Some issues in the treatment of gay and lesbian patients.

Contends that issues arise in the psychotherapy of gay and lesbian patients as a function of the societal position of homosexuality in our culture. Society, patients, and therapists have homophobic attitudes that can be modified once they are acknowledged. In addition, homosexuals are largely invisible in society, and most of a therapist's information about them comes from his/her homosexual patients. The therapist may reinforce the patient's own homophobia by inquiring into the causes of the patient's homosexuality or into his/her failure to function heterosexually. Homosexual relationships are thought to be less significant than heterosexual relationships; this attitude adds to the isolation of gay and lesbian people. It is suggested that if an analysis of the gay or lesbian patient's homophobia has been successful, anger will emerge; the anger may proceed quietly or erupt against the source of oppression. It is concluded that when the effects of homophobia are partialed out, few differences remain between homosexuals and heterosexuals. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of the relationship between achievement values and perceptions of barriers among low-SES African American and Latino students.

Peer nomination procedures were used to explore the development of academic achievement values and their relation to perceptions of barriers to opportunity. A total of 615 boys and girls across 3 grade levels (2nd, 4th, 7th) and 2 ethnic groups (African American, Latino) nominated peers who they admired, respected, and wanted to be like. Nominations were summed to create a value index. Girls in both ethnic groups and across grade levels were more likely to nominate high- or average-achieving same-gender classmates as those who they admired, respected, and wanted to be like. Second- and 4th-grade boys in both ethnic groups reported a nomination pattern similar to that of girls. However, 7th-grade boys in both ethnic groups showed a relative preference for low-achieving same-gender classmates as valued. Perceptions of barriers were related to increasing valuing of low achievers among African American 7th-grade boys. Implications of the findings for understanding the motivational challenges of ethnic minority male adolescents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Repairing your marriage after his affair: A woman’s guide to hope and healing.

Reviews the book, Repairing your marriage after his affair: A woman's guide to hope and healing by Marcella Bakur Weiner and Armand DiMele (1998). This book addresses the difficult task of reestablishing trust in the marriage after an affair and offers specific guidelines for discussions that aid the healing process. The authors recommend exercises that help the couple break down the barriers to intimacy and cultivate greater happiness in the marriage. They also include a chapter for handling children during this critical period and suggest ways to minimize the trauma to them. Their advice is sound and their suggestions for recovery quite practical and valuable to any woman struggling to come to terms with her partner's affair. The authors provide some helpful information to the woman contending with this problem and hoping to continue in the marriage. It is likely to appeal most to the woman reluctant to enter individual or couple therapy with her husband, yet needing some help in coping with the intense emotions at this confusing time; it can help her in deciding whether to leave or stay in the marriage. The book can also be used as an adjunct to therapy for women already in treatment who might want supplemental reading. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neglected aspects and unsupported claims.

Comments on the article by M. E. Kite et al (see record 2001-10045-002), which summarized the findings and recommendations of the Task Force on the Status of Women in Academe. The present authors contend that while Kite et al documented the differences in the activities of men and women in academia, it is not clear that "inequalities persist." Kite et al interpreted the observed differences in outcomes between men and women as self-evident indicators of remaining bias and discrimination. The present authors warn of two problems with this interpretation. First, Kite et al neglected important variables that suggest alternative interpretations of these differences. Second, the authors made unsupported claims about the existence of bias and discrimination against women. Here the present authors document specific cases of these errors in reasoning. In conclusion, observed differences between men and women might be partly a reflection of other (neglected) personological variables on which the sexes overlap considerably but differ on average. Just as differential outcomes do not imply differential opportunities, equal opportunities do not necessarily produce equal outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of microalgae hydrolysate as a fermentation medium for microbial production of 2-pyrone 4,6-dicarboxylic acid

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Effects of labor contractions on catecholamine release and breathing frequency in newborn rats.

Plasma catecholamines in newborn rats (0-2 hr old) were analyzed following vaginal birth, cesarean section with simulated labor contractions, or cesarean section without labor contractions. Upon delivery, pups were exposed to key elements of the rat's natural birth process, that is, umbilical cord occlusion, tactile stimulation, and cooling. Only pups exposed to actual or simulated labor showed an immediate rise in norepinephrine and epinephrine. Initial postpartum respiratory frequencies were higher in vaginal than in cesarean delivered pups and, in all groups, inversely correlated with catecholamine titers, suggesting respiratory distress or transient tachypnea at lower catecholamine levels. These findings establish a rat model for analyzing effects of labor on neonatal adaptive response during the transition from prenatal to postnatal life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)