Anomia and the sacred canopy: Testing a network theory

This article evaluates the Durkheim/Berger argument that integration in a network of co-religionists protects against anomia. The 1985 General Social Survey network instrument is used to evaluate the effect of integration on anomia and the probability of unhappiness. Results indicate that contact with religiously homogeneous others paired with personal religious belief reduces anomia and the likelihood of unhappiness. Additionally, while ego/alter closeness is important, alter/alter closeness is not. These results suggest that individuals benefit from religious association more so than religious community. Additional analyses indicate that these results are unlikely to be due to homophily.     

The Pendulum Effect: Explaining Shifts in the Democratic Response to Terrorism

Successful modern democracies act to balance the twin obligations of maintaining secure and tolerant environments for their citizens. When faced with external threats such as global terrorism, democracies respond in a pendulum fashion—acting initially by giving security precedence over other values and then swinging back towards moderation, the pursuit of tolerance, and the promotion of policies that match the preferences of the median voter in society. Understanding this behavior helps to explain shifts in U.S. security policy since 9/11, and suggests fruitful avenues for research in political psychology .     

Carers of Children: A Comparative Study of the Practices of Residential and Foster Carers

SUMMARY. This article takes further the themes outlined in Children & Society, Volume 3(1) of examining the practices of special foster and residential caregivers in terms of the management of daily and other recurrent social events, and the methods used by caregivers to control children. Data are also presented on the role activities of caregivers and their interactions with children. Care practice in the special foster homes was generally found to be significantly more child-oriented than in the children's homes, and possible explanations for this are considered. Evidence is presented which serves to counter the tendency, in the wake of recent controversy surrounding children's homes, to scapegoat caregivers and children for shortcomings in residential care. The article has important implications for residential caregivers and foster care workers; and also for administrators and other child welfare professionals such as |field social workers, educational psychologists and psychiatrists.     

Masculine gender role stress and men's fear of emotions as predictors of self-reported aggression and violence

To test the hypothesis that relationship violence may be related to men's fear of emotions, a secondary data analysis examined a sample of 155 male students attending an Eastern urban university. The men had been assessed using measures of masculine gender role stress, fear of emotions, and self-reported perpetration of relationship violence. Men's fear of emotion predicted relationship violence beyond what was accounted for masculine gender role stress. In addition, men's fear of emotions was found to partially mediate the relationship between masculine gender role stress and relationship violence. Results are discussed in terms of implications for future research and clinical interventions.     

Carnosine: a versatile antioxidant and antiglycating agent

Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) has recently attracted much attention as a naturally occurring antioxidant and transition-metal ion sequestering agent. It has also been shown to act as an anti-glycating agent, inhibiting the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Through its distinctive combination of antioxidant and antiglycating properties, carnosine is able to attenuate cellular oxidative stress and can inhibit the intracellular formation of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species. By controlling oxidative stress, suppressing glycation, and chelating metal ions, carnosine is able to reduce harmful sequelae such as DNA damage. AGEs are known contributors to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease, and carnosine therefore merits serious attention as a possible therapeutic agent.     

Ever since gompertz

In 1825 British actuary Benjamin Gompertz made a simple but important observation that a law of geometrical progression pervades large portions of different tables of mortality for humans. The simple formula he derived describing the exponential rise in death rates between sexual maturity and old age is commonly referred to as the Gompertz equation—a formula that remains a valuable tool in demography and in other scientific disciplines. Gompertz’s observation of a mathematical regularity in the life table led him to believe in the presence of a law of mortality that explained why common age patterns of death exist. This law of mortality has captured the attention of scientists for the past 170 years because it was the first among what are now several reliable empirical tools for describing the dying-out process of many living organisms during a significant portion of their life spans. In this paper we review the literature on Gompertz’slaw of mortality and discuss the importance of his observations and insights in light of research on aging that has taken place since then.     

Estimates of the Health Risk Reductions Associated with Attainment of Alternative Particulate Matter Standards in Two U.S. Cities

As part of its periodic re-evaluation of particulate matter (PM) standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated the health risk reductions associated with attainment of alternative PM standards in two locations in the United States with relatively complete air quality data: Philadelphia and Los Angeles. PM standards at the time of the analysis were defined for particles of aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 microm, denoted as PM-10. The risk analyses estimated the risk reductions that would be associated with changing from attainment of the PM-10 standards then in place to attainment of alternative standards using an indicator measuring fine particles, defined as those particles of aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 microm and denoted as PM-2.5. Annual average PM-2.5 standards of 12.5, 15, and 20 microg/m3 were considered in various combinations with daily PM-2.5 standards of 50 and 65 microg/m3. Attainment of a standard or set of standards was simulated by a proportional rollback of "as is" daily PM concentrations to daily PM concentrations that would just meet the standard(s). The predicted reductions in the incidence of health effects varied from zero, for those alternative standards already being met, to substantial reductions of over 88% of all PM-associated incidence (e.g., in mortality associated with long-term exposures in Los Angeles, under attainment of an annual standard of 12.5 microg/m3). Sensitivity analyses and integrated uncertainty analyses assessed the multiple-source uncertainty surrounding estimates of risk reduction.     

American Juvenile Justice: Recent Trends and Issues in Youth Offending

Trends in juvenile offending in the United States since the 1970s are reviewed. Serious youth violence, co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems among offenders, female delinquency, and other issues currently confronting the American juvenile justice system are examined. Policy considerations associated with recent trends in juvenile offending among American youth are identified.