Analyzing Media Representations of Male Rape and Debunking Myths on \u27Law and Order Special Victims Unit\u27

The project that I have done shows the importance of recognizing that male rape does exist and that it is more frequent than people think. By using Law and Order Special Victims Unit I am able to portray how myths about male rape are debunked and how the show creates new ways of thinking about male rape. Little research has been conducted about male rape and what we do know comes from the myths that are created in society and reinforced by false representations in the media. The research also concludes that we need more research to fully understand the prevalence and effects of male rape. I conducted a content and media of analysis of three episodes of Law and Order Special Victims Unit, in which the main focus was male rape by women. I have found that Law and Order Special Victims Unit fully represents the arguments surrounding male rape as well as the emotions that go into these discussions. In addition, this television show highlights the fact that these myths about male rape influence the way the police and judicial system interact with male victims and handle male rape cases. The literature that I have read about male rape and in the episodes that I have analyze have also shown me that the way the police and judicial system handles male victims influences the way victims talk to the police or decide to press charges against their attackers. The analysis of Law and Order Special Victims Unit in combination with the literature that I have read shows that male rape does not only happens in prisons or is committed by gay males

Small mammal community dynamics and the dispersal of mycorrhizal fungi

Animals are an integral component to forests, yet few studies have examined the direct and indirect effects of their resource use on ecosystem function. The mutualistic interactions between small mammals and truffles offers an excellent opportunity to investigate how animals contribute to ecosystem function. Truffles, the spore-bearing fruiting bodies of mycorrhizal fungi, are consumed by forest-dwelling small mammals. Mycorrhizal fungi are symbiotic with trees, colonizing roots and increasing the tree’s ability to take up nutrients. Because mycorrhizal fungi are extremely limited in their ability to disperse, small mammals play a critical role in forests by consuming truffles and dispersing their mycorrhizal spores. However, little is known about the factors that contribute to truffle consumption and subsequent spore dispersal by small mammals. I investigated small mammal (rodents and shrews) community dynamics and truffle diversity in New England and explored how competition and habitat specificity interacted with resource availability to shape small mammal diets and spore dispersal capacity. In Chapter 1, to determine the impact of species population fluctuations on community dynamics, I analyzed a USFS dataset on small mammal occurrence and abundance collected over a three-year period in the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF). I found that population fluctuations were synchronized among species, creating high within year concordance in community dynamics in the region (independent of forest type), and low among year similarity in communities. In Chapter 2, to better understand truffle diversity, environmental associations, and phenology, I conducted detailed truffle surveys among forest types at Bartlett Experimental Forest (within the WMNF region). I also contrasted field survey data with those derived from the truffle spores contained in scat samples of a widespread generalist, the eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus). I found that truffle biomass was 10 times higher in softwood than hardwood forest and that richness of fruiting truffles increased over the summer. Basal area of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis; a tree species in regional decline) was the primary driver of truffle biomass and community composition. To explore how resource availability shapes dietary niches among small mammal species and contributes to mycorrhizal spore dispersal, I trapped small mammals in hardwood, mixed, and softwood forest at Bartlett Experimental Forest over a three-year period. During this time, natural pulses of mast-fruiting of American beech (Fagus grandifolia) created variable levels of beech nut availability (a high quality food resource). In Chapter 3, I focused on two congener rodent species (white-footed mouse [Peromyscus leucopus] and deer mouse [P. maniculatus]), both of which are generalist consumers. I reconstructed their diets seasonally using stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N) of hair and measured both intraspecific dietary niche breadth and interspecific niche overlap. Changes in niche breadth were generally consistent with predictions of optimal foraging theory, with both species consuming more beech nuts, less fungi, and having a narrower niche breadth during masting seasons compared to non-masting seasons. In contrast, changes in niche overlap were consistent with competition theory, with higher niche overlap during masting seasons than during non-masting seasons. In Chapter 4, I used microscopy of scat and network analyses to determine how population fluctuations, diet, and resource availability interact to shape mycorrhizal dispersal by small mammals. The southern red-backed vole (Myodes gapperi), a fungal specialist, carried a more diverse spore community than rodent generalists and was consistently the most important disperser in its favored habitat (softwood forest where truffle abundance was high). Nevertheless, during years when generalist species such as T. striatus and P. maniculatus reached high abundance (following beech masting) their relative importance in networks was equal to or greater than that of M. gapperi, particularly in hardwood and mixed forest where M. gapperi was less common. These findings suggest that although fungal specialists play key roles in rodent-mycorrhizal dispersal networks, generalists play a heretofore underappreciated role

The Importance of Sexual Education on Adolescent Sexual Behaviors

Objective: The objective of this report is to examine how sex education for adolescents living in rural and urban settings in the states of Alabama and Ohio impacts their sexual health and behaviors. Methods: To explore this topic, several different statistical tests were done: an independent t-test, an ANOVA test, a Pearman/Spearman correlation, a regression, and a standard correlation. The reason for these different tests was to compare the difference in the number of sexually transmitted diseases, how insurance status correlates with teenage pregnancy rates and sexually transmitted diseases, and the relationship between socioeconomic status and the rate of sexually transmitted diseases. Results: We found that there are a multitude of factors that influence sexual behaviors and health of teenagers: the type of county they live in (rural or urban), their socioeconomic status, insurance status, and type of household. Therefore, it is imperative that these healthcare disparities are combated so that underserved teenage patient populations can have improved rates of sexual health and have access to sexual health resources that can enhance their health status and overall patient care outcomes

Fat in flames: Influence of cytokines and pattern recognition receptors on adipocyte lipolysis

© 2015 the American Physiological Society. Adipose tissue has the largest capacity to store energy in the body and provides energy through the release of free fatty acids during times of energy need. Different types of immune cells are recruited to adipose tissue under various physiological conditions, indicating that these cells contribute to the regulation of adipose tissue. One major pathway influenced by a number of immune cells is the release of free fatty acids through lipolysis during both physiological (e.g., cold stress) and pathophysiological processes (e.g., obesity, type 2 diabetes). Adipose tissue expansion during obesity leads to immune cell infiltration and adipose tissue remodeling, a homeostatic process that promotes inflammation in adipose tissue. The release of proinflammatory cytokines stimulates lipolysis and causes insulin resistance, leading to adipose tissue dysfunction and systemic disruptions of metabolism. This review focuses on the interactions of cytokines and other inflammatory molecules that regulate adipose tissue lipolysis during physiological and pathophysiological states

Zero is not a Four-Letter Word: Studies in the Evolution of Language

We examine a model genetic system that has features of both genetic programming and genetic regulatory networks, to show how various forms of degeneracy in the genotype-phenotype map can induce complex and subtle behaviour in the dynamics that lead to enhanced evolutionary robustness and can be fruitfully described in terms of an elementary algorithmic “language”

The Role of Water Scarcity in the Venezuelan Predicament

Venezuela is a nation in decline. Despite vast petroleum reserves, decades of disastrous policies enacted by increasingly authoritarian regimes led to socioeconomic and political descent, including increased poverty, food insecurity, and rationing of water and electricity. Recently, Venezuela’s tailspin has coincided with a severe multi-year drought, ranging from 2013 to 2016. This study seeks to determine the effect of this drought on the current turmoil in Venezuela, examining the oft-debated theory that environmental scarcity may cause conflict. This assessment begins with a review of the relevant scarcity-conflict literature, which highlighted the importance of both environmental factors and water management policy when evaluating water scarcity. With this important bifurcation in mind, the study uses a quantitative assessment to determine if there is a statistical relationship between drought and intrastate conflict in Venezuela and Syria. Case studies provide a more nuanced assessment of socioeconomic factors and the effectiveness of water management during times of drought. Ultimately, the quantitative data did show a minor relationship between drought and political stability in Venezuela and Syria, particularly when accounting for the delayed effects of drought. The case studies highlight the importance of effective water management policy in addressing drought. Years of neglect and ineptitude left Venezuela with a deteriorating infrastructure, insufficient for proper water and electrical management prior to the 2013 drought. While the data suggests that the drought did aggravate the situation in Venezuela, it became increasingly apparent that preexisting infrastructure deficiencies were largely responsible for water scarcity and thus played a much greater role in the current situation

2-deoxyglucose inhibits induction of chemokine expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and adipose tissue explants

© 2016 The Obesity Society Objective: To determine the influence of glycolytic inhibition on the adipocyte inflammatory response. Methods: To determine the effect of 2-deoxyglucose (2-DOG) on the inflammatory response, mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes were co-treated with 2-DOG and LPS or TNF. To determine the effect of endoplasmic reticulum stress on TNF-induced induction of chemokines, adipocytes were pretreated with thapsigargin or salubrinal. Chemokine mRNA levels were determined using quantitative real-time PCR, and secretion of CCL2 was determined by Western blot. Results: 2-DOG treatment reduced the ability of LPS and TNF to induce CCL2 mRNA levels and reduced secreted CCL2 protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. A similar pattern of mRNA regulation was observed for other chemokines. The attenuation of TNF-induced CCL2 mRNA levels occurred regardless of whether glucose or pyruvate was present in the media, suggesting that mechanisms other than glycolysis might mediate the observed effects. Treatment with the endoplasmic reticulum stressor thapsigargin and the endoplasmic reticulum signaling activator salubrinal reduced chemokine mRNA levels similarly to 2-DOG. Conclusions: Collectively, our data indicate that 2-DOG suppresses inflammatory chemokine induction in adipocytes. The effects of 2-DOG do not seem to be linked to glycolysis but correlate with endoplasmic reticulum stress activation