A National, Qualitative Study of Sexual Decision Making by Teenage Girls who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or who have Another Nonheterosexual Identity.

Objective: To address the significant dearth of literature that examines how girls who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or who have another nonheterosexual identity (LGB+) decide when and with whom to have sex; and to explore why inexperienced LGB+ girls might have sex with girls or boys.

Study Design: We conducted 8 online, asynchronous, bulletin board-style focus groups with 160 adolescent girls 14-18 years of age. The transcripts were analyzed using a thematic analysis of each girls' responses to the questions.

Microstructure, mineral and mechanical properties of teleost intermuscular bones.

There is an increasing interest in understanding teleost bone biomechanics in several scientific communities, for instance as interesting biomaterials with specific structure-function relationships. Intermuscular bones of teleost fish have previously been described to play a role in the mechanical force transmission between muscle and bone, but their biomechanical properties are not yet fully described. Here, we have investigated intermuscular bones (IBs) of the North Atlantic Herring with regard to their structure and micro-architecture, mineral-related properties, and micro-mechanical tensile properties.

Contraceptive use by women across different sexual orientation groups.

Objectives: To examine contraceptive methods used across sexual orientation groups.

Study Design: We collected data from 118,462 female participants in two longitudinal cohorts-the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) 2 (founded in 1989, participants born 1947-1964) and NHS3 (founded in 2010, born 1965-1995). We used log-binomial models to estimate contraceptive methods ever used across sexual orientation groups and cohorts, adjusting for age and race.

Sexual Orientation Development of Heterosexual, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Gay Individuals: Questions and Hypotheses Based on Kaestle's (2019) Research.

Christine Kaestle's work assessed the three major dimensions of sexual orientation: sexual attractions, behaviors, and identity. She tracked the unfolding of sexual orientation over time, from adolescence to early adulthood (i.e.

A novel approach for computing 3D mice distal femur properties using high-resolution micro-computed tomography scanning.

One of the most-scanned joints in preclinical animal models dealing with musculoskeletal pathologies is the mouse knee. While three-dimensional (3D) characterization of bone tissue porosity have previously been performed on cortical bone, it has not yet been comprehensively performed for the subchondral bone (SB) and the calcified cartilage (CC), which compose the subchondral mineralized zone (SMZ). Thus, it remains challenging to assess changes that occur in the SMZ of the mouse knee during pathologies such as osteoarthritis.

The Relational and Bodily Experiences Theory of Sexual Desire in Women.

We review the theory and research on women's sexual desire and present a theory that incorporates internalized representations of relational and bodily experiences into our understanding of the full range of desire in women. To this end, we move away from the current tendency to focus on low sexual desire in women and instead consider desire on a spectrum or continuum from absent or diminished to high desire across multiple sexual orientations, including heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian. We review definitions of sexual desire, as well as the epidemiology and etiology of hypoactive sexual desire, the most prevalent sexual complaint in women, including the biological, psychological, and relationship correlates of inhibited sexual desire.

Downregulation of Heat Shock Protein 70 Impairs Osteogenic and Chondrogenic Differentiation in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) show promise for bone and cartilage regeneration. Our previous studies demonstrated that hMSCs with periodic mild heating had enhanced osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation with significantly upregulated heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). However, the role of HSP70 in adult tissue regeneration is not well studied.

Associations of Timing of Sexual Orientation Developmental Milestones and Other Sexual Minority Stressors with Internalizing Mental Health Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Young Adults.

Sexual minorities (mostly heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian/gay) are more likely than heterosexuals to have adverse mental health, which may be related to minority stress. We used longitudinal data from 1461 sexual minority women and men, aged 22-30 years, from Wave 2010 of the Growing Up Today Study, to examine associations between sexual minority stressors and mental health. We hypothesized that sexual minority stressors (earlier timing of sexual orientation developmental milestones categorized into early adolescence, middle adolescence, late adolescence/young adulthood; greater sexual orientation mobility; more bullying victimization) would be positively associated with mental health outcomes (depressive and anxious symptoms).

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth and Family Acceptance.

In this article, we address theories of attachment and parental acceptance and rejection, and their implications for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youths' identity and health. We also provide 2 clinical cases to illustrate the process of family acceptance of a transgender youth and a gender nonconforming youth who was neither a sexual minority nor transgender. Clinical implications of family acceptance and rejection of LGBT youth are discussed.

Chronic cannabis use is associated with impaired fear extinction in humans.

The use of fear conditioning and extinction paradigms to examine intermediate phenotypes of anxiety and stress-related disorders has facilitated the identification of neurobiological mechanisms that underlie specific components of abnormal psychological functioning. Across species, acute pharmacologic manipulation of the endogenous cannabinoid system has provided evidence of its critical role in fear extinction, but the effects of chronic cannabis on extinction are relatively understudied. In rats, chronic cannabinoid administration impairs fear extinction in a drug-free state.

Endorsement and Timing of Sexual Orientation Developmental Milestones Among Sexual Minority Young Adults in the Growing Up Today Study.

This research examined endorsement and timing of sexual orientation developmental milestones. Participants were 1,235 females and 398 males from the Growing Up Today Study, ages 22 to 29 years, who endorsed a sexual minority orientation (lesbian/gay, bisexual, mostly heterosexual) or reported same-gender sexual behavior (heterosexual with same-gender sexual experience). An online survey measured current sexual orientation and endorsement and timing (age first experienced) of five sexual orientation developmental milestones: same-gender attractions, other-gender attractions, same-gender sexual experience, other-gender sexual experience, and sexual minority identification.

Facial trustworthiness perception bias elevated in individuals with PTSD compared to trauma exposed controls.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research has focused largely on fear processing. However, interpersonal trauma exposure can also impact interpersonal functioning and the perception of the trustworthiness of others. The present study examined facial perceptions of fearfulness and trustworthiness in individuals with PTSD (n=29), trauma-exposed without PTSD (n=19), and healthy controls (n=18).

Sexual Behaviors and Partner Characteristics by Sexual Identity Among Adolescent Girls.

Purpose: Data suggest that lesbian and bisexual adolescents engage in risky sexual behaviors at higher rates than heterosexual girls. Whether these findings also apply to girls of other sexual identities is less well understood. Potential differences in risky sexual behaviors reported by lesbian versus bisexual adolescents are also underreported in the literature.

Disparities by Sexual Orientation in Frequent Engagement in Cancer-Related Risk Behaviors: A 12-Year Follow-Up.

Objectives: We examined sexual-orientation disparities in frequent engagement in cancer-related risk indicators of tobacco, alcohol, diet and physical activity, ultraviolet radiation, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Methods: We used longitudinal data from the national Growing Up Today Study (1999-2010). Of the analytic sample (n = 9958), 1.

Scaling of extreme rainfall areas at a planetary scale.

Event magnitude and area scaling relationships for rainfall over different regions of the world have been presented in the literature for relatively short durations and over relatively small areas. In this paper, we present the first ever results on a global analysis of the scaling characteristics of extreme rainfall areas for durations ranging from 1 to 30 days. Broken power law models are fit in each case.

An Empirical, Nonparametric Simulator for Multivariate Random Variables with Differing Marginal Densities and Nonlinear Dependence with Hydroclimatic Applications.

Multivariate simulations of a set of random variables are often needed for risk analysis. Given a historical data set, the goal is to develop simulations that reproduce the dependence structure in that data set so that the risk of potentially correlated factors can be evaluated. A nonparametric, copula-based simulation approach is developed and exemplified.

Sexual orientation disparities in adolescent cigarette smoking: intersections with race/ethnicity, gender, and age.

Objectives: We examined sexual orientation differences in adolescent smoking and intersections with race/ethnicity, gender, and age.

Methods: We pooled Youth Risk Behavior Survey data collected in 2005 and 2007 from 14 jurisdictions; the analytic sample comprised observations from 13 of those jurisdictions (n = 64,397). We compared smoking behaviors of sexual minorities and heterosexuals on 2 dimensions of sexual orientation: identity (heterosexual, gay-lesbian, bisexual, unsure) and gender of lifetime sexual partners (only opposite sex, only same sex, or both sexes).

The association between sexual orientation identity and behavior across race/ethnicity, sex, and age in a probability sample of high school students.

Objectives: We examined the prevalence and associations between behavioral and identity dimensions of sexual orientation among adolescents in the United States, with consideration of differences associated with race/ethnicity, sex, and age.

Methods: We used pooled data from 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys to estimate prevalence of sexual orientation variables within demographic sub-groups. We used multilevel logistic regression models to test differences in the association between sexual orientation identity and sexual behavior across groups.

Real-time detection of cellular death receptor-4 activation by fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Targeted therapy involving the activation of death receptors DR4 and/or DR5 by its ligand, TRAIL, can selectively induce apoptosis in certain tumor cells. In order to profile the dynamic activation or trimerization of TRAIL-DR4 in live cells in real-time, the development of an apoptosis reporter cell line is essential. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology via a FRET pair, cyan fluorescence protein (CFP) and yellow fluorescence protein (YFP), was used in this study.

Risk Factors for Homelessness Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youths: A Developmental Milestone Approach.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youths are over-represented in the homeless population. To examine why some LGB youths become homeless, this report compares homeless and non-homeless LGB youths. Of the 156 LGB youths, 48% reported ever being homeless (i.

Hydrodynamic and interparticle potential effects on aggregation of colloidal particles.

The effects of both hydrodynamic interaction and the form of the interparticle potential on the aggregation process for dispersed spherical particles are investigated by computational simulation. The simulation methods of Brownian Dynamics (BD) and Stokesian Dynamics (SD) are applied, over a range of solid volume fraction of 0.04≤φ≤0.

Homelessness among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth: implications for subsequent internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

Although lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth with a history of homelessness (running away or being evicted from their homes by parents) report more psychological symptoms than homeless heterosexual peers, it is unclear whether symptoms are due to homelessness, given the absence of a non-homeless comparison group. This study longitudinally investigates whether LGB youth with a history of homelessness report more subsequent psychological symptoms than non-homeless LGB youth and examines potential mediators of any such relationships. Of the 156 LGB youth interviewed (49% female; 78% non-White), 48% reported past homeless experiences.

Role of Parent and Peer Relationships and Individual Characteristics in Middle School Children's Behavioral Outcomes in the Face of Community Violence.

This study examines processes linking inner-city community violence exposure to subsequent internalizing and externalizing problems. Hypothesized risk and protective factors from three ecological domains -- children's parent and peer relationships and individual characteristics -- were examined for mediating, moderating or independent roles in predicting problem behavior among 667 children over three years of middle school. Mediation was not found.