Risky Behaviours Among Young People Living with HIV Attending Care and Treatment Clinics in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: Implications for Prevention with a Positive Approach.

Introduction: Prevention with a positive approach has been advocated as one of the main strategies to reduce new instances of HIV infection. Risky sexual behaviours among people living with HIV/AIDS are the cornerstone for this approach. Understanding the extent to which infected individuals practice risky behaviours is fundamental in designing appropriate population-specific interventions. With the HIV infection transmission rates remaining high among young people in sub-Saharan Africa, continued prevention among them remains a priority. This study therefore seeks to describe the magnitude and determinants of risky sexual behaviours among young people living with HIV. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between June and July 2010 in selected Care and Treatment Clinics (CTCs) in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. A total of 282 HIV-positive patients aged 15-24 were interviewed about their sexual behaviours using a questionnaire. Results: Prevalence of unprotected sex was 40.0% among young males and 37.5% among young females (p<0.001). Multiple sexual partnerships were reported by 10.6% of males and 15.9% of females (p<0.005). More than 50% of the participants did not know about the HIV status of their sexual partners. A large proportion of participants had minimal knowledge of transmission (46.7% males vs. 60.4% females) and prevention (65.3% males vs. 73.4% females) of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Independent predictors of condom use included non-use of alcohol [adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 0.40 95% confidence interval (CI); 0.17-0.84] and younger age (15-19 years) (AOR, 2.76, 95% CI: 1.05-7.27). Being on antiretroviral therapy (AOR, 0.38, 95% CI: 0.17-0.85) and not knowing partners' HIV sero-status (AOR, 2.62, 95% CI: 1.14-5.10) predicted the practice of multiple sexual partnership. Conclusions: Unprotected sex and multiple sexual partnerships were prevalent among young people living with HIV. Less knowledge on STI and lack of HIV disclosure increased the vulnerability and risk for HIV transmission among young people. Specific intervention measures addressing alcohol consumption, risky sexual behaviours, and STI transmission and prevention knowledge should be integrated in the routine HIV/AIDS care and treatment offered to this age group

Not a galaxy: IRAS 04186+5143, a new young stellar cluster in the outer Galaxy

We report the discovery of a new young stellar cluster in the outer Galaxy located at the position of an IRAS PSC source that has been previously mis-identified as an external galaxy. The cluster is seen in our near-infrared imaging towards IRAS 04186+5143 and in archive Spitzer images confirming the young stellar nature of the sources detected. There is also evidence of sub-clustering seen in the spatial distributions of young stars and of gas and dust. Near- and mid-infrared photometry indicates that the stars exhibit colours compatible with reddening by interstellar and circumstellar dust and are likely to be low- and intermediate-mass YSOs with a large proportion of Class I YSOs. Ammonia and CO lines were detected, with the CO emission well centred near the position of the richest part of the cluster. The velocity of the CO and NH$_3$ lines indicates that the gas is Galactic and located at a distance of about 5.5 kpc, in the outer Galaxy. Herschel data of this region characterise the dust environment of this molecular cloud core where the young cluster is embedded. We derive masses, luminosities and temperatures of the molecular clumps where the young stars reside and discuss their evolutionary stages.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figure

Prelude #3 for Solo Piano

This is the third of five short Preludes from "Notebook Sketches" the composer wrote in May 1995

Mass for Solo Male Voice (in the Style of Chant)

One of the earliest choral works, written by the composer, it is an attempt at understanding styles of chant singing. The work was composed in 1993, during a period when the composer was visiting and researching Christian monastic communities. The basic structure of this piece is in the following forms: I. Antiphon II. Kyrie III. Gloria IV. Alleluia V. Domine (Offertory) VI. Sanctus VII. Beati Other choral works have been written, including "Pax Choralis" (1995), "I Canti Romani" (2001), "Nativitatis Christi: An Oratorio" (2011-13), and "The Marian Cycle: Twelve Choral Works based on Medieval Poems of Saint Mary," (2013). "Stabat Mater" (Jan.-Feb. 2013) is included in this collection

Prelude #1 for Solo Piano

This is the first of five short Preludes from "Notebook Sketches" the composer wrote in May 1995

Consolation V: Meditations on the Middle Kingdom

"Consolations: Meditations on the Middle Kingdom" is a 10-part work for violin and piano, written as a reflection on a trip to China by the composer, during the summer of 2012. The piece was premiered by Vita and Ishmael Wallace at St. Paul's Chapel, Columbia University, on October 23, 2012

Consolation VI: Meditations on the Middle Kingdom

"Consolations: Meditations on the Middle Kingdom" is a 10-part work for violin and piano, written as a reflection on a trip to China by the composer, during the summer of 2012. The piece was premiered by Vita and Ishmael Wallace at St. Paul's Chapel, Columbia University, on October 23, 2012

A Drink in Toledo (For a Trumpet in Spain!)

One of three short melodies written for trumpeter Paul Sorenson in Chicago, IL, in 2010. Each of these short works is based on traditional thematic sounds from a specific culture. The three short melodies (for B-flat trumpet) in this set include: 1) Farewell, My Ragusa! (A Sicilian Ballad for Trumpet), 2) Trumpets of Eire (An Irish Theme), and 3) A Drink in Toledo (For a Trumpet in Spain!). Performers may perform this at their discretion, and it is encouraged to adapt and arrange the melodies to various mixtures of instruments and instrumentation

Reading as Wandering, Wandering as Theology: Textual Landscapes, Flaneury, and the Social History of Contemporary [Theological] Reading

The title of this paper might seem a bit confusing at first: “Reading as Wandering, Wandering as Theology.” But it embodies the main points I want to make today. First, “How do we understand and define reading?” And second, “What is the relationship to theology/-ies?” I will argue that the nexus here is the act of “wandering” (which embodies not just the act of “wending” or “going,” but “action” itself). There is the connotation that “wandering” is a motion of aimlessness. But I will suggest that it is partially directed by our experiences, and that wandering is both an act and lifestyle that is culturally and socially coded: coded in some societies to emote laziness (a negative attribute); coded in other societies as leisure (a more positive attribute). And it is with terms like “laziness” and “leisure” that we will discuss, in order to elucidate the real meaning behind “wandering” and whether there is something more well-defined or thought-out behind our actions as wanderers—either wanderers in life, which brings us to theological understanding, or wanderers in the text, which also brings us to theological understandin

Prelude #5 for Solo Piano

This is the fifth of five short Preludes from "Notebook Sketches" the composer wrote in May 1995