Cultura e estresse psicológico

Examining the influence of cultural factors on psychological distress, relative to other (e.g. social and psychological) influences, has been difficult due to the incomplete development of a theory of culture that leads to the reliable and valid measurement of cultural factors in such a way that these can be incorporated into multivariate models. In this paper we present both such a theory and such a methodology, and apply it to the study of the community distribution of psychological distress in an urban area in Brazil. In this theory and method, culture is conceptualized as consisting of shared cultural models that are imperfectly realized in mundane behaviors. The link of cultural model and individual behavior is referred to as "cultural consonance". Here we show that cultural consonance in two different domains is associated with psychological stress, independently from covariates and possible confounding variables. Implications of the results for future research are also discussed.A análise da influência de fatores culturais no estresse psicológico (além dos sociais e psicológicos) tem sido dificultada em função do desenvolvimento incompleto de teorias culturais que resultem em medidas fidedignas e válidas de fatores culturais que possam ser incorporados a modelos multivariados. Neste artigo apresenta-se tanto tal teoria quanto uma metodologia e elas são aplicadas ao estudo da distribuição na comunidade das aflições psicológicas em uma área urbana do Brasil. Nesta teoria e metodologia, cultura é conceituada como modelos culturais compartilhados que são realizados de maneira imperfeita nos comportamentos cotidianos. A ligação do modelo cultural com o comportamento individual é colocada como "consonância cultural". Mostra-se que a consonância cultural em dois domínios diferentes está associada ao estresse psicológico independentemente de covariáveis e de outras variáveis intervenientes. São discutidas também as implicações destes resultados para pesquisas futuras

La Consonancia Cultural, la Religion, y los Trastornos Psicologicos en una Comunidad Urbana

Consonância cultural é o grau em que os indivíduos se aproximam dos protótipos codificados nos modelos culturais. Consonância cultural baixa é associada a sofrimento psicológico. A religião pode moderar a associação entre consonância cultural e sofrimento psicológico. O Brasil apresenta uma diversidade religiosa, sendo, portanto, uma sociedade importante para examinar esta hipótese. Este estudo, realizado em Ribeirão Preto, Brasil, utilizou delineamento de métodos mistos. As medidas de consonância cultural foram derivadas de métodos etnográficos e aplicadas em um estudo de levantamento realizado com 271 participantes, selecionados de quatro estratos socias. Consonância cultural baixa mostrou-se associada a sofrimento psicológico alto em análise de regressão múltipla ( B = - 0,430, p < 0,001). Membros de igrejas protestantes pentecostais relataram menor sofrimento psicológico independente dos efeitos da consonância cultural ( B = - 0,409, p < 0,05). A religião não moderou o efeito da consonância. São discutidas as implicações desses resultados para o estudo da relação entre religião e saúde.Consonancia cultural es el grado en que individuos se acercan a prototipos codificados en modelos culturales. Consonancia cultural baja está asociada con alto nivel de trastornos psicológicos. La religión puede moderar la relación entre consonancia cultural y trastornos psicológicos. Brasil, con variación religiosa considerable, es una sociedad importante para examinar esta hipótesis. La investigación fue realizada en Ribeirão Preto, Brasil, utilizando un diseño de métodos mixtos. Medidas de consonancia cultural se obtuvieron utilizando métodos etnográficos y luego se aplican en una encuesta de 271 personas procedentes de cuatro estratos sociales. Consonancia cultural baja se asoció con una mayor angustia psicológica en el análisis de regresión múltiple ( B = -.430, p < .001). Los miembros de las iglesias protestantes pentecostales manifiestan una menor angustia psicológica independientemente del efecto de la consonancia cultural ( B = -.409, p < .05). La religión no moderó el efecto de la consonancia. Las implicaciones de estos resultados para el estudio de la relación entre religión y salud se discuten.Cultural consonance is the degree to which individuals approximate prototypes encoded in cultural models. Low cultural consonance is associated with higher psychological distress. Religion may moderate the association between cultural consonance and psychological distress. Brazil, with substantial variation in religion, is an important society for the examination of this hypothesis. Research was conducted in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, using a mixed-methods design. Measures of cultural consonance were derived using ethnographic methods and then applied in a survey of 271 individuals drawn from four distinct social strata. Low cultural consonance was associated with higher psychological distress in multiple regression analysis ( B = -.430, p < .001). Members of Pentecostal Protestant churches reported lower psychological distress independently of the effect of cultural consonance ( B = -.409, p < .05). There was no buffering effect of religion. Implications of these results for the study of religion and health are discussed

A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Obesity and Health in Three Groups of Women: The Mississippi Choctaw, American Samoans, and African Americans

This study compares obesity as assessed by Body Mass Index (BMI) and the relationship of BMI to hypertension and diabetes in adult females from three populations, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw (N=50), American Samoa (N=155), and an African American community in West Alabama (N=367). These groups were surveyed in the early to mid 1990s. All three groups of women have very high levels of overweight and obesity, with the Samoans being most extreme in this regard. While there are indications that all three groups of women consume a calorically dense diet, low activity appears to be the most likely causal factor in the high rates of obesity. Relaxed negative attitudes toward an overweight/obese body image may also play a role in the high rates. The prevalences of hypertension and diabetes are alarmingly high in all three groups. There are, however, very different associations between BMI, hypertension, and diabetes in the three groups of women. The Samoans are substantially more obese (and older), but they have lower rates of hypertension than the African American women and lower rates of diabetes than the Choctaw women. While the genetic background of the three groups no doubt plays a role, it is also likely that a BMI of 30+, the common cutoff for obesity, means different things in these different populations. These results provide further support for the idea of variation in the relationship of BMI to disease in different populations

«Consonancia cultural»: una teoría y un método para el estudio de la cultura y la salud

Both as a theoretical concept and a method for the study of culture, ‘cultural consonance’ is wellestablished in the cognitive anthropological literature of the United States. It is also well represented in Latin American literature, but generally not in European anthropology. To date, cultural consonance has mainly been used in research into the relationship between culture and health, but it is perfectly applicable to other cultural domains. The theoretical source of this concept is the theory of cultural consensus and it seeks to resolve, in an operational manner, some of the classic dilemmas of the concept of culture. This paper seeks to demonstrate its theoretical and methodological utility and to present its current state of development in medical anthropological investigations into the relationship between culture and health. In short, we seek to highlight and disseminate the potential of ‘cultural consonance’ for the study of culture, both within the area of medical anthropology and beyond.La consonancia cultural, como concepto teórico y método para el estudio de la cultura, tiene ya una sólida trayectoria en la literatura antropológica norteamericana de orientación cognitiva, con apreciables ejemplos también en la antropología latinoamericana, aunque muchos menos en la europea. Por ahora, la consonancia cultural ha sido empleada mayoritariamente en la investigación sobre las relaciones entre cultura y salud, pero podría ser perfectamente aplicable a otros dominios culturales. Tiene su fuente teórica primordial en la teoría del consenso cultural y trata como ésta de resolver, operativamente, algunos de los dilemas clásicos del concepto de cultura. Este artículo pretende mostrar su utilidad teórica y metodológica, y dar cuenta del estado en que se encuentra su desarrollo científico, a través de diversas investigaciones en el campo de la antropología médica. En otras palabras, queremos poner de relieve y difundir las potencialidades de la consonancia cultural para el estudio de la cultura, tanto en ése como en otros campos de la investigación antropológica

Distance from a cultural model of substance use risk, internalization, and self-stigma in urban Brazil

IntroductionA cognitive theory of culture as socially distributed cultural models has proven useful in research. Cultural models exist in two forms: the model shared by individuals in a social group, and individual versions of that model modified by personal experience. In previous research we documented a shared cultural model of substance use risk among a general population sample in urban Brazil. Here we examine how this model is distributed among persons under treatment for substance use/misuse and the implications for perceived and self-stigma.MethodsA convenience sample of 133 persons under treatment rated the influence of risk factors for substance use/misuse. The configuration of those ratings and the cultural distance of persons under treatment from the general population model were calculated. Degree of stigma perceived in the wider society and degree of self-stigma were also assessed.ResultsPersons under treatment aggregate risk factors to a greater extent than the general population. Using a cultural distance metric, the more distant persons under treatment are from the general population model, the lower their self-stigma regarding substance use.DiscussionSome individuals under treatment separate their understanding of substance use/misuse from shared perspectives in the wider society, which in turn reduces self-stigma. These findings add an additional perspective on the relationship of culture and the individual

Ultraviolet Imaging of the z=0.23 Cluster Abell 2246

We present deep ultraviolet observations of a field containing the cluster Abell 2246 (z=0.225) which provide far-ultraviolet (FUV) images of some of the faintest galaxies yet observed in that bandpass. Abell 2246 lies within the field of view of Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) observations of the quasar HS1700+64, which accumulated over 7100 seconds of UIT FUV exposure time during the Astro-2 mission in March 1995. For objects found on both the FUV and ground-based V-band images, we obtain FUV (l ~ 1520 A) photometry and V-band photometry, as well as mid-UV (l ~ 2490 A) photometry from UIT Astro-1 observations and ground-based I-band photometry. We find five objects in the images which are probably galaxies at the distance of Abell 2246, with FUV magnitudes (m(FUV)) between 18.6 and 19.6, and V magnitudes between 18.4 and 19.6. We find that their absolute FUV fluxes and colors imply strongly that they are luminous galaxies with significant current star formation, as well as some relatively recent, but not current, (> 400 Myr ago) star formation. We interpret the colors of these five objects by comparing them with local objects, redshift-corrected template spectra and stellar population models, finding that they are plausibly matched by 10-Gyr-old population models with decaying star formation, with decay time constants in the range 3 Gyr < t < 5 Gyr, with an additional color component from a single burst of moderate ( ~ 400-500 Myr) age. From derived FUV luminosities we compute current star formation rates. We compare the UV properties of Abell 2246 with those of the Coma cluster, finding that Abell 2246 has significantly more recent star formation, consistent with the Butcher-Oemler phenomenon.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal, June 1998. 17 Pages AAS latex, includes 4 bitmap .jpg format images and 4 other figures. PDF, Embedded Gzipped PS version (1.9Mb) TeX source and figures available at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~bd4r/galaxies.htm

Molecular classification of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas using patterns of gene expression

The prognostication of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is largely based upon the tumor size and location and the presence of lymph node metastases. Here we show that gene expression patterns from 60 HNSCC samples assayed on cDNA microarrays allowed categorization of these tumors into four distinct subtypes. These subtypes showed statistically significant differences in recurrence-free survival and included a subtype with a possible EGFR-pathway signature, a mesenchymal-enriched subtype, a normal epithelium-like subtype, and a subtype with high levels of antioxidant enzymes. Supervised analyses to predict lymph node metastasis status were approximately 80% accurate when tumor subsite and pathological node status were considered simultaneously. This work represents an important step toward the identification of clinically significant biomarkers for HNSCC

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives