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Work on the glucose-6-phosphatase system has intensified and diversified extensively in the past 3 years. The gene for the catalytic unit of the liver enzyme has been cloned from three species, and regulation at the level of gene expression is being studied in several laboratories worldwide. More than 20 sites of mutation in the catalytic unit protein have been demonstrated to underlie glycogenesis type 1a. inhibition of glucose-6-P hydrolysis by several newly identified competitive and time-dependent, irreversible inhibitors has been demonstrated and in several instances the predicted effects on liver glycogen formation and/or breakdown and on blood glucose production have been shown. Refinements in and additions to the presently dominant "substrate transport-catalytic unit" topological model for the glucose-6-phosphatase system have been made. A new model alternative to this, based on the "combined conformational flexibility-substrate transport" concept, has emerged. Experimental evidence for the phosphorylation of glucose in liver by high-K(m),glucose enzyme(s) in addition to glucokinase has continued to emerge, and new in vitro evidence supportive of biosynthetic functions of the glucose-6-phosphatase system in this role has appeared. High levels of multifunctional glucose-6-phosphatase have been shown present in pancreatic islet beta cells. Glucose-6-P has been established as the likely insulin secretagog in beta cells. Interesting differences in the temporal responses of glucose-6-phosphatase in kidney and liver have been demonstrated. An initial attempt is made here to meld the hepatic and pancreatic islet beta-cell glucose-6-phosphatase systems, and to a lesser extent the kidney tubular and small intestinal mucosal glucose-6-phosphatase systems into an integrated, coordinated mechanism involved in whole-body glucose homeostasis in health and disease.

Teaching integration at the undergraduate level requires thoughtful coordination among psychology faculty. This article describes a content review process by which complimentary strengths and perspectives can be discovered and used to design a coordinated integration curriculum. The George Fox College undergraduate psychology department's integration content review is offered as an example. A content review requires a framework for both exploration of integration activity and desired outcomes. We propose four levels of integration activity in the classroom: (a) modeling of personal faith, (b) integrative discussions, (c) integration readings, and (d) course level integration. These levels are progressive, complimentary, and dependent, to some extent, on the course content. In addition, careful articulation of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes the department wishes a student to have at graduation is important for the design of an integration curriculum and for assessing outcomes. The content review is an opportunity for the department to coordinate efforts toward a multi-layered integration of psychology and Christian faith.

Areas which we believe merit immediate intensive study include (i) isolation and characterization, chemically and functionally, of all of the individual components of the system; (ii) characterization of possible multiple forms of transport components, as we have done with T2 (24, 25, 36); (iii) optimistically, the reassembly of these components into a functional unit within synthetic biomembranes; (iv) characterization of the impact of components of biomembranes upon function of the various components; (v) cloning of all of the individual proteins of the system; (vi) characterization of mechanisms regulating the biosynthesis of the individual proteins at the transcriptional and translational levels; (vii) demonstration of possible auxiliary functions of translocases other than exclusively with the glucose 6-phosphatase system; (viii) characterization of possible physical associations of some components of the system; (ix) characterization of the glucose 6-phosphatase system from nonhepatic sources; (x) c...

A computer program designed to teach nonsexist language is described. The interactive program teaches students to recognize the various forms of sexist language described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 1983) and to correct sexist language without mixing singular and plural pronouns. Student performance records are saved to a disk file for later review by the instructor. In a preliminary study with general psychology students, the software was as effective in teaching nonsexist language as was a didactic presentation on the topic and was more effective than no presentation.

The evangelical community has seen a recent proliferation of spiritual gifts inventories. These inventories resemble personality measures developed by psychologists and are designed to help individuals identify their spiritual gifts. This study examines the psychometric properties of one such inventory designed to measure 14 spiritual gifts. Thirty-one male and 41 female evangelical college-aged students were administered the Hocking (1975) Spiritual Gifts Inventory. In general, the subscales (i.e., spiritual gifts) showed poor to moderate reliabilities. Interscale factor analysis using an oblique rotation produced a three-factor solution and does not support the ability of this inventory to measure 14 unique gifts. The hermeneutical implications of the three-factor solution and the ethical concerns in using inventories that have not been validated but appear “scientific” are discussed.

In her reaction, Hendrika Vande Kemp(1987) joins other critics of psychology in arguing for a new psychology. The authors believe, however, that psychology developed as a science because it was productive and that more subjective methods will gain respectability only through similar productivity. In her critique, Vande Kemp creates a circular argument by suggesting that the authors’ position lacks a proper historical/philosophical perspective, and she underestimates the sophistication of those with whom she disagrees. Finally, the authors disagree that there is no point in arguing with the most conservative anti-psychologists, since they may be having a disproportionate influence on public perceptions of psychology.

Christians are becoming increasingly vocal in their criticism of scientific psychology. In their criticisms Christian anti-psychologists have devalued knowledge gained through research and suggested both that the scientific method is inappropriate for studying human behavior and that the deception inherent in psychological research is immoral. This article examines these concerns and argues that the more subjective alternatives suggested by the critics of psychology suffer from many of the same limitations as scientific psychology and that taking such an approach would amount to substituting uncontrolled error for controlled error and uncontrolled deception for controlled deception.

Jean Piaget is widely acclaimed as a developmental theorist who has contributed much to the understanding of how children learn. While many educators adhere to Piaget's model of learning, few realize that techniques similar in structure were used by Jesus 2000 years ago. Basic components of Piaget's theory, namely assimilation, accommodation, and disequilibration of the learner, are evidenced in the parabolic method used by Jesus. This comparison between Piaget's theory and Christ's parabolic method suggests that an effective teacher would cognitively activate and disequilibrate the learner. Insights from Scripture and Piaget's theory imply that motivation through disequilibration should be effective with students having a variety of experiences, a wide spectrum of abilities, and a mixture of learning styles.

Farnsworth's five integration models were used to categorize integration articles published in the Journal of Psychology and Theology between 1980 and 1985. In addition, the graduate education of article authors was examined to determine if educational background influenced integration approach. Of the 177 articles reviewed, 52 reported research and 76 were considered integration articles. Results of the review indicate that one integration model accounts for nearly 2/3 of the integration work presented in JPT during this period and that differences in educational preparation do not produce preferences for particular integration approaches.

Social conflict theory is used as the framework in which the controversy surrounding the establishment of a medical/dental school complex in the heart of the black community of Newark, New Jersey, is examined. The roles of community leaders, medical/dental professionals and state and federal officials are scrutinized. The implications of the outcome of the struggle for understanding conflict theory as a health educational tool are discussed.