Sense of belonging in higher education students : an Australian longitudinal study from 2013 to 2019

Student sense of belonging is a current challenge to higher education providers, with consistently declining ratings in national surveys. For universities globally, this is a concern linked to student attrition, student satisfaction, and student success. Importantly, low sense of belonging is typically associated with non-traditional learners, and building strategies to solve this challenge is essential for institutions to build equitable learning environments. This study seeks to understand the causal factors that predict when a student will belong using longitudinal data. Using the Australian national student experience survey data (n = 1,159,768 undergraduate and postgraduate students between 2013 and 2019), this study examines the predictors of a sense of belonging testing the accuracy of four machine learning models. The findings indicate overall educational experience, connection to students outside of class, and support to settle were key predictors, with skill development and curriculum supports a lesser predictor of a sense of belonging. Interestingly, identity and individual differences ratings seemed to have less importance than student experience factors. Implications for higher education policy developers and curriculum writers are considered

"Men are always scared to test with their partners … it is like taking them to the Police": Motivations for and barriers to couples' HIV counselling and testing in Rakai, Uganda: a qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: Uptake of couples' HIV counselling and testing (couples' HCT) can positively influence sexual risk behaviours and improve linkage to HIV care among HIV-positive couples. However, less than 30% of married couples have ever tested for HIV together with their partners. We explored the motivations for and barriers to couples' HCT among married couples in Rakai, Uganda. METHODS: This was a qualitative study conducted among married individuals and selected key informants between August and October 2013. Married individuals were categorized by prior HCT status as: 1) both partners never tested; 2) only one or both partners ever tested separately; and 3) both partners ever tested together. Data were collected on the motivations for and barriers to couples' HCT, decision-making processes from tested couples and suggestions for improving couples' HCT uptake. Eighteen focus group discussions with married individuals, nine key informant interviews with selected key informants and six in-depth interviews with married individuals that had ever tested together were conducted. All interviews were audio-recorded, translated and transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Nvivo (version 9), following a thematic framework approach. RESULTS: Motivations for couples' HCT included the need to know each other's HIV status, to get a treatment companion or seek HIV treatment together - if one or both partners were HIV-positive - and to reduce mistrust between partners. Barriers to couples' HCT included fears of the negative consequences associated with couples' HCT (e.g. fear of marital dissolution), mistrust between partners and conflicting work schedules. Couples' HCT was negotiated through a process that started off with one of the partners testing alone initially and then convincing the other partner to test together. Suggestions for improving couples' HCT uptake included the need for couple- and male-partner-specific sensitization, and the use of testimonies from tested couples. CONCLUSIONS: Couples' HCT is largely driven by individual and relationship-based factors while fear of the negative consequences associated with couples' HCT appears to be the main barrier to couples' HCT uptake in this setting. Interventions to increase the uptake of couples' HCT should build on the motivations for couples' HCT while dealing with the negative consequences associated with couples' HCT

1960

Recent Developments Affecting Golf Course Design (page 1) From the Editor (3) Five Year Results (3) Turf Management Club News (4) Quotes from 1960 Seniors (5) Poa annua - - Friend or Foe (6) The Horticulture Show (7) Cartoons (8) Message from the Winter School President of 1960 (10) The Most Outstanding Turf Senior for 1959 (10) The Value of the Proper Use of Lime (11) Summer Placement (12) A Greenhouse on the Golf Course (13) More Opportunities in the Future for the Aggressive Superintendent at Country Clubs (14) Soil, Sawdust and Turfgrass (15) Picture - Senior Stockbridge Turf majors (16) Picture - Freshman Stockbridge Turf majors (17) Susceptibility of Merion Bluegrass to Stripe Smut (18) Bents in the South (19) Picture - Honorary Members of Turf Management Club (20) Picture - Graduates of Winter School for Turf mangers- 1960 (21) Weather - We are Going to Have Weather, Whether or Not - What Should we Expect by O. Tennebaum & R. E. Lautzenheiser (A-1) The Nature of Winter Injury to Plants by Dr. Johnson Parker (A-1) Turf Problems: You Name it and We\u27ve Had It in \u2759 by Alexander Radko ad T.T. Taylor (A-3) Topdressing Experiences with Greens at Century by James Fulwider (A-5) Poa annua - Fairway Rennovation at winged Foot by Sherwood A. Moore (A-6) Winter Problems at Ekwanaok by Paul O\u27Leary (A-8) Progress Through Drainage by Kayem Ovian (A-10) Winter Injury on Home Lawns by Orlando Capizzi (A-12) The Status of Pre-emergence Chemicals for the Control of Crabgrass by Dr. E. Engel (A-12) Turf Nurseries - Establishment, Maintenance & Utilization by Robert Grant (A-14) Soil Compaction by Dr. R. B. Alderfer (A-16) Water Management Practices on Turf Areas by Dr. J.R. Watson (A-18) Getting to Know Your Members by Owen Griffith (A-23) New Trends in Clubhouse Landscaping by Alfred Boicourt (A-26) General Lawn Management (Alternate Session) Conserving Soil for a good Lawn by Dr. William G. Colby (A-27) Fertilizting and Liming by Dr. Joseph Steckel (A-28) Grasses and Grass Mixtures for New England Lawns by Dr. Robert Schery (A-29) The Care and Maintenance of Establishment Lawns by Dr. John R. Davi

Christianity as Public Religion::A Justification for using a Christian Sociological Approach for Studying the Social Scientific Aspects of Sport

The vast majority of social scientific studies of sport have been secular in nature and/or have tended to ignore the importance of studying the religious aspects of sport. In light of this, Shilling and Mellor (2014) have sought to encourage sociologists of sport not to divorce the ‘religious’ and the ‘sacred’ from their studies. In response to this call, the goal of the current essay is to explore how the conception of Christianity as ‘public religion’ can be utilised to help justify the use of a Christian sociological approach for studying the social scientific aspects of sport. After making a case for Christianity as public religion, we conclude that many of the sociological issues inherent in modern sport are an indirect result of its increasing secularisation and argue that this justifies the need for a Christian sociological approach. We encourage researchers to use the Bible, the tools of Christian theology and sociological concepts together, so to inform analyses of modern sport from a Christian perspective

Chromosome evolution and the genetic basis of agronomically important traits in greater yam

The nutrient-rich tubers of the greater yam, Dioscorea alata L., provide food and income security for millions of people around the world. Despite its global importance, however, greater yam remains an orphan crop. Here, we address this resource gap by presenting a highly contiguous chromosome-scale genome assembly of D. alata combined with a dense genetic map derived from African breeding populations. The genome sequence reveals an ancient allotetraploidization in the Dioscorea lineage, followed by extensive genome-wide reorganization. Using the genomic tools, we find quantitative trait loci for resistance to anthracnose, a damaging fungal pathogen of yam, and several tuber quality traits. Genomic analysis of breeding lines reveals both extensive inbreeding as well as regions of extensive heterozygosity that may represent interspecific introgression during domestication. These tools and insights will enable yam breeders to unlock the potential of this staple crop and take full advantage of its adaptability to varied environments

Crisis responses, opportunity, and public authority during Covid-19's first wave in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.

Funder: Knowledge FrontiersDiscussions on African responses to Covid-19 have focused on the state and its international backers. Far less is known about a wider range of public authorities, including chiefs, humanitarians, criminal gangs, and armed groups. This paper investigates how the pandemic provided opportunities for claims to and contests over power in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan. Ethnographic research is used to contend that local forms of public authority can be akin to miniature sovereigns, able to interpret dictates, policies, and advice as required. Alongside coping with existing complex protracted emergencies, many try to advance their own agendas and secure benefits. Those they seek to govern, though, do not passively accept the new normal, instead often challenging those in positions of influence. This paper assesses which of these actions and reactions will have lasting effects on local notions of statehood and argues for a public authorities lens in times of crisis

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy