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""Tracking the feminine principle in divination over three thousand years, this book ranges from the Oracle at Delphi to Japanese film of the 20th century. At the center of the study is an exploration of the psychic vantage point shared by various sisters

In causal inference, interference occurs when the treatment of one subject affects the outcome of other subjects. Interference can distort research conclusions about causal effects when not accounted for properly. In the absence of interference, inverse probability weighted (IPW) estimators are commonly used to estimate causal effects from observational data. Recently, IPW estimators have been extended to handle interference. Tchetgen Tchetgen and VanderWeele (2012) proposed IPW methods to estimate direct and indirect (or spillover) effects that allow for interference between individuals within groups. In this paper, we present inferference, an R package that computes these IPW causal effect estimates when interference may be present within groups. We illustrate use of the package with examples from political science and infectious disease.

AbstractBackground: Many men who have sex with men (MSM) in China are "in the closet." The low rate of disclosure may impact sexual behaviours, testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and diseases transmission. This study examines factors associated with overall sexual orientation disclosure and disclosure to healthcare professionals.Methods: A nationwide cross‐sectional online survey was conducted from September 2014 to October 2014 in China. Participants completed questions covering socio‐demographic information, sexual behaviours, HIV/STI testing history, and self‐reported HIV status. We defined healthcare professional disclosure as disclosing to a doctor or other medical provider.Results: A total of 1819 men started the survey and 1424 (78.3%) completed it. Among the 1424 participants, 62.2% (886/1424) reported overall disclosure, and 16.3% (232/1424) disclosed to healthcare professionals. In multivariate analyses, the odds of sexual orientation disclosure were 56% higher among MSM who used smartphone‐based, sex‐seeking applications [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.25–2.95], but were lower among MSM reporting sex while drunk or recreational drug use. The odds of disclosure to a healthcare professional were greater among MSM who had ever tested for HIV or STIs (aOR = 3.36, 95% CI: 2.50–4.51 for HIV, and aOR = 4.92, 95% CI: 3.47–6.96 for STIs, respectively) or self‐reported as living with HIV (aOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 0.93–2.72).Conclusion: Over 80% of MSM had not disclosed their sexual orientation to health professionals. This low level of disclosure likely represents a major obstacle to serving the unique needs of MSM in clinical settings. Further research and interventions to facilitate MSM sexual orientation disclosure, especially to health professionals, are urgently needed.

AbstractIntroductionPeople who inject drugs (PWID) experience high HIV incidence and face significant barriers to engagement in HIV care and substance use treatment. Strategies for HIV treatment as prevention and substance use treatment present unique challenges in PWID that may vary regionally. Understanding differences in the risk structure for HIV transmission and disease progression among PWID is essential in developing and effectively targeting intervention strategies of HIV treatment as prevention.MethodsWe present a baseline analysis of HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 074, a two‐arm, randomized controlled trial among PWID in Indonesia (n = 258), Ukraine (n = 457) and Vietnam (n = 439). HPTN 074 was designed to determine the feasibility, barriers and uptake of an integrated intervention combining health systems navigation and psychosocial counselling for the early engagement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and substance use treatment for PWID living with HIV. Discordant PWID networks were enrolled, consisting of an HIV‐positive index and their HIV‐negative network injection partner(s). Among the enrolled cohort of 1154 participants (502 index participants and 652 network partners), we examine regional differences in the baseline risk structure, including sociodemographics, HIV and substance use treatment history, and injection and sexual risk behaviours.ResultsThe majority of participants were male (87%), with 82% of the enrolled females coming from Ukraine. The overall mean age was 34 (IQR: 30, 38). Most commonly injected substances included illegally manufactured methadone in Ukraine (84.2%), and heroin in Indonesia (81.8%) and Vietnam (99.5%). Injection network sizes varied by region: median number of people with whom participants self‐reported injecting drugs was 3 (IQR: 2, 5) in Indonesia, 5 (IQR: 3, 10) in Ukraine and 3 (IQR: 2, 4) in Vietnam. Hazardous alcohol use, assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Alcohol Consumption Questions (AUDIT‐C), was prominent in Ukraine (54.7%) and Vietnam (26.4%). Reported sexual risk behaviours in the past month, including having two or more sex partners and giving/receiving money or drugs in exchange for sex, were uncommon among all participants and regions.ConclusionsWhile regional differences in risk structure exist, PWID particularly in Ukraine need immediate attention for risk reduction strategies. Substantial regional differences in risk structure will require flexible, tailored treatment as prevention interventions for distinct PWID populations.