Universal Protection Research Articles

Connect the dots! Financing universal social protection in light of systemic challenges

Connect the dots! Financing universal social protection in light of systemic challenges

Universal protection of allogeneic T-cell therapies from natural killer cells via CD300a agonism

AbstractImmunogenicity limits the persistence of off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapies and transplants. Although ablation of HLA removes most T cell and humoral alloreactivity, no solution has enabled universal protection against the resulting natural killer (NK) cell response. Here, we engineered trans-antigen signaling receptors (TASRs) as a new class of NK inhibitory ligands and discovered CD300a, a previously inaccessible receptor, as a functional target. CD300a TASR outperformed leading alternative strategies in focused screens, including CD47 and HLA-E, and was solely capable of universally protecting allogeneic T cells against a large human cohort (45/45 donors), spanning diverse demographics and NK cell phenotypes. A model allogeneic T-cell therapy coexpressing an anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor and CD300a TASR, produced using multiplexed nonviral integration, exhibited enhanced B-cell killing potency under allogeneic immune pressure. CD300 TASR represents a universal solution to NK alloreactivity, broadening the population that could be effectively treated by next-generation allogeneic cell therapies.

Human Rights and Mental Health: A Review of Current Awareness and Emerging Developments

Human rights are universal fundamental protections worth of all individuals, including those with mental health conditions. However, these rights are often observed violated in mental health care settings, where individuals may face forced treatment, isolation, and degrading conditions. Despite global advocacy efforts, to ensuring that these rights are respected, continues to be a challenge for healthcare professionals and the general public. This review examines the current awareness of human rights among mental health professionals and the public, identifies the knowledge gaps, and highlights the recent developments in policy and practice aimed at improving human rights in mental health care. A comprehensive search of academic databases identified relevant studies published between 2019 and 2024. Findings suggest a promising level of public knowledge about human rights, yet negative attitudes and stigma persist. While improvements in mental health services have been observed among healthcare professionals; resource limitations and a lack of social support remain challenging. A gap between knowledge and practice is evident, necessitating further education and training to ensure a deeper understanding of human rights complexities in mental healthcare. Overall, this review underscores the importance of continued efforts to raise awareness and advocate for the human rights of individuals with mental health conditions. By implementing educational and sensitization programs, a supportive environment can be created that empowers them to seek help without fear of discrimination.

Universal and holistic privacy protection in quantum computing: a novel approach through quantum circuit equivalence homomorphic encryption

Universal and holistic privacy protection in quantum computing: a novel approach through quantum circuit equivalence homomorphic encryption

Universal social protection and gender disparities in food security: Insights from Nepal

AbstractThis article exploits a sharp age cutoff for eligibility of a nationwide senior citizen allowance program in Nepal to show that a universal social protection increased the likelihood of receiving financial assistance among the elderly, but did not improve food consumption. Eligible females are 8.8 percentage points more likely to eat fewer meals induced by inadequate resources and 5.3 percentage points more likely to sleep hungry in response to inadequate food. This adverse effect is driven by multi‐generational households with young children, implying that the program exacerbated gender disparities in food security through changes in household size and childcare duties.

Mussel-Inspired, Self-Healing, Highly Effective Fully Polymeric Fire-Retardant Coatings Enabled by Group Synergy.

Fire-retardant coatings represent a universal cost-effective approach to providing fire protection for various substrates without compromising substrates' bulk properties. However, it has been attractive yet highly challenging to create waterborne polymeric fire-retardant coatings combining high-efficiency, generally strong adhesion, and self-repairability due to a lack of rational design principles. Inspired by mussel's unique adhesive, self-healing, and char-forming mechanisms, herein, a "group synergy" design strategy is proposed to realize the combination of self-healing, strong adhesion, and high efficiency in a fully polymeric fire-retardant coating via multiple synergies between catechol, phosphonic, and hydroxyethyl groups. As-created fire-retardant coating exhibits a rapid room-temperature self-healing ability and strong adhesion to (non)polar substrates due to multiple dynamic non-covalent interactions enabled by these groups. Because these functional groups enable the formation of a robust structurally intact yet slightly expanded char layer upon exposure to flame, a 200µm-thick such coating can make extremely flammable polystyrene foam very difficult to ignite and self-extinguishing, which far outperforms previous strategies. Moreover, this coating can provide universal exceptional fire protection for a variety of substrates from polymer foams, and timber, to fabric and steel. This work presents a promising material design principle to create next-generation sustainable high-performance fire-retardant coatings for general fire protection.

A broad-spectrum vaccine candidate against H5 viruses bearing different sub-clade 2.3.4.4 HA genes

The global spread of H5 clade 2.3.4.4 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses threatens poultry and public health. The continuous circulation of these viruses has led to their considerable genetic and antigenic evolution, resulting in the formation of eight subclades (2.3.4.4a–h). Here, we examined the antigenic sites that determine the antigenic differences between two H5 vaccine strains, H5-Re8 (clade 2.3.4.4g) and H5-Re11 (clade 2.3.4.4h). Epitope mapping data revealed that all eight identified antigenic sites were located within two classical antigenic regions, with five sites in region A (positions 115, 120, 124, 126, and 140) and three in region B (positions 151, 156, and 185). Through antigenic cartography analysis of mutants with varying numbers of substitutions, we confirmed that a combination of mutations in these eight sites reverses the antigenicity of H5-Re11 to that of H5-Re8, and vice versa. More importantly, our analyses identified H5-Re11_Q115L/R120S/A156T (H5-Re11 + 3) as a promising candidate for a broad-spectrum vaccine, positioned centrally in the antigenic map, and offering potential universal protection against all variants within the clade 2.3.4.4. H5-Re11 + 3 serum has better cross-reactivity than sera generated with other 2.3.4.4 vaccines, and H5-Re11 + 3 vaccine provided 100% protection of chickens against antigenically drifted H5 viruses from various 2.3.4.4 antigenic groups. Our findings suggest that antigenic regions A and B are immunodominant in H5 viruses, and that antigenic cartography-guided vaccine design is a promising strategy for selecting a broad-spectrum vaccine.

Changing patterns of inclusion into old age protection in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey (1865–2020)

Who is protected by social security? This article explores this question by tracing the chronological sequence of inclusion into old age protection in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey. The focus lies on how legislation defines the groups that are covered by old age pensions. We argue that the old age protection system transformed from being aimed at protecting people working for the state, towards covering diverse societal groups and aspiring to universal social protection. The Ottoman Empire institutionalised its centuries-old system of protection of elderly state employees surprisingly early, through pension funds in the late nineteenth century. The Republic of Turkey maintained this approach for several decades, pointing to continuities between the late Ottoman Empire and the early Republic. From the mid-twentieth century onwards, the state transformed old age protection with new schemes for mostly employment-based groups. The analysis reveals intriguing parallels between political inclusion and inclusion in old age protection, with key expansions in the scope of old age protection mirroring shifts in the political regime.

Breastfeeding among women employed in Mexico’s informal sector: strategies to overcome key barriers

BackgroundRates of exclusive breastfeeding fall below recommended levels, particularly among women in paid employment. In Mexico, more than half of women are in informal employment, meaning they lack many of the protections that may support breastfeeding.MethodsIn-depth interviews with 15 key informants representing government agencies (n = 6 organizations), NGOs (n = 4), international organizations (n = 2), and academia (n = 2) in Mexico. Interviews were conducted between March and June 2023. To understand and describe barriers to breastfeeding among informally employed women in Mexico according to key informants and the current and potential policies to address these barriers, we conducted a qualitative thematic analysis.ResultsCurrent policies to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding predominantly apply to all employed women, but respondents expressed concern that they did not provide adequate protection for women in informal employment. Additional themes concerned the need for relevant programs to be institutionalized and coordinated, discussions of breastfeeding as a right, and the legal equivalence (whether true in practice or not) of formal and informal workers.ConclusionsWomen employed in Mexico’s informal sector face a dearth of maternity protections. According to key informants, few policies exist to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding among employed women, in general, but the economic vulnerability and challenging working conditions of women in informal employment exacerbates their situation. The lack of access to formal labor protections, such as paid maternity leave, creates a significant barrier to breastfeeding for women in the informal sector. Recommendations include short-term policies to fill gaps in social protection for informally employed women, as well as longer-term solutions such as the development of universal social protection programs and supporting formalization.

Children's surgery and the emergency, critical, and operative care resolution: Immediate actions to eliminate disparities in surgery, anesthesia, and perioperative care for all children.

Around 1.7 billion children lack access to surgical care worldwide. To reinvigorate the efforts to address these disparities and support work to address global challenges in surgery, anesthesia, emergency, and critical care, the World Health Assembly passed World Health Organization Resolution World Health Assembly 76.2: Integrated emergency, critical and operative care for universal health coverage and protection from health emergencies (ECO) in 2023. This resolution highlights the integral role of surgery, anesthesia, and perioperative care in health systems. However, understanding how best to operationalize this resolution is challenging. We review the ECO resolution and highlight points that the pediatric surgical and anesthesia community can leverage to advocate for its recommendations for operative care.

Gender, Security and Poverty in Africa: The Bane of Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria

Nigeria is now experiencing complex existential challenges related to gender inequity, citizen security, and poverty. The establishment and maintenance of states are heavily influenced by gender dynamics, which are further compounded by the disruptive effects of economic and social inequalities. Non-state actors perpetuate discrimination and violence, specifically targeting women and girls, as a result of entrenched cultural norms that dictate stereotypical gender roles and relationships. The primary aim of the research is to examine the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals about gender, security, and poverty in Nigeria. The six geographical regions are descending into a state of ungovernability, as terror squads have completely taken control of rural and suburban communities. The paper's theoretical foundation is based on Robert Merton's Anomie Theory. The research used a methodical approach by using content analysis, specifically relying on secondary data. The study mostly gathered statistical data from reputable sources such as the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigerian Living Standard Survey, Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, and SDGs Base line reports. The findings indicate that implementing policies such as the Micro-Credit Scheme and Conditional Cash Transfer as part of Social Investment did not effectively address the issues of poverty and security. The results of the study indicate that gender inequality, insecurity, and poverty are still widespread in all aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Consequently, development is certain to be hindered. The article states that the expansion and implementation of universal social protection and social security schemes should not discriminate based on age, gender, disability, or education systems. The paper suggests In order to eradicate insecurity and poverty, it is imperative to develop more robust economies. This process starts by empowering women to transition from mere participation in the economy to attaining complete economic authority. Keywords: Bane, Gender, Security, SDGs and Poverty

Financial inclusion and the contested infrastructures of cash transfer payments in South Africa

Across much of the South, digital technologies are increasingly central to the expansion of state social protection systems. Supported by major development agencies, many of these distributive technologies are developed and implemented by financial technology companies with the specific aim of accelerating financial inclusion. While researchers have documented the influence of these financial actors and logics over social policy, we know less about how these interventions are transforming the experience of receiving social protection. Based on qualitative and observational research with social grant recipients in South Africa, this research demonstrates how digital and financial technologies produce confusion, informational opacities and new forms of exclusion among grant recipients. It suggests that the increasingly prominent role of financial technologies in the delivery of social protection undermines state capacity and further entrenches the influence of neoliberal logics over social policy. Finally, the article suggests that these technologies may be transforming the nature of social citizenship in South Africa, undermining efforts to advance universal and redistributive social protection policies.

“Unmeasured” and never-ending working hours in UK higher education: time for workers, unions and employers to reinterpret the law?

ABSTRACT Higher Education staff in the United Kingdom (UK) work long hours to complete their duties. In a 2021 survey, staff reported a weekly average of 51 hours: a fact well understood to undermine health and educational quality. Yet, UK law sets a maximum working week of 48 hours, and failure to uphold this maximum is a criminal offence for employers. Seeking to understand this contradiction, the article reveals that staff are denied otherwise universal legal Health and Safety protection by the development and reinforcement of legal interpretation that assumes they have sufficient ‘autonomy’ to avoid overwork. As this is a position mutually constructed and accepted by both employers and unions, all efforts to reduce hours, including Industrial Action, have worked from this premise. However, critical analysis of university Terms and Conditions, against relevant jurisprudential developments, adds significant original value by questioning the validity of the status quo legal interpretation. Specifically, a landmark legal ruling against the UK by the European Court of Justice, and the resulting 2006 amendment to the UK Working Time Regulations, strongly suggests most University Terms and Conditions are legally noncompliant. As such, HE stakeholders should pressure powerbrokers involved in this omnipresent dispute to revisit the law: specifically with a view to re-establishing any fundamental rights of which they are currently illegitimately deprived. Where this was successful, empirically informed weekly workload modelling – rather than irrelevant, abstract annual calculations – would become a legally enforceable necessity for the benefit of staff and students alike.

Equal in East and West? Regional anti-gender discourses and heterogeneity of the European Commission’s discursive protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* and intersex rights

Recent research shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* and intersex (LGBTI) rights have become a core value of the European Union. Concurrently, hostility towards LGBTI rights is increasing across the European Union, including through anti-gender mobilisations, which reject ‘gender ideology’. This study employs sequential discourse analyses to discover: (1) the regional specificities in anti-gender discourse; and (2) whether the European Commission is discursively responsive to these differences. We find that the European Commission adapts its LGBTI discourse to actual and expected regional specificities, both in the issues discussed and in the frames employed. These conclusions are relevant because they show that European Union discourse on LGBTI rights is not homogeneous and may be strategically adapted to regional contexts, which has implications for the purported universal protection of LGBTI rights in the European Union. Additionally, these findings shed light on the important but neglected role that social mobilisations play in sensitising European Union actors to regional variation in political attitudes and values.

Between religion and medicine: understanding large oval breverls from Croatian burial contexts

SUMMARY This paper discusses three large, almost identical oval breverls from the eighteenth century burial contexts in present-day Republic of Croatia. Two of them were discovered during archaeological excavations in Žuberak and Prozorje, while the third one from Ližnjan had not been defined as breverl until now. Breverls are the rarest and most enigmatic devotional objects but the three analysed in this paper have a common link other than their appearance. They all contained religious medals from pilgrim sites and papers with the prayer against all evils and demonic attacks on one side and the blessings of saints, the prayer for the identification of those tortured by evil spirits, and the Prologue to John’s Gospel on the other. This article compares the papers discovered in them, studies the motifs from the mentioned breverls and analyses other finds from them to provide answers to the questions of their place of production, the identity of the people who wore them and why. Tentative correlation of different bioarchaeological factors, such as age, sex, and health condition of the deceased can give us much information on who breverl bearers were. Apparently, they were the vulnerable members of society, such as pregnant women, people suffering from poor health, or, as prayers from the breverls suggest, individuals believed to be tortured by demons or evil spirits. Taking that into account, breverls were devotional objects believed to provide universal protection, a sort of medicine case for both physical and spiritual problems.

What role for emergency basic income in building and strengthening rights‐based universal social protection systems?

AbstractDuring the COVID‐19 pandemic there were a great many social protection policy responses. There were also calls for emergency basic income (EBI) to be adopted as a mitigation response. However, it seems that only one country adopted an EBI. Nonetheless, EBI is likely to feature in future policy discussion and action, especially as a crisis‐mitigation tool. This has implications for the future of rights‐based social protection. Consequently, this article aims to examine whether EBI would comply with international social security standards and whether it could contribute to building and strengthening rights‐based universal social protection systems.

Introduction: Emergency basic income: Distraction or opportunity?

AbstractThis themed issue, guest‐edited by Jurgen De Wispelaere and Troy Henderson, is devoted to examining, first, whether the widespread use of immediate and unconditional cash transfers as a policy response to the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID‐19 crisis has provided a boost to cash transfer programmes generally and to emergency basic income (EBI) policies more specifically. The set of articles then charts the reception of EBI‐type policies as a pandemic response in specific country or regional contexts, and reflects on their relevance for the future development of universal social protection and, especially, universal basic income (UBI). While the contribution to be made by basic income to realizing resilient and agile social protection policy responses merits serious consideration, in particular in a context where existing social protection systems are patchy and fragmented, important questions remain as to how to evaluate the time‐limited EBI crisis response in light of the more durable needs which a permanent UBI purports to address.

Reframing Social Protection within Development Paradigms: A Study of Malaysia’s Survivors’ Pension Scheme

The interplay between social protection strategies and economic resilience, particularly in mitigating poverty, has gained substantial prominence within developmental and welfare policy frameworks. Notably, survivors’ pension schemes stand out for their critical support to poor families grappling with the aftermath of losing primary earners. This study provides an overview of Malaysia’s Survivors’ Pension Scheme, an integral facet of the national social safety net designed to aid families mourning the loss of breadwinners. This study contrasts evaluations of the scheme’s outreach and efficacy beneficiaries, thus offering a comprehensive overview of its socioeconomic impacts. Employing a detailed amount of information regarding the scheme’s coverage, distributive metrics, and fiscal expenditures, coupled with beneficiary, this enables a thorough overview of the Survivors’ Pension’s operational mechanisms and its broader socio-economic repercussions on recipient families. Initial study affirms the Survivors’ Pension Scheme’s essential role in diminishing financial vulnerability and countering social exclusion among qualified families. The study reveals marked enhancements in income stability and a decrease in poverty rates among recipients. Nonetheless, the study also identifies pressing concerns regarding the scheme’s reach and future viability, exacerbated by demographic trends and economic limitations. The Survivors’ Pension Scheme is identified as a pivotal element of Malaysia’s social protection infrastructure, effectively safeguarding at-risk populations from economic challenges. However, the findings prompt the need for strategic reforms to augment the scheme’s inclusivity and ensure its fiscal sustainability. Proposed reforms encompass broadening eligibility conditions, revising benefit allocations, and amalgamating the Survivors’ Pension with a more encompassing universal social protection framework. This study advocates for ongoing monitoring of the scheme’s modifications and their socioeconomic effects, evidence-based approach to social policy innovation.

The role and impact of constitutional values of ubuntu, equality, and human dignity in the interpretation and protection of the right to have access to social security in South Africa

This article examines the role and impact of constitutional values of ubuntu, equality, and human dignity in the interpretation and protection of the right to have access to social security entrenched in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. Sec. 27(1)(c) of the Constitution provides a universal social security protection to everyone, including if they are unable to support themselves and their dependants’ appropriate social assistance. Against this background, this article has three objectives. First, it enters the debate on the universal approach that comes with a human right to social security. Secondly, it examines the impact of the constitutional values of human dignity, equality, and ubuntu on the right to have access to social security. Thirdly, it looks at how the South African courts have incorporated and interpreted these values in their drive to protect and enforce the constitutional right to have access to social security. The article concludes by examining South Africa’s compliance with its constitutional obligation in respect of ensuring that everyone has the right to have access to social security.

Taking advocacy upstream with interventions to eliminate violence against women

Violence against women, particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence, is a major public and clinical health problem and a violation of women's human rights. Globally, one in three women experiences physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, mostly by an intimate partner. This is a stark reminder of the scale of gender inequality and discrimination against women. The 16 days of activism against violence against women runs from 25th November to 10th December 2023 and seeks to address upstream prevention interventions to zero violence against women. Violence and abuse adversely affect the physical, emotional, and mental health and well-being of women, children, and communities. Vulnerabilities include poverty, dispossession, wars and conflicts, persistent gender inequalities, harmful cultural practices, illiteracy, infectious diseases, infertility, natural and humanitarian crises, substance abuse, and addiction. Perpetrations are often by intimate partners or others and may take overlapping forms, including physical, sexual, and emotional violence, control, and neglect. For some, they pay the ultimate price of death. For individuals that survive, it causes injury, reproductive health problems, harm from drug abuse and addiction, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm, and suicidal ideation or acts. During pregnancy, it may lead to miscarriage, induced abortion, stillbirth, low birth weight, preterm delivery, and aggravated violence. Unfortunately, imprints in the children born into this environment may carry on this vice in their later years, contributing to social delinquency. For communities and society, it leads to a lack of urgency, limited participation, and loss of economic productivity. We must do more in the quest for 50-50 gender equality by 2030! A mind-shift and action toward prevention and health promotion of zero violence against women require upstream evidence-based interventions, including promotion of women disclosure with access to interventions for survivors and planning subsequent averting mechanisms with intergeneration long-term follow-up. Normative environments and their implementation require regular review, gender mainstreaming, and the upholding of human rights. In addition, embracing these practices in multisector policies is necessary to eliminate harmful cultural practices such as forced marriages and female genital mutilation and cutting. There is also a need to eliminate violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking, sexual, technologically driven violations, and other types of exploitation. Placing increased attention on displaced communities during war and conflicts, crises, and among migrant populations, valuing unpaid care, and promoting shared domestic responsibilities are necessary. The provision of universal access, effective coverage, promotion, protection, and fulfillment of sexual and reproductive rights are also required. Eradication of obstetric violence is possible through respectful, ethical, and professional care for girls and women within a supportive health system.