An investigation into male gender identity and the experience of childhood sexual abuse

Background and Aims In view of limitations in existing models, a study was devised to examine the impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on masculine gender identity in relation to other background factors. Design and Participants A mixed design incorporated qualitative and quantitative components. A theoretical sample of ten abused men was interviewed, five of whom identified as heterosexual and five as homosexual. Measures Interview transcripts were subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith 1996) and a thematic coding frame developed. Modified Repertory Grids (Kelly 1955) were administered to examine participants' conceptualisation of gender categories and to elucidate patterns of identification between participants, abusers, and other key figures. A further selection of transcript data was micro-coded in order to map gender associations of specific participant responses. Results Findings indicated that, while CSA did compromise identifications with 'masculine' values of power, agency and control, participants also reported conflicts over their reduced capacity for identification with positive 'feminine' characteristics. These included emotional expression and other interpersonal competencies. Contrary to the Masculinity Model of Adjustment (Antill and Cunningham 1980), many participants expressed ambivalence towards conventional gender roles, and had experienced attempts to conform to them as ego-dystonic. The results provided some evidence consistent with theories of Gender Shame (Mendel 1992), and supported the view that an adequate conceptualisation of the effects of CSA upon gender should incorporate interactions between abuse and other aspects of the individual's developmental and social context. Clinical Implications The study supported the view that the framework of conventional gender and sexual categories may be of limited relevance in work with sexually abused men. It endorsed the need for clinicians to set aside some existing assumptions in the literature, and develop more sophisticated models of gender more congruent with survivors' perceptions regarding the impact of CSA upon gender and sexuality

Comparison of laser speckle contrast imaging with laser Doppler for assessing microvascular function

Objective: To compare the inter-day reproducibility of post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia (PORH) and sympathetic vasomotor reflexes assessed by single-point laser Doppler flowmetry (SP-LDF), integrating-probe LDF (IP-LDF) and laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), and the spatial variability of PORH assessed by IP-LDF and LSCI. We also evaluated the relationship between IP-LDF and LSCI perfusion values across a broad range of skin blood flows. Methods: Eighteen healthy adults (50% male, age 27 ± 4 years) participated in this study. Using SP-LDF, IP-LDF and LSCI, an index of skin blood flow was measured on the forearm during PORH (1-, 5- and 10-min occlusions) and on the finger pad during inspiratory gasp and cold pressor tests. These tests were repeated 3-7 days later. Data were converted to cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC; laser Doppler flow/mean arterial pressure) and expressed as absolute and relative changes from pre-stimulus CVC (ΔCVCABS and ΔCVCREL, respectively), as well as normalised to peak CVC for the PORH tests. Reproducibility was expressed as within-subjects coefficients of variation (CV, in %) and intraclass correlation coefficients. Results: The reproducibility of PORH on the forearm was poorer when assessed with SP-LDF and IP-LDF compared to LSCI (e.g., CV for 5-min PORH ΔCVCABS = 35, 27 and 19%, respectively), with no superior method of data expression. In contrast, the reproducibility of the inspiratory gasp and cold pressor test responses on the finger pad were better with SP-LDF and IP-LDF compared to LSCI (e.g., CV for inspiratory gasp ΔCVCREL = 13, 7 and 19%, respectively). The spatial variability of PORH responses was poorer with IP-LDF compared to LSCI (e.g., CV ranging 11-35% versus 3-16%, respectively). The association between simultaneous LSCI and IP-LDF perfusion values was non-linear. Conclusion: The reproducibility of cutaneous PORH was better when assessed with LSCI compared to SP-LDF and IP-LDF; probably due to measuring larger skin areas (lower inter-site variability). However, when measuring sympathetic vasomotor reflexes on the finger pad, reproducibility was better with SP-LDF and IP-LDF, perhaps due to the high sensitivity of LSCI to changes in skin blood flow at low levels

Medium-term performance and maintenance of SUDS:a case-study of Hopwood Park Motorway Service Area, UK

One of the main barriers to implementing SUDS is concern about performance and maintenance costs since there are few well-documented case-studies. This paper summarizes studies conducted between 2000 and 2008 of the performance and maintenance of four SUDS management trains constructed in 1999 at the Hopwood Park Motorway Service Area, central England. Assessments were made of the wildlife value and sedimentation in the SUDS ponds, the hydraulic performance of the coach park management train, water quality in all management trains, and soil/sediment composition in the grass filter strip, interceptor and ponds. Maintenance procedures and costs were also reviewed. Results demonstrate the benefits of a management train approach over individual SUDS units for flow attenuation, water treatment, spillage containment and maintenance. Peak flows, pond sediment depth and contaminant concentrations in sediment and water decreased through the coach park management train. Of the 2007 annual landscape budget of £15,000 for the whole site, the maintenance costs for SUDS only accounted for £2,500 compared to £4,000 for conventional drainage structures. Furthermore, since sediment has been attenuated in the management trains, the cost of sediment removal after the recommended period of three years was only £554 and, if the design is not compromised, less frequent removal will be required in future

Noise in laser speckle correlation and imaging techniques

We study the noise of the intensity variance and of the intensity correlation and structure functions measured in light scattering from a random medium in the case when these quantities are obtained by averaging over a finite number N of pixels of a digital camera. We show that the noise scales as 1/N in all cases and that it is sensitive to correlations of signals corresponding to adjacent pixels as well as to the effective time averaging (due to the finite sampling time) and spatial averaging (due to the finite pixel size). Our results provide a guide to estimation of noise level in such applications as the multi-speckle dynamic light scattering, time-resolved correlation spectroscopy, speckle visibility spectroscopy, laser speckle imaging etc.Comment: submitted 14 May 201

Soft tissue thickness values for black and coloured South African children aged 6-13 years

In children, craniofacial changes due to facial growth complicate facial approximations and require specific knowledge of soft tissue thicknesses (STT). The lack of South African juvenile STT standards of particular age groups, sex and ancestry is problematic. According to forensic artists in the South African Police Service the use of African-American values to reconstruct faces of Black South African children yields poor results. In order to perform a facial approximation that presents a true reflection of the child in question, information regarding differences in facial soft tissue at different ages, sexes and ancestry groups is needed. The aims of this study were to provide data on STT of South African Black and Coloured children and to to assess differences in STT with respect to age, sex and ancestry. STT was measured using cephalograms of South African children (n = 388), aged 6 – 13 years. After digitizing the images, STT measurements were taken at ten mid-facial landmarks from each image using the iTEM measuring program. STT comparisons between groups per age, sex and ancestry were statistically analyzed. The results showed that STT differences at lower face landmarks are more pronounced in age groups per ancestry as opposed to differences per age and sex. Generally, an increase in STT was seen between 6 - 10 year old groups and 11 -13 year old groups, regardless of ancestry and sex, at the midphiltrum, labiale inferius, pogonion, and beneath chin landmarks. This research created a reference dataset for STT of South African children of Black and Coloured ancestry per age and sex that will be useful for facial reconstruction / approximation of juvenile remains.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/forsciint2016-07-31hb2016Anatom

A proposed integrated approach for the preclinical evaluation of phage therapy in Pseudomonas infections

Bacteriophage therapy is currently resurging as a potential complement/alternative to antibiotic treatment. However, preclinical evaluation lacks streamlined approaches. We here focus on preclinical approaches which have been implemented to assess bacteriophage efficacy against Pseudomonas biofilms and infections. Laser interferometry and profilometry were applied to measure biofilm matrix permeability and surface geometry changes, respectively. These biophysical approaches were combined with an advanced Airway Surface Liquid infection model, which mimics in vitro the normal and CF lung environments, and an in vivo Galleria larvae model. These assays have been implemented to analyze KTN4 (279,593 bp dsDNA genome), a type-IV pili dependent, giant phage resembling phiKZ. Upon contact, KTN4 immediately disrupts the P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilm and reduces pyocyanin and siderophore production. The gentamicin exclusion assay on NuLi-1 and CuFi-1 cell lines revealed the decrease of extracellular bacterial load between 4 and 7 logs and successfully prevents wild-type Pseudomonas internalization into CF epithelial cells. These properties and the significant rescue of Galleria larvae indicate that giant KTN4 phage is a suitable candidate for in vivo phage therapy evaluation for lung infection applications

DUF3380 domain from a Salmonella phage endolysin shows potent N -acetylmuramidase activity

Bacteriophage-encoded endolysins are highly diverse enzymes that cleave the bacterial peptidoglycan layer. Current research focuses on their potential applications in medicine, in food conservation, and as biotechnological tools. Despite the wealth of applications relying on the use of endolysin, little is known about the enzymatic properties of these enzymes, especially in the case of endolysins of bacteriophages infecting Gram-negative species. Automated genome annotations therefore remain to be confirmed. Here, we report the biochemical analysis and cleavage site determination of a novel Salmonella bacteriophage endolysin, Gp110, which comprises an uncharacterized domain of unknown function (DUF3380; pfam11860) in its C terminus and shows a higher specific activity (34,240 U/μM) than that of 14 previously characterized endolysins active against peptidoglycan from Gram-negative bacteria (corresponding to 1.7- to 364-fold higher activity). Gp110 is a modular endolysin with an optimal pH of enzymatic activity of pH 8 and elevated thermal resistance. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis coupled to mass spectrometry showed that DUF3380 has N-acetylmuramidase (lysozyme) activity cleaving the β-(1,4) glycosidic bond between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylglucosamine residues. Gp110 is active against directly cross-linked peptidoglycans with various peptide stem compositions, making it an attractive enzyme for developing novel antimicrobial agents

Characterization of Modular Bacteriophage Endolysins from Myoviridae Phages OBP, 201ϕ2-1 and PVP-SE1

Peptidoglycan lytic enzymes (endolysins) induce bacterial host cell lysis in the late phase of the lytic bacteriophage replication cycle. Endolysins OBPgp279 (from Pseudomonas fluorescens phage OBP), PVP-SE1gp146 (Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis phage PVP-SE1) and 201ϕ2-1gp229 (Pseudomonas chlororaphis phage 201ϕ2-1) all possess a modular structure with an N-terminal cell wall binding domain and a C-terminal catalytic domain, a unique property for endolysins with a Gram-negative background. All three modular endolysins showed strong muralytic activity on the peptidoglycan of a broad range of Gram-negative bacteria, partly due to the presence of the cell wall binding domain. In the case of PVP-SE1gp146, this domain shows a binding affinity for Salmonella peptidoglycan that falls within the range of typical cell adhesion molecules (Kaff = 1.26×106 M−1). Remarkably, PVP-SE1gp146 turns out to be thermoresistant up to temperatures of 90°C, making it a potential candidate as antibacterial component in hurdle technology for food preservation. OBPgp279, on the other hand, is suggested to intrinsically destabilize the outer membrane of Pseudomonas species, thereby gaining access to their peptidoglycan and exerts an antibacterial activity of 1 logarithmic unit reduction. Addition of 0.5 mM EDTA significantly increases the antibacterial activity of the three modular endolysins up to 2–3 logarithmic units reduction. This research work offers perspectives towards elucidation of the structural differences explaining the unique biochemical and antibacterial properties of OBPgp279, PVP-SE1gp146 and 201ϕ2-1gp229. Furthermore, these endolysins extensively enlarge the pool of potential antibacterial compounds used against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections

The distribution of pond snail communities across a landscape: separating out the influence of spatial position from local habitat quality for ponds in south-east Northumberland, UK

Ponds support a rich biodiversity because the heterogeneity of individual ponds creates, at the landscape scale, a diversity of habitats for wildlife. The distribution of pond animals and plants will be influenced by both the local conditions within a pond and the spatial distribution of ponds across the landscape. Separating out the local from the spatial is difficult because the two are often linked. Pond snails are likely to be affected by both local conditions, e.g. water hardness, and spatial patterns, e.g. distance between ponds, but studies of snail communities struggle distinguishing between the two. In this study, communities of snails were recorded from 52 ponds in a biogeographically coherent landscape in north-east England. The distribution of snail communities was compared to local environments characterised by the macrophyte communities within each pond and to the spatial pattern of ponds throughout the landscape. Mantel tests were used to partial out the local versus the landscape respective influences. Snail communities became more similar in ponds that were closer together and in ponds with similar macrophyte communities as both the local and the landscape scale were important for this group of animals. Data were collected from several types of ponds, including those created on nature reserves specifically for wildlife, old field ponds (at least 150 years old) primarily created for watering livestock and subsidence ponds outside protected areas or amongst coastal dunes. No one pond type supported all the species. Larger, deeper ponds on nature reserves had the highest numbers of species within individual ponds but shallow, temporary sites on farm land supported a distinct temporary water fauna. The conservation of pond snails in this region requires a diversity of pond types rather than one idealised type and ponds scattered throughout the area at a variety of sites, not just concentrated on nature reserves