Spiraling Risk: Visualizing the multilevel factors that socially pattern HIV risk among gay, bisexual & other men who have sex with men using Complex Systems Theory.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Global disparities in HIV infection, particularly among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), indicate the importance of exploring the multi-level processes that shape HIV's spread. We used Complex Systems Theory and the PRISMA guidelines to conduct a systematic review of 63 global reviews to understand how HIV is socially patterned among GBMSM. The purpose was to conduct a thematic analysis of the reviews to (1) synthesize the multi-level risk factors of HIV risk, (2) categorize risk across the socioecological model, and (3) develop a conceptual model that visualizes the interrelated factors that shape GBMSMS's HIV "risk." RECENT FINDINGS: We included 49 studies of high and moderate quality studies. Results indicated that GBMSM's HIV risk stems from the individual, interpersonal, and structural levels of the socioecological model. We identified a few themes that shape GBMSM's risk of HIV infection related to biomedical prevention methods; sexual and sex-seeking behaviors; behavioral prevention methods; individual-level characteristics and syndemic infections; lived experiences and interpersonal relationships; country-level income; country-level HIV prevalence; and structural stigma. The multi-level factors, in tandem, serve to perpetuate GBMSM's risk of HIV infection globally. The amalgamation of our thematic analyses from our systematic reviews of reviews suggests that the risk of HIV infection operates in an emergent, dynamic, and complex nature across multiple levels of the socioecological model. Applying complex systems theory indicates how multilevel factors create a dynamic and reinforcing system of HIV risk among GBMSM.

Towards electrochemical iridium recycling in acidic media: effect of the presence of organic molecules and chloride ions.

The utilization of iridium is expected to surge in the next few years, notably due to the rising implementation of water electrolyzer devices in the energy transition. However, the natural resources of this noble metal are extremely limited and thus its recycling will become of high importance. Unfortunately, iridium is also the most corrosion resistant platinum group metal, making its recovery from waste a difficult and energy-demanding process. Hereby, we study the impact of organics and chloride ions on the electrochemical dissolution of iridium in order to pave the way towards green recycling of this precious metal. We present a 40 times increased dissolution when cycling iridium in presence of HCl and 1 M ethanol compared to HClO4. Our results point towards the direction of destabilizing Ir at relatively mild conditions in acidic media.

Discrimination and Romani health: a validation study of discrimination scales among Romani women in Macedonia and Serbia.

OBJECTIVES: Scales used to assess discrimination in public health research have rarely been validated outside of high income countries. Our objective was to validate the Experiences of Discrimination (EOD) scale and the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS) among 410 Romani women in Macedonia and Serbia. METHODS: Romani female interviewers conducted interviews in 2012-2013. We used a multiple indicator multiple cause approach to test a one-factor model for each scale and to assess differential item functioning (DIF) by age, wealth, country, and education. We also measured associations between the EOD and EDS with smoking in the past year and psychological distress. RESULTS: Three items of the EOD were conceptually irrelevant. Two items of the EDS were not conditionally independent. DIF was found by country for one item in each scale. After excluding these items, all scales exhibited good model fit and were associated with smoking (EOD beta = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.18, 0.63; EDS beta = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.12, 0.54) and psychological distress (EOD beta = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.15, 0.37; EDS beta = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.04, 0.47). CONCLUSIONS: Discrimination scales can be adapted for use among Romani women and are associated with both smoking and psychological distress.