Private Parts Research Articles

Missing Person, and: Scared to Hold the Baby

Missing Person*, and: Scared to Hold the Baby A. H. Jerriod Avant (bio) MISSING PERSON Last time home, I saw a pair of shoes tucked into a cornerand it looked as if they hadn’t been moved since he was here. The dust on them sacred and still, when I’m home, my mindlabors, in the dust. It’s been 6 years but I say it hasn’t happened. Though the day persists, he’s still tucked into a cloud tucked intoa tree in the back of a long black car and my throat won’t let my heart through no matter how flat my epiglottis falls. All aboutthe day breaking is clean so why this horror? A nightmare in my wake. A black silk-blend pressed smooth, upholstering silentemotion, boldly not a dent on him. We dare name this night with its sun out high, hanging by its hands where the room wastoo small to be holding so much ache. Our worlds now captured by a piece of forest carved tightly, hinges now let us in or shut us outbut they fail to shut him in. A tree uprooted. The one I fell from, and I’m the only one to find him showing up in my day. Meetings,business trips scattered him and I knew he’d be back but not back so soon or in this form and the way I am nervous about itall, if I am losing it and if he’s gone how is he here with me? The dining room table, an altar where we open all bodies, eithergive or take, how his form sits in cheer, naked torso and you are to act as if his generous breasts aren’t private parts. I don’tsee how I see what I’m seeing. My eyes shaping a silhouette [End Page 240] of the man who raised me as the sun raises all of our sleepyshadows. What gives when two realms refuse to budge and won’t make that sway completely to either world? Imaginationis a long, worn, leather belt spread around my only hope; this yearning for Pops to adjourn a meeting he’s not in, get hometo build dinner around venison; a staple holding us full. The dates leading up, I never get wrong. Their quick succession still stings.It seems I’m always in a reality I shouldn’t be in. Somehow our home preserves certain fingerprints. I map them and becomebored with the maps of this world. I would abandon one realm for another when I watch him swing into the driveway and catchhis breath from the day, before exiting the vehicle. I watch him honk the horn before he’s honking it. Passes me a crisp fifty-dollar bill because I’m there. Hands me baskets of new pecans and muscadines we’ll use. I hear him telling me howI’m trying to split the log against the grain and how that’ll wear me out the same way lying will. The same way alcoholwill, my liver and not cleaning the yard will eat at the lawnmower’s blades. I got a thing for fumbling through couplets. I hear himasking have I talked to Momma and he knows I have and what I’m about to say. How I’m knocking on the window of this otherrealm, begging to sing my confusion until he understands me. I’m eleven hundred and fifty-four miles from home, farther fromhim, and still, we continue this secret, of running into each other. [End Page 241] SCARED TO HOLD THE BABY the door wore a hopeful sign reading somebody gone wasgon “be back later.” some universal late shyt. an overworkedendocrinologist claims a thirty-minute callback but don’t ever call back. laid down horny & fatigued in the bed withits cracked clocks but not even these can drain the wildenergy from my hands. something says pull & pull & throw these few bags of faith I have at a fat absence. i throw mymuthaphukin’ hands up. plant these dead seeds in...

Treading Water

Treading Water Dionne Irving (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Photo courtesy of the author [End Page 48] As long as I have been able to afford it in my adult life, I have found, whenever possible, a swimming pool. I learned to swim in Canada of all places, the only little black girl in my swimming class. I had been anxious to get in the water for as long as I could remember. My only delay was the tubes I’d had put in my ears at three years old. I come from island people, and my love of water happens on the prereflective level, joyfully, and with abandon. The [End Page 49] smells of sea, of salt, of chlorine, of damp, slightly moldy bathing suits—all make me happy. My people come from Hong Kong, India, Africa, Scotland, and have ended up in Jamaica, Canada, and now the United States. I am the first who will have lived most of my life here. My family history is a collection of names and a handful of dates, most lost or faded. Like the way the ocean pounds away at the shore, our history, like the white sand of the island, slips through my fingers all the time. Both heritage and joy bring me to the water. I swim laps, sometimes in community swimming pools or at fancy gyms with heated pools and bins thick with flutter boards. I will sometimes emerge from a stroke to see an older black person staring at me, the man or woman usually in his or her sixties or seventies. They might be a part of a water aerobics class or running in a physical therapy pool. If I catch their eye, they will say “Hello” or “Good morning” or “Good evening.” Our pleasantries break them from some kind of trance. I return to my laps, turning my head usually to the right in order to take a breath. I love feeling my lungs expand and contract as I move through the water. I am aware of them for the first time all day. I marvel at my body’s capacity to stay buoyant, to take in air, to propel me forward. There are no sounds but the thrum of my heart and the cadence of my breath. In these moments, I understand the human body as a beautiful construct. When I stop, out of breath and panting, those eyes are on me again, watching. As a symbol, water can be heavy-handed. My writing students too often use it as a metaphor. They come back to it again and again to indicate cleansing or purification. Bad student poems are usually where one finds water used as a metaphor to describe rebirth or the miraculous. But I find that I come back to it as often as my students do. Water captivates me. Water is refreshing but powerful, pleasurable, and dangerous. Figuratively, literally, symbolically, it has no equal for potency. Water is both backyard Slip’N Slide and tsunami. When we swim, when we plunge into oceans or lakes or backyard swimming pools, we feel some mastery over water, as though it could be ours to control. In these spaces we don’t wear much clothing and are in close contact with strangers. In and around these bodies of water, we reveal our public private parts. I think about this every time I pull on a bathing suit. I look at the way each of my “flaws” becomes visible and open for judgment. As we swim together, we experience intimacy [End Page 50] regardless of age, race, or size. Each time we enter the water in a public space, we show ourselves. It took me a few years of living in the United States before I understood the way water is loaded for African Americans. A horrible legacy surrounds water, and the story of who has access to it is a story dominated by a violence that is intricately tied to the ongoing battle for civil rights. It took me a few years of living in the United States before I understood the way water is loaded for African Americans. A horrible...

Prevalence of child sexual abuse: a comparison among 4 Italian epidemiological studies.

Although many epidemiological studies defining child sexual abuse prevalence rates in many countries of the world are now available, Italy presents a lack of data regarding this specific issue. Only recently some attempts to define the epidemiology of this public health problem have been tried. Between 2003 and 2010, the Department of Public Health at University of Milan was in charge of one of the more important study of this kind in Italy, involving almost 3000 students aged 18 attending secondary schools in the City of Milan who filled out an anonymous questionnaire aiming at detecting their previous experiences of sexual victimization during childhood and adolescence. After this first edition, the study was replicated among students attending secondary schools in the city of Varese, in the area of Piedmont and in Basilicata (area of Lauria), using the same investigational model and questionnaire. This paper presents the main data collected through four different epidemiological studies using the same methodology and survey tool. Considering at least one of the five different forms of child sexual abuse surveyed (being exposed to pornography, being touched on private parts, being forced to masturbate an older person, being forced to perform oral sex, or being penetrated), the prevalence rate among our samples ranges between a minimum of 12.5% (Varese) and a maximum of 34.1% (Lauria). In Lauria the research reveals a higher prevalence rate of child sexual abuse, especially among the male population, for all typologies of abuse but being touched in their private parts. In all other geographical areas and for all typologies of abuse, there is always a higher prevalence among girls, with the only exception of abuse such as being exposed to pornographic materials.

Understanding and Enhancing the Pediatric Radiology Patient's Experience

M any radiology residents spend only a few months on rotations in pediatric radiology, and important topics do not get the attention they deserve. Yet there are crucial differences between the radiology of adults and children that every resident needs to learn about. Those who may be called on to care for infants and children need to understand how to approach the challenges younger patients can present. This article provides an overview of the pediatric patient’s experience. Signs of distress among pediatric imaging patients are not uncommon. In many departments, patients can be seen weeping, protesting, and even actively resisting the efforts of radiology personnel (1). In some cases, examinations must be cancelled for lack of patient and/or family member cooperation, wasting time and resources, fomenting frustration, and delaying or even preventing an important step in the patient’s care. Also, the distress of one patient, as manifested by cries of distress, can ripple through an entire department, heightening the anxiety of others. The “contagion” of anxiety applies not only to patients, but also to family members. Sometimes the greatest source of a pediatric patient’s distress lies not in the patient but in the fears of a parent (2). On some occasions, patients arrive for their imaging procedure positively terrified because of what they have been told by a family member. Efforts to calm fears frequently need to take into account the patient’s family, and some of the most important work is often done before the patient even arrives in the radiology department (3). Potentially frightening aspects of the pediatric patient’s imaging experience include the hospital’s sights (obviously sick people), sounds (patients in distress), odors (rubbing alcohol), the equipment (which might be mistaken for an instrument of torture), prolonged isolation and/or immobilization, and the discomfort and even pain associated with imaging procedures themselves, such as the insertion of an intravenous line or nasogastric tube. One key to reducing this anxiety is to anticipate both immediate and longer-term adverse effects of imaging procedures. The immediate effects are obvious: the patient recoils in fear, fights against the technologist, nurse, or radiologist, or bursts into tears. But the effects of anxiety can also be longer term, manifesting only after the patient and the family have left the radiology department. For example, children who have endured one stressful experience may develop heightened anxiety toward future healthcare encounters (4). Consider how “unnatural” some imaging procedures, such as a voiding cystourethrogram, may seem to a pediatric patient. Many children have been repeatedly told by parents and teachers that they should never let anyone see or touch their “private parts.” Many have also been encouraged to void only on the toilet and chided for doing so under any other circumstances. Now, however, they are being asked not only to allow a stranger to see and touch but also to insert a catheter into this private anatomy, and then they are told to void on a table in front of strangers. Moreover, it is not infrequent that patients referred for voiding cystourethrogram have a history of a failed catheterization at an outside facility. Such experiences naturally evoke confusion and distress, which can be further compounded if radiology personnel are not understanding and patient. There are many ways to reduce the anxiety and distress associated with pediatric imaging. A great source of fear is the unknown, which places a premium on educating patients and family members. This can occur both at home, using such materials as coloring books and videos that describe the setting, procedure, and personnel, and in the radiology department, using such aids as a doll on which the procedure can be demonstrated or a mock computed tomography or magnetic resonance table on which the patient can lie down (5). Equally important is the ability to tailor such education to the developmental level of the patient (6). Whereas hyperanxious or angry parents can magnify challenges, well-prepared and calm parents can often play an Acad Radiol 2016; 23:262–263

Acceptability of physical examination by male doctors in medical care: Taking breast palpation as an example.

In this study, we conducted an investigation among medical workers, patients and college students concerning their acceptability of breast palpation performed by male doctors (hereinafter referred to as "acceptability", or "the examination", respectively, if not otherwise indicated), to get the information about their acceptability and reasons for accepting or declining the examination among the three population. A questionnaire investigation was conducted in 500 patients with breast diseases, 700 students of medical colleges, and 280 medical workers working in hospitals. The subjects were asked to choose between two options: accept or do not accept (the examination). The subjects were asked to fill out the questionnaire forms on free and anonymous basis and the questionnaire forms were collected on spot, immediately after completion. The questionnaires collected were coded, sorted out and checked. Data of the eligible questionnaires were input into Epidata software and analyzed by SPSS. Upon the establishment of the database, the intra-group data were tested by utilizing χ(2) test. Among 1480 questionnaires, 1293 (90.41%) questionnaires were retrieved. Our results showed that 56.78% of patients reported that they could accept breast palpation by male doctors. About 59.66% of medical staff expressed their acceptance of the examination, but only 35.03% of students said the examination. On the basis of this study, we were led to conclude that the examination is not well accepted by different populations, and therefore, (1) medical professionals and administrators should pay attention to the gender-related ethics in their practice and the feeling of patients should be respected when medical examinations involve private or sensitive body parts; (2) to this end, related departments should be properly staffed with doctors of both sexes, and this is especially true of the departments involving the examination or treatment of private or sensitive body parts; (3) health education should, among other things, include helping female patients to overcome the fear and anxiety in such examinations. This is of great importance since some women may miss the opportunity to get timely diagnosis.

Book Review: See Me Naked: Stories of Sexual Exile in American Christianity

See Me Naked: Stories of Sexual Exile in American Christianity. By Amy Frykholm. Boston, Mass.: Beacon Press, 2011. xiv + 184 pp. $20.00 (paper).Augustine speculated wistfully about the time before the Fall in Eden, when Adam and Eve's private parts had behaved in an orderly fashion. The Church has been trying to tell private parts what to do ever since, writes Diarmaid MacCulloch in his magisterial history of the Reformation (p. 590). In See Me Naked: Stories of Sexual Exile in American Christianity, Amy F rykholm has given us a sobering look at the real damage done to real people when we adopt a simplistic, church-endorsed ethic that is more about judgment than about health, more about sin and psychological pain than about joy and embodied love. Her quest is to explore how we can reconcile our sexuality with our spirituality.The author presents nine vignettes organized under three headings: Wilderness, Incarnation, and Resurrection. Despite the seemingly upward trajectory suggested by this three-part scheme, the stories paint progressively more harrowing pictures of lives distorted by abuse, oppression, deprivation, and theological sclerosis. They wander further into the margins of what I've called 'exile', Frykholm writes (p. 126). As the emotional import of each story sinks in, we get a multifaceted view of what the author means by sexual exile: exile of one's sexuality from one's spirituality and, therefore, ultimately, from the self; of one's self from the community and the church; and of one's self from God.Each vignette is narrated in a sober third-person authorial voice, with occasional quotations of the subjects' own words. This allows Frykholm s themes to unfold more clearly, and her introduction acknowledges the distortions possible when one person tells the story of another. Many will recognize Frykholm as a prolific editor, interviewer, and book reviewer for Christian Century. From the evidence of her NPR-quality interviews in that publication-ranging widely from philosopher John Caputo to anthropologist T. N. Luhrman-I believe we can be confident here of listening to a scrupulous and reliable narrator.In addition to being a thoughtful interviewer, Frykholm is also a probing theological reader who wears her learning lightly. With casual and apt allusions to Sarah Coakley here or Gerard Loughlin there, she allows us to see what informs her unfolding contextual theology. A useful bibliography of selected resources is provided.Frykholm admits that she has only dealt with stories of Protestant Christians, because the problem I am trying to diagnose has significant Protestant roots. …

Childhood Experiences of Physical, Emotional and Sexual Abuse among College Students in South India

To document the prevalence of physical, emotional and sexual abuse during childhood among college students. The study was conducted among college students of Puducherry, South India. Stratified random sampling was done to select colleges. Data were gathered using the adapted 'Ministry of Women and Child Development Questionnaire on Child Abuse for Young adults'. A total of 936 college students completed the questionnaire. Mean ± SD age of the participants was 19.2 ± 1.1 years. Half (48%) of the participants reported being mocked because of their physical appearance. In all, 56% (524/936) of the participants reported that they were beaten during their childhood, of which 13.4% (70/524) required medical treatment. Around 10% reported someone exposing his/her private parts to them, while in 6.4% of the cases, the perpetrator forced the study participants to expose their private parts. Emotional, physical and sexual abuse is common in childhood and demands prompt interventions at the familial, community and political levels.

Successive Interference Mitigation in Multiuser MIMO Channels

Motivated by the work of Dahrouj and Yu in applying the Han-Kobayashi transmission strategy for mitigating the intercell interference in a multi-cell multi-user multiple-input single-output interference network (MISO IN), this paper considers splitting messages into private and common parts in a multi-cell multi-user MIMO IN. Specifically, the covariances of the private messages and common messages are designed to optimize either the sum rate or the minimal rate. The common messages and private messages are decoded in sequence using successive decoding. This paper shows how these difficult optimization problems can be adequately solved by means of d.c. ( <underline xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">d</u> ifference of <underline xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">c</u> oncave functions) optimization over a simple convex set. Numerical and simulation results also reveal the great advantage of our proposed solutions for various types of INs. In particular, the proposed solutions are shown to outperform the algorithm developed by Dahrouj and Yu for the simpler case of the MISO IN.

The philosophical dimension of Einstein's theory of relativity

After the previous presentation of the dimensions of this theory, with its private and general parts, lies for us Stand on the following results: First / that the opinions that the theory of relativity came with have great philosophical dimensions, represented in the lack of confidence in the sensory empiricism that kept looking at objects and events in space without realizing the close link between space and time. Secondly, the theory of relativity shed light on concepts in which man did not see anything but the absolute. With this theory, both time and space became relative, and it presented a conception of Newtonian physics represented in that time and space are completely mixed with a continuum called (the spatial-temporal continuum) that is formed. From a relative place and a relative time.

How Business Cycles Affect the Healthcare Sector: A Cross-country Investigation.

The long-term relationship between the general economy and healthcare expenditures has been extensively researched, to explain differences in healthcare spending between countries, but the midterm (i.e., business cycle) perspective has been overlooked. This study explores business cycle sensitivity in both public and private parts of the healthcare sector across 32 countries. Responses to the business cycle vary notably, both across spending sources and across countries. Whereas in some countries, consumers and/or governments cut back, in others, private and/or public healthcare buyers tend to spend more. We also assess long-term consequences of business cycle sensitivity and show that public cost cutting during economic downturns deflates the mortality rates, whereas private cut backs increase the long-term growth in total healthcare expenditures. Finally, multiple factors help explain variability in cyclical sensitivity. Private cost cuts during economic downturns are smaller in countries with a predominantly publicly funded healthcare system and more preventive public activities. Public cut backs during contractions are smaller in countries that rely more on tax-based resources rather than social health insurances. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vulval Swelling: A Diagnostic Dilemma.

Vulval swellings have always caused dilemmas in diagnosis and more so when they are huge in size. Sebaceous cysts are known to occur as a result of blocked pilo-sebaceous gland and duct or as a result of any injury to the skin. Face, neck, chest, back, scalp, and ears are known sites, however, they also occur over private parts. They are mostly asymptomatic but cause intense pain and discomfort if infected. Symptomatic cysts warrant removal.

School‐based Education Programmes for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: A Systematic Review

This Campbell systematic review examines the effectiveness of school‐based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse. The review summarises findings from 24 trials, conducted in the U.S., Canada, China, Germany, Taiwan and Turkey. Six metaanalyses are included assessing evidence of moderate quality. This study is an update to a previous review and covers publications up to September 2014. School‐based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse are more effective than alternative programmes or no programme at all in strengthening children's knowledge about child sexual abuse prevention and their protective behaviours. Children retain the knowledge gained from programme participation, though no study has assessed retention over a period of longer than six months. No studies examined the retention of protective behaviours over time. Disclosures of previous and current occurrences of child sexual abuse increase for participants of school‐based education programmes. However, the evidence supporting this finding is weak and should be interpreted with caution. Abstract BACKGROUND Child sexual abuse is a significant global problem in both magnitude and sequelae. The most widely used primary prevention strategy has been the provision of school‐based education programmes. Although programmes have been taught in schools since the 1980s, their effectiveness requires ongoing scrutiny. OBJECTIVES To systematically assess evidence of the effectiveness of school‐based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse. Specifically, to assess whether: programmes are effective in improving students' protective behaviours and knowledge about sexual abuse prevention; behaviours and skills are retained over time; and participation results in disclosures of sexual abuse, produces harms, or both. SEARCH METHODS In September 2014, we searched CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE and 11 other databases. We also searched two trials registers and screened the reference lists of previous reviews for additional trials. SELECTION CRITERIA We selected randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cluster‐RCTs, and quasi‐RCTs of school‐based education interventions for the prevention of child sexual abuse compared with another intervention or no intervention. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently assessed the eligibility of trials for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. We summarised data for six outcomes: protective behaviours; knowledge of sexual abuse or sexual abuse prevention concepts; retention of protective behaviours over time; retention of knowledge over time; harm; and disclosures of sexual abuse. MAIN RESULTS This is an update of a Cochrane Review that included 15 trials (up to August 2006). We identified 10 additional trials for the period to September 2014. We excluded one trial from the original review. Therefore, this update includes a total of 24 trials (5802 participants). We conducted several meta‐analyses. More than half of the trials in each meta‐analysis contained unit of analysis errors. Meta‐analysis of two trials (n = 102) evaluating protective behaviours favoured intervention (odds ratio (OR) 5.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.98 to 16.51), with borderline low to moderate heterogeneity (Chi2 = 1.37, df = 1, P value = 0.24, I2 = 27%, Tau2 = 0.16). The results did not change when we made adjustments using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) to correct errors made in studies where data were analysed without accounting for the clustering of students in classes or schools. Meta‐analysis of 18 trials (n = 4657) evaluating questionnaire‐based knowledge favoured intervention (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.61, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.78), but there was substantial heterogeneity (Chi2 = 104.76, df = 17, P value

Accessible Capacity of Secondary Users

A new problem formulation is presented for the Gaussian interference channels (GIFC) with two pairs of users, which are distinguished as primary users and secondary users, respectively. The primary users employ a pair of encoder and decoder that were originally designed to satisfy a given error performance requirement under the assumption that no interference exists from other users. In the scenario when the secondary users attempt to access the same medium, we are interested in the maximum transmission rate (defined as {\em accessible capacity}) at which secondary users can communicate reliably without affecting the error performance requirement by the primary users under the constraint that the primary encoder (not the decoder) is kept unchanged. By modeling the primary encoder as a generalized trellis code (GTC), we are then able to treat the secondary link and the cross link from the secondary transmitter to the primary receiver as finite state channels (FSCs). Based on this, upper and lower bounds on the accessible capacity are derived. The impact of the error performance requirement by the primary users on the accessible capacity is analyzed by using the concept of interference margin. In the case of non-trivial interference margin, the secondary message is split into common and private parts and then encoded by superposition coding, which delivers a lower bound on the accessible capacity. For some special cases, these bounds can be computed numerically by using the BCJR algorithm. Numerical results are also provided to gain insight into the impacts of the GTC and the error performance requirement on the accessible capacity.

Violencia contra la mujer y respuesta punitiva.

El presente artículo de reflexión estudia la manera como el derecho castiga a los infractores de la ley penal cuando han cometido conductas punibles en contra de las mujeres. Para esto se contextualiza la teoría feminista y la consagración legal de los instrumentos que protegen los derechos de aquellas, finalizando con un estudio de casos, los cuales se encuentran relacionados con (i) el homicidio de Rosa Elvira Cely, antecedido por el acceso carnal violento y la tortura ejercida en su contra por parte de Javier Velasco, (ii) la violencia sexual perpetrada por el cónyuge o compañero permanente (en abstracto) y (iii) las “injurias por vía de hecho”, denominación está última como nuestra Corte Suprema de Justicia ha calificado la manipulación fugaz de las partes íntimas de la mujer.

Tarrying with the “Private Parts”

Tarrying with the “Private Parts”

Framing a View of the Unviewable: Architecture, Aphrodite, and Erotic Looking in the Lucianic Erôtes

Although quarantined from the Lucianic corpus and assigned variable dates from the second to the fourth centuries CE, (2) in recent years the Erotes has garnered attention for its generic complexity, its (late) engagement with the philosophical debate over pederasty, and its value as a significant witness for the viewing context of a lost sculptural masterwork, Praxiteles' Aphrodite of Cnidus. (3) Part of what makes this wayward text so attractive is its ironic and heady mix of sex, philosophy, and art, all set within a dizzying mise-en-abime of narrative frames (Goldhill 1995, 104). An external dialogue between the pansexual Theomnestus and asexual Lycinus, set at a festival of Heracles, frames a travel story about a trip taken to Cnidus by Lycinus and two friends, Charicles (a woman-mad Corinthian) and Callicratidas (a boy-crazy Athenian). An extended ekphrasis of the Cnidian Aphrodite's sanctuary and its cult statue further embeds an etiological tale that accounts for a stain on the statue's thigh, and this tale, in turn, precipitates a philosophical agon between the exclusive heterosexual and the exclusive pederast. The entire piece closes with an unabashedly erotic recasting of the agon by Theomnestus, patient listener to the entire tale. This dialogue on desiring subjects and desired objects situates its eroticism very squarely within a revelatory story about viewing sculpture (Erot. 11-7). (4) The statue of the goddess embodies a doubled erotic stimulus. Viewed from the front she is the most desirable woman, but from the rear, the most perfect boy. Proof of her irresistible erotic charm is the stain on her thigh. Lycinus and his traveling companions learn that this incontrovertible fact of her being used like a boy ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) remains from a night of passion performed on the statue by a besotted local youth. It is the confounding evidence of intercrural or anal sex (5) with this seemingly most female of statues that engenders the debate on what is the correct focus for male erotic attention: the avenues ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) to erotic satisfaction offered by the bodies of boys or of women. The initial terms of the central philosophical debate (inscribed in semen) are read off Aphrodite's ambiguous body. (6) This erotic perspective on the goddess, front and back equated with female and male, is a function of the position taken up by the viewer. That position, moreover, is determined by the points of visual access provided by the temple structure itself. Aphrodite is framed by the very architecture she inhabits. In the dialogue, the temple is depicted as a naos with two doors, front and back, communicating into an interior sacred space. There is no 'viewing in the round,' but rather looking is cathected along a very particular directional axis. It is precisely this specific closed temple structure with carefully designed openings onto that space that is a significant feature of Lycinus's description: (7) [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] When we had taken enough pleasure in the gardens, we entered the shrine [naos]. The goddess is situated in the center--a most beautiful statue of Parian marble--splendid and smiling a little with a laughing grin. Her entire beauty is unhidden, draped by no clothes, and left naked, except insofar as she inconspicuously hides her private parts with one of her hands.... The shrine has a door on both sides for those wishing to get a clear look at the goddess from behind in order that no part of her is unadmired. It is easy to enter through the other door and to examine closely her beauty from the back. Therefore, it was decided to view the goddess in all her glory, and we went around to the back of the sacred enclosure. Then, after the door was opened by the woman responsible for keeping the keys, a sudden amazement at the beauty seized us. In the other, far briefer, references to the Aphrodite statue in literary texts from antiquity, her situation within her shrine is stressed as open and affording easy panoptic visual access. …

Youth friendly health services and role of outreach activities to improve access to services

An attempt has been made to assess the Youth Friendly Health Services (YFHS) from the clients’ perspectives and the role of outreach community-based approach (Youth Information Center, YIC) in improving access to services. A cross- sectional study was undertaken in Arajiline and Hoskote blocks in Varanasi and Bangalore districts respectively using primarily a quantitative technique. A consecutive sample of 120 clients from 4 selected clinics was interviewed after seeking services from YFHS. Additionally, facility assessment of clinics and 8 FGDs were conducted among community members and the young people in the community. Majority of the clients (90.8%) are aware that YFHS provide services to young males and females separately on specific day and time. Nearly 66% clients visited YFHS to sought treatment for three key health problems i.e. menstruation problems (25.4%) followed by general illness (22.8%) and swelling/itching of private parts (21.1%). In Hos- akote privacy was maintained during the con- sultation with the doctor, however, situation was relatively not better in Arajiline. Out of those clients who had visited YIC atleast once, 49 out of 53 in Arajiline and 51 out of 60 in Hasokote reported that the YIC staff/activities had motivated them to sought services at YFHS. Study concludes that while majority of the clients were satisfied with the services at YFHS, there is a need for strengthening the existing “package” of the services. At facility level, reassurance about the privacy and confidentially and alternative ways to promote access and utilization of services by active involvement of young people is recommended. On the other hand, at outreach level, new technologies should be introduced to generate demand, intensive focus on adults in the community and integration of YIC with local governance and school environment is suggested so as to protect young people against poor health outcomes.

Menstrual hygiene among adolescent school students: An indepth cross-sectional study in an urban community of WestBengal, India

Menstrual hygiene is an issue that is insufficiently acknowledged. Menstruation and menstrual practices are still clouded by taboos and socio-cultural restrictions resulting in adolescent girls remaining ignorant of the scientific facts and hygienic health practices, which sometimes result into adverse health outcomes. The present study was designed to assess the knowledge, beliefs, and source of information regarding menstruation among the adolescent school girls of the secondary school and also to identify the status of menstrual hygiene among them. A descriptive, cross-sectional community based study was conducted among 147 adolescent girls of a secondary school situated in the urban field practice area of dept of Community Medicine Medical College Kolkata with the help of a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire. Out of 147 respondents, 62(42 %) girls were aware about menstruation prior to attainment of menarche. Hand-washing was regular among 91.8% but 16.3% washed only with water. Similarly washing of private parts were regular among 76.9% but 74.1% used only water no soap, there is significant relationship between hygienic practices followed and presence of continuous supply of water and presence of exclusive toilet of their family. Except for 2(1.3%) everybody followed some taboo or unnecessary restriction. Menstrual hygiene, a very important risk factor for reproductive tract infections (RTI), is a vital aspect of health education. This problem, unfortunately, has not yet been addressed seriously in terms of its mental, social and health impact on the country.

1453P - Attitude, Knowledge and Fears Concerning Cancer Among Low-Income Rural Women of Different Religion and Ethnicity

ABSTRACT The low participation level of rural women in cancer screening is a cause of concern especially in India. The role of predisposing knowledge and attitudes concerning cancer in many religious and ethnic groups is not studied well to find out cause of such reluctance in participation. We documented the knowledge and fears concerning such cancer in rural population of women of different ethnicity and religions in West Bengal province of India and how these factors relate to screening behaviour and socio-demographic characteristics. A baseline survey was conducted before the start of a community cancer awareness and screening programme. A total of 2000 rural women of different districts of West Bengal were interviewed in-person about their knowledge, attitudes and Pap smear and mammogram screening practices. Knowledge and attitude about cancer varied with age, education, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and religion. Women in the age range of 40–72 years (median 56 years) and least knowledgeable of cancer-detection methods and screening guidelines were considered for our study. Socio-economic markers were monthly income, literacy, nature of roof, and toilet. About 80% women, who participated, had no toilet facility. Women, who could not read and write, were more unaware of cancer signs and symptoms, risk factors and screening guidelines. However, biggest concern about was poor infrastructural facility for doing cervical examination and women are shy to have elaborate examination and treatment in their private parts in an open camp. Striking finding was full participation and cooperation in awareness and screening of cervical cancer among scheduled tribal women. They had near total participation which was far more than scheduled casts and Muslims. The low screening participation among rural Indian women may be due to their shyness to participate in a comparatively open camp and limited awareness and knowledge about screening examinations. Our study highlights the need for wide-scale cancer screening interventions consistent with prevailing rural belief. Tribal people are most cooperative among all ethnic and religious and socio-economic groups. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Implementing wastewater treatment projects through build–operate–transfer contracts

This paper focuses on the initial assessment of wastewater treatment (WT) projects through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). Due to the fact that the initial investment of a PPP-type WT project is too high and can be fi nanced by both the public and private sectors, crucial during the project’s feasibility stage is to estimate the partners’ funding rates. Herein, the fi nancial analysis that is included in the cost benefi t analysis methodology as well as the quantitative value for money assessment method are used, in order to introduce a new process that estimates the funding ratios of the partners. Specifi cally, the process calculates the upper and lower boundaries of the public and private sectors’ funding ratios in the initial investment, which include all the funding scenarios that are profi table for both partners. It applies mostly in the WT projects that are considered to be implemented through the build–operate–transfer contract type, which is probably the most commonly used type in PPPs. The new process is used in a WT project case study, in which alternative funding scenarios of the initial investment are examined and two specifi c funding scenarios are distinguished, which include all the possible funding ratio values by the public and the private parts. The process that is presented here can be a useful tool to decision makers, because it helps them to evaluate different funding scenarios of the initial investment and to select the most suitable in each case option, that will be profi table for both partners.