The rainbow flag as friction : transnational imagined communities of belonging among Pakistani LGBTQ activists

This article analyzes the frictions the rainbow flag creates between transnational, national and translocal discourses and materialities. It focuses on the ambivalent role that the transnational ‘rainbow’ space plays for community building for LGBTQ activists in in Pakistan. The rainbow flag can function as a way to mobilize an imagined transnational community of belonging, enabling people to politicize their experiences of discrimination as a demand of recognition directed at the state. But it can also enable homonationalism and transnational middle class formations that exclude groups of people, for example illiterates and people perceived of as traditional, such as Khwaja Siras. The article is based on auto-ethnographic reflections on encounters with activists in Pakistan, and critically discusses the problem of feeling ‘too comfortable’, as white, Western, middle-class researchers, exploring ‘imperial narratives’ dominating the feminist and LGBTQ activist transnational imagined community of belonging. It argues for the importance of recognizing the transnational space as a space in its own right, with different positions, communities and conflicts stretching around the globe

The rainbow flag as friction : transnational imagined communities of belonging among Pakistani LGBTQ activists

This article analyzes the frictions the rainbow flag creates between transnational, national and translocal discourses and materialities. It focuses on the ambivalent role that the transnational ‘rainbow’ space plays for community building for LGBTQ activists in in Pakistan. The rainbow flag can function as a way to mobilize an imagined transnational community of belonging, enabling people to politicize their experiences of discrimination as a demand of recognition directed at the state. But it can also enable homonationalism and transnational middle class formations that exclude groups of people, for example illiterates and people perceived of as traditional, such as Khwaja Siras. The article is based on auto-ethnographic reflections on encounters with activists in Pakistan, and critically discusses the problem of feeling ‘too comfortable’, as white, Western, middle-class researchers, exploring ‘imperial narratives’ dominating the feminist and LGBTQ activist transnational imagined community of belonging. It argues for the importance of recognizing the transnational space as a space in its own right, with different positions, communities and conflicts stretching around the globe

The rainbow flag as friction : transnational imagined communities of belonging among Pakistani LGBTQ activists

This article analyzes the frictions the rainbow flag creates between transnational, national and translocal discourses and materialities. It focuses on the ambivalent role that the transnational ‘rainbow’ space plays for community building for LGBTQ activists in in Pakistan. The rainbow flag can function as a way to mobilize an imagined transnational community of belonging, enabling people to politicize their experiences of discrimination as a demand of recognition directed at the state. But it can also enable homonationalism and transnational middle class formations that exclude groups of people, for example illiterates and people perceived of as traditional, such as Khwaja Siras. The article is based on auto-ethnographic reflections on encounters with activists in Pakistan, and critically discusses the problem of feeling ‘too comfortable’, as white, Western, middle-class researchers, exploring ‘imperial narratives’ dominating the feminist and LGBTQ activist transnational imagined community of belonging. It argues for the importance of recognizing the transnational space as a space in its own right, with different positions, communities and conflicts stretching around the globe

Källsortering i AF-borgen

Good waste management is essential to reach a sustainable development, although it is not always easy to achieve. Historical buildings have several requirements concerning fire security, working environment and aesthetics which can make it hard for them to introduce sorting systems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the obstacles historical buildings can encounter concerning indoor waste management, and to present solutions for them. The study focuses on the AF-building, an historically valuable building in the heart of Lund. The results were based upon literature concerning fire security in historical buildings, working environment for cleaners and the aesthetic aspect of sorting furniture. Interviews and an investigation of waste management in buildings in Lund with conditions similar to those in the AF-building were made. The results showed that the conditions of the AF-building are quite unique, though there are things that can be learnt from the waste management in other buildings. It also showed that historically valuable buildings require higher precautions concerning fire security. The easiest way to introduce a sorting system is to do it in connection with a renovation, however it is also possible to buy furniture with special equipment that make them more fire resistant. Still, sorting out the waste with the intention of letting it to material recycling won’t be enough. The amount of waste will also have to decrease. Only a small part of the AF-building was examined in this study, in order to truly decrease the negative environmental impact of the AF-building, a solution for all the waste in the AF-building must be found.Källsortering i historiska byggnader - är det möjligt? God avfallshantering och ökad materialåtervinning är viktiga pusselbitar i mänsklighetens strävan efter en hållbar utveckling. Att införa källsorteringssystem i vissa byggnader är dock lättare sagt än gjort. AF-borgen i Lund, Akademiska föreningens hus, är ett exempel på en byggnad där det uppkommer betydande mängder avfall, men där möjligheterna till källsortering är begränsade. Det beror på att byggnaden är historiskt värdefull och skyddas mot ombyggnation genom kommunens bestämmelser över hur området ska se ut. Dessutom är det svårt att finna och placera ut källsorteringsmöbler, det vill säga möbler m ed olika fraktioner för insamling av avfall, som lever upp till kraven på brandsäkerhet. I nuläget finns inte heller någon möjlighet att källsortera utanför byggnaden, eftersom Lunds kommun avslog ansökan om att bygga ett miljöhus i anknytning till Lundagård. Studenter som vistas i och använder sig av AF-borgen har börjat ställa krav på ett källsorteringssystem i byggnaden. Den här uppsatsen syftar till att med AF-borgen som fallstudie utreda hur historiskt värdefulla byggnader kan införa källsorteringssystem med avseende på arbetsmiljö, brandsäkerhet och estetik. Resultatet baserades på intervjuer och en fältundersökning av andra byggnader, och underbyggs med relevant litteratur. Intervjuer och litteraturstudier pekade mot att historiskt värdefulla byggnader ställs inför avsevärt fler utmaningar när det kommer till brandsäkerhet än vad andra byggnader gör. Källsorteringsmöbler med förhöjd brandsäkerhet finns dock att tillgå. Vad gäller arbetsmiljö är det för lokalvårdarnas skull viktigt med ergonomiskt anpassade källsorteringsmöbler. Sett till estetiken är det viktigt att källsorteringsmöbler harmoniserar med övrig inredning, samtidigt som deras syfte tydligt ska framgå. Fältundersökningen i andra byggnader visade på att källsortering är möjlig även i historiskt värdefulla byggnader. Den viktigaste åtgärden är att undvika att placera källsorteringsmöbler i utrymningsvägar. Sprinklers i taket är också en god förebyggande åtgärd. Den byggnad som källsorterade och hade flest likheter med AF-borgen var Universitetsbiblioteket. Där hade källsorteringssystemet införts i samband med renovering. Slutsatsen för den här uppsatsen blir således att det är möjligt för AF-borgen att idag införa ett källsorteringssystem. Med tanke på att en renovering är planerad inom överskådlig framtid då bland annat lokalernas utseende invändigt ska ändras, och brandsäkerheten ska höjas kan det diskuteras om det i dagsläget är ekonomiskt befogat att köpa in källsorteringsmöbler med förhöjd brandsäkerhet. En åtgärd som kan göras idag är dock att ställa pappersinsamlingar under varje skrivbord, på det sättet undviks stora ansamlingar papper som ökar brandrisken. Slutligen är den här uppsatsen avgränsad att gälla studieutrymmen med café samt kontorsvåningen, de två ytor som i sammanhanget troligtvis producerar minst avfall. Restaurangen i byggnaden och festerna på festvåningen producerar troligtvis avsevärt mycket större mängder avfall och en lösning bör tas fram som anpassas även till dessa ytor. Dessutom krävs en utomhuslösning för sortering av avfall, ett projekt där berörda aktörer måste samarbeta för att nå bästa möjliga resultat

Thinning response to weather variations in Norway spruce

Climate change is likely to affect the prerequisites for forest management. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate how silviculture practices can be adjusted to changing conditions. Norway spruce (Picea abies) is one of the most common species in the Swedish forests, with high economic and ecological values. The species is relatively sensitive to drought, and climate change is likely to entail more frequent drought periods. Thinning is considered to decrease the competition of resources between the trees in a forest stand. Thus, it might be possible to decrease the negative effect of drought by conducting thinnings. The purpose of this study was to investigate if weather conditions affect the individual tree growth response to thinning in spruce stands, and if some thinning methods made the stands more resilient to weather conditions. The analysis was conducted with tree cores sampled from the thinning and fertilization experiments, a large field experiment with sites all over the country. Four sites in southern Sweden were selected. One control treatment and two thinning methods were chosen from each site: one heavy thinning (treatment c) and 2 – 6 thinnings from below (treatment A/E). The ring widths were measured in a dendrochronology laboratory. The results showed a clear difference in growth between the heavy thinning and the other treatments. After a heavy thinning had been conducted, the Basal area increment of the remaining trees increased. The same pattern could to some extent be observed for the other treatments as well, however the increase was not as great. For the years where the Basal Area Increment was unusually low in the control plot, the treatments seemed to do slightly better, however the result was not significant. The weather-growth relationship was analysed with the R package treeclim, however precipitation and growth only seemed to correlate before thinning for the A/E treatment. The sample used in this study was relatively small and larger experiments including more samples and perhaps other tree species could give a better picture of how Norway spruce should be managed in the future. Thinning is a powerful forest management tool that could play a key role when adapting forests to climate change. Thus, the application of thinnings in forest management needs to be further investigated

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Many Labs 2: Investigating Variation in Replicability Across Samples and Settings

We conducted preregistered replications of 28 classic and contemporary published findings, with protocols that were peer reviewed in advance, to examine variation in effect magnitudes across samples and settings. Each protocol was administered to approximately half of 125 samples that comprised 15,305 participants from 36 countries and territories. Using the conventional criterion of statistical significance (p < .05), we found that 15 (54%) of the replications provided evidence of a statistically significant effect in the same direction as the original finding. With a strict significance criterion (p < .0001), 14 (50%) of the replications still provided such evidence, a reflection of the extremely highpowered design. Seven (25%) of the replications yielded effect sizes larger than the original ones, and 21 (75%) yielded effect sizes smaller than the original ones. The median comparable Cohen’s ds were 0.60 for the original findings and 0.15 for the replications. The effect sizes were small (< 0.20) in 16 of the replications (57%), and 9 effects (32%) were in the direction opposite the direction of the original effect. Across settings, the Q statistic indicated significant heterogeneity in 11 (39%) of the replication effects, and most of those were among the findings with the largest overall effect sizes; only 1 effect that was near zero in the aggregate showed significant heterogeneity according to this measure. Only 1 effect had a tau value greater than .20, an indication of moderate heterogeneity. Eight others had tau values near or slightly above .10, an indication of slight heterogeneity. Moderation tests indicated that very little heterogeneity was attributable to the order in which the tasks were performed or whether the tasks were administered in lab versus online. Exploratory comparisons revealed little heterogeneity between Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) cultures and less WEIRD cultures (i.e., cultures with relatively high and low WEIRDness scores, respectively). Cumulatively, variability in the observed effect sizes was attributable more to the effect being studied than to the sample or setting in which it was studied.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIP

Genome-wide association study identifies 74 loci associated with educational attainment

Educational attainment is strongly influenced by social and other environmental factors, but genetic factors are estimated to account for at least 20% of the variation across individuals1. Here we report the results of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for educational attainment that extends our earlier discovery sample1,2 of 101,069 individuals to 293,723 individuals, and a replication study in an independent sample of 111,349 individuals from the UK Biobank. We identify 74 genome-wide significant loci associated with the number of years of schooling completed. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with educational attainment are disproportionately found in genomic regions regulating gene expression in the fetal brain. Candidate genes are preferentially expressed in neural tissue, especially during the prenatal period, and enriched for biological pathways involved in neural development. Our findings demonstrate that, even for a behavioural phenotype that is mostly environmentally determined, a well-powered GWAS identifies replicable associated genetic variants that suggest biologically relevant pathways. Because educational attainment is measured in large numbers of individuals, it will continue to be useful as a proxy phenotype in efforts to characterize the genetic influences of related phenotypes, including cognition and neuropsychiatric diseases