HIV/AIDS and men : a critical examination of tensions and challenges in establishing a support group for men

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-71).The HIV/AIDS pandemic has introduced significant challenges to health care professionals, specifically the appropriate means of supporting those living with the virus. Little research, however, has critically investigated the difficulties involved in the creation of community interventions in this area. In addition, few men's only HIV/AIDS support groups exist and a relatively modest amount of literature surrounds the subject. This thesis, aims to investigate the struggles and tensions involved in the formation of men's only HIV/AIDS support groups

Perceptions of success among South African soccer players: An exploratory study

This paper evaluates and describes themes surrounding the subjective perceptions of success in players and coaches at a professional South African soccer club. Literature around this topic is limited, particularly concerning the qualitative understandings of South African sportsmen and women, providing ample motivation for this investigation. Semi-structured interviews about success were conducted with professional (n=11) and academy (n=12) players and questionnaires completed by coaches (n=5). This information was coded, drawing out and comparing themes amongst the players, coaches and literature in this field. Results suggest a number of perceptions, as compared with success as an achievement and in the attainment of future goals, therefore success as a likely outcome

Metformin Decreases the Incidence of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Promoted by Diet-induced Obesity in the Conditional KrasG12D Mouse Model.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a particularly deadly disease. Chronic conditions, including obesity and type-2 diabetes are risk factors, thus making PDAC amenable to preventive strategies. We aimed to characterize the chemo-preventive effects of metformin, a widely used anti-diabetic drug, on PDAC development using the KrasG12D mouse model subjected to a diet high in fats and calories (HFCD). LSL-KrasG12D/+;p48-Cre (KC) mice were given control diet (CD), HFCD, or HFCD with 5 mg/ml metformin in drinking water for 3 or 9 months. After 3 months, metformin prevented HFCD-induced weight gain, hepatic steatosis, depletion of intact acini, formation of advanced PanIN lesions, and stimulation of ERK and mTORC1 in pancreas. In addition to reversing hepatic and pancreatic histopathology, metformin normalized HFCD-induced hyperinsulinemia and hyperleptinemia among the 9-month cohort. Importantly, the HFCD-increased PDAC incidence was completely abrogated by metformin (p < 0.01). The obesogenic diet also induced a marked increase in the expression of TAZ in pancreas, an effect abrogated by metformin. In conclusion, administration of metformin improved the metabolic profile and eliminated the promoting effects of diet-induced obesity on PDAC formation in KC mice. Given the established safety profile of metformin, our findings have a strong translational potential for novel chemo-preventive strategies for PDAC

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY IN TRADITIONAL AND ONLINE CLASSROOMS: DOES THE “MEDIA EQUATION” HOLD TRUE?

Limited empirical research exists regarding the prevalence of academic dishonesty in the online classroom. This limited evidence supports the notion that factors contributing to academic dishonesty in the traditional classroom also apply to online courses. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between factors known to contribute to academic dishonesty in traditional courses with undergraduate students’ perceptions of cheating in online courses. 1068 undergraduates enrolled in online courses completed a survey exploring factors known to contribute to academic dishonesty in face-to-face classes and their perception of their peers’ level of cheating in online courses. Researchers employed bivariate correlations and multiple regression on data obtained from these students. Results suggest factors known to contribute to academic dishonesty in face-to-face classes have little influence in online courses, and results suggest that future research needs to consider whether students who engage in online learning have different ideas about what constitutes cheating

Ripplocations provide a new mechanism for the deformation of phyllosilicates in the lithosphere

Deformation in Earth’s lithosphere is localised in narrow, high-strain zones. Phyllosilicates, strongly anisotropic layered minerals, are abundant in these rocks, where they accommodate much of the strain and play a significant role in inhibiting or triggering earthquakes. Until now it was understood that phyllosilicates could deform only by dislocation glide along layers and could not accommodate large strains without cracking and dilation. Here we show that a new class of atomic-scale defects, known as ripplocations, explain the development of layer-normal strain without brittle damage. We use high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to resolve nano-scale bending characteristic of ripplocations in the phyllosilicate mineral biotite. We demonstrate that conjugate delamination arrays are the result of elastic strain energy release due to the accumulation of layer-normal strain in ripplocations. This work provides the missing mechanism necessary to understand phyllosilicate deformation, with important rheological implications for phyllosilicate bearing seismogenic faults and subduction zones

Sheep Updates 2015 - Merredin

This session covers fourteen papers from different authors: 1. The Sheep Industry Business Innovation project, Bruce Mullan, Sheep Industry Development Director, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 2. Western Australian sheep stocktake, Kate Pritchett and Kimbal Curtis, Research Officers, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 3. Wool demand and supply - short term volatility, long term opportunities, Chris Wilcox, Principal of Poimena Analysis 4. Myths, Facts and the role of animal welfare in farming, Lynne Bradshaw, president, RSPCA WA 5. Latest research and development on breech strike prevention, Geoff Lindon, Manager Productivity and Animal Welfare, AWI 6. Lamb Survival Initiative and 100% Club, Katherine Davies, Development Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 7. How to boost your lamb survival, Joe Young, Sheep Consultant, R.B. Young and Son 8. Using genomic technology to increase genetic gain, Stephen Lee, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide and Sheep Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) 9. A case study of sheep breeding using the latest genetic and genomic technology, Dawson Bradford Producer, Hillcroft Farms, Narrogin WA 10. The impact of lamb growth on meat quality, Khama Kelman Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 11. Economics of feed lotting - to feed-lot or not?, Lucy Anderton, Economist, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 12. National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats - what is the NLIS database? Jaq Pearson Biosecurity Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 13. Sheep industry traineeships - encouraging a new generation of farmers, Jackie Jarvis, Consultant, Agrifood Labour & Skills 14. Opportunities and challenges facing youth in the sheep and wool industry, Ben Patrick, Yarrawonga Stu

The Epstein-Barr virus encoded LMP1 oncoprotein modulates cell adhesion via regulation of activin A/TGFβ and β1 integrin signalling

Approximately 20% of global cancer incidence is causally linked to an infectious agent. EpsteinBarr virus (EBV) accounts for around 1% of all virus-associated cancers and is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), the major oncoprotein encoded by EBV, behaves as a constitutively active tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor activating a variety of signalling pathways, including the three classic MAPKs (ERK-MAPK, p38 MAPK and JNK/SAPK). The present study identifes novel signalling properties for this integral membrane protein via the induction and secretion of activin A and TGFβ1, which are both required for LMP1’s ability to induce the expression of the extracellular matrix protein, fbronectin. However, it is evident that LMP1 is unable to activate the classic Smad-dependent TGFβ signalling pathway, but rather elicits its efects through the non-Smad arm of TGFβ signalling. In addition, there is a requirement for JNK/SAPK signalling in LMP1-mediated fbronectin induction. LMP1 also induces the expression and activation of the major fbronectin receptor, α5β1 integrin, an efect that is accompanied by increased focal adhesion formation and turnover. Taken together, these fndings support the putative role for LMP1 in the pathogenesis of NPC by contributing to the metastatic potential of epithelial cells

GREAT3 results I: systematic errors in shear estimation and the impact of real galaxy morphology

We present first results from the third GRavitational lEnsing Accuracy Testing (GREAT3) challenge, the third in a sequence of challenges for testing methods of inferring weak gravitational lensing shear distortions from simulated galaxy images. GREAT3 was divided into experiments to test three specific questions, and included simulated space- and ground-based data with constant or cosmologically-varying shear fields. The simplest (control) experiment included parametric galaxies with a realistic distribution of signal-to-noise, size, and ellipticity, and a complex point spread function (PSF). The other experiments tested the additional impact of realistic galaxy morphology, multiple exposure imaging, and the uncertainty about a spatially-varying PSF; the last two questions will be explored in Paper II. The 24 participating teams competed to estimate lensing shears to within systematic error tolerances for upcoming Stage-IV dark energy surveys, making 1525 submissions overall. GREAT3 saw considerable variety and innovation in the types of methods applied. Several teams now meet or exceed the targets in many of the tests conducted (to within the statistical errors). We conclude that the presence of realistic galaxy morphology in simulations changes shear calibration biases by $\sim 1$ per cent for a wide range of methods. Other effects such as truncation biases due to finite galaxy postage stamps, and the impact of galaxy type as measured by the S\'{e}rsic index, are quantified for the first time. Our results generalize previous studies regarding sensitivities to galaxy size and signal-to-noise, and to PSF properties such as seeing and defocus. Almost all methods' results support the simple model in which additive shear biases depend linearly on PSF ellipticity.Comment: 32 pages + 15 pages of technical appendices; 28 figures; submitted to MNRAS; latest version has minor updates in presentation of 4 figures, no changes in content or conclusion