Issues of fertility, population growth and birth control are synonymous with women. Therefore, there is a void of the male perspective on issues pertaining to reproductive health. There is a reproductive health discourse, in which bio-psychosocial service such as family planning is woman-based. Whilst on the other hand statistics on absent fathers and contested pregnancies, are reaching millions and thus the effectiveness of these services are questionable. Therefore, men’s health and sexuality requires careful understanding so as to unfold narrations of denied paternity and men’s ‘assumed’ lack of responsibility in questions of contraception. Through in-depth interviews with 14 unmarried men from the townships of Soweto and Kagiso, this research found that contraception is a gendered concept that constructs various experiences for men in how they perceive sexual reproductive health services. It also found that denied paternity and father absences are rooted not only in historical factors but also in feminised conceptions of contraception and how this conception speaks to notions of how responsibility is distributed and withheld. Furthermore, it acknowledges that there are different conceptions of denied paternity and father absence and thus, shapes men’s experiences and expectations of fatherhood. Finally, it argues that masculine sexualities, notions of pleasure and issues of fertility are shaped by sexual socialisation processes; this also links how men transition from boyhood to manhood through circumcision and initiation schools not only as a cultural and religious practice but as a health practice. These narratives were captured through using thematic content analysis in investigating unmarried men’s perceptions of contraceptives and ideas of father absence and denied paternity. This research contributes to the existing knowledge on family and children services, with specific attention to family planning and the provision of services to young men and women regarding reproductive rights and responsibilities.

ABSTRACT Sexual selection may influence aspects of male morphology associated with territoriality, female choice, aggression and contest success. Attributes that are most commonly selected for include body size, condition, weaponry, endurance and bright coloration. I investigated the relationships between morphology, use of space and home range quality, and access to females. Specifically, I examined the relationships between colour, body size and condition, and whether morphology could predict aggression or contest success. Colour spectral data were analyzed using both traditional measures of colour (hue, chroma, brightness) and principal components. Males with darker, more saturated chests, and more saturated throats, had larger home ranges. Home range quality, as determined by refuge number and prey availability, was associated with blue chests and blue throats and chests, respectively. Males with larger home ranges had higher numbers of associated females and spent more time courting females. Larger males in better condition had darker, more saturated chests. Males in better body condition were also more aggressive. There was a consistent trend for larger males to win more contests, but this relationship was only significant in analyses using traditional measures of colour.

No description available.

Sexual transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) accounts for the majority of newly acquired infections. Vaccination efforts have induced only modest protection in HIV clinical trials. HIV-1 induces a robust local immune response in genital mucosa of exposed individuals. Understanding the function of naturally occurring antibodies against HIV-1 in genital mucosa, the primary site of transmission, might be instrumental to improving vaccines and antibody-based microbicides. This study focused on HIV-specific antibody responses in the male genital tract (MGT), which is underexplored. We characterized antibody subclasses and specificities in genital tract secretions (seminal plasma, urethral secretions) and blood from a cohort of HIV-1-infected men to determine the origin and distinct nature of antibodies in the MGT. We detected similar HIV-1 IgG titers and specificities in all three body fluids, indicating that MGT IgG likely originates from blood. In contrast, gp41-specific IgA was restricted to genital secretions suggesting a local niche of IgA antibody production. Genital secretions from a subset of individuals neutralized cell-free HIV-1 and blocked cell-to-cell HIV-1 transmission. Statistically, these functions correlated positively with gp41 IgA titers. HIV-specific IgA monoclonal antibodies were also effective in these assays. To explore cell-dependent activities of HIV-specific antibodies in genital mucosa we surveyed Fc receptor expression in mucosal epithelial tissue. The IgG-engaging neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), the IgA receptor FcαRI and the high-affinity intracellular Fc receptor TRIM21 were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blots. In stratified squamous epithelia (foreskin, vagina) FcRn+ epithelial cells were detected primarily in the basal layer, FcαRI+ epithelial cells in suprabasal layers and TRIM21 throughout. Deposits of immunoglobulins in the stratified squamous epithelium colocalized with FcRn, FcαRI and TRIM21. Our findings indicate that the MGT is capable of expressing a local anti-HIV IgA response to achieve antiviral defense through antibody neutralization and cell-dependent functions involving classical immune effector cells and epithelial cells.

This study explores the extent to which the implementation of the National Program for Reproductive Health and Family Planning by the Peruvian Government had consequences in the lives of women who underwent sterilizations. This study is based on a feminist methodology and used interviews as a method of data collection in order to privilege women’s voices and lived experiences from a gender perspective. It addresses notions of biopower and the concept of reproductive health within a framework of intersectionality. Finally, by linking women’s testimonies with the theoretical framework, it was possible to identify that specific Peruvian women, in vulnerable and poor conditions, were targeted by the Government because they did not represent the idea of development, and since then, women are dealing with physical, emotional, and social consequences.

The aim of the study was to describe the reproductive biology of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) and to relate this to aspects of their ecology and social organisation. Within this general framework the specific aims were: (a) To determine the reproductive potential of female chimpanzees and to assess the limits this places on species' reproduction; (b) To examine the adaptive significance of female reproductive physiology in terms of optimal reproductive success; (c) To examine environmental constraints on reproduction; (d) To describe copulatory behaviour and the nature of the three mating patterns shown by wild chimpanzees, and to assess the adaptive significance of the flexible mating system; (e) To relate reproductive behaviour to social organisation in an attempt to assess the role of sexual selection in the evolution of chimpanzee social behaviour and structure.

No description available.

No description available.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Cichlids are one of the most diverse groups of fishes in the world. The highest concentration of cichlids is found in Lake Malawi, where over 1500 species are recorded to occur, which are dominated by the haplochromine tribe. Several authors proposed that sexual selection has been a major contributor in the high rate of speciation of haplochromine cichlids. However, sexual selection alone may not be sufficient to fully explain high speciation rates among cichlids. Many closely related cichlids in Lake Malawi differ only in coloration, yet occur in sympatry. It is still not fully understood how they remain reproductively isolated. Previous studies suggest that visual cues are primarily used for reproductive isolation and species recognition. In the current study, visual, chemical and acoustic cues were investigated to observe how they may potentially influence species recognition and reproductive isolation between two closely related species, Metriaclima estherae and M. callainos, as well as between alternate colour morphs of M. estherae.

acase@tulane.edu / 1 / Lindsay Bartlett