Shaping Sexual Identity in Weimar Republic Germany

The Weimar Republic, existing from 1919 to 1933, has conventionally been seen by scholars as a time of sexual discovery. In general, the late 19th and early 20th century saw an increase in the formalized study of sexuality, called sexology. This was nowhere more prominent than in Germany where notable sexologists like Magnus Hirschfeld and Richard von Krafft-Ebing carved out their professions. In addition to providing terms and medical explanations for forms of attractions outside of the understood norm, the works of sexologists that emerged and gained distinction during this time featured progressive – albeit limited – ideas that worked to legitimize the existence of same-sex desires. Sexology and the work of sexologists gave an authority to the discussion on sexual identity, and this authority allowed for, to use the language of Michel Foucault, an explosion in discourse.1 Because of this, scholars have come to consider Germany as the origin of what Foucault refers to as the modern sexual identity. However, more recent scholars have questioned the sole impact of sexology in the formation of this identity, pointing to both social and cultural influences. Both sexology as well as social and cultural influences contributed to the rise of a modern sexual identity, and it is important to examine the interplay between the learned, scientific understanding of same-sex desire and that of lived, personal experiences. This paper will examine the work of sexologists and the personal accounts from individuals with same-sex desire to illuminate how the themes of sexuality worked to shape a specific discourse unique to the time leading up to, during, and soon after the Weimar Republic’s demise. The discourse on homosexuality, as it came to be, was not limited to the formalized understandings of sexual identity by sexologists and instead also had real life implications based off of individuals’ experiences

The Role of Itch-Mediating Receptors and Channels in the Mouse Urinary Bladder

Altered sensitivity of afferent signalling from the urinary bladder is implicated in chronic and debilitating conditions such as overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). The range of receptors and ion channels expressed and functional on the afferent neurons drives overall afferent sensitivity. Receptors known to mediate ‘itch’ sensation have recently been identified in the viscera and shown to play a role in visceral hypersensitivity; where ‘itch’ signalling in the skin results in scratching, activation of similar signalling mechanisms in the bladder may stimulate removal of irritants via increased micturition. In this thesis, a combination of techniques was used to identify the expression and function of histaminergic and non-histaminergic irritant-sensing G-proteins coupled receptors (GPCRs) in bladder sensory pathways. Single cell RT-PCR was used to identify expression of mRNA encoding for histamine receptor subtype 1 (H1R; Hrh1), mas-related G-protein receptors A3 (Mrgpra3) and C11 (Mrgprc11), and bile-acid receptor TGR5 (Gpbar1) in retrogradely labelled bladder-innervating afferent neurons from the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Co-expression of irritant-sensing GPCRs with ion channels transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (Trpv1) and TRP ankyrin 1 (Trpa1) was also determined. Further, QRT-PCR showed Hrh3 and Gpbar1 expression in urothelial cells. Functional assays, including in vitro live cell calcium imaging and ex vivo bladder afferent nerve recordings in conjunction with a range of genetic knockout mouse models, were used to demonstrate that stimulation of H1R, MrgprA3 and MrgprC11, or TGR5 in bladder-innervating afferent neurons results in increased bladder afferent sensitivity to distension. TRPV1 expression was required for H1R-induced hypersensitivity. TGR5-induced hypersensitivity was partially mediated by TRPV1 while the absence of TRPA1 had limited impact. To further demonstrate physiological relevance of these results, in vivo instillation of compounds into the bladder with or without bladder distension was used in conjunction with pERK immunoreactivity assays in the lumbosacral spinal cord. Increased activation of lumbosacral spinal neurons (where peripheral afferent bladder signals input) indicated central transmission of bladder afferent signalling in response to peripheral activation of these itch-mediating GPCRs. This thesis has identified a novel sub-class of receptors involved in mediating bladder afferent sensitivity and begun to determine the signalling pathways involved, opening a number of avenues for future research in the area of bladder sensation. Irritant-sensing mechanisms may contribute to conditions of bladder hypersensitivity such as OAB and IC/BPS and represent potentially viable future targets for treatment.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Medical School, 202

Case-control design identifies ecological drivers of endemic coral diseases

Endemic disease transmission is an important ecological process that is challenging to study because of low occurrence rates. Here, we investigate the ecological drivers of two coral diseases-growth anomalies and tissue loss-affecting five coral species. We first show that a statistical framework called the case-control study design, commonly used in epidemiology but rarely applied to ecology, provided high predictive accuracy (67-82%) and disease detection rates (60-83%) compared with a traditional statistical approach that yielded high accuracy (98-100%) but low disease detection rates (0-17%). Using this framework, we found evidence that 1) larger corals have higher disease risk; 2) shallow reefs with low herbivorous fish abundance, limited water motion, and located adjacent to watersheds with high fertilizer and pesticide runoff promote low levels of growth anomalies, a chronic coral disease; and 3) wave exposure, stream exposure, depth, and low thermal stress are associated with tissue loss disease risk during interepidemic periods. Variation in risk factors across host-disease pairs suggests that either different pathogens cause the same gross lesions in different species or that the same disease may arise in different species under different ecological conditions

Does the Density of Invasive Rusty Crayfish Affect Stream Macroinvertebrates?

Rusty crayfish (_Orconectes rusticus_) have invaded streams of the upper Susquehanna River catchment (New York, USA), replacing native crayfish and probably increasing overall crayfish density. Crayfish are important consumers and agents of disturbance in aquatic communities, so the introduction and expansion of rusty crayfish could affect the invaded community through the change in crayfish species composition, the increase in crayfish density, or some combination of the two. Other macroinvertebrates are prey of, competitors with, or subject to disturbance by crayfish and so are likely to be affected by changes in the crayfish assemblage. We conducted correlative field sampling and an enclosure experiment to investigate the effects of invading _O. rusticus_ on the abundance, diversity, and composition of the stream macroinvertebrate assemblage. We sampled crayfish and macroinvertebrates at 13 sites on 4 streams in the upper Susquehanna River catchment that varied in crayfish species composition and density. Total macroinvertebrate abundance, taxon richness, diversity, and density of individual taxa were not significantly correlated to either total crayfish density or the relative abundance of _O. rusticus_. We also conducted an experiment in stream enclosures to test the effects of _O. rusticus_ density on the macroinvertebrate assemblage. Increasing crayfish density caused a significant decrease in total macroinvertebrate density but did not significantly affect macroinvertebrate taxon richness or diversity. The density of some individual taxa were also significantly affected by crayfish density. Our experiment shows that rusty crayfish density can affect the stream community; the mechanism of these effects, and whether they differ from those of native species, remain to be determined

Confidence in eating disorder knowledge does not predict actual knowledge in collegiate female athletes

Background Eating disorders are serious psychological disorders with long term health impacts. Athletic populations, tend to have higher incidences of eating disorders compared to the general population. Yet there is little known about athletes’ eating disorder knowledge and how it relates to their confidence in their knowledge. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate collegiate female athletes’ eating disorder (ED) knowledge and confidence in their knowledge. 51 participants were recruited from a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) university in the mid-west and asked to complete a 30-question exam assessing one’s knowledge of five different categories related to eating disorders. Confidence in the correctness of answers was assessed with a 5-point Likert-scale (1 = very unconfident, 5 = very confident). A one-way ANOVA was used to determine differences between scores on different categories and overall scores. A simple regression analysis was used to determine if confidence or age was predictive in knowledge scores. Results The average score of participants was 69.1%, SD = 10.8% with an average confidence of 3.69/5, SD = 0.33. Athletes scored lowest with regards to Identifying Signs and Symptoms of EDs compared to other sub-scores (p < 0.05). There was no relationship between knowledge and confidence scores. Discussion There is limited ED knowledge among collegiate female athletes. This may be problematic as many athletes appear confident in the correctness of their answers despite these low scores. Coaches should be aware of this lack of knowledge and work with clinical practitioners, such as dieticians, team physicians and athletic trainers to educate and monitor their athletes on eating disorders, specifically signs and symptoms

Unraveling the taxonomy of the South African mosasaurids

Until recently, only one mosasaur was identified in South Africa based on disarticulated skull bones including two dentary fragments and a frontal with articulated elements. These were discovered in 1901 in Pondoland, Eastern Cape and were initially described by Broom in 1912 when he assigned them to Tylosaurus capensis. Aside from this specimen, two other mosasaur remains are known but have remained undescribed and include an isolated muzzle unit and an isolated vertebra. The current study provides a morphological description and taxonomic interpretation of all the mosasaur remains discovered in South Africa. It is suggested that the specimen originally assigned to Tylosaurus is a mosaic of two taxa: A dentary fragment and frontoparietal show affinities with Prognathodon, while a second dentary fragment shows features similar to those of Taniwhasaurus. The muzzle unit presents Prognathodon-like features, and a more recently discovered incomplete vertebra is referred to as an indeterminate Plioplatecarpine. We therefore recognize at least three mosasaur taxa from the Late Cretaceous deposits of South Africa, which we tentatively refer to cf. Prognathodon, cf. Taniwhasaurus, and cf. Plioplatecarpinae. A shark tooth that was embedded in the matrix around the Prognathodon muzzle unit was identified as a Squalicorax pristodontus (Late Campanian to Late Maastrichtian). Strontium analysis of the mosasaur tooth enamel from the same muzzle unit of the cf. Prognathodon material was dated to Late Maastrichtian (87Sr/86Sr = 0.707817; age = 66.85Ma)

Coral disease time series highlight size-dependent risk and other drivers of white syndrome in a multi-species model

Coral diseases contribute to the decline of reef communities, but factors that lead to disease are difficult to detect. In the present study, we develop a multi-species model of colony-scale risk for the class of coral diseases referred to as White Syndromes, investigating the role of current or past conditions, including both environmental stressors and biological drivers at the colony and community scales. Investigating 7 years of coral survey data at five sites in Guam we identify multiple environmental and ecological associations with White Syndrome, including a negative relationship between short-term heat stress and White Syndrome occurrence, and strong evidence of increasing size-dependent White Syndrome risk across coral species. Our findings result in a generalized model used to predict colony-scale White Syndrome risk for multiple species, highlighting the value of long-term monitoring efforts to detect drivers of coral disease

Adolescent substance use: a prospective longitudinal model of substance use onset among South African adolescents

Substance use onset among Colored adolescents between eighth and ninth grades in an urban area of Cape Town, South Africa was examined using latent transition analysis. Longitudinal self-report data regarding substance use (N = 1118, 50.9% female) were collected in 2004 and 2005. Results indicated that the pattern of onset was similar across genders; adolescents first tried either alcohol or cigarettes, followed by both, then dagga (cannabis), and then inhalants. The prevalence of lifetime cigarette use was slightly greater for females; dagga (cannabis) and inhalant use were greater for males. The similarity of developmental onset in the current sample to previous international work supports the promise of adapting prevention programs across contexts. The study’s limitations are noted.Web of Scienc

Understanding leisure-related program effects by using process data in the HealthWise South Africa Project

As the push for evidence-based programming gathers momentum, many human services programs and interventions are under increased scrutiny to justify their effectiveness across different conditions and populations. Government agencies and the public want to be assured that their resources are being put to good use on programs that are effective and efficient. Thus, programs are increasingly based on theory and evaluated through randomized control trials using longitudinal data. Despite this progress, hypothesized outcomes are often not detected and/or their effect sizes are small. Moreover, findings may go against intuition or “gut feelings” on the part of project staff. Given the need to understand how program implementation issues relate to outcomes, this study focuses on whether process measures that focus on program implementation and fidelity can shed light on associated outcomes. In particular, we linked the process evaluation of the HealthWise motivation lesson with outcomes across four waves of data collection. We hypothesized that HealthWise would increase learners’ intrinsic and identified forms of motivation, and decrease amotivation and extrinsic motivation. We did not hypothesize a direction of effects on introjected motivation due to its conceptual ambiguity. Data came from youth in four intervention schools (n = 902, 41.1%) and five control schools (n = 1291, 58.9%) who were participating in a multi-cohort, longitudinal study. The schools were in a township near Cape Town, South Africa. For each cohort, baseline data are collected on learners as they begin grade 8. We currently have four waves of data collected on the first cohort, which is the focus of this paper. The mean age of the sample at wave 3 was 15.0 years (SD = .86) and 51% of students were female. Results suggested that there was evidence of an overall program effect of the curriculum on amotivation regardless of fidelity of implementation. Compared to the control schools, all treatment school learners reported lower levels of amotivation in wave 4 compared to wave 3, as hypothesized. Using process evaluation data to monitor implementation fi147 delity, however, we also conclude that the school with better trained teachers who also reported higher levels of program fidelity had better outcomes than the other schools. We discuss the implications of linking process data with outcome data and the associated methodological challenges in linking these data.Web of Scienc

Leisure constraints for adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa: a qualitative study

This study identified leisure constraints, constraints negotiation strategies, and their relative frequencies among 114 high school students from one under-resourced area of South Africa. Through focus group discussions, participants identified intrapersonal, interpersonal, structural, and sociocultural constraints to leisure, suggesting some degree of universality in this previously documented typology. Intrapersonal constraints were mentioned most often. Whereas participants readily identified ways to overcome interpersonal and structural constraints, strategies for overcoming intrapersonal and sociocultural constraints were not mentioned frequently, suggesting a potential need to help adolescents identify and employ these types of strategies.Web of Scienc