Voluntary Contact Research Articles

Early sexual experience and stressful conditions affect the response of young ewes to the male

Exposure of anoestrous ewes to rams induces oestrous cycles (the ‘ram effect’). This response is poor in young-sexually naive females, possibly because they lack sexual experience and are sensitive to stress. Firstly, we assessed the conditions required for the acquisition of sexual experience. We exposed naive females at 5 or 9 months of age to rams and subsequently assessed their response at 1 year of age, to the ram effect. Unexpectedly, 2 weeks pre-exposure at 5 months and under some conditions at 9 months, inhibited the ram effect at 1 year of age, suggesting that early contact with rams was stressful and had long-term negative effects on reproduction. Consequently, we assessed the combined effect of stress and sexual experience on responses to the ram effect. At 9 months of age, we pre-exposed naive females using sexually active rams to achieve ‘positive’ (voluntary contact) or ‘negative’ (forced contact) experiences, and assessed responses to the ram effect at a year of age. In parallel, we subjected naive females to stressful conditions at the time of the male effect. During pre-exposure, females with ‘negative’ contact exhibited more vigilance and stress cues and had higher levels of cortisol than ‘positive’ contact ewes. Regardless of pre-exposure or stress, the response to the ram effect at a year of age was inhibited. These experiments confirm that contact with sexual partners can be stressful to young ewes and highlight the need to consider their emotional state when conditioning them to the presence of rams and when managing breeding programs.

Understanding Social Relationship Maintenance Among Friends: Why We Don't End Those Frustrating Friendships

Social relationships are a fundamental part of our lives and may have both positive and negative effects on physical health; thus, this study examined how and why individuals would maintain ambivalent relationships, as previous research indicates that such relationships may be potentially detrimental. Specifically we examined the influence of external and internal barriers, intimacy, distancing, and obligation vs. voluntary contact in relationship maintenance within ambivalent (highly positive and negative) and supportive (primarily positive) friendships. Participants included 87 male and 138 female undergraduates (N = 225), who were randomly assigned to rate either a supportive or ambivalent friend on measures of relationship maintenance. Results suggest that ambivalent relationships are not maintained primarily due to obligation or external barriers, but rather are viewed as voluntary associations maintained primarily because of internal factors such as commitment to the relationship. The positive aspec...

A public health model for the molecular surveillance of HIV transmission in San Diego, California

Current public health efforts often use molecular technologies to identify and contain communicable disease networks, but not for HIV. Here, we investigate how molecular epidemiology can be used to identify highly related HIV networks within a population and how voluntary contact tracing of sexual partners can be used to selectively target these networks. We evaluated the use of HIV-1 pol sequences obtained from participants of a community-recruited cohort (n = 268) and a primary infection research cohort (n = 369) to define highly related transmission clusters and the use of contact tracing to link other individuals (n = 36) within these clusters. The presence of transmitted drug resistance was interpreted from the pol sequences (Calibrated Population Resistance v3.0). Phylogenetic clustering was conservatively defined when the genetic distance between any two pol sequences was less than 1%, which identified 34 distinct transmission clusters within the combined community-recruited and primary infection research cohorts containing 160 individuals. Although sequences from the epidemiologically linked partners represented approximately 5% of the total sequences, they clustered with 60% of the sequences that clustered from the combined cohorts (odds ratio 21.7; P < or = 0.01). Major resistance to at least one class of antiretroviral medication was found in 19% of clustering sequences. Phylogenetic methods can be used to identify individuals who are within highly related transmission groups, and contact tracing of epidemiologically linked partners of recently infected individuals can be used to link into previously defined transmission groups. These methods could be used to implement selectively targeted prevention interventions.

Luis cifuentes: un ejemplar itinerario formativo, científico y profesional

We describe the training itinerary of Dr. Luis Cifuentes, in a time in which Urology lacked of scientific prestige and was a limited field of surgery. His excellent education in basic sciences, his permanent voluntary contact with the most representative scientists of that time, his innovative PhD thesis, and other initiatives, altogether with his inquisitorial character and extraordinary personal aptitudes enabled him to get to Urology with an exceptionally rich burden of knowledge.With the help of excellent national and international mentors he achieved a urological training of such quality that his scientific and professional prestige was immediately recognized, as well as his clinical quality, technical expertise, and research rigor. All these led him to leave an admirable and everlasting trail. His training itinerary continues being a model to be followed by new generations of urologists as a complement to the MIR system.

Community Context, Personal Contact, and Support for an Anti—Gay Rights Referendum

Using data from an unusual survey, we gauge factors influencing support for a state anti—gay rights referendum. After controlling for other powerful predictors of attitudes, we find personal contact (especially relevant and voluntary contact) has an important impact on public support, although community context does not. These findings support an integrated notion of interactions with “out” groups, grounded in social categorization theory, that sees community context and interpersonal contact as concentric circles, moving from abstract, detached forms of contact to more pronounced, personal forms. However, even among those with substantial interpersonal contact, support for the referendum was still widespread.

Practice experiences of running UK DonorLink, a voluntary information exchange register for adults related through donor conception

Previous practices of withholding information from those conceived through donor conception are changing. However, little is known about the service needs of those affected. In response to this, the UK Government–funded pilot voluntary information exchange and contact register, UK DonorLink, was launched in 2004, covering conceptions prior to August 1991. It is the only register worldwide that relies primarily on DNA testing to establish genetic connectedness in the absence of written records.Approximately 150 adults came forward to register in the first three years of operation, drawn from all interested parties. Matches between half-siblings have been made, but none yet between donor and offspring. Employing staff with expertise in post-adoption work has proved effective, as long as additional training and support specific to donor issues is provided. The infrastructure required to promote and deliver the service reflects the complex mix of skills and tasks required, and confirms that a service provided through independent counsellors alone would be inappropriate. Having a geographically and socially widespread potential registrant group, together with a limited budget, has limited the effectiveness of advertising and promotion campaigns. Ethical and emotional complexities arising through the direct service are highlighted, including those presented by DNA use.

Immigrants and Law Enforcement: A Comparison of Native-Born and Foreign-Born Americans' Opinions of the Police

As the immigrant population continues to grow, law enforcement agencies face increasing demands to provide services and reach out to groups that are subject to victimization and reluctant to become involved with authorities. The current paper provides a quantitative look at how immigrants perceive the police, how they evaluate their experiences with police, and their willingness to engage in voluntary contacts with the police, relative to native-born Americans. Data come from a telephone survey with a community sample of residents of Seattle commissioned by the city officials to identify possible friction points in police-public interactions. After controlling for ethnicity and other demographic factors, we found that immigrants rated the police more positively than native-born Americans on measures of police effectiveness, police misconduct, and satisfaction with both voluntary and involuntary contacts. However, we found that immigrants were far less likely than native-born Americans to contact the police for assistance. On measures from reporting crimes and other problem situations to participating in police anti-crime programs, immigrants were less likely to seek contact with the police.

Past semen donors' views about the use of a voluntary contact register

This paper reports on qualitative data from a UK Department of Health-funded telephone interview study of 32 men who donated sperm samples at King's College Hospital, London between 1988 and 2002. The study considers the donors' attitudes and views about a proposed voluntary information exchange and contact register. The results suggest that semen donors continue to manage thoughts and feelings that arise from donation throughout their lifetimes, linked to their philosophical beliefs and/or evolving personal and social experiences. Some donors supported the register proposal even if they anticipated that there might be a personal cost to themselves. Several saw contact with donor offspring and/or knowledge about the outcome of their donation as potentially satisfying, indicating that it is possible to retain an interest in those to whom one is genetically related regardless of social contact. There was strong support among donors to have: (i) some control over information release and contact and (ii) access to ongoing information, advice or support from professionals who are skilled and experienced in search and reunion services. Some donors would be willing to be approached for information or contact even if they did not register. The findings indicate important policy and practice messages about the ongoing needs of donors.

English pronunciation and fluency development in Mandarin and Slavic speakers

Abstract The development of accent and fluency are traced in the speech of 20 Mandarin and 20 Slavic adult immigrants to Canada over a period of 10 months. The participants were enrolled in an ESL program but had no special instruction in either pronunciation or fluency. The immigrants’ self-reported exposure to English outside of class was used to determine whether there was a relationship between accent, fluency, and voluntary contact with English. Judgment tasks were carried out in which native English listeners assessed L2 speech samples recorded at the outset of their studies, 2 months later, and again 10 months after the first recording. The listeners’ scalar judgments of accentedness and fluency indicated that there was a small improvement in accent over time, and that the Slavic learners made significant progress in fluency, whereas the Mandarin participants showed no improvement. The Slavic participants reported significantly more contact with English speakers than did the Mandarin speakers. Suggestions are made for ESL instruction and further research.

Measuring Influences on Public Opinion of the Police Using Time-Series Data: Results of a Pilot Study

This article reports on the outcome of a pilot study that used time-series data to examine both the indirect effects on community opinion of police-public contacts as citizens recount their experiences to friends and family and the effects of negative news coverage of the police on public opinion. In the 9-month period of data collection, there was sufficient variation neither in customer satisfaction with voluntary police contacts nor in public opinion, providing strong clues about the relationship between the two. There was, however, notable variation in negative news coverage of the police in the face of stable public opinion, suggesting some resistance among the public to its influence. This article concludes with reflections and ideas for future research efforts to measure changes to public opinion and satisfaction using surveys.

Effects of Exposure to Pheromone and Insecticide Constituents of an Attracticide Formulation on Reproductive Behavior of Oriental Fruit Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

The effect of exposure to both the pheromone and insecticide constituents of an attracticide formulation on subsequent pheromonal response of male oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), was tested in several wind tunnel bioassays. Male response to the attracticide formulation was significantly reduced in all behavioral categories, including source contact 1 h after sublethal exposure (both by voluntary contact in the wind tunnel and forced application in the laboratory) to the attracticide formulation containing inert ingredients, pheromone, and insecticide. Sublethal exposure to the attracticide formulation in the laboratory (forced application) 24 h before the bioassay resulted in a significantly lower proportion of males subsequently responding to attracticide droplets in the wind tunnel. However, voluntary contact of male moths with the toxic formulation in the wind tunnel had no effect on subsequent response 24 h later. Exposure of males to different constituents of the attracticide formulation demonstrated that both pheromone and insecticide exerted effects on subsequent male pheromonal response. Exposure to the formulation containing the inert ingredients plus the pheromone (no insecticide) significantly reduced male behavioral responses to an attracticide droplet in the wind tunnel 1 h but not 24 h after exposure, compared with males treated with inert ingredients alone. Response to attracticide droplets was further reduced by exposure to the entire attracticide formulation containing inert ingredients, pheromone and insecticide at both 1 and 24 h postexposure. Similarly, males exposed to inert ingredients plus pheromone were less likely to orient to female-produced plumes 1 h but not 24 h after exposure than males treated with inert ingredients alone. Response to female-produced plumes was further reduced at 1 h but not at 24 h after exposure to the entire attracticide formulation. Mating success of males was significantly reduced by exposure to the entire attracticide formulation but not to the formulation without insecticide when placed with females 1 and 24 h postexposure. These findings suggest that sublethal poisoning of males exposed to the attracticide formulation will enhance the effectiveness of this formulation under field conditions.

Meeting the rights and needs of donor-conceived people: the contribution of a voluntary contact register

In this paper we consider the recording of information in donor conception and access to this information by donor-conceived people. While our preference is for a formalised record (register) that mandates disclosure of donor identity, where the necessary political support for such a system does not exist then we suggest that a voluntary contact register could help to meet the needs and rights of donor-conceived people and to respect the dignity of others directly involved in donor conception and that counselling values and principles should underpin the operation of these registers

The effect of university roommate contact on ethnic attitudes and behavior

This study examined the effect of living with White, Asian American, Latino, or African American roommates on affective, cognitive, and behavioral indicators of prejudice among university students. We used a five-wave panel study with approximately 2000 students to examine the effect of roommate contact in two ways: First, through a field experimental test by examining prejudice as a function of living with randomly assigned roommates during the first year of university. Second, net of pre-existing attitudes, we examined the effects of voluntary roommate contact during the second and third year of university on fourth year prejudice. Consistent with contact theory, both randomly assigned and voluntary contact decreased prejudice. Also, there was generalization to other outgroups, particularly from Black roommates to Latinos, and vice versa. Finally, an interesting exception was found for contact with Asian American roommates, whether randomly assigned or voluntary, which tended to make attitudes towards other groups more negative. Potential explanations for this result are discussed.

Public satisfaction with the police in domestic violence cases: The importance of arrest, expectations, and involuntary contact

This study examines the importance of victims’ expectations of the police, the decision to arrest, and voluntary contact on satisfaction ratings of the police in domestic violence cases. Based on results from past research and modern police policy, several hypotheses are tested including: fulfilled expectations, offender arrests, and voluntary contacts resulting in positive satisfaction ratings of the police. To investigate these predictions further, the present study utilizes data from a national study on violence against women in the United States. Logistic regression analyses indicate that fulfilled expectations and the arrest decision are important to positive satisfaction ratings. Findings also indicate that involuntary, not voluntary, contact with the police leads to higher satisfaction ratings.

A cross‐national comparison of citizen perceptions of the police in New York City and St Petersburg, Russia

Long a tradition in the USA, surveys of citizen perceptions of the police are beginning to gain prominence in emerging democracies. Recently, citizen surveys using common items were conducted in New York and St Petersburg, Russia. This paper reports on a cross‐national analysis of data on citizen perceptions of the police using data from these two surveys. The analyses include comparisons of voluntary and involuntary contacts with the police, perceptions of police effectiveness, and perceptions of police misconduct. Results suggest that residents of St Petersburg are more likely to be stopped by the police, while residents of New York are more likely to contact the police for assistance with crime and other neighborhood problems. Police in New York were generally seen as more effective than their counterparts in St Petersburg. In both cities, roughly half of those surveyed believed that the police engaged in misconduct.

Effects of contact and personality on intergroup attitudes of different professionals

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of intergroup contact, personality, and demographic characteristics on the intergroup attitudes of police officers, medical doctors and nurses (N=421; 274 females, 147 males). Following the contact hypothesis, intergroup contact in and of itself was not expected to be sufficient for reducing intergroup prejudice, especially in unequal contacts between professionals and their clients. It was argued that the quality of contact required for the improvement of intergroup attitudes is not equal status or emotional closeness of the participants, but rather that of individuation and familiarity of the outgroup member. The results showed that both level of authoritarianism and individuation of an outgroup member affected intergroup attitudes across all types of contact. For authoritarianism, this result did not hold separately for males, but the individuation effect was very stable; those who knew an outgroup member only superficially held more negative intergroup attitudes than those who knew him or her well, even in unequal and non-voluntary contacts, and even when controlling for authoritarianism, gender, education and professional field. The effect was non-significant in voluntary contacts. No differences in intergroup attitudes were found between males and females or between the professional groups among males after controlling for authoritarianism. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Amygdala Lesions Produce Analgesia in a Novel, Ethologically Relevant Acute Pain Test

Acute pain tests using mechanical stimuli typically do not involve objects important in the evolutionary history of the subjects, and may fail to evaluate the contribution of biobehavioral defensive reactions to the total pain response. Spines are common structural defenses that protect plants and animals against predation. The present studies examined the reaction to contact with such natural, mechanical pain stimuli in the laboratory rat, utilizing a floor board with protruding pins located in the middle of a novel alley (the “fakir” test). Behavioral responses were characterized in 10-min tests (Experiment 1). Subjects showed voluntary contact with the pins followed by patterns of avoidance and risk assessment (stretch attend and stretch approach). Few subjects crossed the array of pins. The amygdala has been implicated in the perception of pain, particularly in stressful or fearful contexts. In Experiment 2, the fakir test was used to examine, concurrently, the effects of amygdala lesions on analgesiometric (frequency and duration of pin crossings) and anxiometric (risk assessment) measures. Large, bilateral, lesions of the amygdala significantly increased both the number of pin crossings and time spent on the pins without affecting the risk assessment measures. These findings suggest a possible dissociation between anxiety and pain perception with an important (nonaffective) role for the amygdala in the latter.

Second generation Afro-Caribbeans and young whites with a first admission diagnosis of schizophrenia

A study of young Afro-Caribbeans and whites diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia on a first admission suggests that the over-representation of Afro-Caribbeans with this diagnosis is not explained by mis-diagnosis. The Afro-Caribbeans were more likely to live alone and to be in contact with the police or prison services before admission. They were also more likely to be admitted compulsorily, especially on forensic orders. They were less likely to make and maintain voluntary contact with the services. There was little difference in the physical treatment given to both groups but the Afro-Caribbeans were more likely to be re-admitted in subsequent years and one third of the Afro-Caribbean males were treated at some time in forensic units. Results are discussed with reference to previous literature and some recommendations made.

HIV Infection in Sexually Transmissible Disease Practice in Sydney: The Effects of Legislation, Public Education and Changing Clinical Spectrum

The experience with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of a private inner-city sexually transmissible diseases (STD) clinic in Sydney was quantified. Between February 1984 and March 1988, 2073 of the Clinic's patients were tested for antibodies to HIV on 5095 occasions. Of those tested, 538 (26%) were positive for antibodies to HIV: 532 (98.9%) of the seropositives had practised male homosexual intercourse. This is the highest reported seroprevalence of HIV for any primary care service in Australia. Those individuals seropositive because of other risk behaviours were detected by voluntary contact tracing rather than by screening. Female prostitution was not found to be a risk factor for HIV. In general, rates of first HIV antibody tests were adversely affected by threatening legislation, and temporarily stimulated (among lower-risk persons) by a national television campaign. These data suggest that much of the counselling, detection and management of HIV infection in Australia is occurring in private practice, and that STD services (private and public) are at the forefront of the HIV epidemic. This has implications for disease surveillance and control, health services planning and medical education.

Ascertainment surveys: Problem perception and voluntary station contact

(1975). Ascertainment surveys: Problem perception and voluntary station contact. Journal of Broadcasting: Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 23-30.