide activity reminders and offer communication and alarm services. In order to determine the specifications and functionality required for the development of the device, user surveys and focus groups were undertaken, use case analysis and scenario modeling carried out. The project has resulted in the development of a wrist-worn device and mobile phone combination that can support and assist older and vulnerable wearers with a range of activities and services both inside their home and as they move around their local environment. The device is currently undergoing pilot trials in five European countries. The aim of this paper is to describe the ENABLE device, its features and services, and the infrastructure within which it operates.

Randomized controlled trial of parent-enhanced CBT compared with individual CBT for obsessive-compulsive disorder in young people

Objective: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in young people can be effectively treated with Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Practice guidelines in the United Kingdom recommend that CBT be delivered with parental or family involvement; however, there is no evidence from randomized trials that this enhances effectiveness. The aim of this trial was to assess if CBT with high parental involvement was more effective than CBT with low parental involvement (individual CBT) in reducing symptoms of OCD. Method: Fifty young people ages 12–17 years with OCD were randomly allocated to individual CBT or parent-enhanced CBT. In parent-enhanced CBT parents attended all treatment sessions; in individual CBT, parents attended only Sessions 1, 7, and the final session. Participants received up to 14 sessions of CBT. Data were analyzed using intent-to-treat and per-protocol methods. The primary outcome measure was the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsion Scale (Scahill et al., 1997). Results: Both forms of CBT significantly reduced symptoms of OCD and anxiety. Change in OCD symptoms was maintained at 6 months. Per-protocol analysis suggested that parent-enhanced CBT may be associated with significantly larger reductions in anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: High and low parental involvement in CBT for OCD in young people were both effective, and there was no evidence that 1 method of delivery was superior on the primary outcome measure. However, this study was small. Future trials should be adequately powered and examine interactions with the age of the young person and comorbid anxiety disorders.

Pre-Raphaelitism, science and the arts in 'The Germ'

This article demonstrates for the first time how dense the references to science are within the Pre-Raphaelite periodical 'The Germ' (1850). By reading the essays from this magazine together, as they were first published, it is possible to see how thoroughly the Pre-Raphaelites theorised their artistic project in terms of a particular mid-Victorian ideal of science. At the same time, the magazine became a forum in which the question of how far the arts ought to take account of science could be debated. In this debate, the competing visions of Pre-Raphaelitism discussed in Holman Hunt’s later accounts of the movement can be seen emerging at a very early stage in its history.

Discovering biomarkers for antidepressant response: protocol from the Canadian biomarker integration network in depression (CAN-BIND) and clinical characteristics of the first patient cohort

Background Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is among the most prevalent and disabling medical conditions worldwide. Identification of clinical and biological markers (“biomarkers”) of treatment response could personalize clinical decisions and lead to better outcomes. This paper describes the aims, design, and methods of a discovery study of biomarkers in antidepressant treatment response, conducted by the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND). The CAN-BIND research program investigates and identifies biomarkers that help to predict outcomes in patients with MDD treated with antidepressant medication. The primary objective of this initial study (known as CAN-BIND-1) is to identify individual and integrated neuroimaging, electrophysiological, molecular, and clinical predictors of response to sequential antidepressant monotherapy and adjunctive therapy in MDD. Methods CAN-BIND-1 is a multisite initiative involving 6 academic health centres working collaboratively with other universities and research centres. In the 16-week protocol, patients with MDD are treated with a first-line antidepressant (escitalopram 10–20 mg/d) that, if clinically warranted after eight weeks, is augmented with an evidence-based, add-on medication (aripiprazole 2–10 mg/d). Comprehensive datasets are obtained using clinical rating scales; behavioural, dimensional, and functioning/quality of life measures; neurocognitive testing; genomic, genetic, and proteomic profiling from blood samples; combined structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging; and electroencephalography. De-identified data from all sites are aggregated within a secure neuroinformatics platform for data integration, management, storage, and analyses. Statistical analyses will include multivariate and machine-learning techniques to identify predictors, moderators, and mediators of treatment response. Discussion From June 2013 to February 2015, a cohort of 134 participants (85 outpatients with MDD and 49 healthy participants) has been evaluated at baseline. The clinical characteristics of this cohort are similar to other studies of MDD. Recruitment at all sites is ongoing to a target sample of 290 participants. CAN-BIND will identify biomarkers of treatment response in MDD through extensive clinical, molecular, and imaging assessments, in order to improve treatment practice and clinical outcomes. It will also create an innovative, robust platform and database for future research.

Hur sjuksköterskor kan stödja patienter att sluta med cigarettrökning inför en elektiv operation : En litteraturöversikt

Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva hur sjukvårdspersonal kan hjälpa vuxna patienter att sluta röka, en kortare eller längre tid, inför en elektiv operation.Metod: Studien genomfördes som en litteraturöversikt. Genom sökning i databaserna Pubmed och Cinahl erhölls 10 vetenskapliga artiklar. Sökningar genomfördes med både MeSH-termer och fritextsökning. Artiklarna kvalitetsgranskades, analyserades och samanställdes. Resultat: Metoder som kan användas för att hjälpa patienter att sluta röka är olika former av rådgivning och utbildning: hälsoutbildning, program för livsstilsförändringar, sluta-röka-linje. Att erbjuda rådgivning och stöd i kombination nikotinersättningspreparat är fungerande metoder: motiverande samtal och nikotinersättning, regelbunden rådgivning och nikotinersättning, rökavvänjning med hjälp av interaktivt dataprogram, information och hjälp med planering, nikotinersättning och uppmuntrande telefonsamtal. Effekten av nikotinplåster, läkemedel och akupunktstimulering som ensamma metoder var begränsad. Slutsatser: Olika former av rådgivning eller utbildning kan användas när patienter behöver sluta röka inför en elektiv operation. Metoder som kombinerar nikotinersättning och rådgivning eller stöd var mest effektiva. Använder sig sjukvårdspersonal av detta kan lidande minskas, undvika förlängd vårdtid och pengar sparas.