Search For Partners Research Articles

Queer space and alternate queer geographies: LBQ women and the search for sexual partners at two LGBTQ-friendly U.S. universities

The postgay era – marked by decreased stigmatization of non-heterosexual identities and increasing assimilation of gays and lesbians into the heterosexual mainstream – may be indicative of a broader pluralization of queer geographies expanding the social and sexual opportunities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)-identified individuals beyond queer spaces. Less is known, however, about how LBQ women experience these pluralized geographies in a postgay era in their search for sexual partners, and how the perceived accessibility of queer and heterosexual spaces informs the search process. Drawing upon twenty-six in-depth qualitative interviews, this study examines queer-identified undergraduate women’s searches for same-sex sexual partners at two LGBTQ-friendly universities in the United States. The women in this study described experiences with dating, sex and relationships within three distinct campus “sexual geographies” – queer spaces, virtual communities and heteronormative campus parties – with entry to each of these sites negotiated in relationship to place-based gender and sexual dynamics. While women at both schools viewed their LGBTQ communities as viable spaces to both build community and meet potential sexual partners, this was paired with the understanding that one needed sufficient “queer capital” to stake a claim there. Counter to the notion that a postgay era has rendered queer space obsolete, or just one of many options, this study suggests that perceptions of queer community spaces as exclusionary or inaccessible may partially contribute to the production of alternative queer geographies beyond marked LGBTQ campus spaces.

The Wife's Protector: The Effect of Contraception on Marriage during the 20th Century

The 19th and 20th centuries saw a transformation in contraceptive technologies and their take up. This led to a sexual revolution, which witnessed a rise in premarital sex and out-of-wedlock births, and a decline in marriage. The impact of contraception on married and single life is analyzed here both theoretically and quantitatively. The analysis is conducted using a model where people search for partners. Upon finding one, they can choose between abstinence, marriage, and a premarital sexual relationship. The model is confronted with some stylized facts about premarital sex and marriage over the course of the 20th century. Some economic history is also presented.

COMMODITY STRUCTURE OF EXPORT AND IMPORT OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD PRODUCTS

In the article we analyze the state of development of the domestic agrarian sector of the economy and the tendency of the formation of export batches of products. The current pace of development of the agrarian sector shows that the production of agricultural products is growing faster than the growth of domestic demand, which necessitates the search for new trading partners. This provides an opportunity for expanding foreign markets, receiving currency revenues into the country's economy. We analyzed the commodity structure of the export and import of agricultural and food products. The top 10 agro-food export and import products for 2018 are identified. We have investigated the specifics of trade in agrarian products with the countries of the European Union. We found that the main products of Ukrainian agroexport, which were put on the EU market are cereals and oilseeds. Growth of exports to the EU countries also occurred due to an increase in the supply of niche, processed and prepared food products. As a result of our research, we analyzed the current state of agricultural markets and found that global trends in food consumption (population growth) and non-food use of oilseeds (feed and biodiesel), causes the problem of internal satisfaction of individual needs in many countries of the world, causes significant investments in this branch in Ukraine.

Protein-partners of selenoprotein SELM and the role of selenium compounds in regulation of its expression in human cancer cells

The search of potential partners of human SELM in lysates of two cancer cell lines HT-1080 (fibrosarcoma) and MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma) was carried out. Two cytoplasmic actin isoforms: cytoplasmic actin 1 (cytoskeleton b-actin) and cytoplasmic actin 2 (cytoskeletal g-actin) was identified as partners. In addition, the influence of two widely used antitumor selenium compounds (sodium selenite and methylseleninic acid) on the expression SELM in cancer cells was studied. According to the results obtained by real-time PCR and Western blotting, we was concluded that 1 µM and 10 µM sodium selenite was not affected on the expression SELM in fibrosarcoma cells, whereas in breast adenocarcinoma cells 1 µM sodium selenite slightly increased of expression and 10 µM resulted in a significant decrease (about 2 times). Methylseleninic acid in both cancer cell lines increased the expression of SELM gene, the most pronounced effect was observed when fibrosarcoma cells were treated with 10 µM MSC (increased expression of the hSelm gene by almost 4 times).

The Atherosclerosis Risk Variant rs2107595 Mediates Allele-Specific Transcriptional Regulation of HDAC9 via E2F3 and Rb1.

Background and Purpose- Genome-wide association studies have identified the HDAC9 (histone deacetylase 9) gene region as a major risk locus for atherosclerotic stroke and coronary artery disease in humans. Previous results suggest a role of altered HDAC9 expression levels as the underlying disease mechanism. rs2107595, the lead single nucleotide polymorphism for stroke and coronary artery disease resides in noncoding DNA and colocalizes with histone modification marks suggestive of enhancer elements. Methods- To determine the mechanisms by which genetic variation at rs2107595 regulates HDAC9 expression and thus vascular risk we employed targeted resequencing, proteome-wide search for allele-specific nuclear binding partners, chromatin immunoprecipitation, genome-editing, reporter assays, circularized chromosome conformation capture, and gain- and loss-of-function experiments in cultured human cell lines and primary immune cells. Results- Targeted resequencing of the HDAC9 locus in patients with atherosclerotic stroke and controls supported candidacy of rs2107595 as the causative single nucleotide polymorphism. A proteomic search for nuclear binding partners revealed preferential binding of the E2F3/TFDP1/Rb1 complex (E2F transcription factor 3/transcription factor Dp-1/Retinoblastoma 1) to the rs2107595 common allele, consistent with the disruption of an E2F3 consensus site by the risk allele. Gain- and loss-of-function studies showed a regulatory effect of E2F/Rb proteins on HDAC9 expression. Compared with the common allele, the rs2107595 risk allele exhibited higher transcriptional capacity in luciferase assays and was associated with higher HDAC9 mRNA levels in primary macrophages and genome-edited Jurkat cells. Circularized chromosome conformation capture revealed a genomic interaction of the rs2107595 region with the HDAC9 promoter, which was stronger for the common allele as was the in vivo interaction with E2F3 and Rb1 determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Gain-of-function experiments in isogenic Jurkat cells demonstrated a key role of E2F3 in mediating rs2107595-dependent transcriptional regulation of HDAC9. Conclusions- Collectively, our findings imply allele-specific transcriptional regulation of HDAC9 via E2F3 and Rb1 as a major mechanism mediating vascular risk at rs2107595.

Status and associatied factors of anal sexual intention in casual sex behavior among heterosexual college students in Zhejiang Province

Objective: To identify the status and risky factors of anal sexual intention in casual sex behavior in Zhejiang province. Methods: Stratified cluster sampling was conducted among college students in 13 colleges in 11 cities between October to November, 2018. 482 students were enrolled who self-reported "heterosexuality "and" ever had casual sex behavior". A self-designed network questionnaire was complimented containing basic information, knowledge of HIV, sexual behavior. Chi-square test was used to compared the difference of anal sex intention between different characteristic. The multivariate logistic regression methods was used to analyze the influence factors. Results: Among 482 students, the age was (20±1.442) years old. And 87.3% (421) were male and 29.0% (140) were from other province. The rate of anal sex intention were 19.4% (94/482) in total, with the rates of 38.1% (24/63) and 14.4% (53/367) in students with sexual number more than 5 and less than 5 (P<0.001), separately. Compared with students searching casual sexual partner with non-internet access (17.0%, 16/201), students searching sexual partner with internet access had higher risk of anal sex practice (27.8%, 78/281) (P<0.001). The rate of anal sex practice among students reporting "ever had casual sex after drinking "and" never had casual sex after drinking" were 30.5% (64/210) and 9.4% (25/266) (P<0.001). The multivariate logistic regression results revealed that compared with students searching casual sexual partner with non-internet access and reporting "never had casual sex after drinking", subjects searching sexual partner with internet access(OR (95%CI)=2.65 (1.34-5.23)) and "ever had casual sex after drinking" OR (95%CI)=3.02 (1.65-5.33) were more likely had higher risk of anal sex practice. Conclusion: Heterosexual college students in Zhejiang Province tend to have anal intercourse with causal sexual partners. Searching for causal sexual partners on internet or mobile phone dating software and having temporary sexual behavior after drinking were correlated factors.

Protein Partners of Selenoprotein SELM and the Role of Selenium Compounds in Regulation of Its Expression in Human Cancer Cells.

The search for potential partners of human SELM in lysates of two cancer cell lines, HT-1080 (fibrosarcoma) and MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), was carried out. Two cytoplasmic actin isoforms-cytoplasmic actin 1 (cytoskeleton β-actin) and cytoplasmic actin 2 (cytoskeletal γ-actin)-were identified as partners. In addition, the influence of two widely used antitumor selenium compounds (sodium selenite and methylseleninic acid) on the expression of SELM in cancer cells was studied. On the basis of the results obtained by real-time PCR and Western blotting, we concluded that 1 μM and 10 μM sodium selenite did not affect the expression of SELM in fibrosarcoma cells, whereas in breast adenocarcinoma cells 1 μM sodium selenite slightly increased expression and 10 μM sodium selenite significantly (approximately 2 times) decreased it. Methylseleninic acid in both cancer cell lines increased the SELM gene expression; the most pronounced effect was observed when fibrosarcoma cells were treated with 10 µM MSA (the expression of the hSelm gene increased almost 4 times).

Adaptive Strategies in Life-History of Bushcrickets (Orthoptera) and Cicadas (Homoptera) to Parasitoids Pressure on Their Acoustic Communication Systems—A Case for Sociality?

In sexual reproduction the search for mating partners elevates the individual risks of predation and parasitism. One way to increase mate search effectiveness and reduce search costs is acoustic signaling. However, acoustic orienting parasitoid flies exploit singing hosts, leading to high parasitism rates. Aggregations of males and females at mating and singing in choruses might reduce individual risks by dilution and predator saturation. This mini-review reflects on consequences for host’s acoustic signaling in choruses using the examples of cicadas and bushcrickets. It comes up with the conclusion that despite antagonistic selection pressure by parasitoids, singing in choruses might select for increased, not reduced signaling in males. The time joining and leaving a choir might be crucial: once mated, a refractory period will drop males off the signaling pool, preventing parasitism. In a chorus, fast and loud singing might be highly advantageous, supporting the fittest males. Natural selection might have shaped signaling strategies in choruses, which can probably only be understood when applying individual based dynamic modeling.

«No money, no honey»? Poverty and young men’s unmarried relationships in urban Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the expectation that a young man has to financially support his girlfriend is deeply rooted in gender norms and is a keystone of masculinity construction. With the persistent economic crisis, high unemployment rates, and the growing importance of materiality in intimate relationships, this economic obligation seems more and more difficult to fulfil, however. Qualitative studies have reported the frustration of unemployed and poorer young men in West African cities who face difficulties in attracting girlfriends due to their economic condition. This sexual marginalization of poorer city-dwellers, suggested by anthropological evidence, has yet to be explored quantitatively. This is the purpose of the study. Based on unique life history data collected from young adults in 2010 in the capital city of Ouagadougou, the present research examines the impact of poverty on young men’s sexual relationship histories. Although they engage in a number of premarital relationships, results suggest that young men in Ouagadougou are not equal in the search for sexual partners. The study provides support for the «sexual marginalization hypothesis» and shows that other things being equal, unemployed males and uneducated young men are significantly less likely than their better-off counterparts to engage in relationships over time

Caste, Queerness, Migration and the Erotics of Activism

This hybrid essay-interview draws on the experiences of diasporic, queer, Dalit-OBC filmmaker Moses Tulasi to explore the mutually constitutive roles of sexuality, caste, migration, art, and activism. In March 2016, Tulasi was arrested on the University of Hyderabad grounds, amidst protests elicited by the death of Dalit graduate student Rohith Vemula; only eight years prior Tulasi was a married, closeted, apolitical “IT guy” living in Chicago’s suburbs. The essay traces key moments in Tulasi’s life to demonstrate how queer desires and pleasures lead him into radical community, activism, and dissent. These moments include an online search for partners on Craigslist, queer nightlife in Chicago and Hyderabad, and the outing of his partner on national television. Following Moses from his entrance into queer community through to his release from jail, the essay develops erotics as a useful analytic in the study of activism. The accompanying interview with Tulasi centers his own theorizations on these questions. He builds on the above themes, detailing how caste is imbricated in family structures, migration patterns, queer activism, sexual desire, and everyday life. Throughout, Tulasi draws attention to the sensual and erotic textures of living within caste hierarchy, engaging in protest, and espousing dissent. Together, the essay and interview demonstrate that sedition is not only rhetorical dissent, but the everyday condition of being a minoritarian subject in a Brahminical and heteronormative state.

Does Body Size Influence Male Care? Investigating an Alternative Reproductive Tactic in Manogea porracea (Araneae: Araneidae), a Spider with Amphisexual Care

The balance between the investment of time and energy by males in searching for new partners and in protecting and/or feeding offspring can influence reproductive strategies. Strong competitors may enhance their mating effort, while weak competitors may compensate their disadvantage in intrasexual competition by investing in the increase of offspring survival. This balance and its implications to male reproductive strategies have been extensively investigated in vertebrate species but remain poorly understood in invertebrates, because paternal care is rare. Manogea porracea is the only described solitary spider in which extended male care occurs in the absence of females (i.e. amphisexual care). Large males usually win disputes and prefer large, more fecund females. Therefore, they may increase their reproductive success by prioritizing the investment in the search for additional partners, while small males may compensate their competitive disadvantage by increasing their own parental efforts. We tested the prediction that lighter males will invest in the care of the offspring more often than heavier ones. However, our results indicate that males care for offspring regardless of their size. We discuss how the benefits of parental care may override the costs of reducing the number of potential mates for M. porracea males and suggest new directions for further studies.

FKBP12: A partner of Snx10 required for vesicular trafficking in osteoclasts.

Osteoclasts employ highly specialized intracellular trafficking controls for bone resorption and organelle homeostasis. The sorting nexin Snx10 is a (Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate) PI3P-binding protein, which localizes to osteoclast early endosomes. Osteoclasts from humans and mice lacking functional Snx10 are severely dysfunctional. They show marked impairments in endocytosis, extracellular acidification, ruffled border formation, and bone resorption, suggesting that Snx10 regulates membrane trafficking. To better understand how SNx10 regulates vesicular formation and trafficking in osteoclasts, we set out on a search for Snx10 partners. We performed a yeast two-hybrid screening and identified FKBP12. FKBP12 is expressed in receptor activator of nuclear factor kB ligand-stimulated RAW264.7 monocytes, coimmunoprecipitates with Snx10, and colocalizes with Snx10 in osteoclasts. We also found that FKBP12, Snx10, and early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1) are present in the same subcellular fractions obtained by centrifugation in sucrose gradients, which confirms localization of FKBP12 to early endosomes. Taken together, these results indicate that Snx10 and FKBP12 are partners and suggest that Snx10 and FKBP12 are involved in the regulation of endosome/lysosome homeostasis via the synthesis. These findings may suggest novel therapeutic approaches to control bone loss by targeting essential steps in osteoclast membrane trafficking.

Search for top quark partners with charge 5/3 in the same-sign dilepton and single-lepton final states in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s}=13 TeV

A search for the pair production of heavy fermionic partners of the top quark with charge 5/3 (X5/3) is performed in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The data sample analyzed corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The X5/3 quark is assumed always to decay into a top quark and a W boson. Both the right-handed and left-handed X5/3 couplings to the W boson are considered. Final states with either a pair of same-sign leptons or a single lepton are studied. No significant excess of events is observed above the expected standard model background. Lower limits at 95% confidence level on the X5/3 quark mass are set at 1.33 and 1.30 TeV respectively for the case of right-handed and left-handed couplings to W bosons in a combination of the same-sign dilepton and single-lepton final states.

Search for supersymmetric partners of electrons and muons in proton–proton collisions at [formula omitted

A search for direct production of the supersymmetric (SUSY) partners of electrons or muons is presented in final states with two opposite-charge, same-flavour leptons (electrons and muons), no jets, and large missing transverse momentum. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at s=13TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016. The search uses the MT2 variable, which generalises the transverse mass for systems with two invisible objects and provides a discrimination against standard model backgrounds containing W bosons. The observed yields are consistent with the expectations from the standard model. The search is interpreted in the context of simplified SUSY models and probes slepton masses up to approximately 290, 400, and 450 GeV, assuming right-handed only, left-handed only, and both right- and left-handed sleptons (mass degenerate selectrons and smuons), and a massless lightest supersymmetric particle. Limits are also set on selectrons and smuons separately. These limits show an improvement on the existing limits of approximately 150 GeV.

Running out of time? Understanding the consequences of the biological clock for the dynamics of fertility intentions and union formation

BACKGROUND A considerable proportion of childless women in their late thirties or early forties would still like to have children. The number of men and women whose fertility intentions are potentially influenced by the so-called biological clock for childbearing and who remain involuntarily childless is increasing. OBJECTIVE We analyze the short-term dynamics of fertility intentions and partner search among childless, non-partnered men and women aged 35-37. By comparing people in this age group to younger men and women, we investigate whether and how their awareness of the biological clock for childbearing affects their childbearing intentions. METHODS The data stems from the first two waves of the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam) survey. We selected male and female respondents aged 25-27 (n = 1,073) and 35-37 (n = 369) in Wave 1. RESULTS Our analyses reveal that fertility intentions are more polarized among men and women aged 35-37 than among their 25-27-year-old counterparts, and are more polarized among women than among men. Finding a partner is shown to positively affect fertility intentions. Our results suggest that people who intensify their fertility intentions are not necessarily successful in finding a partner, which can be seen as a major prerequisite for family formation. CONTRIBUTION This is one of the first studies to investigate the fertility intentions of childless men and women whose biological clock is running out. It provides an instructive example for a longitudinal study of the dynamics of life-course-related intentions.

Efficient partnership formation in networks

We analyze the formation of partnerships in social networks. Players need favors at random times and ask their neighbors in the network to form exclusive long‐term partnerships that guarantee reciprocal favor exchange. Refusing to provide a favor results in the automatic removal of the underlying link. Players agree to provide the first favor in a partnership only if they otherwise face the risk of eventual isolation. In equilibrium, players essential for realizing every maximum matching can avoid this risk and enjoy higher payoffs than inessential players. Although the search for partners is decentralized and reflects local partnership opportunities, the strength of essential players drives efficient partnership formation in every network. Equilibrium behavior is determined by the classification of nodes in the Gallai–Edmonds decomposition of the underlying network.

THE PROBLEMS OF STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CRAFTING OPERATORS (CASE OF BREWING OF UKRAINE)

The article deals with the set of factors that influence the brewing industry of Ukraine, the interrelations between the crafting industry and mass production, in particular. The beer tourism can be the source of the development of the country and a region. In the USA and the countries of EU craft beer production is growing and became attractive for the investors, however, in Ukraine, this sector is under threat of elimination. Due to regulating acts that was recently performed, huge competition with big corporations and decrease of real income of population small crafters have a challenge to keep on functioning. The culture of beer consumption is another problem in Ukraine while in the Chez Republic or Belgium beer crafting is a respectful business supported by the local governments. One more tendency that can be promising in terms of beer crafting production development is increasing of non-alcoholic beer consumption. The market has a big potential to grow, and it can be a strategic window for local producers. In the paper, the social, economic factors are analyzed in order to develop the strategy. Among the main factors the lost of production capacities in the East played a significant role, the market interactions with Russian Federation were canceled, and new partners search took place. Moreover, the legislation has been changed several times for the rest years, and one of the most significant changes were licensing and promotion policy changes. Under these conditions, the mini-makers including beer crafters have to re-group their market strategies and market activities. The modern tendencies and possible pathways are performed, the authors offered the propositions about the strategy of the development. Authors suggested that two main trajectories exist for the beer crafters: a reactive strategy and a proactive strategy. And if a proactive strategy is chosen to be implemented, this scenario can be accomplished through Bartlett-Ghoshal Strategies Framework. Multidomestic strategy can be a response to market changes, and strategic windows that opened in 2018 (legislations changes). Keywords: crafting, brewing, development, strategy of development.

The Wife's Protector: A Quantitative Theory Linking Contraceptive Technology with the Decline in Marriage

The 19th and 20th centuries saw a transformation in contraceptive technologies and their take up. This led to a sexual revolution, which witnessed a rise in premarital sex and out-of-wedlock births, and a decline in marriage. The impact of contraception on married and single life is analyzed here both theoretically and quantitatively. The analysis is conducted using a model where people search for partners. Upon finding one, they can choose between abstinence, a premarital sexual relationship, and marriage. The model is confronted with some stylized facts about premarital sex and marriage over the course of the 20th century. Some economic history is also presented.

A model for a successful approach to applying for Horizon 2020

This paper presents a model for a successful approach to addressing the EU calls. The research results indicated that the application's success in Horizon 2020 is largely influenced by the financial projection, knowledge of EU's policies, proposal design proposal elements - contents, the importance of individual proposal elements process, past experiences, a partner organisation, referrals, and coordinators. We can conclude that for a potential applicant to succeed with the application it is advisable to hire an expert to develop the financial projection if the applicant is not experienced in this. Secondly, it is useful to know the EU policies. Thirdly, when designing the project proposal, one should keep in mind that visual aspect of the proposal is important. Also, past experience in the EU projects is important. Lastly, the most efficient way to find partners is through networking, referrals and the already selected project coordinators, not through partner search portals.

Features of the marketing function of subcontracting

One of the most promising ways out of crisis phenomena in the Ukrainian industry can be use of subcontracting relations between large-scale enterprises. A comparative analysis of the main forms of production cooperation was carried out, the role of subcontracting and the necessity of its application in modern market conditions is identified. The own definition of the «subcontracting» concept is given, which, in comparison with previous interpretations, takes into account market changes in the conditions of a digital economy and it is based on information and communication technologies. The world experience of subcontracting relations in the Europe, America and Japan countries is analyzed, and their modern classifications and classification marks, which allow determining the future own development vector of subcontracting for Ukrainian entrepreneurship. The inclusion of an additional classification attribute «use of information technologies by subcontracting participants» along with the previous ones, such as «criterion for selecting an executor of an order», «duration of relations between the cooperation partners», and «structure of cooperative relations building», is proposed. The own vision of methodical principles for economic effect determining of introducing subcontracting, which previously did not take into account the marketing component of functioning (marketing research costs, information and subcontracting partners search, internet-marketing, marketing audit and other services (insurance, consulting, certification, etc.). The prospects for further development, which consist in the marketing and analytical function of subcontracting use, the services creation and promotion with order to increase the economic effect of subcontracting use, which is a new the development vector of this form of industrial cooperation, are considered.