Stigma and Exclusion in Cross-Cultural Contexts

Discriminatory and marginalising discourses affect the cultural and social realities of people in all human societies. Across time and place, these discourses manifest in numerous tangible and intangible ways, creating stigma and forms of exclusion by means particular to their cultural, historical, political and social contexts. These discourses also manifest in varying degrees of harm; from verbal abuse and behavioural forms of exclusion, to physical abuse and neglect, and exclusionary practices at institutional, legal and regulatory levels. Such forms of stigma cause direct physical and mental harm and other forms of persecution. The papers in this special issue arise from a one-day symposium held at the University of Queensland in February 2013. The symposium, ‘Stigma and Exclusion in Cross-Cultural Contexts’, brought together researchers and community-based practitioners from across Australia and overseas to explore marginalization, discriminatory discourses and stigma in a wide range of historical and cross-cultural settings. By critically engaging with experiences of social, political and cultural exclusion and marginalisation in different contexts, we aimed to elucidate how discourses of stigma are created, contested and negotiated in cross-cultural settings. We also aimed to explore stigmatisation in its lived realities: as discourses of exclusion; as the fleshy reality of discrimination in social worlds; as part of the life narratives of individuals and groups; and as discourses of agency and counter-discourses in responding to stigma

Accuracy of UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC) "AbC-19 Rapid Test" for detection of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in key workers: test accuracy study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of the AbC-19 Rapid Test lateral flow immunoassay for the detection of previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. DESIGN: Test accuracy study. SETTING: Laboratory based evaluation. PARTICIPANTS: 2847 key workers (healthcare staff, fire and rescue officers, and police officers) in England in June 2020 (268 with a previous polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive result (median 63 days previously), 2579 with unknown previous infection status); and 1995 pre-pandemic blood donors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: AbC-19 sensitivity and specificity, estimated using known negative (pre-pandemic) and known positive (PCR confirmed) samples as reference standards and secondly using the Roche Elecsys anti-nucleoprotein assay, a highly sensitive laboratory immunoassay, as a reference standard in samples from key workers. RESULTS: Test result bands were often weak, with positive/negative discordance by three trained laboratory staff for 3.9% of devices. Using consensus readings, for known positive and negative samples sensitivity was 92.5% (95% confidence interval 88.8% to 95.1%) and specificity was 97.9% (97.2% to 98.4%). Using an immunoassay reference standard, sensitivity was 94.2% (90.7% to 96.5%) among PCR confirmed cases but 84.7% (80.6% to 88.1%) among other people with antibodies. This is consistent with AbC-19 being more sensitive when antibody concentrations are higher, as people with PCR confirmation tended to have more severe disease whereas only 62% (218/354) of seropositive participants had had symptoms. If 1 million key workers were tested with AbC-19 and 10% had actually been previously infected, 84 700 true positive and 18 900 false positive results would be projected. The probability that a positive result was correct would be 81.7% (76.8% to 85.8%). CONCLUSIONS: AbC-19 sensitivity was lower among unselected populations than among PCR confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2, highlighting the scope for overestimation of assay performance in studies involving only PCR confirmed cases, owing to "spectrum bias." Assuming that 10% of the tested population have had SARS-CoV-2 infection, around one in five key workers testing positive with AbC-19 would be false positives. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN 56609224.The study was commissioned by the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care. It was funded and implemented by Public Health England, supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Portfolio. The Department of Health and Social Care received a report containing these data on 10/9/2020, but had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of results, writing of the manuscript, or the decision to publish. DW acknowledges support from the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Genomics and Data Enabling at the University of Warwick. HEJ, AEA, MH and IO acknowledge support from the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioural Science and Evaluation at University of Bristol. STP is supported by an NIHR Career Development Fellowship (CDF-2016-09-018). Participants in the COMPARE study were recruited with the active collaboration of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) England (www.nhsbt.nhs.uk). Funding for COMPARE was provided by NHSBT and the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit (BTRU) in Donor Health and Genomics (NIHR BTRU-2014-10024). The academic coordinating centre for COMPARE was supported by core funding from: NIHR BTRU, UK Medical Research Council (MR/L003120/1), British Heart Foundation (RG/13/13/30194) and the NIHR [Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre at the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust]. This work was supported by Health Data Research UK, which is funded by the UK Medical Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Department of Health and Social Care (England), Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates, Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (Welsh Division), Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), British Heart Foundation and Wellcome. JD holds a British Heart Foundation Professorship and a National Institute for Health Research Senior Investigator Award. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care

Diastereospecific Bis-alkoxycarbonylation of 1,2-Disubstituted Olefins Catalyzed by Aryl α-Diimine Palladium(II) Catalysts

Readily synthesized aryl α-diimine derivatives have been used as efficient ligands for the palladium-catalyzed oxidative bis-alkoxycarbonylation reaction of 1,2-disubstituted olefins. The most active catalyst A was formed in situ from bis-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-2,3-dimethyl-1,4-diazabutadiene and Pd(TFA)2 (TFA=trifluoroacetate). This catalytic system was able to selectively convert 1,2-disubstituted olefins into 2,3-disubstituted-succinic diesters with total diastereospecificity, in good yields (up to 97%) with 2 mol% of catalyst loading, under mild reaction conditions (4 bar of CO at 20 °C in presence of p- toluenesulfonic acid as additive and p-benzoquinone as oxidant). The optimized reaction conditions could be successfully applied to 1,2-disubstituted aromatic, aliphatic, cyclic olefins and to unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters, employing methanol or benzyl alcohol as nucleophiles. The use of the bulky, less reactive isopropyl alcohol has allowed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the catalytic process. The geometry of the carbonylated products can be explained as a consequence of a concerted syn addition of the Pd-alkoxycarbonyl moiety to the olefin C=C bond. Catalyst A was isolated, characterized and analyzed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. (Figure presented.)

Accuracy of UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC) “AbC-19 Rapid Test” for detection of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in key workers: test accuracy study

Abstract: Objective: To assess the accuracy of the AbC-19 Rapid Test lateral flow immunoassay for the detection of previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Design: Test accuracy study. Setting: Laboratory based evaluation. Participants: 2847 key workers (healthcare staff, fire and rescue officers, and police officers) in England in June 2020 (268 with a previous polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive result (median 63 days previously), 2579 with unknown previous infection status); and 1995 pre-pandemic blood donors. Main outcome measures: AbC-19 sensitivity and specificity, estimated using known negative (pre-pandemic) and known positive (PCR confirmed) samples as reference standards and secondly using the Roche Elecsys anti-nucleoprotein assay, a highly sensitive laboratory immunoassay, as a reference standard in samples from key workers. Results: Test result bands were often weak, with positive/negative discordance by three trained laboratory staff for 3.9% of devices. Using consensus readings, for known positive and negative samples sensitivity was 92.5% (95% confidence interval 88.8% to 95.1%) and specificity was 97.9% (97.2% to 98.4%). Using an immunoassay reference standard, sensitivity was 94.2% (90.7% to 96.5%) among PCR confirmed cases but 84.7% (80.6% to 88.1%) among other people with antibodies. This is consistent with AbC-19 being more sensitive when antibody concentrations are higher, as people with PCR confirmation tended to have more severe disease whereas only 62% (218/354) of seropositive participants had had symptoms. If 1 million key workers were tested with AbC-19 and 10% had actually been previously infected, 84 700 true positive and 18 900 false positive results would be projected. The probability that a positive result was correct would be 81.7% (76.8% to 85.8%). Conclusions: AbC-19 sensitivity was lower among unselected populations than among PCR confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2, highlighting the scope for overestimation of assay performance in studies involving only PCR confirmed cases, owing to “spectrum bias.” Assuming that 10% of the tested population have had SARS-CoV-2 infection, around one in five key workers testing positive with AbC-19 would be false positives. Study registration: ISRCTN 56609224

How Green is Your Plasticizer?

Plasticizers are additives that are used to impart flexibility to polymer blends and improve their processability. Plasticizers are typically not covalently bound to the polymers, allowing them to leach out over time, which results in human exposure and environmental contamination. Phthalates, in particular, have been the subject of increasing concern due to their established ubiquity in the environment and their suspected negative health effects, including endocrine disrupting and anti-androgenic effects. As there is mounting pressure to find safe replacement compounds, this review addresses the design and experimental elements that should be considered in order for a new or existing plasticizer to be considered green. Specifically, a multi-disciplinary and holistic approach should be taken which includes toxicity testing (both in vitro and in vivo), biodegradation testing (with attention to metabolites), as well as leaching studies. Special consideration should also be given to the design stages of producing a new molecule and the synthetic and scale-up processes should also be optimized. Only by taking a multi-faceted approach can a plasticizer be considered truly green

Encountering differences: Iranian immigrant women in Australia

The primary objective of this chapter is to explore the changes in Iranian women’s gender identity that may occur following their migration to Australia. I explore the hypothesis that the change in the sociocultural context of immigrants provides them with the chance to explore new possibilities, and make modifications in their attitudes towards gender roles. I further explore the extent to which Iranian migrant women in Australia have been able or willing to integrate the two sets of values and roles (home and host culture), with respect to gender role and gender status, within the family as well as in the wider society. Compared to Australia, Iran is a country with relatively more patriarchal sociocultural and familial values and norms, which have resulted in imposing high gender limitations on women. The sanctity of the family in the Iranian Civil Code has resulted in various sociocultural, familial, and at times legal restrictions that constrain women from freely engaging in professional and social activities outside the family. Australia, on the contrary, promotes relatively more egalitarian laws and practices with respect to gender roles. Hence, the acculturation process of Iranian women migrating to Australia can influence their gender identities and roles, either by entrenching traditional values and roles, or by challenging and changing them

Rheology of 'green' plasticizers: application of time-temperature superposition

Plasticizers are small organic molecules that are blended with plastics in order to increase their workability and flexibility, thereby making the plastics more processable. Around 90% of all plasticizers are used to plasticize poly(vinyl) chloride (PVC), with di(2-ethylhexyl phthalate) (DEHP) being the most common PVC plasticizer. Plasticizers are not chemically bound to the polymer and therefore tend to leach into the environment and are of increasing concern to human health. DEHP belongs to a class of compounds known as phthalates, which have been found to induce a wide range of developmental and reproductive toxicities in mammals and are suspected endocrine disruptor in humans. As such, there has been an effort to synthesize new ‘green’ plasticizers, with more favorable biodegradation behaviour. It is important to ensure that these ‘green’ plasticizers have comparable mechanical properties to their commercial counterparts. My thesis research aimed to document the rheological behaviour of PVC plasticized with our ‘green’ plasticizers and compare the results to the rheological behaviour of PVC plasticized with commercially available plasticizers including DEHP. The rheological behaviour was characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis and discrete relaxation time spectra. The technique of time-temperature superposition was used to extend the measurement range of the experiments and to produce master curves for each plasticizer. The effect of changing the molecular structure of the plasticizer molecules was studied and it was found that increasing the alkyl chain length in the central dibenzoate structure of benzoate-based plasticizers and in the side chains of the succinate structure in succinic acid derived plasticizers had no effect on the rheological responses of the materials under our test conditions. The viscoelastic master curves of the elastic and viscous moduli, G' and G", respectively, for the ‘green’ plasticizers compared favourably to those of the commercial plasticizers, and therefore it was concluded that the ‘green’ plasticizers exhibited similar rheological behaviour to the commercial plasticizers, as seen by the comparable shape of their master curves. PVC plasticized with 1,4 butanediol dibenzoate (1,4 BDDB) exhibited lower storage modulus values than its commercial counterparts and therefore, 1,4 BDDB was chosen as the best performing ‘green’ plasticizer under our test conditions.Les plastifiants sont des molécules organiques qui sont ajoutées aux matières plastiques afin d’augmenter leur souplesse et flexibilité (élasticité) et afin d'améliorer leurs capacités de traitement. Environ 90% des plastifiants sont utilisés comme plastifiants de poly(chlorure de vinyle) (PVC), avec phthalate de (di-2-éthylhexyle) (DEHP) étant le plus commun. Les plastifiants ne sont pas liés chimiquement au polymère et conséquemment se libèrent dans l’environnement, présentant plusieurs dangers pour la santé humaine. En effet, DEHP appartient à une classe de composés connus comme les phthalates, dont leur toxicité est assez bien documentée. Les phthalates peuvent causer un large éventail de problèmes développementaux et reproductifs chez les mammifères, et sont soupçonnés d’être perturbateurs endocriniens chez les humains. Par conséquent, la synthèse de nouveaux plastifiants « verts », avec une biodégradation plus favorable, se trouve de plus en plus nécessaire.Cependant, avant de pouvoir remplacer les plastifiants nocifs couramment utilisées, il est important d’assurer que les plastifiants «verts» ont des propriétés mécaniques comparables à leurs homologues commerciaux. Ma thèse de recherche vise à documenter le comportement rhéologique du PVC plastifié avec nos plastifiants «verts» et de comparer les résultats au comportement rhéologique du PVC plastifié avec des plastifiants disponibles dans le commerce incluant le DEHP. Le comportement rhéologique a été caractérisé en utilisant la méthode d’analyse mécanique dynamique et des spectres discrets de temps de relaxation. Le principe d’équivalence temps-température a été utilisé pour étendre la plage de mesure des expériences et pour produire des courbes maîtresses pour chaque plastifiant. L'effet de modifier la structure moléculaire des plastifiants a été étudié. Il a été constaté que l'augmentation de la longueur du groupe alkyle dans la partie centrale de la structure du dibenzoate et dans les chaînes latérales de la structure du succinate n’avait aucun effet sur la réponse rhéologique des matériaux. Les courbes maîtresses viscoélastiques G' et G'' pour les plastifiants «verts» se comparent favorablement à ceux des plastifiants commerciaux. Il a donc été conclu que les plastifiants «verts» ont un comportement rhéologique similaire aux plastifiants commerciaux, et peuvent être considérés comme remplacements prometteurs. PVC plastifié avec 1,4 butanediol dibenzoate (1,4 BDDB) a produit des valeurs de module de conservation inférieures à ses homologues commerciaux, et donc 1,4 BDDB a été choisi comme le meilleur plastifiant «vert»

Cultural schemas in intercultural communication: A study of the Persian cultural schema of sharmandegi 'being ashamed'

This paper explores the Persian cultural pragmatic schema of sharmandegi 'being ashamed,' which underlies the enactment of several speech acts in Persian. These include expressing gratitude, offering goods and services, requesting goods and services, apology, refusal, and accepting offers. For instance, the schema encourages Persian speakers to use the expression sharmandam 'I am ashamed' when inviting guests to the dinner table, suggesting that their food is not worthy of the guests. In this instance, this is a linguistic strategy to achieve positive politeness for the speaker. The paper presents some naturally occurring data from intercultural contexts where a Persian speaker has enacted the same schema communicating with Australian English speaking interlocutors. Elicited interpretations of the use of the expression of sharmandegi (such as 'I am ashamed I didn't call you' or 'I'm sorry the food is not good') from a number of Australian English speakers reveal the potential for misunderstanding on the part of non-Persian speakers in intercultural communication with Persian speakers who use this schema when speaking English. In general, this study further reveals the potential of cultural schema theory for studies of intercultural pragmatics and contributes to the body of research on intercultural communication involving speakers of Persian