Writing themselves in 3: the third national study on the sexual health and wellbeing of same sex attracted and gender questioning young people

Executive Summary Introduction This is the third of the Writing Themselves In national reports which have been conducted six years apart since 1998. In 2010, a total of 3134 same sex attracted and gender questioning (SSAGQ) young people participated in Writing Themselves In 3 (WTi3), almost double the number in 2004 and more than four times that of 1998. The participants, who were aged between 14 and 21 years, came from all states and territories of Australia, from remote (2%), rural (18%) and urban (67%) areas and from a range of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. There were more young women (57%) than young men (41%) and a smaller group (3%) who were gender questioning (GQ). Sexual feelings In 2010, the complex interaction of sexual attraction, identity and behaviour was even more evident than in previous studies. Most young men were exclusively same sex attracted but half of the young women were attracted to both sexes and less than one third exclusively to the same sex. More than a third of young people realized their sexual difference before puberty and there were few gender differences in age of first realization. More young people felt positive about their same sex attraction than in 2004. As in 2004, young people who felt bad about their sexuality used homophobic beliefs to describe their reasons whereas those who felt good used resistant, affirming explanations. Sexual identity Most young men identified as gay/homosexual. Young women were more likely to identify as bisexual. Young women chose a greater range of identity terms to describe their sexuality

Developing a complex portrait of content teaching for multilingual learners via nonlinear theoretical understandings

Utilizing a complex theory of teacher learning and practice, this chapter analyzes ~120 empirical studies of content teacher development (both pre- and inservice) for working with multilingual learners as well as research on content teaching for multilingual students. Our analysis identified three dimensions of quality content teaching for multilingual learners that are complex and intricately connected: context, orientations and pedagogy. This chapter explores the results of our literature analysis and argues for improving content teaching for multilingual students through improved theoretically grounded research that embraces, explores and accounts for the expansive complexities inherent in teacher learning and practice

The Ecdysone receptor constrains wingless expression to pattern cell cycle across the Drosophila wing margin in a cyclin B-dependent manner

Background: Ecdysone triggers transcriptional changes via the ecdysone receptor (EcR) to coordinate developmental programs of apoptosis, cell cycle and differentiation. Data suggests EcR affects cell cycle gene expression indirectly and here we identify Wingless as an intermediary factor linking EcR to cell cycle. Results: We demonstrate EcR patterns cell cycle across the presumptive Drosophila wing margin by constraining wg transcription to modulate CycB expression, but not the previously identified Wg-targets dMyc or Stg. Furthermore co-knockdown of Wg restores CycB patterning in EcR knockdown clones. Wg is not a direct target of EcR, rather we demonstrate that repression of Wg by EcR is likely mediated by direct interaction between the EcR-responsive zinc finger transcription factor Crol and the wg promoter. Conclusions: Thus we elucidate a critical mechanism potentially connecting ecdysone with patterning signals to ensure correct timing of cell cycle exit and differentiation during margin wing development

Reversals of Reforestation Across Latin America Limit Climate Mitigation Potential of Tropical Forests

Carbon sequestration through tropical reforestation and natural regeneration could make an important contribution to climate change mitigation, given that forest cover in many tropical regions increased during the early part of the 21st century. The size of this carbon sink will depend on the degree to which second-growth forests are permanent and protected from re-clearing. Yet few studies have assessed permanence of reforestation, especially not at a large spatial scale. Here, we analyzed a 14-year time series (2001–2014) of remotely sensed land-cover data, covering all tropical Latin America and the Caribbean, to quantify the extent of second-growth forest permanence. Our results show that in many cases, reforestation in Latin America and the Caribbean during the early 21st century reversed by 2014, limiting carbon sequestration. In fact, reversals of reforestation, in which some or all gains in forest cover in the early 2000s were subsequently lost, were ten times more common than sustained increases in forest cover. Had reversals of reforestation been avoided, forests could have sequestered 0.58 Pg C, over four times more carbon than we estimate was sequestered after accounting for impermanence (0.14 Pg), representing a loss of 75% of carbon sequestration potential. Differences in the prevalence of reforestation reversals across countries suggest an important role for socio-economic, political, and ecological context, with political transitions and instability increasing the likelihood of reversals. These findings suggest that national commitments to reforestation may fall short of their carbon sequestration goals without provisions to ensure long-term permanence of new forests.Fil: Schwartz, Naomi B.. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Aide, T. Mitchell. Universidad de Puerto Rico; Puerto RicoFil: Graesser, Jordan. University of Queensland; AustraliaFil: Grau, Hector Ricardo. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Uriarte, María. Columbia University; Estados Unido

3D Printed Tubular Scaffolds with Massively Tailorable Mechanical Behavior

Melt electrowriting (MEW) is a promising additive manufacturing technique for tissue scaffold biofabrication. Successful application of MEW scaffolds requires strictly controlled mechanical behavior. This requires scaffold geometry be optimized to match native tissue properties while simultaneously supporting cell attachment and proliferation. The objective of this work is to investigate how geometric properties can be exploited to massively tailor the mechanical behavior of tubular crosshatch scaffolds. An experimentally validated finite element (FE) model is developed and 441 scaffold geometries are investigated under tension, compression, bending, and radial loading. A range of pore areas (4–150 mm2) and pore angles (11°–134°) are investigated. It is found that scaffold mechanical behavior is massively tunable through the control of these simple geometric parameters. Across the ranges investigated, scaffold stiffness varies by a factor of 294× for tension, 204× for compression, 231× for bending, and 124× for radial loading. Further, it is discussed how these geometric parameters can be simultaneously tuned for different biomimetic material applications. This work provides critical insights into scaffold design to achieve biomimetic mechanical behavior and provides an important tool in the development of biomimetic tissue engineered constructs

Total Number of U.S. Statehouse Reporters Rises, but Fewer Are on the Beat Full Time

From voting rights and redistricting to abortion and public education, state capitols across the United States are at the epicenter of the nation's key public policy debates. This has been especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, as state capitol buildings became ground zero in the debate over mask and vaccine mandates and other pandemic policies.A new Pew Research Center study finds that the total number of reporters assigned to the 50 state capitols to inform citizens about legislative and administrative activity has increased by 11% since 2014, the last time this study was conducted. The gain comes largely from two main developments: new nonprofit news outlets that are employing statehouse reporters, and a shift to more part-time statehouse reporting

Implementation of the Joint Duty Program at CIA: Analysis and Recommendations

This report assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the Joint Duty (JD) program as it is currently implemented at the CIA. Over the course of approximately six weeks, the Bush School 2012 Capstone interviewed - in-person and by phone - 160 CIA employees who completed a JD assignment. In assessing the qualitative and quantitative responses reported by personnel, we conclude that employees find value in the program, are well-integrated within their host agency, and achieve the program's mission of increasing employees' knowledge of other Intelligence Community agencies. Weaknesses hindering the program include: a disproportionately high number of employees choosing assignments at the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the National Reconnaissance Agency (NRO); insufficient manager guidance in selecting career-relevant assignments; failure to comply with regulations tasking agencies to maintain contact with their JD employees; employees experiencing significant difficulty returning to the CIA upon completion of their assignment; and inconsistent views regarding whether the program aids promotion potential.The Center for the Study of Intelligenc

The viability and appropriateness of using visual methods in end of life research to foreground the experiences of people affected by financial hardship and deprivation

Background: Visual methods have been used extensively in social research to explore people’s experiences of structural disadvantage. This indicates that they may provide a useful research approach to understanding equity-related concerns within palliative care. However, little has been published regarding the use of visual methods with people at the end of life. Purpose of the paper: In this article we draw on our experiences of using visual methods to illuminate the end of life experiences of people experiencing financial hardship and deprivation in Scotland’s largest city. Evidence used to support the information presented: We present evidence from the published literature, as well as our own experiences of using visual methods to explore dying at home for people experiencing financial hardship and deprivation. Our analysis draws on two specific visual methods: photovoice and professional photography. Photovoice is a participatory visual method which involves enabling participants to take and discuss their own images and present them to different audiences to try to enact social change. We report our experiences as researchers, as well as those of our participants and recruitment partners. Key learning points: To successfully use visual methods, researchers need to invest significant time and resource in building a strong rapport with participants. There are also key ethical, practical and representational challenges to consider. A participatory framework should be adopted which ensures agency for participants in terms of image creation and public dissemination. Participants reported value in using visual methods in terms of legacy building and self-representation. Using photovoice (insider’s view) and professional photography (outsider’s view) together offered complementary perspectives, enabling a rich layering of stories and meaning. Our findings indicate visual methods can illuminate aspects of the end of life experience not captured by other research methods

Sub-100 nm gold nanomatryoshkas improve photo-thermal therapy efficacy in large and highly aggressive triple negative breast tumors

There is an unmet need for efficient near-infrared photothermal transducers for the treatment of highly aggressive cancers and large tumors where the penetration of light can be substantially reduced, and the intra-tumoral nanoparticle transport is restricted due to the presence of hypoxic or necrotic regions. We report the performance advantages obtained by sub 100 nm gold nanomatryushkas, comprising concentric gold–silica–gold layers compared to conventional ~ 150 nm silica core gold nanoshells for photothermal therapy of triple negative breast cancer. We demonstrate that a 33% reduction in silica–core–gold-shell nanoparticle size, while retaining near-infrared plasmon resonance, and keeping the nanoparticle surface charge constant, results in a four to five fold tumor accumulation of nanoparticles following equal dose of injected gold for both sizes. The survival time of mice bearing large (> 1000 mm3) and highly aggressive triple negative breast tumors is doubled for the nanomatryushka treatment group under identical photo-thermal therapy conditions. The higher absorption cross-section of a nanomatryoshka results in a higher efficiency of photonic to thermal energy conversion and coupled with 4–5 × accumulation within large tumors results in superior therapy efficacy