bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
EARLY-LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES AND RACIAL DISPARITIES IN COGNITION AMONG US OLDER ADULTS
Authors: Lin Zhuoer , Ye Justin , Allore Heather , Gill Thomas , Chen Xi 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
There are marked racial disparities in cognitive outcomes between non-Hispanic Black (Black) and non-Hispanic White (White) older adults in the US. Existing studies concentrate on exploring mid-life to late-life risk factors, yet the early-life circumstances through which the racial gaps may arise remain under-explored. Using a wide spectrum of early-life factors assembled from the Health and Retirement Study, including demographics, SES, health, trauma, family relationships, and genetics, we investigated how racial gaps in cognitive score and cognitive impairment among older Americans were tied to racial differences in early-life circumstances. 9,015 (7,381 White, 1,634 Black) Americans aged 50 and older were included in the analysis. Using Blinder-Oaxaca-Decomposition, we showed that Black participants generally had less favorable early-life circumstances than White participants, especially in early-life residence, education level, quality and experience. We demonstrated that overall, differences in early-life circumstances explained up to 61.9% of the racial gaps in cognitive score, and 80.9% of the racial gaps in cognitive impairment between White and Black participants. Disentangling racial gaps by individual factors, we found that differences in the level and quality of education contributed the most. Years of education and school racial segregation respectively accounted for 22.7-24.8% and 26.0%-42.8% of the gaps in cognitive outcomes. Early-life educational experience and place of birth/residence additionally contributed to the disparities. However, childhood trauma, health, and genetic factors were not significant contributors. These findings suggest that exposure to less favorable early-life circumstances is associated with clinically meaningful and statistically significant racial gaps in cognition, which warrants targeted interventions.
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND WORKING LIFE EXPECTANCY IN SWEDEN
Authors: Högnäs Robin 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Longer life expectancy and fertility decline have increased concerns about the security of old-age pensions. Raising retirement ages is one strategy to offset rising costs, though the option to retire varies considerably by socioeconomic status (SES) and sex. The level of variation in SES may depend the measure used. Also, many workers now transition into retirement slowly, e.g., move from full- to part-time work. Thus, retirement age may not sufficiently capture how long people work. Working life expectancy (WLE)—the expected average number of years worked—better measures total working life. We use data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) from 2008 to 2020 (n=4,940 people age 50+ and n=74,093 person-observations) to examine WLE by SES. We estimate a three-state multistate model (i.e., working, not working, dead) and a four-state model (working part-time, working full-time, not working, and dead); both assume a continuous-time first-order Markov process. Models are sex-stratified models, cross-classified by: 1) occupation; 2) education; 3) income. We find that professionals work full-time 1 year more than routine workers, regardless of sex. The low educated work full-time 1 year less than the highly educated. In our weighted three-state model, where part-time work contributed ½ of full-time work, the difference increased to 1.14 and 1.05 years, respectively. Our unweighted three-state model showed slightly larger education differences. Findings suggest that WLE differs by SES, regardless of sex, and the differences are greater by education than occupation. This has implications for extending working life policies.
LONG-TERM PAID CARE WORKFORCE: SHORTAGE, BURNOUT, TRAINING, TURNOVER, WHAT’S NEXT?
Authors: Rhodes Ann , Martin-Matthews Anne 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Although the long-term care workforce has struggled historically with staff satisfaction, safety, and retention, the pandemic triggered increased turnover and higher levels of staff burnout. As a result, many residential care organizations are using agency staff at unprecedented levels. Given that continuity of care is central to high-quality person-centered care, and the workforce should have access to a physically and psychologically safe environment, it is imperative that the gerontological research and practical community understand the changing conditions experienced by this workforce in crisis and offers solutions at the workplace, industry, and policy levels. In this symposium, authors explore different facets of paid long-term care workforce to stimulate thought and discussion. One paper contrasts the well-being of the workforce to that of the residents during COVID-19. A second paper presents workforce management capabilities and strategies and posits essential questions for the capacity of management and leadership needs of the workforce. Two papers highlight the struggles that are presented as paid long-term care relies increasingly on contract, short-term workers. Paper three discusses how the use of the contract workforce does not support the provision of person-centered care for conditions like dementia. Paper four uses payroll-based journal data to delve into short and long-term use of contract workforce and discusses the nature of contract staffing, and considers how contract staffing may be disruptive to both the direct care worker and the nursing home environment. The discussant will draw out the policy and practice implications arising from the papers. This is a collaborative symposium between the Aging Workforce and Paid Caregiving Interest Groups.
STRESS AND COPING AMONG NURSING ASSISTANTS AND PERSONAL CARE AIDES IN LONG-TERM CARE
Authors: Efird-Green Lea , Sloane Philip , Lathren Christine , Perreira Krista , Bluth Karen , Zimmerman Sheryl 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Care in nursing homes and assisted living communities is largely provided by direct caregivers (nursing assistants [NAs] and personal care aides [PCAs]), who are &gt;50% minoritized, 20% immigrant, 90% female, 87% without a college degree, and often in poverty. The well-being of direct caregivers is critical to quality of care, but research aimed at improving well-being is hampered because existing measures of stress and coping translate poorly to their backgrounds and work-related experience. To address this gap, we designed and conducted research aimed at describing the range of coping approaches used to address work-related stress, gathering data on a diverse sample of 391 direct caregivers from 9 nursing homes and 4 assisted living communities in 3 states, of which 75% were racially or ethnically minoritized and 21% were immigrant – mirroring the national workforce. Results indicated that 78% of respondents often felt stressed at work, with 30% screening positive for depression and 28% for anxiety, with some caregivers experiencing both (21%). However, working with residents and their families, while stressful (76%), was considered less stressful than workload (90%) and lack of support (83%); in fact, 89% of caregivers said that caring for residents makes them feel appreciated. Coping strategies were diverse, but the most common includedresilient coping (93%), mindfulness (89%), recognizing common humanity (84%), self-kindness (83%), and planning (69%). This presentation will address differences in coping based on demographic characteristics, as well as the relationship between types of coping strategies and reasons for staying in a direct caregiver position.
THE AGING PROFESSOR OF GERONTOLOGY: MINING THE PLATINUM
Authors: Donorfio Laura , Holley Lyn , Levy Becca 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
This symposium explores evidence of the subtle, pernicious influence of unconsciously internalized ageist stereotypes on the engagement, job performance, perception of self and life satisfaction of older persons who are teachers of Gerontology in higher education. Unsolicited responses to the Tibbitts Award Lecture at the 2022 Conference of the Gerontological Society of American inspired this symposium and comments that indicated many older teachers of Gerontology in institutions of higher learning had become more aware of how internalized ageism and the ageism of others influences one’s pedagogy of aging. This includes one’s gerontological imagination, self-disclosure, thoughts about retirement, and organizational self-esteem. Learning to accept one’s own aging, personal growth, and activities to maintain professional competence are challenges to continuing in one’s role. This symposium captures the reflections of four established Gerontologists about these issues and how they shape careers, especially late life work. Results of a scoping literature review and some case studies of topics relevant to breaking the age code are reported. Topics to be covered include: the intersection of personal aging and aging pedagogy, career self-management of late life work, assessing and dealing with career competence and incompetence in late life work, and the Role of Age Friendly Environments. The discussant will capture the impact of ageism on these topics, and how working on beliefs about aging can influence and improve late life work and empower a productive lifespan.
TRANSLATING AGING: REACHING STUDENTS ACROSS DISCIPLINES AND GEOGRAPHY
Authors: Borrero Lisa 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
What does it mean to translate gerontological concepts among groups of very different students? How can this be optimized for online graduate education? Even within a field that is itself interdisciplinary, it can feel challenging to meaningfully convey key information about aging when students are already firmly established in their own, unique disciplines and are learning from a distance. This lecture will reflect on ways in which gerontology instructors can connect a wide array of graduate students to the universality of aging, promote the relevance of aging to their chosen field, and, hopefully, engender a deeper interest in working with older adults. From the importance of maintaining social and cognitive presence in the online classroom to offering experiential engagement with course content, we can communicate about aging in purposeful and novel ways to a variety of students – and reap the benefits of learning from their expertise in return.
CAREGIVING FOR OLDER ADULTS: EXPLORING THE IMPLICATIONS FOR FAMILIAL RELATIONS, DYNAMICS, AND FRIENDSHIP
Authors: Chia Arthur , Malhotra Rahul 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
In this symposium, we discuss about various aspects of caregiving for older adults who require care because of chronic illness, frailty, and/or long-term disability. Their needs take many forms and so do the demands and concerns of their caregivers, comprising family members and close friends. Under these trying circumstances, relationships are put to the test; shared sensibilities and understandings built over decades of marital and family life begin to unravel, and friendships fray. Thus, caregiving has profound implications for the family as well as non-family members who provide care. Caregiving itself is marked by varying intensities expressed in anguished voices of loss, frustration, and anger but they also convey a deep sense of responsibility, gratitude, and love. There is much that caregiving could offer in terms of the potential for deeper meaning, connection, satisfaction, and goodness. Hence, the papers in this symposium will examine how caregiving responsibilities are distributed among family and non-family members; analyze the implications of caregiving on the notion of home/homeliness for caregivers; account for the meaning of caregiving for a parent or older family member as diverse expressions of filial piety; and explore the issues and challenges around caregiving for older adults with cognitive impairment including dementia from the perspectives of family and non-family members who are caregivers. Collectively, the papers highlight the relational and reciprocal nature of caregiving, and in which intimate relational and cultural processes shape not only the quality and experiences of caregiving but also foundations of the family and notions of home.
EXAMINING OPPORTUNITIES TO ALIGN WITH THE UNIFYING GOAL OF HELPING CAREGIVERS: A STRENGTH-BASED MODEL
Authors: Lee Jeong Eun , Meinertz Naomi , Savla Tina 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Caregiving is a complex and multifaceted experience, yet it is often addressed from a deficit model. Recent research indicates that strength-based interventions or programs from person- centered approach demonstrate improvements in caregivers’ experiences. The purpose of this symposium are is to highlight a collection of studies that each bring a unique perspective to family the care issues by, reporting improved caregiver psychosocial factors contributing to caregiver outcomes and strength or person centered approach to enhance caregiver outcomes. The first session will demonstrate the effectiveness of a person-centered caregiver intervention, Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC), in reducing depressive symptoms, improving self-efficacy, and utilizing emotion management skills. The second session will share a baseline data from a live online intervention, Chronic Grief Management Intervention-Video (CGMI-V), and identifying intervention targets by examining caregivers’ feelings of role captivity and grief. The third presentation will introduce the results of a pilot intervention , called “Building a Bridge,” which that improved caregivers’ knowledge and access to community resource. The final session will introduce a program based on the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model that reduces caregiver burden for community-dwelling parents and grandparents raising grandchildren or children in the community setting. Together, these presentations underscore the benefit of using strength-based models to relieve caregiver burden of caregivers. Savla , the discussant, will integrate key points from these interventions while and addressing considerations for future research to optimize outcomes for caregivers. This is a Mental Health Practice and Aging Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.
COMPARISON OF STEREOLOGY METHODS FOR ASSESSING AGE-RELATED EFFECTS ON IMMUNOSTAINED BRAIN CELLS
Authors: Denham Grant , Alahmari Saeed , Anderson Aidan , Sanchez Krystal , Dag Dominick , Hall Lawrence , Goldgof Dmitry , Mouton Peter 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
The primary benefit of stereology methods is quantification of well-stained biological objects in tissue sections with the ability to adjust sampling intensity to achieve desired levels of precision. The advent of hand-crafted algorithms and artificial intelligence-based deep learning (DL) provides an opportunity for more standardized collection of stereology data with enhanced efficiency and higher reproducibility compared to state-of-the-art manual stereology. We contrasted and compared the performance of four manual, semi-automatic, and fully automatic approaches for generating data for total number of Neu-N immunostained neurons in neocortex (NCTX) in the mouse brain. The gold standard for these studies was manual counts using the state-of-the-art optical fractionator method on 3-D reconstructed serial z-axis image stacks through a known tissue volume (disector stacks). To allow for direct methodological comparisons on the same images, disector stacks were automatically converted into extended depth of field (EDF) images in which all neurons in the disector stack were imaged at each cell’s maximal plane of focus. Total number of Neu-N neurons on the same EDF images were counted by a fully automatic hand-crafted method [automatic segmentation algorithm (ASA)] and a semi-automatic method [ASA counts manually corrected for false positives and negatives]. All comparison counts were done using unbiased frames and counting rules with total counts of NeuN-immunostained neurons by the optical fractionator method. The results were comparable across methods with wide variations in throughput efficiency and inter-rater agreement. These results are discussed with respect to applications to experimental studies of brain aging, neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disease.
The past as present in health promotion: the case for a ‘public health humanities’
Authors: Kehoe Thomas J , May Andrew , Holbrook Carolyn , Barker Richie , Hill David , Jones Hayley , Moodie Rob , Varnava Andrekos , Westmore Ann 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Health promotion is conceived as a unifying concept for improving the health of populations. This means addressing the socio-cultural, economic and commercial causes of ill-health, which are necessarily informed by past policies and socio-cultural contexts. However, historical scholarship has rarely figured in health promotion practice or scholarship. This gap resides in the determinants of health, and notably in the analyses of tobacco control and skin cancer prevention, two long-running campaigns that have shaped modern health promotion in Australia. Both highlight a need for understanding the profound impact of history on the present and the value of learning from past successes and failures. Doing so requires integrating historical analyses into existing health promotion scholarship. To achieve this aim, we present a new ‘public health humanities’ methodology. This novel interdisciplinary framework is conceived as a spectrum in which historical studies integrate with existing health promotion disciplines to solve complex health problems. We draw on the many calls for more interdisciplinarity in health promotion and derive this methodology from proposals in the medical humanities and cognate fields that have wrestled with combining history and present-focused disciplines. Using tobacco control and skin cancer prevention as case studies, we demonstrate how public health humanities uses interdisciplinary teams and shared research questions to generate valuable new knowledge unavailable with traditional methods. Furthermore, we show how it creates evaluation criteria to consider the powerful impact of issues like colonialism on current inequities that hinder health promotion strategies, and from which lessons may be derived for the future.
Strawberry soluble solids QTL with inverse effects on yield
Authors: Fan Zhen , Verma Sujeet , Lee Hana , Jang Yoon Jeong , Wang Yu , Lee Seonghee , Whitaker Vance M 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Sugars are the main drivers of strawberry sweetness, and understanding their genetic control is of critical importance for breeding. Large-scale genome-wide association studies were performed in two populations totaling 3399 individuals evaluated for soluble solids content (SSC) and fruit yield. Two stable quantitative trait loci (QTL) on chromosome 3B and 6A for SSC were identified. Favorable haplotypes at both QTL for SSC decreased yield, though optimal allelic combinations were identified with reduced impacts on yield. Metabolites in the starch and sucrose metabolism pathway were characterized and quantified for 23 contrasting genotypes in leaves, white fruit, and red fruit. Variations in sucrose concentrations/efflux indicated genetic variation underlying sucrose accumulation and transportation during fruit ripening. Integration of genome-wide association studies and expression quantitative locus mapping identified starch synthase 4 (FxaC_10g00830) and sugar transporter 2-like candidate genes (FxaC_21g51570) within the respective QTL intervals. These results will enable immediate applications in genomics-assisted breeding for flavor and further study of candidate genes underlying genetic variation of sugar accumulation in strawberry fruit.
Application of integrative taxonomy combining phylogenetic and geometric morphometric techniques in a snapping shrimp (Alpheus) species complex (Decapoda: Caridea: Alpheidae)
Authors: Casaubon Anchita , Hultgren Kristin M , Murray Chris , Hanscom Ryan J , Hurt Carla 
Published: December 2023

AbstractSnapping shrimps of the genus AlpheusFabricius, 1798 exhibit remarkable diversity, with over 300 described species. The genus is well-known for its prevalence of species complexes, necessitating the need of new tools to facilitate species discrimination. Traditional taxonomic methods in Alpheus have primarily relied on the examination of morphological traits or comparative morphometric measurements, with an emphasis on variation in the major chela and rostro-orbital region. We applied an integrated approach that combines molecular genetics and geometric morphometrics to investigate the A. gracilipesStimpson, 1860 species complex. We additionally applied geometric morphometric techniques to study the major chela and the rostrum across different species, and used three mitochondrial genes (12S, COI, and 16S) to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of this complex. Our results demonstrate the first application of geometric morphometric techniques to Alpheus snapping shrimps, and highlight the significance of the major chela and rostrum as taxonomically informative traits. Furthermore, we use DNA barcodes and geometric morphometric techniques to the A. gracilipes species complex to reveal two previously unidentified cryptic species. We present the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this species complex, with new localities and expanded distribution ranges reported for many species.
Genetic background and thermal regime influence adaptation to novel environment in the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus
Authors: Ivimey-Cook Edward R , Piani Claudio , Hung Wei-Tse , Berg Elena C 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Climate change is associated with the increase in both the mean and variability of thermal conditions. Therefore, the use of more realistic fluctuating thermal regimes is the most appropriate laboratory method for predicting population responses to thermal heterogeneity. However, the long- and short-term implications of evolving under such conditions are not well understood. Here, we examined differences in key life-history traits among populations of seed beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus) that evolved under either constant control conditions or in an environment with fluctuating daily temperatures. Specifically, individuals from two distinct genetic backgrounds were kept for 19 generations at one of two temperatures, a constant temperature (T = 29 °C) or a fluctuating daily cycle (Tmean = 33 °C, Tmax = 40 °C, and Tmin = 26 °C), and were assayed either in their evolved environment or in the other environment. We found that beetles that evolved in fluctuating environments but were then switched to constant 29 °C conditions had far greater lifetime reproductive success compared with beetles that were kept in their evolved environments. This increase in reproductive success suggests that beetles raised in fluctuating environments may have evolved greater thermal breadth than control condition beetles. In addition, the degree of sexual dimorphism in body size and development varied as a function of genetic background, evolved thermal environment, and current temperature conditions. These results not only highlight the value of incorporating diel fluctuations into climate research but also suggest that populations that experience variability in temperature may be better able to respond to both short- and long-term changes in environmental conditions.