Stigma, social relationship and HIV testing in the workplace : evidence from South Africa

This paper explores whether a worker\u27s unwillingness to make his/her HIV-positive status or test-taking experience known by colleagues impedes his/her decision to test for HIV. After analyzing the new survey data provided by employees working for a large multinational enterprise in South Africa (2009-2010), this study finds that this unwillingness is negatively associated with test-taking (at the enterprise\u27s on-site clinic) of workers who are extensively networked with close colleagues (i.e., know their phone numbers). It appears that the expected disutility associated with HIV/AIDS-related stigma prohibits test uptake. When introducing HIV counseling and testing programs into a corporate sector, providing all workers with an excuse to test in the workplace and/or inducing them to privately test outside the workplace may be effective in encouraging the uptake

Impacts of an HIV counseling and testing initiative -- results from an experimental intervention in a large firm in South Africa

We have run experimental interventions to promote HIV tests in a large firm in South Africa. We combined HIV tests with existing medical check programs to increase the uptake. In the foregoing survey we undertook previously, it was suggested that fears and stigma of HIV/AIDS were the primary reasons given by the employees for not taking the test. To counter these, we implemented randomized interventions. We find substantial heterogeneity in responses by ethnicity. Africans and Colored rejected the tests most often. Supportive information increased the uptake by 6 to 16% points. A tradeoff in targeting resulting in stigmatizing the targeted and a reduction of exclusion error is discussed

Effect of diamagnetic contribution of water on harmonics distribution in a dilute solution of iron oxide nanoparticles measured using high-Tc SQUID magnetometer

The magnetization curve of iron oxide nanoparticles in low-concentration solutions was investigated by a highly sensitive high-Tc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. The diamagnetic contribution of water that was used as the carrier liquid was observed in the measured magnetization curves in the high magnetic field region over 100 mT. The effect of the diamagnetic contribution of water on the generation of harmonics during the application of AC and DC magnetic fields was simulated on the basis of measured magnetization curves. Although the diamagnetic effect depends on concentration, a linear relation was observed between the detected harmonics and concentration in the simulated and measured results. The simulation results suggested that improvement could be expected in harmonics generation because of the diamagnetic effect when the iron concentration was lower than 72 μg/ml. The use of second harmonics with an appropriate bias of the DC magnetic field could be utilized for realization of a fast and highly sensitive detection of magnetic nanoparticles in a low-concentration solution

A Fatal Case of Acute Encephalopathy in a 8-year-old girl from a Pandemic of Influenza A( H1N1) in 2009

We report on a case in which a child died from acute encephalopathy associated with Influenza A( H1N1)pdm. The case pertains to an 8-year-old girl, who was diagnosed with influenza A on the previous day andwas prescribed zanamivir hydrate. She experienced abdominal pain and delirium the next morning, so shewas referred to our hospital. Her level of consciousness at the time of consultation was JCS 200. In the brainCT scan, a swollen brain stem and bilateral middle cerebral artery were depicted. She was in a state of respiratoryfailure, and was admitted to the intensive care unit. She was diagnosed with acute encephalopathycaused by Influenza A, and therapeutic brain hypothermia as well as steroid pulse therapy were performed;however, she died on the third day after hospitalization from multiple organ failure

Significantly fast spinodal decomposition and inhomogeneous nanoscale martensitic transformation in Ti–Nb–O alloys

The β phase spinodal decomposition during continuous cooling in Ti‒Nb‒O alloys is investigated by the phase-field method. Addition of only a few at.%O to Ti‒23Nb (at.%) alloy remarkably increases the driving force of the β phase spinodal decomposition. During isothermal heat treatment at 1000 K and 1100 K in Ti‒23Nb‒3O (at.%) alloy, the β phase separates into β1 phase denoted as (Ti)1(O, Va)3 and β2 phase denoted as (Ti, Nb)1(Va)3, resulting in the formation of nanoscale concentration modulation. The phase decomposition progresses in 0.3‒20 ms. In Ti‒23Nb‒XO alloys (X = 1.0, 1.2, 2.0), the spinodal decomposition occurs during continuous cooling with the rate of 500 K s‒1, indicating that the spinodal decomposition occurs during water quenching in the alloys. It is assumed that there is a threshold value of oxygen composition for inducing the spinodal decomposition because it does not occur during continuous cooling in Ti‒23Nb‒0.6O (at.%) alloy. The concentration modulation introduced by the β phase decomposition has significant effect on the β→α” martensitic transformation. Hence, it seems that for controlling microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti‒Nb‒O alloys, careful control of heat treatment temperature and cooling rate condition is required

Stigma, Social Relationship and HIV Testing in the Workplace: Evidence from South Africa

February 2013This paper explores whether a worker's unwillingness to make his/her HIV-positive status or test-taking experience known by colleagues impedes his/her decision to test for HIV. After analyzing the new survey data provided by employees working for a large multinational enterprise in South Africa (2009-2010), this study finds that this unwillingness is negatively associated with test-taking (at the enterprise's on-site clinic) of workers who are extensively networked with close colleagues (i.e., know their phone numbers). It appears that the expected disutility associated with HIV/AIDS-related stigma prohibits test uptake. When introducing HIV counseling and testing programs into a corporate sector, providing all workers with an excuse to test in the workplace and/or inducing them to privately test outside the workplace may be effective in encouraging the uptake.35 p

Stigma, Social Relationship and HIV Testing in the Workplace: Evidence from South Africa

41306This paper explores whether a worker's unwillingness to make his/her HIV-positive status or test-taking experience known by colleagues impedes his/her decision to test for HIV. After analyzing the new survey data provided by employees working for a large multinational enterprise in South Africa (2009-2010), this study finds that this unwillingness is negatively associated with test-taking (at the enterprise's on-site clinic) of workers who are extensively networked with close colleagues (i.e., know their phone numbers). It appears that the expected disutility associated with HIV/AIDS-related stigma prohibits test uptake. When introducing HIV counseling and testing programs into a corporate sector, providing all workers with an excuse to test in the workplace and/or inducing them to privately test outside the workplace may be effective in encouraging the uptake