National Surveillance of Home-Based HIV Testing Among Australian Gay and Bisexual Men, 2018–2020: Uptake After Commercial Availability of HIV Self-Tests

HIV self-testing allows people to collect samples and test themselves at home, addressing known barriers to facility-based testing. We aimed to measure the uptake of home HIV testing among Australian gay and bisexual men (GBM). Using national cross-sectional data from the Australian Gay Community Periodic Surveys, we assessed trends in home HIV testing among non-HIV positive GBM between 2018 and 2020. Overall, the use of home HIV testing was low, but slightly increased during 2018–2020 (from 0.3 to 0.8%, RR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.23–1.92, p-trend < 0.001). Testing at home was more likely among non-HIV-positive GBM who were born overseas and recently arrived in Australia, at higher risk of HIV, and infrequent HIV testers. Given the greater use of home testing by men at higher risk of HIV, recent migrants and infrequent testers, all priority groups in Australia’s HIV epidemic, we recommend increasing access to HIV self-testing to enhance uptake in these and other groups of GBM

POSIWID and determinism in design for behaviour change

Copyright @ 2012 Social Services Research GroupWhen designing to influence behaviour for social or environmental benefit, does designers' intent matter? Or are the effects on behaviour more important, regardless of the intent involved? This brief paper explores -- in the context of design for behaviour change -- some treatments of design, intentionality, purpose and responsibility from a variety of fields, including Stafford Beer's "The purpose of a system is what it does" and Maurice Broady's perspective on determinism. The paper attempts to extract useful implications for designers working on behaviour-related problems, in terms of analytical or reflective questions to ask during the design process

Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Autism Stigma and Informal Caregiver Mental Health

Families play a crucial role in determining the mental health of the autistic individual(s) they are caring for. However, the stigma associated with autism can impair caregiver health. To investigate this, empirical evidence pertaining to stigma’s impact on informal caregivers’ mental health was systematically reviewed. All twelve included studies (n = 1442 informal caregivers) consistently reported the impact of autism related stigma upon caregiver mental health to be significant, meaningful and complex. A new theoretical framework describing the relationship between stigma and caregiver mental health is constructed. Moderating variables include those both changeable through intervention (e.g. hopelessness, self-esteem, self-compassion) and not changeable (gender, culture, financial burden and time since diagnosis). Implications and recommendations for professionals, interventions and future research are proposed

The academic–vocational divide in three Nordic countries : implications for social class and gender

In this study we examine how the academic–vocational divide is manifested today in Finland, Iceland and Sweden in the division between vocationally (VET) and academicallyoriented programmes at the upper-secondary school level. The paper is based on a critical re-analysis of results from previous studies; in it we investigate the implications of this divide for class and gender inequalities. The theoretical lens used for the synthesis is based on Bernstein´s theory of pedagogic codes. In the re-analysis we draw on previous studies of policy, curriculum and educational praxis as well as official statistics. The main conclusions are that contemporary policy and curriculum trends in all three countries are dominated by a neo-liberal discourse stressing principles such as “market relevance” and employability. This trend strengthens the academic–vocational divide, mainly through an organisation of knowledge in VET that separates it from more general and theoretical elements. This trend also seems to affect VET students’ transitions in terms of reduced access to higher education, particularly in male-dominated programmes. We also identify low expectations for VET students, manifested through choice of textbooks and tasks, organisation of teacher teams and the advice of career counsellors.Peer reviewe

Depleted brittle mica structure determination in Ba-phlogopite glass–ceramics

This study concerns the bulk mica phase of a barium phlogopite glass–ceramic, with potential applications in Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing in dentistry, which has been studied in detail and characterized for the first time. A number of analytical techniques including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electron micro-probe analysis (EMPA), single crystal XRD and Monte-Carlo methods have been used to determine the mica phase composition and crystallographic structure. This has led to the identification of a new species of trioctahedral interlayer deficient brittle mica with an ideal formula of Ba2/3Mg3(Si8/3Al4/3)O10F2. Monte-Carlo simulations of Si/Al cation ordering indicate that the (Si8/3Al4/3) tetrahedral composition is unique and energetically favoured over that of the original assumed mica phase of Ba0.5Mg3(Si3AlO10)F2. The general mica composition X0.5Mg3(Si3Al)O10F2 where X is a divalent interlayer cation; therefore, does not precipitate in brittle mica glass–ceramics