Barriers to Successful Cervical Cancer Screening in Rural Kwazulu-Natal, Cato Manor, and Cape Town

In 2000, the South African Department of Health produced a nationwide policy intended to combat the growing crisis of cervical cancer. Nearly fifteen years later, however, the disease remains a significant cause of death among certain female populations, especially those who are rural, poor, and HIV-positive. It is undeniable that challenges of access, awareness, resource demand, and stigmatization stand in the way of complete policy enactment. In this study, I explore in detail the barriers that prevent successful implementation of the policy. My research combines interviews with a variety of individuals and participant observation at the Cancer Association of South Africa. Interviews conducted among women piece together perceptions of the disease and the factors that successfully motivate (or in many cases, fail to motivate) the choice to be screened. Additionally, experts, medical professionals, and academics are consulted to explore the combination of socioeconomic, physical, emotional, and cultural factors behind such decisions on the part of both women and professionals. Ultimately, this investigation reveals the weaknesses in the nationwide policy of 2000, and offers a glimpse of how it may better become a reality in the future

The External Relations of De Facto States in the South Caucasus

Post-Soviet de facto states are small-sized jurisdictions with limited domestic resources. They need credible military support from a patron to ensure their continued existence, and substantial financial support to provide public goods, services, and a degree of welfare to their resident population. Their unrecognised status limits their access to international trade and prevents them from joining international organisations; however, both local residents and de facto authorities find ways to interact with the outside world

Quantitative analysis of web content in support of qualitative research: examples from the study of post-Soviet de facto states

In recent years, the internet has been increasingly adopted as a key means of communication by local authorities, organisations and news media throughout the post-Soviet context. This has led to the creation and on-line publication of content that is routinely consulted and quoted by scholars of area studies, who, however, seemingly approach the web as an inordinate mass of content that can be superficially explored thanks to search engines and meaningful keywords. Structured analysis of content is still uncommon in area studies for a few reasons: it is considered to be time consuming, difficult to learn and, fundamentally, relevant datasets are usually not readily available. This paper briefly presents how to overcome these obstacles by introducing an open source package developed by the author that facilitates the creation of structured textual datasets from web content, and allows for basic word frequency analysis in a straightforward web interface. This article argues in favour of a wider use of quantitative methods based on the analysis of word frequency in textual datasets extracted from the internet as a starting point for in depth research with established qualitative methods. The examples presented in this paper relate to the study of post-Soviet de facto states

A conserved and species-specific functional interaction between the Werner syndrome-like exonuclease atWEX and the Ku heterodimer in Arabidopsis

Werner syndrome is associated with mutations in the DNA helicase RecQ3 [a.k.a. Homo sapiens (hs)WRN]. The function of hsWRN is unknown although biochemical studies suggest a role in DNA ends stability and repair. Unlike other RecQ family members, hsWRN possesses an N-terminal domain with exonuclease activity, which is stimulated by interaction with the Ku heterodimer. While this interaction is intriguing, we do not know whether it is important for hsWRN function. Although flies, worms, fungi and plants do not have RecQ-like (RQL) helicases with an intrinsic exonuclease activity, they possess proteins having domains homologous to the hsWRN exonuclease. The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana (at) encodes multiple RQL and a single protein with homology to the WRN exonuclease domain, atWEX (Werner-like Exonuclease). Here we show that atWEX has properties that are similar to hsWRN. atWEX binds to and is stimulated by atKu. Interestingly, stimulation by Ku is species-specific, as hsKu does not stimulate atWEX exonuclease activity. Likewise, atKu fails to enhance the exonuclease activity of hsWRN. Thus, in spite of the differences in structural organization, the functional interaction between WRN-like exonucleases and Ku has been preserved through evolutionary radiation of species, emphasizing the importance of this interaction in cell function

Rice Overexpressing OsNUC1-S Reveals Differential Gene Expression Leading to Yield Loss Reduction after Salt Stress at the Booting Stage.

Rice nucleolin (OsNUC1), consisting of two isoforms, OsNUC1-L and OsNUC1-S, is a multifunctional protein involved in salt-stress tolerance. Here, OsNUC1-S's function was investigated using transgenic rice lines overexpressing OsNUC1-S. Under non-stress conditions, the transgenic lines showed a lower yield, but higher net photosynthesis rates, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rates than wild type only in the second leaves, while in the flag leaves, these parameters were similar among the lines. However, under salt-stress conditions at the booting stage, the higher yields in transgenic lines were detected. Moreover, the gas exchange parameters of the transgenic lines were higher in both flag and second leaves, suggesting a role for OsNUC1-S overexpression in photosynthesis adaptation under salt-stress conditions. Moreover, the overexpression lines could maintain light-saturation points under salt-stress conditions, while a decrease in the light-saturation point owing to salt stress was found in wild type. Based on a transcriptome comparison between wild type and a transgenic line, after 3 and 9 days of salt stress, the significantly differentially expressed genes were enriched in the metabolic process of nucleic acid and macromolecule, photosynthesis, water transport, and cellular homeostasis processes, leading to the better performance of photosynthetic processes under salt-stress conditions at the booting stage

Parental squabbles and genome expression: lessons from the polyploids

The merger of evolutionarily diverged genomes to form a new polyploid genetic system can involve extensive remodeling of gene regulation. A recent paper in BMC Biology provides important insights into regulatory events that have affected the evolution of allopolyploid cotton

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Rice with Contrasting Photosynthesis and Grain Production under Salt Stress.

Unfavourable environmental conditions, including soil salinity, lead to decreased rice (Oryza sativa L.) productivity, especially at the reproductive stage. In this study, we examined 30 rice varieties, which revealed significant differences in the photosynthetic performance responses under salt stress conditions during the reproductive stage, which ultimately affected yield components after recovery. In rice with a correlation between net photosynthetic rate (PN) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) under salt stress, PN was found to be negatively correlated with filled grain number after recovery. Applying stringent criteria, we identified 130,317 SNPs and 15,396 InDels between two "high-yield rice" varieties and two "low-yield rice" varieties with contrasting photosynthesis and grain yield characteristics. A total of 2,089 genes containing high- and moderate-impact SNPs or InDels were evaluated by gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, resulting in over-represented terms in the apoptotic process and kinase activity. Among these genes, 262 were highly expressed in reproductive tissues, and most were annotated as receptor-like protein kinases. These findings highlight the importance of variations in signaling components in the genome and these loci can serve as potential genes in rice breeding to produce a variety with salt avoidance that leads to increased yield in saline soil