No abstract

No abstract

California beach plants are capable of dealing with harsh conditions, but little is known about how this community responds to human-induced impacts. The objective of this paper is to determine if beaches experiencing higher degrees of impacts from trampling have more cover of two common plant species thought to grow particularly well under difficult conditions, Ambrosia chamissonis (Less.) Greene and Cakile maritima Scop. Seventeen sites were sampled between 2007 and 2009 with one meter wide belt transects and the sites were divided into three groups; high (people walk anywhere on the beach), medium (foot traffic is restricted to trails), and low impact levels (little to no access). Cover of all species present were recorded. Cover of A. chamissonis is statistically higher on beaches with a high level of impact than low and medium levels. Cakile maritima cover is statistically higher on beaches with medium levels than those with low or high levels of impact. However, the total cover of all species is not significantly different between any level of impact.

Introduction Few longitudinal studies have examined the joint impact of neighborhood segregation and neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES) in cognitive decline over time. Methods This study included non‐Hispanic White (NHW, n = 209) and Black participants ( n = 118) whose cognition was evaluated as part of an ongoing longitudinal study. Four distinct categories of segregation and NSES were evaluated for their association with cognitive outcomes (episodic memory, semantic memory, executive function, and spatial ability) using race‐specific mixed‐effects models. Results Compared to Black participants living in higher segregation‐lower NSES areas, Black participants living in lower segregation‐lower NSES areas or higher segregation‐higher NSES areas experienced slower decline in episodic memory over time. Compared to NHW participants living in higher segregation‐lower NSES areas, NHWs living in lower segregation‐higher NSES areas experienced faster decline in spatial ability. Discussion Segregation and NSES are differentially associated with cognition depending on participant race. Further research is needed to replicate study results.

Background: Social determinants of health, including neighborhood factors, play a key role in the health of diverse older adults. Yet few longitudinal studies have examined the role of neighborhood racial/ethnic segregation on cognitive function and cognitive decline in both Latinos and Blacks, two populations at greater risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. We examined how one measure of residential segregation is associated with cognitive outcomes in a diverse cohort. Methods:We evaluated older non-Hispanic White (NHW), Black, and Latino participants evaluated at the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Individual level addresses were geocoded at the initial visit and appended to U.S. Census 2010 data.Residential segregation was measured using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic; this spatial measure of clustering was created for Latino and Black clustering separately. Cognitive outcomes included validated measures of episodic memory, semantic memory, and executive function. We used mixed effects multivariate regression models to evaluate associations between segregation and cognitive function and decline, controlling for age, sex, education, cognitive status at initial visit, clinic versus community recruited, site, vascular risk score, number of visits, neighborhood SES, and population density. Results:The sample included 452 participants (mean age=75, SD = 7), 64% female, and 46% NHW, 26% Black, and 21% Latino, in 309 census tracts/neighborhoods. In racestratified adjusted analyses, Blacks demonstrated worse episodic memory at baseline among those living in neighborhoods with a higher clustering of Blacks (ß = -0.046; 95% CI: -0.075, -0.016) and worse executive function at baseline among those living in neighborhoods with a higher clustering of Latinos (ß = -0.025; 95% CI: -0.042, -0.008). Latinos demonstrated slower annual declines on episodic memory when living in neighborhoods with a greater clustering of Blacks (ß = 0.008; 95% CI: 0.004, 0.011) and/or Latinos (ß = 0.003; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.005). NHWs had slower annual declines on semantic memory when living in neighborhoods with a greater clustering of Latinos (ß = 0.005; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.008).Conclusions: There may be some benefit for Latinos and NHWs living in ethnically clustered neighborhoods. Future research is needed to further investigate these findings.