Ageism and sexuality

Sexuality remains important throughout a person’s life, but sexual behavior does not receive the same levels of acceptance at all ages. Older people are challenged by ageist attitudes and perceptions that hinder their sexual expression. They are stereotyped as non-sexual beings who should not, cannot, and do not want to have sexual relationships. Expressing sexuality or engaging in sexual activity in later life is considered by many in society as immoral or perverted. False expectations for older people also stem from ideals of beauty, centralization of the biomedical perspective on sexuality of older adults, and the association of sex with reproduction. Unfortunately, older people internalize many ageist attitudes towards sexuality in later life and become less interested in sex and less sexually active. The following chapter explores attitudes towards sexuality in later life among the media, young people, older people themselves, and care providers. In order to enable older people to express their sexuality and sexual identity freely and fully, awareness of ageist perceptions must be raised and defeated

The human phylome

The human phylome, which includes evolutionary relationships of all human proteins and their homologs among thirty-nine fully sequenced eukaryotes, is reconstructed

Overconfidence in Labor Markets

This chapter reviews how worker overconfidence affects labor markets. Evidence from psychology and economics shows that in many situations, most people tend to overestimate their absolute skills, overplace themselves relative to others, and overestimate the precision of their knowledge. The chapter starts by reviewing evidence for overconfidence and for how overconfidence affects economic choices. Next, it reviews economic explanations for overconfidence. After that, it discusses research on the impact of worker overconfidence on labor markets where wages are determined by bargaining between workers and firms. Here, three key questions are addressed. First, how does worker overconfidence affect effort provision for a fixed compensation scheme? Second, how should firms design compensation schemes when workers are overconfident? In particular, will a compensation scheme offered to an overconfident worker have higher-or lower-powered incentives than that offered to a worker with accurate self-perception? Third, can worker overconfidence lead to a Pareto improvement? The chapter continues by reviewing research on the impact of worker overconfidence on labor markets where workers can move between firms and where neither firms nor workers have discretion over wage setting. The chapter concludes with a summary of its main findings and a discussion of avenues for future research

Characterization and ecology of mosquito spiroplasmas from atlantic biotopes in France

Field studies on the ecology of mosquito spiroplasmas (Mollicutes) were carried out on a number of swampy biotopes along the Atlantic coast of France and the banks of the Loire River (Loire-Atlantique). Spiroplasma sabaudiense and the Cantharis spiroplasma were isolated from Aedes detritus and Ae. caspius during May and June 1988 but disappeared in August and September.These data confirm the results of previous surveys performed in Savoia, Northern Alps, among other species of mosquitoes. It is possible that mosquitoes acquire their spiroplasma infections during the spring from flowers following their emergence and not from their aquatic environment

Tabanid spiroplasmas from France : characterization, ecology and experimental study

During 1989 and 1990, tabanid flies were collected from two different areas in Western France and assayed for spiroplasmas. From Central Britanny 62 flies of 9 different species yielded 20 spiroplasma isolates belonging to 6 different serogroups : VIII, XIV, XXIII, HYOS, TABS 1, TAAS. From Atlantic biotopes 81 flies of three different species yielded 58 isolates belonging mainly to serogroup IV, but also TABS 1, HYOS and XIV. All the 78 French isolates were able to multiply in vitro at 37° C. Of 240 flower or plant specimens tested from « Brière » none yielded spiroplasmas. 81 animal sera from « Brière » were also examined. Using the Deformation test and 11 different spiroplasmas from honey bees, mosquitoes and tabanids, 61/76 bovine sera (or 80,3 %) were found to be positive but exclusively for the spiroplasma Ar 1357, a mosquito spiroplasma belonging to serogroup XVI3 and previously isolated in France from Aedes mosquitoes. At present we have no explanation for the paradoxical absence of antibody to tabanid spiroplasmas in cattle since all French tabanid spiroplasmas are able to multiply in vitro at 37° C and, at least for three isolates, in suckling mice

Characterization and ecology of tabanid spiroplasmas in France

peer reviewe

Modernisation and the practices of contemporary food shopping

This paper examines the relationship between modernisation, consumption, and society, challenging received ideas about the distinction between ‘modern’ and ‘premodern’ geographies of food consumption. While conventional accounts posit a historical progression from premodern to modern forms of consumption, associated with the rise of the supermarket and the demise of the corner store, we argue that such distinctions may, in fact, refer less to a historical process of transition than to a contrast between different forms of contemporary sociality, experienced simultaneously in different sites of consumption. By drawing critically on the work of Augé and his contrast between places and nonplaces, these ideas are then put to work empirically in an examination of contemporary food shopping in Germany, focusing particularly on notions of consumer trust. A practice-based and ethnographically informed account of food shopping in Germany shows how distinctions between ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ forms of consumption involve historicised accounts of contemporary consumption spaces and their associated socialities rather than referring to historical differences per se