Plasma donation at the border: Feminist technoscience, bodies and race

2020 ◽  
pp. 096701062090674
Author(s):  
Jennifer Hobbs
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
Constitutive Relationship ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Plasma Donation ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Feminist Technoscience ◽  
Empirical Context ◽  
Do So

This article argues that feminist technoscience studies can enrich our understanding of biopolitics by challenging the body’s boundaries and focusing on mundane practices of security. To do so, this article looks to Mexicanas/os who cross the US–Mexico border in order to donate plasma in the United States. The article argues that Mexicanas/os are objectified in cross-border donation practices as both desirable sources of life-giving matter and dangerous sources of disease. The article begins by giving some empirical context to plasma donation, before outlining the conceptual contributions of a feminist technoscience studies approach. The article then explores how Mexican bodies are produced as sites of valuable matter which have the ability to make others live. The article shows how the ‘bioavailability’ of Mexicanas/os is produced through colonial and racist histories. Finally, the article turns to the circulation of plasma, demonstrating how persistent fears about Mexican plasma as infectious reproduce highly racializing stereotypes about Mexico and Mexican bodies. The article finishes by reflecting on the importance of a feminist technoscience studies approach for stressing the co-constitutive relationship between race and matter, and that racialized productions of the body at security sites stretch well beyond the body’s skin.

Preventing a Third Death

2020 ◽  
pp. 238-267
Author(s):  
Sara H. Katsanis ◽  
Katherine M. Spradley
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Migrant Populations ◽  
Missing Persons ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Migrant Families ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Us Mexico Border ◽  
Us Immigration

This chapter examines the challenges of identification of migrant remains at the US-Mexico border, highlighting the logistical and ethical considerations for cross-border identifications. Each year hundreds of human remains are found along the southern US border. Migrants fleeing violence and poverty are increasingly forced by US immigration policy to cross the border through treacherous terrain, risking death from exposure or violence. The infrastructure for DNA identification developed for missing persons is inadequate for migrant families, who might be residing in another country or living in the United States undocumented. Fear of US immigration and law enforcement authorities complicates the normal processes for reporting missing migrant cases and thereby limits family reference DNA collection. Many remains are buried without identification, some are buried without collection of DNA, some are buried without a marker to enable future identification, and some are cremated. Both governmental and nongovernmental efforts to collect DNA from relatives of missing migrants are further complicated by questions of sovereignty, privacy, and national security. International missing persons databases are underdeveloped and disconnected, and the informed consent process for relatives of the missing is inadequate for migrant families. The challenges of identification at the US-Mexico border underscore the systemic biases that exclude migrant populations from access to law enforcement processes that would enable identification of their family members and repatriation of their remains for respect and burial. Addressing these challenges at the US-Mexico border can inform cross-border policies for other migrant populations around the world.

US drives hardening of Central American migrant stance

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
El Salvador ◽  
The United States ◽  
Central American ◽  
Security Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Northern Mexico ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Mexican Government

Significance The move follows weeks of heightened tension over Central American migrant caravans, which saw Nielsen launch a new border security strategy with the ‘Northern Triangle’ governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, and Trump order an end to US aid to the region, before renewing, then retracting, threats to close the US-Mexico border. Impacts Seemingly soft migration policies could provoke anger with AMLO in northern Mexico, especially if caravans hinder cross-border travel. Trump’s climbdown on the border closure undermines his threats towards Mexico generally and may embolden the Mexican government. Increased deportations from the United States would put even more pressure on Northern Triangle governments, especially that of El Salvador.

scholarly journals Representing, commemorating, and memorizing terrorist attacks: Discussing the US and French experiences

2021 ◽  
pp. 263300242110244
Author(s):  
Alice M. Greenwald ◽  
Clifford Chanin ◽  
Henry Rousso ◽  
Michel Wieviorka ◽  
Mohamed-Ali Adraoui
Keyword(s):  
Historical Context ◽  
The United States ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
The Political ◽  
Modes Of Operation ◽  
The Us ◽  
Places Of Memory ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Do So

How do societies and states represent the historical, moral, and political weight of the terrorist attacks they have had to face? Having suffered in recent years from numerous terrorist attacks on their soil originating from jihadist movements, and often led by actors who were also their own citizens, France and the United States have set up—or seek to do so—places of memory whose functions, conditions of creation, modes of operation, and nature of the messages sent may vary. Three of the main protagonists and initiators of two museum-memorial projects linked to terrorist attacks have agreed to deliver their visions of the role and of the political, social, and historical context in which these projects have emerged. Allowing to observe similarities and differences between the American and French approach, this interview sheds light on the place of memory and feeling in societies struck by tragic events and seeking to cure their ills through memory and commemoration.

Assessment of the Implementation of AUC Dosing and Monitoring Practices With Vancomycin at Hospitals Across the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 089719002110123
Author(s):  
Nicole Bradley ◽  
Yuman Lee ◽  
Muaz Sadeia
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Therapeutic Drug ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Electronic Survey ◽  
The Us ◽  
Institutional Adoption ◽  
American Society ◽  
Trough Levels ◽  
Do So

Introduction: The latest vancomycin therapeutic drug monitoring guidelines for serious MRSA infections have made a pivotal change in dosing, switching from targeting trough levels to AUC dosing. Because of these new recommendations, antimicrobial stewardship programs across the country are tasked with implementing AUC based dosing. Objectives: To assess plans for institutional adoption of vancomycin AUC dosing programs and perceptions of currently used programs in hospitals across the US. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to members of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy IDprn Listserv and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists between May and June 2020 to assess current institutional vancomycin dosing. Institutional program use and multiple software user parameters were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Two hundred two pharmacists responded to the survey with the majority practicing in institutions with 251-500 beds. Most respondents have yet to implement AUC dosing (142/202, 70.3%) with many of them planning to do so in the next year (81/142, 57.0%). Of those that already implemented AUC dosing programs, purchased Bayesian software (23/60, 38.3%) and homemade software (21/60, 35.0%) were the 2 methods most frequently utilized. Purchased Bayesian software users were more likely to recommend their software to other institutions and ranked user friendliness higher compared to non-purchased software. Conclusion: Most respondents have not made the switch to vancomycin AUC dosing, but there is a growing interest with many institutions looking to adopt a program within the next year.

scholarly journals Proving Chinese Law in the Courts of the United States

Amicus Curiae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-215
Author(s):  
Richard K Wagner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
English Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Civil Procedure ◽  
Business Culture ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Chinese Law ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Chinese Business ◽  
The Us

The volume of disputes heard by United States (US) courts containing a China element continues to be robust even against a backdrop of political rhetoric concerning an economic ‘de-coupling’ of the US and China. These cross-border disputes often involve Chinese parties and special issues, some of which concern Chinese business culture, but many of which involve interpreting questions of Chinese law. How is proving Chinese law accomplished in these cases and how have US courts performed in interpreting Chinese law? This article first discusses the approach to proving Chinese law in US courts. While expert testimony is often submitted and can be valuable to a US court, the applicable US rule offers no standards by which these opinions are to be judged. And, in the China context, without specific guidance, it can be challenging for a judge, unaccustomed with China or the Chinese legal system to determine which version of the law to believe. Moreover, under the applicable rule, the US court can simply ignore competing Chinese law opinions and conduct its own Chinese law legal research, presumably using English language sources. This can lead to interesting interpretations of Chinese law to say the least. The article anchors its discussion in an examination of those recent cases which have interpreted Article 277 of the Civil Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China. This is the legal provision of Chinese law that can be implicated in certain situations involving cross-border discovery, and there are now numerous Article 277 cases among the reported US decisions. The article analyses Article 277 by placing it within the larger context of Chinese civil procedure and argues that the language used in the provision has a special meaning within Chinese evidence law that has been obscured in those US case decisions interpreting it, leading to erroneous results. The article concludes by offering judges and practitioners some suggestions for interpreting Chinese law in future US cases. Keywords: Chinese law; US courts; Article 277; deposition; cross-border discovery; Hague Evidence Convention; Chinese civil procedure.

“Guard Your Heart!”

2019 ◽  
pp. 127-150
Author(s):  
Katherine Dugan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Family Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sexual Ethics ◽  
Humanae Vitae ◽  
Theology Of The Body ◽  
The Us ◽  
Personal Ethics

This chapter examines missionaries’ romantic relationships and argues that the way these young adults date, marry, and procreate shapes their position in the US Catholic landscape. These emerging adults develop wide-ranging and gendered interpretations of chastity. They discipline themselves and their co-missionaries to follow Catholic dictums articulated in Humanae Vitae and Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body More than personal ethics, however, this chapter posits that missionaries’ practices of Catholic romance are part of their pro-life politics. How and why these Catholic millennials embody the transitions from singlehood to family life proclaims their proud, dynamically orthodox Catholic alternative to contemporary sexual ethics in the United States.

scholarly journals Neurocognitive Impairment in Spanish-Speaking Latinos Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the United States: Validation of Neuropsychological Tests Norms

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1259-1259
Author(s):  
L Kamalyan ◽  
M A Hussain ◽  
M M Diaz ◽  
A Umlauf ◽  
D R Franklin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
The United States ◽  
Neurocognitive Impairment ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Border Region ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Speed Of Information Processing ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mexico Border

Abstract Objective Latinos in the US are at increased risk for HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment (NCI). Yet, most studies in this group have included English-speakers only. We investigated the rate and pattern of HIV-associated NCI in Spanish-speaking Latinos from the US-Mexico border region by utilizing newly developed norms for this group, and compared it to previously published norms for English-speaking non-Latino Whites and Blacks/African Americans. Participants and Method Participants included 153 HIV+ Spanish-speaking Latinos (Age: M = 38.2, SD = 9.7; Education: M = 10.9, SD = 3.6; 27% female; 56% AIDS) living in the greater San Diego area. Participants completed comprehensive neuropsychological, neuromedical and psychiatric assessments in Spanish. The neuropsychological test battery employed in this study - and used extensively in prior studies of HIV- assesses seven ability domains. Raw test scores were converted to demographically-adjusted T-scores using regional norms for Spanish-speakers, and for non-Latino Whites and Blacks. NCI was defined per established criteria. Results Rate of global NCI was 39% using norms for Spanish-speaking Latinos, compared to 64% with White norms and 18% with Black norms. Using norms for Spanish speakers, domain specific NCI among those impaired was highest in executive function (68%), speed of information processing (65%), learning (51%), and working memory (50%). The pattern of HIV associated NCI varied when norms developed for non-Latino Whites and Blacks were used. Conclusions HIV+ Spanish speakers showed similar rates of global NCI to those in other HIV+ populations, when norms developed for this group were used. In contrast, use of non-Latino White and Black norms resulted in misclassification of impairment. The pattern of NCI differed based on the norms used. Present findings highlight the importance of utilizing norms developed for Spanish-speakers in the US in order to obtain more precise and valid depictions of cognition in this population.

scholarly journals Introduction

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 391-405
Author(s):  
Nathan K. Hensley
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Homeland Security ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Legal Guardian ◽  
Department Of Homeland Security ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Customs And Border Protection ◽  
Physical Custody

“We saw no issues,” reports the Department of Homeland Security in a self-study of its practices for detaining children at the US–Mexico border, “except one unsanitary bathroom.” The system is working as it should; all is well. “CBP [Customs and Border Protection] facilities we visited,” the report summarizes, “appeared to be operating in compliance with the 2015 National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search.” A footnote on page 2 of the September 2018 document defines the prisoners at these facilities, the “unaccompanied alien children,” as “aliens under the age of eighteen with no lawful immigration status in the United States and without a parent or legal guardian in the United States ‘available’ to care and [provide] physical custody for them.” Available is in scare quotes. This tic of punctuation discloses to us that the parents of these children have been arrested and removed. They are not available, and cannot take physical custody of their children, because they themselves are in physical custody. In a further typographical error, the word “provide” has been omitted: the children are without a parent or legal guardian in the United States “available” to care and physical custody for them. The dropped word turns “physical custody” into a verb and sets this new action, to physical custody, in tense relation to “care.”

Late 19th-Century Periodical Print Culture in the US–Mexico Border Region

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna M. Kabalen de Bichara
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Print Culture ◽  
The United States ◽  
Border Region ◽  
Late 19Th Century ◽  
Nuevo Leon ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Us Mexico Border

Hundreds of 19th-century newspapers and magazines published in the region of the US–Mexico border are housed in archival collections in Mexico and the United States, and they provide access to historical, cultural, and ideological perspectives involving two world spheres that are intimately connected. Archival collections in the following databases provide access to periodicals published in the United States as well as in Mexico: the Newspaper and Periodicals Collection at the National Autonomous University of Mexico; the Readex Collection of Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808–1980; the Nettie Lee Benson Library’s microfilmed collection of 19th-century independent newspapers; the digital collection of periodicals and magazines from the Capilla Alfonsina Biblioteca Universitaria and the Biblioteca Universitaria Raúl Rangel Frias, at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León; and the EBSCO Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collections, Series 1 and 2. These collections house digitized and microfilmed newspapers that include those published in the US states of California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as Mexican states such as Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. The region includes areas that share not only a physical border but also a cultural memory based on the effects of historical collisions that have contributed to the formation of new meanings regarding these world spheres that can be understood as two intersecting semiotic systems that exist as a continuum. The intersection of these spaces represents the transnational aspect of periodical print culture of the late 19th century that communicates worldviews that are semiotically and ideologically heterogeneous. Indeed, cultural spaces that exist in the borderland (or that symbolic space that forms a border or frontier in a cultural sense), are semiotic realities that unfold in unpredictable and indeterminate ways as a result of historical processes. Periodical print culture produced in the border region provides access to diverse social, cultural, political, and religious perspectives. Furthermore, the history of print culture involves a process of communication of both social and cultural history. As objects of study, borderland newspapers ultimately provide the basis for understanding the circulation of ideas.

“I’m Not Really 100% a Woman If I Can’t Have a Kid”: Infertility and the Intersection of Gender, Identity, and the Body

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 629-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann V. Bell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
Social Constraints ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Do So

Despite establishing the gendered construction of infertility, most research on the subject has not examined how individuals with such reproductive difficulty negotiate their own sense of gender. I explore this gap through 58 interviews with women who are medically infertile and involuntarily childless. In studying how women achieve their gender, I reveal the importance of the body to such construction. For the participants, there is not just a motherhood mandate in the United States, but a fertility mandate—women are not just supposed to mother, they are supposed to procreate. Given this understanding, participants maintain their gender by denying their infertile status. They do so through reliance on essentialist notions, using their bodies as a means of constructing a gendered sense of self. Using the tenets of transgender theory, this study not only informs our understanding of infertility, but also our broader understanding of the relationship between gender, identity, and the body, exposing how individuals negotiate their gender through physical as well as institutional and social constraints.

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