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Negative effects of oophorectomy (castration, or removal of the ovaries) on a woman's sexual functioning, mood and body image have been documented in previous studies, but these studies did not measure vaginal blood flow and often did not include a non-surgical control group. Five groups of women aged 35 to 55 years were studied, a non-surgical control group (CTL), a hysterectomy-only group (TAH, at least one ovary intact) and three oophorectomy groups: an untreated group (BSO), women on estrogen-replacement therapy (ERT) and women on androgen-estrogen replacement therapy (HRT). The interview/questionnaire assessed mood, body image and sexual functioning (sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, interpersonal sexual activities). In a second session completed by 58 and 129 subjects (45%), a vaginal photoplethysmograph measured vaginal blood flow in response to an erotic stimulus while subjects concurrently monitored subjective arousal. Overall, the BSO and ERT groups had significantly lower self-reported desire and arousal. Body image as measured by a new scale, 'body comfort', was significantly poorer in the BSO group. The hysterectomy groups had more sexual problems than the control group. Further, about a third of the CTL group reported positive changes in body image and sexuality in the previous 5 years. This effect was attenuated in the TAH, HRT and ERT groups and almost absent in the BSO group. No significant group differences were obtained however, on mood, or vaginal blood flow and subjective arousal to an erotic stimulus. Vaginal blood flow and subjective arousal were significantly correlated. The possibility that these findings may be due to differential levels of testosterone in the various groups is discussed.

The North American crab spider Misumenoides formosipes is a sit-and-wait predator of insect pollinators. Females are relatively sedentary and adult males must search for females within a heterogeneous habitat. Females are receptive to mating immediately after their adult molt and a first sperm priority pattern places a premium on male ability to locate females quickly. It is unknown what cues males use to navigate during searches for females. We report here on the male-biased operational sex ratio, the distances traveled and the possible cues utilized by moving males. Males in field trials moved towards inflorescences when both visual and chemical cues were available, but were less likely to do so when chemical cues were eliminated. Males in lab trials chose an inflorescence over leaf substrates even in the absence of visual cues. These findings support the hypothesis that these spiders utilize floral chemistry as an environmental cue to optimize mate searches. / Department of Biology

The thesis was designed to analyze authors' viewpoints on values and standards in ten college health education textbooks pertaining to premarital sexual behavior.The sample of the study consisted of ten college health education textbooks dating from 1970 to 1973. Nine judges were selected by the investigator to analyze the content excerpts from each of the ten books. Each judge was mailed a premarital sexual questionnaire and two scales pertaining to values and standards on the topic of premarital sexual behavior.The judges involved in the investigation were qualified and noted authorities in the field of health education--all of whom had demonstrated some instructional research or publication expertise in the topical area of sex education. The study itself was based totally upon the judges' responses to the mailed instruments. The first instrument to be responded upon was the premarital sexual behavior questionnaire. The judges were asked to respond with a yes or no answer to each of the ten questions pertaining to the ten excerpts.The second instrument used in the study consisted of the two scales. The first was comprised of a range of value systems subdivided into seven categories. Each category represented a particular value system. The judge was to select one of the values that best described his perception of the author's viewpoints on premarital sex was The judge to pick a value system for each of theten excerpts being reviewed. The second scale consisted of five categories. Every category represented a definite standard or behavioral code pertaining to premarital sexual activity. The judge was to choose one of the standards that best represented his concept of the author's viewpoints relating to premarital sexual behavior.Three major hypotheses were considered in this study:1. The majority of authors, based on their viewpoints, will fit into the Enlightened Asceticism or Humanistic Liberalism categories of sexual value systems.2. A majority of the authors' views will lean heavily toward total or partial abstinence as a premarital sexual standard.3. A majority of the judges will have greater agreement on the authors' viewpoints from a direct premarital sexual question type of response and a greater diversity of agreement on the two premarital sexual values and standards scales.In summary, the following conclusions were drawn:1. The majority (at least 50 percent) of the authors' viewpoints used a definite preference (bias) for value systems of Enlightened Asceticism and Humanistic Liberalism in expressing their content.2. Less than 50 percent of the authors designated the premarital sexual standard of Abstinence as a means of expressing their viewpoints.3. In a direct question type response to an author's viewpoint within his content, the judges had a 78 percent agreement. The judges' agreement on the two scales was much less in percentage. The judges perceived the authors to be expounding heavily upon two primary value systems. These value systems were Enlightened Asceticism and Humanistic Liberalism. The total percentage of response for both categories was 56 percent. The total percentage of response for the premarital sexual standard category of Abstinence was 34 percent.For both of the scales used the judges seemed to feel somewhat differently in their interpretation, as was not the case with the questionnaire. This tells the investigator that a purely cognitiverepresentation of the statement within the content is more readily observed, as in the questionnaire. On the other hand, the judges felt somewhat less agreeable or even confused as to the affective representation of the two scales. Direct statements in college health education textbooks seem to be easier to write about and judge pertaining to premarital sexual values and standards.

This thesis reported on a survey of the premarital sexual behavior of students at a small church-related college. The three aspects of sexual behavior studied were necking, petting, and coitus. The effect of the variables of sex of respondent and religious orthodoxy were explored. Religious orthodoxy was determined by using the scale developed by Snell Putney and Russell Middleton. In addition, the thesis compared the premarital sexual behavior of the students at the church-college to that of students at secular schools.A questionnaire was used to collect the data. responses were cross-classified with the variables of sex of respondent and religious orthodoxy and Chi-square was computed to determine if the variables were related to sexual behavior. The findings, if significant, were discussed.

Five studies examined the possible influence of the sexual double standard on women's contraceptive behavior via sexual attitudes and social norms. In Study 1, longitudinal diary data from a community sample of 62 women showed that women's contraceptive behavior in ongoing sexual relationships was quadratically associated with sexual attitude. Study 2 showed that contraceptive behavior in initial and ongoing sexual encounters differed significantly in a sample of 52 university women. In initial encounters there was a greater reliance on condoms and a greater risk of unprotected intercourse. Studies 3, 4 and 5 used a person perception paradigm to examine women's perceptions of a female contraceptive provider in an initial sexual encounter. In Study 3, 57 women rated a female condom provider in a casual encounter as less nice, less socially acceptable, and her behavior as less appropriate than when her partner provided a condom. However, the target was rated as less wise if she had unprotected intercourse. In Study 4 (N = 249), a pill condition was added and the influence of sexual attitudes was assessed. Relative to when her partner provided a condom, women rated the target as less wise and less nice if she was on the pill, but they rated her as more wise when she provided a condom. Negative sexual attitudes were associated with more negative reactions but generally did not interact with contraceptive condition. In Study 5, 96 women rated the target as a function of who provided a condom (her vs. him) and four properties of the romantic relationship. Providing a condom did not result in negative evaluations in a committed relationship. In a non-committed relationship, when the woman provided a condom she was perceived as less nice but more wise. Furthermore, women used intimacy as a cue for commitment, but did not perceive intimacy alone as adequate justification for intercourse. The results of these five studies suggest that social norms may exist which discourag

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1974. / Bibliography: leaves 199-210. / xi, 210 leaves ill

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-127). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / x, 127 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Dissertation (Ph.D.).--University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at San Antonio, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.