Academic Correlates of Unwanted Sexual Contact, Intercourse, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence: An Understudied but Important Consequence for College Students

Sexual assault, partner abuse, and stalking are major problems on college campuses. Past research has demonstrated a host of physiological and psychological outcomes associated with victimization; however, there has been little research conducted on the potential academic outcomes associated with victimization. The purpose of this study was to measure the relation between academic outcomes and experiences of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and stalking victimization among college students. A sample of 6,482 undergraduate students currently enrolled at one of eight universities in New England was surveyed using items from the subscales of the College Persistence Questionnaire (Academic Efficacy, Collegiate Stress, Institutional Commitment, and Scholastic Conscientiousness). All four types of victimization were associated with significant differences on academic outcomes after controlling for sex and year in school, with victimized students reporting lower academic efficacy, higher college-related stress, lower institutional commitment, and lower scholastic conscientiousness. Polyvictimization was also significantly correlated with outcomes, with the greater number of types of victimization experienced by students being associated with more negative academic outcomes. Implications for future research and campus response were discussed.

Trends in the Location of Corporate Headquarters, 1969-1989

In this research note, the author examines the regional distribution and suburbanization of corporate headquarters in the United States in 1969, 1979, and 1989. The results confirm a continued concentration of headquarters in a small number of metropolitan areas and a continued concentration in the Northeast and Midwest, despite some growth in locations in the South and West. Significant variations are seen by type of corporation. The suburbanization of headquarters during the decade is qualified in two ways: First, despite further suburbanization, central cities still house a sizable majority of headquarters; and second, the suburbanization pattern varies significantly by region.

Physical dating violence, sexual violence, and unwanted pursuit victimization: a comparison of incidence rates among sexual-minority and heterosexual college students

The purpose of this study was to estimate the 6-month incidence rates of sexual assault, physical dating violence (DV), and unwanted pursuit (e.g., stalking) victimization among sexual-minority (i.e., individuals with any same-sex sexual experiences) college students with comparison data from non-sexual-minority (i.e., individuals with only heterosexual sexual experiences) college students. Participants (N = 6,030) were primarily Caucasian (92.7%) and non-sexual-minority (82.3%). Compared with non-sexual-minority students (N-SMS; n = 4,961), sexual-minority students (SMS; n = 1,069) reported significantly higher 6-month incidence rates of physical DV (SMS: 30.3%; N-SMS: 18.5%), sexual assault (SMS: 24.3%; N-SMS: 11.0%), and unwanted pursuit (SMS: 53.1%; N-SMS: 36.0%) victimization. We also explored the moderating role of gender and found that female SMS reported significantly higher rates of physical DV than female N-SMS, whereas male SMS and male N-SMS reported similar rates of physical DV. Gender did not moderate the relationship between sexual-minority status and victimization experiences for either unwanted pursuit or sexual victimization. These findings underscore the alarmingly high rates of interpersonal victimization among SMS and the critical need for research to better understand the explanatory factors that place SMS at increased risk for interpersonal victimization.

Dermatologic manifestations of gastrointestinal disorders

Many disorders of the gastrointestinal tract have cutaneous manifestations. Thus, a careful examination of the skin may uncover clues to underlying diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, and pancreas. This article explores the alimentary-cutaneous relationship.

Ubiquitin cross-reactive protein is released by the bovine uterus in response to interferon during early pregnancy

A 16-kDa protein has been identified that is secreted by the bovine endometrium in response to conceptus-derived interferon (IFN)-tau during early pregnancy. Because this uterine protein was similar in size to a human ubiquitin cross-reactive protein (hUCRP) that also was regulated by IFN, we suspected that they might be related. To test this hypothesis, uterine flushings, medium from cultured endometrium, and endometrial tissues were examined for the presence of ubiquitin-immunoreactive proteins. Immunoreacting proteins were detected through use of one-dimensional (1D)-PAGE and Western blotting with ubiquitin and hUCRP antiserum (1:500). A 16-kDa protein that cross-reacted with ubiquitin and hUCRP antisera was released by the endometrium and was present in uterine flushings from all Day 18 pregnant females examined (n = 12). The immunoreacting 16-kDa protein was absent in all nonpregnant females examined (n = 23). Regulation of this uterine protein by recombinant type I IFNs (rbIFN-tau, rbIFN-alpha, and roIFN-tau), using 0, 0.5, 5, and 25 nm of each IFN, was evaluated in nonpregnant (Day 12) heifers (n = 5) using 1D-PAGE and Western blotting. Release of the 16-kDa protein into medium was negligible in controls (0 nm IFN). For each IFN, a dose-dependent increase (p < 0.05) in release of the immunoreacting 16-kDa protein was noted. We conclude that the 16-kDa protein that is produced by the endometrium in response to IFN-tau during early pregnancy also shares epitopes with hUCRP and ubiquitin. The 16-kDa protein has been named bovine UCRP.

Secretion of bovine uterine proteins in response to type I interferons

Bovine interferon-tau (bIFN-tau) is secreted by the developing conceptus and initiates antiluteolytic events by interacting with uterine membrane receptors. We have identified three endometrial proteins (approximately 8, 16, and 28 kDa; P8, P16, and P28; respectively) that are secreted in response to recombinant (r) bIFN-tau. The objective of this study was to determine whether or not secretion of these proteins was a unique response to IFN-tau during early pregnancy. Three experiments were designed to examine secretion of endometrial proteins as a function of time in culture (0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 h), stage of the estrous cycle and pregnancy (Days 15, 18, 0/21), and dose of Type I IFN (0, 0.5, 5, and 25 nM; rbIFN-tau, rbIFN-alpha, and roIFN-tau). Endometrium was cultured for times specified with L-[3H]leusine to generate radiolabeled proteins. Secreted proteins were quantitated by using one-dimensional (1D)-PAGE, fluorography, and densitometry. Secretion of P8, P16, and P28 increased over time (p < 0.0001) in culture and in response to 25 nM rbIFN-tau (p < 0.05). Secretion of P8 in response to rbIFN-tau was higher (p < 0.05). Secretion of P8 in response to rbIFN-tau was higher (p < 0.0005) in endometrium collected from pregnant than nonpregnant heifers, but did not differ across the days examined. Although secretion of P8 was higher (p < 0.0001) in the presence than in the absence of rbIFN-tau, it was not affected by rbIFN-alpha.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)