Evaluation of a soil-based pesticide wastewater disposal system using a combination of chemical parameters and microbial biomarker techniques

Non-point source pollution from agricultural pesticides is a growing problem in surface and groundwater contamination. Even though an operator may follow best management practices during application, there remains the residual pesticide contaminated wastewater (tank rinsates). Mixed waste streams of commonly used East Tennessee herbiddes at various concentrations were tested in soil columns which simulated a Soil Bed Bioreactor, and then repeated with the addition two other insecticides. Pesticide dissipation, soil chemistry, and microbial community response were of prime interest. Results indicate that pesticide dissipation behavior in the bioreactor is similar to that in the field, and that of the seven pesticides analyzed in this experiment, six significantly dissipated at low and moderate concentrations within 30 days. As pesticide concentration in the bioreactor increased the microbial community structure shifted to one that was resistant, a shift that may ultimately be involved in detoxification. These data demonstrate and validate the utility of this technology to concentrate and dissipate pesticide rinsates, and show that these methods could become an important tool for farmers and custom applicators

Research Report - Beyond Stereotypes: Afghan Men as Allies for Gender Equality and Feminist Peace

Analyses of women's rights and gender equality in Afghanistan have historically depicted a clear binary: patriarchal and conservative men resisting aspirational women. However, such analyses have failed to account for the significant number of men in Afghanistan who have been vocal advocates for women's rights and have worked tirelessly towards building a gender-just society. To challenge stereotypical representations, this report draws on primary interview data to explore the views of Afghan male allies who are working for gender equality and feminist peace in the country. The report discusses the allies' perspectives on gender relations and their commitment towards feminist peace. The report also offers an analysis of the current situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime and its implications for our male allies and their work. Through their stories, the report hopes to shed light on the challenges faced by men who support women's rights in Afghanistan and challenge the narrow portrayal of Afghan men as culturally and religiously conservative and opposed to gender equality

Unintended pregnancy, options counselling & abortion care content in undergraduate nursing text books used in three Queensland universities

Background: Nurses and midwives are on the frontline of sexual and reproductive health care and in many other health care settings where women faced with an unintended pregnancy may present. They can play a fundamental role in responding to unintended pregnancy, options counselling and abortion care and although ideally positioned to interact with women, they may not be well prepared to discuss these health matters. Little is known about the education around unplanned pregnancy, options counselling and abortion care provided in undergraduate nursing and midwifery training programs. The first phase of our study will examine whether and to what extent these topics are covered in nursing and midwifery text books used in three Queensland universities. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative content analysis of unplanned pregnancy, options counselling and abortion care content in nurse and midwifery text books will be conducted using a textbook evaluation tool. Results: in progress Conclusion: Evidence-based content in nursing and midwifery education is crucial for the development of confident and competent practitioners comfortable with providing quality care to women with an unplanned pregnancy, including options counselling and abortion care. Examination of content in undergraduate nursing and midwifery texts is the first step in the development of recommendations for curricular reform and expansion. This study is particularly timely given the recent decriminalization of abortion in Queensland and upscaling of public sector abortion services

Weed Control in Lawns and Other Turf

Guide to weed control in lawns and other turf discusses methods of weed control, time of application, calibration of sprayers, dry spreaders, control of common weeds, and cleaning the sprayer

Conceptualizing Community Mobilization for HIV Prevention: Implications for HIV Prevention Programming in the African Context

Introduction: Community mobilizing strategies are essential to health promotion and uptake of HIV prevention. However, there has been little conceptual work conducted to establish the core components of community mobilization, which are needed to guide HIV prevention programming and evaluation. Objectives: We aimed to identify the key domains of community mobilization (CM) essential to change health outcomes or behaviors, and to determine whether these hypothesized CM domains were relevant to a rural South African setting.Method:We studied social movements and community capacity, empowerment and development literatures, assessing common elements needed to operationalize HIV programs at a community level. After synthesizing these elements into six essential CM domains, we explored the salience of these CM domains qualitatively, through analysis of 10 key informant in-depth-interviews and seven focus groups in three villages in Bushbuckridge. Results: CM domains include: 1) shared concerns, 2) critical consciousness, 3) organizational structures/networks, 4) leadership (individual and/or institutional), 5) collective activities/actions, and 6) social cohesion. Qualitative data indicated that the proposed domains tapped into theoretically consistent constructs comprising aspects of CM processes. Some domains, extracted from largely Western theory, required little adaptation for the South African context; others translated less effortlessly. For example, critical consciousness to collectively question and resolve community challenges functioned as expected. However, organizations/networks, while essential, operated differently than originally hypothesized - not through formal organizations, but through diffuse family networks. Conclusions: To date, few community mobilizing efforts in HIV prevention have clearly defined the meaning and domains of CM prior to intervention design. We distilled six CM domains from the literature; all were pertinent to mobilization in rural South Africa. While some adaptation of specific domains is required, they provide an extremely valuable organizational tool to guide CM programming and evaluation of critically needed mobilizing initiatives in Southern Africa

Improving men's participation in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV as a maternal, neonatal, and child health priority in South Africa

Wessel van den Berg and colleagues outline how increasing male partner involvement in efforts to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission in South Africa may improve maternal and infant outcomes

Stop prison rape in South Africa

South Africa has some of the highest rates of rape in the world. Activists have drawn attention to the devastating effect this has on women and children. However, insufficient attention has been paid to rape - predominantly of men - in prisons. This article aims to educate gender activists about the phenomenon of prison rape in the context of South Africa. It hopes to make the case that prison rape reflects and reinforces rape culture in South Africa (and elsewhere). In so doing, it aims to galvanise action to prevent prison rape and all forms of rape

Exploring learner and tutor experiences of Wimba in drama and the creative industries

Nine-month funded project by PALATINE (the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Dance, Drama and Music). Focus on online synchronous learning environments (OSLEs) such as Wimba in drama and cultural management.div_MCaPApub2944pu

Aromatic Features in AGN: Star-Forming Infrared Luminosity Function of AGN Host Galaxies

We describe observations of aromatic features at 7.7 and 11.3 um in AGN of three types including PG, 2MASS and 3CR objects. The feature has been demonstrated to originate predominantly from star formation. Based on the aromatic-derived star forming luminosity, we find that the far-IR emission of AGN can be dominated by either star formation or nuclear emission; the average contribution from star formation is around 25% at 70 and 160 um. The star-forming infrared luminosity functions of the three types of AGN are flatter than that of field galaxies, implying nuclear activity and star formation tend to be enhanced together. The star-forming luminosity function is also a function of the strength of nuclear activity from normal galaxies to the bright quasars, with luminosity functions becoming flatter for more intense nuclear activity. Different types of AGN show different distributions in the level of star formation activity, with 2MASS> PG> 3CR star formation rates.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 24 pages, 13 figure