This paper compares and contrasts two similar sets of data about AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and AIDS awareness from the island of New Guinea. The goal of this comparison is to show that state policies and values can dramatically affect personal knowledge about safer sexual practices. One set was collected in 2001 in the Indonesian province of Papua, which is home to indigenous Papuans and many inmigrating Indonesians. The second set was collected in 1991-1992 in the independent state of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Papuans and Papua New Guineans share many sexual beliefs and cultural practices and have experienced similar effects of modernization, but we show that there are marked differences in public knowledge about AIDS and condoms. In general, Papuan respondents know less about condoms and use them less frequently than their PNG counterparts. We argue that a colonial form of government in Papua makes it more difficult to design culturally appropriate and effective programs.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; New Guinea ; Awareness ; Papuans ; Marginal

Aims: Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a major agricultural waste product of Malaysia. The aim of this study was to identify endophytic fungi capable of producing biofuel feedstock utilizing POME. Methodology and results: Endophytes were isolated from the Nipah palm tree, Nypa fruticans, and exposed to different POME concentrations (25%, 50% and 75%), with and without the addition of nutrients. The utilization of glucose was measured using the Dinitrosalicylic Acid assay whereas the lipid content in the fungal cells was extracted using the Bligh and Dyer method with slight modifications. Three endophytic fungi that displayed the highest growth on POME were identified using ITS 1 and 4 primers and found to be related to Pestalotiopsis sp., Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Rhizoctonia bataticola. Nutrient addition caused an average increase of 8 times in biomass, indicating nitrogen requirement for cell proliferation. The highest POME concentration (75%) resulted in lower biomass yield. Furthermore, all fungal samples in high POME concentration and nutrient conditions showed a decrease in lipids accumulated per milligram of biomass whereby lipid synthesis was enhanced under nitrogen limitation (25% without nutrients). Conclusion, significance and impact of study: In conclusion, all fungal samples can be classified as oleaginous microorganisms with Pestalotipsis sp. being the most efficient (up to 70% of its biomass). This is to our knowledge the first study that shows the potential use of Pestalotiopsis sp., L. theobromae and R. bataticola for the utilisation of POME as biofuel feedstock and could in the future potentially provide an alternative approach to the treatment of POME with value-added effect.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effect of a Powerpoint lecture versus video presentation on the knowledge and attitude on HIV among grades 9 students in a public school in Manila. Methods: GRADE 9 public school students were randomly assigned into one of two groups, video presentation or PowerPoint presentation. Pre- and post-tests were administered to assess the efficacy of an intervention. Student t-test was used to compare knowledge on HIV/AIDS before and after the intervention, as well as compare the results between the 2 groups. Chi-square was used to compare scores on attitude before and after the intervention, with the level of significance at p=0.05. Results: Two hundred fourteen students participated in the study, and majority (57%) are females. The mean age of participants is 14.2 years. The difference in scores before and after the intervention was found to be statistically significant (p<0.001) with an approximate increase by 16% and 24% after a video and Powerpoint presentation respectively. The difference between post-intervention scores is statistically significant (p <0.001; 95% confidence interval) in favor of the PowerPoint presentation. Conclusion A PowerPoint lecture is more effective than a video presentation in increasing knowledge and developing positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS.
HIV

Hepatitis C