Modelling coseismic displacements during the 1997 Umbria-Marche earthquake (central Italy)

We propose a dislocation model for the two normal faulting earthquakes that struck the central Apennines (Umbria-Marche, Italy) on 1997 September 26 at 00:33 (Mw 5.7) and 09:40 GMT (Mw 6.0). We fit coseismic horizontal and vertical displacements resulting from GPS measurements at several monuments of the IGMI (Istituto Geografico Militare Italiano) by means of a dislocation model in an elastic, homogeneous, isotropic half-space. Our best-fitting model consists of two normal faults whose mechanisms and seismic moments have been taken from CMT solutions; it is consistent with other seismological and geophysical observations. The first fault, which is 6 km long and 7 km wide, ruptured during the 00:33 event with a unilateral rupture towards the SE and an average slip of 27 cm. The second fault is 12 km long and 10 km wide, and ruptured during the 09:40 event with a nearly unilateral rupture towards the NW. Slip distribution on this second fault is non-uniform and is concentrated in its SE portion (maximum slip is 65 cm), where rupture initiated. The 00:33 fault is deeper than the 09:40 one: the top of the first rupture is deeper than 1.7 km; the top of the second is 0.6 km deep. In order to interpret the observed epicentral subsidence we have also considered the contributions of two further moderate-magnitude earthquakes that occurred on 1997 October 3 (Mw 5.2) and 6 (Mw 5.4), immediately before the GPS survey, and were located very close to the 09:40 event of September 26. We compare the pattern of vertical displacements resulting from our forward modelling of GPS data with that derived from SAR interferograms: the fit to SAR data is very good, confirming the reliability of the proposed dislocation model

“Vibrant Entanglements”: HIV Biomedicine and Serodiscordant Couples in Papua New Guinea

The global ambition to “end AIDS” hinges on the universal uptake of HIV treatment-as-prevention and is undergirded by the assumption that biomedical technologies have consistent, predictable effects across highly diverse settings. But as anthropologists argue, such technologies are actively transformed by their local encounters, with various constitutive effects. How priority populations, such as HIV “serodiscordant” couples, negotiate treatment-as-prevention remains relatively unknown. We consider the “vibrant entanglements” that can shape couples’ engagement with global biomedical technologies in the local context of Papua New Guinea (PNG)—a relatively uncharted biomedical landscape—and what we hope our current research in this setting will achieve

Polygyny, Serodiscordance and HIV Prevention in Papua New Guinea: A Qualitative Exploration of Diverse Configurations

Polygyny is practised in vastly different cultural contexts, including in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The literature is contradictory, arguing that polygyny is either protective against HIV or a critical risk factor. Neither argument accounts for the diversity of polygyny. Even less attention has been paid to polygynous marriages with mixed HIV status (serodiscordance). This paper draws on a longitudinal study of the socio-cultural aspects of biomedicine among HIV serodiscordant couples and polygynous spouses in PNG. Findings revealed that polygynous marriages manifested in different constellations that need to be considered when seeking to understand variations of living with HIV and how prevention practices align with global biomedical messages. We argue that polygyny in PNG is too complex to be framed as either protective or risky in relation to HIV. Our findings highlight the importance of locally specific explorations of serodiscordant polygyny and HIV risk, to strengthen PNG’s HIV prevention efforts

More than just a cut: a qualitative study of penile practices and their relationship to masculinity, sexuality and contagion and their implications for HIV prevention in Papua New Guinea

Background: Male circumcision (MC) has been shown to reduce vaginal transmission of HIV to men. While community acceptability is important in a countries preparedness to introduce MC, it is equally important to map contemporary MC and other penile cutting practices, and the socio-cultural dimensions underpinning these practices