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The research process is usually construed as linear, from registration to graduation, defined by completion within a certain period. This notion of a linear 'pipeline' has been critiqued for its embeddedness in a managerial discourse and the way it constrains transformation. Here, we focus on how writing support gets ensnared in 'pipeline thinking', partly because of the dominant image of communication as a conduit, an image that shapes approaches to teaching research writing. Our experiences with the design, teaching and research of an online writing course unsettle fixed views of writing as a stable signifier of a position within, and completion of, the pipeline. We use Deleuze and Guattari's concept of the rhizome as a way of showing the paradox of research journeys--of keeping moving, while being located here, there and somewhere else. There is always an excess, something that spills out from pipelines. We offer snapshots of different kinds of data that express a 'both-and' rather than an 'either-or' logic: both course "and" resource, engagements within "and" beyond the course and writing as both process "and" product. Rhizomatic thinking allowed us to reflect on participants' research journeys, our course design and research process, as dynamic encounters with the potential for creativity and transformation. This yielded questions about writing and literacy where the emergent qualities of curriculum, writer identities and textual 'products-for-now' are embraced rather than suppressed.

Viruses and viral components have been shown to manipulate the expression of host microRNAs (miRNAs) to their advantage, and in some cases to play essential roles in cancer pathogenesis. Burkitt lymphoma (BL), a highly aggressive B-cell derived cancer, is significantly over-represented among people infected with HIV. This study adds to accumulating evidence demonstrating that the virus plays a direct role in promoting oncogenesis. A custom miRNA PCR was used to identify 32 miRNAs that were differently expressed in Burkitt lymphoma cells exposed to HIV-1, with a majority of these being associated with oncogenic processes. Of those, hsa-miR-200c-3p, a miRNA that plays a crucial role in cancer cell migration, was found to be significantly downregulated in both the array and in single-tube validation assays. Using an in vitro transwell system we found that this downregulation correlated with significantly enhanced migration of BL cells exposed to HIV-1. Furthermore, the expression of the ZEB1 and ZEB2 transcription factors, which are promotors of tumour invasion and metastasis, and which are direct targets of hsa-miR-200c-3p, were found to be enhanced in these cells. This study therefore identifies novel miRNAs as role players in the development of HIV-associated BL, with one of these miRNAs, hsa-miR-200c-3p, being a candidate for further clinical studies as a potential biomarker for prognosis in patients with Burkitt lymphoma, who are HIV positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]