This study investigated the relationship of ego identity to ethnocentrism, ethnic identification, and cognitive complexity. A sample of 378 Israeli high school students were administered: (a) the Adolescent Ego Identity Scale, (b) Ethnocentrism and Ethnic Group Identification Scale, and (c) Role Repertory Test. In a four-way analysis of variance, low as compared to high ethnocentric persons were higher in ego identity. Persons with high as compared to low ethnic identification were higher in ego identity. An inverted U-shaped relationship was found between ego identity and cognitive complexity only for the Western group. Ego identity, however, was related to the interaction of ethnic group, ethnocentrism, and ethnic identification, indicating the importance of considering all three ethnic variables simultaneously. While ethnocentrism was related to ego identity in both ethnic groups, ethnic identification was related to ego identity only in the Oriental group, among whom those with low ethnocentrism and high ethnic identification achieved the highest ego identity score. A social-personality explanation was used to interpret the results.

Results of an aptoration of the distinctive nature offatheradolescent relationships suggest that relationships with fathers me better moae~foy a ~a Z~c e a closeness and s~r~e n e s s than relationships with mothers.Distinctive Role of the Father in Adolescent Separation-Individuation Shmuel Shulman, Moshe M. KleinResearch on parent-child interaction has shown consistent differences in fathers' and mothers' involvement with infants and young children. More recent studies on older children and adolescents have pointed to similar trends. The purpose of this chapter is to krther explore the role of fathers and mothers during adolescence, to learn to what extent fathers' and mothers' roles are similar, and to identrfy the possibIe distinctive features of fathers' role during this stage of development. The basic contention, which is supported by the findings, is that fathers, by not being too involved and by showing respect for adolescent strivings for independence, serve as an adequate model and facilitate the separation-individuation process in adolescence.Studies have shown that fathers spend less time with their preschool-age children than mothers (Lamb, 1987). For children in adolescence the findings are similar. Fathers are reported to spend one-third (Russell, 1983) or one-half (Montemayor and Brownlee, 1987) the amount of time that mothers do with their children. Adolescents, moreover, are more engaged in certain activities with mothers than with fathers montem mayor and Brownlee, 1987). A greater proportion of time spent with fathers is in leisure or play Similar trends in early childhood show that fathers are more playful with their infants, whereas mothers are more engaged in caregiving activities (Belsky, 1979).However, other studies on younger children have shown a similar degree of involvement between mothers and fathers in cognitive and achievementoriented interactions (Russell and Russell, 1987). Mothers and fathers were also found to be similarly involved in their children's school-related activities (Roberts, Block, and Block, 1984

No abstract

No abstract

Ivermectin (IVM) is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug used to treat human parasitic diseases like river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. By activating invertebrate pentameric glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCl receptors; GluClRs), IVM induces sustained chloride influx and long-lasting membrane hyperpolarization that inhibit neural excitation in nematodes. Although IVM activates the C. elegans heteromeric GluClα/β receptor, it cannot activate a homomeric receptor composed of the C. elegans GluClβ subunits. To understand this incapability, we generated a homopentameric α7-GluClβ chimeric receptor that consists of an extracellular ligand-binding domain of an α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor known to be potentiated by IVM, and a chloride-selective channel domain assembled from GluClβ subunits. Application of IVM prior to acetylcholine inhibited the responses of the chimeric α7-GluClβR. Adding IVM to activated α7-GluClβRs, considerably accelerated the decline of ACh-elicited currents and stabilized the receptors in a non-conducting state. Determination of IVM association and dissociation rate constants and recovery experiments suggest that, following initial IVM binding to open α7-GluClβRs, the drug induces a conformational change and locks the ion channel in a closed state for a long duration. We further found that IVM also inhibits the activation by glutamate of a homomeric receptor assembled from the C. elegans full-length GluClβ subunits.

No abstract

[Plate 26]The isolation of naturally occurring forms of oestrogenic and male hormones was soon followed by the demonstration that similar activity might be possessed, to a greater or lesser degree, by related compounds made artificially. When progesterone was isolated from the corpus luteum it was assumed that there would be an analogous lack of specificity, and investigation was immediately begun on the effect of slight changes in chemical constitution on the power to evoke progestational prolifera tion. In the course of this work, Butenandt and his co-workers {see the review by Westphal, 1935) examined a large number of compounds closely related to progesterone (pregnene-3: 20-dione), but failed to find progesterone-like activity in any. Among the more interesting of these inactive compounds were " dihydroprogesterone " (pregnen-20-ol-3-one), inactive in a 2 • 7 mg. dose; pregnenolone (3-ol-20-one), inactive in 25 mg.; pregnanedione, inactive in 50 m g.; pregnanediol, inactive in 50 mg.; pregnan-20-ol-3-one, inactive in 9 mg.; and androstenedione, inactive in 30 mg. With the possible exception of dihydroprogesterone, which was tested in only a small dose, this work seemed to establish the in activity of these very closely related compounds, and by implication indicated the absolute specificity of progesterone.A general investigation of the biological properties of compounds of the androsterone-testosterone series carried out in this laboratory during 1935-36 led to the examination of certain of the compounds, especially those methylated or ethylated in position 17, for progesterone-like activity {see Ruzicka, 1936, for discussion of the chemical relationships). To our surprise, in view of Butenandt's results, certain of these compounds proved to be active (Klein and Parkes, 1936), and fuller investigation has shown that seven of them exert the specific activity previously thought to be restricted to progesterone.

This study of 30 families involved in family therapy treatment showed that it is possible to differentiate both mothers and fathers along a clearly denned dimension of dominance-passivity. When parents are grouped in varying configurations of dominance-passivity, male and female children in the different groupings differ in the frequency of their reported behavior problems. The parental configuration of a dominant mother-passive father is related to the greatest number of behavior problems for sons, while this configuration is associated with the fewest problems for daughters. Sons exhibit the fewest problems when the father is dominant, and daughters, the fewest problems when the mother is dominant, regardless of the dominance or passivity of the spouse.A number of studies have suggested that some family structures are more disturbing to the ego development of sons, while others are more harmful to daughters (Farina, 1960; Farina & Dunham, 1963;Fleck, Lidz, & Cornelison, 1963). Even more recently, such investigators as Cheek (1964, 1965), Lid/ and Fleck (1965), andMishler and Waxier (1968) have emphasized the important differences in power structure that exist between the families of schizophrenic male and schizophrenic female children. In all of the reports that have been cited, the traits of dominance or passivity seem to play an important role.The present study was designed to measure this dominance-passivity aspect of parental behavior. It compares both parents on this dimension and relates the different patterns that exist to the behavior problems that are reported to exist in the children. Unlike other studies that have focused primarily on schizophrenic children, this investigation concentrates on a wide range of children's behavior problems.