The Wild Borderlands of Science and Technology

A review of recent scholarship in the sociology of fringe and counterculture science

Factorial Invariance of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) for Adults of Mexican Descent across Nativity Status, Language Format, and Gender

The cultural equivalence of psychological outcome measures remains a major area of investigation. The current study sought to test the factor structure and factorial invariance of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) with a sample of adult individuals of Mexican descent (N = 923) across nativity status (U.S.- vs. foreign-born), language format (English vs. Spanish), and gender. The results show that 1-factor and 3-factor measurement models provided a good fit to the data; however, a single-factor model was deemed more appropriate and parsimonious. Tests of measurement invariance and invariance of factor variances (i.e., structural invariance) indicated at least partial measurement invariance across gender, nativity status, and language format. These findings suggest that the BSI-18 operates in a similar fashion among adults of Mexican descent regardless of nativity status, language format of the survey, and gender. Clinical and practical implications for use of the BSI-18 with Latino populations are discussed

Capitalisms, Generative Projects and the New STS

Mainstream science studies has long marginalized the intersection of capitalisms and technoscience, instead placing interactionist, liberal, and Foucaultian analysis at its forefront, and has had little to say about scientists as critics of the capitalizations of knowledge. Yet at the interstices of the field, scientists, decolonial, feminist, and critical race scholars were engaging capitalisms in ways that rejected conventional Marxism. Some of the roots of these analyses were visible in the journal Science for the People (SftP) revived in 2019, after thirty years of dormancy. Newer journals, including Tapuya, Catalyst, and East Asian Science, Technology and Society are re-engaged capitalisms in ways that extend some of SftP\u27s early analyses, and provide entirely new starting points that are enlivening the field. Using my own biography and historical analysis, I trace how and why the analysis of science and capitalisms was marginalized, and how it has come to be critical to contemporary science studies

Correlation between layer thickness and periodicity of long polytypes in silicon carbide

The layer widths and repeat spacing of long-period polytypes (LPPs) have been determined using synchrotron radiation source (SRS) X-ray diffraction topography (XRDT). This method has proved to be a powerful tool in investigating the spatial extent of one-dimensional disorder (1DD), long-period polytypes (LPPs) and the boundaries of polytype layers in silicon carbide (SiC). The resulting neighbourhood coalescence models have confirmed the validity of the sandwich rule even in the limit of two arbitrarily long LPPs, as well as the unique nature of the 6H polytype. A significant empirical trend is reported here that relates the thickness of LPP layers to the periodicity of the repeat stacking sequence measured on the topographs. A good correlation between the data suggests that this behaviour is governed by a simple mathematical expression t = kNn. Values for k and n have been determined that relate the polytype thickness (t in microns) to the number of hexagonal layers (N) in the polytype stacking repeat. These values can be used to prompt questions about the limits of polytypism and disorder in SiC

Schooling in Mexico: An Evaluation of Private Costs as a Determinant of Household Demand for Education, and the Benefits of a Free Textbook Program

While the literature discussing public funding of education and the associated costs is extensive, studies that examine household, or private, costs for education are scarce. I use data from the 2005 Mexican Family Life Survey first to examine the nature of these private costs for Mexican families and second to determine to what extent direct schooling costs incurred by households are significant factors in enrollment decisions for primary and secondary school students. I find that, while small, direct costs are consistently significant determinants of school enrollment. Students age 13 to 15 are more sensitive to these direct costs than are their younger peers. Other opportunity cost and household factors, such as child employment and parents education level, are also statistically significant determinants of enrollment. Given the significance of direct costs on enrollment decisions, I examine one of Mexico\u27s public education programs, its National Free Textbook Commission (CONALITEG), in order to determine if it is a sound use of public funds. Using a cost-benefit analysis, I conclude that CONALITEG is in fact a good use of funds that targets a demonstrable obstacle to school enrollment

The Mental Health Implications of Experiencing Racial/Ethnic Microaggressions Among Latina/os: Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Components

The present study sought to elucidate the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components associated with the experience of racial/ethnic microaggressions among Latina/os, and the mental health outcomes of this form of discrimination. The study examined data from 175 Mexican and Mexican-American Latina/o adults recruited from a large Latina/o ethnic festival in a moderately-sized Midwestern city. Methodology of the present study incorporated innovative materials, including a quantitative measure of racial/ethnic microaggressions and a vignette to elicit an experience of a racial/ethnic microaggression. Results showed that past six-month experiences with racial/ethnic microaggressions are predictive of psychological distress. Overall, one\u27s greater affective stress response to a microaggression experience resulted in increased probability of the participant having clinically-significant psychological distress, while use of social coping was protective against psychological distress. Differences were determined for sociodemographic variables, including gender and nativity status. The present study provides better understanding of the psychological components associated with racial/ethnic microaggressions, and offers insight for theory, future research, and clinical practice with Latina/os

Gold Nanoparticles and Peptoids as Novel Inhibitors of Amyloid Beta Aggregation in Alzheimer\u27s Disease

In 2012 it was estimated that one in every nine Americans over the age of 65 has Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) (1). These patients experience gradual loss of memory, cognition, and behavioral stability eventually leading to death (2). These symptoms were first described in 1906 by Alois Alzheimer and now are the classic signs of the number one neurodegenerative disease today. Current AD therapies delay or mitigate the symptoms associated with AD to improve the quality of life for the patient; however, there is currently no cure for those that have been diagnosed. In order to develop a possible treatment for patients with mild to severe AD, the disease pathology must first be understood. One neuropathological marker for AD is the development of amyloid plaques, which are deposited around the neurons in the brain and are associated with neuronal atrophy. The main constituents of these plaques are aggregated forms of the amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide. Thus, one possible therapeutic intervention for AD is to inhibit the formation of the Abeta aggregates

Geochemical Impacts From Permanganate Oxidation Based on Field Scale Assessments.

In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) using permanganate is a technology for treatment of organic hazardous wastes. This research is a review of 30 permanganate (MnO4-) ISCO sites to determine whether there are long term impacts on groundwater quality due to the introduction of the oxidant into the subsurface. A second objective is to determine if manganese concentration can be predicted by trends in specific pre and postoxidation monitored parameters (i.e., pH and oxidation reduction potential (ORP)). The final objective is to identify the effects of site and design conditions on groundwater conditions postoxidation. Results indicate that (1) there are limited long term groundwater impacts due to oxidant introduction (i.e., water quality indicators begin to approach preoxidation levels by 2 years postoxidation), (2) manganese concentrations can be predicted and (3) site and design conditions have pronounced short term impacts on geochemical parameters (i.e., especially site media type, mass of oxidant injected, and initial ORP)