The online dating romance scam : causes and consequences of victimhood

The online dating romance scam is a relatively new and under-reported international crime targeting users of online dating sites. It has serious financial and emotional consequences, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. However, little if anything is known about psychological characteristics that may put people at risk of romance scam victimization, or influence how they react to it. Online daters (N=853) and participants recruited from a victim support site (N=397) completed a battery of online questionnaires. High scores on the romantic belief of Idealization were associated with likelihood of being a romance scam victim. Victims experienced significant emotional distress as well as financial losses. Even respondents who reported being fooled by scammers, but who had not lost any money, reported significant distress. Level of emotional distress was associated with high Neuroticism, and also with high Loneliness and low Openness to Experience among victims not losing money. The findings have implications for the feasibility of crime-prevention measures based on victim characteristics, and for treatment of victims by law enforcement and other stakeholders

A Limnological Study of Ricks Pond and the Gulpha Creek Drainage in Garland County, Arkansas

A limnological investigation of Ricks Pond and the Gulpha Creek drainage of Garland County, Arkansas was conducted between 1 June 1978, and 21 August 1978. Water samples taken from ten stations on three different dates indicated that the stream and pond systems were typical in water quality characteristics of other small, high gradient streams and impoundments in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. In Ricks Pond, thermal stratification occurred along with the development of an oxygen deficient zone below a depth of one meter. Other water quality parameters indicated that Ricks Pond is a moderately productive ecosystem, with the productivity limited by the nitrogen species. The fecal coliform bacterial counts were very low, indicating no direct input of excessive amounts of fecal matter into the system during the present study. However, a Hot Springs city sewer line runs through the pond, and two manholes emerge from the pond\u27s surface. The possibility exists that this sewer line could discharge raw sewage into Ricks Pond during periods of high water. A biological investigation was also conducted in the study area, and lists of the phytoplankton, periphyton, higher aquatic vegetation, zooplankton, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fishes are presented. Twenty-seven species of fishes were collected from the Gulpha Creek drainage, and no rare or endangered forms were found. Ricks Pond is best-suited for the establishment of a put- and-take fishery for channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. The following recommendations were made for the establishment of such a fishery: (1) Renovation of the pond by draining and deepening it; (2) Removal of the sewer line from the pond; (3) Stocking of catchable size channel catfish at the rate of approximately 300-400 pounds per acre; (4) Periodic monitoring of the water quality

Informant Personality Is Associated With Ratings of Memory Problems in Older Adults

Memory complaints are a key diagnostic criterion for dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment. Rating scales can be used to capture information about individuals’ memory problems from informants such as family members. However, problems with scale reliability suggest that individual differences influence the ratings informants provide. This project tested whether informants’ neuroticism was associated with their ratings of an older adult’s memory. In an online study, 293 volunteers completed a Five Factor personality questionnaire and used two memory questionnaires to provide ratings of memory problems in an older individual they knew well. Rater neuroticism correlated positively with estimates of memory problems: more neurotic informants provided higher estimates of memory difficulties in the person they were rating. A second study replicated this finding with 786 volunteers and another widely used memory measure, the AD8. In both studies, exploratory analyses suggested the effect size was large enough to impact on clinical practice

Steamboats and the Rise of the Cotton Kingdom

King Cotton and the Transportation Revolution This book is the first in-depth analysis of the relationship between the rise of southwestern steamboats and the cotton kingdom. Based on a wide array of primary research in government documents, court records, travelers accounts, antebellu...

The true self online: personality correlates of preference for self-expression online, and observer ratings of personality online and offline

Theorists have suggested some people find it easier to express their “true selves” online than in person. Among 523 participants in an online study, Shyness was positively associated with online ‘Real Me’ self location, while Conscientiousness was negatively associated with an online self. Extraversion was indirectly negatively associated with an online self, mediated by Shyness. Neuroticism was positively associated with an online self, partly mediated by Shyness. 107 online and offline friends of participants provided ratings of them. Overall, both primary participants and their observers indicated that offline relationships were closer. However, participants who located their Real Me online reported feeling closer to their online friends than did those locating their real selves offline. To test whether personality is better expressed in online or offline interactions, observers’ ratings of participants’ personalities were compared. Both online and offline observers’ ratings of Extraversion, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness correlated with participants’ self-reports. However, only offline observers’ ratings of Neuroticism correlated with participants’ own. Except for Neuroticism, the similarity of online and offline observers’ personality ratings to participants’ self-reports did not differ significantly. The study provides no evidence that online self-presentations are more authentic; indeed Neuroticism may be more visibly expressed offline

An Exploratory Study Investigating the Correlates of Sexual Health Anxiety and Preferences for Digital Services Amongst Internet Users

Background: Sexual health clinics are under increasing pressure because of the demand for sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening services. Sexual health anxiety has been associated with increased clinic attendance and repeat screening. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the level of sexual health anxiety and its correlates in adults in England and their opinions on digital sexual health services. Setting and Design: An online cross-sectional study was conducted between May 2019 and January 2020 among internet users living in England aged 18 years and older. Methods: Participants were recruited from advertisements on social media (eg, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Reddit), and data were collected via an online Qualtrics survey. Statistical Analysis: Multiple regression analyses were used to identify correlates of sexual health anxiety. Results: One-hundred and thirty-eight participants completed the survey (mean age = 29.25, SD = 11.29; 51% male, 81% White, and 56% educated to the degree level). Average sexual health anxiety was mild (M = 2.19, SD = .79), and the average subscale values ranged from 1.88 (SD = .92) to 2.67 (SD = 1.25). Higher sexual health anxiety was predicted by a higher frequency of obsessive-compulsive behavior and a greater risk perception of STIs. There were some overlaps between the predictors of subtypes, but further research is needed. Conclusion: Despite the levels of sexual health anxiety in the sample, the acceptability of digital sexual health services was high, but preferences leaned heavily toward face-to-face and in-person interaction

Corruption, Foreign Direct Investment and the Cost of Doing Business in Vietnam

Corruption is a key impediment to: foreign direct investment, an accurate measurement of political risk, and a barrier to effective corporate governance. By examining the political structure of Vietnam and the impediments created by corruption, this paper defines some of the difficulties with investing in Vietnam. However, with regard to the sugar industry, some solutions have emerged with companies taking direct control of contracting, offering credit, and the building of infrastructure

Interest Rate Parity in Excel

This paper develops interest rate parity in a framework that is easily implemented in Excel. The student can either be given the paper to see how the code is developed using the intuition of the interest rate parity framework or the student can be taught the interest rate parity framework and develop the Excel code as an assignment. Using either teaching method or the other exercises suggested in the paper, the student is able to understand how traders exploit violations of interest parity and become more comfortable with basic concepts, such as direct quotes and indirect quotes