1,318 research outputs found
The Changing Narratives of Death, Dying, and HIV in the United Kingdom
Death and infection were closely linked from the start of the HIV epidemic, until successful treatments became available. The initial impact of mostly young, gay men dying from HIV was powerful in shaping UK responses. Neoliberal discourses developed at the same time, particularly focusing on how citizens (rather than the state) should take responsibility to improve health. Subsequently “successful ageing” became an allied discourse, further marginalising death discussions. Our study reflected on a broad range of meanings around death within the historical UK epidemic, to examine how dying narratives shape contemporary HIV experiences. Fifty-one participants including people living with HIV, professionals, and activists were recruited for semistructured interviews. Assuming a symbolic interactionist framework, analysis highlighted how HIV deaths were initially experienced as not only traumatic but also energizing, leading to creativity. With effective antiretrovirals, dying changed shape (e.g., loss of death literacy), and better integration of palliative care was recommended
Ageing with HIV
Applying Fraser’s inequalities framework to our UK-based HIV and Later Life (HALL) study, we show that, for the growing population of older people living with HIV (PLWH), HIV intersects with ethnicity, sex, sexuality, stigma, and ageism to produce bivalent identities. These shape their experience of ageing with HIV and intersect with economic factors, the social status order, and statutory policy to subject them to socioeconomic and cultural injustices only roughly captured by Fraser’s three domains of inequality. Under recognition, the stigmatization of HIV and its exacerbation by normative ageist expectations threaten social relationships. Under resources, older PLWH’s disproportionate financial disadvantage, linked to interrupted work histories, uncertain migration status, and recent changes to benefits on which PLWH are disproportionately reliant and whose new criteria disadvantage them, make access to support from others living with HIV and from HIV organizations even more essential for mental health and wellbeing. Finally, under representation, stigma and homophobia in care settings may undermine the quality of long-term care, and defunding of HIV organizations and welfare benefit changes via neo-liberal policies and austerity measures create political disenfranchisement and barriers to social participation. Thus, Fraser’s clear-cut domains imperfectly capture factors undermining underlying causes of older PLWH’s disadvantage: HIV-specific supports (resources) established to compensate for difficulties emanating from Fraser’s recognition and resources domains are increasingly threatened by agents operating within Fraser’s representation domain. Our conclusion considers other sources of older PLWH’s underrepresentation: their waning participation in activism and advocacy on their own behalf, and inadequate attention by non-HIV organizations
HIV-related stigma in the UK then and now: to what extent are we on track to eliminate stigma? A qualitative investigation
Background
The introduction of effective antiretroviral treatment in the late 1990s led to the perception that HIV was a chronic but manageable condition. Nevertheless, stigma remains one of the major hurdles for people living with HIV (PLWH) to accessing healthcare and biomedical preventions. Thus, Fast Track Cities has set a target of zero HIV discrimination by 2030 as part of its strategy to end HIV transmission.
Methods
Fifty-three participants from the United Kingdom, including PLWH (n = 21, 40%), health and social care workers (n = 24, 45%), and charity workers and activists (n = 13, 25%), were recruited. Semi-structured interviews investigated stigma and discrimination, focusing on both before and after the widespread use of effective antiretroviral treatment in the late 1990s. Data were analysed using a thematic approach.
Results
Before effective antiretroviral treatment narratives were shaped by two main themes: 1) the media’s role in influencing public opinion and contributing to misunderstandings of HIV transmission; and 2) personal experiences of HIV-related stigma, which for PLWH included incidents of physical violence and aggression, as well as fears of their HIV status being publicised. Contemporary narratives on stigma experiences were organised around four themes: 1) discrimination in healthcare settings; 2) stigma amongst men who have sex with men (MSM); 3) stigma towards African and Afro-Caribbean PLWH; and 4) the limits of change in public HIV-related knowledge and attitudes. Contemporary narratives indicated a reduction in enacted stigma, but continued anticipation of discrimination and self-reported shame, particularly in MSM and African and Afro-Caribbean PLWH.
Conclusion
The nature of stigma against those with HIV has evolved. The intersection of PLWH and minority groups (e.g. MSM and African and Afro-Caribbean persons) may enhance anticipatory and internalised stigma, with some suggestion that this may contribute to reduced engagement in HIV care and prevention services. Our findings indicate the need for further research in this area, as well as proactive interventions with community groups to enhance knowledge of HIV
Bacterial viruses enable their host to acquire antibiotic resistance genes from neighbouring cells
Prophages are quiescent viruses located in the chromosomes of bacteria. In the human
pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, prophages are omnipresent and are believed to be responsible
for the spread of some antibiotic resistance genes. Here we demonstrate that release of
phages from a subpopulation of S. aureus cells enables the intact, prophage-containing
population to acquire beneficial genes from competing, phage-susceptible strains present in
the same environment. Phage infection kills competitor cells and bits of their DNA are
occasionally captured in viral transducing particles. Return of such particles to the prophagecontaining
population can drive the transfer of genes encoding potentially useful traits such
as antibiotic resistance. This process, which can be viewed as ‘auto-transduction’, allows
S. aureus to efficiently acquire antibiotic resistance both in vitro and in an in vivo virulence
model (wax moth larvae) and enables it to proliferate under strong antibiotic selection
pressure. Our results may help to explain the rapid exchange of antibiotic resistance genes
observed in S. aureus
A New Class of Non-Linear Stability Preserving Operators
We extend Br\"and\'en's recent proof of a conjecture of Stanley and describe
a new class of non-linear operators that preserve weak Hurwitz stability and
the Laguerre-P\'olya class.Comment: Fixed typos, spelling, and updated links in reference
The ESO supernovae type Ia progenitor survey (SPY) : The radial velocities of 644 DA white dwarfs
Accepted for publication in A&A. 59 pages.Close double degenerate binaries are one of the favoured progenitor channels for type Ia supernovae, but it is unclear how many suitable systems there are in the Galaxy. We report results of a large radial velocity survey for double degenerate (DD) binaries using the UVES spectrograph at the ESO VLT (ESO SN Ia Progenitor surveY - SPY). Exposures taken at different epochs are checked for radial velocity shifts indicating close binary systems. We observed 689 targets classified as DA (displaying hydrogen-rich atmospheres), of which 46 turned out to possess a cool companion. We measured radial velocities (RV) of the remaining 643 DA white dwarfs. We managed to secure observations at two or more epochs for 625 targets, supplemented by eleven objects meeting our selection criteria from literature. The data reduction and analysis methods applied to the survey data are described in detail. The sample contains 39 double degenerate binaries, only four of which were previously known. 20 are double-lined systems, in which features from both components are visible, the other 19 are single-lined binaries. We provide absolute RVs transformed to the heliocentric system suitable for kinematic studies. Our sample is large enough to sub-divide by mass: 16 out of 44 low mass targets (0.45 Msun are double. Although the detected fraction amongst the low mass objects (36.4 +/- 7.3%) is significantly higher than for the higher-mass, carbon/oxygen-core dominated part of the sample (3.9 +/- 0.8%), it is lower than the detection efficiency based upon companion star masses >= 0.05 Msun. This suggests either companion stars of mass <0.05 Msun, or that some of the low mass white dwarfs are single.Peer reviewe
Continuum reverberation mapping of MCG 08-11-011
We report the results from a photometric reverberation mapping campaign
carried out with the C18 telescope at the Wise Observatory from 2019 to 2020,
targeting the active galactic nucleus (AGN) MCG 08-11-011. The monitoring was
conducted on a daily basis with specially designed narrow-band filters,
spanning from optical to near-infrared wavelengths ( to {\AA})
and avoiding prominent broad emission lines. We aim to measure inter-band
continuum time lags, determine the size-wavelength relation, and estimate the
host-subtracted AGN luminosity for this system. We used the point-spread
function photometry to extract the continuum light curves and measure the
inter-band time lags using several methods, including the interpolated
cross-correlation function, the z-transformed discrete correlation function, a
von Neumann estimator, JAVELIN (in spectroscopic and photometric mode), MICA,
and a multivariate correlation function. We find wavelength-dependent lags,
, up to 7 days between the multiband light curves of MCG
08-11-011. The observed lags are larger than predictions based on standard
thin-disk theory by a factor of . We discern a significantly steeper
() size-wavelength relation than the expected for a geometrically thin and optically thick accretion
disk, which may result from the contribution of diffuse continuum emission to
the flux. These results are similar to those found by previous continuum
reverberation mapping campaigns.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2111.0738
Model Atmospheres for Irradiated Stars in pre-Cataclysmic Variables
Model atmospheres have been computed for M dwarfs that are strongly
irradiated by nearby hot companions. A variety of primary and secondary
spectral types are explored in addition to models specific to four known
systems: GD 245, NN Ser, AA Dor, and UU Sge. This work demonstrates that a
dramatic temperature inversion is possible on at least one hemisphere of an
irradiated M dwarf and the emergent spectrum will be significantly different
from an isolated M dwarf or a black body flux distribution. For the first time,
synthetic spectra suitable for direct comparison to high-resolution
observations of irradiated M dwarfs in non-mass transferring post-common
envelope binaries are presented. The effects of departures from local
thermodynamic equilibrium on the Balmer line profiles are also discussed.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 12 pages, 10 figure
Quaterionic Construction of the W(F_4) Polytopes with Their Dual Polytopes and Branching under the Subgroups B(B_4) and W(B_3)*W(A_1)
4-dimensional polytopes and their dual polytopes have been
constructed as the orbits of the Coxeter-Weyl group where the group
elements and the vertices of the polytopes are represented by quaternions.
Branchings of an arbitrary \textbf{} orbit under the Coxeter groups
and have been presented. The role of
group theoretical technique and the use of quaternions have been emphasizedComment: 26 pages, 10 figure
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