Reproductive Coercion and Relationship Abuse Among Adolescents and Young Women Seeking Care at School Health Centers.

ObjectiveTo investigate demographic differences and evaluate how reproductive coercion and relationship abuse influences young females' care-seeking and sexual health behaviors.MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional baseline survey data from sexually active female students (aged 14-19 years) who sought care from school health centers. Outcomes included recent (previous 3 months) reproductive coercion, physical or sexual adolescent relationship abuse, and nonpartner sexual violence victimization. Cluster-adjusted χ tests compared demographics and generalized linear mixed models estimated associations among reproductive coercion, adolescent relationship abuse (physical and sexual abuse in romantic relationships), and care-seeking and sexual health behaviors.ResultsOf 550 sexually active high school females, 12% reported recent reproductive coercion and 17% reported physical or sexual adolescent relationship abuse, with no significant demographic differences. Prevalence of recent nonpartner sexual violence was 17%. There were no observed significant differences in care-seeking behaviors among those with recent reproductive coercion compared with those without. Physical or sexual adolescent relationship abuse was associated with increased odds of seeking testing or treatment for sexually transmitted infections (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.08, 95% CI 1.05-4.13). Females exposed to both adolescent relationship abuse and reproductive coercion had higher odds of having a partner who was 5 or more years older (aOR 4.66, 95% CI 1.51-14.4), having two or more recent sexual partners (aOR 3.86, 95% CI 1.57-9.48), and using hormonal contraception only (aOR 3.77, 95% CI 1.09-13.1 vs hormonal methods with condoms).ConclusionAlmost one in eight females experienced recent reproductive coercion. We did not observe significant demographic differences in reproductive coercion. Partner age and number of sexual partners may elevate risk for abusive relationships. Relationship abuse is prevalent among high school students seeking care, with no clear pattern for case identification. By failing to identify factors associated with harmful partner behaviors, our results support universal assessment for reproductive coercion and relationship abuse among high school-aged adolescents, involving education, resources, and harm-reduction counseling to all patients.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01678378

Covering the uninsured: What is it worth?

One out of six Americans under age sixty-five lacks health insurance, a situation that imposes sizable hidden costs upon society. The poorer health and shorter lives of those without coverage account for most of these costs. Other impacts are manifested by Medicare and disability support payments, demands on the public health infrastructure, and losses of local health service capacity. We conclude that the estimated value of health forgone each year because of uninsurance ($65?$130 billion) constitutes a lower-bound estimate of economic losses resulting from the present level of uninsurance nationally

The Effect of Dietary Oil Type and Energy Intake in Lactating Sows on the Fatty Acid Profile of Colostrum and Milk, and Piglet Growth to Weaning

peer-reviewedThis study investigated the effect of salmon oil in lactating sow diets and offering these diets in a phased dietary regimen to increase the energy density of the diet in late lactation. Sow and piglet productivity to weaning, the fatty acid profile of milk, piglet blood and tissues at weaning were the main parameters measured. Multiparous sows (n = 100) (Landrace × Large White) were offered dietary treatments from day 105 of gestation until weaning. Dietary treatments (2 × 2 factorial) included oil type (soya or salmon oil) and dietary regimen (Flat 14.5 MJ/kg DE diet offered until weaning or Phased 14.5 MJ/kg DE diet offered to day 14 of lactation then a second diet containing 15.5 MJ/kg DE offered from day 15 until weaning). Salmon oil inclusion increased the total proportion of n-3 fatty acids in colostrum (p < 0.001), milk (p < 0.001), piglet plasma (p < 0.01), adipose (p < 0.001), liver (p < 0.001) and muscle (p < 0.001). Increasing sow dietary energy level in late lactation increased the total n-3 fatty acids in milk (p < 0.001), piglet adipose (p < 0.01) and piglet muscle (p < 0.05). However, piglet growth to weaning did not improve

Multi-person sex among a sample of adolescent female urban health clinic patients

Adolescent sexual activity involving three or more people is an emerging public health concern. The goal of this exploratory, cross-sectional study was to describe the prevalence, correlates, and context of multiple-person sex among a sample of adolescent females seeking health care from an urban clinic. Because sex involving multiple people may either be consensual (i.e., “three-ways” or “group sex”) or forced (i.e., “gang rape”), we use the term “multi-person sex” (MPS) to encompass these experiences. Subjects were 328 females, ages 14–20 years old, who utilized a Boston-area community- or school-based health clinic between April and December of 2006, and completed an anonymous survey using computer-assisted self-interview software. Overall, 7.3% reported ever having had a MPS experience. Of these, 52% reported ever being pressured to engage in MPS and 43% reported ever being threatened or forced. Condom nonuse by at least one male participant in the most recent MPS was reported by 45%. Controlling for potential demographic confounders, MPS was associated with cigarette smoking (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR], 3.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56–9.44), sexual initiation prior to age 15 (APR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.04–5.98), ever being diagnosed with an STI (APR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.08–6.03), dating violence victimization (APR, 4.43; 95% CI, 1.68–11.69), childhood sexual abuse victimization (APR, 4.30; 95% CI, 1.83–10.07) and past-month pornography exposure (APR, 4.79; 95% CI, 1.91–11.98). Additional study of the perpetration and prevention of adolescent MPS is urgently needed

Competitive Forces When Choosing From Assortments of Varying Size: How Holistic Thinking Mitigates Choice Overload

Researchers disagree whether large assortments increase or decrease satisfaction. By systematically examining and testing the two competing forces (variety effect, overload effect) underlying choice overload effects, we show why inconsistencies might exist. Further, we identify a new moderator -holistic thinking -that mitigates the negative effect of overload feelings on satisfaction. [to cite]

Early Diagnosis in Prader-Willi Syndrome Reduces Obesity and Associated Co-Morbidities.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is an imprinting genetic disorder characterized by lack of expression of genes on the paternal chromosome 15q11-q13 region. Growth hormone (GH) replacement positively influences stature and body composition in PWS. Our hypothesis was that early diagnosis delays onset of obesity in PWS. We studied 352 subjects with PWS, recruited from the NIH Rare Disease Clinical Research Network, to determine if age at diagnosis, ethnicity, gender, and PWS molecular class influenced the age they first become heavy, as determined by their primary care providers, and the age they first developed an increased appetite and began seeking food. The median ages that children with PWS became heavy were 10 years, 6 years and 4 years for age at diagnosis &lt; 1 year, between 1 and 3 years, and greater than 3 years of age, respectively. The age of diagnosis and ethnicity were significant factors influencing when PWS children first became heavy (p &lt; 0.01), however gender and the PWS molecular class had no influence. Early diagnosis delayed the onset of becoming heavy in individuals with PWS, permitting early GH and other treatment, thus reducing the risk of obesity-associated co-morbidities. Non-white individuals had an earlier onset of becoming heavy

Late Cretaceous to Paleocene Metamorphism and Magmatism in the Funeral Mountains Metamorphic Core Complex, Death Valley, California

Amphibolite-facies Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks below the low-angle Cenozoic Boundary Canyon Detachment record deep crustal processes related to Mesozoic crustal thickening and subsequent extension. A 91.5 ± 1.4 Ma Th-Pb SHRIMP-RG (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe–reverse geometry) monazite age from garnet-kyanite-staurolite schist constrains the age of prograde metamorphism in the lower plate. Between the Boundary Canyon Detachment and the structurally deeper, subparallel Monarch Spring fault, prograde metamorphic fabrics are overprinted by a pervasive greenschist-facies retrogression, high-strain subhorizontal mylonitic foliation, and a prominent WNW-ESE stretching lineation parallel to corrugations on the Boundary Canyon Detachment. Granitic pegmatite dikes are deformed, rotated into parallelism, and boudinaged within the mylonitic foliation. High-U zircons from one muscovite granite dike yield an 85.8 ± 1.4 Ma age. Below the Monarch Spring fault, retrogression is minor, and amphibolite-facies mineral elongation lineations plunge gently north to northeast. Multiple generations of variably deformed dikes, sills, and leucosomal segregations indicate a more complex history of partial melting and intrusion compared to that above the Monarch Spring fault, but thermobarometry on garnet amphibolites above and below the Monarch Spring fault record similar peak conditions of 620–680 °C and 7–9 kbar, indicating minor (\u3c3–5 km) structural omission across the Monarch Spring fault. Discordant SHRIMP-RG U-Pb zircon ages and 75–88 Ma Th-Pb monazite ages from leucosomal segregations in paragneisses suggest that partial melting of Proterozoic sedimentary protoliths was a source for the structurally higher 86 Ma pegmatites. Two weakly deformed two-mica leucogranite dikes that cut the high-grade metamorphic fabrics below the Monarch Spring fault yield 62.3 ± 2.6 and 61.7 ± 4.7 Ma U-Pb zircon ages, and contain 1.5–1.7 Ga cores. The similarity of metamorphic, leucosome, and pegmatite ages to the period of Sevier belt thrusting and the period of most voluminous Sierran arc magmatism suggests that both burial by thrusting and regional magmatic heating contributed to metamorphism and subsequent partial melting

AI Hyperrealism: Why AI Faces Are Perceived as More Real Than Human Ones

Recent evidence shows that AI-generated faces are now indistinguishable from human faces. However, algorithms are trained disproportionately on White faces, and thus White AI faces may appear especially realistic. In Experiment 1 (N = 124 adults), alongside our reanalysis of previously published data, we showed that White AI faces are judged as human more often than actual human faces-a phenomenon we term AI hyperrealism. Paradoxically, people who made the most errors in this task were the most confident (a Dunning-Kruger effect). In Experiment 2 (N = 610 adults), we used face-space theory and participant qualitative reports to identify key facial attributes that distinguish AI from human faces but were misinterpreted by participants, leading to AI hyperrealism. However, the attributes permitted high accuracy using machine learning. These findings illustrate how psychological theory can inform understanding of AI outputs and provide direction for debiasing AI algorithms, thereby promoting the ethical use of AI

Structure of the complete, membrane-assembled COPII coat reveals a complex interaction network

COPII mediates Endoplasmic Reticulum to Golgi trafficking of thousands of cargoes. Five essential proteins assemble into a two-layer architecture, with the inner layer thought to regulate coat assembly and cargo recruitment, and the outer coat forming cages assumed to scaffold membrane curvature. Here we visualise the complete, membrane-assembled COPII coat by cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging, revealing the full network of interactions within and between coat layers. We demonstrate the physiological importance of these interactions using genetic and biochemical approaches. Mutagenesis reveals that the inner coat alone can provide membrane remodelling function, with organisational input from the outer coat. These functional roles for the inner and outer coats significantly move away from the current paradigm, which posits membrane curvature derives primarily from the outer coat. We suggest these interactions collectively contribute to coat organisation and membrane curvature, providing a structural framework to understand regulatory mechanisms of COPII trafficking and secretion

The prevention of lower urinary tract symptoms (PLUS) research consortium: A transdisciplinary approach toward promoting bladder health and preventing lower urinary tract symptoms in women across the life course

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are highly prevalent in women, and are expected to impose a growing burden to individuals and society as the population ages. The predominance of research related to LUTS has focused on underlying pathology, disease mechanisms, or the efficacy of treatments for women with LUTS. Although this research has been vital for helping to reduce or ameliorate LUTS conditions, it has done little to prevent the onset of LUTS. Health promotion and prevention require an expansion of scientific inquiry beyond the traditional paradigm of studying disease mechanisms and treatment to the creation of an evidence base to support recommendations for bladder health promotion and, in turn, prevention of LUTS. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) introduced the concept of prevention as an important priority for women's urologic research as a prelude to supporting the formation of the Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) research consortium. In this article, we introduce the PLUS research consortium to the scientific community; share the innovative paradigms by which the consortium operates; and describe its unique research mission: to identify factors that promote bladder health across the life course and prevent the onset of LUTS in girls and women