Passive Partner Research Articles

Love Between Women in the Acts of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca

Love Between Women in the Acts of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca Christy Cobb (bio) I first encountered Bernadette Brooten's Love Between Women as a master's degree student at Wake Forest University. It was, perhaps, the first time an academic book spoke to me personally. It showed me the power of academia to impact people. I devoured the book. I read it, reread it, marked it up, and wrote in the margins. My copy of this book is beloved. Brooten provided me with the language, the texts, the proof, that women had been loving women since antiquity. I am certain I am not alone in my appreciation of Love Between Women. I imagine others read this book at some point in the last twenty-five years and felt similarly. For these reasons, it is an honor to add to the conversation about the impact of Love Between Women. For my contribution, I consider the ethos of ancient sexuality, which in recent years has been scrutinized by scholars. In my view, Brooten's project anticipated this conversation and also set the groundwork for current and future work on sexuality in the ancient world. Thus, I begin with an overview of the dominant scholarly view of sex in the Greco-Roman world and then provide examples of two scholars—Joseph Marchal and Maia Kotrosits—who offer alternative options to this prevalent view. I subsequently propose some possibilities for expanding upon the theorizing of sexuality begun in Love Between Women. I do this through a reading of the Acts of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca, an early Christian narrative, that focuses on the eroticism and pleasure present in the text, specifically as they surface in the relationships between women. Brooten begins Love Between Women with a discussion of the view dominant in the Greco-Roman world concerning sexuality, that is, the hierarchical binary of active and passive sexual roles. The typical description of this view goes something like this: in antiquity, sex was understood to be primarily about penetration. One partner was active and penetrated the other partner, who passively received this penetration. The active partner was male while the passive partner [End Page 161] could be female or male, but in either case was feminized. As long as the partners remained in their stratified roles as active and passive, sex was viewed as "natural." This phallocentric view of sex in antiquity was (and is) a dominant one within scholarship. As Brooten notes, though, "social reality was, however, more complex than the ideology."1 In fact, female homoeroticism complicates this view, as not all sex between women involves penetration, and even when women were depicted through this paradigm, the woman receiving penetration was not always passive. Brooten also notes that women who refused to be penetrated by a man or who were "erotically oriented toward women" stood outside these socially accepted roles. Sexual relationships that did not fit within the active/passive paradigm were viewed as unnatural and therefore condemned; this includes, of course, female homoeroticism. In recent years, several scholars in our field have challenged this hierarchical view of sex in the ancient world as active/passive. For example, in his essay in Bodies on the Verge, Joseph Marchal rethinks this paradigm through a consideration of those on the bottom, or the persons who were depicted as the receptive participant in sex.2 In addition to examples from ancient texts, material culture further complicates the phallocentric view of sex within antiquity. Graffiti in Pompeii, for instance, suggests that both men and women experienced active pleasure while receiving penetration.3 Marchal writes, "Penetration and, or as, domination is not the whole story, even if that equation reflects the social order or at least the perspective of those at the pyramidal apex of power."4 Maia Kotrosits also challenges the penetration paradigm through a reading that focuses on pleasure instead of penetration.5 Offering a new model to counter the focus on active/passive sex roles, Kotrosits turns to the Acts of Paul and Thecla in order to "attend to some places in ancient literature that register an erotic relationality that does not fit comfortably with figurations of penetration."6 In doing so, she...

The Role of Community in Venturing for a Better World Together

Scholars have argued that any entrepreneurial attempts to address societal issues may fall short without incorporating the role of community as an endogenous component to venturing, as opposed to treating community as an exogenous contextual variable. A growing but disparate body of entrepreneurship research centers specifically on the role of community, and has explored the involvement of community as actors, recipients, or stakeholders in entrepreneurial outcomes. However, research progress is hampered by both the ambiguity surrounding the definition of community, and how community is engaged in the research process. Building on the idea of the community as a stakeholder with constant presence but varying involvement in the entrepreneurial process, we advocate viewing community as a passive or active embedded partner in the entrepreneurial process. Using this agentic view of community, the speakers in our symposium discuss approaches to conduct research at the intersection of community and entrepreneurship to “create a better world together”. The symposium will close with a brainstorming session regarding future research questions designed to elevate and refine scholarship at the intersection of community, entrepreneurship, and positive social change.

ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE AND PROSPECTS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN UKRAINE AND THE IMF

The article considers the chronology of cooperation between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The significance and role of loans of this institution in the conditions of economic and social reforms are revealed. The effectiveness of Ukraine’s interaction with the IMF is assessed and the corresponding risks are investigated; the rationality and necessity of cooperation between Ukraine and the IMF have been proved. Emphasis is placed on the fact that the relations between Ukraine and the IMF must move away from the position of a «passive partner». A systematic analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of such a cooperation is conducted. It is proved that there is a need to develop effective and efficient reform measures that would address a range of economic and social issues that should be seen as today’s challenges. Recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of cooperation between Ukraine and the IMF are proposed. Among them are: (a) use of financial and credit resources for the development of the country’s economy through internal transformations; (b) debt burden optimization; (c) creation of favourable conditions for doing business; and (d) creation of a positive image of a solvent country.

THE IMPACT OF INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES ON THE PRODUCER-CONSUMER-EATER RELATIONSHIP

The consumer is looking for good food and better nutrition. He understood very well that food and health are closely linked. What is confirmed today is the feeling of a change in the apparent balance of knowledge and power in relation to food, which requires some adjustment on the part of producers. This article, based on a review of the scientific literature, aims to understand how the use of the Internet changes the relationship between producer and consumer, resulting from the increase in the number of consumers of the Internet. According to the analysis, the development of food trade on the Internet contributes to changing this relationship between producer and consumer. The consumer no longer assumes the role of passive partner, but becomes more “empowered” or enters into more equal relations with brands thanks to digital devices.

Diagnosis and case finding according to key partner risk populations of people living with HIV in Nigeria: A retrospective analysis of community-led index partner testing services.

SummaryBackgroundThe HIV epidemic in Nigeria is concentrated in Key Populations (KP), people who inject drugs (PWID), men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), and partners of people living with HIV. Due to stigma and discrimination, these groups have low access to HIV testing services (HTS) and linkage to treatment is challenging. To address this gap, index partner testing, targeting sexual contacts and injecting partners of KP index clients, was introduced in 2017.MethodsThe study was a retrospective analysis of community-led HIV index partner testing-involving review of secondary data from partner notification services registers. Between October 1, 2018, and September 30, 2019, HIV testing as part of index partner testing services was offered at nightclubs, hotels, and community-based ART clinics in the states of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Lagos. Index testing was assisted by peer navigators. We used provider and passive Partner Notification (PN) methods. In-person and social network methods were used to recruit partners of KP. We described the implementation of index partner testing services as part of the national KP program, analyzed PN delivery models, and calculated HIV seropositivity among persons who underwent Index Partner Testing. One-Way ANOVA and Tukey-HSD test were performed to determine whether the differences in mean HIV seropositivity between partners are statistically significant.FindingsPN was predominantly done through provider referral 5,159 (68.3%) and passive/client referral 2,278 (30.1%). A total of 3,119 index partners; 1,322 FSW (42.4%), 1,255 MSM (40.2%) and 542 PWID (17.4%) identified 8,989 sexual and injecting partners (index partner ratio 1:2.9). Among the partners, 7,556 (84.1%) were first-time testers, and 79.4% (5,999) of male partners tested. Of the 3,753 (49.7%) partners who tested HIV-positive, 3,492 (93.0%) were enrolled in HIV care. HIV seropositivity rate was 65.5% (1,021/1,557) among females and 45.5% (2,732/5,999) among males and was disproportionately higher among PWID injecting partners 99.1% (581/586), PWID sexual partners 98.9% (433/438) and MSM sexual partners 95.6% (605/633) in Cross river compared with 71.4% (575/805) in FSW sexual partners.InterpretationsIncluding index partner testing as part of a community-led HTS can help improve HIV case-finding approach for KP, particularly for reaching first-time testers, male KP, and persons not yet diagnosed with HIV. Scale-up of index partner testing within community-led HTS is essential for achieving the United Nations 95–95–95 goals.FundingThis research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Gibbon strategies in a food competition task

Social primates face conflicts of interest with other partners when their individual and collective interests collide. Despite living in small, primarily bonded, groups compared to other social primates, gibbons are not exempt from these conflicts in their everyday lives. In the current task, we asked whether dyads of gibbons would solve a conflict of interest over food rewards. We presented dyads of gibbons with a situation in which they could decide whether to take an active role and pull a handle to release food rewards at a distance or take a passive role and avoid action. In this situation, the passive partner could take an advantageous position to obtain the rewards over the active partner. Gibbons participated in three conditions: a control condition with no food rewards, a test condition with indirect food rewards and a test condition with direct food rewards. In both test conditions, five rewards were released at a distance from the handle. In addition, the active individual could obtain one extra food reward from the handle in the direct food condition. We found that gibbons acted more often in the two conditions involving food rewards, and waited longer in the indirect compared to the direct food condition, thus suggesting that they understood the task contingencies. Surprisingly, we found that in a majority of dyads, individuals in the active role obtained most of the payoff compared to individuals in the passive role in both food conditions. Furthermore, in some occasions individuals in the active role did not approach the location where the food was released. These results suggest that while gibbons may strategize to maximize benefits in a competitive food task, they often allowed their partners to obtain better rewards. Our results highlight the importance of social tolerance and motivation as drivers promoting cooperation in these species.

A randomized controlled trial evaluating combination detection of HIV in Malawian sexually transmitted infections clinics.

IntroductionHIV diagnosis is the necessary first step towards HIV care initiation, yet many persons living with HIV (PLWH) remain undiagnosed. Employing multiple HIV testing strategies in tandem could increase HIV detection and promote linkage to care. We aimed to assess an intervention to improve HIV detection within socio‐sexual networks of PLWH in two sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinics in Lilongwe, Malawi.MethodsWe conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate an intervention combining acute HIV infection (AHI) screening, contract partner notification and social contact referral versus the Malawian standard of care: serial rapid serological HIV tests and passive partner referral. Enrolment occurred between 2015 and 2019. HIV‐seropositive persons (two positive rapid tests) were randomized to the trial arms and HIV‐seronegative (one negative rapid test) and ‐serodiscordant (one positive test followed by a negative confirmatory test) persons were screened for AHI with HIV RNA testing. Those found to have AHI were offered enrolment into the intervention arm. Our primary outcome of interest was the number of new HIV diagnoses made per index participant within participants’ sexual and social networks. We also calculated total persons, sexual partners and PLWH (including those previously diagnosed) referred per index participant.ResultsA total of 1230 HIV‐seropositive persons were randomized to the control arm, and 561 to the intervention arm. Another 12,713 HIV‐seronegative or ‐serodiscordant persons underwent AHI screening, resulting in 136 AHI cases, of whom 94 enrolled into the intervention arm. The intervention increased the number of new HIV diagnoses made per index participant versus the control (ratio: 1.9; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2 to 3.1). The intervention also increased the numbers of persons (ratio: 2.5; 95% CI: 2.0 to 3.2), sexual partners (ratio: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.4 to 2.0) and PLWH (ratio: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.7 to 3.2) referred per index participant.ConclusionsCombining three distinct HIV testing and referral strategies increased the detection of previously undiagnosed HIV infections within the socio‐sexual networks of PLWH seeking STI care. Combination HIV detection strategies that leverage AHI screening and socio‐sexual contact networks offer a novel and efficacious approach to increasing HIV status awareness.

Somatic deficiency causes reproductive parasitism in a fungus

Some multicellular organisms can fuse because mergers potentially provide mutual benefits. However, experimental evolution in the fungus Neurospora crassa has demonstrated that free fusion of mycelia favours cheater lineages, but the mechanism and evolutionary dynamics of this exploitation are unknown. Here we show, paradoxically, that all convergently evolved cheater lineages have similar fusion deficiencies. These mutants are unable to initiate fusion but retain access to wild-type mycelia that fuse with them. This asymmetry reduces cheater-mutant contributions to somatic substrate-bound hyphal networks, but increases representation of their nuclei in the aerial reproductive hyphae. Cheaters only benefit when relatively rare and likely impose genetic load reminiscent of germline senescence. We show that the consequences of somatic fusion can be unequally distributed among fusion partners, with the passive non-fusing partner profiting more. We discuss how our findings may relate to the extensive variation in fusion frequency of fungi found in nature.

Development of Obesity: The Driver and the Passenger.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions and is one of the greatest challenges for public health in the twenty-first century. The macronutrient composition of diets, in particular the amount and ratio of carbohydrates, fat and protein, have received considerable attention in recent decades due to its potential relevance to the development of obesity and weight loss. The effects of various macronutrients on body weight regulation are still under debate. High-carbohydrate diets, and particularly high-fat diets, have been blamed for the increase in the prevalence of obesity. This paper shows that neither fat nor carbohydrates are fattening per se. Mixed diets with substantial amounts of fat and high-glycemic carbohydrates, like current WDs, are required to promote weight gain and obesity. High-glycemic carbohydrates are the active partner (the “driver”), which promotes fat storage through its insulinogenic effect, while fat is the passive partner (the “passenger”) on the way to obesity. Elevated insulin levels (postprandial, but more importantly due to hypersecretion and hyperinsulinemia) promote fat storage and play a key role in obesogenesis and the obesity epidemic. Furthermore, mixed diets high in high-glycemic carbohydrates and fat promote fetal programming, with long-term adverse impacts on the offspring, including insulin hypersecretion, (childhood) obesity and metabolic diseases. Maternal obesity and high weight gain during pregnancy have also been linked to deleterious effects on fetal programming. As the global obesity epidemic increasingly affects women of reproductive age, a significant percentage of fetuses will experience fetal programming with a tendency towards obesity – a self-reinforcing process that further fuels the epidemic. A change in lifestyle and diet composition is needed to prevent or limit the development of obesity and related diseases.

The Regulation of “Sodomy” in the Latin East and West

The Regulation of “Sodomy” in the Latin East and West

Assessment of sexual identity, sexual-behavior and self-reported medical and psychosocial issues of men who have sex with men in Chandigarh, India

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a vulnerable group who are susceptible to high incidence of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The objective of the study was to assess sexual identity, sexual behavior and self-reported medical and psychosocial issues of MSM in Chandigarh, India.Methods: A total 115 MSM were included in the study from two Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) centres of Chandigarh and were selected using simple random sampling. The interview was conducted in the office of NGOs centre with the help of an interview schedule. Results were analysed using descriptive analysis.Results: Nearly half of the participants (48.7%) self-reported their identity as bisexual and 27.8% of them identified them as Kothi (passive partner). Approximately one third of (33.9%) MSMs reported their first sexual relationship as ‘non-consensual’ and 19.1% reported themselves as a victim of child abuse. Six percent participants reported symptoms of depressed mood, 22.6% of MSMs had suicidal thoughts and 11.3% had tried to attempt suicide at least once. STIs symptoms were reported by 15.6% of the participants in the last three months; while 2.6% were HIV positive.Conclusions: Psychosocial issues and health problems are triggering factors for suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt in the MSM population.

Pigmented macules on hands and feet due to Secondary Syphilis

A 24-year old male developed friendship with another male person and had unprotected sex with him as active and passive partner. After 2 months he noticed an ulcer over the penis for which he took treatment from a village doctor. The ulcer healed in 10 days. After 4 months he developed asymptomatic pigmented skin lesions on hands and feet. Clinical examination and investigations showed it to be Secondary Syphilis and 3 doses of injection Benzathine penicillin 24 lakh units IM was given. Skin lesions regressed slowly.

Health System Factors Influencing Partner Notification for STIs and HIV in Lilongwe Malawi. A Pre-intervention Phase Assessment for a Quality Improvement Project

IntroductionDespite its wide use, passive partner notification (PN) has a low yield of sexual partners influenced by patient-related and health system (HS) factors.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study and clinic observations during a pre-intervention phase of a quality improvement (QI) project to identify HS factors that influenced passive PN at Bwaila STI unit (BSU) in Lilongwe Malawi from January to February 2016. We conducted 15 in-depth interviews with health workers and clinic observations for six clinic flow and PN processes at the clinic.ResultsThe majority of health workers felt that the lack of incentives for sexual partners or couples who presented to the clinic was the most important negative HS factor that influenced passive PN. We observed an average clinic start time of 09:02 hours. The average duration of the group health talk was 56 minutes and there was no difference in the time spent at the clinic between index cases and partners (1 hour 41 minutes versus 1 hour 36 minutes respectively).DiscussionLack of incentives for sexual partners or couples was the most important HS factors that impacted the yield of sexual partners. Interventions focusing on designing simple non-monetary incentives and QI of passive PN should be encouraged.

Improving STI and HIV Passive Partner Notification using the Model for Improvement: A Quality Improvement Study in Lilongwe Malawi.

Background:In Malawi, passive partner notification is the mainstay method of partner notification (PN). Despite its wide use, the proportion of sexual partners referred for care through this method is very low. We aimed to increase the proportion of sexual partner referral through passive PN.Methods:We implemented a quality improvement (QI) project at Bwaila STI unit in Lilongwe, Malawi between January and June 2017 using a pre- and post- intervention quasi-experimental study design. Pre-intervention, we conducted key-informant interviews and clinic observations and used the findings to design a QI project using expert opinion. The intervention included three change ideas: early start time of the clinic, shortening of the group health talk and expedited clinic flow for sexual partners. Each change idea was tested twice through 1-week long Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles using the model for improvement (MFI) and then combined and tested twice. Process data were collected and monitored using run charts. Post-intervention, we evaluated the proportion of sexual partners who presented to the clinic, to detect a 10% increase at 95% power and α=0.05, between pre- and post-intervention periods.Results:The average duration of the group health talk dropped from 56 minutes to 38 minutes and the duration of clinic stay for sexual partners reduced by 45 minutes (from 1hour 36 minutes to 51 minutes). The average clinic start time improved from 09:02 hours to 08:17 hours. The proportion of sexual partner referral increased by 37% (P=0.04) - from 15.6% to 21.4%. We observed an upward trend in the proportion of sexual partners referred in the post-intervention period.Conclusion:The yield of sexual partners through passive PN was improved using a simple QI intervention implemented using the MFI. However, the proportion of sexual partner referral remains suboptimal. More effort is required to increase the proportion of sexual partner referral in Malawi.

Proximity-induced low-energy renormalization in hybrid semiconductor-superconductor Majorana structures

A minimal model for the hybrid superconductor-semiconductor nanowire Majorana platform is developed that fully captures the effects of the low-energy renormalization of the nanowire modes arising from the presence of the parent superconductor. In this model, the parent superconductor is an active component that participates explicitly in the low-energy physics, not just a passive partner that only provides proximity-induced Cooper pairs for the nanowire. This treatment on an equal footing of the superconductor and the semiconductor has become necessary in view of recent experiments, which do not allow a consistent interpretation based just on the bare semiconductor properties. The general theory involves the evaluation of the exact semiconductor Green function that includes a dynamical self-energy correction arising from the tunnel-coupled superconductor. General conditions for the emergence of topological superconductivity are worked out for single-band as well as multi-band nanowires and detailed numerical results are given for both infinite and finite wire cases. The topological quantum phase diagrams are provided numerically and the Majorana bound states are obtained along with their oscillatory energy splitting behaviors due to wavefunction overlap in finite wires. Renormalization effects are shown to be both qualitatively and quantitatively important in modifying the low-energy spectrum of the nanowire. The results of the theory are found to be in good qualitative agreement with Majorana nanowire experiments, leading to the conclusion that the proximity-induced low-energy renormalization of the nanowire modes by the parent superconductor is of fundamental importance in superconductor-semiconductor hybrid structures. Implications of the general theory for obtaining true zero energy topological Majorana modes are pointed out.

Godot, an Israeli Critic

Godot is not only offstage, he is the personification of offstage. Though years of (missed) encounters have passed since he was absent from his first appearance in 1955, Israelis still regard him as born and bred in their own neighbourhood. As a once-new immigrant to a country of immigrants, Godot’s familiarity has rapidly developed, and from one Israeli production to the next he has grown to be a doppelganger, an open-eyed though mute spokesman, an active and activating contradiction in terms: a dark mirror held up to Israeli values, ideas and behaviours. As an unseen, aggressively passive partner, Godot has been harnessed to absorb and then project major Israeli mental, social, political and ideological issues and identities.

Passive partner choice through exploitation barriers

Floral features that affect the efficiency with which pollinators can harvest their resources, or the profitability they obtain from them, affect the foraging decisions of pollinators. Foraging choices of pollinators, in turn, affect pollen flow: increases in flower constancy lead to more efficient pollen transport. It follows that exploitation barriers—flower traits that differentially affect net intake rates of potential visitors—will promote resource partitioning and enhance pollen export. In this paper we first generalise foraging models to show that exploitation barriers can lead to partial resource partitioning even when flowers are randomly distributed in space. Then we develop a model to study how the foraging rules of pollinators, pollen removal and pollen deposition, affect pollen flow. The model shows that resource partitioning, even incomplete, can substantially increase the efficiency of pollen flow. Finally, we use computer simulations to demonstrate that exploitation barriers promoting partial resource partitioning can evolve. Many of the flower traits associated with pollination syndromes have small but consistent effects on the efficiency with which different taxonomic groups exploit flowers, and can be considered exploitation barriers. Even if these barriers are not strong enough to promote strict specialisation, and may have little effect on the female component of fitness when pollinators are not a limiting resource, they are likely to be selected because they enhance the male component of fitness.

Assisted partner notification services to augment HIV testing and linkage to care in Kenya: study protocol for a cluster randomized trial.

BackgroundHIV case-finding and linkage to care are critical for control of HIV transmission. In Kenya, >50% of seropositive individuals are unaware of their status. Assisted partner notification is a public health strategy that provides HIV testing to individuals with sexual exposure to HIV and are at risk of infection and disease. This parallel, cluster-randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and feasibility of implementing HIV assisted partner notification services at HIV testing sites (clusters) in Kenya.Methods/designEighteen sites were selected among health facilities in Kenya with well-established, high-volume HIV testing programs, to reflect diverse communities and health-care settings. Restricted randomization was used to balance site characteristics between study arms (n = 9 per arm). Sixty individuals testing HIV positive (‘index partners’) will be enrolled per site (inclusion criteria: ≥18 years, positive HIV test at a study site, willing to disclose sexual partners, and never enrolled for HIV care; exclusion criteria: pregnancy or high risk of intimate partner violence). Index partners provide names and contact information for all sexual partners in the past 3 years. At intervention sites, study staff immediately contact sexual partners to notify them of exposure, offer HIV testing, and link to care if HIV seropositive. At control sites, passive partner referral is performed according to national guidelines, and assisted partner notification is delayed by 6 weeks. Primary outcomes, assessed 6 weeks after index partner enrollment and analyzed at the cluster level, are the number of partners accepting HIV testing and number of HIV infections diagnosed and linked to care per index partner. Secondary outcomes are the incremental cost-effectiveness of partner notification and the costs of identifying >1 partner per index case. Participants are closely monitored for adverse outcomes, particularly intimate partner violence. The study is unblinded due to practical limitations.DiscussionThis rigorously designed trial will inform policy decisions regarding implementation of HIV partner notification services in Kenya, with possible application to other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Examination of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in diverse settings will enable targeted application and define best practices.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01616420.

Goethe Männer Knaben: Ansichten zur “Homosexualität.” by W. Daniel Wilson (review)

W Daniel Wilson, Manner Knaben: Ansichten zur Homosexualitat. Trans. Angela Steidele. Berlin: Insel, 2012. 503 pp.,4l ills.W. Daniel Wilson's engaging, thorough, and original analysis of the role of male-male and sexual desire in Goethe's writings makes significant advances in our understanding of Greek in the age of Goethe, as well as of Goethe's contributions the representation of same-sex desire in the West. Published in German, the text reads smoothly and elegantly despite its highly scholarly and even technical nature-no doubt in part thanks Angela Steidele's translation. While most of Wilson's conclusions about Goethe's writings are convincing, framing of and approach Goethe's texts and the study of sexuality provide an opportunity for stimulating discussions about the international study of sexuality and textuality.Wilson's study begins with stunning interpretation of Goethe's poem Ganymed (1774). The poem, concluding with its beautiful harmonization of active and passive in the phrase umfangend umfangen, sets about do nothing less than provide a radical reinterpretation of Greek love, by unsettling the dynamics between the classical Greek erastes and eromenos, the lover and the beloved (60; all translations are my own). The beloved Greek shepherd, long por- trayed as the passive object of the attentions of the lover Zeus, finds in Goethe's poem,for the first time in 2,500 years of literary history, (69)ForWilson,Ganymed stands in opposition Der Erlkonig (1782), in that the former tells the story of sexually mature youth who desires the attentions of the lover, while the latter represents the feelings of boy who is the unwilling object of an older man's advances. Wilson argues that Mignon, from the Wilhelm Meister novels, is similar the boy in the Erlkonig-that is, the victim of sexual violence. He concludes with the tantalizing suggestion that might in fact have been castrated, which would certainly shed revelatory light on the following line in the poem Mignon (aka Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen bluhn?): Was hat man dir, du armes Kind,getan? (2:4).In chapter on Goethe's experiences in Italy, where-as reported in 1787 in letter written Duke Carl August-he came upon many instances of the love of men amongst themselves, Wilson demonstrates virtuosic hermeneutic gifts, with an especially compelling and comprehensive interpretation of the Venetian Epigrams. Composed in response trip in 1790 Venice, published in highly edited form in 1796, and mutilated by censors in the archives, the Epigrams present notoriously difficult interpretive challenge. Wilson argues convincingly that originally planned homoerotic subcycle (117) within the Epigrams, focusing on, in Goethe's own phrase, the four boys from antiquity, Hylas, Hyacinth, Giton, and Antinous, the beloveds of Hercules, Apollo, Encolpius (of the Satyricon), and Emperor Hadrian, respectively. Once again, Goethe continues lifelong project of giving voice the allegedly passive partner, the maturing youth, who remains mute in the ancient sources (124).The public humiliation of Johannes Muller, the Swiss historian who fell victim student in Vienna claiming represent Hungarian suitor, encouraged to give up discretion, take stand, and raise (135). Immediately after the scandal, offered Muller employment at the Jenaische Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung, emphasizing his support for man whose same-sex tendencies had been exploited (136). Wilson argues that Miiller's travails inspired publish homage Winckelmann (1805), which openly and positively portrays the art historian's male-male as masculine and laudable. The Winckelmann essay appeared in opposition an increasingly socially conservative and homophobic cultural turn, as late Romanticism became nationalistic, anti-Semitic, and homophobic. …

Recent developments in vascular biology.

The field of vascular biology has transformed dramatically in recent years as new research has elucidated complex roles of novel proteins, stem/progenitor/hematopoietic cells, and miRNAs as well as redox signaling in vascular development, vascular tone regulation and disease in preclinical models and clinical settings. Review of this body of work highlights seminal findings and new developments that emphasize and illuminate underlying principles and historical connections. In the 1980s, there was the frenzied search for the identity of the Endothelium-Derived Relaxing Factor (EDRF; ie, NO).1,2 In the 1990s, the elucidation of myriad EDHFs (hyperpolarizing factors, eg, H2O2, K+, arachidonic acid metabolites) expanded endothelial cell complexity beyond NO.3–5 In the 2000s, the endothelial cell generation and overall cardiovascular effects of H2S were hotly pursued.6,7 In the 2010s, the role of the perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) derived relaxing and contractile factors in vascular regulation under physiological and disease promoting conditions (eg, diet-induced obesity, metabolic syndrome) has emerged as a new integrative vascular issue of import because of the obesity epidemic.8 Critically important mechanisms continue to be sources of interest and renewed research. Indeed, the panoply of endothelium-derived factors that regulate vascular tone continues to grow, and identifying new ones will only enhance our understanding of the diverse factors that regulate vascular tone and blood flow in context-dependent ways. As elucidated in the article by Zhang et al, entitled “H2O2-induced dilation in human coronary arterioles: role of protein kinase G dimerization and large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel activation,” redox-mediated VSMC K+-channel opening ultimately leads to relaxation and dilation in coronary blood vessels.9 Similarly, PPAR-γ stimulated Regulatory G-protein S 5 (RGS5)-control of Protein Kinase C-mediated opening of calcium-activated …