Our concern in this work was a shared field of study between gender and sexuality in the search of underlying variables of sexual behavior. Basically our scope was to gather data to empirically support one of the theoretical approaches of sex differences in sexual behavior - essentialism, explaining behavior on the basis of biological sex or evolution; or social constructionism applying variables like gender or masculinity and feminity. For this purpose, 602 participants (166 men, 436 women), aged 18-45 yr., filled out the Bem Sex Role Inventory, and the Inventory of Sexual Behavior. Results in general support the social constructionism approaches, as in the most types of sexual behavior we found differences between gender groups, but not between the sexes. However, explanations provided by theories of essentialism should not be discarded, as there were also differences between sexes in few specific areas of human sexuality, namely masturbation, and overall sexual activity. Key words: gender, sexuality, masculinity, feminity, sexual behavior, sex differences

Schistosomiasis, a disease of humans caused by helminth parasites of the genus Schistosoma, kills 200 to 500 thousand people annually, endangering over 600 million people world-wide with 200 million people infected in 2003 [1, 2]. Three species of schistosome are primarily responsible for human infections, namely, Schistosoma haematobium, endemic to Africa, India, and the Middle East, S. mansoni, endemic to Africa / South America, and S. japonicum endemic to China and the Philippines [3]. The major pathological effects of schistosomiasis result from the deposition of parasite ova in human tissues and the subsequent intense granulomatous response induced by these eggs. There is a high priority to provide an effective sub-unit vaccine against these schistosome flukes, using proteins encoded by cDNAs expressed by the parasites at critical phases of their development. One technique that may expedite this gene identification is the use of microarrays for expression analysis. A 22,575 feature custom oligonucleotide DNA microarray designed from public domain databases of schistosome ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) was used to explore differential gene expression between the Philippine (SJP) and Chinese (SJC) strains of S. japonicum, and between males and females. It was found that 593, 664 and 426 probes were differentially expressed between the two geographical strains when mix sexed adults, male worms and female worms were compared respectively. Additionally, the study revealed that 1,163 male- and 1,016 female-associated probes were differentially expressed in SJP whereas 1,047 male- and 897 female-associated probes were differentially expressed in SJC [4]. Further to this, a detailed real time PCR expression study was used to explore the differential expression of eight genes of interest throughout the SJC life cycle, which showed that several of the genes were down-regulated in different life cycle stages. The study has greatly expanded previously published data of strain and gender-associated differential expression in S. japonicum. Further, the new data will provide a stepping stone for understanding the complexities of the biology, sexual differentiation, maturation, and development of human schistosomes, signaling new approaches for identifying novel intervention and diagnostic targets against schistosomiasis [4].

Do men and women receive different pay-offs, in terms of wage, from cognitive skills in the Swedish labor market? To answer this, the classical Mincer equation is expanded with a variable for cognitive skills (literacy and numeracy) and an interaction term between being a male and cognitive skills to be able to distinguish the actual difference in pay-off. I use data from OECD’s PIAAC survey of adult skills, which provides a unique opportunity to examine gender pay-off differences concerning cognitive skills. The results show that men have a larger pay-off than women once occupation is sufficiently controlled for

Die studie is uitgevoer om die fisieke vermoensprofiel van atlete met intellektuele gestremdheid (lG) en Downsindroom (DS) tussen die ouderdom van 10 en 17 jaar te bepaal. Die Brockport Physical Fitness Test (BPFT) is gebruik om die fisieke vermoens van die atlete te bepaal. Geslagsgebaseerde verskille vir hierdie populasiegroepe is ook ontleed. Die populasie het bestaan uit 75 proefpersone waarvan 66 intellektueel gestremd was en 9 in die Downsindoom subgroep geval het. Dit is duidelik uit hierdie twee gestremde groepe dat Downsindroomkinders, asook kinders met intellektuele gestremdheid, minimaal aan atletiek deelneem. Hoofstuk 2 fokus op die literatuuroorsig van die fisieke vermoens en oefenkapasiteit van die intellektueel gestremde en Downsindroomkinders. Data ingesamel oor die laasgenoemde is gebruik vir die samestelling van die artikels en kan apart gelees word in die verhandeling. In artikels 1 en 2 is data eerstens vir beskrywingsdoeleindes aan die hand van rekenkundige gemiddeldes (x), standaardafwykings (sa) en minimum en maksimum waardes ontleed. 'n Tweerigting variansie analise is gebruik om te bepaal hoeveel van die atlete in watter gesondheidsone val. Verder is van 'n onafhanklike t-toets gebruik gemaak om betekenisvolheid van verskille tussen die geslagte aan te dui. Die resultate dui daarop dat seuns en dogters met IG en DS oor swak aerobiese kapasiteit beskik. Hierdie atlete word aan min fisieke aktiwiteit blootgestel en gesondheidsrisiko's neem toe as gevolg van oorgewig en obesiteit. Atlete met IG beskik oor redelike goeie abdominale spieruithouvermoe en hampese soepelheid. Hierteenoor het hulle oor swakker abdominale soepelheid, skouersoepelheid, armspieruithouvermoe en handgreepkrag beskik. Atlete met DS aan die anderkant beskik oor goeie hampese soepelheid, maar swak abdominale spieruithouvermoe, abdominale soepelheid, skouersoepelheid, armspieruithouvermoe en handgreepkrag. Wat geslagsgebasseerde verskille bet ref dui die resultate daarop dat dogters by beide IG- en DS-groepe 'n groter persentasie liggaamsvet het as seuns. Verder blyk dit dat seuns met IG oor beter fisieke vermoens beskik as dogters met IG, net soos by normaal ontwikkelde kinders. Seuns met IG beskik oor beter aerobiese kapasiteit asook fisieke vermoens, vera! spierkrag en spieruithouvermoe, as dogters. Dogters met DS het verder meer liggaamsvet en toon beter soepelheid as seuns, a!hoewel dit nie betekenisvol is nie. Na aanleiding van hierdie bevindinge word aanbeveel dat intervensieprogramme in Suid-Afrika ontwikkel word vir kinders met IG en DS om sodoende hul fisieke vermoens te verbeter. / The study was done to determine the fitness abilities profile of the intellectually disabled and Down's syndrome athletes aged 10 to 17 years. The Brockport Physical Fitness Test (BPFT) is used to determine the fitness abilities of these athletes. Gender-based differences in both population groups were also investigated. The research group consisted of 75 children of which 66 were intellectually disabled and 9 diagnosed with Down's syndrome (DS). It is clear from these two disabled groups that Down's syndrome children as well as children with intellectual disabilities (ID) participate minimally in athletics. Chapter 2 is based on a literature review of the fitness abilities and training capacity of intellectually disabled and Down's syndrome children. Information gathered on the latter aspects was used in the two articles, which can be read independently in this dissertation. For articles 1 and 2, data was analysed by means of mean values (M), standard deviations as well as minimum and maximum values. The two way table of variances was used to determine the amount of athletes that needs to be placed in each of the healthy fitness zones. Furthermore an independent T-Test is used to prove the gender-based significance of differences. The results indicated that boys and girls with IG and DS had poor aerobic capacity. These athletes are exposed to inadequate physical activity, which exposes them to increased health risk due to their being overweight. Athletes with IG had good abdominal muscle endurance performance and hamstring flexibility, although they also showed poor abdominal flexibility, shoulder flexibility, upper strength endurance and handgrip strength. Athletes with DS on the other hand showed good hamstring flexibility but poor abdominal muscle endurance performance, abdominal flexibility, shoulder flexibility, upper strength endurance and hand grip strength. For the gender-based differences results show that boys with IG had better physical performance than girls with IG. Boys with IG consist of a better aerobic capacity as well as physical performance than girls, especially muscle strength and muscle endurance. The girls with DS have more body fat and shows better flexibility than the boys, although not significantly. Given the outcomes of this study it is recommended that intervention programmes be developed for children with IG and DS in South Africa in order to enhance their physical fitness performance profile and their quality of life. / Thesis (M.A. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Die studie is uitgevoer om die fisieke vermoensprofiel van atlete met intellektuele gestremdheid (lG) en Downsindroom (DS) tussen die ouderdom van 10 en 17 jaar te bepaal. Die Brockport Physical Fitness Test (BPFT) is gebruik om die fisieke vermoens van die atlete te bepaal. Geslagsgebaseerde verskille vir hierdie populasiegroepe is ook ontleed. Die populasie het bestaan uit 75 proefpersone waarvan 66 intellektueel gestremd was en 9 in die Downsindoom subgroep geval het. Dit is duidelik uit hierdie twee gestremde groepe dat Downsindroomkinders, asook kinders met intellektuele gestremdheid, minimaal aan atletiek deelneem. Hoofstuk 2 fokus op die literatuuroorsig van die fisieke vermoens en oefenkapasiteit van die intellektueel gestremde en Downsindroomkinders. Data ingesamel oor die laasgenoemde is gebruik vir die samestelling van die artikels en kan apart gelees word in die verhandeling. In artikels 1 en 2 is data eerstens vir beskrywingsdoeleindes aan die hand van rekenkundige gemiddeldes (x), standaardafwykings (sa) en minimum en maksimum waardes ontleed. 'n Tweerigting variansie analise is gebruik om te bepaal hoeveel van die atlete in watter gesondheidsone val. Verder is van 'n onafhanklike t-toets gebruik gemaak om betekenisvolheid van verskille tussen die geslagte aan te dui. Die resultate dui daarop dat seuns en dogters met IG en DS oor swak aerobiese kapasiteit beskik. Hierdie atlete word aan min fisieke aktiwiteit blootgestel en gesondheidsrisiko's neem toe as gevolg van oorgewig en obesiteit. Atlete met IG beskik oor redelike goeie abdominale spieruithouvermoe en hampese soepelheid. Hierteenoor het hulle oor swakker abdominale soepelheid, skouersoepelheid, armspieruithouvermoe en handgreepkrag beskik. Atlete met DS aan die anderkant beskik oor goeie hampese soepelheid, maar swak abdominale spieruithouvermoe, abdominale soepelheid, skouersoepelheid, armspieruithouvermoe en handgreepkrag. Wat geslagsgebasseerde verskille bet ref dui die resultate daarop dat dogters by beide IG- en DS-groepe 'n groter persentasie liggaamsvet het as seuns. Verder blyk dit dat seuns met IG oor beter fisieke vermoens beskik as dogters met IG, net soos by normaal ontwikkelde kinders. Seuns met IG beskik oor beter aerobiese kapasiteit asook fisieke vermoens, vera! spierkrag en spieruithouvermoe, as dogters. Dogters met DS het verder meer liggaamsvet en toon beter soepelheid as seuns, a!hoewel dit nie betekenisvol is nie. Na aanleiding van hierdie bevindinge word aanbeveel dat intervensieprogramme in Suid-Afrika ontwikkel word vir kinders met IG en DS om sodoende hul fisieke vermoens te verbeter. / The study was done to determine the fitness abilities profile of the intellectually disabled and Down's syndrome athletes aged 10 to 17 years. The Brockport Physical Fitness Test (BPFT) is used to determine the fitness abilities of these athletes. Gender-based differences in both population groups were also investigated. The research group consisted of 75 children of which 66 were intellectually disabled and 9 diagnosed with Down's syndrome (DS). It is clear from these two disabled groups that Down's syndrome children as well as children with intellectual disabilities (ID) participate minimally in athletics. Chapter 2 is based on a literature review of the fitness abilities and training capacity of intellectually disabled and Down's syndrome children. Information gathered on the latter aspects was used in the two articles, which can be read independently in this dissertation. For articles 1 and 2, data was analysed by means of mean values (M), standard deviations as well as minimum and maximum values. The two way table of variances was used to determine the amount of athletes that needs to be placed in each of the healthy fitness zones. Furthermore an independent T-Test is used to prove the gender-based significance of differences. The results indicated that boys and girls with IG and DS had poor aerobic capacity. These athletes are exposed to inadequate physical activity, which exposes them to increased health risk due to their being overweight. Athletes with IG had good abdominal muscle endurance performance and hamstring flexibility, although they also showed poor abdominal flexibility, shoulder flexibility, upper strength endurance and handgrip strength. Athletes with DS on the other hand showed good hamstring flexibility but poor abdominal muscle endurance performance, abdominal flexibility, shoulder flexibility, upper strength endurance and hand grip strength. For the gender-based differences results show that boys with IG had better physical performance than girls with IG. Boys with IG consist of a better aerobic capacity as well as physical performance than girls, especially muscle strength and muscle endurance. The girls with DS have more body fat and shows better flexibility than the boys, although not significantly. Given the outcomes of this study it is recommended that intervention programmes be developed for children with IG and DS in South Africa in order to enhance their physical fitness performance profile and their quality of life. / Thesis (M.A. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

This study aimed to investigate gender-based evaluation differences in situations that occasionally can be perceptualized as sexual harassing situations. Hypothesis stated that when women are presented as victims in an eventual sexual harassing situation, participants would rate the event as more serious in comparisons when the victims are men. The study used survey-based between-group experimental design with story-based gender manipulation of the victim’s character in fictitious stories that may or may not be attributed with low-, moderate- or high grade of seriousness into a ratio scale (0-10). Four groups (N = 120) were included and separated depending on the victims as well as the participants gender. The assumption homogeneity of variance for one-way analysis of variance was violated when Levene's test was performed. Non-parametric equivalent Kruskal Wallis-test indicated a significant difference between the groups. Further findings were presented from multiple Mann Whitney U-tests for six possible comparisons (α = .008). Five significant differences between the groups were found confirming the first hypothesis despite the strict alpha level. Concluding the results as a potential confirmation of the prototype theory.

While researchers have documented elite Indigenous hockey players' experiences when they leave home to play sports in the mainstream context, to date they have not examined how these experiences may vary based on sex and gender. By using Tribal Critical Race Theory, Indigenous feminisms, and reflexive thematic analysis, in this thesis, I examined the challenges and benefits that First Nations elite hockey players experienced when they left home to play in the mainstream context and how these challenges varied based on sex and gender. The 20 participants (10 female, 10 male) all had challenges with language and their new environments. Interestingly, while all the male participants reported experiencing racism, only two of the female participants reported such experiences, and they were of a less overt nature. The benefits that were experienced by both male and female athletes included athletic and personal growth, new experiences, and support from home. While both male and female athletes reported accruing benefits from leaving home, I found that the female athletes had to leave home to pursue hockey due to a lack of opportunities available to them, opportunities that were often available closer to home for male participants. I also found that both males and females reported receiving a great deal of support; this is particularly interesting given male hockey's higher profile. Taken together, these findings add nuance to the existing literature on Indigenous hockey players' experiences in the mainstream context.

Lenney (1977) concluded that achievement gender differences were predicted by females' lower self confidence and expectancies in competitive situations, identifying three variables that mediated female self confidence in achievement situations, (1) task appropriateness. (2) social comparison, and (3) feedback. The present study manipulated all three mediating variables with 240 undergraduate 18-25 year old female subjects with the pursuit rotor task that requires tracking a moving (40 rpm's) white light with a hand-held stylus for 60 seconds. Response measurement was based upon time on target. Subjects were tested over five trials while setting goals for each trial. Females were randomly assigned to a male appropriate, female appropriate, or gender neutral task condition, a competition or alone condition, and to one of four feedback conditions (no feedback, feedback about own performance only, feedback about own performance that provided the perception that subject was performing better than an opponent and/or average on each trial, or feedback about own performance that provided the perception that subject was performing poorer than an opponent and/or average on each of the five trials). Results from the 2 (social comparison) X 3 (task appropriateness) X 4 (feedback) ANOVA were contradictory to previous findings (Corbin, 1981; Petruzzello & Corbin, 1988) as females performed significantly better in competition than alone. Data support the conclusion that presentation of clear and unambiguous feedback enhanced female self-confidence (Corbin, 1981; Petruzzello & Corbin, 1988; Lenney, 1977). Data also provide null findings for the task appropriateness condition which contradicts the previous research (Corbin, 1981; Lenney, 1977) in that females perceiving the task as male appropriate did not exhibit less self-confidence and perform poorer than when the task was perceived as either female appropriate or gender neutral. Conclusions reflect methodological differences from previous research and changes in gender role identification that have significantly impacted on female self-confidence and performance in competitive situations.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication Science University of Zululand, 2003. / This thesis entails a literature survey of the forms of communication required for the successful management of primary schools and high schools by principals and their management teams, followed by an empirical survey of the management team communication practices of 367 principals in the northern section of the eThekwini Region (the area that until 2003 was known as the North Durban Region) in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, on the eastern seaboard of South Africa. In brief, my research shows that female principals predominate in primary schools and male principals in high schools. My research further shows a number of significant differences in the way that female and male principals communicate with parents.

Despite the potential of immersive virtual environments (VEs) as educational tools, little is known about how VE system parameters impact a child using the environment. Designers of VE applications targeted at children must rely on studies done with adults to guide their design decisions. The failure to understand how children differ from adults in their responses to VEs poses a serious obstacle to the design of effective learning environments for children. The main goal of this research was to quantify the impact of varying one VE system parameter, field-of-view, on large-scale, spatial learning in middle elementary schoolchildren and the incidence of side-effects in that population in an immersive VE. The other goals of this research were to identify 1) how, and if, middle elementary schoolchildren's responses to this environment differ from that of adult participants, and 2) how, and if, gender changed participant performance and responses. Adults and 7-9 year old children were taught a U-shaped route through a six room virtual house, while wearing a helmet mounted display (HMD). Participants viewed the environment under monoscopic conditions with the horizontal field-of-view (HFOV) of the display set at either 30 or 48 degrees. Head tracking was not enabled as the children were unable to maintain a normal head position while wearing the HMD. After the learning period, participants performed tasks designed to assess spatial knowledge of the space: 1) locomotion efficiency was measured by the number of collisions with objects, 2) landmark knowledge was measured by the participant's ability to recognize photos of objects found in the environment 3) route knowledge was measured by the participant's ability to correctly re-trace the route and name the sequence of landmarks along the route, 4) configuration knowledge was measured by the participant's ability to point to occluded landmarks, make spatial inferences, and construct a model of the environment. Participants also completed a simple questionnaire which assessed the incidence of equipment difficulties and side-effects, general enjoyment, and the sense of presence in the VE. Additionally, the participant's vision and balance was checked before and after immersion in the VE. Locomotion, route knowledge, and configuration knowledge efficiency increased significantly with both age and FOV. At the smaller FOV, both adults and 7-9 year olds developed a significantly lesser degree of spatial knowledge, with the effect being amplified in the 7-9 year olds. In general, the more sophisticated the level the spatial knowledge required by a task, the greater the impact of FOV and age, with configuration knowledge being achieved significantly less frequently than route knowledge. Gender also significantly impacted the development of configuration knowledge. Only landmark knowledge did not change with age, FOV, or gender. Also, the incidence of VE balance side-effects decreased significantly with age and was impacted by gender. The incidence of equipment difficulties also decreased with age,with significantly more, and longer, breaks being taken by 7-9 year olds than by adults. Further, general enjoyment of VE immersion and presence decreased significantly with age. / Master of Science