Mathematical frameworks for the analysis of norms.

Research into society's informal rules of conduct, or norms, has recently experienced a surge, extending across multiple academic disciplines. Despite this growth, the theoretical modeling of norms often remains siloed within specific paradigms, as different disciplines tend to favor certain frameworks over others, thereby hindering the spread of innovative ideas. This article breaks through disciplinary barriers to explore recent advancements in the mathematical study of norms.

Relatively Unworthy Victims? Middle-Aged Women as Rape Survivors.

This study examines how the age of female survivors impacts public perceptions of rape in China. In our online survey experiment, participants consider rape as less serious when the survivor is a middle-aged woman compared to other groups of women (younger, older, or age unknown). Participants also request shorter sentencing when the survivor is a middle-aged woman than a younger woman.

Demographic factors that impact attitudes toward medical cannabis.

Objective: This study aims to identify pertinent demographic characteristics that influence attitudes toward medical cannabis.

Methods: Survey respondents were recruited through social media posts, partnering with community organizations, and snowball sampling. Attitudes were measured with a modified version of the medical component of the Recreational and Medical Cannabis Attitudes Scale (MMCAS).

The economic impact of lockdowns: A theoretical assessment.

The sudden appearance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered extreme and open-ended "lockdowns" to manage the disease. Should these drastic interventions be the blueprint for future epidemics? We construct an analytical framework, based on the theory of random matching, which makes explicit how epidemics spread through economic activity. Imposing lockdowns by assumption not only prevents contagion and reduces healthcare costs, but also disrupts income-generation processes.

Using Participatory Mapping to Diagnose Upstream Determinants of Health and Prescribe Downstream Policy-Based Interventions.

Participatory mapping is a powerful methodology for working with community residents to examine social and environmental determinants of public health disparities. However, this empowering methodology has only been applied sparingly in public health research and practice, with limited examples in the literature. To address this literature gap, we 1) review participatory mapping approaches that may be applied to exploring place-based factors that affect community health, and 2) present a mixed-methods participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) examination of neighborhood assets (eg, streetlights) and challenges (eg, spaces of crime and violence) related to access to public parks in South Los Angeles, California.

Gestational hormone profiles predict human maternal behavior at 1-year postpartum.

In many non-human species, including primates, gestational reproductive hormones play an essential role in the onset of maternal motivation and behaviors. We investigated the associations between prepartum estradiol and progesterone and maternal behavior at 1-year postpartum in 177 women. Blood was obtained at five gestational time points and an index of quality of maternal care was determined using a well-validated mother-child interaction protocol.

The effect of gamma irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment on physicochemical and sensory properties of bartlett pears.

A major concern in exporting agricultural commodities is the introduction or spread of exotic quarantine pests to the new area. To prevent spread of insect pests, various phytosanitary measures are used. Worldwide commercial use of irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment has increased greatly in recent years; however, trade has been limited to tropical fruits.

History of sexual trauma and recent HIV-risk behaviors of community-recruited substance using women.

This study examines whether substance using women exposed to a lifetime sexual trauma (n = 457) are distinguishable from substance using women exposed to non-sexual trauma (n = 275) in terms of demographics, psychopathology and high-risk sexual behaviors. Baseline data were collected from out-of-treatment substance using women enrolled in an HIV prevention study. Logistic regression analyses revealed that when demographics, psychopathology and lifetime indicators of sexual risk were assessed simultaneously, poor health, depression, antisocial personality disorder and lifetime sex-trading were associated with sexual trauma exposure.

Utilization of electron beam irradiated almond skin powder as a natural antioxidant in ground top round beef.

Defatted Carmel variety almond skin powder (ASP) irradiated at 0, 10, 20, and 30 kGy was mixed with ground top round beef at 0.5% (w/w) and stored at 4 degrees C. Color stability, peroxide values (PV), conjugated dienes (CD), thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), and hexanal were determined periodically over a 2-wk period.

Impact of flow rate on lactate uptake and gluconeogenesis in glucagon-stimulated perfused livers.

The impact of reduced hepatic flow on lactate uptake and gluconeogenesis was examined in isolated glucagon-stimulated perfused livers from 24-h-fasted rats. After surgical isolation, livers were perfused (single pass) for 30 min with Krebs-Henseleit (KH) bicarbonate buffer, fresh bovine erythrocytes (hematocrit approximately 20%), and no added substrate. After this "washout" period, steady-state perfusions were initiated with a second reservoir containing the KH buffer, bovine erythrocytes, [U-(14)C]lactate (10,000 dpm/ml), lactate (2.