Sperm metabolism is altered during storage by female insects: evidence from two-photon autofluorescence lifetime measurements in bedbugs

We explore the possibility of characterizing sperm cells without the need to stain them using spectral and fluorescence lifetime analyses after multi-photon excitation in an insect model. The autofluorescence emission spectrum of sperm of the common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, was consistent with the presence of flavins and NAD(P)H. The mean fluorescence lifetimes showed smaller variation in sperm extracted from the male (tau m, τ_m = 1.54–1.84 ns) than in that extracted from the female sperm storage organ (tau m, τ_m = 1.26–2.00 ns). The fluorescence lifetime histograms revealed four peaks. These peaks (0.18, 0.92, 2.50 and 3.80 ns) suggest the presence of NAD(P)H and flavins and show that sperm metabolism can be characterized using fluorescence lifetime imaging. The difference in fluorescence lifetime variation between the sexes is consistent with the notion that female animals alter the metabolism of sperm cells during storage. It is not consistent, however, with the idea that sperm metabolism represents a sexually selected character that provides females with information about the male genotype.     

Recension des écrits sur l'impact des contacts sexuels précoces sur les hommes.

A review of the literature on the impact of sexual contacts between adults and boys reveals the existence of two principal outcomes: 1) some participants develop various disorders once in adulthood, such as behavioural problems, sexual disorders, or personality problems; 2) some participants do not present with any major disorders in the long run. These different outcomes may be associated with several moderating variables related to the sexual contacts, such as the level of coercion at the time of these contacts, the bond between the child and the adult, or the context of the sexual relation. However, the conclusions relating to the relations between early sexual contacts with adults and subsequent problems of adaptation in adulthood are difficult to determine. This is because of various methodological problems associated with relevant studies (i.e., definition of these contacts, nature of the sample, method evaluation, statistical analyses). In this article, we propose certain avenues of research that may help clarify this problem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A prospective investigation of the impact of childhood sexual abuse on the development of sexuality.

The sexual attitudes and activities of 77 sexually abused and 89 comparison women (mean age=20.41, SD=3.38) were assessed 10 years after disclosure in a longitudinal, prospective study of the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse. Abused participants were more preoccupied with sex, younger at first voluntary intercourse, more likely to have been teen mothers, and endorsed lower birth control efficacy than comparison participants. When psychological functioning earlier in development was examined, sexual preoccupation was predicted by anxiety, sexual aversion was predicted by childhood sexual behavior problems, and sexual ambivalence (simultaneous sexual preoccupation and sexual aversion) was predicted by pathological dissociation. Findings also indicate that biological father abuse may be associated with greater sexual aversion and sexual ambivalence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Omissions and errors in "Media violence and the American public."

Comments on an article by Bushman and Anderson (see record 2001-17729-001). We are concerned that Bushman and Anderson's article on media violence contains data that are incorrect or irreproducible. This is a serious issue; the article has already been referenced by numerous other formal papers according to a Google scholarly article search as well as in a statement to the U.S. Senate, in legal proceedings, and in California State law (Assembly Bill 1179 in 2005). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and the predisposition to engage in risky or problem behaviors during adolescence.

Longitudinal data from a representative sample of 1,978 Black and White adolescents were used to examine the role of personality in multiple risk or problem behaviors. Results indicate that covariation among diverse behaviors (educational underachievement, delinquent behavior, substance use, sexual behavior) can be adequately modeled by a single higher order factor, and that impulsivity and avoidance coping serve as generalized risk factors for involvement in these behaviors. Whereas none of the personality variables examined explained change in problem behaviors once established, avoidance coping prospectively predicted involvement among a subgroup of adolescents with little or no prior involvement. Results suggest that dysfunctional styles of regulating emotions and emotionally driven behaviors are core features of risky or problem behaviors during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response of captive lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) to different housing conditions: Testing the aggression-density and coping models.

Several studies have suggested that primates react differently to spatial reduction. In this article, the authors tested some general hypotheses on primate response to spatial reduction by studying the Apenheul lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla; Apeldoorn, the Netherlands). The frequency of conflicts did not greatly change between the 2 housing settings, thus not supporting the density- aggression model. Indoor, gorillas performed touching behavior more often and increased their level of reconciliation. These findings support the coping model. Indoor, the gorillas also maintained broader interindividual distances by increasing the levels of sitting alone, avoidance, and dismissing behaviors. In conclusion, the Apenheul gorillas modified selectively the distribution of some patterns typical of their behavioral repertoire in response to a high-density condition. Both avoidance and coping tactics were used, thus revealing high levels of behavioral flexibility in this species. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The aggression paradox: Understanding links among aggression, sensation seeking, and the consideration of future consequences.

Four studies involving 573 female and 272 male college students demonstrated that multiple forms and measures of aggression were associated with high levels of sensation seeking, impulsivity, and a focus on the immediate consequences of behavior. Multiple regression analyses and structural equation models supported a theoretical model based on the general aggression model (C. A. Anderson & B. J. Bushman, 2002), positing that hostile cognition and negative affect mediate the relationships between the aforementioned individual differences and aggression. Sensation seeking also predicted a desire to engage in physical and verbal aggression. The final study demonstrated that relative to those scoring low, individuals scoring high on the consideration of future consequences are only less aggressive when aggression is likely to carry future costs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual orientation-related differences in prepulse inhibition of the human startle response.

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) refers to a reduction in the startle response to a strong sensory stimulus when this stimulus is preceded by a weaker stimulus--the prepulse. PPI reflects a nonlearned sensorimotor gating mechanism and also shows a robust gender difference, with women exhibiting lower PPI than men. The present study examined the eyeblink startle responses to acoustic stimuli of 59 healthy heterosexual and homosexual men and women. Homosexual women showed significantly masculinized PPI compared with heterosexual women, whereas no difference was observed in PPI between homosexual and heterosexual men. These data provide the first evidence for within-gender differences in basic sensorimotor gating mechanisms and implicate the known neural substrates of PPI in human sexual orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unconditioned sexual incentive motivation in the male Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus).

Sexual incentive motivation was evaluated in a procedure consisting of a large open field where incentive animals were confined behind wire mesh openings. When sexually inexperienced male rats (Rattus norvegicus) were exposed to the receptive female-male incentives, they spent more time close to the female. If the incentives were receptive female-nonreceptive female, the receptive female was preferred. However, when the alternatives were nonreceptive female-male, no preference was obtained. Castration abolished preference for the receptive female, and treatment with testosterone propionate restored it. Estradiol plus oil is as efficient as estradiol plus progesterone for giving the ovariectomized female incentive properties. The living female can be replaced with female odor. Sexual experience did not have any long-term effects on the female's incentive value, but immediately preceding limited sexual activity enhanced it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Absence makes the adaptations grow fonder: Proportion of time apart from partner, male sexual psychology, and sperm competition in humans (Homo sapiens).

Sperm competition occurs when the sperm of multiple males concurrently occupy the reproductive tract of a female and compete to fertilize an egg. We used a questionnaire to investigate psychological responses to the risk of sperm competition for 237 men in committed, sexual relationships. As predicted, a man who spends a greater (relative to a man who spends a lesser) proportion of time apart from his partner since the couple's last copulation reported (a) greater sexual interest in his partner, (b) greater distress in response to his partner's sexual rejection, and (c) greater sexual persistence in response to his partner's sexual rejection. All effects were independent of total time since the couple's last copulation and the man's relationship satisfaction. Discussion addresses limitations of the current research and situates the current results within the broader comparative literature on adaptation to sperm competition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)