The Freudian construction of sexuality: the gay foundations of heterosexuality and straight homophobia.

In developing his theory of male sexual preference, Freud asserted that heterosexual as well as homosexual preferences required explanation, that neither could be assumed to be innate. His theory of the oedipal complex, however, held that the heterosexual outcome was the "normal" resolution, while the homosexual outcome represented arrested sexual development. In the normal resolution the boy identifies as a male with the father, gives up the mother as a love object, and later substitutes another woman of his choice for the mother. The author of the following article, following the theorizing of Laplanche, claims that there is an unavoidable homosexual component or residue in the heterosexual resolution which is implicit in Freudian theory. In the resolution of the complex the boy has the choice of both parents as love objects or as persons with whom to identify. In the heterosexual resolution the boy identifies with the father as a rival for the mother's affection. But love and identification are not entirely discrete processes. The identification with the father involves love for the father. The heterosexual resolution of the oedipal conflict is bought at the price of the homosexual resolution which, however, is not completely surrendered. The homophobia of heterosexual males, the author asserts, is the result of the remnants of homosexuality in the heterosexual resolution of the oedipal conflict.

Ultrahigh vacuum/high-pressure flow reactor for surface x-ray diffraction and grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering studies close to conditions for industrial catalysis.

A versatile instrument for the in situ study of catalyst surfaces by surface x-ray diffraction and grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering in a 13 ml flow reactor combined with reaction product analysis by mass spectrometry has been developed. The instrument bridges the so-called "pressure gap" and "materials gap" at the same time, within one experimental setup. It allows for the preparation and study of catalytically active single crystal surfaces and is also equipped with an evaporator for the deposition of thin, pure metal films, necessary for the formation of small metal particles on oxide supports. Reactions can be studied in flow mode and batch mode in a pressure range of 100-1200 mbar and temperatures up to 950 K. The setup provides a unique combination of sample preparation, characterization, and in situ experiments where the structure and reactivity of both single crystals and supported nanoparticles can be simultaneously determined.

A zero-gravity instrument to study low velocity collisions of fragile particles at low temperatures.

We discuss the design, operation, and performance of a vacuum setup constructed for use in zero (or reduced) gravity conditions to initiate collisions of fragile millimeter-sized particles at low velocity and temperature. Such particles are typically found in many astronomical settings and in regions of planet formation. The instrument has participated in four parabolic flight campaigns to date, operating for a total of 2.4 h in reduced-gravity conditions and successfully recording over 300 separate collisions of loosely packed dust aggregates and ice samples. The imparted particle velocities achieved range from 0.03 to 0.28 m s(-1) and a high-speed, high-resolution camera captures the events at 107 frames/s from two viewing angles separated by either 48.8 degrees or 60.0 degrees. The particles can be stored inside the experiment vacuum chamber at temperatures of 80-300 K for several uninterrupted hours using a built-in thermal accumulation system. The copper structure allows cooling down to cryogenic temperatures before commencement of the experiments. Throughout the parabolic flight campaigns, add-ons and modifications have been made, illustrating the instrument flexibility in the study of small particle collisions.