Perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms among US Latinos: the modifying role of educational attainment

Objective: Despite growing evidence that discrimination may contribute to poor mental health, few studies have assessed this association among US Latinos. Furthermore, the interaction between discrimination and educational attainment in shaping Latino mental health is virtually unexplored. This study aims to examine the association between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms and the modifying role of education among a population of Mexican-origin adults. Design: We utilized population-based data from 629 Mexican-origin adults (mean age = 52.8 years) participating the Niños Lifestyle and Diabetes Study (2013–2014). Perceived discrimination was defined as responding ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’ to at least one item on the 9-item Everyday Discrimination Scale. High depressive symptoms were defined as scoring ≥10 on the CESD-10. We used log-binomial and linear-binomial models to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and prevalence differences (PD), respectively, of high depressive symptoms for levels of perceived discrimination. Final models were adjusted for age, sex, education, cultural orientation, and nativity. General estimating equations were employed to account for within-family clustering. Results: Prevalence of perceived discrimination and high depressive symptoms were 49.5% and 29.2%, respectively. Participants experiencing discrimination had higher depressive symptom prevalence than those never or rarely experiencing discrimination [PR = 1.94, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46–2.58; PD = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.12–0.27]. The strength of this association varied by education level. The association between discrimination and depressive symptoms was stronger among those with >12 years of education (PR = 2.69; PD = 0.24) compared to those with ≤12 years of education (PR = 1.36; PD = 0.09). Conclusion: US Latinos suffer a high burden of depressive symptoms, and discrimination may be an important driver of this burden. Our results suggest that effortful coping strategies, such as achieving high education despite high perceived discrimination, may magnify discrimination’s adverse effect on Latino mental health

Educational mobility across generations and depressive symptoms over 10 years among US latinos

Few studies have collected intergenerational data to assess the association between educational mobility across multiple generations and offspring depression. Using data from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (1998-2008), we assessed the influence of intergenerational education on depressive symptoms over 10 years among 1,786 Latino individuals (mean age = 70.6 years). Educational mobility was classified as stable-low (low parental/low offspring education), upwardly mobile (low parental/high offspring education), stable-high (high parental/ high offspring education), or downwardly mobile (high parental/low offspring education). Depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D); higher scores indicated more depressive symptoms. To quantify the association between educational mobility and CES-D scores over follow-up, we used generalized estimating equations to account for repeated CES-D measurements and adjusted for identified confounders. Within individuals, depressive symptoms remained relatively stable over follow-up. Compared with stable-low education, stable-high education and upward mobility were associated with significantly lower CES-D scores (β = -2.75 and -2.18, respectively). Downwardly mobile participants had slightly lower CES-D scores than stable-low participants (β = -0.77). Our results suggest that sustained, low educational attainment across generations may have adverse mental health consequences, and improved educational opportunities in underresourced communitiesmay counteract the adverse influence of low parental education on Latino depression

Neighborhood language isolation and depressive symptoms among elderly U.S. Latinos

Purpose: Neighborhood segregation related to cultural factors, such as language use, may influence elderly Latino depression. We examined the association between neighborhood-level Spanish language segregation and individual depressive symptoms among elderly Latinos. Methods: We linked U.S. Census language use data with geocoded population-based data from 1789 elderly Latinos (mean age = 70.6 years) participating in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (1998–2008). Neighborhood language segregation was measured with the Index of Concentration at the Extremes, which demonstrates the extent to which residents are concentrated at extremes of deprivation and privilege. We fit two-level generalized linear-mixed models with random intercepts for census tracts to quantify the association between neighborhood-level language segregation and depressive symptoms, adjusting for identified confounders. Results: After adjusting for age, sex, and nativity, residents of highly segregated Spanish-speaking neighborhoods had more depressive symptoms than those in highly segregated English-only-speaking neighborhoods (β = −4.410; 95% confidence interval [CI] = −6.851 to −1.970). This association was largely attenuated upon adjustment for individual-level education (β = −2.119; 95% CI = −4.650 to 0.413). Conclusions: Linguistically segregated communities may benefit from targeted outreach given the high depression prevalence in these neighborhoods. Furthermore, our findings suggest that limited access to fundamental social protections, such as education, may drive the segregation-depression association among U.S. Latinos. © 2018 Elsevier Inc

US acculturation and poor sleep among an intergenerational cohort of adult Latinos in Sacramento, California

Acculturation may shape the disproportionate burden of poor sleep among Latinos in the United States. Existing studies are limited by unidimensional acculturation proxies that are incapable of capturing cultural complexities across generations. Understanding how acculturation relates to sleep may lead to the identification of modifiable intervention targets. We used multivariable regression and latent class methods to examine cross-sectional associations between a validated multidimensional scale of US acculturation and self-reported poor sleep measures. We analyzed an intergenerational cohort: first-generation (GEN1) older Latinos (Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging; N = 1,716; median age: 69.5) and second-generation (GEN2) middle-aged offspring and relatives of GEN1 (Niños Lifestyle and Diabetes Study; N = 670; median age: 54.0) in Sacramento, California. GEN1 with high US acculturation, compared with high acculturation towards another origin/ancestral country, had less restless sleep (prevalence ratio [PR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 0.67 [0.54, 0.84]) and a higher likelihood of being in the best sleep class than the worst (OR [95% CI]: 1.62 [1.09, 2.40]), but among nonmanual occupations, high intergenerational US acculturation was associated with more general fatigue (PR [95% CI: 1.86 [1.11, 3.10]). GEN2 with high intergenerational US acculturation reported shorter sleep (PR [95% CI]: 2.86 [1.02, 7.99]). High US acculturation shaped sleep differentially by generation, socioeconomic context, and intergenerational acculturative status. High US acculturation was associated with better sleep among older, lower socioeconomic Latinos, but with shorter sleep duration among middle-aged, higher socioeconomic Latinos; results also differed by parental acculturation status. Upon replication, future studies should incorporate prospective and intergenerational designs to uncover sociobehavioral pathways by which acculturation may shape sleep to ultimately inform intervention efforts

Tunable dispersion compensating grating in a 10Gbit/s 100-220km step index fibre link

Chirped fibre gratings are of particular interest for compensating the dispersion (~17ps/nm.km @ 1.55µm) of installed step index (SI) fibre links since they are compact, low-loss, polarisation-insensitive and offer high negative-dispersion. In this paper we present a detailed investigation of the bandwidth-dispersion trade-off for a fixed (40mm) length tunable linearly-chirped fibre grating. In addition we demonstrate that such a grating can precisely compensate the dispersion in a 10Gbit/s transmission experiment for SI fibre lengths in the range 103-216km

Magnetic Field Effects on the Far-Infrared Absorption in Mn_12-acetate

We report the far-infrared spectra of the molecular nanomagnet Mn_12-acetate (Mn_12) as a function of temperature (5-300 K) and magnetic field (0-17 T). The large number of observed vibrational modes is related to the low symmetry of the molecule, and they are grouped together in clusters. Analysis of the mode character based on molecular dynamics simulations and model compound studies shows that all vibrations are complex; motion from a majority of atoms in the molecule contribute to most modes. Three features involving intramolecular vibrations of the Mn_12 molecule centered at 284, 306 and 409 cm-1 show changes with applied magnetic field. The structure near 284 cm$^{-1}$ displays the largest deviation with field and is mainly intensity related. A comparison between the temperature dependent absorption difference spectra, the gradual low-temperature cluster framework distortion as assessed by neutron diffraction data, and field dependent absorption difference spectra suggests that this mode may involve Mn motion in the crown.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, PRB accepte

Snacking characteristics and patterns and their associations with diet quality and BMI in the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research Consortium

Objective: To describe snacking characteristics and patterns in children and examine associations with diet quality and BMI. Design: Children's weight and height were measured. Participants/adult proxies completed multiple 24 h dietary recalls. Snack occasions were self-identified. Snack patterns were derived for each sample using exploratory factor analysis. Associations of snacking characteristics and patterns with Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) score and BMI were examined using multivariable linear regression models. Setting: Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) Consortium, USA: NET-Works, GROW, GOALS and IMPACT studies. Participants: Predominantly low-income, racial/ethnic minorities: NET-Works (n 534, 2-4-year-olds); GROW (n 610, 3-5-year-olds); GOALS (n 241, 7-11-year-olds); IMPACT (n 360, 10-13-year-olds).Results: Two snack patterns were derived for three studies: a meal-like pattern and a beverage pattern. The IMPACT study had a similar meal-like pattern and a dairy/grains pattern. A positive association was observed between meal-like pattern adherence and HEI-2010 score (P for trend < 0-01) and snack occasion frequency and HEI-2010 score (β coefficient (95 % CI): NET-Works, 0-14 (0-04, 0-23); GROW, 0-12 (0-02, 0-21)) among younger children. A preference for snacking while using a screen was inversely associated with HEI-2010 score in all studies except IMPACT (β coefficient (95 % CI): NET-Works, -3-15 (-5-37, -0-92); GROW, -2-44 (-4-27, -0-61); GOALS, -5-80 (-8-74, -2-86)). Associations with BMI were almost all null. Conclusions: Meal-like and beverage patterns described most children's snack intake, although patterns for non-Hispanic Blacks or adolescents may differ. Diets of 2-5-year-olds may benefit from frequent meal-like pattern snack consumption and diets of all children may benefit from decreasing screen use during eating occasions

Effect of local Coulomb interactions on the electronic structure and exchange interactions in Mn12 magnetic molecules

We have studied the effect of local Coulomb interactions on the electronic structure of the molecular magnet Mn12-acetate within the LDA+U approach. The account of the on-site repulsion results in a finite energy gap and an integer value of the molecule's magnetic moment, both quantities being in a good agreement with the experimental results. The resulting magnetic moments and charge states of non-equivalent manganese ions agree very well with experiments. The calculated values of the intramolecular exchange parameters depend on the molecule's spin configuration, differing by 25-30% between the ferrimagnetic ground state and the completely ferromagnetic configurations. The values of the ground-state exchange coupling parameters are in reasonable agreement with the recent data on the magnetization jumps in megagauss magnetic fields. Simple estimates show that the obtained exchange parameters can be applied, at least qualitatively, to the description of the spin excitations in Mn12-acetate.Comment: RevTeX, LaTeX2e, 4 EPS figure

Is the evidence for dark energy secure?

Several kinds of astronomical observations, interpreted in the framework of the standard Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology, have indicated that our universe is dominated by a Cosmological Constant. The dimming of distant Type Ia supernovae suggests that the expansion rate is accelerating, as if driven by vacuum energy, and this has been indirectly substantiated through studies of angular anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and of spatial correlations in the large-scale structure (LSS) of galaxies. However there is no compelling direct evidence yet for (the dynamical effects of) dark energy. The precision CMB data can be equally well fitted without dark energy if the spectrum of primordial density fluctuations is not quite scale-free and if the Hubble constant is lower globally than its locally measured value. The LSS data can also be satisfactorily fitted if there is a small component of hot dark matter, as would be provided by neutrinos of mass 0.5 eV. Although such an Einstein-de Sitter model cannot explain the SNe Ia Hubble diagram or the position of the `baryon acoustic oscillation' peak in the autocorrelation function of galaxies, it may be possible to do so e.g. in an inhomogeneous Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi cosmology where we are located in a void which is expanding faster than the average. Such alternatives may seem contrived but this must be weighed against our lack of any fundamental understanding of the inferred tiny energy scale of the dark energy. It may well be an artifact of an oversimplified cosmological model, rather than having physical reality.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures; to appear in a special issue of General Relativity and Gravitation, eds. G.F.R. Ellis et al; Changes: references reformatted in journal style - text unchange