Daniel Eduardo Jones, Paloma Dulbecco and Santiago L. Cunial
The purpose of this paper is to inquire into the role that sexuality plays in faith-based programs for the prevention and care of problematic drug use.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to inquire into the role that sexuality plays in faith-based programs for the prevention and care of problematic drug use.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducts 25 semi-structured interviews with institutional staff and another 31 with people undergoing treatment in spiritual and religious drug rehabilitation programs in Argentina.
Findings
First, within these therapeutic devices, different sexual experiences are considered initial catalysts for drug use. Also, within these institutions, certain morally condemned sexual behaviors are seen as associated with consumption. Second, these institutions establish diverse rules and recommendations about intimate relationships for people in recovery to improve the outcome of treatments. Third, therapeutic institutions produce gender stereotypes related to the sexuality of drug users. Fourth, institutions assume heterosexuality within their target populations, thereby reinforcing the heteronormative frameworks of these therapeutic interventions.
Research limitations/implications
This is a small qualitative study conducted in Argentina. Although its results cannot be generalized, they serve as a preliminary empirical input to analyze drug treatment programs in the country and other regions of the world.
Originality/value
This study addresses the relationships between problematic drug use, rehabilitation and sexuality from the perspectives of both professionals and men and women who consume drugs. This paper adopts a critical perspective on gender and sexual diversity to analyze how therapeutic institutions reproduce certain gender stereotypes and heteronormativity. In doing so, the research intends to contribute to discussions that can lead to more comprehensive policies regarding problematic drug use.
Details
Keywords
Iván La Fé-Perdomo, Jorge Andres Ramos-Grez, Gerardo Beruvides and Rafael Alberto Mujica
The purpose of this paper is to outline some key aspects such as material systems used, phenomenological and statistical process modeling, techniques applied to monitor the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline some key aspects such as material systems used, phenomenological and statistical process modeling, techniques applied to monitor the process and optimization approaches reported. All these need to be taken into account for the ongoing development of the SLM technique, particularly in health care applications. The outcomes from this review allow not only to summarize the main features of the process but also to collect a considerable amount of investigation effort so far achieved by the researcher community.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reviews four significant areas of the selective laser melting (SLM) process of metallic systems within the scope of medical devices as follows: established and novel materials used, process modeling, process tracking and quality evaluation, and finally, the attempts for optimizing some process features such as surface roughness, porosity and mechanical properties. All the consulted literature has been highly detailed and discussed to understand the current and existing research gaps.
Findings
With this review, there is a prevailing need for further investigation on copper alloys, particularly when conformal cooling, antibacterial and antiviral properties are sought after. Moreover, artificial intelligence techniques for modeling and optimizing the SLM process parameters are still at a poor application level in this field. Furthermore, plenty of research work needs to be done to improve the existent online monitoring techniques.
Research limitations/implications
This review is limited only to the materials, models, monitoring methods, and optimization approaches reported on the SLM process for metallic systems, particularly those found in the health care arena.
Practical implications
SLM is a widely used metal additive manufacturing process due to the possibility of elaborating complex and customized tridimensional parts or components. It is corroborated that SLM produces minimal amounts of waste and enables optimal designs that allow considerable environmental advantages and promotes sustainability.
Social implications
The key perspectives about the applications of novel materials in the field of medicine are proposed.
Originality/value
The investigations about SLM contain an increasing amount of knowledge, motivated by the growing interest of the scientific community in this relatively young manufacturing process. This study can be seen as a compilation of relevant researches and findings in the field of the metal printing process.