Interview with Richard Mavis

Richard Mavis, a long-time resident of Mount Vernon, speaks about his service to the county in the commissioner\u27s office for twenty years. He also talks about the political side of the county, and the experience he has had, as a democrat in Knox County. He also discusses how all the aspects of the community work together to create a stronger community.https://digital.kenyon.edu/ffp_interviews/1015/thumbnail.jp

Interview with Mayor Richard Mavis

Richard Mavis talks about the Knox County Communityhttps://digital.kenyon.edu/lak_interviews/1031/thumbnail.jp

Interview with Richard Mavis

Mayor Richard Mavis talks about growing up in Mount Vernon, being mayor, and public spaces.https://digital.kenyon.edu/ps_interviews/1033/thumbnail.jp

Prevalence of positive mental health and functioning among adults with sickle cell disease in Ghana

Objectives: With increasing survival rates of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) reaching adulthood, there has been a growing interest in the quality of life and mental health functioning of affected individuals. Positive mental health is recognised as a significant dimension of human health that plays an important role in advancing well-being. This study explored the prevalence of positive mental health and functioning among a sample of Ghanaian adults with SCD. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was implemented for data-gathering. A random sample of 62 adult SCD patients (21 to 56 years; mean age of 29 years) receiving treatment at the Sickle Cell Clinic of the Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital completed the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC-SF). Descriptive statistics and reliability indices were estimated for the MHC-SF. We implemented Keyes’s criteria for the assessment and categorisation of levels of mental health to determine the prevalence of positive mental health and functioning. Results: We found a high level of positive mental health (66% flourishing; 26% moderately mentally healthy; 8% languishing) and functioning, with no significant difference between the genders. A total of 34% of the participants were functioning at suboptimal levels and were at risk of psychopathology. Conclusion: This study gives the first overview of the prevalence of positive mental health and functioning in a clinical population in Ghana. Although the majority of participants were flourishing, contextually appropriate positive psychological interventions are needed to promote the mental health of SCD patients who are functioning at suboptimal levels, which would, inherently, also buffer against psychopathology

Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Corporate Sustainability: The Moderating Role of Top Management Commitment

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of corporate social responsibility on corporate sustainability with the moderating role of top management.  Theoretical Framework:  Even though studies have been done within an emerging market context, there has been calls to explore CSR constraints in other geographical areas. This study explores how lack of top management commitment moderates the relationship between CSR and Corporate Sustainability.  Design/Methodology/Approach: We used non-probability sampling technique by employing convenience sampling for data collection. By employing a survey questionnaire, data were collected from 397 employees of SMEs in Ghana. The IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25.0 and IBM's Analysis of Moments of Structures (AMOS) version 24 softwares packages were employed as analytical tools in this investigation.  Findings: Board composition, the board size, institutional ownership, and CEO- Chair duality had varying influences on economic, environmental, and social dimensions of corporate social responsibility. The moderating role of top management commitment was confirmed for the relationship between the environmental dimension of corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability.  Research, Practical & Social implications: Future studies can consider other indicators of corporate governance and assess their influence on the various dimensions of CSR as well as their linkage with Corporate Sustainability.  Implications/Originality/Value: It’s concluded that corporate governance systems exhibit varying interactions with corporate social responsibility dimensions which may be due to changes in the national and institutional framework as well as economic conditions and the type of industry

Healthcare workers' experiences of HIV testing in Tshwane, South Africa

BACKGROUND: In an era when antiretroviral (ARV) therapy has become part of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention strategy, early testing and introduction to ARVs is critical for improving public health outcomes in general and, in particular, the lives of people living with HIV. South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV as compared with the rest of the world. Initiated voluntary HIV counselling and testing and providerinitiated counselling and testing (PICT) are required in order to increase the uptake of HIV testing. OBJECTIVES: To explore and describe the experiences of healthcare workers who are themselves in need of HIV testing. METHOD: A descriptive, exploratory design was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with the 26 healthcare workers who were involved in HIV testing in the Tshwane district of South Africa. The participants were sampled purposively from two healthcare settings. A thematic framework was used for data analysis. RESULTS: There was a complication with regard to PICT as healthcare workers felt they could not initiate HIV testing for themselves and or their work colleagues without their confidentiality being compromised. This was complicated further by both the perceived and actual fear of stigmatisation and discrimination. It was difficult for qualified staff to support and encourage the uptake of HIV testing by students nurses as this was seen, albeit incorrectly, as targeting the students in a negative manner. CONCLUSION: There is a need for accessible HIV testing policies for healthcare workers in order to increase access to HIV testing and prevent the progression of the disease.http://www.curationis.org.zaam201

‘Some mix it with other things to smoke’ : perceived use and misuse of ARV by street thugs in Tshwane District, South Africa

The increasing numbers of people living with HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) and the availability of HIV anti-retroviral therapies (ARVs) have brought attention to the misuse and diversion of ARVs. ARVs are reportedly diverted by street thugs into a new illusive and addictive drug called “Nyaope or “Whoonga”. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of Members of HIV and AIDS and Related Malnutrition Communities of Practice (CoPs) regarding the perceived diversion of ARVs in the Tshwane district of South Africa. A qualitative, descriptive study was done. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants, who were members of the CoP working with HIV and AIDS. A total of 26 participants recruited from two Tshwane universities and hospitals were interviewed to explore their experiences regarding the diversion of ARVs in Tshwane. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Participants reported that most people on ARVs and their families knew about the side effects of ARVs, with emphasis on the hallucinogenic effect of some ARVs which were targeted by street thugs for redesigning into “Nyaope”. The ARV drug said to be used for this purpose was Efivarenz. How the ARVs got into the hands of illegal drug dealers remains unknown. However there were suggestions that HIV positive patients were robbed of their HIV medicines or some sold the medicines. Through these illegal routes, there were concerns that ARVs were becoming available to street thugs who then use them to make a new drug called “Nyaope” or “Whoonga” which is smoked for recreational purposes. Participants recommended that there should be increased efforts to protect the confidentiality of persons living with HIV so they are not targeted by illicit drug dealers. The launch of the fixed-drug-combination (FDC) in South Africa needs to be controlled and monitored.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpherd2016-06-30am201

Engraftment of a Galactose Receptor Footprint onto Adeno-associated Viral Capsids Improves Transduction Efficiency

New viral strains can be evolved to recognize different host glycans through mutagenesis and experimental adaptation. However, such mutants generally harbor amino acid changes that affect viral binding to a single class of carbohydrate receptors. We describe the rational design and synthesis of novel, chimeric adeno-associated virus (AAV) strains that exploit an orthogonal glycan receptor for transduction. A dual glycan-binding AAV strain was first engineered as proof of concept by grafting a galactose (Gal)-binding footprint from AAV serotype 9 onto the heparan sulfate-binding AAV serotype 2. The resulting chimera, AAV2G9, continues to bind heparin affinity columns but interchangeably exploits Gal and heparan sulfate receptors for infection, as evidenced by competitive inhibition assays with lectins, glycans, and parental AAV strains. Although remaining hepatotropic like AAV2, the AAV2G9 chimera mediates rapid onset and higher transgene expression in mice. Similarly, engraftment of the Gal footprint onto the laboratory-derived strain AAV2i8 yielded an enhanced AAV2i8G9 chimera. This new strain remains liver-detargeted like AAV2i8 while selectively transducing muscle tissues at high efficiency, comparable with AAV9. The AAV2i8G9 chimera is a promising vector candidate for targeted gene therapy of cardiac and musculoskeletal diseases. In addition to demonstrating the modularity of glycan receptor footprints on viral capsids, our approach provides design strategies to expand the AAV vector toolkit

Computer literacy and attitudes towards e-learning among first year medical students

BACKGROUND: At the Medical University of Vienna, most information for students is available only online. In 2005, an e-learning project was initiated and there are plans to introduce a learning management system. In this study, we estimate the level of students' computer skills, the number of students having difficulty with e-learning, and the number of students opposed to e-learning. METHODS: The study was conducted in an introductory course on computer-based and web-based training (CBT/WBT). Students were asked to fill out a questionnaire online that covered a wide range of relevant attitudes and experiences. RESULTS: While the great majority of students possess sufficient computer skills and acknowledge the advantages of interactive and multimedia-enhanced learning material, a small percentage lacks basic computer skills and/or is very skeptical about e-learning. There is also a consistently significant albeit weak gender difference in available computer infrastructure and Internet access. As for student attitudes toward e-learning, we found that age, computer use, and previous exposure to computers are more important than gender. A sizable number of students, 12% of the total, make little or no use of existing e-learning offerings. CONCLUSION: Many students would benefit from a basic introduction to computers and to the relevant computer-based resources of the university. Given to the wide range of computer skills among students, a single computer course for all students would not be useful nor would it be accepted. Special measures should be taken to prevent students who lack computer skills from being disadvantaged or from developing computer-hostile attitudes