A simple apparatus was designed to collect ammonia gas coming out from waste stabilization ponds (WSP). The apparatus has a capture chamber and an absorption system, which were optimized under laboratory conditions prior to being used to assess ammonia volatilization rates in a pilot-scale maturation pond during summer 2005. Under laboratory conditions (water temperature ¼ 17.1 8C and pH ¼ 10.1), the average ammonia volatilization rate was 2,517 g NH3-N/ha d and the apparatus absorbed 79% of volatilized ammonia. On site, the mean ammonia volatilization rate was 15 g N/ha d, which corresponds to 3% of the total nitrogen removed (531 g N/ha d) in the maturation pond studied. A net nitrogen mass balance showed that ammonia volatilization was not the most important mechanism involved in either total nitrogen or ammonia removal. Nitrogen fractions (suspended organic nitrogen, soluble organic nitrogen, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) from the M1 influent and effluent showed that ammonia is removed by biological (mainly algal) uptake and total nitrogen removal by sedimentation of dead algal biomass.

This study is part of an on-going effort to evaluate and monitor river dolphin populations in South America. It comprises the largest initiative to estimate population size and densities of Inia and Sotalia dolphins using statistically robust and standardized methods. From May 2006 to August 2007, seven visual surveys were conducted in selected large rivers of Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. Population sizes of Inia and Sotalia were estimated for different habitats (main river, tributary, lake, island, confluence, and channel). A total of 291 line and 890 strip transects were conducted, covering a distance of 2,704 linear kilometers. We observed 778 Inia geoffrensis, 1,323 Inia boliviensis, and 764 Sotalia fluviatilis. High-density areas were identified (within 200 m from the river banks, confluences, and lakes) and we propose that these constitute critical habitat for river dolphins. High densities of river dolphins seem to coincide with well-anaged freshwater protected areas and should be considered as hot spots for river dolphins in South America.

The Colombian government introduced a capacity market to promote the diversification in the energy matrix, and protect users from high prices derived from dry seasonal events. Unfortunately, the flaws in the scarcity price definition- a mechanism that activates the capacity market obligation and sets a cap price for the spot market- have resulted in a market failure. Specifically, some generation plants have been forced to be unavailable because their variable costs are significantly higher than the scarcity price. This research presents an analysis and some possible alternatives fo the definition of the scarcity price in the Colombian Electricity market. An excel-based model was developed in order to analyse and compare different scarcity price definitions under three dimensions: i) Water management resources. ii) Penalty exposure of agents. iii) Change in prices for final demand. Results suggest that the proposed change in the scarcity price definition would induce to more efficient water management resources, and a reduction in the penalty exposure of agents. Complementary actions are recommended for policy makers in order to avoid some possible side effects of the implementation of a new scarcity price definition.

Resumo: A hemorragia representa um conjunto de causas que incide sobre a mulher durante o ciclo grávido-puerperal e com atenção indevida resulta em morte. Os autores têm como obje vo analisar as mortes mater- nas relacionadas à hemorragia ocorridas no estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil.Os dados foram ob dos junto ao Sistema de Informações de Mortalidade e Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos do Ministério da Saúde do Brasil. Estudo descriptivo no qual foram analisados 491 óbitos maternos ocorridos no período de 1997 a 2010.Desses, 61 es veram relacionados à hemorragia, correspondendo a 12,42%, sendo a hemorragia pós-parto a causa mais prevalente, com 26 óbitos, seguida por descolamento prematuro de placenta com 15, representando 67,21% dos casos.A mortalidade materna por hemorragia é um problema de saúde pública no Estado de Santa Catarina, devido a sua alta preva- lência e as causas básicas são preveníveis. Resumen: La hemorragia representa un conjunto de causas que incide sobre la mujer durante el ciclo gestacional y puerperal, y con una atención indebida resulta en la muerte.Los autores tienen como objetivo analizar las muertes maternas relacionadas con la hemorragia, ocurridas en el Estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Los datos fueron obtenidos del Sistema de Información deMortalidad y Sistema de Información sobre Nacidos Vivos, del Ministerio de Salud del Brasil. Estudio descriptivo en el cual fueron analizados 491 muertes maternas, durante el período de 1997 al 2010.De los cuales, 61 estuvieron relacionadas con la hemorragia, correspondiendo a 12,42%, siendo la hemorragia post-parto la causa más prevalente con 26 muertes, seguida por el desprendimiento prematuro de placenta con 15, representando el 67,21% de los casos.La mortalidad materna por hemorragia es un problema de salud pública en el Estado de Santa Catarina, debido a su alta prevalencia y las causas básicas que son prevenibles.

This dissertation seeks to expose the relationships between State and Violence in the cases of extrajudicial executions that occurred massively during Álvaro Uribe’s Presidential tenure, showing how Democratic Security policy represents the framework of such legitimization. In this sense, it puts at stake the classical definitions of the State concerning the monopoly of the use of force by posing the following question at the center of the debate: Is it only the legal use of force that the State controls? It will be based on a case study of extrajudicial executions which occurred in the Eastern Antioquia region of Colombia and then it will analyze the discourses of various state agents about the cases, to show the patterns of creation of a combat scenario for the illegal killings and to analyse the official responses as denial discourses regarding the cases nationwide. Data have been collected from newspapers, magazines, reports from State agencies, NGOs and from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions. The above patterns of State responses and the cases themselves show how legality is constructed and legitimized in violent ways in regarding extrajudicial executions cases in Colombia: by silencing the context, dealing with bodies and how they are recovered and counted, denying the facts, and denying the victims.

Este texto busca explorar hasta qué punto, y cómo, algunas de las reflexiones desarrolladas por Foucault en la trayectoria de sus dos últimos cursos dictados en el estrado del Collège de France en 1983 y 1984 (Foucault, 2009a y 2010), alrededor de una cierta práctica del decir veraz al que se le daba el nombre de “parrhesía” en el contexto de la Grecia antigua, nos puede permitir entender su manera original de aproximarse a la pregunta por la relación entre ética y polítca. En particular, siendo la “parrhesía” tal y como Foucault la conceptualiza y la piensa en estos cursos, una práctica a la vez ética, pues implica una cierta relación cultivada del sujeto consigo mismo, y política, pues implica la movilización de unos ciertos efectos en el espacio del ser unos con y contra otros, me interesa destacar cómo la atención que le presta Foucault a esta peculiar práctica o ejercicio del lenguaje en algunas de sus instancias y, especialmente, en el caso de la parrhesía cínica, nos puede dar una serie de indicios para repensar una reconfiguración de la esfera de lo público como lugar de ruptura y de crítica con respecto al orden normativo (al orden modulado por un tener en común el sentido y la norma). Una re-configuración de la esfera de lo público, justamente, como el lugar de un contra-sentido y una contra-norma, en el que el “contra” indica una actitud a la vez ética y política desplegada en una cierta práctica, en una cierta puesta en escena del lenguaje: el decir veraz de la parrhesía cínica.

We use spectroscopic analysis to study plasma and copper thin films obtained by the Pulsed Laser De position technique. The Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) was implemented to analyse of emission spectra of the copper plasma produced by the laser Nd:YAG of 1064 nm, which makes the ablation on the copper target. The thin film is growing over an amorphous substrate (glass) at room temperature, and the pressure is changed from 1.2 to 26.6 Pa. We obtained lines of neutral copper Cu I and copper ion, with a meaning difference in intensities, what is related with a greater probability of emission in the green and with the color observed in the plasma during the ablation. The spectroscopic analysis of the thin films is made with Raman; we observed peaks corresponding to the copper oxide. By AFM we could determine the grain size and rough ness for thethin film at 20 Pa and at room temperature. The SEM analysis for different regions shows that the thin films are soft and smooth.

Abstract: Leishmaniasis is endemic in south-west Europe. Recent data point to the spread and (re-)emergence of this disease in previously endemic and non-endemic European countries. A recent example is the urban community outbreak of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in the south-west of Madrid autonomous community, Spain, which began on 1 July 2009. A total of 446 cases associated to this outbreak were reported up to 31 December 2012. We show molecular typing data for 73 Leishmania infantum isolates obtained from January 2008 to July 2012 from different areas of Madrid, including those affected by the outbreak. Seven different genotypes were identified by combining data from two targets: the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS)-1 and -2 and the haspb (k26) gene. The results contribute to a better understanding of the parasite population circulating in the region, and indicate that most of the outbreak-associated isolates (22/31) were infected by parasites with the same combined genotype. Additional data from 82 L. infantum isolates typed as either MON-1 or MON-24 by isoenzyme analysis indicate that far from concluding that the outbreak was caused by a ‘new’ emerging genotype, further molecular typing-based surveillance studies are required to better understand the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in the region. Resumen: La leishmaniasis es endémica en el suroeste de Europa. Datos recientes apuntan a la difusión y la (re) emergencia de esta enfermedad tanto en países europeos anteriormente endémicos como no endémicos. Un ejemplo reciente es el brote urbano de leishmaniasis cutánea y visceral en el sur- oeste de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, España, que comenzó el 1 de julio de 2009. Un total de 446 casos relacionados con este brote se registraron hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2012. Se muestran los datos de tipificación molecular de 73 aislados de Leishmania infantum obtenidos de enero de 2008 a julio de 2012 desde las diferentes áreas de Madrid, incluidas las afectadas por el brote. Siete diferentes genotipos fueron identificados mediante la combinación de los datos de dos marcadores moleculares: los espaciadores transcritos internos (ITS) -1 y -2 y el gen (k26) haspb . Nuestros resultados contribuyen a una mejor comprensión de la población de parásitos que circula en la región, e indican que la mayoría de los aislados asociados al brote (22/31) se debían a parásitos con el mismo genotipo combinado. Adicionalmente, caracterizamos 82 aislados de L. infantum tipados como MON -1 o MON- 24 mediante el análisis de isoenzimas, y los datos obtenidos a partir de este segundo conjunto de cepas indican que el brote no fue causado por un genotipo emergente o "nuevo", sin embargo se requieren de estudios de vigilancia en tipificación para entender mejor la epidemiología de la leishmaniasis en la región.

A few years ago, most of the Latin American countries followed an import substitution strategy (Garay, L. J., 1998) that sought the protection of the industry inwards. After the Consensus of Washington , these followed more open market policies. It resulted in a poor industrial development focused on natural resource-intensive industries. This situation coupled with the political structure of these countries, -fragmented-multiclass states - left several of them behind the global marketplace, and struggling to become competitive. Nowadays, regarding the special circumstances the region is facing -the devaluation of most LA currencies, a drop of oil prices, the US economic recovery, and the boost of Free Trade Agreements along the region- the relevance of this issue is raised once again. This article discusses some programs that governments from the region should foster to yield deep structural changes that benefit from free trade whilst promoting industrial development. ______________________ 1) Gore, C. (2000) claims that the Consensus of Washington was the shift from State-led to market-oriented policies. Additionally, he underpins that after this, problems related to development were framed in that time. 2) Kohli, A. (2004) uses this term to classify developing countries that he considers are well-established because their leaders are held accountable by citizens for their bad performance or poor policies. Notwithstanding, in these countries, leaders are more worried about the political support they receive than for delivering good public policies. He also indicates that the countries are fragmented because they rely on a class alliance between Government and private sector. In these States is common to find leaders that promise more than they can deliver.

This paper presents the measurement and model updating of a pedestrian's center of mass trajectory. A mathematical model proposed by the authors is updated using the actual trajectory of a pedestrian. The mathematical model is based on the principle that a human's control capability tries to maintain balance with respect to the pedestrian's center of mass (CoM), independently of the surface type. In this research, the human is considered as a mass point concentrated at CoM. The parameters of the models are updated using experimental identification of the human walking trajectory on a rigid surface. The proposed measurement technique applies infrared emitter and a depth sensor, which enable skeletal tracking of the pedestrian walking on rigid or flexible structures. Experiments were performed using a mobile platform with the time-of-flight commercial camera Microsoft Kinect for Windows 2.0. The velocity of the mobile platform is set to maintain a one meter separation from the pedestrian in order to provide high resolution. The results allow identification of the human's trajectory and its relation to the walking surface's behavior.