Perceptions of Shared Power, Gender Conformity, and Marital Quality in Same- and Different-Sex Marriages

Marriage is a key institutional context for the study of gender and gender inequality. One way in which gender inequality is maintained in marriage is through gender norms, which are often upheld by hegemonic masculinity—the pattern of practices that legitimize men’s dominance over women. While studies have focused on how gender conformity (i.e., women embody femininity and men embody masculinity) affects different-sex unions, they have not considered how gender conformity might shape inequalities and marital quality within same-sex unions. Marriage is a key institutional context for the study of gender and gender inequality. This research brief, led by PRC postdoctoral fellow Amanda Pollitt, examines the relationships between gender conformity (i.e., women embody femininity and men embody masculinity), perceptions of shared power, and marital quality in same- and different-sex marriages.This research was supported, in part, by Grant R21AG044585 from the National Institute on Aging (PI, Debra Umberson); Grant P2CHD042849 awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); and Grant T32 HD007081, Training Program in Population Studies, awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin by NICHD.Population Research Cente

Application of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine to Ameliorate Sepsis Induced Ileus

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Transrelativistic Synchrotron Emissivity, Cross-Section, and Polarization

The spectrum and polarization produced by particles spiraling in a magnetic field undergo dramatic changes as the emitters transition from nonrelativistic to relativistic energies. However, none of the currently available methods for calculating the characteristics of this radiation field are adequate for the purpose of sustaining accuracy and speed of computation in the intensity, and none even attempt to provide a means of determining the polarization fraction other than in the cyclotron or synchrotron limits. But the transrelativistic regime, which we here find to lie between $5\times 10^7$ K and $5\times 10^9$ K for a thermal plasma, is becoming increasingly important in high-energy astrophysical environments, such as in the intra-cluster medium, and in the accretion flows of supermassive black holes. In this paper, we present simple, yet highly accurate, fitting formulae for the magnetobremsstrahlung (also known as cyclo-synchrotron) emissivity, its polarization fraction (and content), and the absorption cross-section. We demonstrate that both the harmonic and high-energy limiting behavior are well represented, incurring at most an error of $\sim 5$ throughout the transition region.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure

Rapid induction of dopamine sensitization in the nucleus accumbens shell induced by a single injection of cocaine

Repeated intermittent exposure to cocaine results in the neurochemical sensitization of dopamine (DA) transmission within the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Indeed, the excitability of DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is enhanced within hours of initial psychostimulant exposure. However, it is not known if this is accompanied by a comparably rapid change in the ability of cocaine to increase extracellular DA concentrations in the ventral striatum. To address this question we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) in awake-behaving rats to measure DA responses in the NAc shell following an initial intravenous cocaine injection, and then again 2-hours later. Both injections quickly elevated DA levels in the NAc shell, but the second cocaine infusion produced a greater effect than the first, indicating sensitization. This suggests that a single injection of cocaine induces sensitization-related plasticity very rapidly within the mesolimbic DA system

Incidental Prostate Cancer in Transurethral Resection of the Prostate Specimens in the Modern Era

Objectives. To identify rates of incidentally detected prostate cancer in patients undergoing surgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Materials and Methods. A retrospective review was performed on all transurethral resections of the prostate (TURP) regardless of technique from 2006 to 2011 at a single tertiary care institution. 793 men (ages 45–90) were identified by pathology specimen. Those with a known diagnosis of prostate cancer prior to TURP were excluded (n=22) from the analysis. Results. 760 patients had benign pathology; eleven (1.4%) patients were found to have prostate cancer. Grade of disease ranged from Gleason 3+3=6 to Gleason 3+4=7. Nine patients had cT1a disease and two had cT1b disease. Seven patients were managed by active surveillance with no further events, one patient underwent radiation, and three patients underwent radical prostatectomy. Conclusions. Our series demonstrates that 1.4% of patients were found to have prostate cancer, of these 0.5% required treatment. Given the low incidental prostate cancer detection rate, the value of pathologic review of TURP specimens may be limited depending on the patient population

Dramatic Plays as a Tool to Educate Young African-American Females about HIV/AIDS

Rates of HIV/AIDS transmission have increased substantially, particularly among young African American women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HIV/AIDS is the number one killer for African American women aged 25 to 34. Given that many of these young women are contracting the disease in their late teens and early twenties, there is a need to develop interventions that directly address the needs of this group. The current study sought to assess the effectiveness of theater in increasing knowledge of HIV/AIDS and the likelihood of healthier sexual behavior and choices among 219 young African American women 18 to 39 years of age. Paired sample t-tests revealed that there were significant mean differences in knowledge and intended safe sex behavior after viewing the play. Young women who viewed the play reported increased knowledge of HIV and reported a higher likelihood of engaging in safer sex. Given the high rates of HIV/AIDS among young African American women, more innovative educational and prevention techniques are needed

The sensory features of a food cue influence its ability to act as an incentive stimulus and evoke dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core

The sensory properties of a reward-paired cue (a Conditioned Stimulus; CS) may impact the motivational value attributed to the cue, and in turn influence the form of the conditioned response (CR) that develops. A cue with multiple sensory qualities, such as a moving lever-CS, may activate numerous neural pathways that process auditory and visual information, resulting in CRs that vary both within and between individuals. For example, CRs include approach to the lever-CS itself (rats that “sign-track;” ST), approach to the location of reward delivery (rats that “goal-track;” GT), or an “intermediate” combination of these behaviors. We found that the multimodal sensory features of the lever-CS were important to the development and expression of sign-tracking. When the lever-CS was covered, and thus could only be heard moving, STs continued to approach the lever location, but also started to approach the food cup during the CS period. While still predictive of reward, the auditory component of the lever-CS was a much weaker conditioned reinforcer than the visible lever-CS. This plasticity in behavioral responding observed in STs closely resembled behaviors normally seen in rats classified as “intermediates.” Furthermore, the ability of both the lever-CS and reward-delivery to evoke dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens was also altered by covering the lever – dopamine signaling in STs resembled neurotransmission observed in rats that normally only GT. These data suggest that while the visible lever-CS was attractive, wanted, and had incentive value for STs, when presented in isolation the auditory component of the cue was simply predictive of reward, lacking incentive salience. Therefore, the specific sensory features of cues may differentially contribute to responding and ensure behavioral flexibility

Colitis Induced Microvascular Leak Triggers Colonic Dysmotility

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