Neighborhood Socioeconomic Deprivation in Early Childhood Mediates Racial Disparities in Blood Pressure in a College Student Sample

The influence of childhood contexts on adult blood pressure is an important yet understudied topic. Using a developmental perspective, this study examines the association between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage in early childhood (0–5?yrs), middle childhood (6–12?yrs) and adolescence (13–18?yrs) on subsequent blood pressure in young adulthood. Data were from 263 college students (52% Black; M_age?=?19.21 years) and neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was measured using a tract-level Area Deprivation Index. Neighborhood disadvantage in early childhood was significantly associated with diastolic blood pressure and explained 22% of the race difference between Black and White adults. The findings are consistent with the notion that early childhood may be a sensitive period for the effects of neighborhood disadvantage on blood pressure.

     

Rent seeking and the decline of the Florentine school

Public Choice - Economists have claimed that the invisible hand of competition is behind the historical episodes of outstanding artistic achievement, from Shakespearean theater to musical...     

The Legacy of Violence on Post-Civil War Elections: The Case of El Salvador

Over the last several decades, numerous civil wars have ended as a consequence of negotiated settlements. Following many of these settlements, rebel groups have made the transition to political party and competed in democratic elections. In this paper, I assess the legacy of civil war on the performance of rebel groups as political parties. I argue that the ability of rebels to capture and control territory and their use of violence against the civilian population are two key factors explaining the performance of rebels as political parties. I test these hypotheses against the case of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) in El Salvador using one-way ANOVA and multivariate regression analyses. In analyzing the FMLN’s performance in the 1994 “elections of the century,” I find that, as a political party, the FMLN benefited both from the state’s violently disproportionate response and its ability to hold territory during the war.     

Can service providing NGOs build democracy? Five contingent features

This article studies the role of service providing NGOs in the Middle East in promoting democracy. Challenging the assumption that service providing NGOs are apolitical, the authors argue that service providing NGOs play important roles in promoting democracy. They do so by serving as public arenas, or spaces in which members and beneficiaries practice democratic habits such as discussion and debate, collective problem solving, free expression, rights claiming, and the like—all of which contribute to the cultivation of a participatory form of democracy. Drawing upon existing literature, interviews, and participant observation of NGOs in Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine, the authors argue that five features shape the role of service providing NGOs in promoting democracy. These include: (1) organizational readiness, or the organization's embeddedness in its beneficiary community and its organizational capacity; (2) organizational governance, or organization's commitment to participatory representation and transparency; (3) the nature of service an organization provides; (4) an NGOs' collaboration with other NGOs and the government; and (5) donor risk tolerance. The article's analysis contributes to our understanding of the varied, and often overlooked, roles of service providing NGOs, advancing the literature on NGO-state relations, NGO-donor relations, and democracy promotion.     

The erosion of the administrative state under President Trump: Citizens' pushback against individual and institutional racism

President Trump encouraged bad state actors within the administrative state to contribute to inequities for civilians. We highlight how Trump's actions and rhetoric led to increased individual, institutional, and systemic racism and violence. As a response to this increased violence and rhetoric, we discuss the role civilians (including professional athletes) played in engaging in protests and the 2020 election. Given that more individuals voted in that election cycle, we emphasize the importance for public administration to adapt, evolve, and engage with new actors concerned with administrative action or inaction.     

Shelley Rigger,The Tiger Leading the Dragon: How Taiwan Propelled China’s Economic Rise

Journal of Chinese Political Science -     

Relationship of life events and social support with psychological dysfunction among adolescents

Relationships among major life events, perceived social support, and psychological disorder were assessed in a sample of older adolescents. Negative life events and satisfaction with social support were significantly and independently related to a range of psychological symptoms. Further, the relationship between negative events and disorder was moderated by gender, the types of events experienced, and anticipated change in the psychosocial environment. The importance of the use of standardized and psychometrically sound measures of life events, social support, and psychological disorder is highlighted.Received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 1980. An assistant professor, he is currently investigating stress and coping among children and adolescents.Received her Ph.D. from the University of Vermont in 1985. An assistant professor, she is currently studying social support.Received Ed. M. from Harvard Universtiy. He is a doctoral student in clinical psychology interested in the role of social support in coping with stress during adolescence.Received her BA from the University of Vermont. She is a doctoral student in clinical psychology.     

In situ identification and analysis of automotive paint pigments using line segment excitation Raman spectroscopy: I. Inorganic topcoat pigments

Several applications of Raman spectroscopy in the forensic sciences have recently been demonstrated, but few have involved the analysis of paints. Undoubtedly, this is a reflection of the sample degradation problems often encountered when a visible or near-infrared laser is focused on a light-absorbing matrix. In this study, a dispersive CCD Raman spectrometer (785 nm) was used in a configuration which collected scattered light from an excitation region 3 mm long and 80 microm wide, instead of from a focused spot. Sample degradation was not observed, and Raman spectra of automotive paints of all colors were readily obtained. Most of the paints analyzed were U.S. automobile original finishes (1974 to 1989) from the Reference Collection of Automotive Paints, and the inorganic pigments examined were those which had been identified previously by infrared spectroscopy in finishes from this collection. Prominent peaks of rutile were observed in Raman spectra of light-colored nonmetallic finishes for both monocoats and basecoat/clearcoat systems, and the rutile peaks are readily distinguished from those of anatase. The lead chromates (Chrome Yellow, Molybdate Orange, and silica-encapsulated versions of the two) are the strongest Raman scatterers among the pigments examined, and Chrome Yellow was identified by Raman spectroscopy in several yellow and orange nonmetallic monocoats for which infrared absorptions of this pigment were not observed. Raman spectroscopy also provides an unequivocal means to distinguish Chrome Yellow from Molybdate Orange. This is particularly helpful for the analysis of paints containing light pigment loads or encapsulated pigments since the two formulations cannot be differentiated by infrared spectroscopy in such cases. The iron-containing pigments, ferric oxide, hydrous ferric oxide, and Prussian Blue, are relatively weak Raman scatterers, but peaks of hydrous ferric oxide and Prussian Blue were observed in spectra of paints containing heavy pigment loads. Because no sample preparation is required. Raman spectroscopy provides an excellent means to rapidly screen reference panels for the presence of certain pigments, and some examples of the differences in Raman spectra which occur for paints having similar colors are presented.     

Global uncertainty,economic governance institutions and foreign direct investment inflow in Africa

Economic Change and Restructuring - Based on the fact that Africa has not fared well in attracting foreign direct investments in the last decade compared to other regions of the world, especially...     

Juvenile Arrest and Later Economic Attainment: Strength and Mechanisms of the Relationship

Journal of Quantitative Criminology - We tested the impact of juvenile arrest on asset accumulation, debt accumulation, and net worth from ages 20–30. We also examined whether indicators of...