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

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

Comment on the Generation Number in Orbifold Compactifications

There has been some confusion concerning the number of $(1,1)$-forms in orbifold compactifications of the heterotic string in numerous publications. In this note we point out the relevance of the underlying torus lattice on this number. We answer the question when different lattices mimic the same physics and when this is not the case. As a byproduct we classify all symmetric $Z_N$-orbifolds with $(2,2)$ world sheet supersymmetry obtaining also some new ones.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures not included, available in postscript at reques

Electromagnetic probes

We introduce the seminal developments in the theory and experiments of electromagnetic probes for the study of the dynamics of relativistic heavy ion collisions and quark gluon plasma.Comment: 47 pages, 33 Figures; Lectures delivered by Dinesh K. Srivastava at QGP Winter School (QGPWS08) at Jaipur, India, February 1-3, 200

Trace anomaly driven inflation

This paper investigates Starobinsky's model of inflation driven by the trace anomaly of conformally coupled matter fields. This model does not suffer from the problem of contrived initial conditions that occurs in most models of inflation driven by a scalar field. The universe can be nucleated semi-classically by a cosmological instanton that is much larger than the Planck scale provided there are sufficiently many matter fields. There are two cosmological instantons: the four sphere and a new ``double bubble'' solution. This paper considers a universe nucleated by the four sphere. The AdS/CFT correspondence is used to calculate the correlation function for scalar and tensor metric perturbations during the ensuing de Sitter phase. The analytic structure of the scalar and tensor propagators is discussed in detail. Observational constraints on the model are discussed. Quantum loops of matter fields are shown to strongly suppress short scale metric perturbations, which implies that short distance modifications of gravity would probably not be observable in the cosmic microwave background. This is probably true for any model of inflation provided there are sufficiently many matter fields. This point is illustrated by a comparison of anomaly driven inflation in four dimensions and in a Randall-Sundrum brane-world model.Comment: LaTeX, 42 pages, 5 .eps figures. v2: typos corrected, references added and 2 new paragraphs in conclusions section. v3: comments about strong coupling and unboundedness of action changed, other minor changes. v4: Comments about strong coupling changed again (2-point functions of metric perturbations do not depend on Yang-Mills coupling

Electromagnetic Probes

A review is presented of dilepton and real photon measurements in relativistic heavy ion collisions over a very broad energy range from the low energies of the BEVALAC up to the highest energies available at RHIC. The dileptons cover the invariant mass range \mll = 0 - 2.5 GeV/c$^2$, i.e. the continuum at low and intermediate masses and the light vector mesons, $\rho, \omega, \phi$. The review includes also measurements of the light vector mesons in elementary reactions.Comment: To be published in Landolt-Boernstein Volume 1-23A; 40 pages, 24 figures. Final version updated with small changes to the text, updated references and updated figure

The COMPASS Experiment at CERN

The COMPASS experiment makes use of the CERN SPS high-intensitymuon and hadron beams for the investigation of the nucleon spin structure and the spectroscopy of hadrons. One or more outgoing particles are detected in coincidence with the incoming muon or hadron. A large polarized target inside a superconducting solenoid is used for the measurements with the muon beam. Outgoing particles are detected by a two-stage, large angle and large momentum range spectrometer. The setup is built using several types of tracking detectors, according to the expected incident rate, required space resolution and the solid angle to be covered. Particle identification is achieved using a RICH counter and both hadron and electromagnetic calorimeters. The setup has been successfully operated from 2002 onwards using a muon beam. Data with a hadron beam were also collected in 2004. This article describes the main features and performances of the spectrometer in 2004; a short summary of the 2006 upgrade is also given.Comment: 84 papes, 74 figure

Association of food parenting practice patterns with obesogenic dietary intake in Hispanic/Latino youth: Results from the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth)

Some food parenting practices (FPPs)are associated with obesogenic dietary intake in non-Hispanic youth, but studies in Hispanics/Latinos are limited. We examined how FPPs relate to obesogenic dietary intake using cross-sectional data from 1214 Hispanic/Latino 8-16-year-olds and their parents/caregivers in the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth). Diet was assessed with 2 24-h dietary recalls. Obesogenic items were snack foods, sweets, and high-sugar beverages. Three FPPs (Rules and Limits, Monitoring, and Pressure to Eat)derived from the Parenting strategies for Eating and Activity Scale (PEAS)were assessed. K-means cluster analysis identified 5 groups of parents with similar FPP scores. Survey-weighted multiple logistic regression examined associations of cluster membership with diet. Parents in the controlling (high scores for all FPPs)vs. indulgent (low scores for all FPPs)cluster had a 1.75 (95% CI: 1.02, 3.03)times higher odds of having children with high obesogenic dietary intake. Among parents of 12–16-year-olds, membership in the pressuring (high Pressure to Eat, low Rules and Limits and Monitoring scores)vs. indulgent cluster was associated with a 2.96 (95% CI: 1.51, 5.80)times greater odds of high obesogenic dietary intake. All other associations were null. Future longitudinal examinations of FPPs are needed to determine temporal associations with obesogenic dietary intake in Hispanic/Latino youth

What we don't know about time

String theory has transformed our understanding of geometry, topology and spacetime. Thus, for this special issue of Foundations of Physics commemorating "Forty Years of String Theory", it seems appropriate to step back and ask what we do not understand. As I will discuss, time remains the least understood concept in physical theory. While we have made significant progress in understanding space, our understanding of time has not progressed much beyond the level of a century ago when Einstein introduced the idea of space-time as a combined entity. Thus, I will raise a series of open questions about time, and will review some of the progress that has been made as a roadmap for the future.Comment: 15 pages; Essay for a special issue of Foundations of Physics commemorating "Forty years of string theory

Bounds on Dirac Neutrino Masses from Nucleosynthesis

We derive new bounds on the Dirac mass of the tau and muonic neutrinos. By solving the kinetic equation for the rate of energy deposition due to helicity flipping processes and imposing the constraint that the number of effective species contributing to the energy density at the time of nucleosynthesis be $\Delta k_\nu<~0.3$, we find the bounds $m_{\nu_\mu} < ~150$ KeV and $m_{\nu_\tau} < ~190$ KeV for $T_{\rm QCD}= 200$ MeV. The constraint $\Delta k_\nu~<0.1~$ leads to the much stronger bound $m_\nu <10$ KeV for both species of neutrinos.Comment: 10 pages, UM-TH-94-21, UMN-TH-1303-94, FERMILAB-Pub-94/199-