Viñeta de la adolescencia en Buenos Aires 2004 : el lugar de los jóvenes

Fil: De Rosa Alabaster, Enrique. Centro de Estudios y Terapias Cognitivas; Argentina.Las noticias que presentan a los adolescentes como protagonistas de hechos delictivos o luctuosos\nvan ganando espacio en los medios, en ámbitos nacionales e internacionales, en estratos altos,\nmedios o marginales. Problemas de conducta, de alimentación, drogas, alcohol, asesinatos, suicidios\nentre los jóvenes generan incertidumbre e interrogantes entre los mayores: ¿Problema estructural o\ncoyuntural? ¿Falta de contención o sobreprotección? ¿Mayor conciencia social?

Microwave radar imaging of inhomogeneous breast phantoms using circular holography

Circular holography is a novel reconstruction technique for Breast Microwave Radar (BMR) imaging. Compared to current state of the art BMR image formation methods, this reconstruction approach yields spatially accurate images with higher signal to noise ratios and no artifacts. Nevertheless, a preclinical study is required to assess the feasibility of this technique in realistic breast imaging scenarios. In this paper, a series of preliminary results showing the performance of circular holography on preclinical datasets are presented. These datasets were recorded from inhomogeneous breast phantoms that mimic the dielectric properties and the anatomy of the different breast tissues. These phantoms were fabricated using Magnetic Resonance (MR) images a base model to emulate the shape and volumes of dense tissue regions. The reconstructed BMR images show that tumor and fibroglandular tissue responses can be effectively distinguished, suggesting that circular holography can be used as BMR reconstruction approach in clinical scenarios

Reticulated foam as a biomass support medium in the anaerobic digestion of an industrial wastewater.

This work reports the pilot-scale investigation of various anaerobic reactor systems treating a fruit washing wastewater. An open cell reticulated foam was used as a biomass support media (BSM). The foam pads (25 mm cubes) were randomly packed in the 2.5 m- 3 reactor with an unpacked section beneath the bed. Four general operational regimes were evaluated. These were: single and two stage operation, with and without effluent recycle. Performance was monitored throughout each run in terms of maximum COD loading rate and minimum attainable hydraulic retention time. Biomass concentrations, both within the media and freely suspended between the biomass support particles were measured on samples from each operating regime, their acetoclastic activity being determined in a laboratory test. A method was developed to ascertain whether a difference in biomass activity existed between the outside of an individual biomass support particle and at the centre of the particle, using a radioactively labelled substrate. It was concluded that a two stage system without recycle provided the best performance with respect to the the maximum attainable loading rate (11.6 kgCOD.m- 3 .day). This was approximately twice that for any of the other systems tested. The minimum hydraulic retention time corresponding to this loading was approximately 1.0 d. The superior performance of the two stage system without recycle was attributed to the increased acetoclastic populations brought about by the pre-acidified feed and the plug flow removal kinetics exhibited in reactors without recycle. Two stage systems produced higher levels of biomass in the reactor than their single stage counterparts and a large proportion of the total biomass inventory was present as suspended growth in systems without recycle. Tracer studies showed that the actual HRT was much less than that calculated from flow rate and reactor volume, indicating that large areas of the reactor were not accessible to the substrate. Experiments investigating activity gradients in the BSM indicated that a significant difference existed between the acetoclastic activity of biomass at the centre of a colonized particle and that on the surface. It may be concluded that substrate diffusional limitations played an important role in determining the performance of this type of biomass support. Electron microscope examination of BSP fragments gave little information other than the existence of both attached and suspended growth. Most of the bio mass was present as a dense fibrillar network

Progel Use is Not Associated with Decreased Incidence of Postoperative Air Leak after Nonanatomic Lung Surgery.

CONTEXT: Progel Pleural Air Leak Sealant (CR Bard, Warwick, RI) is a US Food and Drug Administration-approved hydrogel designed for application to surgical staple lines to prevent air leak after lung surgery. This product has demonstrated efficacy in reducing intraoperative air leaks compared with standard air leak closure methods. However, the impact on chest tube duration and length of hospital stay has not been reported. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect on rates of postoperative air leak, chest tube duration, and hospital stay in surgical patients with and without use of Progel. DESIGN: Retrospective study of 176 patients aged 18 to 80 years who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic wedge resections between 2014 and 2016. Eighty-four (48%) cases using Progel were included, as well as a representative sample of non-Progel cases (n = 92; 52%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Presence of postoperative lung air leak. RESULTS: No difference existed between the Progel and non-Progel groups in the rate of postoperative air leak (20/84, 23.81% Progel; 16/92, 17.39% non-Progel; p = 0.33). The length of time patients had a chest tube was similar (23.5 vs 23 hours, p = 0.721), as was percentage of patients with a less than 2-day hospitalization (77.17% non-Progel vs 82.14% Progel, p = 0.414). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Progel, used routinely in patients undergoing nonanatomic lung resection, does not have a significant impact on postoperative air leak, chest tube duration, or length of hospital stay. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the utility of Progel in reducing postoperative complications after thoracoscopic wedge resection in those treated for air leak or in the reduction of postoperative air leak in high-risk patients

Inequality in access to tertiary education: a capabilities approach to assessing the New Zealand “Fees-Free” tertiary policy, 2018-2023

This thesis considers the equity implications of the New Zealand fees-free policy introduced in 2018 through the lens of the capabilities approach. To date, the fees-free policy has had little or no impact on the enrolments of students from low-income backgrounds or first-in- family students. Students from low-income backgrounds are under-represented at tertiary level study and significantly under-represented at university level study. This inequality of access and participation is particularly problematic as students from disadvantaged backgrounds miss out on the benefits that tertiary education can provide. The experiences of ten students from low-income or first-in-family backgrounds were examined through semi-structured interviews conducted at three intervals: the academic year's beginning, middle, and end. These longitudinal interviews provided rich insights into numerous barriers to accessing and participating in university study, including financial stress, transitioning from secondary to tertiary education, health and wellbeing, the pressure of COVID-19 and lockdowns, navigating information and application forms, and workload. The research points to a paradox in that while the fees-free policy has had no observable impact on national enrolment for under-represented groups, five of the ten students interviewed in this study stated that they would not have enrolled without the first-year courses being fees-free. Three themes were developed from the analysis of interviews using reflexive thematic analysis. The themes were based on the student’s experiences of accessing and participating in tertiary study and shed light on what these tertiary students valued about their study and what conditions influenced their opportunities to achieve these valued outcomes. The students reported valuing having a “Sense of Direction” (including a sense of self, agency and purpose, often expressed as a desire to help others) and also reported valuing a “Sense of Connection” (a feeling of belonging). Students also identified Barriers (including experiences underpinned by systemic injustices) they felt impacted their opportunities to do things they valued and be the people they could be. These three themes were discussed through the lens of the capabilities approach, particularly as developed by Martha Nussbaum, to evaluate the impact of the fees-free policy. Discussion highlights the value of the capabilities approach in shedding light on the conditions that enable student opportunities (or capabilities) and the constraints on their experience of outcomes (functionings). In conclusion, the study offers a new framework for applying the capability approach to evaluate equitable access and participation in tertiary education afforded by the fees-free policies in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand

Regionalization of thoracic surgery improves short-term cancer esophagectomy outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Some studies have found that outcomes from cancer esophagectomy are better at higher-volume centers than at lower-volume centers. Reports on outcomes following systematic centralization have largely demonstrated subsequent improvements, but these originate in nationalized healthcare systems that are not very comparable to the heterogeneous private-payer systems that predominate in the United States. We examined how regionalization of thoracic surgery to Centers of Excellence (CoE) within our American integrated healthcare system changed overall care for our patients, and whether it changed outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 461 consecutive patients undergoing cancer esophagectomy between 2009-2016, spanning the 2014 shift to regionalization. High-volume was defined as ≥5 esophagectomies per year. We compared characteristics of the surgeon, hospital, and operation pre- and post-regionalization using Chi-square or Fishers exact test for categorical variables and Kruskal-Wallis test for age. We evaluated their associations with patient outcomes with hierarchical linear and logistic mixed models, which adjusted for clustering within surgeon and facility levels and relevant covariates. RESULTS: While there was no difference in their baseline demographics, patients undergoing esophagectomy post-regionalization were much more likely to have their surgery performed at a designated Center of Excellence (78.8% of cases versus 34.2%, P<0.001), at a high-volume hospital (92.1% from 75.7%, P<0.001), by a high-volume surgeon (78.8% from 58.8%, P<0.001), by a board-certified thoracic surgeon (82.5% from 64.0%, P<0.001), and by minimally-invasive, versus open, approach (60.8% from 22.1%, P<0.001). Post-regionalization patients were in higher American Society of Anesthesiologists classes (P=0.03) and trended toward higher-stage disease (P=0.14), indicative of the inclusion of higher-complexity patients. Despite that, regionalization was associated with improved short-term outcomes, most notably: average minimally-invasive esophagectomy (MIE) operative time decreased by 2 hours (-135.9 minutes, 95% CI: -172.2, -99.7 minutes); length of stay (LOS) decreased by 2.3 days (95% CI: -3.4, -1.2 days); and 30-day complication rate decreased significantly, from 50.7% to 30.2% (OR 0.45, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.79). Regionalization was the only variable significantly and independently associated with all three outcomes in our adjusted multivariable models. Mortality, both at 30 and 90 days, decreased modestly but was low pre-regionalization, and the difference did not reach significance. CONCLUSIONS: Regionalization of thoracic surgery in our hospital system resulted in esophagectomies being performed by more experienced surgeons at higher-volume centers, with a concomitant improvement in short-term outcomes. Patients undergoing esophagectomy, particularly MIE, post-regionalization benefited significantly from decreased LOS and perioperative complication rate. Our results suggest that, in a large integrated healthcare system, regionalization significantly improves overall outcomes for patients undergoing cancer esophagectomy

Environmental effects of crude oil spill on the physicochemical and hydrobiological characteristics of the Nun River, Niger Delta

Oil spill pollution has remained a source of several international litigations in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In this paper, we examined the impacts of small recurrent crude oil spills on the physicochemical, microbial and hydrobiological properties of the Nun River, a primary source of drinking water, food and recreational activities for communities in the region. Samples were collected from six sampling points along the stretch of the lower Nun River over a 3-week period. Temperature, pH salinity, turbidity, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, nitrate, heavy metals, BTEX, PAHs and microbial and plankton contents were assessed to ascertain the quality and level of deterioration of the river. The results obtained were compared with the baseline data from studies, national and international standards. The results of the physicochemical parameters indicated a significant deterioration of the river quality due to oil production activities. Turbidity, TDS, TSS, DO, conductivity and heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn) were in breach of the national and international limits for drinking water aquatic health. They were also significantly higher than the initial baseline conditions of the river. Also, there were noticeable changes in the phytoplankton, zooplankton and microbial diversities due to oil pollution across the sampling zones.<br/

The Measurement of the Reflection and Transmission Properties of Conducting Fabrics to Milli-Metric Wave Frequencies

There is increasing interest in conducting fabrics and their uses at RF and microwave frequencies. This paper for the first time looks at the reflection and transmission measurements of bobbinet and knitted materials from around 8GHz into the milli-metric frequency range 110GHz, where the material geometry is comparable to the wavelength of the wave. Bobbinet materials were found to behave like lossy dielectrics and may be useful in the construction of thin light-weight screening and absorption planes. While the knitted materials, with very small mesh geometry, gave a reflection coefficient which was comparable to a metal foil

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with never-smoking status in patients with lung cancer: findings from a large integrated health system.

BACKGROUND: Evidence is limited characterizing sociodemographically diverse patient populations with lung cancer in relation to smoking status. METHODS: In a cross-sectional analysis of adults diagnosed with lung cancer at ages ≥30 years from 2007-2018 within an integrated healthcare system, overall and sex-specific prevalence of never smoking were estimated according to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were also estimated using modified Poisson regression to identify patient characteristics associated with never smoking, overall and by sex. Similar analyses were conducted to explore whether prevalence and association patterns differed between non-Hispanic White and Asian/Pacific Islander patients. RESULTS: Among 17,939 patients with lung cancer, 2,780 (15.5%) never smoked and 8,698 (48.5%) had adenocarcinoma. Overall prevalence of never smoking was higher among females than males (21.2% vs. 9.2%, aPR 2.13, 95% CI: 1.98-2.29); Asian/Pacific Islander (aPR 2.85, 95% CI: 2.65-3.07) and Hispanic (aPR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.51-1.95) than non-Hispanic White patients; patients who primarily spoke Spanish (aPR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.32-1.94), any Asian language (aPR 1.20, 95% CI: 1.10-1.30), or other languages (aPR 1.84, 95% CI: 1.27-2.65) than English; patients living in the least vs. most deprived neighborhoods (aPR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.24-1.50); and patients with adenocarcinoma (aPR 2.57, 95% CI: 2.18-3.03), other non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (aPR 2.00, 95% CI: 1.63-2.45), or carcinoid (aPR 3.60, 95% CI: 2.96-4.37) than squamous cell carcinoma tumors. Patterns of never smoking associated with sociodemographic, but not clinical factors, differed by sex. The higher prevalence of never smoking associated with Asian/Pacific Islander race/ethnicity was more evident among females (aPR 3.30, 95% CI: 2.95-3.47) than males (aPR 2.25, 95% CI: 1.92-2.63), whereas the higher prevalence of never smoking associated with living in the least deprived neighborhoods was more evident among males (aPR 1.93, 95% CI: 1.56-2.38) than females (aPR 1.18, 95% CI: 1.06-1.31). Associations between primary language and never-smoking status were found only among females. Overall and sex-specific prevalence and association patterns differed between Asian/Pacific Islander and non-Hispanic white patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that patterns of never-smoking status associated with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics are different across sex and race/ethnicity among patients with lung cancer. Such data are critical to increasing awareness and expediting diagnosis of this disease