Social Practice\u27s Mid-life Crisis

Variables borrowed from the literature analyzing the middle years of American adults are used to pose questions and suggest answers regarding the mid-life organizational stage of development of sociological practice (applied and clinical) as a professional subspecialization within the discipline Comparisons are made. Issues are raised which require a response and a resolution if sociological practice is both to survive and surpass the potential pitfalls of its organizational mid-life crisis

Cognition in Context: Pathways and Compound Risk in a Sample of US Non-Hispanic Whites

The population of individuals with cognitive impairment and dementia is growing rapidly, necessitating etiological investigation. It is clear that individual differences in cognition later in life have both genetic and multi-level environmental correlates. Despite significant recent progress in cellular and molecular research, the exact mechanisms linking genes, brains, and cognition remain elusive. In relation to cognition, it is unlikely that genetic and environmental risk factors function in a vacuum, but rather interact and cluster together. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether aspects of individual socioeconomic status (SES) explain the cognitive genotype-phenotype association, and whether neighborhood SES modifies the effects of genes and individual SES on cognitive ability. Using data from non-Hispanic White participants in the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, a national sample of United States adults, we examined links between a polygenic score for general cognition and performance-based cognitive functioning. In a series of weighted linear regressions and formal tests of mediation, we observed a significant genotype-phenotype association that was partially attenuated after including individual education to the baseline model, although little reductions were observed for household wealth or census tract-level percent poverty. These findings suggest that genetic risk for poor cognition is partially explained by education, and this pathway is not modified by poverty-level of the neighborhood

A Conflict Resolution Model Amenable to Sociological Practice

Social connectedness constrains individuality in favor of relationship. Group affiliation contributes to a tension between self and social motivation. Often, it becomes difficult to find mutually acceptable solutions to common problems In such cases, conflicts may emerge which require professional intervention to resolve. This article presents a model of conflict resolution which draws resource from sociological theory, research, and practice It delineates an adaptable strategy applicable to a wide range of social structures and concomitant relational problem

Survival of Northern Bobwhite on Hunted and Nonhunted Study Areas in the North Carolina Sandhills

Radio-tagged northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) were monitored in the Sandhills region of North Carolina to investigate the influences of hunting on seasonal survival. We used the Kaplan-Meier product limit method with staggered entry design to calculate survival estimates and distributions for 79 radio-tagged bobwhite representing 33 coveys during November-February 1987-89. Estimated winter survival rates for year 1 (59%) and for pooled years (67%) in the nonhunted study areas were greater than in the hunted areas (31 and 45%, respectively; P \u3c 0.05). Survival trends for the second winter were again greater in the nonhunted study areas (7 4%) but not different than hunted study areas (63%; P \u3e 0.05). Avian predation was the major proximate cause of mortality, accounting for 66% of the known losses. Summer whistle count surveys indicated that nonhunted study areas contained more (P\u3c 0.05) whistling bobwhite per station than hunted areas following winter hunting seasons

Characterizing the Polycation Receptor of Paramecium

Unicellular eukaryotes are complex systems, performing all the tasks needed for survival within the context of a single cell. Protozoans, such as Tetrahymena and Paramecium, use chemosensory systems to detect food and to avoid predation. Both Tetrahymena and Paramecium have been used as models for studying chemorepellents. Lysozyme, ATP, and GTP have been found to have chemorepellent activity in both ciliates. In Tetrahymena, several PACAP isoforms have been shown to bind to the same receptor as lysozyme, indicating that this receptor may be a more general “polycation receptor” (Keedy et al., 2003). The polycation receptor in Tetrahymena appears to be a Gprotein linked receptor which activates adenylyl cyclase and phospholipase C (Keedy et al., 2003). The lysozyme receptors have been affinity purified from both Paramecium and Tetrahymena. The molecular weight of the Tetrahymena protein is approximately 42 kD, while the molecular weight of the Paramecium protein is approximately 58 kD (Kuruvilla and Hennessey, 1998). In our current study, we examined the hypothesis that Paramecium have a polycation receptor similar to that of Tetrahymena. We found that although both organisms bind similar ligands, there are multiple differences between the two pathways

Cost benefit analysis of space communications technology. Volume 2: Final report

For abstract, see preceding accession

Cost benefit analysis of space communications technology: Volume 1: Executive summary

The questions of (1) whether or not NASA should support the further development of space communications technology, and, if so, (2) which technology's support should be given the highest priority are addressed. Insofar as the issues deal principally with resource allocation, an economics perspective is adopted. The resultant cost benefit methodology utilizes the net present value concept in three distinct analysis stages to evaluate and rank those technologies which pass a qualification test based upon probable (private sector) market failure. User-preference and technology state-of-the-art surveys were conducted (in 1975) to form a data base for the technology evaluation. The program encompassed near-future technologies in space communications earth stations and satellites, including the noncommunication subsystems of the satellite (station keeping, electrical power system, etc.). Results of the research program include confirmation of the applicability of the methodology as well as a list of space communications technologies ranked according to the estimated net present value of their support (development) by NASA

Does Crime Trigger Genetic Risk for Type 2 Diabetes in Young Adults? A G x E Interaction Study Using National Data

Background Living in neighborhoods perceived as disordered exacerbates genetic risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) among older adults. It is unknown whether this gene-neighborhood interaction extends to younger adults. The present study aims to investigate whether crime, an objectively measured indicator of neighborhood disorder, triggers genetic risk for T2D among younger adults, and whether this hypothesized triggering occurs through exposure to obesity. Methods Data were from the Wave I (2008) National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. A standardized T2D polygenic score was created using 2014 GWAS meta-analysis results. Weighted mediation analyses using generalized structural equation models were conducted in a final sample of 7606 adults (age range: 25–34) to test the overall association of T2D polygenic scores with T2D, and the mediating path through obesity exposure in low, moderate, and high county crime-rate groups. Age, sex, ancestry, educational degree, household income, five genetic principal components, and county-level concentrated advantage and population density were adjusted. Results The overall association between T2D polygenic score and T2D was not significant in low-crime areas (p = 0.453), marginally significant in moderate-crime areas (p = 0.064), and statistically significant in high-crime areas (p = 0.007). The mediating path through obesity was not significant in low or moderate crime areas (ps = 0.560 and 0.261, respectively), but was statistically significant in high-crime areas (p = 0.023). The indirect path through obesity accounted for 12% of the overall association in high-crime area. Conclusion A gene-crime interaction in T2D was observed among younger adults, and this association was partially explained by exposure to obesity