The social distress syndrome of our time.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adaptation, Psychological↗
SEARCH · PubMed Health
Results for “social evolution”
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
A moral history of the evolution of a caste of workers.
Using a dialectic method of philosophic inquiry, the actual ethical, legal, and social situation associated with genetic testing of beryllium-exposed workers in Department of Energy nuclear weapons facilities for markers of chronic beryllium disease is described. The cultural evolution of a caste system in a similar situation, and its social and biological implications, among uranium miners in the Erz Gebirge of Central Europe and on the Colorado Plateau of the United States, marked by suicide and lung disease, including cancer, is also described. The historically persistent social disease resulting from these situations. The Masada Syndrome, named from an analogous situation in biblical times, is characterized. Cultural intervention, a necessary condition for the ethical progression of the Human Genome Project, is outlined.
Berylliosis↗
From concept to practice: including the social determinants of health in environmental assessments.
The present paper examines the historical evolution of health impact assessments as part of the environmental assessment process. The development of a coherent public health framework must be based on the model of determinants of health, integrating toxic and infectious risks and social impacts of projects. The integration of common concepts, processes and methodologies from the area of public health and social impact assessment challenges the quantitative model approach to risk assessment. The expert-driven risk assessment is transformed into a social learning process where local knowledge and scientific input foster a dialogue among stakeholders. The issue-oriented, iterative and participative assessment process may be applied to the health impact assessment of public policies. Sustainable development with its social objectives of empowerment, participation, equity, poverty alleviation, social cohesion, population stability and institutional development is an appropriate framework for conducting health impact assessments.
Canada↗
Kidneys, ethics, and politics: policy lessons of the ESRD experience.
This article examines the policy lessons to be learned from the American experience with the End-Stage Renal Disease program. This program was instituted in 1972 as an amendment to the Social Security Act to provide reimbursement for the costs of therapy to those persons suffering from renal failure. The article tries to debunk certain common myths that have arisen concerning the ESRD program, by examining the history and evolution of renal dialysis technology as well as the social policies concerning dialysis pursued in England and Sweden. It argues that while the ESRD program is not a genuine instance of a 'mini' national health insurance program, there are important moral, social, and policy lessons to be learned from this unique effort to provide renal therapies to those Americans in need.
Ethics, Medical↗
Social networks in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata).
Social network theory is used to elicit details of the social structure of a population of free-ranging guppies, Poecilia reticulata. They were found to have a complex and highly structured social network, which exhibited characteristics consistent with the 'small world' phenomenon. Stable partner associations between individuals were observed, a finding that fulfils the basic prerequisite for the evolution of reciprocal altruism. The findings are discussed in relation to the ecology and evolution of the wild population, highlighting the potential application of network theory to social associations in animals.
Animals↗
SAINT-BARTH'ELEMY: PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY OF AN ISOLATE.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Anthropology↗
The Mozart effect: tracking the evolution of a scientific legend.
Theories of the diffusion of ideas in social psychology converge on the assumption that shared beliefs (e.g., social representations, rumours and legends) propagate because they address the needs or concerns of social groups. But little empirical research exists demonstrating this link. We report three media studies of the diffusion of a scientific legend as a particular kind of shared belief. We studied the Mozart effect (ME), the idea that listening to classical music enhances intelligence. Study 1 showed that the ME elicited more persistent media attention than other science reports and this attention increased when the ME was manifested in events outside of science. Study 2 suggested that diffusion of the ME may have responded to varying levels of collective anxiety. Study 3 demonstrated how the content of the ME evolved during diffusion. The results provide evidence for the functionality of diffusion of ideas and initial elements for a model of the emergence and evolution of scientific legends.
Adolescent↗
[Data interchange in blood transfusion: the impact of a new standard on the evolution of health electronic data exchange in France].
The sanitary and social data interchange within care establishments or networks is today the subject of many national or international considerations. Electronic data interchange in the health field has characteristics linked to ethical and deontological principles of care staff. Used daily, this tool contributes to the quality of care, to the optimization of patient treatment and to the organization of the system care. In the transfusion field, the standardization of messages related to the traceability of blood products in now required by the No. 2 instruction of French Blood Agency, which rules the using of national norms elaborated by the French Agency of Normalization. If the technicality is the greater part of these regulated and formalized messages, this standardization systematizes and justifies the nominative and ciphered data interchange in an open environment, opening a new dimension in the interoperability of data system between care establishments. This article analyzes the characteristics and the potential impact of this normalization on the evolution of the electronic data interchange in the health field.
Blood Transfusion↗
Radiation of chromosome shuffles.
Rock wallabies, Petrogale, exhibit chromosome diversity that is exceptional in marsupials, with 20 distinct chromosome races being recognized. Many of the karyotypic changes identified within Petrogale appear to be recent, although the rate of chromosome evolution varies between taxa. While the patchy distribution of Petrogale and their social structure would facilitate the fixation of novel rearrangements, these factors alone do not explain the pattern of chromosome evolution shown in this group. The chromosome changes that have come to characterize each taxon may offer selective advantages in the particular areas occupied, or it may be that these rearrangements play an important role in reproductive isolation. In Petrogale, the taxa with the largest number of chromosome rearrangements are those that are sympatric, or have multiple zones of parapatry, with other members of the genus. Male hybrids from a variety of chromosomal admixtures were found to be sterile, but with those heterozygous for the least complex rearrangements being least affected. As expected, equivalent female hybrids were less severely affected. Chromosomal and genic changes both appear important in these processes.
Animals↗
Urine marking and territoriality in Galago alleni (Waterhouse, 1837--Lorisoidea, Primates)--a field study by radio-telemetry.
A wild population of Galago alleni was controlled by trapping and followed by radio-tracking in the equatorial rainforest of Gaboon during three study periods of 3 months each in 1972, 73 and 75. The disposition of territories and the social organization are described, as well as their evolution through time. A new technique of radio telemetry permitted identification and localization of urine marking in wild galagos. Urine marking took place throughout the territory, with a fourfold increase in frequency in zones where there is a slight overlap with neighbouring territories (female--female or male--male). The function of urine washing (wetting of the soles of the feet with urine) is discussed in relation to five hypotheses proposed by different authors, and th data obtained in the field in Gaboon. We interpret this behaviour as a means of dispersal of urine marks (social signals) in a three-dimensional milieu where displacement by a combination of leaping and running creates numerous pathways.
Animals↗
Evolutionary origins of stigmatization: the functions of social exclusion.
A reconceptualization of stigma is presented that changes the emphasis from the devaluation of an individual's identity to the process by which individuals who satisfy certain criteria come to be excluded from various kinds of social interactions. The authors propose that phenomena currently placed under the general rubric of stigma involve a set of distinct psychological systems designed by natural selection to solve specific problems associated with sociality. In particular, the authors suggest that human beings possess cognitive adaptations designed to cause them to avoid poor social exchange partners, join cooperative groups (for purposes of between-group competition and exploitation), and avoid contact with those who are differentially likely to carry communicable pathogens. The evolutionary view contributes to the current conceptualization of stigma by providing an account of the ultimate function of stigmatization and helping to explain its consensual nature.
Adaptation, Psychological↗
The Polyvagal Theory: phylogenetic contributions to social behavior.
The scientific legacy of Paul MacLean provides important insights into the neural substrate of adaptive social behavior in mammals. Through his research and visionary conceptualizations, current investigators can legitimately study social behavior from a neurobiological perspective. His research and writings provided three important contributions. First, he emphasized the importance of evolution as an organizing principle that shaped both the structure of the nervous system and the adaptive social behavior. Second, by defining the limbic system, he legitimized the biological perspective in the study of emotion. Third, he recognized the important role of the vagal afferents in the regulation of higher brain structures. The paper will focus on the Polyvagal Theory. The Polyvagal Theory is a new conceptualization of the role of vagus and employs several features that MacLean emphasized including the importance of evolution, limbic structures and vagal afferents. The Polyvagal Theory builds on these early findings by MacLean and focuses on the link between phylogenetic changes in the autonomic nervous system and social behavior. By focusing on the phylogenetic changes in the structure of the vagus and the role that the vagus plays in the neural regulation of visceral state, new insights regarding social behavior emerge. Moreover, by articulating the phylogenetically organized hierarchy of neural circuits, insights into benefits of social behavior become evident as do an understanding of the behavioral and physiological features associated with stress and psychiatric disorders.
Animals↗
[Treatment of breast and uterus cancer: physiological and psychological impact on sexual function].
The analysis of the impact of breast and uterus cancer and their treatments on sexual function remains a tricky approach, especially due to some difficulties of communication between patient and medical staff. Some cultural, social, physiological and psychological considerations can change the evolution of sexual function during and after cancer treatment. For breast cancer, mastectomy or conservative approach, as well as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, can induce a modification of body image, femininity, power of seduction and sexuality. For uterus cancer, radio-surgical treatments can induce local (shrinking or vagina dryness,...) or general (early menopause) modifications leading to a decrease of sexual relations. The present analysis of the literature gives a better knowledge of the sexual function troubles according to the type, stage and treatment of the cancer as well as the context in which it appears, especially in regard to personal, family (couple relation before the disease occurrence), social and cultural considerations. A critical point is to introduce, as soon as possible, in the therapeutic program, a global approach including side effects on sexual function and to analyze very carefully the own ability of the patient to manage the difficulties occurring during the treatment.
Adult↗
Neocortex size and behavioural ecology in primates.
The neocortex is widely held to have been the focus of mammalian brain evolution, but what selection pressures explain the observed diversity in its size and structure? Among primates, comparative studies suggest that neocortical evolution is related to the cognitive demands of sociality, and here I confirm that neocortex size and social group size are positively correlated once phylogenetic associations and overall brain size are taken into account. This association holds within haplorhine but not strepsirhine primates. In addition, the neocortex is larger in diurnal than in nocturnal primates, and among diurnal haplorhines its size is positively correlated with the degree of frugivory. These ecological correlates reflect the diverse sensory-cognitive functions of the neocortex.
Animals↗
The ventral premotor cortex, corticospinal region C, and the origin of primates.
In addition to its projection to the brainstem, the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) sends axons directly to the upper cervical spinal cord in primates, with few terminations more caudally in either the cervical enlargement or in the lumbosacral spinal segments. This finding suggests that PMv plays a role in the control of head movements. Furthermore, comparative neuroanatomical studies indicate that PMv's corticospinal projection was a primate innovation. If the first primates adapted to an arboreal life that involved unimanual feeding, as some experts believe, then perhaps PMv's corticospinal projection evolved to coordinate head movements with this kind of feeding behavior. The computations underlying such control could later be adapted to control head orientation during social signaling.
Animals↗
Sex work in Tallinn, Estonia: the sociospatial penetration of sex work into society.
BACKGROUND: It is important to describe and understand the underlying patterns and dynamics that govern sex work in societies undergoing rapid political and social changes, its heterogeneity across populations, and its evolution through time in order to inform future research, sound policy formation, and programme delivery. OBJECTIVES: To describe the socioeconomic and cultural determinants, organisational structure, distinct categories, and spatial patterning of sex work in Tallinn, Estonia, and identify recent temporal changes in sex work patterns. METHODS: In-depth interviews with key informants; naturalistic observations of sex work and drug use venues, geo-mapping of sex work sites, review of media, public policy, and commissioned reports, and analyses of existing data. RESULTS: Sex work takes place in a hierarchy of locations in Tallinn ranging from elite brothels and "love flats" to truck stops. These sites vary in terms of their public health importance and social organisation. There are full time, part time, and intermittent male and female sex workers. Among others, the taxi driver, madam and the bartender are central roles in the organisation of sex work in Tallinn. Cell phone and internet technology enable sex work to be highly dispersed and spatially mobile. CONCLUSION: Future research and programmatic service delivery or outreach efforts should respond to the changing profile of sex work in Tallinn and its implications for STD/HIV epidemiology.
Adolescent↗
The future of language.
The world's language system is undergoing rapid change because of demographic trends, new technology, and international communication. These changes will affect both written and spoken communication. English may not be the dominant language of the future, and the need to be multilingual will be enhanced. Although many languages are going extinct, new ones are emerging in cities and extended social groups.
Cultural Evolution↗