Group dynamics and creativity: A research with young adults in Reggio Emilia, Italy

Modern society demands innovativeness and creativity. Few studies have examined group dynamics' influence on individuals' creativity. This study explores creativity in group settings and how the gender of participants influences group dynamics and the creative process by observing specific behaviors, including Social Interaction and Play, Creative Action, and Creative Thinking. In groups of three, thirty participants (20 - 25 years) were asked to create Mosaics representing a “learning community” using LEGO dots. Relationships between group dynamics and creativity, creative thinking and creative action, gender of participants and their orientation to creativity and group dynamics were explored. Results showed negative relationships between group processes, creative thinking, and creative actions: the more intense the group dynamics were, the less the creativity. Surprisingly, female participants were more oriented to the creative task; male participants were more oriented to group dynamics. Further investigation of the relationship between creativity and cultural stereotypes on gender roles is needed

Gestational Thyrotoxicosis Associated With Emesis In Early Pregnancy

Objectives: To determine the thyroid profile and the prevalence of gestational thyrotoxicosis among women with emesis during early pregnancy.Design: A descriptive cross - sectional study.Setting: Kenyatta National Hospital acute gynaecology ward and the ante-natal clinic.Subjects: Seventy two women presenting with emesis up to 16 weeks gestation.Main outcome measures: The levels of FT3, FT4, TSH and &beta;-hCG during the first 16 weeks of gestation. Correlation between the thyroid hormones and &beta;-hCG as well as the severity of vomiting was also done.Results: The point prevalence of gestational thyrotoxicosis was 8.3%. There was a significant positive correlation between &beta;-hCG levels and FT3 and FT4 (P-values < 0.05), and a significant negative correlation between &beta;-hCG and TSH (P < 0.05).Correlation between the severity of vomiting and the thyroid hormones as well as &beta;-hCG was not statistically significant. Patients' age ranged from 14-38 years (median 26). Majority of the women studied were at a gestation of 8 to 11 weeks (38.9%). Most patients (84.7%) had one to five episodes of vomiting per day. Peak &beta;-hCG was at 12 - 15 weeks gestation.Conclusions: Thyrotoxicosis does occur among women with emesis in pregnancy in this set-up. Screening for it may be beneficial to such women and also those with high serum &beta;-hCG levels above the median for the gestational age

The Journey to R4D: An institutional history of an Australian Initiative on Food Security in Africa

Internal Revie

Teen Dating Violence among Italian High School Students: A Quantitative Study on Gender Differences

Healthy relationships involve trust, integrity, respect, and cooperation. Unfortunately, teen dating violence is a serious problem and there has been a consensus that it has severe consequences on the victims’ physical and psychological health. It can negatively influence the development of healthy sexuality, intimacy, and identity of adolescents as they transition into adulthood. This study examined the gender differences in teen dating violence among 336 Italian adolescent students from four secondary schools in Reggio Emilia, aged 14 to 20 years. The study used questionnaires for data collection and the results revealed that both genders have a significantly greater acceptance of control behavior when compared to their acceptance of aggressive behavior. In addition, boys accepted interpersonal violence more than girls. A Significant high percentage of girls reported victimization, with physical, emotional, and threatening violence perpetrated more against them. Most of the teens were aware of TDV among peers, and an experience of TDV was among the causal attributions mentioned. Others reported the fear of losing a partner and reaction to a provoking behavior. The recommendations drawn included the importance of addressing masculinity models that see aggressiveness as part of their gender identity and the relevance of raising awareness of control behaviors as antecedents of teen dating violence

Effect of HIV infection on the acute antibody response to malaria antigens in children: an observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In sub-Saharan Africa, the distributions of malaria and HIV widely overlap. Among pregnant and non-pregnant adults, HIV affects susceptibility to malaria, its clinical course and impairs antibody responses to malaria antigens. However, the relationship between the two diseases in childhood, when most deaths from malaria occur, is less clear. It was previously reported that HIV is associated with admission to hospital in rural Kenya with severe malaria among children, except in infancy. HIV-infected children with severe malaria were older, had higher parasite density and increased mortality, raising a hypothesis that HIV interferes with naturally acquired immunity to malaria, hence with little effect at younger ages (a shorter history of exposure). To test this hypothesis, levels of anti-merozoite and schizont extract antibodies were compared between HIV-infected and uninfected children who participated in the original study.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>IgG responses to malaria antigens that are potential targets for immunity to malaria (AMA1, MSP2, MSP3 and schizont extract) were compared between 115 HIV-infected and 115 age-matched, HIV-uninfected children who presented with severe malaria. The children were classified as high and low responders for each antigen and assigned antibody-response breadth scores according to the number of antigens to which they were responsive. A predictive logistic regression model was used to test if HIV was an effect modifier on the age-related acquisition of antibody responses, with age as a continuous variable.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Point estimates of the responses to all antigens were lower amongst HIV-infected children, but this was only statistically significant for AMA1 (P = 0.028). HIV-infected children were less likely to be high responders to AMA1 [OR 0.44 (95%CI, 0.2-0.90) P = 0.024]. HIV was associated with a reduced breadth of responses to individual merozoite antigens (P = 0.02). HIV strongly modified the acquisition of antibodies against schizont extract with increasing age (P < 0.0001), but did not modify the rate of age-related acquisition of responses to individual merozoite antigens.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In children with severe malaria, HIV infection is associated with a lower magnitude and narrower breadth of IgG responses to merozoite antigens and stunting of age-related acquisition of the IgG antibody response to schizont extract.</p

New antitrypanosomal tetranotriterpenoids from Azadirachta Indica

Organic extracts of the leaves of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. yielded ten antitrypanosomal terpenoids. Three of these (1 – 3), are novel and are derivatives of nimbolide and nimbin. They were extracted from chloroformfraction of methanol extract. These compounds were found to exhibit strong antitrypanosomal activities against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense with MIC values ranging of 6.9, 15.6 and 7.8 μg/ml respectively and were more active than Cymerlarsan ( a standard drug), which had an MIC value of 187.5 μg/ml when tested against T. b. rhodesiense The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including; NMR, MS, UV and IR.Key words: Meliaceae, limonoids, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, Azadirachta indica, antitrypanosomal activity

Describing an online co-development process of VAWG prevention intervention activities with young high school learners, in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this record. Evidence suggests that co-developed participatory interventions to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) may support behavior change. Yet, adolescents are often excluded from intervention development. Moreover, there remains a gap in understanding if intervention co-development can occur online. Our study explored the feasibility of undertaking an online co-development process for a participatory VAWG prevention intervention. We worked with a small group of high school learners (18–19 years), from the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. We collected session notes and audio recorded sessions. Adolescents enjoyed the level of autonomy and their depth of involvement in the process. They were eager to be involved, and they appreciated being “heard.” Adolescents found it easy to build rapport online amongst each other, and with the facilitator. There were also challenges, the main one being young people’s, and facilitator’s, histories of didactic communication. Understanding the strengths and limitations of online co-development processes is crucial, to strengthen them.Nelson Mandela UniversitySouth African National Research FoundationSouth African Medical Research CouncilUniversity of Exete

Lead Sources to the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica

This is an open access article published under an ACS AuthorChoice License, which permits copying and redistribution of the article or any adaptations for non-commercial purposes. https://pubs.acs.org/page/policy/authorchoice_termsofuse.htmlThe global prevalence of industrial lead (Pb) contamination was exemplified decades ago by the predominance of anthropogenic Pb in samples of Antarctic surface ice and in Southern Ocean surface waters. Decreases in environmental Pb contamination corresponding with the near-global phase-out of leaded automobile gasoline beginning in the 1970s have since been observed. Measurements of Pb concentration in snow and ice core samples from Antarctica show that recent fluxes of industrial Pb to Antarctica have similarly declined. Here, we present measurements of Pb concentrations and isotopic compositions in seawater and surface sediments from the Amundsen Sea continental shelf including the Amundsen Sea Polynya. Both sets of measurements show that most (∼60–95%) of the Pb at our sites, at the time of sampling, is natural in source: that is, derived from the weathering of Antarctic continental rocks. These fluxes of natural Pb then become entrained into polynya waters either from sediment resuspension or from the transport of sediment-laden glacial melt waters to the polynya.publishedVersio

Petroleum oil and mercury pollution from shipwrecks in Norwegian coastal waters

Embargo until 28 March 2019Worldwide there are tens of thousands of sunken shipwrecks lying on the coastal seabed. These potentially polluting wrecks (PPW) are estimated to hold 3–25 million t of oil. Other hazardous cargo in PPW includes ordnance, chemicals and radioactive waste. Here, we present and discuss studies on mercury (Hg) and oil pollution in coastal marine sediment caused by two of the > 2100 documented PPW in Norwegian marine waters. The German World War II (WWII) submarine (U-864) lies at about 150 m below the sea surface, near the Norwegian North Sea island of Fedje. The submarine is estimated to have been carrying 67 t of elemental Hg, some of which has leaked on to surrounding sediment. The total Hg concentration in bottom surface sediment within a 200 m radius of the wreckage decreases from 100 g/kg d.w. at the wreckage hotspot to about 1 mg/kg d.w. at 100 m from the hotspot. The second wreck is a German WWII cargo ship (Nordvard), that lies at a depth of ca. 30 m near the Norwegian harbor of Moss. Oil leakage from Nordvard has contaminated the bottom coastal sediment with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The findings from this study provide useful insight to coastal administration authorities involved in assessing and remediating wreck-borne pollution from any of the tens of thousands of sunken shipwrecks.acceptedVersio

The Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE)

In search of an explanation for some of the greenest waters ever seen in coastal Antarctica and their possible link to some of the fastest melting glaciers and declining summer sea ice, the Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE) challenged the capabilities of the US Antarctic Program and RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer during Austral summer 2010–2011. We were well rewarded by both an extraordinary research platform and a truly remarkable oceanic setting. Here we provide further insights into the key questions that motivated our sampling approach during ASPIRE and present some preliminary findings, while highlighting the value of the Palmer for accomplishing complex, multifaceted oceanographic research in such a challenging environment