The human penis as a semen displacement device

Evolution and Human Behavior
Volume 24, Issue 4, July 2003, Pages 277–289

Gordon G. Gallup Jr., Rebecca L. Burch1, Mary L. Zappieri, Rizwan A. Parvez, Malinda L. Stockwell, Jennifer A. Davis

Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA

Abstract

Inanimate models were used to assess the possibility that certain features of the human penis evolved to displace semen left by other males in the female reproductive tract. Displacement of artificial semen in simulated vaginas varied as a function of glans/coronal ridge morphology, semen viscosity, and depth of thrusting. Results obtained by modifying an artificial penis suggest that the coronal ridge is an important morphological feature mediating semen displacement. Consistent with the view of the human penis as a semen displacement device, two surveys of college students showed that sexual intercourse often involved deeper and more vigorous penile thrusting following periods of separation or in response to allegations of female infidelity.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513803000163

From Kitsch to Chic: The Transformation of Hawaiian Shirt Aesthetics

Clothing and Textiles Research Journal
March 2003 vol. 21 no. 2 75-88
doi: 10.1177/0887302X0302100203

Marcia A. Morgado

Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Hawai‘i - Manoa, Miller Hall, #204, 2515 Campus Road, Honolulu, HI 96822

Abstract

The Hawaiian shirt originated in the mid-1930s as a commodity for the tourist market. Unique elements in its design, including tropical print motifs in cartoon-like renditions, brilliant colors, and silky rayon fabrics made the shirt instantly recognizable and contributed to its status as both an essential souvenir purchase and the quintessential element in the stereotype of the tourist as sartorial nerd. An analysis of the transformation of the shirt - from tourist kitsch to highly valued collectible, and from collectible to global fashion - is framed on rubbish theory. The transformation is traced to an assortment of myths that reconstitute the souvenir commodity as an indigenous ethnic art form and a scarce relic of Hawai‘i’s romanticized past and to a surfeit of publications that position the shirt as a collector’s item. The merits of rubbish theory as a framework for the analysis are assessed, and apparel scholars are asked to consider the influence of myth and scholarship on changes in the aesthetic codes of other fashion and appearance-related commodities.

aesthetic codes, rubbish theory, Hawaiian shirt

http://ctr.sagepub.com/content/21/2/75

An analysis of the forces required to drag sheep over various surfaces

Appl Ergon. 2002 Nov;33(6):523-31

Harvey JT1, Culvenor J, Payne W, Cowley S, Lawrance M, Stuart D, Williams R.

School of Information Technology and Mathematical Sciences, University of Ballarat, PO Box 663, Ballarat, Victoria 3353, Australia

Abstract

Some occupational health and safety hazards associated with sheep shearing are related to shearing shed design. One aspect is the floor of the catching pen, from which sheep are caught and dragged to the shearing workstation. Floors can be constructed from various materials, and may be level or gently sloping. An experiment was conducted using eight experienced shearers as participants to measure the force exerted by a shearer when dragging a sheep. Results showed that significant changes in mean dragging force occurred with changes in both surface texture and slope. The mean dragging forces for different floor textures and slopes ranged from 359 N (36.6 kg) to 423N (43.2 kg), and were close to the maximum acceptable limits for pulling forces for the most capable of males. The best floor tested was a floor sloped at 1:10 constructed of timber battens oriented parallel to the path of the drag, which resulted in a mean dragging force 63.6N (15%) lower than the worst combination.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12507336?dopt=Abstract

An onion enzyme that makes the eyes water

Nature 419 (6908): 685
17 October 2002
doi:10.1038/419685a

S. Imai [1], N. Tsuge [1], M. Tomotake [1], Y. Nagatome [1], H. Sawada [1], T. Nagata [2] & H. Kumagai [3]

[1] Somatech Center, House Foods Corporation, Takanodai, Yotsukaido, Chiba 284-0033, Japan
[2] Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
[3] Division of Integrated Life Science, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan

ABSTRACT The irritating lachrymatory factor that is released by onions when they are chopped up has been presumed to be produced spontaneously following the action of the enzyme alliinase, which operates in the biochemical pathway that produces the compounds responsible for the onion's characteristic flavour. Here we show that this factor is not formed as a by-product of this reaction, but that it is specifically synthesized by a previously undiscovered enzyme, lachrymatory-factor synthase. It may be possible to develop a non-lachrymatory onion that still retains its characteristic flavour and high nutritional value by downregulating the activity of this synthase enzyme.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v419/n6908/abs/419685a.html