Egzistencinius klausimus galime sutikti gyvenime ir iliuziniame susikurtame pasaulyje. Vaidyboje kaip ir gyvenime egzistuoja socialiniai vaidmenys, turtuoliai, vargšai, kvailiai, juokdariai ir valdantieji, gražuoliai ir atstumtieji. Darbe nagrinėju žmonių tarpusavio santykius. Kūrybiniai herojai fiksuoja kasdienius savo atradimus ir emocijų nepastovumą grafikos darbuose tarsi dienoraštyje. Žmonės nešiojančius keletą kaukių vienu metu ir atliekančius keletą vaidmenų, menką išprusimą, nesavarankiškumą, įvairias psichologines ydas, tai iš aplinkos patirtų vaizdinių, emocijų, situacijų rezultatas. / Spectacle is a life, aim, expression and creative process that is observed by the audience. I am trying to reveal and indicate this process, spectacle and actors’ magic in a paper sheet. “Actors’ Wondering” is not only the movement but the new creative, personal process that is not always revealed for the audience. In the cycle of my works I discover the certain attitude towards confused and disappointed routine that is accompanied by the feeling of nonsense and emptiness.The personal relations are analyzed in my work. Creative heroes capture their discoveries and emotional instability in the graphic works as in their diaries. People wearing different masks and performing different roles, demonstrating low literacy skills, dependency, various psychological problems are the result of images, emotions and situation experienced from the surrounding.

M.Ed.

Literature concerning the time frames for detection of various seminal components commonly tested for in forensic laboratories in sexual assault cases is limited in quantity and in scope. Determining a more accurate time since intercourse (TSI) interval based on an extensive review of forensic case work would provide investigators with a tool for estimating the time elapsed between the occurrence of a sexual assault and the collection of a Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit (SAECK) which could be vital information in certain cases. This study demonstrates that the presence of intact spermatozoa is a significant finding on microscope slides prepared from vaginal, anorectal, and oral swabs and that the percentage of intact sperm cells decreases over time. This study also proved that sperm tails are lost during the preparation of microscope slides from SAECK swabs by directly comparing medical personnel-prepared smear slides and analyst-prepared extract slides from 95 Boston Police Department (BPD) Crime Laboratory Unit cases. Additionally, this study presents maximum TSI values for the persistence of sperm heads, intact spermatozoa, and prostate specific antigen (P30) through a retrospective examination of 355 cases processed by the BPD Crime Laboratory Unit over 5 years. The maximum persistence values for P30 in the vaginal, anorectal, and oral cavities were 19 hours, 17 hours, and 20 hours, respectively. In the vaginal cavity, maximum persistence values for intact spermatozoa were 43 hours for smear slides and 41.5 hours for extract slides. The maximum persistence of sperm heads was equivalent for vaginal smear and extract slides at 105 hours. In the anorectal cavity, maximum persistence values for intact spermatozoa were 43 hours for smear slides and 13 hours for extract slides. The maximum persistence of sperm heads was equivalent for anorectal smear and extract slides at 43 hours. In the oral cavity, maximum persistence values for intact spermatozoa were 3.75 hours for smear slides and 5 hours for extract slides. The maximum persistence of sperm heads were equivalent for oral smear and extract slides at 24 hours.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for a majority of all men currently diagnosed with AIDS. MSM is also recognized as the largest risk category of all AIDS cases. Drug use has been shown to have a synergistic effect on the prevalence of HIV in the MSM population. The study aimed to examine the association between injection drug use, non-injection drug use, and non-drug use with sexual risk behaviors for HIV in men who have sex with men. Secondary, cross-sectional data procured from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System for the Atlanta Metropolitan Survey Area were used for the study. The study population was 960 participants. Using binary logistic regression analyses, the drug use categories were studied for unprotected intercourse, unprotected receptive anal intercourse and HIV status. Strong associations were seen independently for unprotected intercourse, unprotected receptive anal intercourse, and HIV status with injection and non injection drug use, but the association weakened for drug use categories when controlled for other independent factors. Taking into account current findings and findings from previous research, the importance of clinical significance over statistical significance was considered. Racial disparities were evident, in that, although the Black participants showed no increased odds for sexual risk factors or drug use, it had a higher odds for being HIV positive compared to Whites. Combining Viagra/Levitra with drugs was significantly associated with unprotected intercourse (AOR=1.9), and each individual drug showed a different degree of association with Viagra/Levitra. Further research is recommended to identify sub-populations at risk and appropriately allocate resources and channel programs and interventions.

Many young women today are concerned about their sexual health; an increasing number of them consult gynaecologists, youth centres (YCs) and general practitioners with vulvar problems such as painful sensations associated with vaginal intercourse (VIC). It is known that some women continue to have VIC despite pain. Theoretically, repeated painful VIC might elicit vaginistic reactions, which may increase the pain and induce vicious circles. Since many clinicians and researchers nowadays notice that pain during VIC often starts at young age, it is important to investigate how pain during VIC starts and is maintained in younger populations. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate young women’s experiences of ideal sexual situations and pain during VIC. Women aged 13-22 years participated in our studies, which used both quantitative (study I and IV) and qualitative (study II and III) methods. For paper I, a questionnaire was developed and used in a YC sample (n=300); informants for paper II were selected from that sample to participate in qualitative interviews (n=16). Another qualitative interview study for paper III with a complimentary research question was conducted in a different YC sample (n=14). For paper IV, a questionnaire was developed based on the results from study I, II and III to test the hypotheses derived from study II in a sample of female high school students (n=1566). The findings revealed that 65% of the women reported pain related to first VIC. Among those who reported VIC during the previous month, 49% had experienced pain and/or discomfort during VIC during that same period (paper I). In paper IV, 47% of the women reported experience of pain and/or discomfort during VIC, and among those, 47% continued to have VIC, 22% feigned enjoyment, and 33% omitted telling the partner about their pain. In paper II, the women’s reasons for continuing to have VIC despite pain were: striving to reach their ideal image of a woman, characterized as always willing to have VIC; being perceptive of their partner’s sexual needs; and being able to satisfy their partner. In paper IV the hypotheses derived from study II were confirmed and showed, for example that a significantly higher proportion of women who continue to have VIC despite pain than women who did not had difficulty refusing sex when the partner wants it, felt inferior to the partner during sex, regarded the partner’s satisfaction as more important than their own, felt dissatisfaction with their sex life, and feigned enjoyment despite pain. In a multivariate model, continuing to have VIC despite pain was associated with feelings of being inferior to the partner during sex (adjusted OR 1.82; CI 1.10-3.02), dissatisfaction with their own sex lives (adjusted OR 1.76; CI 1.14-2.72) and feigning enjoyment while having pain (adjusted OR 7.45; CI 4.37-12.69). The major reason for continuing to have VIC was that the partner’s enjoyment was prioritized higher than their own (paper IV). In paper III, we found that women without pain during VIC also felt pressure from social norms and demands and had experienced partners “driving their own race”. However, they managed to some extent to resist these unequal gender norms because of their urge to experience pleasure. In conclusion, pain during VIC is a common complaint among young Swedish women, and a high proportion of them continue having VIC despite pain. The women’s notion of prioritizing the partners´ enjoyment before their own illustrates that unequal gender regimes affect young women’s (hetero)sexuality negatively.

Recent empirical evidence suggests that we have entered a new period of courtship known as the hookup era. Contemporary research which explores hooking up has confirmed the prevalence of this dating script, particularly within post-secondary institutions. The relevant literature has focused on a variety of important issues including the conceptual meaning of hooking up and the identification of potential correlates and consequences of these behaviours. Despite this increase in scholarly interest, several problems remain unaddressed. Principal among these is the way(s) in which young women mediate the self-perceived risks involved in the sexual exchange known as the hookup, so as to facilitate their participation in this culture. The current paper examines the controversy that is female hookup participation by investigating the risks – and subsequent negotiation of these risks – which women face in the hookup culture. Specifically, this paper makes use of detailed qualitative data gathered from a sample of female undergraduate students at a medium-sized Canadian university, in order to uncover the social processes by which female proponents of the hookup culture account for their actions to themselves and to others, in this the seemingly risky courtship script. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2013-07-31 19:46:46.027

Previous research indicates that women prefer orgasms triggered by penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI) as compared to those triggered by direct manual stimulation of the clitoris. However, for reasons that are not well understood, most women are unable to reach PVI orgasms as often as they desire. In addition, it is unclear why many women prefer PVI orgasms to those triggered by direct clitoral stimulation. This study developed a more precise measure of PVI orgasm frequency and evaluated key predictors of this frequency, including duration of intercourse, physical and psychological health, and partner traits with implications for either mating quality or relationship quality. The present study also measured PVI orgasm importance and investigated why it is important for many women. The sample consisted of 835 adult women with experience in PVI. Mean PVI orgasm frequency was 50%, with 39.4% of women never or rarely having PVI orgasms, 37.1% sometimes having PVI orgasms, and 23.5% almost always or always having PVI orgasms. As a median response, women believed that PVI orgasm was “very important” and perceived importance was correlated with orgasm frequency (r = .31, p < .001), as were reasons for importance. Duration of intercourse showed a linear relationship with PVI orgasm frequency, but this finding was qualified for women at the low and high extremes of the orgasm frequency distribution. Body esteem, anxiety during intercourse, exercise, and general pain predicted PVI orgasm frequency. Sensitive male traits, although valued by women even more highly than alpha male traits, showed notably weaker relationships with PVI orgasm than did male alpha traits. This is consistent with evolutionary theories of orgasm, and it supports the view that the female orgasm may function to favor some males over others in terms of sire choice. Clinical and theoretical implications of the present findings are discussed.

This thesis investigates the relationship between violent conflicts and sexual and reproductive health in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The aim of the thesis is to investigate how war affects demographic outcomes across individual life courses. The thesis contributes to the research field by linking macro level conflict data measuring the intensity and frequency of violent conflict with micro level data on women’s sexual and birth histories and infant deaths across time and place. The results show that war affects infants’ survival and women’s sexual and reproductive health and behavior. The first study finds an increase of premarital first sexual intercourse during the violent conflicts in Rwanda. The second study finds evidence of a delay in the fertility transition due to the Congolese war and the lingering conflicts in East DRC. The third study suggests that the Congolese war affects infant mortality, but only post-neonatal mortality. Despite consistent evidence that conflict affects the everyday life of women and children, the mechanisms that explain this relationship are largely unknown. This thesis identifies important gaps in the research that limit our understanding of the mechanisms at work. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Submitted.</p>

Even though it may not seem like it at first glance, the phenomenon of rape conceals in fact much more than anyone who has ever faced this problem we are dealing with could say about it. Worse, it is these people, the vast majority of them men, where the tendency is to downplay this crime and, under the influence of ignorance and myths associated with rape or even religion and ideology, often see it as made up by the victims or as completely removed from the intentions of the offender. And because the aim of this work is not only to provide a view of rape in terms of criminal law, but also from a criminological, i.e. view of a number of other scientific disciplines, that this is indeed the case, that rape cannot be seen in this manner, this is also - and no less important - the task of this work. The fundamental part of this work, as a work looking at the issue addressed especially in terms of criminal law, and its main investigative contribution provide not only an analysis of the various elements of the crime of rape, but primarily an attempt within it to completely categorize all hitherto considered and neglected forms of sexual behavior within individual - prescribed by law - forms of sexual intercourse. The same is true then and the main investigative contribution of this work can be...

O presente estudo, com abordagem quantitativa, foi motivado pela reduzida adesão ao uso do preservativo pela mulher soropositiva ao HIV/com aids e pela gravidez indesejada. Teve como objetivo geral discriminar fatores de impacto que influenciam as ações de mulheres soropositivas ao HIV/com aids no uso de preservativos, e como objetivos específicos: construir um instrumento para avaliação de fatores de impacto no campo de interesse; identificar os fatores de impacto relacionados à adesão aos preservativos pela mulher soropositiva ao HIV/com aids; associar a situação sociodemográfica dessa mulher às variáveis de maior influência na adesão aos preservativos. Na construção do instrumento de coleta de dados, especialistas avaliaram o formulário original e emitiram sugestões que resultaram em sua reformulação. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da Secretaria Municipal da Saúde da Prefeitura da Cidade de São Paulo. Os dados foram coletados no período de setembro de 2009 a setembro de 2010, por meio de entrevistas com 201 mulheres soropositivas ao HIV/com aids que frequentavam um serviço de assistência especializada em DST/aids no município de São Paulo. Os achados foram tratados estatisticamente, iniciando pela avaliação da consistência do instrumento utilizado. Identificaram-se dez fatores de impacto que influenciam na adesão aos preservativos da mulher HIV positivo/com aids. Em ordem decrescente de valor, os impactos obtidos foram: Relações de Gênero, Cultural, Comportamental, Cognitivo, Drogadição, Religioso-Sentimental, Intencional, Socioeconômico, Protetor e Fidelidade. Como se vê, as relações de gênero mostraram-se com maior impacto na adesão ao preservativo; no outro extremo, a fidelidade entre os parceiros mostrou menor impacto sobre esta situação. Os dados mostraram, também, que as mulheres apresentavam dificuldade na decisão em aderir ao uso do preservativo, mesmo recebendo orientações sobre sua necessidade, pelo serviço de assistência especializado. Concluiu-se que a assistência à mulher soropositiva ao HIV necessita ser implementada em relação às orientações sobre o uso do preservativo em todas as relações sexuais; orientações que devem ser realizadas com o casal, priorizando as suas dúvidas e dificuldades. O apoio deverá ser contínuo, para fortalecer e incentivar a aderência ao preservativo. Sugere-se, também, a replicação do instrumento construído para sua validação junto a outros grupos de mulheres infectadas pelo HIV/com aids, no país. / This study, with a quantitative approach, was motivated by the reduced use of protection by women who are HIV positive/with AIDS and also by the undesirable pregnancy. The general aim was to discriminate the factors of impact that influences these HIV womens actions, according to the use of protection. The specific aims were: to create an instrument to evaluate the factors of impact in the field of interest; to identify the factors of impact related to the use of protection by the HIV women with AIDS and also to relate the socio-demographic situation of these women to the variables that have higher influence in the use of protections. During the creation of the instrument for data collection some changes were done considering the suggestions given by the experts who have evaluated the original. The study was approved by the Ethic and Research Committee of the Health Department of São Paulo city. The data collection was done between September 2009 and September 2010, by interviews with 201 women who are with STD/AIDS and used to go to a STD/AIDS assistance service in São Paulo city. The findings were statistically analyzed, starting from the consistency of the instrument used. It was found ten factors that influenced the use of protection by the HIV women with AIDS. In a decreasing order of value, the factors of impact were: Relation of Gender, Culture, Behavior, Cognition, Use of Drugs, Religion-Feeling, Intention, Society-Economic, Protection and Fidelity. According to the results, the relation of gender had more impact in the use of protection; on the other hand, the fidelity between the partners had less impact on the situation. The findings also showed that the women had difficult in deciding the use of protection, even after the specialized assistance service has given them orientation to the necessity. It was concluded that the assistance to the HIV women needs to be improved in order to give better orientation towards the use of protection during all sexual intercourses. This orientation has to be given to the couple, prioritizing their doubts and difficulties. The support must be continuous, in order to motivate and intensify the use of protection. It was also suggested the use of the instrument created, in order to get its validation with other groups of HIV women with AIDS, in the country.