a on behalf of the STRiDE team.

Stigma and discrimination in relation to dementia has a range of implications for people living with dementia and their families worldwide, including help-seeking, quality of life, social rejection and isolation. Few studies consider the perceptions and stigma towards dementia from multiple perspectives, such as people living with dementia, carers, general public and health-care workers. South Africa has limited evidence on the stigmatisation of people living with dementia, with responses to people living with dementia being driven by poor understanding of the condition, cultural beliefs about causes and social interaction problems associated with memory and cognitive impairment. This study explored the experiences of stigma among people living with dementia and their carers through understanding their own knowledge, attitudes and beliefs as well as those of the public and health-care workers. Qualitative data (N = 52) were collected across two provinces and in four languages (English, Afrikaans, Sesotho and isiZulu), with semi-structured interviews and focus groups with the following stakeholder groups: people living with dementia and their carers, the general public and health-care workers. Inductive thematic analysis generated themes across stakeholder groups. The study shows that people living with dementia and carers experienced high levels of internalised stigma, related to negative public attitudes, which were associated with high levels of isolation, health system unpreparedness and limited access to support. The study contributes to the evidence base needed in South Africa but also extends its relevance by contributing to a growing global evidence base on stigma and dementia in low- and middle-income contexts.

The influence of graphene oxide supports and thiolate surface ligands on the catalytic activity of colloidal Pd nanoparticles for alkyne hydrogenation in water is investigated. The studies show that unsupported, water-soluble thiolate-capped Pd nanoparticle catalysts favor the semi-hydrogenation over full-hydrogenation of dimethyl acetylene dicarboxylate (DMAD) under the atmospheric pressure and at room temperature. Pd nanoparticles supported on graphene oxide exhibit a similar activity for the hydrogenation of DMAD, but they show an improved long-term colloidal stability in aqueous solution after multiple catalytic cycles. After the heat treatment of Pd nanoparticles supported on graphene oxide at 300 °C, these heated hybrids exhibit an enhanced catalytic activity towards the full-hydrogenation. Overall, the studies suggest some influences of graphene oxide supports on the stability and thiolate surface ligands on the activity and selectivity of Pd nanoparticle catalysts.

BackgroundSouth Africa has a significant violence problem. The exposure of girls and women to interpersonal violence is widespread, and the victimization of men, especially to severe and homicidal forms of aggression, is of considerable concern, with male homicide eight times the global rate. In the last two decades, there have been a plethora of South African policies to promote safety. However, indications suggest that the policy response to violence is not coherently formulated, comprehensive, or evenly implemented.ObjectiveThis study examines selected South African national legislative instruments in terms of their framing and definition of violence and its typology, vulnerable populations, and prevention.DesignThis study comprises a directed content analysis of selected legislative documents from South African ministries mandated to prevent violence and its consequences or tasked with the prevention of key contributors to violence. Documents were selected using an electronic keyword search method and analyzed independently by two researchers.ResultsThe legislative documents recognized the high levels of violence, confirmed the prioritization of selected vulnerable groups, especially women, children, disabled persons, and rural populations, and above all drew on criminological perspectives to emphasize tertiary prevention interventions. There is a policy focus on the protection and support of victims and the prosecution of perpetrators, but near absent recognition of men as victims.ConclusionsThere is a need to broaden the policy framework from primarily criminological and prosecutorial perspectives to include public health contributions. It is likewise important to enlarge the conceptions of vulnerability to include men alongside other vulnerable groups. These measures are important for shaping and resourcing prevention decisions and strengthening primary prevention approaches to violence.