Negotiating sexuality within a university’s women’s football team: a qualitative study

Women’s football has been known as a space that provides significant context for the exploration of discursive practises, specifically relating to sexuality and gender (Caudwell, 2013). Illuminating homophobic and heteronormative discourses provides valuable insight towards how these discourses can be challenged, resisted and reproduced within a women’s football team, as represented in this research. Historically, football has acted as the bastion of male power that imbues hegemonic masculinity (Drury, 2011). At times, this may have caused controversies for female footballers because they can be labelled as lesbian (Magrath, 2016). This assumption is fallacious through the social construction of gendered assumptions that football is perpetuated as a ‘man’s game.’ Homophobia in women’s football however, is reduced through the gradual visibility of lesbian players and their interactions with heterosexual team players (Cox and Thompson, 2001). This research project provides an account of how sexuality is contested and negotiated within a university’s women’s football team. The project was produced over a year, following a university’s women’s football team over the 2016-17 season. Participant observations were produced during training sessions, and followed the team through their Varsity game, which is one of the most important games in the season against another rival university football team. Six participants who were considered to have built rapport with the researcher, were then selected to conduct a semi-structured interview. These were produced to gain further insights into how various sexualities were produced and maintained within the sporting space, and how identity construction was negotiated through sexuality and gender discourses. Through the application of queer theory, as well as Foucault’s discussions of power and discourse, the findings suggest that women’s football at university, is a space for the negotiation of sexuality. However, personal subjectivity means that football is considered a ‘safe’ space dependent on personal experience and how one identifies their sense of sexuality and gendered practises

Rural-urban food, nutrient and virtual water flows in selected West African cities

Food consumption / Water quality / Nutrients / Urban agricuture / Food production

Informal irrigation in urban West Africa: An overview

Irrigated farming / Urban agriculture / Suburban agriculture / Farm size / Farming systems / Health hazards / Water pollution / Farm income

ANALISIS PENYEBAB KEJADIAN ANEMIA PADA IBU HAMIL TRIMESTER III

Anemia in pregnancy is a health problem that needs global attention. According to WHO anemia during pregnancy reached around 41.8% of people globally in 2008, Asia has the largest prevalence of anemia, with 48.2% of the population (WHO, 2008). Anemia in pregnant women is increasingly common in Indonesia, with prevalence increasing from 37.1% in 2013 to 48.9% in 2018. Many factors cause anemia including social demographics, maternal parity and birth spacing. To analyze the relationship between factors that cause anemia with the incidence of anemia in third trimester pregnant women. This researchis a quantitative descriptive study with a cross sectional approach. The population in this study were all third trimester pregnant women who had their pregnancies checked in April-May 2023 at the Sikumana Health Center, Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara, totaling 50 people. The sampling technique in this research is total sampling with the same sample size as the population, namely 50 samples.The data collected was analyzed using bivariate analysis (chi square test). Based on the results of the study, it was found that there was a relationship between age and anemia with a p value of 0.000. At the Education levelThere is a relationship between maternal education level and anemia in the third trimester of pregnancyp-valueof 0.000. In economic status, there is a relationship between the economic status of the mother and anemia in the third trimester of pregnancyp-valueas big0.001. The results of the parity analysis showed a relationship between maternal parity and anemia in the third trimester of pregnancyp-valueof 0.000. There is a relationship between maternal birth spacing and anemiap-valueof 0.000. Conclusion:There is a relationship between factors that cause anemia with the incidence of anemia in pregnant women. Suggestion: Pregnant women should pay more attention and care about the problem of anemia, by preparing well before pregnancy planning, so they can avoid anemia problems. &nbsp

Effect of Dietary Consumption Pattern, Nutrition Status, and Hemoglobin Level on Academic Achievement among High School Students in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara

Background: A healthy diet has been reported to be associated with physical development, cognition and academic performance, and personality during adolescence. This study aimed to estimate the effects of dietary consumption pat¬tern, nutrition status, and hemoglobin level on academic achievement among high school students in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. Subjects and Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Senior High School, Kupang district, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, from December 2014 to March 2015. A total sample of 206 students was selected for this study by simple random sampling. The dependent variable was academic achievement. The independent variables were type of food consumed, food consumed rate, protein intake rate, nutritional status, and hemoglobin level. The data were collected by interview. The data were analyzed by a multiple linear regression. Results: Academic achievement increased with hemoglobin level (b=1.27; 95%CI= 0.45 to 2.08; p=0.02), energy (b=0.01; 95%CI= 0.003 to 0.01; p<0.001), pro¬tein intake (b=0.09; 95%CI= 0.02 to 0.15; p=0.007), nutritional status (b=0.47; 95%CI= 0.15 to 0.78; p=0.004). Conclusion: Academic achievement increases with hemoglobin level, energy, protein intake, and nutritional status. Keywords: academic achievement, hemoglobin level, energy, protein intake, and nutritional status

Retroviral Gene Therapy: May The Fibronectin Be With You

poster abstractReplication incompetent retroviral vectors are currently used in phase 1 clinical trials for genetic therapy of disorders of the blood and the immune system, as vector integration into the genome of target stem cells provides stable long-term expression of the therapeutic transgene. We have previously shown that co-localization of the viral particles and the target cells on the recombinant fibronectin fragment CH-296 enhances the retroviral gene transfer efficiency into primitive hematopoietic cells including stem cells. Here, we report additional technical details for improving the gene transfer efficiencies into hematopoietic cell lines, primary human T-cells and CD34+ cells and demonstrate that CH-296 can be used at least three times without any loss of efficiency. Finally, we expand the range of viral proteins known to directly bind to fibronectin CH-296 to the commonly used VSV-G, GaLV and foamyviral (FV) envelope

Therapeutic Strategies and Biomarkers to Modulate PARP Activity for Targeted Cancer Therapy

Poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is commonly known for its vital role in DNA damage response and repair. However, its enzymatic activity has been linked to a plethora of physiological and pathophysiological transactions ranging from cellular proliferation, survival and death. For instance, malignancies with BRCA1/2 mutations heavily rely on PARP activity for survival. Thus, the use of PARP inhibitors is a well-established intervention in these types of tumors. However, recent studies indicate that the therapeutic potential of attenuating PARP1 activity in recalcitrant tumors, especially where PARP1 is aberrantly overexpressed and hyperactivated, may extend its therapeutic utility in wider cancer types beyond BRCA-deficiency. Here, we discuss treatment strategies to expand the tumor-selective therapeutic application of PARP inhibitors and novel approaches with predictive biomarkers to perturb NAD+ levels and hyperPARylation that inactivate PARP in recalcitrant tumors. We also provide an overview of genetic alterations that transform non-BRCA mutant cancers to a state of “BRCAness” as potential biomarkers for synthetic lethality with PARP inhibitors. Finally, we discuss a paradigm shift for the use of novel PARP inhibitors outside of cancer treatment, where it has the potential to rescue normal cells from severe oxidative damage during ischemia-reperfusion injury induced by surgery and radiotherapy

Aerosols in the CALIOPE air quality modelling system: evaluation and analysis of PM levels, optical depths and chemical composition over Europe

The CALIOPE air quality modelling system is developed and applied to Europe with high spatial resolution (12 km × 12 km). The modelled daily-to-seasonal aerosol variability over Europe in 2004 is evaluated and analysed. Aerosols are estimated from two models, CMAQv4.5 (AERO4) and BSC-DREAM8b. CMAQv4.5 calculates biogenic, anthropogenic and sea salt aerosol and BSC-DREAM8b provides the natural mineral dust contribution from North African deserts. For the evaluation, we use daily PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;, PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; and aerosol components data from 55 stations of the EMEP/CREATE network and total, coarse and fine aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from 35 stations of the AERONET sun photometer network. Annual correlations between modelled and observed values for PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; and PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; are 0.55 and 0.47, respectively. Correlations for total, coarse and fine AOD are 0.51, 0.63, and 0.53, respectively. The higher correlations of the PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; and the coarse mode AOD are largely due to the accurate representation of the African dust influence in the forecasting system. Overall PM and AOD levels are underestimated. The evaluation of the aerosol components highlights underestimations in the fine fraction of carbonaceous matter (EC and OC) and secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA; i.e. nitrate, sulphate and ammonium). The scores of the bulk parameters are significantly improved after applying a simple model bias correction based on the observed aerosol composition. The simulated PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; and AOD present maximum values over the industrialized and populated Po Valley and Benelux regions. SIA are dominant in the fine fraction representing up to 80% of the aerosol budget in latitudes north of 40° N. In southern Europe, high PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; and AOD are linked to the desert dust transport from the Sahara which contributes up to 40% of the aerosol budget. Maximum seasonal ground-level concentrations (PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; 30 μg m&lt;sup&gt;−3&lt;/sup&gt;) are found between spring and early autumn. We estimate that desert dust causes daily exceedances of the PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; European air quality limit value (50 μg m&lt;sup&gt;−3&lt;/sup&gt;) in large areas south of 45° N with more than 75 exceedances per year in the southernmost regions

An annual assessment of air quality with the CALIOPE modeling system over Spain

The CALIOPE project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment, aims at establishing an air quality forecasting system for Spain. With this goal, CALIOPE modeling system was developed and applied with high resolution (4 km × 4 km, 1 h) using the HERMES emission model (including emissions of resuspended particles from paved roads) specifically built up for Spain. The present study provides an evaluation and the assessment of the modeling system, coupling WRF-ARW/HERMES/CMAQ/BSC-DREAM8b for a full-year simulation in 2004 over Spain. The evaluation focuses on the capability of the model to reproduce the temporal and spatial distribution of gas phase species (NO2, O3, and SO2) and particulate matter (PM10) against ground-based measurements from the Spanish air quality monitoring network. The evaluation of the modeling results on an hourly basis shows a strong dependency of the performance of the model on the type of environment (urban, suburban and rural) and the dominant emission sources (traffic, industrial, and background). The O3 chemistry is best represented in summer, when mean hourly variability and high peaks are generally well reproduced. The mean normalized error and bias meet the recommendations proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) and the European regulations. Modeled O3 shows higher performance for urban than for rural stations, especially at traffic stations in large cities, since stations influenced by traffic emissions (i.e., high-NOx environments) are better characterized with a more pronounced daily variability. NOx/O3 chemistry is better represented under non-limited-NO2 regimes. SO2 is mainly produced from isolated point sources (power generation and transformation industries) which generate large plumes of high SO2 concentration affecting the air quality on a local to national scale where the meteorological pattern is crucial. The contribution of mineral dust from the Sahara desert through the BSC-DREAM8b model helps to satisfactorily reproduce episodic high PM10 concentration peaks at background stations. The model assessment indicates that one of the main air quality-related problems in Spain is the high level of O3. A quarter of the Iberian Peninsula shows more than 30 days exceeding the value 120 μg m−3 for the maximum 8-h O3 concentration as a consequence of the transport of O3 precursors downwind to/from the Madrid and Barcelona metropolitan areas, and industrial areas and cities in the Mediterranean coast

Systemic Injection of RPE65-Programmed Bone Marrow-Derived Cells Prevents Progression of Chronic Retinal Degeneration

Bone marrow stem and progenitor cells can differentiate into a range of non-hematopoietic cell types, including retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-like cells. In this study, we programmed bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) ex vivo by inserting a stable RPE65 transgene using a lentiviral vector. We tested the efficacy of systemically administered RPE65-programmed BMDCs to prevent visual loss in the superoxide dismutase 2 knockdown (Sod2 KD) mouse model of age-related macular degeneration. Here, we present evidence that these RPE65-programmed BMDCs are recruited to the subretinal space, where they repopulate the RPE layer, preserve the photoreceptor layer, retain the thickness of the neural retina, reduce lipofuscin granule formation, and suppress microgliosis. Importantly, electroretinography and optokinetic response tests confirmed that visual function was significantly improved. Mice treated with non-modified BMDCs or BMDCs pre-programmed with LacZ did not exhibit significant improvement in visual deficit. RPE65-BMDC administration was most effective in early disease, when visual function and retinal morphology returned to near normal, and less effective in late-stage disease. This experimental paradigm offers a minimally invasive cellular therapy that can be given systemically overcoming the need for invasive ocular surgery and offering the potential to arrest progression in early AMD and other RPE-based diseases