57,454 research outputs found
Perceptions of Evil from Abu Ghraib: Female Prison Guards and Sexual Violence
No full textIn 2003, the world was presented with images of sexual torture from Abu Ghraib, a U.S. military prison in Iraq. For many people, part of the shock of the images was the fact that several of the guards were women. Lynndie England, Sabrina Harman, Megan Ambuhl and Janis Karpinski quickly became the infamous face of the U.S. imperialism. The involvement of women celebrating prisoners’ sexual humiliation and pain, was extremely difficult for people to comprehend and it forced western society to realize that simply adding women to the military did not automatically make that military less prone to brutality.
The aftermath of Abu Ghraib included extensive analysis from multiple perspectives. Conservatives claimed being in the military has ‘masculinized’ the perpetrators and made them violent. Some feminist theorists stated that England et al were just scapegoats who lacked any power or authority both as women in a patriarchal system and as common soldiers. Sociologists discussed the role of group dynamics and how violence towards the enemy has historically been one of the ways to increase a team’s cohesion. Others noted the connection to colonialism in the fact that all the victims were men of color while the perpetrators were Caucasian. Throughout these analyses, the focus has been on the perpetrators as soldiers, but downplayed their role as prison guards. However, as this paper will demonstrate, this role may be useful in better understanding the actions at Abu Ghraib. A large body of data shows that, in the USA, female prison guards are responsible for the majority of sexual crimes against male inmates and a large percentage of sexual crimes against female inmates. This paper will discuss how the sexual torture at Abu Ghraib can be seen as existing on the same continuum of other sexual crimes committed by female guards in civilian prisons
Does infection with Chlamydia trachomatis induce long-lasting partial immunity? Insights from mathematical modelling.
No full textOBJECTIVES: To explore whether existence of long-lasting partial immunity against reinfection with Chlamydia trachomatis is necessary to explain C. trachomatis prevalence patterns by age and sexual risk, and to provide a plausible estimate for the effect size, defined here as a reduction in susceptibility to reinfection. METHODS: A population-based mathematical model was constructed to describe C. trachomatis natural history and transmission dynamics by age and sexual risk. The model was parameterised using natural history, and epidemiological and sexual behaviour data, and applied for UK and US data. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of predictions to variations in model structure and to examine the impact of alternative assumptions for the mechanism underlying partial immunity. RESULTS: Partial immunity against reinfection was found necessary to explain observed C. trachomatis prevalence patterns by age and sexual risk. The reduction in susceptibility to reinfection was estimated at 93% using UK data (95% uncertainty interval (UI)=88%-97%) and at 67% using US data (95% UI=24%-88%). The model-structure sensitivity analyses affirmed model predictions. The immunity-mechanism sensitivity analyses suggested a mechanism of susceptibility reduction against reinfection or a mechanism of infectious-period duration reduction upon reinfection. CONCLUSIONS: A strong long-lasting partial immunity against C. trachomatis reinfection should be present to explain observed prevalence patterns. The mechanism of immunity could be either a reduction in susceptibility to reinfection or a reduction in duration of infection on reinfection. C. trachomatis infection appears to naturally elicit a strong long-lasting immune response, supporting the concept of vaccine development
Structurally Integrated Slotless PM Brushless Motor with Spiral Wound Laminations for Marine Thrusters
No full textRim driven thrusters with structurally integrated brushless PM motors are now an established technology with an increasing range of applications. In these thrusters, the stator of the motor is housed within the thruster duct, and the rotor forms a ring around the tips of the propeller. Such high pole number motors tend to be very thin radialy, have very small length to diameter ratios, and have relatively large airgaps to accommodate corrosion protection layers on the surfaces of the rotor and stator. The relatively large diameter stator laminations of such machines tend therefore to have very thin back of core and narrow teeth, which make them expensive and difficult to manufacture. This paper proposes an alternative potentially lower cost motor topology featuring a slotless stator whose laminations are manufactured from a single strip of steel that is edge wound into a spiral (like a “slinky” and then fitted over the windings that are preformed on the outside surface of a non-conducting former. The former is also part of the sealed housing that protects the stator from corrosion in seawater. The paper discusses the design optimisation of such a motor using analytical and finite element analysis (FEA), describes a demonstrator motor and reports experimental and FEA results
Corrigendum to “The 2016 update of the International Study Group (ISGPF) definition and grading of postoperative pancreatic fistula: eleven years after.” Surgery 2017. Mar; 161 (3):584–591. Epub Dec 28, 2016 (Surgery (2017) 161(3) (584–591), (S0039606016307577), (10.1016/j.surg.2016.11.014))
No full textThe authors regret that the name of author Charles R. Vollmer MD is incorrect in the final published version. The correct name Charles Vollmer. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. Below is the correct order of authors: Claudio Bassi, MDa, Giovanni Marchegiani, MDa, Christos Dervenis, MD,b, Micheal Sarr, MDc, Mohammad Abu Hilal, MDd, Mustapha Adham, MDe, Peter Allen, MDf, Roland Andersson, MDg, Horacio J. Asbun, MDh, Marc G. Besselink, MDi, Kevin Conlon, MDj, Marco Del Chiaro, MDk, Massimo Falconi, MDl, Laureano Fernandez-Cruz, MDm, Carlos Fernandez-del Castillo, MDn, Abe Fingerhut, MDo, Helmut Friess, MDp, Dirk J Gouma, MDi, Thilo Hackert, MDq, Jakob Izbicki, MDr, Keith D. Lillemoe, MDn, John P. Neoptolemos, MDs, Attila Olah, MDt, Richard Schulick, MDu, Shailesh V. Shrikhande, MDv, Tadahiro Takada, MDw, Kyoichi Takaori, MDx, William Traverso, MDy, Charles Vollmer, MDz, Christopher L. Wolfgang, MDaa, Charles J. Yeo, MDbb, Roberto Salvia, MDa, Marcus Buchler, MDq, from the International Study Group on Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS
[Letter from Arthur S. Rosichan to J. L. Zuber - August 11, 1944]
No full textLetter from Arthur S. Rosichan to J. L. Zuber: August 11, 1944. Subject of the letter is the author moving to Houston to work for the Jewish Community Council
Evidence for the decay B0→J/ψω and measurement of the relative branching fractions of meson decays to J/ψη and J/ψη′
No full textFirst evidence of the B 0 → J / ψ ω decay is found and the B s 0 → J / ψ η and B s 0 → J / ψ η ′ decays are studied using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb -1 collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. The branching fractions of these decays are measured relative to that of the B 0 → J / ψ ρ 0 decay:frac(B (B 0 → J / ψ ω), B (B 0 → J / ψ ρ 0)) = 0.89 ± 0.19 (stat) - 0.13 + 0.07 (syst),frac(B (B s 0 → J / ψ η), B (B 0 → J / ψ ρ 0)) = 14.0 ± 1.2 (stat) - 1.5 + 1.1 (syst) - 1.0 + 1.1 (frac(f d, f s)),frac(B (B s 0 → J / ψ η ′), B (B 0 → J / ψ ρ 0)) = 12.7 ± 1.1 (stat) - 1.3 + 0.5 (syst) - 0.9 + 1.0 (frac(f d, f s)), where the last uncertainty is due to the knowledge of f d / f s, the ratio of b-quark hadronization factors that accounts for the different production rate of B 0 and B s 0 mesons. The ratio of the branching fractions of B s 0 → J / ψ η ′ and B s 0 → J / ψ η decays is measured to befrac(B (B s 0 → J / ψ η ′), B (B s 0 → J / ψ η)) = 0.90 ± 0.09 (stat) - 0.02 + 0.06 (syst)
Are HIV epidemics among men who have sex with men emerging in the Middle East and North Africa?: a systematic review and data synthesis.
No full textBACKGROUND: Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionately higher burden of HIV infection than the general population. MSM in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are a largely hidden population because of a prevailing stigma towards this type of sexual behavior, thereby limiting the ability to assess infection transmission patterns among them. It is widely perceived that data are virtually nonexistent on MSM and HIV in this region. The objective of this review was to delineate, for the first time, the evidence on the epidemiology of HIV among MSM in MENA. METHODS AND FINDINGS: This was a systematic review of all biological, behavioral, and other related data on HIV and MSM in MENA. Sources of data included PubMed (Medline), international organizations' reports and databases, country-level reports and databases including governmental and nongovernmental organization publications, and various other institutional documents. This review showed that onsiderable data are available on MSM and HIV in MENA. While HIV prevalence continues at low levels among different MSM groups, HIV epidemics appear to be emerging in at least few countries, with a prevalence reaching up to 28% among certain MSM groups. By 2008, the contribution of MSM transmission to the total HIV notified cases increased and exceeded 25% in several countries. The high levels of risk behavior (4-14 partners on average in the last six months among different MSM populations) and of biomarkers of risks (such as herpes simplex virus type 2 at 3%-54%), the overall low rate of consistent condom use (generally below 25%), the relative frequency of male sex work (20%-76%), and the substantial overlap with heterosexual risk behavior and injecting drug use suggest potential for further spread. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and data synthesis indicate that HIV epidemics appear to be emerging among MSM in at least a few MENA countries and could already be in a concentrated state among several MSM groups. There is an urgent need to expand HIV surveillance and access to HIV testing, prevention, and treatment services in a rapidly narrowing window of opportunity to prevent the worst of HIV transmission among MSM in the Middle East and North Africa. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary
Taʾrīḫ ar-rusul wa-'l-mulūk / Secunda series, 3 Kitāb aḫbār ar-rusul wa-'l-mulūk
No full textrecensuerunt I. Guidi, D. H. Müller et M. J. de GoejeEinige Bde u.d.T.: Annales quos scripsit Abu Djafar Mohammed Ibn Djarir At-TabariText arab.Taʾrīḫ ar-rusul wa-'l-mulū
The theatre of cruelty: dehumanization, objectification & Abu Ghraib
No full textA clumsy pyramid of kneeling men, naked apart from the hoods over their heads, with a smiling, fair-headed woman and a grinning man with a moustache, wearing green cleaning gloves; a slight woman with a blank expression and a man on the floor, on a limp leash; a hooded, robed figure, standing on a box with his arms outstretched and a pose similar to the crucifixion, with sinister wires behind him, and otherwise blank surroundings. A row of more hooded, naked men, forced to do sexual acts as a female prison guard (Lynndie England), tanned and wearing various shades of khaki, grins and does a thumbs up sign, pointing at him, her cigarette tilted and her expression not altogether different from Bonnie in Bonnie and Clyde. A man in uniform and a black beanie hat, sitting on an Iraqi prisoner. Another pyramid of naked detainees, with a man and women behind them, smiling arm in arm, as if they are standing by a caught wild boar or large fish, or a well-organised barbeque. The moustached man (Charles Graner), again smiling and giving a thumbs up sign, this time over a corpse, whose bloody eyes have been bandaged. A naked prisoner covering his ears, as several dogs bark at him, and soldiers watch on. Another prisoner chained to a bed-frame, with some underpants covering his face. These infamous scenes, shown in the Abu Ghraib photographs, shocked many people, and the perpetrators of the torture depicted were condemned by the relevant authorities. They transformed from clandestine mementos of hidden violence to records of an international scandal and evidence of serious crime. Their meaning changed depending on who saw them, how they were interpreted, what reactions they provoked, and the rulings of the courts regarding the people involved. They went from being private victory shots, to an international public relations disaster, to evidence of breaking of the Geneva Convention.Publisher PD
Taʾrīḫ ar-rusul wa-'l-mulūk / Tertia series, 2 Kitāb aḫbār ar-rusul wa-'l-mulūk
No full textrecensuerunt S. Guyard et M. J. de GoejeEinige Bde u.d.T.: Annales quos scripsit Abu Djafar Mohammed Ibn Djarir At-TabariText arab.Taʾrīḫ ar-rusul wa-'l-mulū
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