Mexican-origin adolescent girls have some of the highest rates of unplanned teen pregnancy and births in the United States. Family ecological and feminist perspectives indicate that gender and sexual socialization processes contribute to girls' ability to promote their sexual health, yet little is known about how Mexican-origin girls develop sexual agency. In this culture, mothers are a primary socializing agent about sexuality in the family, and this study examined how mother-daughter sexual communication fostered or inhibited girls' sexual agency. The narrative method "scaffolded interviewing" was used to facilitate open talk about sexuality. Interviews were conducted with 25 girls ages 15-17 and separate interviews with mothers in a southwestern city, with a pilot study first conducted to refine the interview script. Mothers and daughters were asked reciprocal questions about what girls learned about sexuality from mothers and other contexts. The Listening Guide, a voice-based relational approach, was used to interpret the data. Analysis suggested that girls whose mothers provided more open and comprehensive sexual communication, and talked to them before puberty, felt more agentic to assert their needs for sexual safety. Girls who had infrequent, content-limited communication with mothers felt less able to manage fear-based school sex education messages and peer sexual exposure. Analysis of concordance between mothers' and daughters' narratives showed that different perceptions of what constitutes sex talk and sexual autonomy inhibited daughters' disclosure to mothers about sexual concerns. These findings suggest that mother-daughter relationships are critical for sexual health promotion. Implications for educators, practitioners, and families are discussed.

No description available.

The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (RB) is an important regulator of the cell cycle and development. Significantly, RB is inactivated in a majority of human cancers. Thus, elucidating the function of RB will give us a better understanding of how it prevents cancer. Many decades of research have yielded a detailed understanding of the role of RB in cell proliferation through transcriptional repression of target genes. However, the precise mechanisms of its action in many cellular pathways are poorly understood, including the control of DNA replication and post-transcriptional control of gene expression. Drosophila melanogaster presents a simplified genetic system to study cancer genes. Several published observations have suggested a role for RB in regulating DNA replication. Interestingly, other data indicate that RB associates with RNA processing factors. I have characterized novel protein-protein interactions with the Drosophila retinoblastoma tumor suppressor homologue Rbf, with an emphasis on its poorly characterized N-terminal domain. I describe the interaction of Rbf with the origin recognition complex, indicating a unique connection to DNA replication control. I also show that Rbf interacts with the RNA binding protein Squid, and review the literature that suggests potential role of RB/E2F in the control of RNA processing. The ability to control RNA processing may be an additional, unappreciated mode of gene regulation by RB. A focused study of the uncharacterized amino-terminal domain of Rbf has revealed new details about the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor in cell regulation, including DNA replication and RNA processing.

Als Reaktion auf die Verbreitung von globalen privaten Lebensmittelstandards gehen einige Entwicklungsländer mit der Gründung eigener nationaler Food Standards einen Weg, um sich in wichtigen Exportländern zu positionieren. Allerdings wirken negative Herkunftsimages dem Aufbau von Glaubwürdigkeit und Anerkennung bei wichtigen internationalen Akteuren entgegen. Diese Studie untersucht die Wirkung von Herkunftsland-Effekten auf die wahrgenommene Glaubwürdigkeit der nationalen Lebensmittelstandards und beurteilt die Benchmarking-Strategien, wie sie von GLOBALG.A.P. und der Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) angeboten werden. Die Daten von 301 Lebensmittel-Managern aus Industrie- und Entwicklungsländern wurden durch eine Online-Befragung im Frühjahr 2010 erhoben. Die Befragten wurden gebeten, verschiedene Aspekte der Glaubwürdigkeit von Standards generell zu beurteilen sowie die Glaubwürdigkeit der Food Standards von acht Ländern spezifisch zu bewerten: Australien, China, Ghana, Indien, Italien, Mexiko, dem Vereinigten Königreich und den Vereinigten Staaten. Durch eine Faktorenanalyse und eine lineare Regression wird ein empirisches Modell zur Glaubwürdigkeit von Lebensmittelstandards analysiert. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich, dass "Benchmarking-Signale" erheblich dazu beitragen können, die Glaubwürdigkeit von Lebensmittelstandards in entwickelten Ländern und in Entwicklungsländern zu verbessern.

The sudden appearance of chytridiomycosis, as the cause of amphibian deaths and population declines in several continents suggests that its etiological agent, the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, was introduced into the affected regions. However, the origin of this virulent pathogen is unknown. Efforts were directed to determine the occurrence of chytridiomycosis in Africa, whether the disease had been introduced into South Africa in recent years and how wild frog populations were affected by infection. A chytridiomycosis survey of 2,300 archived and live specimens involving members of the Pipidae family in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as a number of unrelated frog species in South Africa was conducted by histological diagnosis of skin samples. The epidemiological evidence indicated that chytridiomycosis has been a stable endemic infection in southern Africa for 23 years before any positive specimens were found outside Africa. The occurrence of chytridiomycosis in South Africa can be described as widespread both in terms of geographical distribution and host species and generally infection is not associated with adverse effects at the individual or population level. It was proposed that the amphibian chytrid originated in Africa and that the international trade in the African clawed toad Xenopus laevis that commenced in the mid 1930s was the means of dissemination. A risk assessment of the X. laevis trade demonstrated that chytridiomycosis could spread through this pathway and culminated in the development of a management protocol to reduce the risks of spreading disease through this animate commodity. Initial comparative genetic analysis of B. dendrobatidis strains isolated from South African frogs with a global set of 35 strains, suggests that analysis of a more geographically diverse set of southern African strains is needed before this line of argument can support or reject the "out of Africa" hypothesis. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Zoology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Despite that we are in the midst of profound changes in communications technologies, there is a remarkable gap in the International Relations literature devoted to exploring the implications of these changes. In part, this can be attributed to the discipline’s conservative tendencies; generally, International Relations theorists have resisted studying major discontinuity in the international system. The few studies that do attempt to account for change typically focus on modes of production or destruction as determinant variables. Though there are rare exceptions, many of them also tend towards a form of mono-causal reductionism. When considered at all, communications technologies are viewed through the prism of, or are reduced to, these other factors. This study seeks to remedy this gap by examining the relationship between large-scale shifts in modes of communication and “world order” transformation -- the structure or architecture of political authority at a world-level. Drawing from the work of various “medium theory” scholars, such as Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, the study outlines an open-ended, non-reductive theory at the core of which is the argument that changes in modes of communication facilitate and constrain social forces and ideas latent in society. This hypothesized process can be likened to the interaction between species and a changing natural environment: new communications environments “favour” certain social forces and ideas by means of a functional bias towards some and not others, much the same as environments determine which species prosper by “selecting” for certain physical characteristics. In other words, social forces and ideas survive differentially according to their “fitness” or match with the new communications environment -- a process that is both open ended and contingent. The study is organized into two parts: Part one examines the relationship between printing and the medieval to modem world order transformation in Europe; Part two examines the relationship between new digital-electronic-telecommunications (called “hypermedia”) and the modem to postmodern world order transformation. The study suggests that the hypermedia communications environment is contributing to the dissolution of modern world order by facilitating the transnationalization of production, the globalization of finance, the rise of complex, non-territorial social networks, and the de-massification of “national” identities. The hypermedia environment is also helping to re-focus security concerns from an inter-national to an intra-planetary context. While it is far too early to provide a clear outline of the emerging postmodern world order, the trends that are unearthed in this study point away from single mass identities, linear political boundaries, and exclusive jurisdictions centred on territorial spaces, and towards multiple identities and non-territorial communities, overlapping boundaries, and non-exclusive jurisdictions.

The main theme of magistra’s work is ,,Charle’s Fransua L’Homond ,,Epitome Historiae Sacrae”: lexical peculiarities of translatings by S. Daukantas and S. Stanevičius. The main aim of this work is to make S.Daukantas Lithuanian – Latin index by translating of ,,Epitome Historiae Sacrae”. Problems of this work are: 1) determine field of this work, object, review work’s of other authors about ,,Epitome Historiae Sacrae”; 2) discuss main language peculiarities of ,,Žodrodys”; 3) index of S. Daukantas comparite with Lithuanian – Lowlander index of S. Stanevičius. There are literature’s review, analysis, comparative, syntesis methods in this work. It contains of introductory remarks, where are given linguistic works of S.Daukantas, authors, who wrote about ,,Žodrodys” (J.Kruopas, G.Subačius and other researchers) and the main part ,,Discussion of ,,Žodrodys”. It contains of three chapters, deduction, summary, literature list and few additions. In the first chapter of this work there are talking about S.Daukantas’ ,,Žodrodys” dialect peculiarities and spelling. Also review systems of vowels, digraphs and diphtongs, consonants. There also are talking about dialects morphology of S.Daukantas. The second chapter – lexics review of S. Daukantas’ ,,Žodrodys”. There are discussed themical groups of dictionary, lexics by origin of words. In the third chapter S. Daukantas’ ,,Epitome historiae sacrae” lexic is comparied with S. Stanevičius’ ,,Historyia... [to full text]

Objective of the study is to assess wood yield and quality of Polish Norway spruce provenances and transfer effect in comparison with the local provenances. Object of the study is experimental plantation established in Kazlų Rūda EFE, Agurkiškės forest district (62 comp.., 43 plot). Six southern Polish proveniences were from Istebna, Ustron, Ujstoly ir Lagow forest districts and three open-pollinated families from Girionys seed orchard and progeny from the local Agurkiškės forest district were tested. Area of the experimental plantations 1,8 ha. Methods: quantitative and qualitative traits of the trees in the plantation were assessed by using the following tools and methods: height was measured with a telescopic pole, diameter with calipers and the quantitative traits were assessed by the standard methods used in genetics and breeding. Results: this study showed that growth rate and wood yield of the southern provenances were higher than of the progenies of the selected plus trees of Lithuanian origin. However, wood yield of soother Polish provenances was significantly higher than that of the local regular stands of Agurkiškių provenance. This indicates, that the seed orchard material is superior over the material form regular unimproved forests stands. This difference may be caused not only by the geographical transfer effect but also related to genetic quality of the original stands. Polish provinces possessed a lower number of forked trees but their stems were less... [to full text]

Most countries for constructing low-rise buildings apply mostly wood in manufacturing of various structures (bearing structures of roofs, walls, beams, columns and etc.). In cases of fire these buildings manifest mostly such evidences of burning which are called charring of wooden parts (structural elements). For investigators of fire it is relevant to find the connection of this feature with certain significant effects of fire, namely its duration or temperature, in order to be able to determine the exact location of the fire start (spot/source) as well as the cause of initiation (reason). The dynamics of fire aggravates the determining of accuracy of determining the duration of wood burning, because in wooden structures there are enacted many additional physical-chemical processes. These processes make a great influence on fire resistance of structures, on the influence of the knowledge on different fields. Well known professionals consider that the attention to charring rate under the analysis of fire is paid a too narrow one and played as inadequately considerable role. In our country there have been so far applied the remarks and recommendations of Russian scientists, regarding charring rates, there are presented generalized charring rates of wood, the particularity of coal layer measurements is discussed, the calculation of burning duration taking into account theoretical and instrumental methods , however without mentioning the influence of majority of factors... [to full text] / Daugelyje šalių mažo aukštingumo namų statybai gaminamoms įvairioms konstrukcijoms (stogų laikančiosioms konstrukcijoms, sienoms, sijoms, ir kt.) dažnai naudojama mediena. Kilus gaisrui tokiuose pastatuose, labiausiai iš visų degimo požymių yra pastebimas medžio detalių (konstrukcijos elementų) apanglėjimas. Gaisro tyrinėtojams ypač aktualu susieti šį požymį su tam tikrais svarbiais gaisro poveikiais, pvz., jo trukme ar temperatūra, kad būtų galima nustatyti tikslią gaisro kilimo vietą (židinį) bei kilimo būdą (priežastį). Gaisro dinamika apsunkina medienos degimo trukmės nustatymo tikslumą, nes medinėje konstrukcijoje vyksta daug papildomų fizikinių-cheminių procesų. Šie procesai daro didelę įtaką konstrukcijų atsparumui ugniai, o šios įtakos tyrimams reikalingos skirtingų mokslo šakų žinios. Autoritetingi specialistai mano, jog, tiriant gaisrus, apanglėjimo greitis yra nepakankamai įvertinamas ir skiriama jam per mažai dėmesio. Mūsų šalyje naudojamose Rusijos mokslininkų rekomendacijose pateikiami apibendrinti medienos apanglėjimo greičiai, aptariama anglies sluoksnio matavimo specifika, teoriniais bei instrumentiniais metodais apskaičiuojama degimo trukmė, tačiau neįvardijama svarbių veiksnių įtaka.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARy) is a transcription factor that regulates adipogenic genes and preadipocyte factor-1 (pref-1) is a transmembrane protein that regulates preadipocyte differnetiation. The role of PPARy was investigated using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) by measuring PPARy mRNA levels in bovine adipose depots and longissimus dorsi muscle. No significant differences in PPARy mRNA levels were observed between 10 Charolais and 10 Holstein cattle for either tissue. Differences were observed between depots within these breeds. Correlations were performed among PPARy, carcass characteristics, and adipogenic genes. Pref-1 antibodies were used to immunolocate preadipocytes in bovine muscle tissue to the perimycium, near fat cells and blood vessels. The preadipocytes may exist in muscle tissue for short periods of time or may arise from a source external to the muscle. A computer image analysis program was developed for the quanitifaction and characterization of intramuscular fat in whole muscle tissues. / xvi, 154 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.