El “privilegio de los blancos”

El “privilegio de los blancos” (“White Priviledge”) se describe como la experiencia de ventajas que un grupo experimenta basado exclusivamente en sus características físicas y sociales. La experiencia de privilegio es el resultado de condiciones históricas de opresión en el conjunto de la sociedad. Dichas ventajas son adquiridas sin esfuerzo, no son el resultado de talentos particulares y no son comunes ni universales. El constructo está asociado con estrato social y posiciones de poder, reflejando fuerzas hegemónicas de dominación social de parte de grupos privilegiados. Notamos cómo la característica psicológica del “privilegio de los blancos” es su naturaleza inconsciente, es decir, quienes lo experimentan lo reciben como una condición natural de su estatus y quienes lo otorgan han sido condicionados a hacerlo como conducta deseable y esperada. Por último, reflexionamos acerca de la división de clases en Argentina y Latinoamérica y analizamos ejemplos de cómo se manifiestan los privilegios.White Privilege is described as an advantage that a group of people experience based exclusively on physical and social characteristics. Such experiences are the result of conditions of oppression across society along the years. White Privilege is not earned through talent or effort, but rather is granted, and the advantages are not common or universal. This construct is also related to high social status, as a reflection of the hegemonic dominance of privileged groups. We highlight that the psychological characteristic of White Privilege is its unconscious nature, i.e., those who are privileged are not aware of it, and they experience it as a natural condition of their social status. On the other hand, those who grant White Privilege are already conditioned to do so as desirable and expected behavior. Lastly, we discuss issues of class divisions in Argentina and LatinAmerica, and analyze examples of how privileges are manifested

Using participatory and creative methods to facilitate emancipatory research with people facing multiple disadvantage: a role for health and care professionals

Participatory and creative research methods are a powerful tool for enabling active engagement in the research process of marginalised people. It can be particularly hard for people living with multiple disadvantage, such as disabled people from ethnic minority backgrounds, to access research projects that are relevant to their lived experience. This article argues that creative and participatory methods facilitate the co-researchers’ engagement in the research process, which thus becomes more empowering. Exploring the congruence of these methods with their professional ethos, health and care professionals can use their skills to develop them further. Both theory and practice examples are presented

Somatosensory System Deficits in Schizophrenia Revealed by MEG during a Median-Nerve Oddball Task

Although impairments related to somatosensory perception are common in schizophrenia, they have rarely been examined in functional imaging studies. In the present study, magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to identify neural networks that support attention to somatosensory stimuli in healthy adults and abnormalities in these networks in patient with schizophrenia. A median-nerve oddball task was used to probe attention to somatosensory stimuli, and an advanced, high-resolution MEG source-imaging method was applied to assess activity throughout the brain. In nineteen healthy subjects, attention-related activation was seen in a sensorimotor network involving primary somatosensory (S1), secondary somatosensory (S2), primary motor (M1), pre-motor (PMA), and paracentral lobule (PCL) areas. A frontal–parietal–temporal “attention network”, containing dorsal- and ventral–lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC and VLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), superior parietal lobule (SPL), inferior parietal lobule (IPL)/supramarginal gyrus (SMG), and temporal lobe areas, was also activated. Seventeen individuals with schizophrenia showed early attention-related hyperactivations in S1 and M1 but hypo-activation in S1, S2, M1, and PMA at later latency in the sensorimotor network. Within this attention network, hypoactivation was found in SPL, DLPFC, orbitofrontal cortex, and the dorsal aspect of ACC. Hyperactivation was seen in SMG/IPL, frontal pole, and the ventral aspect of ACC in patients. These findings link attention-related somatosensory deficits to dysfunction in both sensorimotor and frontal–parietal–temporal networks in schizophrenia

Perspectives of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors on the Factors Related to Employment Outcomes of Racial and Ethnic Minorities with Disabilities

The current study was conducted to identify effective strategies to promote employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds within the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) system. Twenty one “excellent or very good” VR counselors, who were nominated by their supervisors, participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Participants were 15 females and 6 males, with an average of 17 years of experience in the VR system. The participants identified five themes: (1) an empowerment approach to case management; (2) the importance of developing successful counseling relationships; (3) supports provided to help consumers adjust to or cope with their disability; (4) supports provided to assist individuals with disabilities to develop or refine skills to obtain and maintain employment; and (5) supports provided to assist employers in understanding the benefits of employing individuals with disabilities in general, and accommodating the needs of specific individuals with disabilities. Effective counselors must be flexible, provide additional supports to their clients in specific circumstances and/or challenge them when needed, and more importantly, help clients find ways to overcome and be productive on the job with the necessary accommodations and/or assistive technology

El Impacto de las Nuevas Technologias en el Futuro de las Technicas de Evaluacion Psicologica Clinica

En este trabajo se presentan reflexiones desde distintas perspectivas acerca del futuro de la Evaluación Psicológica y el papel que las tecnologías informáticas tendráen ella. En la actualidad, es innegable la importancia que ha alcanzado la informática dentro de las actividades académicas y profesionales en tomo a la Evaluación Psicológica. La capacidad cada vez mayor de las computadoras facilitó las tareas de investigación, desarrollo, y aplicación de tests psicológicos. Parece altamente previsible que en el futuro la informática tendrá un lugar aún mayor en el auxilio del psicógicos evaluador. Algunas posibles consecuencias futuras son expuestas y debatidas por los diferentes autores de este trabajo, incluyendo las ventajas y limitaciones de la administración y la interpretación asistidas por computadora, y el impacto transcultural de las redes mundiales de conexión. English translation: Reflections arise from different perspectives on the future of the Psychological Assessment and the role that information technology tendráen her in this work. At present, it is undeniable the importance that it has reached the computer within academic and professional activities in volume to Psychological Assessment. The increasing capacity of computers facilitated the tasks of research, development, and application of psychological tests. It seems highly likely that in the future the computer will have an even greater place to help the evaluator psicógicos. Some possible future consequences are exposed and discussed by the various authors of this paper, including the advantages and limitations of management and computer-assisted interpretation and cross-cultural impact of global connection networks

National laboratory reports of chlamydia trachomatis seriously underestimate the frequency of genital chlamydial infections among women in Switzerland.

Background: Public health authorities want to evaluate their sexually transmitted disease (STD) surveillance systems to promote the most effective use of health resources. Goal: The goal of this study was to estimate the sensitivity of national laboratory reports of Chlamydia trachomatis in Switzerland (the proportion of cases detected by national laboratory reports). Study Design: A cross sectional prevalence study was conducted by the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network of Gynecologists in 1998. Two groups of women aged less than 35 years were included in the study: those having a first consultation for pregnancy and those having a routine check-up. Results: A total of 1589 women were tested for C trachomatis. The prevalence among pregnant women (n = 817) was 1.3%, and that among sexually active women (n = 772) was 2.8%. Using the prevalences observed among check-up women, we estimate that there were at least 24,400 C trachomatis infections in Switzerland among women aged 20 to 34 years in 1998 (95% CI: 14,300-34,300). The number of laboratory reports of C trachomatis in this age group was 1150 in 1998. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the sensitivity of national laboratory reports of C trachomatis in 1998 was less than 5% for women aged 20 to 34 years. (aut.ref.

High-throughput lipophilicity measurement with immobilized artificial membranes.

We report on a new, high-throughput assay designed to measure octanol/water partition coefficients in early drug discovery. The assay is carried out in 96-well microtiterplates and measures the diffusion of compounds between two aqueous compartments separated by a thin octanol liquid layer. Octanol/water partition coefficients are derived from the apparent permeability (P(a)) values using a calibration curve. The assay can measure partition coefficients within the range -2 to + 8; thus, a dynamic range of 10 log units can be covered in one single run. Unlike chromatographic methods, the technology is not restricted to neutral and weakly basic compounds, and, as no stationary phase is involved, the data can be strictly compared with values obtained from traditional methods such as shake-flask/HPLC or dual-phase potentiometric titration