Cultural transmission: Influence of contextual factors in asian indian immigrant parents' experiences.

Sixteen 1st-generation Asian Indian mothers and fathers were interviewed about the influence of immigration on retention of their own ethnic identity and their ability to promote a sense of ethnic identity in their 2nd-generation children. Data were analyzed with the consensual qualitative research methodology (C. E. Hill et al., 2005) and revealed ethnic identity retention to be influenced by engagement in cultural celebrations and activities, a need to hold onto tradition and upbringing, family ties, social support, and a rejection of perceived Western values. Ethnic identity retention was challenged by environmental obstacles and barriers within American society, loss of familial support, lack of cultural continuity, and an inability to have the "best of both worlds." Furthermore, participants identified specific values and strategies relevant to transmitting an ethnic identity to their children as well as specific challenges to this process, including limited familial and communal guidance and modeling, obstacles from Western culture, an inability to apply their own experience or upbringing, a lack of cultural knowledge, and the potential for intermarriage. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining the relationship between multiple internalized oppressions and African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning persons' self-esteem and psychological distress.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 56(2) of Journal of Counseling Psychology (see record 2009-04542-008). The DOI was incorrect. The correct DOI is 10.1037/a0013317.] Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) persons come from diverse cultural groups with diverse racial and ethnic identities. However, most research on LGBQ persons has used primarily White samples, and most research on African Americans has used largely heterosexual samples. Thus, research has largely failed to attend to and investigate the complexity of African American LGBQ persons' experiences. This study examined the relations between multiple internalized oppressions and African American sexual minority persons' self-esteem and psychological distress. Results indicated that when examined together, internalized racism and internalized heterosexism (also known as internalized homophobia) were both significant negative predictors of self-esteem, but only internalized heterosexism was a unique positive predictor of psychological distress. The interaction of internalized racism and internalized heterosexism was not a significant predictor of self-esteem or psychological distress. Finally, the authors' findings indicate that self-esteem partially mediates the relationship between internalized heterosexism and psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and preliminary validation of the Cultural Values Conflict Scale for South Asian women.

This article describes the development and validation of the Cultural Values Conflict Scale (CVCS) for South Asian women in the United States. Three hundred nineteen participants were administered the CVCS. Exploratory factor analysis supported a 2-factor model of cultural value conflict, namely intimate relations and sex role expectations. Results indicated that the internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were adequate. Discriminant validity was demonstrated by differences shown between 1st and 2nd-generation South Asian women. Convergent validity was demonstrated by a positive relationship between the CVCS and measures of anxiety and cultural adjustment difficulties. Finally, it appears that social desirability plays a role in the self-representation of this group of South Asian women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vertical ZnO Nanotube Transistor on a Graphene Film for Flexible Inorganic Electronics

The bottom‐up integration of a 1D–2D hybrid semiconductor nanostructure into a vertical field‐effect transistor (VFET) for use in flexible inorganic electronics is reported. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanotubes on graphene film is used as an example. The VFET is fabricated by growing position‐ and dimension‐controlled single crystal ZnO nanotubes vertically on a large graphene film. The graphene film, which acts as the substrate, provides a bottom electrical contact to the nanotubes. Due to the high quality of the single crystal ZnO nanotubes and the unique 1D device structure, the fabricated VFET exhibits excellent electrical characteristics. For example, it has a small subthreshold swing of 110 mV dec^?1, a high I_max/I_min ratio of 10⁶, and a transconductance of 170 nS µm^?1. The electrical characteristics of the nanotube VFETs are validated using 3D transport simulations. Furthermore, the nanotube VFETs fabricated on graphene films can be easily transferred onto flexible plastic substrates. The resulting components are reliable, exhibit high performance, and do not degrade significantly during testing.     

Attitudes toward professional counseling among Asian-American college students: Acculturation, conceptions of mental illness, and loss of face.

The present study attempted to examine the influence of culture-bound barriers such as acculturation status, loss of face, and conception of mental health on the attitudes of Asian American college students (n = 134) toward seeking professional psychological help. An adapted Acculturation Attitude Scale (AAS; U. Kim, 1988), Zane's (1991) Loss of Face Scale (LOFS), a 10-factor Conception of Mental Health Scale (CMHS; Nunnally, 1961), and a modified version of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) with four subscales (Fischer & Turner, 1970) were used in this study. Results support the hypothesis that acculturation and conceptions of mental health were significantly correlated with attitudes toward mental health services. Loss of face was also significantly correlated with attitudes of being open to professional counseling. Implications for mental health professionals working with Asian Americans are highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tribological Behavior of Deagglomerated Active Inorganic Nanoparticles for Advanced Lubrication

The tribological behavior of novel, deagglomerated, and active molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanoparticles as additives in paraffin oil is presented. In a novel approach, the MoS₂ nanoparticles were activated by their intercalation with organic molecules, particularly triglycerides (canola oil) and lecithin (source of phosphorus). A four-ball tribological test setup was used to measure the wear scar diameter, the coefficient of friction, and the extreme pressure properties of such formulated paraffin oils. The results showed significant influence of this uniquely designed MoS₂ nanostructured additive on the coefficient of friction (0.07), the wear scar diameter, and the extreme pressure (315 kg) properties of the paraffin oil. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were also used for investigating size, the surface morphology, and the elemental composition of the nanoengineered lubricant. The characterization revealed a particle size less than 100 nm and the elemental composition analysis of the wear track showed the presence of Mo, S, and P in the tribofilm, explaining the observed improvements in the tribological properties.     

"Examining the relationship between multiple internalized oppressions and African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning persons’ self-esteem and psychological distress”: Correction.

Reports an error in "Examining the relationship between multiple internalized oppressions and African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning persons' self-esteem and psychological distress" by Dawn M. Szymanski and Arpana Gupta (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2009[Jan], Vol 56[1], 110-118). The DOI was incorrect. The correct DOI is 10.1037/a0013317. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-00624-002.) Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) persons come from diverse cultural groups with diverse racial and ethnic identities. However, most research on LGBQ persons has used primarily White samples, and most research on African Americans has used largely heterosexual samples. Thus, research has largely failed to attend to and investigate the complexity of African American LGBQ persons' experiences. This study examined the relations between multiple internalized oppressions and African American sexual minority persons' self-esteem and psychological distress. Results indicated that when examined together, internalized racism and internalized heterosexism (also known as internalized homophobia) were both significant negative predictors of self-esteem, but only internalized heterosexism was a unique positive predictor of psychological distress. The interaction of internalized racism and internalized heterosexism was not a significant predictor of self-esteem or psychological distress. Finally, the authors' findings indicate that self-esteem partially mediates the relationship between internalized heterosexism and psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using Chemical Probes to Assess the Feasibility of Targeting SecA for Developing Antimicrobial Agents against Gram‐Negative Bacteria

With the widespread emergence of drug resistance, there is an urgent need to search for new antimicrobials, especially those against Gram‐negative bacteria. Along this line, the identification of viable targets is a critical first step. The protein translocase SecA is commonly believed to be an excellent target for the development of broad‐spectrum antimicrobials. In recent years, we developed three structural classes of SecA inhibitors that have proven to be very effective against Gram‐positive bacteria. However, we have not achieved the same level of success against Gram‐negative bacteria, despite the potent inhibition of SecA in enzyme assays by the same inhibitors. In this study, we use representative inhibitors as chemical probes to gain an understanding as to why these inhibitors were not effective against Gram‐negative bacteria. The results validate our initial postulation that the major difference in effectiveness against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria is in the additional permeability barrier posed by the outer membrane of Gram‐negative bacteria. We also found that the expression of efflux pumps, which are responsible for multidrug resistance (MDR), have no effect on the effectiveness of these SecA inhibitors. Identification of an inhibitor‐resistant mutant and complementation tests of the plasmids containing secA in a secAts mutant showed that a single secA‐azi‐9 mutation increased the resistance, providing genetic evidence that SecA is indeed the target of these inhibitors in bacteria. Such results strongly suggest SecA as an excellent target for developing effective antimicrobials against Gram‐negative bacteria with the intrinsic ability to overcome MDR. A key future research direction should be the optimization of membrane permeability.     

The “model minority myth”: Internalized racialism of positive stereotypes as correlates of psychological distress, and attitudes toward help-seeking.

Stereotypes associated with Asian Americans (model minority group) are, at times, positive. Endorsement of these stereotypes (i.e., internalized racialism) might contribute to Asian's distress and their attitudes toward seeking services. The purpose of this study was to use the theory of “status-based rejection sensitivity” as a way to examine the relationship between internalized racialism (i.e., endorsement and/or internalization of positive Asian stereotypes) and psychological distress, and attitudes toward help-seeking among 291 Asian Americans. Results indicated that higher levels of endorsement of positive Asian stereotypes were related to higher levels of psychological distress and more negative attitudes toward help-seeking. No evidence was found for the moderating roles of internalized racialism in the endorsement of positive Asian stereotypes–distress/help-seeking links. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)