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The study examined the available approaches to improving gender parity in public secondary schools in Bugiri District. It specifically focused on the approaches put in place to improve gender parities in Public secondary schools, their effectiveness and challenges faced by stakeholder. The study was rooted in the interpretive paradigm and employed a qualitative methodology. Data were obtained from head teachers, teachers and students with the help of semi-structured interview guides that was triangulated with document checks and was analyzed thematically. Findings revealed that in schools where gender-related training was implemented, head teachers and teachers continued to partner with the communities in the provision of school facilities for girls (toilets and restrooms), learning materials, and also advising their children. According to findings, the ministry of education and sports typically advocates for programs that promote gender equality in schools. Further, for female students to feel comfortable and confident in their health while attending school, there are also organizations that produce reusable pads. People who are the victims of gender discrimination typically look for a forum to talk about their issues and need an unbiased listener. According to results, most of the secondary schools have started balancing activities among teachers, with male teachers taking on responsibilities towards female students and female teachers taking care of male students. The gender roles that have been established are still so distinct that many women are referred to as being in charge of the household duties. Conclusively, religious leaders do a lot to participate in the implementation of gender-responsive programs in schools. Most of the secondary schools have started balancing activities among teachers, with male teachers taking on responsibilities towards female students and female teachers taking care of male students.

Abstract The primary obstacle to curing HIV-1 is a reservoir of CD4+ cells that contain stably integrated provirus. Previous studies characterizing the proviral landscape, which have been predominantly conducted in males in the United States and Europe living with HIV-1 subtype B, have revealed that most proviruses that persist during antiretroviral therapy (ART) are defective. In contrast, less is known about proviral landscapes in females with non-B subtypes, which represents the largest group of individuals living with HIV-1. Here, we analyze genomic DNA from resting CD4+ T-cells from 16 female and seven male Ugandans with HIV-1 receiving suppressive ART (n = 23). We perform near-full-length proviral sequencing at limiting dilution to examine the proviral genetic landscape, yielding 607 HIV-1 subtype A1, D, and recombinant proviral sequences (mean 26/person). We observe that intact genomes are relatively rare and clonal expansion occurs in both intact and defective genomes. Our modification of the primers and probes of the Intact Proviral DNA Assay (IPDA), developed for subtype B, rescues intact provirus detection in Ugandan samples for which the original IPDA fails. This work will facilitate research on HIV-1 persistence and cure strategies in Africa, where the burden of HIV-1 is heaviest.

Misinformation on social media is a major problem facing our society. The experience deriving from use does not guarantee success in identifying false information. This study seeks to determine whether an active role in social media impacts on informational skills. For this purpose, we designed a survey that was administered to 756 young people between 16 and 26 years of age from different educational levels. The results show a profile of creative users who participate in generating their own content and sharing their recommendations openly, as opposed to another profile, the "spectators", focused on entertainment and interaction. The creator profile is the variable that most contributes to reporting fake news on social media. When contrasting information, educational level is the most relevant aspect, although academic results and creator users also represent a significant contribution. Greater trust in the sources found on social media identifies the active profile, while distrust is associated with the spectators. We recommend that media education puts in place actions intended to recuperate trust in social media, so that they can be utilized critically, encouraging active, not reactive use.

Creativity is a core 21st-century skill taught globally in education systems. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being implemented in classrooms worldwide, a key question is proposed: how do students perceive AI and creativity? Twelve focus groups and eight one-on-one interviews were conducted with secondary school-aged students after they received training in both creativity and AI over eight weeks. An analysis of the interviews highlights that the students view the relationship between AI and creativity as four key concepts: social, affective, technological and learning factors. The students with a higher self-reported understanding of AI reported more positive thoughts about integrating AI into their classrooms. The students with a low understanding of AI tended to be fearful of AI. Most of the students indicated a thorough understanding of creativity and reported that AI could never match human creativity. The implications of the results are presented, along with recommendations for the future, to ensure AI can be effectively integrated into classrooms.

Access to university education is one of the fundamental educational questions in contemporary educational debates. This is because university education is seen as having an array of benefits to individuals, their households, and their nations. However, the challenge of inequality in terms of gender, income, location, and socio-economic status has constrained some individuals and households to access quality university education. In 2005 the government of Uganda introduced the District Quota Scheme to address the social inequalities in accessing university education. This study examined how the District Quota Scheme is addressing the rural-urban divide in access to university; how the District Quota Scheme has increased access to university education for children with parents who have low levels of education; and whether the District Quota Scheme is improving access to university education for children from low-income families. Following the social constructivist research paradigm and integrating both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study found a change in access to university education by students from rural areas, students whose parents have lower levels of education, and those from low-income families as a result of introducing the District Quota Scheme. The study recommends that the government of Uganda and other stakeholders in the higher education sector should address the structural challenges to ensure that mainly the socially disadvantaged students take the biggest advantage of this scheme.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STm) is a causative pathogen for robust inflammatory gastrointestinal disease and can lead to systemic infection. Eicosanoids, bioactive lipid mediators, play a crucial role in modulating both the induction and resolution of inflammatory responses during an infection. A subset of eicosanoids activates PPARs, nuclear receptor/transcription factors that regulate fatty acid metabolism, lipid body formation, and macrophage function. In this study, we determined that mice lacking PPARα exhibited reduced inflammatory hallmarks of STm infection, including lower inflammatory gene expression, cecal inflammation, and bacterial dissemination, along with a significant increase in cecal eicosanoid metabolism compared to wildtype C57BL/6 mice. In macrophages, STm favored M2b-polarized macrophages for intracellular infection, leading to reduced arachidonic acid and ceramide production. Inhibition of fatty acid oxidation via Etomoxir in STm-infected macrophages reduced bacterial burdens and promoted cell death. In Etomoxir-treated wildtype mice, STm infection increased ceramide production, decreased inflammatory gene expression in the cecum, and increased the number of STm-containing M1 macrophages in mesenteric lymph nodes. These findings revealed a novel role for the lipid-immune signaling axis in Salmonella infections, providing significant insights into the lipid-mediated regulation of inflammation during bacterial infections in the gut.

To date, an affordable, effective treatment for an HIV-1 cure remains only a concept with most “latency reversal” agents (LRAs) lacking specificity for the latent HIV-1 reservoir and failing in early clinical trials. We assessed HIV-1 latency reversal using a multivalent HIV-1-derived virus-like particle (HLP) to treat samples from 32 people living with HIV-1 (PLWH) in Uganda, US and Canada who initiated combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) during chronic infection. Even after 5–20 years on stable cART, HLP could target CD4+ T cells harbouring latent HIV-1 reservoir resulting in 100-fold more HIV-1 release into culture supernatant than by common recall antigens, and 1000-fold more than by chemotherapeutic LRAs. HLP induced release of a divergent and replication-competent HIV-1 population from PLWH on cART. These findings suggest HLP provides a targeted approach to reactivate the majority of latent HIV-1 proviruses among individuals infected with HIV-1.

Water–ethanol mixtures are largely exploited for many different applications, from industrial processes to pharmaceutical formulations. Surfactants are often added to tune their interfacial properties. Sustainability concerns require redesigning such blends to minimize their environmental impact. A successful approach is to replace synthetic oil-based components with affordable unpurified bio-derived alternatives. In this respect, we have characterized aqueous mixtures of bioethanol, obtained by the fermentation of algae, and rhamnolipids, biosurfactants of microbial origin. The physico-chemical characterization of water–bioethanol binary mixtures in terms of refractive index, density, viscosity, and surface tension indicates that bioethanol behaves like pure ethanol with negligible effects of impurities. Analysis of tensiometric titrations shows that, at bioethanol contents higher than 20–30% bioethanol mass percent, rhamnolipid aggregation is impaired, whereas surface adsorption at the water–air interface remains poorly affected. Overall, bio-derived components can be proposed as a promising alternative to oil-derived chemicals in eco-sustainable formulations.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE The transgender population in Brazil faces marginalization and difficulties in accessing education and health, leading many individuals to self-medicate. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the implementation of Specialized Centers in the Transsexualizing Process (SCTP) on the use of cross-sex hormone therapy (CSHT) without medical prescription, as well as the level of education and mental health profile of these individuals. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study with data from physical and electronic medical records between September 2017 and February 2023 regarding the use of CSHT before and after the implementation of two SCTP in the state of Bahia, Brazil, in addition to data on education level, previous diagnosis of anxiety and depression of patients. RESULTS A total of 219 participants, 127 transgender men (TM) and 92 transgender women and travestis (TrTW), were assessed. A significant reduction in the prevalence of self-medication was observed in both TrTW (92.98% before and 51.43% after, p

Distinct personality profiles have been identified in adults with anorexia nervosa and carry important clinical implications given their associations with anorexic symptoms, comorbidities, and treatment response. Few studies explored these profiles in adolescents, limiting the applicability and expectations related to such model in this population. By using factor-mixture modelling, the present study aimed to identify personality-based profiles in adolescents with anorexia nervosa and assess their concurrent validity by exploring their associations with anorexic symptoms, psychiatric disorders, psychological difficulties and executive behavioural functions. Adolescents diagnosed with anorexia nervosa were recruited in eating disorder treatment units based in Academic Health Centers. Clinical interviews were conducted by members of the treatment team and self-reported questionnaires were used to document variables of interest. Latent profile, factorial, and factor-mixture models were fit to the personality data. The best fitting solution comprised two classes that were distinguished by elevated internalizing traits (Class 1) and elevated externalizing traits (Class 2). Body dissatisfaction and anxiety symptoms were higher in Class 1 while bulimic-purgative behaviours and self-harm were more prevalent in Class 2. Although our model requires further validation, our results highlight the relevance of assessing personality structure in adolescents with anorexia nervosa since it could inform distinct psychological mechanisms underlying symptomatology and guide an intervention tailored to the patient's needs., Author(s): Laurie Dufresne [sup.1] , Dominique Meilleur [sup.2] , Nathalie Gingras [sup.3] [sup.4] , Giuseppina Di Meglio [sup.5] , Caroline Pesant [sup.6] , Danielle Taddeo [sup.7] , Pierre-Olivier Nadeau [sup.7] [...]

The production of cementitious formulations involves the addition of chemical additives essential for the optimization of many properties. Superplasticizers are considered additives of great interest but when mixed with concrete they lead to an undesirable increase of air content, with the consequent development of foam. This can adversely affect both mechanical properties and workability, therefore, the use of an antifoam agent is also necessary which should be able to prevent or destroy the foam. This work aims to synthesize esters derived from the reaction of glycine betaine with saturated and unsaturated fatty alcohols of different chain lengths. The reaction products were analyzed by 1H NMR analysis, and the stability of antifoam agents in a superplasticizer solution was studied through foaming tests according to the Ross-Miles method. At the same time, their effectiveness in the cementitious systems was evaluated through flow Table tests. Finally, the effectiveness of the antifoam agents was quantified through an image analysis software, Image J, which allowed the investigation of the contents of the bubble in concrete samples. All synthesized antifoams showed properties superior to the commercial product, especially defoamers containing saturated fatty alcohols. It has been found that alcohols with too small or too long carbon chains were not effective. In particular, it was verified the optimal range of carbon atoms number contained in the antifoam chain which included between 12 and 14.

IntroductionThe standard treatment for preventing rejection in vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) currently relies on systemic immunosuppression, which exposes the host to well-known side effects. Locally administered immunosuppression strategies have shown promising results to bypass this hurdle. Nevertheless, their progress has been slow, partially attributed to a limited understanding of the essential mechanisms underlying graft rejection. Recent discoveries highlight the crucial involvement of innate immune components, such as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), in organ transplantation. Here we aimed to prolong graft survival through a tacrolimus-based drug delivery system and to understand the role of NETs in VCA graft rejection.MethodsTo prevent off-target toxicity and promote graft survival, we tested a locally administered tacrolimus-loaded on-demand drug delivery system (TGMS-TAC) in a multiple MHC-mismatched porcine VCA model. Off-target toxicity was assessed in tissue and blood. Graft rejection was evaluated macroscopically while the complement system, T cells, neutrophils and NETs were analyzed in graft tissues by immunofluorescence and/or western blot. Plasmatic levels of inflammatory cytokines were measured using a Luminex magnetic-bead porcine panel, and NETs were measured in plasma and tissue using DNA-MPO ELISA. Lastly, to evaluate the effect of tacrolimus on NET formation, NETs were induced in-vitro in porcine and human peripheral neutrophils following incubation with tacrolimus.ResultsRepeated intra-graft administrations of TGMS-TAC minimized systemic toxicity and prolonged graft survival. Nevertheless, signs of rejection were observed at endpoint. Systemically, there were no increases in cytokine levels, complement anaphylatoxins, T-cell subpopulations, or neutrophils during rejection. Yet, tissue analysis showed local infiltration of T cells and neutrophils, together with neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in rejected grafts. Interestingly, intra-graft administration of tacrolimus contributed to a reduction in both T-cellular infiltration and NETs. In fact, in-vitro NETosis assessment showed a 62–84% reduction in NETs after stimulated neutrophils were treated with tacrolimus.ConclusionOur data indicate that the proposed local delivery of immunosuppression avoids off-target toxicity while prolonging graft survival in a multiple MHC-mismatch VCA model. Furthermore, NETs are found to play a role in graft rejection and could therefore be a potential innovative therapeutic target.

Summary: Background: The principal barrier to an HIV cure is the presence of the latent viral reservoir (LVR), which has been understudied in African populations. From 2018 to 2019, Uganda instituted a nationwide rollout of ART consisting of Dolutegravir (DTG) with two NRTI, which replaced the previous regimen of one NNRTI and the same two NRTI. Methods: Changes in the inducible replication-competent LVR (RC-LVR) of ART-suppressed Ugandans with HIV (n = 88) from 2015 to 2020 were examined using the quantitative viral outgrowth assay. Outgrowth viruses were examined for viral evolution. Changes in the RC-LVR were analyzed using three versions of a Bayesian model that estimated the decay rate over time as a single, linear rate (model A), or allowing for a change at time of DTG initiation (model B&C). Findings: Model A estimated the slope of RC-LVR change as a non-significant positive increase, which was due to a temporary spike in the RC-LVR that occurred 0–12 months post-DTG initiation (p