Relationship problems and money: women talk about financial abuse

Examines the barriers women face to building their financial independence and long-term security post-separation. Summary Women’s financial hardship and insecurity, caused by financial abuse in the context of family violence, is a serious concern, particularly considering the increasing feminisation of poverty in Australia. Financial abuse in intimate relationships is widespread and common, but because this form of abuse is deeply embedded in a complex web of social, gendered and personal beliefs and norms, it is often hidden and unrecognised, even by women who experience it. Financial abuse involves behaviours that ‘control a woman’s ability to acquire, use and maintain economic resources, threatening her economic security and potential for self-sufficiency’. This project is driven by the need to better understand and address the serious and ongoing consequences of financial abuse in the lives of women and their children. In particular, it examines the barriers women face to building their financial independence and long-term security post-separation. More than two hundred women from across the social, cultural and income spectrum shared their stories in focus groups, interviews and an online survey for this project. They have provided rich and detailed insights into the nature and impacts of financial abuse, within their relationship and after separation. The report draws extensively on their direct accounts. The research literature shows that the majority of women (80–90 per cent) seeking support from domestic violence services have experienced financial abuse. Unlike previous research, this project intentionally included women who had not accessed these services and did not necessarily identify as experiencing family violence. This research further adds to our understanding about this issue through the inclusion of women whose household income was in a high bracket prior to their separation. This has resulted in insights into the hidden nature and diverse impacts of financial abuse on women’s lives

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Pilot Knowledge Translation Telementoring Program for Allied Health Professionals

Purpose: Knowledge translation (KT) in the health system is critical for the delivery of evidence-based practice. Supporting allied health professionals to plan and implement KT, using strategies that broadly reach across multiple geographical locations of the workforce, are needed. We piloted KT group telementoring via videoconference as an innovative solution to support and empower a vastly dispersed workforce. Methods: The 6-month Knowledge Translation Support Service (KTSS) involved monthly, one-hour, virtual group-based support of clinician-led KT projects within state-run hospital and health services. Supported by an independent facilitator, a panel of KT experts and health service leaders provided constructive critique and KT support for four projects from various disciplines (dietetics, nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and social work) and health districts. Process evaluation included an assessment of program fidelity, dose delivered and engagement. Program acceptability (participants and panel members) was assessed after each session through online surveys. Effectiveness was captured by survey of KT confidence and qualitative interviews of participants perceived benefits of participation. Results: All project leads attended each meeting, with 1-2 specific projects discussed each month. On completion, participants reported high program satisfaction and felt that the KTSS met their expectations and learning needs. Overall the participants described beneficial gains with confidence in KT skills. Conclusions: The telementoring offered exposure to a breadth of expertise not normally accessible, successfully built a team environment in the virtual space and had a positive impact on project progression. Future directions include investing in scalability and sustainability of telementoring strategies for KT support

Deregulation of MYCN, LIN28B and LET7 in a Molecular Subtype of Aggressive High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancers

Molecular subtypes of serous ovarian cancer have been recently described. Using data from independent datasets including over 900 primary tumour samples, we show that deregulation of the Let-7 pathway is specifically associated with the C5 molecular subtype of serous ovarian cancer. DNA copy number and gene expression of HMGA2, alleles of Let-7, LIN28, LIN28B, MYC, MYCN, DICER1, and RNASEN were measured using microarray and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Immunohistochemistry was performed on 127 samples using tissue microarrays and anti-HMGA2 antibodies. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation of bacterial artificial chromosomes hybridized to 239 ovarian tumours was used to measure translocation at the LIN28B locus. Short interfering RNA knockdown in ovarian cell lines was used to test the functionality of associations observed. Four molecular subtypes (C1, C2, C4, C5) of high-grade serous ovarian cancers were robustly represented in each dataset and showed similar pattern of patient survival. We found highly specific activation of a pathway involving MYCN, LIN28B, Let-7 and HMGA2 in the C5 molecular subtype defined by MYCN amplification and over-expression, over-expression of MYCN targets including the Let-7 repressor LIN28B, loss of Let-7 expression and HMGA2 amplification and over-expression. DICER1, a known Let-7 target, and RNASEN were over-expressed in C5 tumours. We saw no evidence of translocation at the LIN28B locus in C5 tumours. The reported interaction between LIN28B and Let-7 was recapitulated by siRNA knockdown in ovarian cancer cell lines. Our results associate deregulation of MYCN and downstream targets, including Let-7 and oncofetal genes, with serous ovarian cancer. We define for the first time how elements of an oncogenic pathway, involving multiple genes that contribute to stem cell renewal, is specifically altered in a molecular subtype of serous ovarian cancer. By defining the drivers of a molecular subtype of serous ovarian cancers we provide a novel strategy for targeted therapeutic intervention

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

What’s choice got to do with it? Women&#039;s lifetime financial disadvantage and the superannuation gender pay gap

This paper argues that the financial disadvantage Australian women will face in retirement has nothing to do with whether they have a family. Summary There is much public debate about the role of \u27choice\u27 when it comes to women and work in Australia – but structural factors appear to play a stronger role in shaping the labour market experience of women. The persistent gap between male and female remuneration for similar work and the gendered nature of informal care work play an important role in determining labour market outcomes for women. It is hard, if not impossible, to incorporate such factors into conventional notions of choice. This analysis examines the difference in lifetime earnings and superannuation balances of Australian men and women to highlight the consequences of persistent gender inequality. Despite more women participating in the paid workforce than ever before, on average, women have little more than half the superannuation of men at retirement age – around 59 per cent in this analysis. This figure doesn’t account for the significant proportion of women who have little or no superannuation. Drawing on hypothetical examples, this paper analyses how the life course and work patterns of four women in different occupations – a nurse, a lawyer, a finance analyst and a retail worker – will impact on their superannuation earnings. It shows that, compared with a male of the same age earning the average wage, the superannuation balance for these four examples ranges between 44 per cent and 87.6 per cent of the benchmark lifetime super balance of the average male. This analysis shows that the current superannuation scheme effectively takes the gendered income inequalities that exist during people\u27s working lives and magnifies them in retirement

Attracting, training and retaining women in the industrial, construction and manufacturing workforce Gladstone Forum agenda [21st November, 2012, CQUniversity, Gladstone, Qld.,] /

An industry forum with selected invitees participating as key speakers and focus group discussants to determine the needs and issues of the major industrial, construction and manufacturing employers in the Gladstone region in terms of attracting, training and retaining women within their respective workforces. Women are an underutilised labour resource for the region, with full time participation rates 1.3% lower than the State average (Queensland Department of Education and Training 2011, p. xvi)

Child athletes and athletic objectification

This article examines the risks associated with conceptualizing the child athlete’s body primarily in aesthetic terms and as an instrument of sporting victory, and develops a concept of “athletic objectification.” It draws on a recent research project involving Australian males and females aged between 18 and 25 who participated in organized sport as children. It identifies socially prevalent beliefs and values to which the athletic objectification of children may be partially attributed. These include the orthodoxy that sport is inherently good for children’s development, and the particular valorization of sporting success and gendered expectations that characterize Western society. It concludes with the argument that serving children’s best interests in sport requires that their broader psychosocial needs are given priority above the shortterm development of their athletic capacity