Methods to Measure the Impact of Home,Social, and Sexual Neighborhoods of Urban Gay,Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men

Men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for 61% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2010. Recent analyses indicate that socio-structural factors are important correlates of HIV infection. NYCM2M was a cross-sectional study designed to identify neighborhood-level characteristics within the urban environment that influence sexual risk behaviors, substance use and depression among MSM living in New York City. The sample was recruited using a modified venue-based time-space sampling methodology and through select websites and mobile applications. This paper describes novel methodological approaches used to improve the quality of data collected for analysis of the impact of neighborhoods on MSM health. Previous research has focused predominately on residential neighborhoods and used pre-determined administrative boundaries (e.g., census tracts) that often do not reflect authentic and meaningful neighborhoods. This study included the definition and assessment of multiple neighborhoods of influence including where men live (home neighborhood), socialize (social neighborhood) and have sex (sexual neighborhood). Furthermore, making use of technological advances in mapping, we collected geo-points of reference for each type of neighborhood and identified and constructed self-identified neighborhood boundary definitions. Finally, this study collected both perceived neighborhood characteristics and objective neighborhood conditions to create a comprehensive, flexible and rich neighborhood-level set of covariates. This research revealed that men perceived their home, social and sexual neighborhoods in different ways. Few men (15%) had the same home, social and sexual neighborhoods; for 31%, none of the neighborhoods was the same. Of the three types of neighborhoods, the number of unique social neighborhoods was the lowest; the size of sexual neighborhoods was the smallest. The resultant dataset offers the opportunity to conduct analyses that will yield context-specific and nuanced understandings of the relations among neighborhood space, and the well-being and health of urban MSM.     

Dilemma of Dilemmas: How Collective and Individual Perspectives Can Clarify the Size Dilemma in Voluntary Linear Public Goods Dilemmas

Empirical findings on public goods dilemmas indicate an unresolved dilemma: that increasing size—the number of people in the dilemma—sometimes increases, decreases, or does not influence cooperation. We clarify this dilemma by first classifying public goods dilemma properties that specify individual outcomes as individual properties (e.g., Marginal Per Capita Return) and group outcomes as group properties (e.g., public good multiplier), mathematically showing how only one set of properties can remain constant as the dilemma size increases. Underpinning decision-making regarding individual and group properties, we propose that individuals are motivated by both individual and group preferences based on a theory of collective rationality. We use Van Lange''s integrated model of social value orientations to operationalize these preferences as an amalgamation of outcomes for self, outcomes for others, and equality of outcomes. Based on this model, we then predict how the public good''s benefit and size, combined with controlling individual versus group properties, produce different levels of cooperation in public goods dilemmas. A two (low vs. high benefit) by three (2-person baseline vs. 5-person holding constant individual properties vs. 5-person holding constant group properties) factorial experiment (group n = 99; participant n = 390) confirms our hypotheses. The results indicate that when holding constant group properties, size decreases cooperation. Yet when holding constant individual properties, size increases cooperation when benefit is low and does not affect cooperation when benefit is high. Using agent-based simulations of individual and group preferences vis-à-vis the integrative model, we fit a weighted simulation model to the empirical data. This fitted model is sufficient to reproduce the empirical results, but only when both individual (self-interest) and group (other-interest and equality) preference are included. Our research contributes to understanding how people''s motivations and behaviors within public goods dilemmas interact with the properties of the dilemma to lead to collective outcomes.     

Social interactions regulate resource utilization in a Tephritidae fruit fly

Previous studies have suggested that social interactions (e.g., the actions and reactions elicited by the interaction of co-specific individuals) induce individual fruit flies (Tephritidae) to ingest more food, especially protein-rich food. Changes in feeding behavior related to social interactions have been associated with reproduction (e.g., when different sexes are present), reproductive facilitation (e.g., when two females interact) and stress and aggression (e.g., flies of the same sex, or crowdedness). The present study investigated the effect of social interaction on the feeding, longevity and resource management of the Ethiopian fruit fly, Dacus ciliatus. Single flies and pairs of flies (of the same or different sexes) were confined to a small arena (the PUB system), in which we measured the amount of liquid food ingested daily by each fly. In addition, we sampled flies of different ages, extracted and quantified their lipid and protein contents, and related individual metabolic contents to the ingestion of a fructose and protein hydrolysate solution. Results showed that individual ingestion was significantly higher in flies maintained in pairs than in flies kept as solitary individuals. The highest intake rates were observed for the female–female pairs. In general, females ingested significantly greater volumes than males. Lipid contents tended to decrease progressively with age in flies kept as solitary individuals, especially in female flies, while lipid levels decreased and then increased in flies maintained in pairs. Protein trends were similar, although less pronounced than the patterns observed for the lipids. The flies kept as solitary individuals lived significantly longer than those kept in pairs. A resource-management analysis points to a decreased metabolic rate in flies kept as solitary individuals, as compared to paired flies. Results are discussed in view of theories of resource management and survival strategies.     

Collective Management of Water Resources in Coastal Bangladesh: Formal and Substantive Approaches

We examine the processes of collective management of water resources for agriculture within the wider context of environmental change in a coastal region of Bangladesh. We argue that while the formal propositions of rational-actor theories (such as the Institutional Analysis and Design Framework) help to identify the potential constraints to collective action (e.g., the free rider problem), these propositions need to be seen in the substantive social context of any given case. Findings show that the pattern of collective water management is crucially dependent on the individual economic incentives for participation as well as the social structures and norms that influence the behaviour of different classes of actor, including those with conflicting economic incentives. By examining the substantive processes of negotiation and decision-making around specific problems of water management, we are able to identify the contingent set of factors that shape the responses of different actors, enabling or constraining desirable collective outcomes.     

Role of corticotropin releasing factor in anxiety disorders: a translational research perspective

Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders that include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, phobic disorders (e.g., specific phobias, agoraphobia, social phobia) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Anxiety disorders are among the most common of all mental disorders and, when coupled with an awareness of the disability and reduced quality of life they convey, they must be recognized as a serious public health problem. Over 20 years of preclinical studies point to a role for the CRF system in anxiety and stress responses. Clinical studies have supported a model of CRF dysfunction in depression and more recently a potential contribution to specific anxiety disorders (i.e., panic disorder and PTSD). Much work remains in both the clinical and preclinical fields to inform models of CRF function and its contribution to anxiety. First, we will review the current findings of CRF and HPA axis abnormalities in anxiety disorders. Second, we will discuss startle reflex measures as a tool for translational research to determine the role of the CRF system in development and maintenance of clinical anxiety.     

Collective Factors Reinforce Individual Contributions to Human-Wildlife Coexistence

Conserving large carnivores while keeping people safe depends on finding means for peaceful coexistence. Although large carnivore populations are generally declining globally, some populations are increasing, causing greater overlap with humans and increasing potential for conflict. One method of reducing conflict with large carnivores is to secure attractants like garbage and livestock. This method is effective when implemented; however, implementation requires a change in human behavior. Human-wildlife interaction is a public good collective action problem where solutions require contributions from many and individual actions have effects on others. We used the collective interest model to investigate how individual and collective factors work in concert to influence landowner attractant securing behavior in Montana, USA, in black (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bear (U. arctos) range. We used data from a mail-back survey to develop logistic regression models testing the relative effects of collective and individual factors on landowners' attractant securing behaviors. The most important factor was whether individuals had spoken to a wildlife professional, a reflection of social coordination and pressure. Other collective factors (e.g., social norms [i.e., expectations and behaviors of peers] and the existence of discussion networks [i.e., how much social influence an individual has]) were equally important as individual factors (e.g., beliefs, age, gender) for influencing attractant securing behavior among Montana landowners. This research suggests pathways for wildlife managers and outreach coordinators to increase attractant securing behavior by emphasizing collective factors, such as social norms, rather than appealing exclusively to individual factors, such as risk perception of large carnivores. Furthermore, wildlife agencies would be justified in increasing their efforts to connect with landowners in person and to connect with members of the public who play an important role in discussion networks. This research demonstrates that, even on private lands, collective interests may be a missing and important piece of the puzzle for encouraging voluntary attractant securing behavior and improving wildlife-human coexistence. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

Perception of neighborhoods by city and suburban residents

A number of neighborhood studies have supported the view that urban areas are a mosaic of local communities or neighborhoods with clear boundaries and a high degree of identity. However, many of these studies are based on highly identifiable innercity natural areas in large metropolitan centers; thus, the generalizability of these findings is limited. Two studies broadened the investigation of these issues by looking at neighborhood perceptions of residents living in relatively undifferentiated innercity, outercity, and suburban areas of a middle-sized metropolitan area. In both studies, residents were asked to draw and describe their neighborhood. The first study (N=72) indicated that the content of neighborhood images differed by area of the city: city residents ascribed the same number of positive characteristics, but more negative characteristics to their neighborhood than did suburban residents. Moreover, suburban residents in both studies drew neighborhoods that were substantially larger than the innercity neighborhoods. The second study, conducted with 24 immediate neighbors from the inner city and suburb, indicated that in both areas there was a high degree of agreement among neighbors on the neighborhood limits, but little consensus on a neighborhood name. These results support and extend the local community model of neighborhoods: From city to suburb the imagability of neighborhood does not differ; it is both high and consensual. But the content of the image does change; suburban neighborhoods are seen as larger and less negative.The authors, a sociologist and a psychologist, respectively, are colleagues in the Urban Analysis Concentration program, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin.     

Human prosociality from an evolutionary perspective: variation and correlations at a city-wide scale

Prosociality is a fundamental theme in all branches of the human behavioral sciences. Evolutionary theory sets an even broader stage by examining prosociality in all species, including the distinctive human capacity to cooperate in large groups of unrelated individuals. We use evolutionary theory to investigate human prosociality at the scale of a small city (Binghamton, NY), based on survey data and a direct measure of prosocial behavior. In a survey of public school students (Grades 6–12), individual prosociality correlates strongly with social support, which is a basic requirement for prosociality to succeed as a behavioral strategy in Darwinian terms. The most prosocial individuals receive social support from multiple sources (e.g., family, school, neighborhood, religion and extracurricular activities). Neighborhood social support is significant as a group-level variable in addition to an individual-level variable. The median income of a neighborhood does not directly influence individual prosociality, but only indirectly through forms of social support. Variation in neighborhood quality, as measured by the survey, corresponds to the likelihood that a stamped addressed letter dropped on the sidewalk of a given neighborhood will be mailed. We discuss the results in relation to evolutionary theory, the experimental economics literature and the social capital literature in an effort to integrate the study of human prosociality across disciplines.     

Does the Neighborhood Area of Residence Influence Non-Attendance in an Urban Mammography Screening Program? A Multilevel Study in a Swedish City

MethodsWe analyze all women invited to mammography screening in 2005–09, residing in the city of Malmö, Sweden. Information regarding mammography screening attendance was linked to data on area of residence, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics available from Statistics Sweden. The influence of individual and neighborhood factors was assessed by multilevel logistic regression analysis with 29,901 women nested within 212 neighborhoods.ResultsThe prevalence of non-attendance among women was 18.3%. After adjusting for individual characteristics, the prevalence in the 212 neighborhoods was 3.6%. Neighborhood of residence had little influence on non-attendance. The multilevel analysis indicates that 8.4% of the total individual differences in the propensity of non-attendance were at the neighborhood level. However, when adjusting for specific individual characteristics this general contextual effect decreased to 1.8%. This minor effect was explained by the sociodemographic characteristic of the neighborhoods. The discriminatory accuracy of classifying women according to their non-attendance was 0.747 when considering only individual level variables, and 0.760 after including neighborhood level as a random effect.ConclusionOur results suggest that neighborhoods of residence in Malmö, Sweden (as defined by small-area market statistics (SAMS) areas) do not condition women’s participation in population based mammography screening. Thus, interventions should be directed to the whole city and target women with a higher risk of non-attendance.     

Are Maternal Social Networks and Perceptions of Trust Associated with Suspected Autism Spectrum Disorder in Offspring? A Population-Based Study in Japan

Objective

To investigate the associations of maternal social networks and perceptions of trust with the prevalence of suspected autism spectrum disorders in 18-month-old offspring in Japan.

Methods

Questionnaires included measurements of maternal social networks (number of relatives or friends they could call upon for assistance), maternal perceptions of trust, mutual assistance (i.e. individual measures of “cognitive social capital”), and social participation (i.e. individual measures of “structural social capital”) as well as the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers to detect suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These tools were mailed to all families with 18-month-old toddlers in Chiba, a city near Tokyo (N = 6061; response rate: 64%). The association between social capital or social network indicators and suspected ASD were analyzed, adjusted for covariates by logistic regression analysis.

Results

Low maternal social trust was found to be significantly positively associated with suspected ASD in toddlers compared with high maternal social trust (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38 to 2.40); mutual aid was also significantly positively related (low vs. high: OR, 1.82, 95% CI: 1.38 to 2.40). However, maternal community participation showed U-shape association with suspected ASD of offspring. Maternal social network showed consistent inverse associations with suspected ASD of offspring, regardless of the type of social connection (e.g., relatives, neighbors, or friends living outside of their neighborhood).

Conclusions

Mothers'' cognitive social capital and social networks, but not structural social capital, might be associated with suspected ASD in offspring.     

Sex Differences in How Social Networks and Relationship Quality Influence Experimental Pain Sensitivity

This is the first study to examine how both structural and functional components of individuals’ social networks may moderate the association between biological sex and experimental pain sensitivity. One hundred and fifty-two healthy adults (mean age = 22yrs., 53% males) were measured for cold pressor task (CPT) pain sensitivity (i.e., intensity ratings) and core aspects of social networks (e.g., proportion of friends vs. family, affection, affirmation, and aid). Results showed consistent sex differences in how social network structures and intimate relationship functioning modulated pain sensitivity. Females showed higher pain sensitivity when their social networks consisted of a higher proportion of intimate types of relationship partners (e.g., kin vs. non kin), when they had known their network partners for a longer period of time, and when they reported higher levels of logistical support from their significant other (e.g., romantic partner). Conversely, males showed distinct patterns in the opposite direction, including an association between higher levels of logistical support from one’s significant other and lower CPT pain intensity. These findings show for the first time that the direction of sex differences in exogenous pain sensitivity is likely dependent on fundamental components of the individual’s social environment. The utility of a social-signaling perspective of pain behaviors for examining, comparing, and interpreting individual and group differences in experimental and clinical pain reports is discussed.     

Speciesism Predicts Prejudice Against Low-Status and Hierarchy-Attenuating Human Groups

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that attitudes toward nonhuman animals correlate with attitudes toward disadvantaged human groups. It has been suggested that the connection rests in the ideology of social dominance. Endorsement of social hierarchy and intergroup domination is thought to extend to both human intergroup and human– animal contexts. The present research tested this reasoning by examining the scope and basis of the relation between speciesism and human inter-group attitudes. It was hypothesized that speciesism would predict less positive attitudes toward low-status groups (e.g., disadvantaged ethnic minorities) and those who support social change (e.g., feminists) but that it would be uncorrelated with attitudes toward stigmatized groups that are unmarked by social status (e.g., atheists). Two studies (Study 1, n = 98; Study 2, n = 82) tested this prediction using survey measures of speciesism, social dominance orientation, and attitudes toward 31 human groups including those noted above. Participants were first- and second-year university students in a mid-sized university in Ontario, Canada. As hypothesized, in both studies speciesism predicted less positive attitudes primarily toward low-status groups and groups that support social change. Further, relations between speciesism and intergroup attitudes were explained by their shared connection with social dominance orientation. These data contribute to the growing body of evidence showing links between speciesism and prejudice by illustrating that their shared emphasis on support for social hierarchy gives rise to a specific pattern of intergroup attitudes—one that supports inequality.     

Mineral content in the wild onion species and their nutritive value

The accumulation of 11 microelements (Fe, Zn, Cu, Co, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cd, Sr, Cr, and Se) by 7 wild onion species of the genus Allium was studied. A. flavescens Bess possesses the higher accumulating capability; it accumulates five of eleven microelements (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Se) with biological accumulation coefficient (BAC) exceeding 1 and also contains high levels of Fe, Co, and Mn. These features enable this species to be the most promising for the nutrition adjustment of human commons with above-mentioned microelements primarily with Cr, which content in 100 g onion leaves achieves 84% of commons. A. fistulosum L., A. odorum L., and broad-leaved A. nutans form specifically accumulate Cu, Zn, and Se. A. montanum Schmidt is characterized by the accumulation of Zn. A. angulosum and A. schoenoprasum are xharacterized by the accumulation of Se. The broad-leaved forms of A. schoenoprasum L., A. nutans L., and A. odorum L. compared with their narrow-leaved forms accumulate more amounts of Zn and Cu.     

Symptoms of schizophrenia in Hispanic and Anglo veterans

This study explores cultural influences on symptoms and course of schizophrenic disorder. Hispanic veterans with schizophrenia are compared to a similar group of White non-Hispanic (Anglo) veterans. Symptoms were elicited with a structured diagnostic interview and a battery of rating instruments. Primary symptoms of schizophrenia (e.g., hallucinations, delusions, functional deterioration) were very similar for both groups. However, Hispanic patients reported a later age of onset, exhibited more somatization, and spent less time in the hospital than Anglo patients.This study was supported by a grant from the Veterans Administration Health Services Research and Development Service (Project 11R 81-633).     

The current state of personal training: an industry perspective of personal trainers in a small Southeast community

Although research has identified a number of qualities and competencies necessary to be an effective exercise leader, the fitness industry itself is largely unregulated and lacks a unified governing body. As such, a plethora of personal trainer certifications exists with varying degrees of validity that fail to ensure qualified trainers and, therefore, protect the consumer. It is argued that the potential consequences of this lack of regulation are poor societal exercise adherence, potential injury to the client, and poor public perception of personal trainers. Additionally, it is not known whether personal trainers are meeting the needs of their clients or what criteria are used in the hiring of personal trainers. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the current state of personal training in a midsized Southeast city by using focus group methodology. Local personal trainers were recruited for the focus groups (n = 11), and the results from which were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes using inductive reasoning by the authors. Qualities and characteristics that identified by participants clustered around 4 main themes. Client selection rationale consisted of qualities that influenced a client's decision to hire a particular trainer (e.g., physique, gender, race). Client loyalty referred to the particular qualities involved in maintaining clients (e.g., motivation skills, empathy, social skills). Credentials referred to formal training (e.g., college education, certifications). Negative characteristics referred to qualities considered unethical or unprofessional (e.g., sexual comments, misuse of power) as well as the consequences of those behaviors (e.g., loss of clients, potential for litigation). These results are discussed regarding the implications concerning college programs, certification organizations, increasing public awareness of expectations of qualified trainers, and a move towards state licensure.     

“Nudging Them Back to Reality”: Toward a Growing Public Acceptance of the Role Dogs Fulfill in Ameliorating Contemporary Veterans' PTSD Symptoms

ABSTRACT

There is a long history of service dog usage to assist people with physical disabilities (e. g., dogs for the blind, deaf, and disabled). In comparison, however, relatively little empirical research has been conducted into the use of service or emotional support dogs for people with psychiatric disabilities (e. g., PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder and schizophrenia). Given this research shortfall, the present study sought to provide insights into the post-war dog ownership experiences of contemporary veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan fields of engagement, particularly in relation to the differences adopted dogs have made to the veterans' readjustment back into society. In this regard, reporters' media accounts of the experiences of veterans with PTSD and the general public's social media response comments were subjected to a triangulated three-phase content analysis to explore the role dogs seemingly play in helping contemporary veterans to readjust to civilian life. The core theme to emerge from the study was one of: “‘Nudging them back to reality’: Toward a growing public acceptance of the role dogs fulfill in ameliorating contemporary veterans' PTSD symptoms.” In light of the difficulties of interpreting the accounts of veterans through the filter of media coverage and social commentary, this core finding may prove to provide insights into how contemporary veterans diagnosed with PTSD utilize the assistance of dogs to help deal with their fundamental human needs for safety, affiliation, and succourance. Finally, the difficulties associated with dogs as therapeutic agents are discussed.     

Evolutionarily stable learning schedules and cumulative culture in discrete generation models

Individual learning (e.g., trial-and-error) and social learning (e.g., imitation) are alternative ways of acquiring and expressing the appropriate phenotype in an environment. The optimal choice between using individual learning and/or social learning may be dictated by the life-stage or age of an organism. Of special interest is a learning schedule in which social learning precedes individual learning, because such a schedule is apparently a necessary condition for cumulative culture. Assuming two obligatory learning stages per discrete generation, we obtain the evolutionarily stable learning schedules for the three situations where the environment is constant, fluctuates between generations, or fluctuates within generations. During each learning stage, we assume that an organism may target the optimal phenotype in the current environment by individual learning, and/or the mature phenotype of the previous generation by oblique social learning. In the absence of exogenous costs to learning, the evolutionarily stable learning schedules are predicted to be either pure social learning followed by pure individual learning (“bang-bang” control) or pure individual learning at both stages (“flat” control). Moreover, we find for each situation that the evolutionarily stable learning schedule is also the one that optimizes the learned phenotype at equilibrium.     

The combined effect of individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status on cancer survival rates

Background

This population-based study investigated the relationship between individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality rates for major cancers in Taiwan.

Methods

A population-based follow-up study was conducted with 20,488 cancer patients diagnosed in 2002. Each patient was traced to death or for 5 years. The individual income-related insurance payment amount was used as a proxy measure of individual SES for patients. Neighborhood SES was defined by income, and neighborhoods were grouped as living in advantaged or disadvantaged areas. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the death-free survival rates between the different SES groups after adjusting for possible confounding and risk factors.

Results

After adjusting for patient characteristics (age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index Score, urbanization, and area of residence), tumor extent, treatment modalities (operation and adjuvant therapy), and hospital characteristics (ownership and teaching level), colorectal cancer, and head and neck cancer patients under 65 years old with low individual SES in disadvantaged neighborhoods conferred a 1.5 to 2-fold higher risk of mortality, compared with patients with high individual SES in advantaged neighborhoods. A cross-level interaction effect was found in lung cancer and breast cancer. Lung cancer and breast cancer patients less than 65 years old with low SES in advantaged neighborhoods carried the highest risk of mortality. Prostate cancer patients aged 65 and above with low SES in disadvantaged neighborhoods incurred the highest risk of mortality. There was no association between SES and mortality for cervical cancer and pancreatic cancer.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that cancer patients with low individual SES have the highest risk of mortality even under a universal health-care system. Public health strategies and welfare policies must continue to focus on this vulnerable group.     

Metaheuristics for the bi-objective orienteering problem

In this paper, heuristic solution techniques for the multi-objective orienteering problem are developed. The motivation stems from the problem of planning individual tourist routes in a city. Each point of interest in a city provides different benefits for different categories (e.g., culture, shopping). Each tourist has different preferences for the different categories when selecting and visiting the points of interests (e.g., museums, churches). Hence, a multi-objective decision situation arises. To determine all the Pareto optimal solutions, two metaheuristic search techniques are developed and applied. We use the Pareto ant colony optimization algorithm and extend the design of the variable neighborhood search method to the multi-objective case. Both methods are hybridized with path relinking procedures. The performances of the two algorithms are tested on several benchmark instances as well as on real world instances from different Austrian regions and the cities of Vienna and Padua. The computational results show that both implemented methods are well performing algorithms to solve the multi-objective orienteering problem.