An association between bone mineral density and anabolic hormones in middle-aged and elderly men with prediabetes

Introduction: Prediabetes (PD) leads to reduced testosterone (T) in males, but the association between the anabolic hormones and bone mineral density (BMD) remains unknown.

Objectives: We investigated an association between the anabolic hormones and BMD in middle-aged and elderly men with PD.

Methods: We investigated 84 prediabetic and 56 control men. Total T (TT), calculated free T (cFT), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were measured, and BMD was assessed using DXA methods.

Results: Patients with PD had lower TT (p?p?<?.005), and DHEAS (p?<?.02) than control group. BMD values of the lower lumbar spine (p?<?.02) and total body (p?<?.05) in prediabetic men were lower than in control group. Lumbar spine BMD correlated with TT (r?=?0.376), cFT (r?=?0.235), and HbA1c (r?=??0.368); femoral neck BMD correlated with TT (r?=?0.412) and cFT (r?=?0.421). The high lumbar spine and femur neck BMD was associated with high TT, cFT, and low HbA1c, while the high total body BMD with high TT, cFT, and low HbA1c.

Conclusion: The anabolic hormones significantly affect BMD in male with PD, and screening for low BMD is necessary in these patients.     

Application of multivariate longitudinal models in SIRT6, FBS,and BMI analysis of the elderly

Abstract

Objective: SIRT6 is a main regulator of metabolism and lifespan and its importance has been implicated in the prevention against aging-related diseases. The objective of this study was to examine the application of multivariate longitudinal models in SIRT6, FBS, and BMI analysis in the elderly men after eight weeks concurrent training with supplementation of l-arginine (l-Arg).

Methods: Thirty two elderly men with mean age of 63.09?±?3.71 years were randomly divided into four equal-sized groups (each n?=?8); Exercise?+?supplement (ES) group; exercise?+?placebo (EP) group; supplement (S) group and control (C) group. The ES and EP groups performed the eight weeks of concurrent training, three sessions per week. Group ES and group S consumed 1000?mg of l-Arg per day at 8:00?pm. Measurements of biochemical variables were done by ELISA Reader method. For analytical purposes, we used the paired sample t-test and multivariate longitudinal modeling with generalized estimating equation (GEE) methodology. All analyses have been implemented in R-3.4.1. p Values less than .05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: With respect to significant association between sirt6, FBS, and BMI, this study showed that synergy effect of training and supplementation was greater than the sum of their individual effects on SIRT6 (β?=?0.79, p?<?.001), FBS (β?=??5.56, p?=?.022), and BMI (β?=??3.89; p?=?.041). Also exercise alone had a significantly larger effect than supplementation alone on responses.

Conclusions: It can be concluded that the joint usage of concurrent training and supplement of l-Arg for elderly men could improve the metabolism and body composition.     

Review essay

Crime and Punishment in South Africa, edited by JAMES MIDGLEY, JAN H. STEYN and ROLAND GRASER. Johannesburg: McGraw‐Hill, 1975 R10.50.     

Identifying Jewish names in Russia

SOVIET SAGA OF A JEWISH FAMILY

TYAZHELY PESOK (Heavy Sand),* by Anatoly Rybakov, in Oktyabr, nos. 7, 8, 9, 1978.

JEWS, DETENTE AND DISSENT

EXIT VISA. DETENTE, HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE JEWISH EMIGRATION MOVEMENT IN THE USSR, by Colin Shindler. London, Bachman &; Turner, 1978. 291 pp. Illus. Appendices. Bibl. Index. £7.50.

AN INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT

NASTOLNY IUDEYSKY KALENDAR NA 5739 god (Jewish Religious Calendar for 5739/1978–79), edited by S. L. Kleynman. Moscow Religious Society, 1978. 200 pp.

MINORITY NATIONALITIES IN THE USSR

L'EMPIRE ECLATE: LA REVOLTE DES NATIONS EN URSS, by Helene Carrere d'Encausse. Paris. Flammarion, 1978. 314 pp. Graphs and Tables.     

The search for Jewish identity in Russia∗

A NARROW PERSPECTIVE ON SOVIET DISSENT

DISSENT IN THE USSR. POLITICS, IDEOLOGY, AND PEOPLE, ed. by Rudolf L. Tökés. Baltimore and London, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976. xiv, 453 pp. Index. $4.95, £3.50 paperback.

SOVIET JEWISH SCHOOLS

JEWISH SCHOOLS UNDER CZARISM AND COMMUNISM: A STRUGGLE FOR CULTURAL IDENTITY, by Zvi Halevy. New York, Springer, 1976. 239 pp. $14.50.

>THE SOVIET JEWISH EMIGRATION MOVEMENT

COURTS OF TERROR. SOVIET CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND JEWISH EMIGRATION, by Telford Taylor, Alan Dershowitz, George Fletcher, Leon Lipson and Melvin Stein. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1976, xi + 187 pp. Illus. Appendices. $6.95.

LE GRAND RETOUR, by Christian Jelen and Léopold Unger. Paris, Albin Michel, 1977, 348 pp. Illus. Bibl.

FROM MOSCOW TO JERUSALEM. THE DRAMATIC STORY OF THE JEWISH LIBERATION MOVEMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON ISRAEL, by Rebecca Rass with the collaboration of Morris Brafman. New York, Shengold, 1976. 256 pp. $8.95

TWO NAZI SATELLITES, SLOVAKIA AND BULGARIA

THE PARISH REPUBLIC: HLINKA'S SLOVAK PEOPLE'S PARTY 1939–1945, by Yeshayahu Jelinek. Columbia University Press, 1976. viii, 206 pp. Bibl. Index. (East European Monographs, No. XIV.) $18.75, £7.20.

BULGARIEN — LAND OHNE ANTISEMITISMUS, by Wolf Oschlies. Erlangen, Ner Tamid Verlag, 1976. 168 pp. Illus. Docs. DM 18.80.

AN UNSATISFACTORY STUDY

THE SOVIET UNION AND BLACK AFRICA, by Christopher Stevens. London, New York, Macmillan, 1976. xii + 236 pp. Appendices. Bibl. Index. £10.00.     

A unique Birobidzhan collection

JEWS AND SOCIALISM

REVOLUTIONARY JEWS FROM MARX TO TROTSKY, by Robert S. Wistrich. London, Harrap, 1976. 254 pp. £6.75.

THE MENSHEVIKS, 1917–39

THE MENSHEVIKS. FROM THE REVOLUTION OF 1917 TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR, ed. by Leopold H. Haimson. Chicago, London, The University of Chicago Press, 1974. xxiii + 476 pp. Appendices. Name Index. Subject Index. (Hoover Institution Publications 117.) £12.40.

POLAND BETWEEN THE WARS

MOZAIKA POLITYCZNA DRUGIEJ RZECZYPOSPOLITEJ (The Political Mosaic of the Second Republic), by Jerzy Holzer. Warsaw, Ksiazka i Wiedza, 1974. 688 pp. Names Index. Index of parties and organization.

CWIERC WIEKU Z KURIEREM WARSZAWSKIM (1914–1939) (Twenty Five Years with the Kurier Warszawski), by Konrad Olchowicz. Cracow, Wydawnictwo Literackie, 1974.

SOVIET VIEWS ON WAR AND DETENTE

CONVERGENCE OF COMMUNISM AND CAPITALISM. THE SOVIET VIEW, by Leon Gouré, Foy D. Kohler, Richard Soll, Annette Stiefbold. Center for Advanced International Studies, University of Miami, 1973. ix, 168 pp. Docs. (Monographs in International Affairs.) $5.95, $4.95 paperback.

SOVIET STRATEGY FOR THE SEVENTIES. FROM COLD WAR TO PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE, by Foy D. Kohler, Moss L. Harvey, Leon Gouré, Richard Soll. Center for Advanced International Studies, University of Miami, 1973. v, 241 pp. Index. (Monographs in International Affairs.) $5.95, $4.95 paperback.

THE SOVIET VIEW OF WAR, PEACE AND NEUTRALITY, by P. H. Vigor. London, Routledge and Kegan, 1975. vii, 256 pp. Bibl. Index. £6.50.

JUDAICA IN HUNGARY

EVKONYV. Kiadja a Magyar Izraeliták Országos Képviselete (Yearbook Published by the Central Council of Hungarian Jewry) 1975–76, by Sandor Scheiber (Ed.). Budapest, 1976. 423pp. Ft. 42.00

MONUMENTA HUNGARIAE JUDAICA. VOL XVI, by Sándor Scheiber and Jenö Házi (Eds.). Budapest, 1974. 565pp. Illus. Index. Ft. 180.00     

From Rags to Riches: Jewish Oligarchs in Russia

SELECTIVE REMINISCENCES

KHRUSHCHEV REMEMBERS. THE LAST TESTAMENT, translated and edited by Strobe Talbott. London, André Deutsch; New York, Little Brown, 1974. xxxi, 602 pp. Illus. Appendix. £4.95; $12.95.

HISTORY OF ZIONISM IN RUSSIA

HA‐TENUAH HA‐TSIYONIT BE‐RUSYA (The Zionist Movement in Russia), by Yitshak Maor. Jerusalem, Ha‐Histadrut ha‐Tsiyonit, 1974. 597 pp.

A CONTRIBUTION TO JEWISH DEMOGRAPHY

STUDIES IN JEWISH DEMOGRAPHY: SURVEY FOR 1969–1971, edited by U. O. Schmelz, P. Glickson and S. J. Gould (Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University, Jerusalem; and Institute of Jewish Affairs, London), 1975. 375 pp. N.p.

ANTI‐ZIONISM AND ANTISEMITISM

SOVIET ANTI‐SEMITISM: THE PARIS TRIAL, ed. and with an Introduction by Emanuel Litvinoff, London, Wildwood House, 1974. 120 pp. £3.00.

POLZUCHAYA KONTRREVOLYUTSIYA (Creeping Counterrevolution), by Vladimir Begun, Minsk, Izdatelstvo “Belarus”, 1974. 191 pp. 28 kop.

AN UNSATISFACTORY STUDY

THE SOVIET TREATMENT OF JEWS, by Harry G. Shaffer. New York, Washington, London, Praeger, 1974. 231 pp. £6.50.

FASCISM AND ANTISEMITISM IN THE DANUBE BASIN

THE SHADOW OF THE SWASTIKA. THE RISE OF FASCISM AND ANTI‐SEMITISM IN THE DANUBE BASIN, 1936–1939, by Bela Vago. Farnborough, Saxon House, D. C. Heath, for the Institute of Jewish Affairs, London, 1975. 431 pp. Docs. Maps. Index of Names. Subject Index. Appendix. £6.50.

THE JEWS OF HUNGARY

EVKONYV 1973/74 (Yearbook 1973/74), ed. by Sándor Scheiber. Budapest, Magyar Izraeliták Országos Képviselete, 1974. 382 pp. Illus. 40 Ft.

A PICTURE OF POLISH SOCIETY BETWEEN THE WARS

SPOLECZENSTWO DRUGIEJ RZECZYPOSPOLITEJ 1918–1939 (The Society of Interwar Poland 1918–1939), by Janusz Zarnowski. Warsaw, PWN (State Scientific Publishers), 1973. 435 pp. 40 zl.     

Intention and feasibility: Reflections on collaboration and the final solution

LATVIAN JEWRY UNDER THE NAZIS. EXTERMINATION AND RESISTANCE

IM HA‐GAV EL HA‐KIR. LEHIMAT YEHUDEY LATVYA BA‐NATSIM. 1941–45 (With Their Backs To the Wall. The Armed Struggle of Latvian Jewry Against the Nazis, 1941–45), by Dov Levin. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Contemporary Jewry and Yad Vashem Memorial Institute, 1978. 313 pp.

THE CZERNIAKOW DIARY

THE WARSAW DIARY OF ADAM CZERNIAKOW. PRELUDE TO DOOM ed. by Raul Hilberg, Stanislaw Staron and Josef Kermish. New York, Stein and Day, 1979. 420 pp. Illus. $16.95.

AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO YIDDISH LITERARY CRITICISM.

PORTRETN UN ETYUDN (Portraits and Studies), by Elias Schulman. New York, CYCO Publishers, 1979. 512 pp.

RUSSIAN PARTIES AND THE NATIONAL QUESTION.

NATSIONALNY VOPROS V PROGRAMMAKH I TAKTIKE POLITICHESKIKH PARTIY V ROSSII, 1905–1917 (The National Question in the Programmes and Tactics of the Political Parties in Russia, 1905–1917), by T. Yu. Burmistrova and V. S. Gusakova. Moscow, Mysl, 1976, 233 pp.

AN ARAB VIEW OF SOVIET POLICIES

THE SPHINX AND THE COMMISSAR: THE RISE AND FALL OF SOVIET INFLUENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, by‐Mohamed Heikal, London, Collins, 1978. 303 pp. Illus. Index. £6.95.     

Materials relating to east European Jewish history and culture in the archives of the former Soviet Union

YOM KIPPLTR AND AFTER

YOM KIPPUR AND AFTER. THE SOVIET UNION AND THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS, by Galia Golan. London, Cambridge University Press, 1977. ix + 350 pp. Index. £9.00

LITERARY PORTRAITS OF A BYGONE AGE

OCHERKI I PORTRETY. STAT'I O EVREYSKIKH PISATELYAKH (Essays and Portraits. Articles on Yiddish Writers), by G. Remenik. Moscow, Sovetsky pisatel, 1975. 422 pp.

MARXISM AND RELIGION: THE STRUGGLE FOR MAN'S SOUL

MARXISM AND RELIGION IN EASTERN EUROPE. Papers presented at the Banff International Slavic Conference, September 4–7, 1974, ed. by R. T. de George and J. P. Scanlan. Dordrecht — Holland; Boston — USA, Reidel, 1976. xvi + 181 pp. Index. (Sovietica 36.) Dfl. 70.00, US $27.00.

ANTIRELIGIOUS PROPAGANDA IN THE SOVIET UNION. A STUDY OF MASS PERSUASION, by David E. Powell. Cambridge, Mass.; London, England, MIT Press, 1975. xi + 206 pp. Illus. Appendices. Bibl. Index. £13.75.

EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE WARSAW GHETTO

LUDZIE Z DZIELNICY ZAMKNIETEJ. ZYDZI W WARSZAWIE W OKRESIE HITLEROWSKIEJ OKUPACJI, PAZDZIERNIK 1939‐MARZEC 1943 (People in the Quarter. Jews in Warsaw During the Nazi Occupation, October 1939‐March 1943?), by Ruta Sakowska. Warsaw, PWN for the Jewish Historical Institute in Poland, 1975. 399 pp. Illus.

A SLANTED HISTORY OF POLISH COMMUNISM

THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF POLAND (Second Edition), by M. K. Dziewanowski. London, 1976. 419 pp. Index. £10.50.     

Contemporary forms of slavery

Slavery in Brazil: A Link in the Chain of Modernisation: the Case of Amazonia, (A Report by Anti‐Slavery International, no.7 Human Rights Series). ALISON SUTTON. London, 1994. 154pp., bibliography, maps, glossary, photographs. £5.95. ISBN 0–900918–32–2.

Britain's Secret Slaves: An Investigation into the Plight of Overseas Domestic Workers (with contributions from Anti‐Slavery International & Kalayan and the Migrant Domestic Workers, no.5 Human Rights Series). BRIDGET ANDERSON. London, 1993. 122pp., references, appendices, photographs. £5.50. ISBN 0–900918–29–2.

Child Labour in Nepal (A Report by Anti‐Slavery International and Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre no.13 Child Labour Series), OMAR SATTAUR. London, 1993. 71pp., bibliography, maps, glossary, appendices, photographs. £5.00. ISBN 0–900918–31–4.

Ethnic Groups in Burma: Development, Democracy and Human Rights (A Report by Anti‐Slavery International, no.8 Human Rights Series), MARTIN SMITH. London, 1994. 139pp., bibliography, maps, chronology, photographs. £5.95. ISBN 0–9009–18–34–9.     

Circulating testosterone and estradiol,autonomic balance and baroreflex sensitivity in middle-aged and elderly men with heart failure

Abstract

Background: Heart failure (HF) is considered as a cardiogeriatric syndrome. Its fundamental pathophysiological feature is autonomic imbalance (and associated abnormalities within cardiovascular reflex control), but recent evidence suggests the involvement of deranged hormone metabolism. Both these neural and endocrine pathologies have serious clinical and prognostic consequences in patients with HF. We investigated the relations between autonomic status, baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and hormone status in men with mild systolic HF.

Methods: We examined 46 men with stable systolic HF (age: 62?±?10 years, NYHA class I/II: 10/36 [22%/78%], ischemic aetiology: 72%, left ventricular ejection fraction: 32?±?8%). Serum hormone levels (i.e. total testosterone [TT], dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate [DHEAS], oestradiol [E2], insulin-like growth factor type 1 [IGF-1] and cortisol) were assessed using immunoassays. Estimated free testosterone (eFT) was estimated using the Vermeulen’s equation. Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed in time and frequency domains, based on 10-min resting recordings. BRS was estimated using the sequence method (BRS-Seq) and the phenylephrine test (BRS-Phe).

Results: Deficiencies in circulating TT, eFT, DHEAS and IGF-1 (defined as a serum hormone ≤the 10th percentile calculated for the adequate age category in the cohort of healthy men) were found in respectively 13%, 30%, 55% and 93% of men with systolic HF. Serum SHBG ≥50?nmol/L and cortisol ≥700?nmol/L characterised, respectively 44% and 29% of men with HF. In multivariable models after the adjustment for clinical variables, the following relationships were found in examined men: DHEAS and SDNN (time domain of HRV defined as a standard deviation of average R–R intervals) (β?=?0.29, p?=?0.03); E2 and: HRV-LF (ms²) (β?=?0.37, p?=?0.01), HRV-HF (ms²) (β?=?0.44, p?=?0.02) and BRS-Phe (β?=?0.51, p?=?0.008); TT and: HRV-HF (%) (β?=?0.35, p?=?0.02), HRV-LF/HF ratio (β?=??0.35, p?=?0.02) and BRS-Seq (β?=?0.33, p?=?0.04).

Conclusions: The observed associations between reduced circulating androgens, oestrogens and lower HRV and depleted BRS, irrespectively of HF severity suggest the pathophysiological links between these two mechanisms. These results constitute the premises to investigate whether the pharmacological supplementation of depleted hormones would enable to restore the autonomic balance and improve the efficacy of reflex control within the cardiovascular system in men with systolic HF.     

Capitalism after slavery?: The French slave trade and slavery in the Atlantic, 1500–1900

La traite des Noirs; Bastilles négrières et velléités abolitionnistes. SERGE DAGET. Editions Quest‐France Université, 1990. 300 pp. 132 Ffr 70.

Esclaves et Citoyens, les Noirs à la Guadeloupe au XIXe siècle dans le processus de résistance et d'intégration, 1802–1910. JOSETTE FALLOPE. Basse Terre: Société d'Histoire de la Guadeloupe, 1992. 713 pp.     

Empirical Support for the Application of the Forgiveness Intervention Model to Postdivorce Coparenting

The Forgiveness Intervention Model (Bonach, 2007 Bonach, K. 2007. Forgiveness Intervention Model: Application to coparenting post-divorce. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 48(1/2): 105–123.  [Google Scholar]) is tested as a conceptual framework for former partners who are coparenting. Scores of the cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of forgiveness from a sample of 135 separated or divorced parents were analyzed to contribute to the understanding of coparenting quality. Previous literature supported the contribution of certain predictor variables, including blame, offense severity judgments, and control variables including hostile divorce proceedings, satisfaction with child custody financial arrangements, perceived remorsefulness of the former partner, prior conflict, and the mediating role of forgiveness to coparenting quality. In this study separate regression analyses were run for each dimension of forgiveness to determine their role in the relationship between the study variables and coparenting quality. The cognitive dimension more often had the most significant contribution between the variables examined and coparenting quality. Furthermore, higher coparenting quality was significantly correlated with how positively an individual feels (r?=?.49, p?<?.001) and thinks about the former partner (r?=?.50, p?<?.001). The findings affirm the clinical importance of primary cognitive tasks necessary for an individual to move through the stages of forgiveness to “move on” and achieve desirable outcomes such as a quality coparenting relationship with a former partner.     

Total testosterone levels are correlated to metabolic syndrome components

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of interrelated risk factors of metabolic origin. Some studies suggest a possible link between low total testosterone (TT) levels and the presence of MetS.

Aim: To analyze the strength and independence of associations between TT and MetS components in non-diabetic men.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 143 non-diabetic men older than 40 were analyzed.

Main outcomes measure: Blood samples were collected to evaluate metabolic profile and TT levels. MetS was defined as the presence of three or more of the following characteristics: fasting blood glucose levels?≥?100?mg/dL, triglyceride?≥?150?mg/dL, HDL-c??102?cm.

Results: Mean age of the study population was 61.5?±?8.61 years old. MetS was present in 47.9% of the individuals. Thirty-four men had low TT and MetS was observed in 23 (70%) against 50 (46%) in those with normal TT (≥?300?ng/dL) (OR 4.94, p?p?=?0.03) and HDL-c (Beta: 0.19; p?=?0.04) remained significantly correlated with TT levels.

Conclusions: Low TT levels were associated with MetS diagnosis. Abdominal obesity was the MetS component independently correlated to low TT levels.     

Perceived Stress,Energy Drink Consumption,and Academic Performance Among College Students

Abstract

Objective: This study explored relationships regarding perceived stress, energy drink consumption, and academic performance among college students. Participants: Participants included 136 undergraduates attending a large southern plains university. Methods: Participants completed surveys including items from the Perceived Stress Scale ¹ Cohen, S, Kamarck, T and Mermelstein, R. 1983. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav, 24: 385–396. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] and items to describe energy drink consumption, academic performance, and demographics. Results: Positive correlations existed between participants’ perceived stress and energy drink consumption. Participants’ energy drink consumption and academic performance were negatively correlated. Freshmen (M = 0.330) and sophomores (M = 0.408) consumed a lower number of energy drinks yesterday than juniors (M = 1.000). Males reported higher means than females for selected energy drink consumption items. Statistically significant interactions existed between gender and year in school for selected energy drink consumption items. Conclusions: Results confirm gender differences in energy drink consumption and illuminate a need for education regarding use of energy drinks in response to perceived stress.     

Gender Differences in Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Related Problems: Do They Hold for Lesbians and Gay Men?

ABSTRACT

Research regarding gender differences in alcohol use and alcohol-related problems finds that men drink more and suffer higher rates of alcohol-related problems compared with women. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether these differences also exist between lesbians and gay men. A sample of 335 lesbians and gay men were recruited through lesbian and gay events, Listservs, and friendship networks. Items from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2000 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2000. National household survey on drug abuse: Main findings 1998, Rockville, MD: Author.  [Google Scholar]) measured alcohol consumption. The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (Selzer, 1971 Selzer, M. L. 1971. The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test: The quest for a new diagnostic instrument. American Journal of Psychiatry, 127: 89–94. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and the Drinker Inventory of Consequences (Miller, Tonigan, & Longabaugh, 1995 Miller, W. R., Tonigan, J. S. and Longabaugh, R. 1995. “The drinker inventory of consequences (DrInC): An instrument for assessing adverse consequences of alcohol abuse test manual”. In National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Project Match, Monograph Series, 4, Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  [Google Scholar]) measured alcohol-related problems. Gay men tended to drink more often than lesbians, but there were no significant gender differences regarding alcohol-related problems. Research, theoretical, and clinical implications are discussed.     

Changes in coming out milestones across five age cohorts

This quantitative study examined differences in the coming-out process between self-identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) participants in five age cohorts. An Internet survey and convenience sampling strategy was used to recruit 1,131 participants (ages 18 to 85). Participants provided demographic information and information about their home environment growing up, completed the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale (LGBIS) (Mohr &; Fassinger, 2000 Mohr, J. J., &; Fassinger, R. E. (2000). Measuring dimensions of lesbian and gay male experience. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 33(2), 66–90. [Google Scholar]), and shared ages that they achieved important milestones in the coming-out process. ANCOVA of differences between men and women in the five cohorts on the age that significant milestones were achieved resulted in significant findings for all comparisons (p < .001). In post hoc analysis, 52% of the 450 pairwise comparisons were significant at at least the .05 level. Generally speaking, two significant trends were found in this sample: (a) that the average age of achieving milestones has decreased over time; and (b) that a gender gap in the age of achieving milestones between men and women has disappeared. The current study supports and extends research that suggests a strong connection between social acceptance of LGB people and coming out at younger ages.     

The Virtuous Drinker: Character Virtues as Correlates and Moderators of College Student Drinking and Consequences

Abstract

Objective: The present study examined the relationship between alcohol use and positive psychology's character virtues ¹ Peterson, C and Seligman, M EP. 2004. Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook of Classification, Oxford: University Press.  [Google Scholar] in a college student sample. Each of the virtues of wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence were examined as protective factors and moderators of drinking consequences. Participants: This sample included 425 undergraduate students at a large Northwest University (69% female; 52% Caucasian, 34% Asian). Methods: Participants completed paper and pencil questionnaires during October and November 2006 in exchange for extra credit in psychology classes. Results: Higher temperance scores were associated with abstinence, lower risk drinking, and fewer consequences among heavy drinkers; both increased justice and transcendence were independently associated with abstinence only; and wisdom, courage, and humanity were not associated with any outcomes. Conclusions: The associations between virtues and college student drinking support a collaboration between addictive behaviors and positive psychology to address college student drinking and minimize consequences.     

Conceptualization and Assessment of Homonegativity

ABSTRACT

The goals of this research include highlighting problematic issues of conceptualization and measurement with respect to research examining homonegativity. Using a sample of nearly 650 university students, we test hypotheses of M. A. Morrison and Morrison (2002) Morrison, T. G., Kenny, P. and Harrington, A. 2005. Modern prejudice toward gay men and lesbian women: Assessing the viability of a measure of modern homonegative attitudes within an Irish context. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 131(3): 219–250. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] who claim that old-fashioned and modern homonegativity are statistically distinct domains and that university students endorse a higher degree of modern than old-fashioned homonegativity. In addition, we examine relationships between reported negative and positive behaviors involving lesbians and gay men and degrees of modern and old-fashioned homonegativity. Factor analyses did not support the distinctiveness of the two homonegativity domains, and only 16% of the sample endorsed a higher degree of modern compared with old-fashioned homonegativity. Findings are discussed with respect to their implications for future research.     

Undocumented Acts: Migration,Community and Audience in Two Chicana Plays

Abstract

The 1980 Refugee Act endeavoured to provide effective settlement for refugees entering the United States. But most South American refugees escaping from dictatorships and civil wars were denied political asylum. This article explores the representation of migration and border crossing in Latina (1980 Sánchez-Scott, Milcha, with Jeremy Blahnik. 1980. “Latina.” In Necessary Theatre Six Plays about the Chicano Experience, edited by Jorge Huerta, 85–141. Houston: Arte Publico Press. [Google Scholar]), a play by Milcha Sánchez Scott that stages the difficulties associated with this journey. In 2010 Senate Bill 1070, one of the strictest anti-immigration legislative acts to be enforced, encouraged racial profiling in the identification of border crossers in the state of Arizona. Detained in the Desert (2011), a play by Josefina L?pez, is a Chicana response to the passing of SB 1070, and contributes to a deeper understanding of the fraught experiences of migrant women’s lives. The study of the plays places an emphasis on transnational community building and audience engagement and builds on a range of recent critical work by border theorists and scholars such as Alicia Schmidt Camacho and Deborah Boehm, and theatre and performance critics such as Diana Taylor.