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In recent years, growing awareness of potential threats posed by near-Earth objects (NEOs) has led to increased interest in developing and implementing planetary defense measures. International cooperation and public support are crucial to ensuring the long-term success of planetary defense initiatives. However, a number of economic, political, legal, and social issues stand in the way of effective large-scale cooperation in pursuing planetary defense. This article examines the major challenges to international cooperation in planetary defense. The article begins by considering the major types of collective action problems facing international collaboration toward planetary defense. The article then examines the way in which adjacent space-related aspects of international affairs influence the arena of planetary defense. The article then analyzes the legal aspects of these cooperation problems, focusing on sources of perceived uncertainty that interfere with effective development of norms for cooperation. The article then proposes various possible strategies for avoiding cooperation problems and increasing collective buy-in. Noteworthy examples include the use of treaties as pre-commitment devices (which parties agree to undertake in order to limit their future options and commit themselves to pre-established lines of conduct) and amendments to existing legal frameworks to decrease perceived uncertainty and promote objective standards of cooperation. The article concludes by reflecting on the importance of promoting a widespread cultural perspective that emphasizes the pursuit of collective planetary welfare over competing national interests. • Numerous collective action problems can disrupt planetary defense initiatives. • Game theory principles help shed light on planetary defense challenges. • Planetary defense is sensitive to space-related international affairs. • Many strategies are needed to aligning national interests with global interests. • Legal reform and norm-building can help promote planetary defense collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Social cohesion is positively associated with littering control behavior. • Subjective social status mediates the association. • We adapt collective efficacy theory to the study. Littering is a serious social issue in China, even though residents disapprove of this behavior. When residents live in communities with high social cohesion, residents may stop other residents from littering; this is referred to as littering control behavior. We use collective efficacy theory to discuss the association between perceived social cohesion and littering control behavior in China. Perceived social cohesion consists of social relationship density, social trust, and social support, which can promote littering control behavior and thus achieve collective efficacy. Using binary logistic regression and mediation analyses, we address this question via the 2018 wave of the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (n = 4808). We find that perceived social cohesion is positively associated with littering control behavior. We also find that subjective social status may be a mediating mechanism through which perceived social cohesion promotes littering control behavior. For governments, policies to stop littering should address social cohesion and improve residents' subjective social status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the association between symptoms of anxiety and depression among individuals with long COVID and five social vulnerabilities (expenses, employment, food insufficiency, housing, and insurance). Data from the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey (HPS) detailing COVID incidence, duration, and symptoms between June 1st and November 14th, 2022 contained versions of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) questionnaires. Associations between anxiety, depression, and the five social vulnerabilities among respondents from different racial and ethnic groups experiencing long COVID were evaluated using generalized binomial logistic regression. Structural equation models tested whether social vulnerabilities mediated the pathway between race/ethnicity and anxiety/depression. Blacks, Asians/others, and Hispanics with long COVID were significantly more likely to report anxiety and depression and various social vulnerabilities than Whites. Anxiety among Blacks was significantly associated with difficulty with expenses [Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.743, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.739, 1.747], employment (OR = 1.519, 95 % CI = 1.516, 1.523), and housing (OR = 1.192, 95 % CI = 1.19, 1.194). Anxiety among Hispanics was significantly associated with food insufficiency (OR = 1.048, 95 % CI = 1.044, 1.052). Depression among Blacks was significantly associated with trouble with expenses (OR = 1.201, 95 % CI = 1.198, 1.205) and employment (OR = 1.129, 95 % CI = 1.127, 1.132). Mediation analysis showed that the number of social vulnerabilities partially mediated the association between race and anxiety. This retrospective study utilized secondary, observational, self-reported data from the HPS. Therefore, results may not be generalizable outside of the context in which they were collected. The development of tailored programs for population health should address the differential associations of anxiety and depression with social difficulties among racial and ethnic groups. • Social vulnerabilities are risk factors for anxiety and depression in long COVID. • Anxiety, depression, long COVID, social vulnerability associations are race specific. • Anxiety among Blacks associated with difficulty with expenses, employment, housing. • Anxiety among Hispanics associated with difficulty with food insufficiency. • Depression among Blacks associated with trouble with expenses and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a novel family of node centralities in social networks, named family of position centralities , which explicitly takes into account the importance of the links to assess the centrality of the nodes that support them through the Position value (Meessen, 1988). Our proposal shares with the family of Myerson centralities (Gómez et al., 2003) that it is a game-theoretic family of measures that allows to consider the functionality of the network modelled by a symmetric cooperative game. We prove that, like the Myerson centrality measures, every Position centrality measure also satisfies essential properties expected of a centrality measure. We analyse in detail the main differences between the Myerson and the position families of centrality measures. Specifically, we study the differences regarding the connection structures that share dividends and the fairness and stability properties. Along this analysis we consider the case of hub-and-spoke clusters, a prevalent model for studying transportation networks. Finally, a characterisation of the Position Attachment centrality is given, which is the Position centrality obtained when the functionality of the network is modelled by the attachment game. Some comparisons are made with the Attachment centrality introduced by Skibski et al. (2019), which is the analogue member of the family of Myerson centralities. • It is a game-theoretic centrality based on the network's topology and functionality. • It measures the node's centrality relying explicitly on the importance of edges. • It is well supported by many desirable properties. • Three key aspects distinguish it from the Myerson centrality. • The Position Attachment centrality is axiomatically characterised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with lower levels of social connection are at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This extends to populations at greater risk of death by suicide, including U.S. military veterans. Despite this well-established association, it is unclear which measures of social connection are most useful in identifying veterans who could benefit from intervention to prevent suicide. To this end, we used data from the Million Veteran Program (MVP) to investigate the measures of social connection most strongly associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Our sample included 264,626 veterans who reported on three measures of social connection—marital status, household size, and perceived social support—and were assessed for suicidal thoughts and behaviors using electronic health records. Veterans who were partnered (OR = 0.78, 95% CI [0.76–0.80], p <.001), living with others (OR = 0.71, 95% CI [0.70–0.73], p <.001), or reported higher levels of social support (OR = 0.67, 95% CI [0.65–0.69], p <.001), were less likely to have suicidal thoughts and behaviors. These associations varied by veterans' age, sex, and era of military service. When combined into a single risk score, lower levels of social connection were associated with greater likelihood of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (β = 1.42, 95% CI [1.40–1.43], p <.001). Social support, particularly positive social interactions, showed the strongest associations with suicidal thoughts and behaviors in elastic net regression models. Common measures of social connection, particularly social support, could be useful in assessing suicide risk and treatment needs for veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fewer studies have examined the relationship between air pollution and depressive or anxiety symptoms in rural residents. Social economic status (SES), as an important indicator of the current state of socioeconomic development, we know little about how it modifies the relationship between air pollution and symptoms of depression or anxiety. The patient health questionnaire (PHQ-2) and generalized anxiety scale (GAD-2) were used to learn about the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, the social economic status of the participants was categorized into two levels: lower and higher, and a binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between air pollution and residents' symptoms of depression or anxiety. A total of 10,670 adults were enrolled in this study, of which a total of 1292 participants suffered from depressive symptoms and 860 suffered from anxiety symptoms. Short-term exposure to PM 2.5 and O 3 , singly or in combination, may be associated with the onset of depression symptoms, and there was a significant interaction between SES and exposure to PM 2.5 or O 3. Residents of areas with higher SES may have a lower risk of suffering from anxiety symptoms after O 3 exposure compared to participants living in lower SES. The study was a cross-sectional study, which may have lowered the quality level of the evidence. Short-term PM 2.5 and O 3 exposure may be associated with an increased prevalence risk of depressive symptoms. Higher levels of SES may reduce the adverse effects of air pollution on depressive or anxiety symptoms. • Short-term PM 2.5 and O 3 exposure was associated with an increased risk of depression. • There was a significant interaction between SES and exposure to PM 2.5 or O 3. • Higher SES may reduce the adverse effects of air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral pathologies in ancient human remains provide a unique glimpse into the lifestyles, health, and societal norms of past civilizations, including ancient Egypt. However, comprehensive paleo-odontological studies accounting for temporal and sociodemographic variations remain scarce. We address this gap by analyzing oral pathologies in the remains of 68 and 57 adult individuals, respectively, unearthed from two adjacent yet temporally and socioeconomically diverse burial sites, representing the XIth dynasty (2160–1985 BCE) and the XXVth-XXVIth dynasties (948–525 BCE), at Luxor's Thutmose III Funerary Temple. We examined dental wear, carious and periapical lesions, periodontal disease, and temporomandibular joint alterations, hypothesizing that dental wear correlates with age, lifestyle, and diet. We also postulated a link between higher caries frequency and elevated social status and posited the enhanced efficacy of evaluating interdental septa over measuring the alveolar bone-cementoenamel junction distance for periodontitis assessment. Our findings confirm pronounced dental wear in both sites, with the XIth dynasty showing more severe wear, indicating differing dietary habits. While similar across the younger age groups, the later dynasties showed a significantly higher caries frequency than the XIth dynasty, in the older age groups. Furthermore, our results underscore the superior accuracy of evaluating interdental septa for periodontal disease assessment. Variations in oral health, sociodemographic, and dietary trends across the studied burial sites, deepen our understanding of human health trajectories. Additionally, our methodology emphasizes paleo-odontology's vital role in deciphering the nuanced health-environment relationship in ancient societies, laying a foundation for subsequent investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sociology of elites has long considered families as the unit of analysis in studies of power dynamics between elite dynasties and their transmission of wealth and prestige over generations. However, the assumption that families are cohesive units with common goals and agendas does not hold, especially for large and powerful family dynasties. Internal conflicts and clan rivalries throughout history suggest that independent clans, rather than families, are the more appropriate level for aggregation. The increasing availability of large-scale genealogical datasets and advances in social network analysis allow this more fine-grained perspective to be implemented even without historical documentation on observed clan structures. This paper builds on socio-anthropological conceptualizations of kinship and on hierarchical clustering techniques to present a new method for identifying independent clans within families that relies only on network-dependent terms. I use simulated data and an empirical kinship network of families of early modern Basel, Switzerland to compare a clan detector algorithm's performance with common community detection techniques. The historical accuracy of the clan structures detected is further assessed with various status indicators. The analyses show that the proposed clan detector algorithm is more suitable for identifying historically accurate clans than the traditional approaches. The application of the new method to the kinship network of Basel families sheds light on the city's stratification into high- and low-status societies in which elite families were also divided into privileged and less privileged clans. • New method for identifying independent clans within large family dynasties. • The algorithm's performance is assessed with simulated and empirical data. • Comparison with other community detection techniques. • The detected clans in the empirical network are historically accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coming into relations involves exiting a state of indecision and deciding whether to relate or not. Little research has focused on these initial moments, the communications involved, and the making of a relational decision. We study this process using 947 speed dating encounters, their minute-by-minute communications, and the reported timing of relational decisions. We show that certain forms of communication reveal an actor's relational state of being undecided, desiring a relation, or not desiring a relation (revealing signals). For example, indecision corresponds with indirect and ambiguous communication (negative facework); desiring a relation entails positive, excited, and entraining communication (positive facework); and not desiring a relation involves routine talk. We also show that certain forms of communication persuade persons to transition relational states, moving beyond their indecision and coming to a relational decision (persuasive signals). Interestingly, only some revealing signals are persuasive and bring about corresponding relational decisions in others. These tend to be clear signals that cannot be attributed to the situation or politeness. Last, some signals persuade relational decisions without corresponding to a relational state. These performative signals are select forms of ambiguous communication that place the speaker in an advantaged position within social exchange. • Social network dynamics often involve interpersonal communication and relational decisions. • We focus on initial meetings and the communications that reveal and persuade relational decisions. • Communications reveal individuals' intention to pursue a relation or not, or their indecision. • Communications also are a resource used to persuade others into certain relational decisions. • The signals that reveal intentions are not always the ones that persuade relational decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates how variation in the social positions (occupations) presented by a position generator (PG) instrument affects the reliability of egocentric network measures based on PG data. We modify the split-half design employed in Verhaeghe et al.'s (2013) study of university students for use with already-existing PG data on a national adult population. After replicating that study, we examine how reliability varies with the relational criterion (e.g. , friendship) that links an individual to an occupation and with the number of occupations in a PG. We find that most PG measures are only modestly reliable (i.e. , are relatively sensitive to occupational selection), but our absolute assessment of their reliability (given instrument length) is somewhat more optimistic than that of the prior study. Extensity (the number of positions with which a subject has contact) is the most reliable measure, composition measures based on social class groupings are next, and those that involve socioeconomic standing or prestige scores are least reliable. Deeming someone to be connected to an occupation using an acquaintance criterion yields more reliable measures than requiring a stronger level of connectivity. PG measures based on longer (i.e. , more occupations) instruments have higher reliability, and projections for longer PGs suggest that including 20 occupations could measure extensity and counts of contacts in some class groupings with adequate reliability; but other class composition measures and all measures involving socioeconomic standing or prestige scores would require 30 or more. • Egocentric measures for position generator (PG) data vary over lists of occupations. • Most reliable is the number of occupations contacted (extensity). • Least reliable are measures that involve occupational scores (e.g. SES level). • Reliability increases with the length (number of occupations) of a PG instrument. • Listing 20 occupations yields adequate reliability for some (not all) PG measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Union Physio-Psycho-Social Assessment Questionnaire (UPPSAQ-70) among general hospital psychiatric outpatients. A total of 2000 participants responded to the survey. Factor analyses were used to test the construct validity of the scale. Convergent validity was evaluated by the correlation between UPPSAQ-70 and symptoms measured using the Chinese versions of Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), Somatic Symptom Disorder - B Criteria Scale (SSD-12) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The nine-factor model was supported (χ 2 = 8816.395, df = 2309, χ 2/ df = 3.818, RMSEA = 0.053, CFI = 0.929). The UPPSAQ-70 showed significant correlation with the SAS (r = 0.396, P <.001), SDS (r = 0.451, P <.001), PHQ-15 (r = 0.381, P <.001), SSD-12 (r = 0.324, P <.001) and PSQI (r = 0.220, P <.001). UPPSAQ-70 and its subscales showed good internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.79 to 0.96. The UPPSAQ-70 was a rating scale with good construct validity and reliability, which can measure overall health in the biological, psychological, and social domains for Chinese psychiatric outpatients, but its convergent validity still requires further empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower-income consumers who seek to increase their perceived social status or to emulate their wealthier peers may be motivated to purchase conspicuous luxury goods. Using a vehicle financing dataset, we find that non-prime consumers value vehicle prestige more than the average consumer. The stronger preferences for prestige lead non-prime consumers to purchase more expensive vehicles than they otherwise would. The preferences for prestige are driven both by status signaling and peer emulation motives. Furthermore, we show that larger vehicle purchases financed by auto loans lead to worse loan performance and credit standing for non-prime consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-economic status (SES) disparities exist in the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination; however, most studies were conducted during the initial pandemic wave when vaccination was less discretionary, limiting generalizability. We aimed to determine whether differences in vaccination uptake across SES strata widened after the removal of vaccination-differentiated measures prior to the rollout of the second boosters, in a nationwide cohort of older Singaporeans at higher risk of severe-COVID-19. Retrospective population-based cohort study. Retrospective population-based cohort study of all Singaporeans aged ≥60 years from 22nd February 2021–14th February 2023. Cox regression models controlling for demographics and comorbidities were used to estimate hazard-ratios (HRs) for the uptake of primary vaccination as well as first/second boosters, as recorded in the national vaccination registry, according to SES (housing type). 836,170 individuals were included for completion of a primary vaccine series; 784,938 individuals for completion of the first booster and 734,206 individuals for the completion of the second booster. Differences in vaccination uptake by SES strata were observed (e.g. vaccination uptake in lowest-SES [1–2 room public-housing] versus highest-SES [private housing]: second booster, 47.6% vs. 58.1%; first booster, 93.9% vs. 98.0%). However, relative differences did not markedly widen during second booster rollout when vaccination was more discretionary (e.g. amongst those aged 60–69 years: 0.75 [95% CI = 0.73–0.76] for the first booster; 0.81 [95% CI = 0.79–0.84] for the second booster). While differences in vaccination uptake across SES strata by housing type persisted during the rollout of primary vaccination and subsequent boosters in a nationwide cohort of older Singaporeans, differences did not widen substantially when vaccination was made more discretionary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is well known as the executive center of the brain, combining internal states and goals to execute purposeful behavior, including social actions. With the advancement of tools for monitoring and manipulating neural activity in rodents, substantial progress has been made in understanding the specific cell types and neural circuits within the PFC that are essential for processing social cues and influencing social behaviors. Furthermore, combining these tools with translationally relevant behavioral paradigms has also provided novel insights into the PFC neural mechanisms that may contribute to social deficits in various psychiatric disorders. This review highlights findings from the past decade that have shed light on the PFC cell types and neural circuits that support social information processing and distinct aspects of social behavior, including social interactions, social memory, and social dominance. We also explore how the PFC contributes to social deficits in rodents induced by social isolation, social fear conditioning, and social status loss. These studies provide evidence that the PFC uses both overlapping and unique neural mechanisms to support distinct components of social cognition. Furthermore, specific PFC neural mechanisms drive social deficits induced by different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Live commerce is a new type of social commerce that involves live-streaming shopping (LSS). This method enables real-time and interactive communication between consumers. Nevertheless, research examining the effects of gamification in LSS, particularly in Indonesia, is scarce. Therefore, this study examines the relationships between gamification, consumer engagement, and purchase intention in the realm of live commerce. The empirical validation of the research model is achieved through the administration of an online survey in the form of a questionnaire to LSS viewers. This study demonstrates, via sampling-based analysis of 400 questionnaires, that gamification elements (including social and achievement-based components) can increase customers' engagement (consisting of a sense of presence and immersion), motivation (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and purchase intent. Furthermore, the indirect effects of achievement and social status on purchase intention are significantly mediated by a sense of presence, whereas immersion does not serve as a mediator for these effects. By incorporating achievement and social elements into LSS programs, retailers and brands can increase consumers' sense of presence, immersion, and intent to purchase. More so than immersion, they should prioritize presence strategically to achieve their LSS objectives. The implications of this study focus on Indonesian users of e-commerce applications with live streaming capabilities. This research can be used to assess the perceived impact of gamification in the context of e-commerce live streaming and the significance of gamification to their overall experience. According to these findings, there is a difference that is statistically significant between autonomy and achievement. This difference has a significant impact on consumer behavior, driving engagement and purchase intention, with the original sample method demonstrating positive value. These findings suggest an adaptive difficulty, namely real-time analysis that adjusts the game's difficulty level to suit the player's skill level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Paranoia uniquely predicts indirect aggression in socially anxious individuals. • Social status threat, paranoia, and social anxiety predict direct aggression. • Paranoia may be important contributor of aggression in socially anxious individuals. Aggression is a transdiagnostic behavior that is associated with poor clinical outcomes. As such, it is important to understand factors that contribute to various manifestations of aggressive behavior. Recent research has revealed a subtype of individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) who tend to display relatively high amounts of aggression and experience more severe social anxiety and dysfunction compared to individuals in the prototypical SAD group. The current study used a status threat manipulation along with behavioral indices of aggression to examine the impact of paranoia and social anxiety symptom severity on aggression in a sample of undergraduates with social anxiety (N = 220). Analyses indicated that paranoia uniquely predicted indirect aggression whereas an interaction between social status threat, paranoia, and social anxiety severity uniquely predicted direct aggression. These findings suggest that paranoia may be a particularly important contributor to aggression among individuals with social anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that coming from a lower economic background compromises social integration at school, yet the precise mechanisms underlying this link remain unknown. Therefore, this study examined the effect of household income on friendship network dynamics among classmates in a large sample of Swedish youths (n = 4787 from 235 classes, m age = 14.65, 51% girls, and 33% immigrant background), using multilevel longitudinal social network analysis. Over time, students from poorer households were less often selected as a friend by classmates and they less often initiated or maintained friendship ties than students from higher income households. Furthermore, different conceptualizations of income relative to classmates did not impact friendship formation tendencies. The findings indicate that theories of relative income do not extend understanding of students' friendship formation beyond processes related to absolute income. In addition, this study suggests that the social integration of students from low-income households could be boosted by both promoting their agency in forming friendships and preventing exclusion by classmates. • Students from poorer households have fewer friends than students from higher income households. • A third of the "friendship gap" is explained by household income. • Income position relative to classmates does not play a role. • Thus, theories of relative income position shaping social processes are not supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As crises of drug-related maternal harms escalate, US public health surveillance capacity remains suboptimal for drug-related maternal morbidities. Most state hospital discharge databases (HDDs) are encounter -based, and thus limit ascertainment of morbidities to delivery visits and ignoring those occurring during the 21 months spanning pregnancy and postpartum year. This study analyzes data from a state that curates person -centered HDD to compare patterns of substance use disorder (SUD) diagnoses at delivery vs. the full 21 pregnancy/postpartum months, overall and by maternal social position. Among people who experienced an in-hospital birth in New York State between 9/1/2016 and 1/1/2018 (N = 330,872), we estimated SUD diagnosis (e.g., opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines, cannabis) prevalence at delivery; across the full 9 months of pregnancy and 12 postpartum months; and by trimester and postpartum quarter. Risk ratio and risk difference estimated disparities by race/ethnicity, age, rurality, and payor. The 21-month SUD prevalence rate per 100,000 was 2671 (95% CI 2616–2726), with 31% (29.5%−31.5%) missing SUD indication when ascertained at delivery only (1866; 95% CI 1820–1912). Quarterly rates followed a roughly J-shaped trajectory. Structurally marginalized individuals suffered the highest 21-month SUD prevalence (e.g., Black:White risk ratio=1.80 [CI:1.73–1.88]). By spanning the full 21 months of pregnancy/postpartum, person-centered HDD reveal than the maternal SUD crisis is far greater than encounter-based delivery estimates had revealed. Generating person-centered HDD will improve efforts to tailor interventions to help people who use drugs survive while pregnant and postpartum, and eliminate inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social status in humans, generally reflected by socioeconomic status, has been associated, when constrained, with heightened vulnerability to pathologies including psychiatric diseases. Social hierarchy in mice translates into individual and interdependent behavioral strategies of animals within a group. The rules leading to the emergence of a social organization are elusive, and detangling the contribution of social status from other factors, whether environmental or genetic, to normal and pathological behaviors remains challenging. We investigated the mechanisms shaping the emergence of a social hierarchy in isogenic C57BL/6 mice raised in groups of 4 using conditional mutant mouse models and chemogenetic manipulation of dopamine midbrain neuronal activity. We further studied the evolution of behavioral traits and the vulnerability to psychopathological-like phenotypes according to the social status of the animals. Higher sociability predetermined higher social hierarchy in the colony. Upon hierarchy establishment, higher-ranked mice showed increased anxiety and better cognitive abilities in a working memory task. Strikingly, the higher-ranked mice displayed a reduced activity of dopaminergic neurons within the ventral tegmental area, paired with a decreased behavioral response to cocaine and a decreased vulnerability to depressive-like behaviors following repeated social defeats. The pharmacogenetic inhibition of this neuronal population and the genetic inactivation of glucocorticoid receptor signaling in dopamine-sensing brain areas that resulted in decreased dopaminergic activity promoted accession to higher social ranks. Dopamine activity and its modulation by the stress response shapes social organization in mice, potentially linking interindividual and social status differences in vulnerability to psychopathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social support can be divided into emotional support, tool support, and information support in function or mode. Emotional support is an encouragement, expressed as love and care, respect and value, encouragement and compassion, and psychological resilience due to adaptation to adversity and stressors, which is conducive to personal positive psychological adjustment and good functional status. This study aims to explore the status of resilience and social support in elderly stroke patients and examine the correlation between the 2 factors. Convenience sampling was used to survey 280 elderly stroke ischemic patients admitted to the Department of Neurology in our hospital from January to December 2020. General information, resilience, and social support were assessed through questionnaires. The participants had a moderate level of resilience, with an average score of 63.77 ± 9.99. The total social support score ranged with an average score of 33.72 ± 5.77, indicating a relatively low level of social support. After the Pearson correlation analysis, there was a positive correlation between resilience and social support, namely, r = 0.277, P < 0.05. Enhancing social support among elderly stroke patients is an effective way to improve their psychological resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senior citizens suffering from cognitive impairment (CI) are on the East Asia rise. Multiple variables could lead to inter-/intra-individual cognition effectiveness variations, though previous research efforts did not consider weighting issues. This study scrutinized 5639 participants meeting required inclusion criteria by the CHARLS. Cognitive capacity was evaluated through Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Considering that MMSE scorings were not following normal distribution, a non-parametric test and multiple linear regression were performed to screen candidate variables linked to cognitive capacity. Such applicability of candidate factors in the cumulative effect and the weighting of the impact on cognitive performance were evaluated by random forest (RF) algorithm. Age, gender, education, marital status, residence, the type of residence, exercise, socialization level and drinking were correlated to MMSE scorings (p < 0.05). Among them, age, education, gender and sociality were correlated to individual MMSE items (p < 0.05). Regardless of MMSE scores and several MMSE items, age is always a prime factor. However, in the attention and computation item, education is better than age and ranks first. This preliminary study prompted age, education, gender, and sociality with varying weightings to be linked to cognitive capacity within a Chinese cohort by differing cognitive aspects. At different levels of cognitive performance, the main risk factors are basically similar, but there are still some differences. • The forecast accuracy between sociodemographic/lifestyle factors and MMSE score, together with weighting of each candidate factor in whole were initially analyzed for the first time. • Age, education, gender and social status were correlated to MMSE scores and individual MMSE items with differing weights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examine the associations between subjective social status (SSS), diet, and health outcomes in college students. Cross-sectional study of 841 students enrolled at a large Midwestern university. Subjective social status within the US, as well as within the university, was measured using the MacArthur Scale of SSS. Outcomes included dietary intake (assessed using the Dietary Screening Questionnaire), body mass index, sleep, physical activity, alcohol use, and vaping behavior. Generalized linear models adjusting for students' sociodemographic characteristics were used to assess associations between SSS and outcomes of interest. Higher SSS-US was associated with 4%, 3%, and 1% higher intake of fruits, whole grains, and fiber, respectively (P < 0.05). Higher SSS-US and SSS-university rankings were both significantly associated with lower body mass index and better sleep duration (P < 0.05). Higher SSS-university rankings were also associated with more days of physical activity and alcohol consumption (P < 0.05). In this exploratory study, higher SSS, apart from alcohol intake, was associated with more favorable health outcomes. More research is needed to consider additional psychological and biological mediators and dynamic aspects of SSS, examine potential interactions between SSS and racial and ethnic identities, and explore potential mechanisms underlying the observed associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research has explored social factors influencing memory performance during adolescence, the impact of adolescent social network positions remains largely unknown. This study examines whether adolescent network position is associated with memory performance in adulthood, while also considering potential gender differences. The study used a sibling sample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 2462) and employed sibling fixed effects models to account for unobserved family background factors, such as genetics, parental characteristics, family environment, and childhood neighborhood. Four dimensions of adolescent network position—i.e., popularity, sociality, degree centrality, and closeness centrality—were sociometrically assessed in schools. Memory performance in adulthood was measured using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. The sibling fixed effects estimates indicate that sociality, degree centrality, and closeness centrality are significantly associated with increased memory performance in adulthood, even after controlling for unobserved family heterogeneity as well as a set of individual-level covariates. In contrast, controlling for unobserved family heterogeneity attenuated the association for popularity, making it statistically insignificant. This study also provides evidence of gender differences in the association between social network position and memory performance. The associations for popularity, sociality, and degree centrality are more pronounced among men than women. This study's findings highlight the importance of adolescent network positions as social determinants in shaping cognitive outcomes over the life course. Interventions that encourage positive peer interactions and reduce social isolation during adolescence may help improve cognitive health in the population. • Social relationships are known as determinants of memory performance (MP). • Whether adolescent social networks shape MP remains largely unknown. • Sociality and centrality were significantly associated with increased MP. • The association between popularity and MP was confounded by family heterogeneity. • The associations for popularity, sociality, and centrality were pronounced in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are racial and ethnic disparities in sleep duration, with members of historically marginalized groups typically reporting shorter sleep than White Americans. This study examines subjective social status (SSS) as a moderator, and variation in ideal sleep norms as a mediator, of differences in sleep duration between racial/ethnic groups. Asian, Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White respondents in an online survey reported their typical weeknight and weekend-night sleep duration, along with estimates of ideal sleep duration norms. Objective and subjective indicators of socioeconomic status were also assessed. A conditional process analysis was used to examine whether racial or ethnic differences in sleep duration were a) moderated by SSS and b) mediated by ideal sleep duration norms. Racial/ethnic disparities in sleep duration varied by group. Hispanic participants reported shorter weeknight sleep than White participants. In Asian and Black participants, shorter weeknight sleep relative to White participants was only observed at medium (Black) or high (Black and Asian) levels of SSS. Shorter norms for ideal sleep duration partially mediated differences in sleep duration between Black and White adults, but not the other racial/ethnic groups. There was no evidence of moderated mediation. Neither income nor education moderated racial/ethnic disparities in sleep duration. Racial and ethnic disparities in sleep duration may partially depend on SSS. Continued research into moderators and mediators of racial/ethnic differences in sleep duration is warranted. • Racial/ethnic disparities in sleep duration may depend on socioeconomic factors. • Hispanics report shorter sleep than Whites. • Blacks report shorter sleep than Whites at medium and high levels of social status. • Asians report shorter sleep than Whites at high levels of social status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is paucity of studies on the relationship between personal wealth and health care costs among persons with dementia, and earlier studies on other indicators of socioeconomic position have assessed costs after dementia diagnosis only. We investigated how different indicators of personal wealth (disposable income, supplementary income, assets subject to taxation, taxes and tax-like payments, and liabilities) are associated with health care costs in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) before and after AD diagnosis. Register-based nationwide cohort study of persons with AD. Cohort of 70,531 people who received a clinically verified AD diagnosis in Finland between 2005 and 2011 and were community-dwelling at time of diagnosis. Data on income indicators were obtained from Statistics Finland. Data on medication costs and hospital care costs for the 12-month period from 5 years before to 2 years after AD diagnosis were obtained from national registers. Associations of wealth indicators with costs were investigated with multivariate mixed-effect negative binomial regression. After adjustment for age, region, sex, marital status, comorbidities, expensive medications, use of psychotropic and antidementia medication, and highest occupational class before AD, people with higher levels of personal wealth indicators were more likely to have higher total health care costs along the whole follow-up period. The incidence rate ratios (IRRs), 95% CI for highest quintile vs lowest quintile were 1.17, 1.15−1.19 for disposable income, 1.10, 1.08−1.12 for taxable income, 1.18, 1.16−1.19 for supplementary income, 1.07, 1.06−1.09 for taxes, and 1.05, 1.04−1.07 for taxable wealth. Our observation on the association between income/wealth indicators and health care costs in a country with a strong public health care system call for more effective measures in targeting health inequalities in the aging population. Although the different indicators were not completely interchangeable, associations of different indicators were toward the same direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2020 the U.S. began a massive COVID-19 vaccination campaign, an action that researchers felt could catalyze inequalities in COVID-19 vaccination utilization. While vaccines have the potential to be accessible regardless of social status, the objective of this study was to examine how and when socioeconomic status (SES) and racial/ethnic inequalities would emerge in vaccination distribution. Population vaccination rates reported at the county level by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention across 46 states on 3/30/2021. Correlates included SES, the share of the population who were Black, Hispanic, Female, or aged ≥65 years, and urbanicity (thousands of residents per square mile). Multivariable-adjusted analyses relied on zero-inflated negative binomial regression to estimate the odds of providing any vaccine, and vaccination rate ratios (aVRR) comparing the distribution rate for vaccinations across the U.S. Across the U.S., 16.3 % of adults and 37.9 % of adults aged 65 and older were vaccinated in lower SES counties, while 20.45 % of all adults and 48.15 % of adults aged 65 and older were vaccinated in higher SES counties. Inequalities emerged after 41 days, when < 2 % of Americans were vaccinated. Multivariable-adjusted analyses revealed that higher SES was associated with improved vaccination distribution (aVRR = 1.127, [1.100–1.155], p < 1E−06), while increases in the percent reporting Black or Hispanic race/ethnicity was associated with lower vaccination distribution (aVRR = 0.998, [0.996–0.999], p = 1.03E−04). Social inequalities in COVID-19 vaccines reflect an inefficient and inequitable distribution of these technologies. Future efforts to improve health should recognize the central role of social factors in impacting vaccine delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vaccine hesitancy does not always lead to vaccine refusal. • Provider recommendations are important for vaccine hesitant individuals. • Emphasizing positive vaccination norms may increase COVID-19 vaccination. • Social status and inequality are important considerations for COVID-19 vaccination. • Workplace recommendations and requirements increase COVID-19 vaccination. The purpose of this study is to examine relationships between COVID-19 vaccination, social processes, and the practical issues of healthcare coverage and workplace requirements. We examine these relationships among individuals who expressed some degree of hesitancy towards receiving the vaccine. Assessing relationships between COVID-19 vaccination, social processes, and practical issues among vaccine-hesitant individuals has implications for public health policy and intervention. We analyzed weighted data from a random sample phone survey of Arkansas adults (N = 2,201) between March 1st and March 28th, 2022 and constrained our analytical sample to those who had reported some degree of vaccine hesitancy (N = 1,251). Statistical analyses included weighted and unweighted descriptive statistics, weighted bivariate logistic regressions, and a weighted multivariate logistic regression to obtain adjusted odds ratios for COVID-19 vaccination. More than two-thirds (62.5 %) of respondents were vaccinated, despite their hesitancy. Adjusted odds of COVID-19 vaccination were greater among Black (OR = 2.55; 95 % CI[1.63, 3.97]) and Hispanic respondents (OR = 2.46; 95 % CI[1.53, 3.95]), respondents whose healthcare provider recommended vaccination (OR = 2.50; 95 % CI[1.66, 3.77]), and as perceptions of vaccination coverage (OR = 2.04; 95 % CI[1.71, 2.43]) and subjective social status increased (OR = 1.10; 95 % CI[1.01, 1.19]). Adjusted odds of COVID-19 vaccination were greater among respondents with a workplace that recommended (OR = 1.96; 95 % CI[1.03, 3.72]) or required vaccination (OR = 12.62; 95 % CI[4.76, 33.45]) and among respondents who were not employed (OR = 1.82; 95 % CI[1.10, 3.01]) compared to those whose workplace did not recommend or require COVID-19 vaccination. Some hesitant individuals become vaccinated despite their hesitancy—a group we refer to as "hesitant adopters." Social processes and practical issues are important correlates of vaccination among those who are hesitant. Workplace requirements appear to be of particular importance for vaccination among hesitant individuals. Provider recommendations, norms, social status, and workplace policies may be effective points of intervention among those who express vaccine hesitancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research finds that income is positively related to well-being. While this finding is important, we argue that it hides systematic variability within income groups and, importantly, the relative prevalence of extreme unhappiness (misery) and extreme happiness (bliss) across income groups. Using Gallup data from over two million US survey respondents, we find that well-being inequality decreases markedly with income, where rich people are more similar in their well-being than poor people. We further find that both the level-enhancing effect and the variance-reducing effect of income are primarily the result of a declining misery along the income distribution, whereas the share of bliss remains relatively constant. These results are explained by a combination of heterogeneous health and unemployment effects along the income distribution, and some social status concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative deprivation has been linked to various adverse health outcomes. However, the potential mediating factors in the association between relative deprivation and health outcomes remain unclear. This study aimed to (1) examine the association between relative deprivation and self-rated health and health-related quality of life among the working-age population in Taiwan and (2) investigate the mediating effect of subjective social status. Cross-sectional study using nationally representative data. Data were obtained from the 2022 Taiwan Social Change Survey conducted from September 2021 to April 2022. We analyzed 1108 participants aged 25–64 years. Relative deprivation was measured using the Yitzhaki Index based on individual monthly income from all sources. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the 12-item Short Form Health Survey. After adjusting for all covariates and absolute income, least-squares regression models indicated a negative association between the Yitzhaki Index and self-rated health, as well as the physical and mental components of health-related quality of life. Furthermore, subjective social status partially mediates the association between relative income deprivation and poorer self-rated health and health-related quality of life. The findings support the psychosocial effect of the relative deprivation measure, emphasizing the importance of addressing relative deprivation to improve health-related quality of life among the working-age population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concurrent polypharmacy and potentially-inappropriate-medication (PIMs) use with antidepressants in older adults is understudied. We investigated the prevalence and associated user characteristics of concurrent polypharmacy (≥5 drugs) and PIMs with antidepressants in all older adults (≥65 years) in Denmark based on prescriptions filled at community pharmacies during 2015–2019. We applied a cross-sectional and cohort study design using socio-demographic and clinical data from Danish registers. A total of 261,479 older adults (mean age 76 years, females 63%) redeemed at least one prescription of antidepressants during 2015–2019. The prevalence of polypharmacy was 73%, and PIMs was 56%, with over 80% using at least one other nervous system drug or cardiovascular system drug concomitantly with antidepressants. Characteristics associated with higher concurrent use of polypharmacy and PIM with antidepressants were older age, marital status as widow/widower/separated/single, place of residence predominantly in the rural regions, non-western origin, and having somatic diagnoses. Some characteristics showed opposite directions of the associations with the two outcomes, including previous antidepressant use and psychiatric diagnoses being associated with higher use of polypharmacy but lower use of PIM. High polypharmacy and PIM use with antidepressants underline the importance of regularly reviewing pharmacological treatments in older adults with depression. • In older adults using antidepressants, 73% concurrently used polypharmacy (≥5 drugs). • About 56% concurrently used potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). • Socially disadvantaged groups were more likely to use polypharmacy and PIMs. • Also, somatic, psychiatric comorbidity increased the use of polypharmacy and PIMs. • Prescribers should regularly review polypharmacy in older adults with antidepressants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing research highlights heterogeneity in patterns of social network change, with growing evidence that these patterns are shaped in part by social structure. The role of social and structural neighborhood conditions in the addition and loss of kin and non-kin network members, however, has not been fully considered. In this paper, we argue that the residential neighborhood context can either facilitate or prevent the turnover of core network relationships in later life – a period of the life course characterized by heightened reliance on network ties and vulnerability to neighborhood conditions. Using longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project linked with data from the American Community Survey, we find that higher levels of neighborhood concentrated disadvantage are associated with the loss of older adults' kin and non-kin network members over time. Higher levels of perceived neighborhood social interaction, however, are associated with higher rates of adding non-kin network members and lower rates of adding kin network members over time. We suggest that neighborhood conditions, including older adults' perceptions of neighborhood social life, represent an underexplored influence on kin and non-kin social network dynamics, which could have implications for access to social resources later in the life course. • Neighborhood conditions influence the addition and loss of older adults' personal network members over time. • These associations emerge even when accounting for life-course transitions, health, and social position. • Older adults living in higher levels of local concentrated disadvantage lose kin and non-kin network ties at higher rates. • Greater perceived neighborhood social ties are associated with higher rates of non-kin additions and lower rates of kin additions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining the results of two empirical studies, we investigate the role of alters' motivation in explaining change in ego 's network position over time. People high in communal motives, who are prone to supportive and altruistic behavior in their interactions with others as a way to gain social acceptance, prefer to establish ties with co-workers occupying central positions in organizational social networks. This effect results in a systematic network centrality bias : The personal network of central individuals (individuals with many incoming ties from colleagues) is more likely to contain more supportive and altruistic people than the personal network of individuals who are less central (individuals with fewer incoming ties). This result opens the door to the possibility that the effects of centrality so frequently documented in empirical studies may be due, at least in part, to characteristics of the alters in an ego's personal community, rather than to egos themselves. Our findings invite further empirical research on how alters' motives affect the returns that people can reap from their personal networks in organizations. • People who are prone to communal behavior in their interactions with others prefer to establish ties with co-workers occupying central positions in organizational social networks. • We reveal a network centrality bias: the personal network of central individuals contains more communal and pro-social alters than the personal network of individuals who are less central. • This suggests that the advantages typically associated with network centrality are not completely determined by qualities of ego but are, at least in part, due to latent psychological characteristics of the alters in the personal network of highly central individuals. • Corollary: To the extent that more central individuals are more represented in one's network, the professional network of our work contacts will be, on average, more supportive than our own network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Nigeria, access to radiation therapy for cancer patients is limited by a lack of funding and infrastructure challenges; and psychosocial factors like depression, anxiety, marital status, social status, religious belief could affect the quality of life of cancer patients. This study aims to assess the psychosocial factors that could affect cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy in Lagos, Nigeria. The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviewed this study and granted an IRB exemption. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 151 cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy at the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Center, Lagos, Nigeria. A validated questionnaire was used to assess patient's sociodemographic, depression, and anxiety. Descriptive analysis, Fisher Exact and Kruskal-Walli's test were performed to examine the association between psychosocial factors and social demographics of patients undergoing radiation therapy. The median age was 52 years (range = 8 -78 years) with a median annual income of N100,000 (= 241 USD) (IQR N180,000). Most patients were female (64.2%), married (84%), with postsecondary education (67.8%), unemployed (64.9%), and Yoruba (46.4%) ethnic background. Most of the patient were diagnosed with breast cancer (39.1%). When asked "What do you believe caused your cancer," 74.8% noted they don't know, 11.8% noted family history and genetics, whereas 13.4% noted other cause. Majority of the patients reported they did not have metastasis (60.8%), whereas 29.7% reported metastasis and 3.4% were unsure if their cancer has metastasized. Most of the patient have had both chemotherapy and surgery (51.8%) prior to their current radiation therapy. Majority of the patients neither had depression (87.8%) nor anxiety (97.2%). The association between patient's cancer type and psychosocial factors were not significant for both depression (p = 0.062) and anxiety (p = 0.744). The Kruskal-Walli's test shows patients' anxiety status differed based on their belief of what cause cancer (p = 0.04). This study examined and described the psychosocial factors affecting cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment in Lagos, Nigeria. More studies are needed to elucidate other psychosocial facets and explore the appropriate interventions required to prevent psychosocial factors affecting cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy in low-income countries. These efforts could help identify multidisciplinary oncologic challenges in resource-poor settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low socioeconomic status (SES) confers access to material resources and social standing and is an established risk factor of both depressive symptoms and suicidality. Subjective social status (SSS) assesses how people perceive their position within the social hierarchy and has been proposed to impact mental health. This study examined the relationship between SES and depressive symptoms and suicidality and tested whether SSS mediated these associations. This study drew on publicly available survey data from the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Participants were surveyed at baseline in 2008 (N = 4948; aged 28.8 years) and at followed up in 2016–2018 (N = 3509; aged 37.8 years). SES was gauged using personal and household income, assets, education, and job prestige. SSS was assessed using the MacArthur Scale. Depressive symptoms were assessed using four-items from the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Scale of Depression (CES D) and participants reported suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in the past year. Both low SES and SSS were associated with elevated levels of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts in cross-sectional and prospective analyses. SSS explained 27 % of the association between SES and depressive symptoms, 51 % of the relationship between SES and suicidal ideation, and 37 % of the link between SES and suicide attempts on average. These findings contribute to understanding the long-term effects of SSS and suggest that perceptions of status may be a key mechanism through which low SES forecasts the development of depressive symptoms and suicidality. • Observational cohort study of US adults followed from baseline in 2008 to follow-up in 2016–2018. • Both socioeconomic status (SES) and subjective social status (SSS) predicted increased depressive symptoms and suicidality. • Associations were evident in cross-sectional and prospective models. • SSS accounted for 27 % of the link between SES and depressive symptoms and 44 % of the link between SES and suicidality. • Findings suggest perceptions of status may explain why low SES predicts the development of depression and suicidality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cattle are gregarious animals able to form social relationships. Dominance is one of the most widely studied social behaviors of dairy cattle, especially cows confined indoors. However, much of the past dairy cattle research has used an unstandardized approach, differing in definitions and conceptual understanding of dominance, as well as their methods of data collection and dominance calculation. The first of the 3 aims of this review is to evaluate how dominance relates to the social behavior of housed dairy cows. Cows engage in agonistic interactions to establish and reinforce dominance relationships. An individual's dominance is influenced by intrinsic characteristics, such as personality, and extrinsic factors, including group composition. When competing for resources, agonistic interactions can also be influenced by individual motivational differences, such as hunger, which may diminish the role of dominance in regulating competition. Our second aim is to critically review methods used to assess dominance in cows. This includes discussions on the effect of time and location of data collection on measured values as well as the viability and limitations of some dominance calculation methods. We propose that different methodologies lend themselves to different types of research questions. For example, the use of data stream-based methods that consider the sequence of interactions are useful for estimating how dominance fluctuates with changing conditions and can be used in a dynamically changing group. In contrast, matrix-based methods that aggregate social interactions may be best for identifying the social position of individuals and understanding how social characteristics influence the attributes of a stable hierarchy. Our third aim is to discuss the future of dominance research. We use a flowchart to illustrate guidelines for a more standardized approach to measuring dominance in cattle. We also identify areas in need of further conceptual clarification, suggest practical applications of dominance when managing dairy cattle, and discuss some limitations of dominance research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally recognized that paternal care is a facultative feature of human cooperative caregiving that helps underpin our evolved life history strategy. Yet, little direct evidence links variation in men's fathering to fitness outcomes. Research in small-scale, subsistence-level societies has focused more on links between fitness and men's social status, which overlaps with paternal care (e.g., hunting prowess/reputation and provisioning) but is distinct. Helping address this gap, we demonstrate linkages between fathers' roles and fitness-related outcomes among the BaYaka, a highly egalitarian Congo Basin forager population. Using measures drawn from community perceptions of men's quality in locally-valued domains of fathering, we find that BaYaka men (N = 31) ranked as better at providing for their families and sharing resources with the community had more living children. We observed a similar pattern for men ranked as better teachers, though evidence from Bayesian regression models was weaker than for these other domains. Those men ranked higher for provisioning and sharing, respectively, also had more total children (living and deceased combined). These fathering qualities were not significantly associated with variation in child mortality. Our results are consistent with long-standing arguments around the evolutionary importance of provisioning as paternal care, and point to other pathways, such as resource sharing, through which higher quality paternal care can be linked to reproductive success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, the emission standards and fuel standards in Beijing have been upgraded twice, and the vehicle structure has been improved by accelerating the elimination of 2.95 million old vehicles. Through the formulation and implementation of these policies, the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NO x), and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in 2019 were 147.9, 25.3, 43.4, and 0.91 kton in Beijing, respectively. The emission factor method was adopted to better understand the emissions characteristics of primary air pollutants from combustion engine vehicles and to improve pollution control. In combination with the air quality improvement goals and the status of social and economic development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period in Beijing, different vehicle pollution control scenarios were established, and emissions reductions were projected. The results show that the emissions of four air pollutants (CO, VOCs, NO x , and PM 2.5) from vehicles in Beijing decreased by an average of 68% in 2019, compared to their levels in 2009. The contribution of NO x emissions from diesel vehicles increased from 35% in 2009 to 56% in 2019, which indicated that clean and energy-saving diesel vehicle fleets should be further improved. Electric vehicle adoption could be an important measure to reduce pollutant emissions. With the further upgrading of vehicle structure and the adoption of electric vehicles, it is expected that the total emissions of the four vehicle pollutants can be reduced by 20%-41% by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New financing in clean energy technologies plays a progressively important role in increasing energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This research investigates the salient social dimensions of clean electricity access with the view to identify the most suitable SSA countries for funding and implementing decentralised renewable energy systems and sheds light on the opportunities for improving social conditions through clean electrification. Our multi-dimensional analysis of social considerations culminates in the Social Clean Energy Access (Social CEA) Index. The composite indicator structure was empirically tested and improved in terms of accuracy and robustness for 35 SSA countries. The Social CEA index captures the status of social factors on health, education, economic development, gender equality, and quality of life related to electricity access. The Social CEA Index strength is assessed by exploring the synergies between electricity access and social development and its progress over time is evaluated through a dimension's breakdown approach in Ghana. • The Social CEA Index allows an effective identification of priorities for action in clean electrification programs; • The innovation of the Index is due to its tailored design focusing on the social dimensions of electricity access; • The country level Social CEA Index depicts an unequal situation in terms of social aspects between African countries; • The focus on the Ghana case shows that electricity is a central dimension to reduce poverty and support economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behind farming, small-scale mining is one of the most important sources of rural livelihoods in the Global South. A significant body of research has detailed the interlinkages between these activities. More recently, scholars have used the tools of agrarian change to interpret small-scale mining livelihood dynamics. I build on this trend by introducing an emphasis on the materiality of mining. As with small farmers, small-scale miners' livelihoods depend directly on the land—its material qualities are a prime factor in their choices, successes, and failures. Extending this comparison, I consider how the nature of gold ore shapes small-scale mining labor practices, dynamics, and outcomes. To do so, I examine small-scale gold mining in the Pongkor region of West Java, Indonesia. In Pongkor, an array of people with diverse social positionings participate in mining using different techniques and at different scales. I connect this diversity to the variable characteristics of the ore they mine, including the quality of the ore, the depth where it is found, and the methods required to process its various forms. I argue that these multiple materialities have made small-scale mining both a flexible and an unequal livelihood. The particularities of gold's occurrence enable it to support many people, but simultaneously structure inequalities into small-scale gold production. The interplay of these material conditions and broader political-economic dynamics has ultimately resulted in the differentiation of various "classes of labor." Like farming, small-scale mining is thus experienced, and incorporated into broader commodity exchange, unevenly. • Small-scale gold mining livelihoods, like agrarian ones, depend on the materialities of the earth worked. • Key features include ores' concentration of gold, their depth underground, and the processing methods required by their form. • These enable different types of mining work—from gleaning to tunneling to cyanidation—with divergent livelihood outcomes. • Diverse materialities thus help make small-scale mining a flexible livelihood but also contribute to inequalities. • These materialities combine with broader political-economic dynamics to create fragmented classes of small-scale mining labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is marked by unstable relationships and fear of abandonment. Earlier studies suggest that patients with BPD are highly sensitive to social exclusion and show deficits in trust and cooperation. The hormone testosterone influences such prosocial behavior and regulates aggressive and caring behavior. Previous studies show elevated testosterone levels in female patients with BPD at baseline and after psychosocial stress, while results after social exclusion are missing. We investigated the effects of social exclusion on prosocial behavior (sharing and punishment) and salivary testosterone in female patients with BPD. Ninety-eight patients with BPD and 98 healthy females matched for menstrual cycle were randomly assigned to an overinclusion or exclusion condition of the virtual ballgame Cyberball. Afterwards, participants played two games in which they could share money with a fictional player ("dictator game") and accept or reject (= punish) offers from a player ("ultimatum game"). Female patients with BPD displayed higher testosterone levels than the control group before and after Cyberball. Social exclusion did not affect testosterone levels. Patients with BPD exhibited more prosocial behavior by sharing more money than controls and punished co-players for unfair offers equally often. We replicated previous findings of elevated testosterone in female patients with BPD and showed that it is not affected by experimentally induced social exclusion. Regardless of social exclusion, patients with BPD showed more prosocial behavior, which may reflect a status-seeking strategy to secure their social standing. • Elevated testosterone levels in female patients with BPD were found regardless of social exclusion. • Female patients with BPD exhibited more prosocial behavior in economic decision-making games than healthy controls. • Social exclusion did not significantly alter testosterone levels in BPD and healthy controls. • Our findings challenge the assumption of reduced prosocial behavior in BPD under stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inactive behaviour is essential to life. However, specific forms of inactivity may be indicative of compromised welfare in certain captive conditions. Inactive but awake behaviour (IBA - spontaneous, motionless awake behaviour without interacting with the surroundings) has been documented in some species and may be associated with poor welfare and negatively valenced affective states. In our previous work in laboratory mice, we have identified environmental risk factors (non-enriched housing) and curative factors (antidepressant drug Venlafaxine) for IBA and we hypothesise that greater levels of IBA may represent a depression-like state in this species. Here we aimed to identify which specific sub-characteristics of IBA would show construct validity as a depression-like state by exploring the posture (i.e. lying, curled lying or sitting), social contact position (i.e. in physical contact with a cage mate or not) and location of mice while performing the behaviour during two experiments (respectively investigating the aetiology and the curative factors of IBA). In both experiments we expected that more IBA would be displayed in standard (non-enriched) laboratory cages, compared with large highly-enriched cages and that a move from a highly-enriched to a non-enriched cage would increase IBA, while the opposite treatment would result in a decrease. In our second experiment (curative factors investigation), we predicted that less IBA would be displayed by mice that voluntarily ingested an antidepressant (Venlafaxine) versus a placebo. Because we could not control the number of instances of each IBA sub-characteristic we measured and we had no a priori predictions about which IBA sub-characteristics would match our general IBA treatment predictions, we compared the effect size and the direction of the effect between our treatment groups to explore which of the sub-characteristics matched our general IBA predictions. Overall, we found little variation in the location IBA was performed, with the majority being seen in the nest. Across treatment comparisons in both experiments, overall, the largest effect sizes were measured for IBA performed when in contact with the cage mate and performed when lying and both characteristics generally matched the direction of our treatment-related predictions. We suggest that future work should perform more detailed analyses of the specific characteristics of IBA by identifying behavioural sequences and the co-occurrence of the sub-characteristics to obtain a more complete picture of IBA as a depression-like indicator. • We explored which sub-characteristics of IBA would show construct validity as a depression-like state in mice. • Overall we found little variation in the location of IBA behaviour, with the majority being performed in the nest. • Across treatment comparisons the largest effects were measured for IBA performed in contact with the cage mate and when lying. • Curled, lying, sitting IBA and IBA in contact with cage mate generally matched the direction of treatment-related predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I analyze the impact of the religious fundamentalists' rule on regional human capital development and women's social status by exploiting the unexpected rise and fall of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in northwestern Iraq (2014∼2017). I find a large downward impact of exposure to ISIS rule on female human capital and an upward one on fertility rate for women who were school-aged at the time of ISIS occupation. These women express more patriarchal family norms and are more likely to belong to a polygamous union, implying a decline in women's social status. This decline in human capital and the rise of patriarchal family norms doesn't cause a significant negative impact on the development of their pre-school-aged children, possibly implying that these women didn't decrease parenting effort for their children. In summary, even a brief period of extremist rule has potentially large impacts on human capital development and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many studies have investigated the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) deployment in the public sector on government-citizen interactions, findings remain controversial due to the technical complexity and contextual diversity. This study distinguishes between rule-driven and learning-driven AI and explores their impact as automated respondents on citizen-initiated contact, an important scenario for public participation with initiative. Based on a conjoint experiment with 763 participations (4578 observations), this study suggests that AI deployments enormously reduce the likelihood of citizen-initiated contact compared to human response, with learning-driven AI having a higher negative effect than rule-driven AI. In addition, the causal effects of respondent image, contact channel, contact purpose, and matter attributes on citizen-initiated contact, as well as their moderating effects, are explored. These findings make theoretical implications and calls for public participation in the roaring AI deployment in the public sector. • AI as automated respondents reduces citizen-initiated contact; learning-driven AI worsens the effect more than rule-driven AI. • Respondent image, channel, purpose, and matter affect citizen contact but hardly mitigate AI's negative impact. • Unlike the digital divide, young, highly educated individuals are least likely to contact AI respondents in government. • The gap between AI adoption and social acceptance highlights the critical need for public participation in AI governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Personalizing these technologies can convey the narratives of people with dementia. • Family involvement in personalization aids both care staff and dementia patients. • Assess caregivers' needs before implementing technology-based interventions. • Training, support, and integration of multimedia tools should be sensitive. • Evaluate social benefits and caregiver burden to measure intervention efficacy. Interactive multimedia systems are widely used to enhance participation in meaningful activities for older people living with dementia. This review aims to analyze and synthesize current evidence regarding personalization of these systems, by considering the type of content included, the selection process and the experience of people living with dementia when interacting with the content. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO registration number blinded for review), a systematic search was undertaken across 4 databases. Meta-aggregation pooled data for synthesis. A total of 520 articles were identified from searches in four databases, and 15 were included in this review. Two classes of content were identified: personal, often autobiographical; and curated, carefully chosen generic content appropriate for a wider group of people in the demographic. Variety of content can act as a trigger for autobiographical memories. Personalized music enhanced a desire to engage and prompted meaningful interactions among participants. Despite some differences in the selected studies, the findings enabled us outline key points to consider when personalizing interactive multimedia systems for people living with dementia. Further research should focus on studying the social condition of the target users during the personalization process and on the benefits for caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to understand the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health have expanded beyond traditional indicators of education, income, occupation, and wealth to individuals' own reports of where they stand. This more contemporary approach has enjoyed considerable success, in that self-reported SES standing, often measured on a ladder representing the entire U.S. socioeconomic hierarchy, is associated strongly with health even when traditional SES indicators are controlled. However, disparities in self-rated health across ladder measures typically are not assessed with regard to health behavior disparities. Here, we draw on two US national probability samples assessing diverse ladder reference groups, as well as a new ladder asking people to report how much respect, honor, or esteem they receive from other people. Respect or honor offers a distinct potential to measure social influence across circles of recognition. We find that U.S.-based ladder status is related to smoking currently or ever and to days of exercise. While friend, neighbor, and respect-based ladders do not relate to health behaviors net of U.S. ladder standing, they show relationships to ever smoking and physical activity, and self-rated health, in their own right. Physical activity accounts for 12–18% of self-rated health disparities by friend, neighbor, or country ladder status. Smoking and drinking do not robustly contribute to ladder-based disparities in self-rated health. Contrasting what is typically found for traditional SES measures, physical activity merits further research, as does the receipt of respect or honor. That status ladder health disparities go largely unexplained by behaviors suggests the potential roles of non-behavioral pathways including inflammation, hopelessness, or classism. • Self-reported SES often is measured on a ladder representing the entire U.S. • Health disparities across different reference groups remain unclear. • In two national samples, different ladders associate with smoking and exercise. • Exercise explains 12–18% of ladder-based disparities in self-rated health. • Ladder measurement of respect associates with behaviors and self-rated health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different preferences of experts in fuzzy group decision-making problems will lead to conflict, which hinders the reaching of consensus. In present conflict management techniques, local conflict among individual experts or the overall level of conflict is often concerned. This paper deals with conflict relations by opinion dynamics to resolve the whole and local conflicts among experts. This paper proposes a conflict resolution method based on opinion dynamics, which mainly includes three parts: (1) trust propagation: taking the consistency index into account in the propagation of trust, aiming at making as objective an assessment as possible of the competence and social status of experts; (2) conflict detection and elimination: reducing conflicts to an acceptable level through multiple rounds of preference adjustment according to the harmony degree; (3) alternatives selection: proposing a scoring function combining extent superiority with number superiority to score and rank the alternatives. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government transfer payments play a crucial role in redistributing wealth and alleviating relative poverty. However, the mental health effects of government transfers remain to be explored. This study aims to explore the internal mechanisms of the mental health effects of government transfer payments by examining individuals' subjective evaluations and attitudes. Based on panel data from the 2016 and 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) urban sample composition (N = 6645), the PSM-DID model was used to investigate the mental health effects of government transfer payments. Based on the calculation of the PSM-DID model, this study examined the effects of social security satisfaction and subjective social status on the mental health effects of government transfer payments through the mediation model and moderation model. The study found that, overall, receiving government transfer payments can significantly reduce the level of individual depression. In examining the mechanism linking government transfer payments and mental health, it was discovered that social security satisfaction partially mediates this relationship. Additionally, subjective social status was identified as a negative moderating factor in this relationship, meaning that the alleviating effect of government transfer payments on depression diminishes as subjective social status increases. Therefore, in future policy optimization, firstly, the size and scope of urban government transfer payments should be expanded to directly improve the living standards of recipients. Secondly, social security programs should be strengthened. Thirdly, implementing the targeted interventions to address disparities in subjective social status should be considered. • Receiving government transfers can significantly reduce the degree of individual depression. • Government transfers can alleviate individual depression by increasing social security satisfaction. • Subjective social status negatively moderates the relationship between government transfers and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]