Infection and pyospermia in male infertility. Is it really a problem?

Guns in the home are a factor in pediatric unintentional and intentional firearm injuries, yet the patterns of ownership and use are unclear. OBJECTIVES. To describe the prevalence of firearms in households containing children who go to pediatricians, the types of firearms owned, the purposes of such ownership, the conditions of firearm storage, and the social correlates of ownership. METHODS. Survey of parents attending 29 (urban, suburban, and rural) pediatric practices in Chicago, New Jersey, Houston, Utah, Georgia, Iowa, and South Carolina for well or sick child care during a 1-week study period. The main outcome measure was ownership of rifle/shotgun and/or handgun. RESULTS. Gun ownership was reported by 37% of 5233 respondent families: rifles (26%), handguns (17%), and powder firearm (32%). Ownership varied significantly across practices and geographical locations. Thirteen percent of 823 handguns and 1% of 1327 rifles were reported both unlocked and loaded. Recreation was the most common reason for both rifle (75%) and handgun (59%) ownership; 48% of handguns were kept for self-protection versus 21% of rifles. In logistic regression models, predictor variables for firearm ownership included rural area, single family dwelling, at least one adult male, and fewer preschool children (for handgun and rifle); mother with at least 12 years education (for handgun), and white mother (for rifle). CONCLUSIONS. The data presented suggest that US pediatricians routinely see children in families that own firearms, including a worrisome number that keep loaded and unlocked handguns. Until more detailed information becomes available, it is reasonable for pediatricians to be guided by these data, and so to counsel routinely about gun exposure.     

Two Forms of Racism and Their Related Outcomes: The Bad and the Ugly.

Two experiments investigated the related outcomes of two forms of racism among college students (413 in the first and 374 in the second experiment) enrolled in a program leading to careers in law enforcement such as police officers. The two forms of racism were the overt, traditional type whereby visible minorities are denigrated the basis of innate characteristics, and the subtle type called neoracism, which incorporates egalitarian values and negative beliefs in the blame of visible minorities for undeserved gains and overall social problems. The design of the experiments allowed for a reality check that they pertained to racial issues relevant to training and work in law enforcement. Experiment 1 showed, as hypothesized, that although both forms of racism are linked, only neoracism is associated with covert attitudes (i.e., unfavourable reactions to employment equity), and traditional racism is related to overt discriminatory behavioural intentions. Experiment 2 investigated the impact of priming a negative reaction to a visible minority on the pattern of these links. Under such conditions the observed links strongly suggest that respondents regress to old norms as neoracism is then associated with both covert negative attitudes and overt discriminatory behavioural intentions. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital status of caregiving daughters and co-residence with dependent parents

The role of caregiving daughters' marital status is examined as it relates to their sharing households with disabled elderly parents. Married daughters fared best in well-being, income, and social support. Never-married women were the most likely to have never moved out of the parental home. Separated/divorced caregivers, more than the married and widowed, had moved into the parent's home rather than the reverse and widowed daughters had lived in re-formed joint households longest. The main reason for re-forming shared households was disability of the parent. Among other reasons were death or withdrawal of previous caregiver and financial problems, with separated/divorced daughters the most likely to mention finances.     

Meigs'' syndrome associated with adenocarcinoma of the left fallopian tube

This study examined behavioral changes in households after participation in a home environmental assessment. Home assessment visits by a trained coach, which involved a walk-through in the home with the home residents, were conducted in 36 homes. The walk-through included a list of recommended behavioral changes that the residents could make to reduce their exposures to home pollutants in areas such as dust control, moisture problems, indoor air, hazardous household products, and hobbies. Recruited households were surveyed 3 months after the home assessment to evaluate their implementation of the recommendations. Following the home visits, 31 of 36 households reported making at least one behavioral change, and 41% of the recommendations made by the volunteer coaches were implemented. In conclusion, this study found that the majority of the households who participated in the home assessment reported implementing at least one recommendation. This home health promotional method was effective in influencing behavioral changes.     

“Predicting student attitudes about racial diversity and gender equity”: Correction to Cokley et al. (2010).

Reports an error in "Predicting student attitudes about racial diversity and gender equity" by Kevin O. Cokley, Kimberly Tran, Brittany Hall-Clark, Collette Chapman, Luana Bessa, Angela Finley and Michael Martinez (Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 2010[Sep], Vol 3[3], 187-199). There are two errors in Table 2 under the RWA heading and the Cog-gender heading. The necessary changes are provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-18201-006.) Factors related to attitudes about racial diversity and gender equity were examined in an ethnically diverse sample of 432 college students (167 European Americans, 83 African Americans, 81 Asian Americans, and 82 Hispanic Americans). In addition to variables of self-interest (i.e., ethnicity, gender, and political views), social ideology (i.e., social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism) and personality traits (openness to experience) were uniquely predictive of attitudes about racial diversity and gender equity. Hierarchical regressions revealed that social dominance orientation most strongly predicted racial attitudes, while right-wing authoritarianism most strongly predicted gender attitudes. Implications for diversity education efforts related to prejudice reduction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An ethnopolitical approach to working with people of color.

North Americans have been expected to abdicate their ethnic backgrounds and blend into a single homogeneous identity. However, the United States President's Initiative on Race (1998) concluded that the greatest challenge facing North Americans is to accept and take pride in defining themselves as a multiracial democracy. With an ethnopolitical approach, the author studies effects of oppression, racism, and political repression on individuals, groups, and societies. She concludes that psychologists can help ameliorate racism in society by taking an antiracist stance, promoting a safe society where racial–social equity and justice prevail, and helping to formulate a collective identity that affords freedom to all members of society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Topography of four classes of Kenyon cells in the mushroom bodies of the cockroach

The authors compared 218 black and 68 white nursing home patients with dementia for differences in the prevalence, recognition, and treatment of depression. There were no racial differences in depressive symptoms, but whites were significantly more likely to receive a diagnosis of "possible depression" and there were few racial differences in clinical, social, or demographic factors associated with depression. Depression was often unrecognized and undertreated in both racial groups; several depression instruments developed for use in dementia had good reliability and validity among blacks; and there were no significant differences in depressive symptoms or diagnosis between U.S.-born and Caribbean-born black patients. The absence of any appreciable interracial or intraracial differences in depression symptoms or diagnoses may reflect uniformity in nursing home selection criteria or lessening of mood differences that may have existed before admission.     

CAPM-Based Valuation of Financial Government Supports to Infeasible and Risky Private Infrastructure Projects

Driven by acute fiscal problems and disenchantment with the performance of publicly delivered quality services, many governments in both industrial and developing countries are now relying on the private sector to deliver infrastructure services. In the context of private infrastructure financing, the provision of governmental support is not uncommon. The present paper discusses the theoretical framework of the valuation of the financial impact of support on the cost of debt, cost of equity, the expected return on equity (ROE), and the project’s net present value (NPV), based on the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) within a single-period context. Special focus is placed on a minimum revenue guarantee, a direct cash subsidy, and a subsidized subordinated debt. This paper shows that a guarantee reduces the cost of debt and can increase or decrease the cost of equity depending on the leverage, while a subsidy increases only the cost of equity. A subsidized subordinated debt increases both the cost of senior debt and the cost of equity. For all cases, all the supports improve the NPV because the expected increase of ROE can more than sufficiently offset any change in the cost of equity. This paper is of interest to academics because it provides the theoretical analysis of how a support can affect the rates of return expected by debt and private equity investors from risky and, probably, infeasible privately financed infrastructure projects. Practitioners, particularly those from the public sector, can also benefit from research findings that may inform decision makers about what support to provide.     

Bridging the wage gap: Pay equity and job evaluations.

Addresses arguments of pay equity opponents and discusses ongoing and proposed solutions to close the gap between the wages of men and women. It is argued that occupational segregation and sex-based wage discrimination continue to depress women's wages vis-à-vis those of men. Major strides have been made in remedying wage discrimination through negotiation, collective bargaining, and litigation, and the use of job evaluation studies has figured prominently in achieving pay equity. The need for increased activity and research to perfect job evaluation as a pay equity tool so that the wage gap between men and women may be bridged is emphasized. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the link between racial discrimination and substance use: What mediates? What buffers?

The relation between perceived racial discrimination and substance use was examined in 2 studies that were based on the prototype-willingness model (Gibbons, Gerrard, & Lane, 2003). Study 1, using structural equation modeling, revealed prospective relations between discrimination and use 5 years later in a panel of African American adolescents (M age 10.5 years at Time 1 [T1]) and their parents. For both groups, the relation was mediated by anger and/or hostility. For the adolescents, it was also mediated by behavioral willingness, and it was moderated by supportive parenting. Study 2 was a lab experiment in which a subset of the Study 1 adolescents (M age = 18.5 years) was asked to imagine a discriminatory experience, and then their affect and drug willingness were assessed. As in the survey study, discrimination was associated with more drug willingness, and that relation was again mediated by anger and moderated by supportive parenting. Implications of the results for research and interventions involving reactions to racial discrimination are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employment Discrimination: The Role of Implicit Attitudes, Motivation, and a Climate for Racial Bias.

This study is an attempt to replicate and extend research on employment discrimination by A. P. Brief and colleagues (A. P. Brief, J. Dietz, R. R. Cohen, S. D. Pugh, & J. B. Vaslow, 2000). More specifically, the authors attempted (a) to constructively replicate the prior finding that an explicit measure of modern racism would interact with a corporate climate for racial bias to predict discrimination in a hiring context and (b) to extend this finding through the measurement of implicit racist attitudes and motivation to control prejudice. Although the authors were unable to replicate the earlier interaction, they did illustrate that implicit racist attitudes interacted with a climate for racial bias to predict discrimination. Further, results partially illustrate that motivation to control prejudice moderates the relationship between explicit and implicit attitudes. Taken together, the findings illustrate the differences between implicit and explicit racial attitudes in predicting discriminatory behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural competence as an ethical requirement: Introducing a new educational model.

Demographic data show a trend toward increasing racial and ethnic diversity among students in public schools, but the teaching population is projected to remain largely White and female. Without proper training, teachers will be ill equipped to meet the educational needs of these diverse students and run the risk of unwittingly perpetuating prevalent stereotypes and discriminatory practices about certain racial and ethnic groups. This preliminary study offers a theoretically driven model for training, the Racial and Ethical Sensitivity Training KIT (REST-KIT), which is designed to (a) increase preservice teachers' ability to recognize ethical dilemmas related to intolerance in schools and (b) provide preservice teachers with techniques and skills for handling these dilemmas. The REST-KIT is unique in that it ties cultural competence to ethical principles based on professional codes of ethics accepted by school professions and emphasizes that cultural competence is a professional requirement, not a personal choice. Pre- and posttests were given to ascertain the program's effectiveness. Both a self-report and a behavior-based measure indicated that participants showed more cultural competence after completing the workshop. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vif-derived peptides inhibit the viral protease and arrest virus production

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of food insufficiency in the United States and to examine sociodemographic characteristics related to food insufficiency. METHODS: Data were analyzed from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a cross-sectional representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population living in households. Individuals were classified as "food insufficient" if a family respondent reported that the family sometimes or often did not get enough food to eat. RESULTS: From 1988 through 1994, the overall prevalence of food insufficiency was 4.1% and was primarily related to poverty status. In the low-income population, food insufficiency was positively associated with being Mexican American, being under the age of 60, having a family head who had not completed high school, participating in the Food Stamp Program, and not having health insurance. It was not related to family type or employment status of the family head. Over half of food-insufficient individuals lived in employed families. CONCLUSIONS: Food insufficiency is not limited to very low-income persons, specific racial/ethnic groups, family types, or the unemployed. Understanding food insufficiency is critical to formulating nutrition programs and policies.     

On Interpreting Research on Stereotype Threat and Test Performance.

The authors comment on the comments (see records 2005-03019-016; 2005-03019-017; 2005-03019-018) made on their original article entitled On Interpreting Stereotype Threat as Accounting for African American-White Differences on Cognitive Tests (see record 2004-10043-001). The authors welcome the thoughtful insights of Wicherts, Helms, and Cohen and Sherman, and they hope that these comments stimulate further critical analysis of methodological issues associated with stereotype threat research. The authors do not dispute that stereotype threat is a real phenomenon or that it remains a potentially important contributor to the racial achievement gap. They encourage researchers to continue their efforts to determine what role stereotype threat plays in contributing to that gap, especially in real-world testing situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The gender gap in reporting household gun ownership

OBJECTIVES: This study examined errors in estimating household gun ownership that result from interviewing only 1 adult per household. METHODS: Data from 2 recent telephone surveys and a series of in-person surveys were used to compare reports of household gun ownership by husbands and wives. RESULTS: In the telephone surveys, the rate of household gun ownership reported by husbands exceeded wives' reports by an average of 12 percentage points; husbands' reports also implied 43.3 million more guns. The median "gender gap" in recent in-person surveys is 7 percentage points. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should focus on respondents' reports about personally owned guns.     

Accent, perpetual foreigner stereotype, and perceived discrimination as indirect links between English proficiency and depressive symptoms in Chinese American adolescents.

The current study uses García Coll et al.'s (1996) developmental competence model of ethnic minority children and Kim's (1999) racial triangulation theory as frameworks for investigating the mechanisms whereby early adolescent English proficiency relates to perceived discriminatory experiences and adolescent depressive symptoms. Data from 444 adolescents (239 girls and 205 boys, with a mean age of 13.0 years for Wave 1 and 17.0 years for Wave 2) and their parents living in major metropolitan areas of Northern California were collected. The structural equation modeling analyses indicate that self-reported low levels of English proficiency among Chinese American adolescents in middle school are related to these same students later reporting that they speak English with an accent in high school, which in turn relates significantly to their perceiving that they have been stereotyped as perpetual foreigners. For girls, a perpetual foreigner stereotype relates to perceptions of chronic daily discrimination, increasing the risk of depressive symptoms. For boys, the path is different: A perpetual foreigner stereotype is apparently related to discriminatory victimization experiences, which increase the risk of depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biologic pollution in infant bedding in New Zealand: high allergen exposure during a vulnerable period

BACKGROUND: High exposure to house dust mite and cat allergens in early life predisposes to allergic sensitization and to the development and persistence of asthma. Prevalence and severity of asthma are high in New Zealand. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of Der p 1 and Fel d 1 in infant bedding in Wellington, New Zealand. METHODS: Infants were visited at home at a mean age of 11 weeks and again at 15 months. The concentration (microgram/g fine dust) and content (microgram/m2) of Der p 1 (154 infants) and Fel d 1 (75 infants) were measured in dust samples taken from each infant's bed. RESULTS: At 11 weeks, geometric mean (95% confidence intervals) Der p 1 levels were 18.3 micrograms/g (13.8 to 24.1) and 3.51 micrograms/m2 (2.4 to 5.2). By 15 months, Der p 1 had risen significantly to 44.0 micrograms/g (35.0 to 55. 3) and 49.0 micrograms/m2 (36.0 to 66.8). Bedding that included a sheepskin was used by a third of the infants and contained higher concentrations (microgram/g) and content (microgram/m2) of Der p 1 than beds without sheepskins. Cat ownership was the major determinant of Fel d 1 levels, with 48% of infants living with cats. At the first visit, the mean concentration of Fel d 1 in bedding was 44.6 micrograms/g (23.5 to 84.9) for houses with cats and 3.0 micrograms/g (2.1 to 4.3) for those without cats, remaining essentially unchanged at the second visit. When expressed as micrograms per square meter, there was a significant increase between visits, from 8.1 (3.9 to 16. 6) to 39.6 (19.9 to 78.5) in the cat-inclusive households. CONCLUSIONS: Extremely high levels of house dust mite allergen have been found in these infants' environments, which, together with the high levels of cat allergen in almost half who kept cats, are likely to be a major determinant of asthma prevalence and severity in New Zealand.     

Racial identity, racial attitudes, and race socialization among Black Canadian parents.

The primary aim of this study was to examine the influence of racial identity on the socialization strategies used by Black parents to deal with issues of racism and discrimination. The Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity (MMRI) was used to capture the complexity of Black identity and to provide a framework for the study of the socialization process. Ninety-one Black Canadian parents responded to measures of racial identity (e.g., identity centrality, racial ideologies), racial appraisals (e.g., concern for stereotyping), and socialization practices (e.g., preparation for bias). Racial identity measures were hypothesised to predict racial appraisals and socialization behaviours, while racial appraisals were expected to predict socialization behaviours. Furthermore, racial salience was expected to moderate the relationship between racial ideologies (e.g., nationalist ideology) and socialization behaviours. Although this latter hypothesis was not supported, the Sellers model did provide a useful theoretical framework for understanding the socialization practices of Black Canadian parents. Parents were more likely to socialize their children when they endorsed a humanist ideology and when they perceived their children as being likely targets of stereotyping and discrimination. These findings underscore the need for multidimensional measures of identity to obtain a more complete picture of the socialization process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A localized double-quantum filter for the in vivo detection of brain glucose

OBJECTIVES: Despite decreasing infant mortality in North Carolina, the gap between African Americans and Whites persists. This study examined how racial differences in infant mortality vary by maternal education. METHODS: Data came from Linked Birth and Infant Death files for 1988 through 1993. Multiple logistic regression models adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: Infant mortality risk ratios comparing African Americans and Whites increased with higher levels of maternal education. Education beyond high school reduced risk of infant mortality by 20% among Whites but had little effect among African Americans. CONCLUSIONS: Higher education magnifies racial differences in infant mortality on a multiplicative scale. Possible reasons include greater stress, fewer economic resources, and poorer quality of prenatal care among African Americans.