Knowledge of and misconceptions about the spread and prevention of HIV infection among older urban women attending the Tshwane District Hospital, South Africa

Background: Statistics around the world show a rapid increase in HIV infection in the older population. Many older women remain sexually active and are therefore exposed to heterosexual transmission of HIV infection. Older women are most likely considered respected opinion leaders within the families and communities and are likely to influence others’ attitudes and behaviours. An increase in knowledge through information plays a fundamental role and is a prerequisite for behavioural change that may prevent new HIV infections. The purpose of the current study was to assess the knowledge and misconceptions regarding the spread and prevention of HIV in older women attending the Tshwane District Hospital (TDH) in South Africa.Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study of 100 women, aged 50 to 80 years, attending the TDH out-patient section during November and December 2006 was done. The levels of knowledge were determined by using a directed questionnaire.Results: Eight per cent of the participants answered all the questions correctly, showing knowledge gaps in the remaining 92% (95% confidence interval: 86.7%–97.3%). Many participants were unaware of the protective effects of condom use, especially female condoms, and of HIV spread by anal transmission, the sharing of needles and blood transfusion. Three or more misconceptions were present in 48% of the participants, such as HIV spread by casual contact, the sharing of personal items, air-borne infection, mosquito bites, HIV testing and AIDS prevention or cure by traditional medicines or alternatives. Sixty-two per cent of the older women were found to have adequate knowledge (95% confidence interval: 52%–71.5%), knowing the basic concepts regarding HIV transmission.Conclusion: There is a significant need for HIV-related preventive health education in older women, not only to decrease potential high-risk behaviours, but also to reduce unnecessary feelings of anxiety and misconceptions. Family physicians, due to their unique role, might be able to use the present study in their practices in order to optimise the planning and structuring of awar eness interventions and prevention programmes.Keywords: knowledge; HIV; misconceptions; beliefs; older women; transmission; preventio

F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night

Most critics tackle Fitzgerald's works thematically, whereas what distinguishes his fictional narratives is his magnificent style, suggestive language and innovative narrative methods and techniques. This is quite evident in The Great Gatsby and other pieces like The Last Tycoon, "The Mountain as Big as the Ritz", the autobiographical piece The Crack Up, etc. Tender is the Night is among these masterpieces which is our major concern in this paper. Yet still, this novel witnessed some controversial issues in its narrative technique and method. The study of the narrative method and technique in Tender is the Night has no less significance in the literary world than it has in The Great Gatsby. In fact, Fitzgerald mounted his artistic maturity and craftsmanship in this novel despite all the controversial issues that surrounded the novel's first publication. The present study sheds light on the cons and pros of the narrative technique and method in both versions of Tender is the Night with necessary reference to the development of the events in the novel. &nbsp

Molecular-dynamics simulations of stacking-fault-induced dislocation annihilation in pre-strained ultrathin single-crystalline copper films

We report results of large-scale molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations of dynamic deformation under biaxial tensile strain of pre-strained single-crystalline nanometer-scale-thick face-centered cubic (fcc) copper films. Our results show that stacking faults, which are abundantly present in fcc metals, may play a significant role in the dissociation, cross-slip, and eventual annihilation of dislocations in small-volume structures of fcc metals. The underlying mechanisms are mediated by interactions within and between extended dislocations that lead to annihilation of Shockley partial dislocations or formation of perfect dislocations. Our findings demonstrate dislocation starvation in small-volume structures with ultra-thin film geometry, governed by a mechanism other than dislocation escape to free surfaces, and underline the significant role of geometry in determining the mechanical response of metallic small-volume structures.Comment: 28 pages, 3 figure

Transition from a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid to a Fermi liquid in potassium intercalated bundles of single wall carbon nanotubes

We report on the first direct observation of a transition from a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid to a Fermi liquid behavior in potassium intercalated mats of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). Using high resolution photoemission spectroscopy an analysis of the spectral shape near the Fermi level reveals a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid power law scaling in the density of states for the pristine sample and for low dopant concentration. As soon as the doping is high enough to fill bands of the semiconducting tubes a distinct transition to a bundle of only metallic SWCNT with a scaling behavior of a normal Fermi liquid occurs. This can be explained by a strong screening of the Coulomb interaction between charge carriers and/or an increased hopping matrix element between the tubes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Implementation of the Theory of Terri L. Fauber on Various Tube Voltage (KV) and Current (mAs) on Radiographic Density

Research has been conducted to determine the radiographic density value resulting from tube voltage variation (kV) and current time strength (mAs) with 15% rule. The method used in this research is descriptive method with direct experiment. The study used tubular (kV) and strong current time times (mAs) with a 15% rule of 60 kV 10 mAs, 51 kV 20 mAs, 69 kV 5 mAs, 80 kV 6 mAs, 68 kV 12 mAs and 92 kV 3 mAs . Instead of the object is a step wedge. The results of this study can be concluded that the density value with the use of 15% rule on radiography is no difference

Ibm Kelompok USAha Sapi Perah Dan Pengolah Dangke Di Kabupaten Enrekang

Kabupaten Enrekang adalah salah satu daerah yang menjadi prioritas pengembangan peternakan sapi perah di Sulawesi Selatan. Dukungan dari Dinas Peternakan Kabupaten Enrekang tampak dengan adanya program-program pemberian modal bagi peternak, dan Inseminasi Buatan (IB) yang bertujuan mengembangkan produksi susu untuk mendukung kegiatan pengolahan dangke yang diolah dari susu sapi atau susu kerbau. Dangke merupakan salah satu makanan tradisional yang terbuat dari susu sapi atau susu kerbau yang diolah secara enzimatis menggunakan papain dari getah pepaya. Permasalahan pengolahan dangke di Kabupaten Enrekang masih dalam skala rumah tangga (home industry).Kegiatan PPM ini dilakukan bulan Mei sampai dengan Nopember 2013, dibagi menjadi beberapa tahap, yaitu tahap persiapan, pelaksanaan, evaluasi kegiatan dan pendampingan. Tahap persiapan dilakukan survey data lapangan untuk memperoleh data kondisi sosial ekonomi peternak dan pengolah dangke, dan penyusunan materi pelatihan dan penyuluhan. Tahap pelaksanaan dilakukan dengan metode ceramah, tanya jawab, diskusi, demonstrasi, dan praktek pembuatan dangke. Materi ceramah tentang bagaimana sistem pengelolaan USAha sapi perah, metode dan teknik pemerahan susu, penanganan susu segar, dan teknologi pengolahan dangke yang steril, higienis, aman, dan bergizi.Berdasarkan hasil dan pembahasan disimpulkan bahwa : a) kelompok peternak sudah melakukan perbaikan sistem pengelolaan dan pemeliharaan USAha sapi perah, khususnya memahami tujuan pembesaran sapi, seluk beluk manfaat pemberian pakan dan standar perkandangan sapi perah supaya dapat meningkatkan produktivitas susu. b) perbaikan sistem pemerahan susu, terutama alat pemerahan yang digunakan, teknik pemerahan, dan jadwal pemerahan, sehingga mendapatkan susu yang optimal dan bermutu. c) perbaikan penanganan susu seperti pemeliharaan kesehatan sapi, petugas pemerah harus bersih dan sehat, lingkungan kandang harus bersih, ruang susu harus terpisah dari kandang, dan alat-alat yang digunakan dalam pemerahan harus steril dan higienis agar susu tersebut tetap aman dan bergizi. d) proses pembuatan dangke pada umumnya peternak dan pengolah dangke sudah terampil, sehingga dengan adanya kegiatan ini mereka sudah memahami pentingnya penggunaan alat dan bahan yang steril dan higienis, seperti peralatan dapur dan bahan kemasan yang digunakan sehingga produk yang dihasilkan tidak cepat rusak dan tetap menarik konsumen

Narrators' Credibility

The debate on the reliability of the story teller or narrator in fiction writing is so intense to the degree of controversy. Ever since the early stages of fiction writing, most of the novelists seek new methods and techniques in writing their stories. Some of them have achieved success and became known worldwide, and their works have become masterpieces and essential landmarks in the world of fiction. These works have been among the curricular subjects taught in the most esteemed universities in the world. These eminent works have mostly been tackled thematically by reason of the novelty and importance of their themes, yet there are only a handful critiques on their technical aspects, style, diction being used, or narrative methods. This is a comparative study of some of such works like F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in comparison with some other works such as Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Emily Bronte’s Withering Heights

A Simple, Rapid and Efficient One-pot Protocol for the Synthesis of 2-substituted Benzothiazole Derivatives and their Antimicrobial Screening

A rapid and efficient condensation reaction of 2-aminothiophenol with various fatty acids in solvent-free conditions with or without microwave irradiation was carried out to afford the corresponding 2-substituted benzothiazole derivatives in good to excellent yields. The structures of the new products were established by elemental analyses, IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectral data. All the title compounds were screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activity. Most of the compounds exhibited good antimicrobial activity.Keywords: Fatty acids, 2-substituted benzothiazole, 2-aminothiophenol, antimicrobial activity, microwave irradiatio

Analisis Faktor-faktor yang Mempengaruhi Pendapatan USAhatani Jagung Manis (Studi Kasus : di Desa Sidera Kecamatan Sigi Biromaru Kabupaten Sigi)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui besarnya pendapatan dan mengetahui faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi pendapatan USAhatani jagung manis di Desa Sidera Kecamatan Sigi Biromaru Kabupaten Sigi. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di Desa Sidera Kecamatan Sigi Biromaru Kabupaten Sigi. Responden sebanyak 36 orang, yang dilakukan dengan metode sensus. Alat analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis pendapatan dan Analisis regresi berganda. Hasil uji-t menunjukkan bahwa variabel yang dianalisis meliputi luas lahan (LL), harga benih (HrgaBNH), harga pupuk (HrgPP), upah tenaga keja (UTK), harga output/Jagung (HrgJ) berpengaruh nyata terhadap pendapatan USAhatani jagung manis dengan nilai signifikan < 0,01 pada taraf α 1% dan untuk variabel umur petani (UP) signifikan < 0,05 pada taraf α 5%, sedangkan untuk variabel harga pestisida (HrgPTS), pendidikan petani (PP) tidak berpengaruh nyata terhadap pendapatan USAhatani jagung manis. Dan berdasarkan hasil analisis dapat diketahui bahwa rata-rata penerimaan setiap responden yaitu sebesar Rp 6.564.444/0,56 ha. Total biaya produksi diperoleh dari penjumlahan total biaya tetap sebesar Rp 590.689/0,56 ha dengan total biaya variabel sebesar Rp 2.559.500/0,56 ha, sehingga diperoleh total biaya produksi sebesar Rp 3.150.189/0,56 ha/MT. Pendapatan diperoleh dari rata-rata penerimaan dikurangi total biaya produksi, sehingga diperoleh pendapatan sebesar Rp 3.414.255/0,56 ha/MT