Do we need to categorize it? Reflections on constituencies and quotas as tools for negotiating difference in the global food sovereignty convergence space

Convergence–as an objective and as a process–designates the coming together of different social actors across strategic, political, ideological, sectoral and geographic divides. In this paper, we analyze the global food sovereignty movement (GFSM) as a convergence space, with a focus on constituencies and quotas as tools to maintain diversity while facilitating convergence. We show how the use of constituencies and quotas has supported two objectives of the GFSM: alliances building and effective direct representation in global policy-making spaces. We conclude by pointing to some convergence challenges the GFSM faces as it expands beyond its agrarian origins.</p

Implementation research for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections; 2017 Geneva infection prevention and control (IPC)-think tank (part 1)

Background Around 5–15% of all hospital patients worldwide suffer from healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), and years of excessive antimicrobial use in human and animal medicine have created emerging antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A considerable amount of evidence-based measures have been published to address these challenges, but the largest challenge seems to be their implementation. Methods In June 2017, a total of 42 experts convened at the Geneva IPC-Think Tank to discuss four domains in implementation science: 1) teaching implementation skills; 2) fostering implementation of IPC and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) by policy making; 3) national/international actions to foster implementation skills; and 4) translational research bridging social sciences and clinical research in infection prevention and control (IPC) and AMR. Results Although neglected in the past, implementation skills have become a priority in IPC and AMS. They should now be part of any curriculum in health care, and IPC career paths should be created. Guidelines and policies should be aligned with each other and evidence-based, each document providing a section on implementing elements of IPC and AMS in patient care. International organisations should be advocates for IPC and AMS, framing them as patient safety issues and emphasizing the importance of implementation skills. Healthcare authorities at the national level should adopt a similar approach and provide legal frameworks, guidelines, and resources to allow better implementation of patient safety measures in IPC and AMS. Rather than repeating effectiveness studies in every setting, we should invest in methods to improve the implementation of evidence-based measures in different healthcare contexts. For this, we need to encourage and financially support collaborations between social sciences and clinical IPC research. Conclusions Experts of the 2017 Geneva Think Tank on IPC and AMS, CDC, and WHO agreed that sustained efforts on implementation of IPC and AMS strategies are required at international, country, and hospital management levels, to provide an adequate multimodal framework that addresses (not exclusively) leadership, resources, education and training for implementing IPC and AMS. Future strategies can build on this agreement to make strategies on IPC and AMS more effective

Discurso de toma de posesión del Rector Magnífico de la USMA, Ing. Juan Planells

Como seguramente ustedes comprenden, me resulta muy difícil hablarles en una ocasión como esta. Son muchos los sentimientos que me acompañan en este día, y todos se agolpan en mi mente interponiéndose en el camino que le permite a la razón convertirse en palabra.El verme rodeado del cariño de tantos amigos y amigas con los que hemos compartido por cincuenta años las ilusiones de servir a la Iglesia y al país desde nuestra universidad católica, formando jóvenes bien preparados y comprometidos por construir un Panamá mejor, líderes que orienten a la sociedad en su búsqueda hacia un desarrollo de paz y de bienestar. Ustedes deben ser felices pues han sido fieles al compromiso de servir a los que lo necesitan. Decía José Martí “Ayudar al que lo necesita no solo es parte del deber, sino de la felicidad”

The relationship between visual function and performance in rifle shooting for athletes with vision impairment

Background: Paralympic sports provide opportunities for those who have an impairment that might otherwise be a barrier to participation in regular sporting competition. Rifle shooting represents an ideal sport for persons with vision impairment (VI) because the direction of the rifle can be guided by auditory information when vision is impaired. However, it is unknown whether those with some remaining vision when shooting with auditory guidance would be at an advantage when compared with those with no vision at all. If this were the case then it would be necessary for those with and without remaining vision to compete in separate classes of competition. Materials and method: The associations between shooting performance and 3 measures of visual function thought important for shooting were assessed for 10 elite VI shooters currently classified as VI. A conventional audiogram was also obtained. Results: The sample size, though small, included the majority of European VI shooters competing at this level. The relationships between visual functions and performance confirmed that individuals with residual vision had no advantage over those without vision when auditory guidance was available. Auditory function was within normal limits for age, and showed no relationship with performance. Summary: The findings suggest that rifle-shooting athletes with VI are able to use auditory information to overcome their impairment and optimise performance. Paralympic competition should be structured in a way that ensures that all shooters who qualify to compete in VI shooting participate within the same class irrespective of their level of VI

José Enrique Rodó y William James, ¿Un contrapunto humanístico-filosófico americano?

This text deals with comparing two texts Ariel by the Uruguayan Jose Enrique Rodo (1900) and the Pragmatism (1907) by the American William James. Through these texts, which have not been compared before, are founded american intellectuals traditions that until today have continued to be influential among intellectuals. Especially James Pragmatism is articulated in a series of texts written by Pierce and Dewey that, unlike Arielism, which quickly sold out its possibilities of reception and reproduction, has continued to interest scholars and intellectuals from around the world. The purpose of this paper is to show that there are similarities between the two ways of thinking and pragmatism, so unknown and vilified in Spanish America for being apparently an ideology of Empire and the north, it is a perfect partner to initiate a transcultural dialogue in the continent.Este texto se ocupará de comparar dos textos el Ariel del uruguayo José Enrique Rodó (1900) y el Pragmatismo (1907) del norteamericano William James.&nbsp; A través de estos textos, que no han sido comparados anteriormente, se fundaron tradiciones intelectuales americanas que hasta hoy día no han dejado de ser influyentes entre los intelectuales, el primero. Especialmente, el Pragmatismo de James se articula en una serie de textos escritos por Pierce y Dewey que, a diferencia del Arielismo, que agotó rápidamente sus posibilidades de recepción y reproducción, no ha dejado de interesar a académicos e intelectuales de todo el mundo. El objetivo de este texto es demostrar que hay similitudes entre ambas formas de pensamiento y que el Pragmatismo, tan desconocido y vilipendiado en la América hispana por ser aparentemente una ideología del Imperio y del norte, es un interlocutor perfecto para iniciar un diálogo transcultural en el continente. &nbsp

La condena de la deuda externa: cómo las obligaciones consumen a los Estados.

Últimamente todo el interés mundial está dirigido hacia Grecia, cuyo pueblo está atravesando un periodo extremadamente difícil en términos económicos. La población vive pendiente de los bancos y sale a las calles con la esperanza de poner fin a este 'tiempo oscuro' que ha sacudido no solo al país heleno, sino a toda la Unión Europea. La deuda externa de Grecia ha superado el 174% del PIB, pero muchos países se encuentran en una situación similar. &nbsp

The Importance of Context and Cognitive Agency in Developing Police Knowledge: Going Beyond the Police Science Discourse

This paper argues the current exposition of police knowledge through the discourses of police science and evidenced based policing (EBP) leads to exaggerated claims about what is, and can be, known in policing. This new orthodoxy underestimates the challenges of applying knowledge within culturally-mediated police practice. The paper draws upon virtue epistemology highlighting the role cognitive agency plays in establishing knowledge claims. We challenge the assumption that it is possible to derive what works in all instances of certain aspects of policing and suggest it would be more apt to speak about what worked within a specific police context

EL RANGO VENEZUELA: “RANGO VEN-2012” RECONSTRUCCIÓN DEL RANKING IBEROAMERICANO SIR-2012

El Ranking Iberoamericano SIR-2012 aporta información procesada de Scopus -Elsevier sobre Instituciones de Educación Superior Iberoamericanas (IES-IBE) que produjeron documentos indexados entre 2006 y 2010; incluye 1,401 IBE donde 1,254 son Latinoamericanas y del Caribe (LAC), de éstas 61 venezolanas (VEN). La valoración del rendimiento investigativo permitió reconstruir el SIR-2012 y emergió el “Rango VEN-2012” con mayor alcance que en la edición pasada (Rada, 2011). El propósito es promover la búsqueda de indicadores de productividad que determinen mejores políticas presupuestarias. Se cotejaron ubicación, desplazamientos y porcentajes positivos en los cinco indicadores del Ranking Iberoamericano SIR-2012 y se observaron sesgos atribuibles a la dinámica de las instituciones universitarias venezolanas. En general en el Rango VEN-2012 resultaron 16 (26,22%) IEU como las mejores en rendimiento investigativo nacional. Se sugiere editar sistemáticamente las revistas científicas, incluirlas en índices y repositorios que les den visibilidad, así como apoyar financieramente a la investigación e innovación.Palabras Clave: Ranking universitario. Rango Venezuela. Productividad investigativa. THE VENEZUELAN RANK: “RANK VEN-2012”. RECONSTRUCTION OF THE IBEROAMERICAN RANKING SIR-2012ABSTRACTThe Iberoamerican Ranking SIR 2012, offers the information processed by the Scopus -Elsevier 2006-2010 Data Base, to show the degree of research performance of the Iberoamerican Higher Education Institutes (IES-IBE). Include 1,401 IBE, those 1,254 from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), 61 of the were from Venezuela (VEN). Once the international barometrically assessment of the five dimensions of the research products, in order to obtain the Rank VEN-2012, we proceeded to reconstruct the SIR -2012, the major order which Rada (2011), including despoilments in the orders and the positive points average. The finding revealed that 16 institutions occupies satisfactory given. Action to support researchers were suggested.Key works: University rankings. Venezuelan Rank. Research productivity

LA ARITMÉTICA DE ROMERO Y SERRANO: PRIMER LIBRO DE MATEMÁTICAS IMPRESO EN VENEZUELA

Se reporta el estudio de la obra Aritmética escrita por el español Lucas María Romero y Serrano, reimpresa en Venezuela en 1826, 1836, 1840 y 1842. Se indica la existencia de otras ediciones del libro. Se señalan algunos datos de su autor y del contexto español dentro del cual surgió la obra, asociado a las ideas ilustradas. Se muestra el contexto nacional dentro del cual aparece la obra en Venezuela. Se describen y se comparan las ediciones de 1826 y 1842. Se analiza la estructura interna de la obra, la temática cubierta y extractos de la misma. Se estudia su impacto en la educación elemental venezolana. El estudio es de corte histórico-documental, tomando como base fuentes de tipo primario: diversas ediciones de la obra, catálogos de libreros y editores del siglo XIX, así como memorias y actas de diversos organismos oficiales, y otras obras contemporáneas con la obra en estudio.Palabras clave: Educación Matemática, enseñanza de la aritmética, obras didácticas, catecismos, Romero y Serrano. THE ARITHMETIC OF ROMERO Y SERRANO:FIRST MATH BOOK PRINTED IN VENEZUELAABSTRACTWe report a study of the book Arithmetic written by the Spaniard Lucas María Romero y Serrano, reprinted in Venezuela in 1826, 1836, 1840, and 1842. We indicate the existence of other editions of this book. We identify some data of the author and of the Spanish context, within which the work arose, associated with Enlightenment ideas. We also show the national context within which the work appears in Venezuela. We describe and compare the editions of 1826 and 1842. We analyze the internal structure of the book, the subject matter covered and extracts thereof. We study its impact on Venezuelan elementary education. This research is an historical-documentary study, based on primary type sources: various editions of the work, nineteenth century booksellers and publishers catalogs, as well as reports and minutes of various government agencies, and other contemporary documents with the work in study.Key Words: Mathematics Education, Arithmetic teaching, Textbooks, Catechisms, Romero y Serrano

3. Teoría de la violencia escolar: visión de los actores de una escuela venezolana

The aim was to build a substantive theory of school violence from the view of school members. The study was developed in a national educative institution in Caracas. The design was based on the interpretative phenomenological paradigm with a qualitative approach. Findings indicate that school community is affected for a set of deficits, social vulnerability and helplessness. The Systemic Violence Theory was presented; it was seen as an exerted force from levels in which the individual has not power decision. It is recommended that actions must be addressed to the creation of integral nuclei of education in which health promotion and prevention services for the youths really work; enhance national programs of school conviviality based on complex thinking along with actions leading to risk and vulnerability alleviation.La investigación tuvo como propósito construir una teoría sustantiva de la violencia escolar desde la visión de sus miembros. El estudio se desarrolló en una Unidad Educativa Nacional de Caracas. El diseño se fundamentó en el paradigma interpretativo fenomenológico con enfoque cualitativo. Los hallazgos indican que la comunidad escolar está afectada por un cúmulo de déficits, vulnerabilidad social e indefensión. Se formuló la Teoría de Violencia Sistémica, pensada como una fuerza ejercida desde niveles en los cuales el individuo no tiene poder de decisión. Se recomienda que las acciones deban dirigirse a la creación de núcleos integrales de educación en cuales funcionen servicios de promoción y prevención de salud en los jóvenes; impulsar programas nacionales, sustentado en el pensamiento complejo, de convivencia escolar, acompañados de acciones que conlleven la mitigación del riesgo y la vulnerabilidad. A otras instancias, abordar la escuela como laboratorio social donde se busque profundizar el fenómeno estudiado