WWU Lifestyles Project Follow-up: Patterns of Alcohol and Drug Consumption and Consequences among Western Washington University Students

Executive Summary: In response to both internal and national findings and concerns, the first Western Washington University Lifestyles Project Survey of alcohol and drug usage among Western students was conducted in 1992 as part of the University\u27s on-going effort (a) to investigate students\u27 college experience both in and out of the classroom; (b) to enhance those experiences which lead to personal and academic success; and (c) to reduce risk factors jeopardizing student success. The 1995 WWU Lifestyles Project Survey follow-up has the same goals as its predecessor. Both surveys were administered to random samples of students across all years in school (freshmen through senior). Demographically, the 1995 survey cohort of 489 respondents I mirrored the overall population of 1995 Western students by gender, ethnicity, and age. In the 1992 report, researchers concluded that three patterns of alcohol use existed among Western students: 1) a sizable number reported no-to-low drinking patterns, with nearly a quarter reporting not drinking at all; 2) among drinkers only, about a third reported typical drinking patterns best described as moderate; and 3) also among drinkers only, patterns emerged that would be considered heavy drinking, with nearly a third of drinkers indicating they binged on typical occasions, and nearly two-thirds indicating they binged on peak occasions. For the most part, national findings were similar. Generally, drinking patterns changed little between 1992 and 1995; however, there were some encouraging trends to note. For one, though students in 1995 did not report drinking any less frequently, they did appear to be drinking in lesser quantities than they were in 1992. For instance, the percentage of students who drank seven or more drinks on typical occasions fell 1.7% (from 16.3% in 1992 to 14.6% in 1995), while the percentage of students who drank seven or more drinks on peak occasions fell 6.8% (from 40.6% in 1992 to 33.8% in 1995). Furthermore, the percentage of students who had five or more drinks on typical occasions remained nearly the same (33.8% in 1992 vs. 34.1% in 1995). These changes in the quantity of student drinking come at a time when the use of alcohol is beginning to see increases at the high school level. For instance, findings from Western\u27s 1995 was the first year since 1981 that there increases rather than decreases in the percentage of college-bound high school seniors indicating they had drank beer, wine, or liquor. For alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs, such trends might forebode even harder work ahead. The 1995 Lifestyles Survey found that not as many students indicated experiencing a negative effect due to drinking--down 3.0% from 1992. Promising also was the higher percentage of students indicating that they had never driven after two, or after four drinks. However, even though fewer students in 1995 indicated experiencing no negative effects due to alcohol use, certain findings indicated that those who did experience negative effects may have had more negative experiences than students in 1992; for instance, the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Inventory (RAPI) mean, a measure of overall negative effects due to alcohol, was up slightly from 4.3 in 1992 to 4.5 in 1995. It may be, however, that current survey students who experienced and possibly had slightly more negative effects due to alcohol use may continue, like they did in 1992, to be unable to recognize the negative effect alcohol may be having in their lives. Findings from the 1995 survey indicated that while only 3.1% of respondents indicated any likelihood of drinking impairing their ability to complete homework assignments, 18.1% indicated that they had experienced at least one incident where they were unable to study for a test or complete homework due to drinking. This percentage of difference of 15.0% was higher than the 12.4% discrepancy found for 1992 survey respondents. There is, in other words, some indication that students have a blind spot when it comes to their perception of how alcohol may impair their academics. Regarding drug usage, the most important finding that emerged was that more students in 1995 indicated they had used marijuana than in 1992. At this point, use remains relatively infrequent, with only 6.4% indicating they used marijuana more often than 2-3 times a month. Yet like alcohol use, there appears to be more acceptance of marijuana use than there has been in the past. Findings from Western\u27s 1995 survey of in-coming freshmen indicated the highest percentage of freshmen since 1976 support the idea of legalizing marijuana (44.2% compared to the all-time low of 16.4% in 1989). Regarding sexual activity, students continue to feel that they are not particularly at risk of either sexually transmitted diseases (STD\u27s) or pregnancy. Well over forty percent of students indicated they never used condoms when they had sexual intercourse, and well over sixty percent did not use a condom during their most recent sexual intercourse. And while few students indicated that they had had unwanted sex, for those students who had, most were females. On those occasions when a student had unwanted sex, alcohol was involved about a third of the time

PB1746 A Landowner\u27s Guide to Native Warm-Season Grasses in the Mid-South

Version 3.

Analysis of Regional Mechanics in Canine Lung Injury Using Forced Oscillations and 3D Image Registration

Acute lung injury is characterized by heterogeneity of regional mechanical properties, which is thought to be correlated with disease severity. The feasibility of using respiratory input impedance ($Z_{rs}$) and computed tomographic (CT) image registration for assessing parenchymal mechanical heterogeneity was evaluated. In six dogs, measurements of ($Z_{rs}$) before and after oleic acid injury at various distending pressures were obtained, followed by whole lung CT scans. Each ($Z_{rs}$) spectrum was fit with a model incorporating variable distributions of regional compliances. CT image pairs at different inflation pressures were matched using an image registration algorithm, from which distributions of regional compliances from the resulting anatomic deformation fields were computed. Under baseline conditions, average model compliance decreased with increasing inflation pressure, reflecting parenchymal stiffening. After lung injury, these average compliances decreased at each pressure, indicating derecruitment, alveolar flooding, or alterations in intrinsic tissue elastance. However, average compliance did not change as inflation pressure increased, consistent with simultaneous recruitment and strain stiffening. Image registration revealed peaked distributions of regional compliances, and that small portions of the lung might undergo relative compression during inflation. The authors conclude that assessments of lung function using ($Z_{rs}$) combined with the structural alterations inferred from image registration provide unique but complementary information on the mechanical derangements associated with lung injury

PB1752 Native Warm-Season Grasses: Identification, Establishment and Management for Wildlife and Forage Production in the Mid-South

Please note: This file is 11 MB and 192 pages. Version 4.

WWU Lifestyles Project: Patterns of Alcohol and Drug Consumption and Consequences among Western Washington University Students

Executive Summary: This report, besides presenting the Lifestyles Project findings, summaries and discussion, contains two important Appendices. Appendix A consists of Western\u27s Comprehensive Plan to Combat Student Alcohol Abuse, Including Underage Drinking, as as submitted to the Higher Education Coordinating Board. Appendix B consists of preliminary findings on the effectiveness of the Wellness Hall. The executive summary includes summaries of all three of these sections. Lifestyles Project Findings The WWU Lifestyles Project surveyed a randomly selected, stratified sample of 2500 students enrolled at Western during spring quarter, 1992, regarding their use of alcohol and drugs, the consequences of using, and motivation to change patterns of use. Completed questionnaires were received from 1217 students for a nearly 50% return rate Overall, the results of the survey suggested that a large proportion of the student population (76.6 %), including those under the legal age, drink alcohol at least once a month. While factors such as class standing and age affected level of alcohol consumption, differences by gender were the most dramatic. Generally speaking, while males and females keep pace in their frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption up to a point, at higher levels of consumption men tend to drink more often and in larger quantities than females. Moreover, males tend to report the highest rates of at risk drinking; that is, drinking at a binge level (5+ drinks at one setting) and higher. At Western, as nationwide, alcohol is the drug of choice for college students, with survey respondents reporting relatively scant use of drugs like cocaine and LSD, and low use of marijuana. Patterns of alcohol use at Western appear threefold: 1) nearly a quarter of survey respondents reported no drinking at all in the previous month; 2) of respondents indicating any frequency of drinking whatsoever (about three-quarters of the survey population), 31.3% reported drinking 1-2 drinks and 22.7% reported drinking 3-4 drinks on typical occasions, which places them in a low to moderate drinking norm; and 3) of respondents indicating any frequency of drinking whatsoever, 29.8% reported binge drinking on typical occasions and 57.2% reported binge drinking on peak occasions. This last drinking pattern suggests that an alcohol environment may exist at Western that contributes to substantial social and academic risks for Western students. Issues of concern include that a substantial percentage (67.4%) of those who report any frequency of drinking whatsoever were under the legal drinking age, and that well over half of the respondents overall (64.0%) reported at least one alcohol-related problem in the last six months. Of particular relevance to the academic mission of university life are the discrepancies found between students\u27 perception for risk of negative academic consequences due to alcohol-related effects and the actual occurrence of those outcomes. Actual occurrences were nearly double and sometimes treble that of perceived risk. These findings suggest that perception of vulnerability to negative alcohol effects may differ enough from actual occurrences of negative alcohol effects to pose a threat to students\u27 academic success and persistence. Although the university has raised awareness of campus alcohol and drug policies and programs--nearly two-thirds of respondents reported they knew of such efforts—most respondents stated that official university policies and programs do not effect their own personal levels of use. Comprehensive Plan to Combat Student Alcohol Abuse In response to the alcohol predicament on campus, WWU has developed a comprehensive plan for combating student alcohol abuse and its consequent negative academic, health, and social outcomes. WWU\u27s plan anticipates improvement in reducing the incidence of student alcohol abuse both on and around campus because it is based on the public health model, which views both individual students who drink and the environments in which they drink as the targets for major interventions. Based on the systems approach inherent within the public health model, WWU will utilize four major strategies to decrease both individual problem use of alcohol and the drinking norms on campus: 1) primary prevention seeks to reduce risk for alcohol problems or prevent the occurrence of alcohol abuse and/or underage drinking before those problems occur; 2) secondary prevention programs seek to halt, reverse, or retard alcohol abuse problems after they have occurred, but before they lead to life-altering or life-threatening consequences; 3) tertiary prevention efforts seek to reduce the risks of severe alcohol abuse, and 4) health promotion efforts seek to develop positive environments and community policies, rules, and norms that support and encourage students who are already making choices not to abuse alcohol or to drink illegally thereby leading to the creation of a new critical mass who do not view alcohol abuse as a typical and expected feature of college life. (See Appendix A.) Wellness Hall: Preliminary Findings University Residences and the Primary Prevention and Wellness Center collaborated to open the wellness residence hall at WWU in Fall Quarter, 1993. The creating of four floors of Nash Hall as an alcohol and drug free zone was made possible by a FIPSE grant. Participating students signed substance-free living agreements, thereby voluntarily committing to abstain from the use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs while residing on campus. During its first quarter of existence, there were no violations of this voluntary code. Furthermore, some preliminary information--reduced vandalism and fewer alcohol related incidents--suggests that students in the wellness community are consuming less alcohol than their counterparts in a correspondent freshmen residence hall. An initial administration of the CORE alcohol and drug survey also suggests that students residing in the wellness community are choosing to consume less alcohol

Forage Systems to Optimize Agronomic and Economic Performance in Organic Dairy Systems

Organic dairy production in the USA is growing, but most forage systems research focuses on conventional production practices. As a result, organic dairy producers have limited science-based information to assist with farm and livestock management. The objective of this project was to use a multi-faceted approach to determine the ideal species mixtures for organic dairy production as well as document forage quality, forage yield, soil characteristics, milk production and milk quality during the grazing season. The forages studied ranged from a single species monoculture to a four species mixture of warm and cool season grasses and legumes. Nine distinct forage systems were seeded into small plots at the University of Tennessee and University of Kentucky research farms using organic practices. These plots were monitored for three years for yield, quality, species composition, and soil characteristics. The four best performing forage systems were planted in small paddocks on organic dairy farms in Tennessee and Kentucky to evaluate forage yield, forage quality, seasonality of production, and suitability for on-farm milk production. The superior forage system was established on a 4 ha paddock and compared the existing forage system used by each of the dairy farms. These larger paddocks allowed continued measurements of forage yield and quality, as well as measurements of milk production, milk quality, and grazing behaviour of the animals. The information from this project is currently being incorporated into a total farm management system for organic dairy producers in the Southeastern USA

Myelopathy following intrathecal chemotherapy in a patient with extensive burkitt's lymphoma and altered immune status

A 30-year-old homosexual man presented with widespread Burkitt's lymphoma. On the basis of immunologic and viral studies, he was suspected of having the acquired Immune deficiency syndrome. Following chemotherapy that included Intrathecal cytosine arabinoside and methotrexate, brain stem edema, paraplegia, and an elevated cerebrospinal fluid level of myelin basic protein developed. Autopsy revealed vacuolar demyelination of spinal cord, brain stem, and cerebellum. The pathologic findings were similar to those reported to occur In myelopathy associated with intrathecal chemotherapy, but far more extensive. The contribution of the suspected acquired immune deficiency syndrome is unknown.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/25727/1/0000284.pd

Embedded Weapons-Grade Tungsten Alloy Shrapnel Rapidly Induces Metastatic High-Grade Rhabdomyosarcomas in F344 Rats

Continuing concern regarding the potential health and environmental effects of depleted uranium and lead has resulted in many countries adding tungsten alloy (WA)-based munitions to their battlefield arsenals as replacements for these metals. Because the alloys used in many munitions are relatively recent additions to the list of militarily relevant metals, very little is known about the health effects of these metals after internalization as embedded shrapnel. Previous work in this laboratory developed a rodent model system that mimicked shrapnel loads seen in wounded personnel from the 1991 Persian Gulf War. In the present study, we used that system and male F344 rats, implanted intramuscularly with pellets (1 mm × 2 mm cylinders) of weapons-grade WA, to simulate shrapnel wounds. Rats were implanted with 4 (low dose) or 20 pellets (high dose) of WA. Tantalum (20 pellets) and nickel (20 pellets) served as negative and positive controls, respectively. The high-dose WA-implanted rats (n = 46) developed extremely aggressive tumors surrounding the pellets within 4–5 months after implantation. The low-dose WA-implanted rats (n = 46) and nickel-implanted rats (n = 36) also developed tumors surrounding the pellets but at a slower rate. Rats implanted with tantalum (n = 46), an inert control metal, did not develop tumors. Tumor yield was 100% in both the low- and high-dose WA groups. The tumors, characterized as high-grade pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcomas by histopathology and immunohistochemical examination, rapidly metastasized to the lung and necessitated euthanasia of the animal. Significant hematologic changes, indicative of polycythemia, were also observed in the high-dose WA-implanted rats. These changes were apparent as early as 1 month postimplantation in the high-dose WA rats, well before any overt signs of tumor development. These results point out the need for further studies investigating the health effects of tungsten and tungsten-based alloys

Effects of red clover isoflavones on tall fescue seed fermentation and microbial populations \u3ci\u3ein vitro\u3c/i\u3e

Negative impacts of endophyte-infected Lolium arundinaceum (Darbyshire) (tall fescue) are responsible for over $2 billion in losses to livestock producers annually. While the influence of endophyte-infected tall fescue has been studied for decades, mitigation methods have not been clearly elucidated. Isoflavones found in Trifolium pratense (red clover) have been the subject of recent research regarding tall fescue toxicosis mitigation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of ergovaline and red clover isoflavones on rumen microbial populations, fiber degradation, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) in an in vitro system. Using a dose of 1.10 mg × L-1, endophyte-infected or endophyte-free tall fescue seed was added to ANKOM fiber bags with or without 2.19 mg of isoflavones in the form of a control, powder, or pulverized tablet, resulting in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangements of treatments. Measurements of pH, VFA, bacterial taxa, as well as the disappearance of neutral detergent fiber (aNDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and crude protein (CP) were taken after 48 h of incubation. aNDF disappearance values were significantly altered by seed type (P = 0.003) and isoflavone treatment (P = 0.005), and ADF disappearance values were significantly different in a seed × isoflavone treatment interaction (P ≤ 0.05). A seed × isoflavone treatment interaction was also observed with respect to CP disappearance (P ≤ 0.05). Eighteen bacterial taxa were significantly altered by seed × isoflavone treatment interaction groups (P ≤ 0.05), eight bacterial taxa were increased by isoflavones (P ≤ 0.05), and ten bacterial taxa were altered by seed type (P ≤ 0.05). Due to the beneficial effect of isoflavones on tall fescue seed fiber degradation, these compounds may be viable options for mitigating fescue toxicosis. Further research should be conducted to determine physiological implications as well as microbiological changes in vivo

Effects of Red Clover Isoflavones on Tall Fescue Seed Fermentation and Microbial Populations \u3cem\u3eIn Vitro\u3c/em\u3e

Negative impacts of endophyte-infected Lolium arundinaceum (Darbyshire) (tall fescue) are responsible for over $2 billion in losses to livestock producers annually. While the influence of endophyte-infected tall fescue has been studied for decades, mitigation methods have not been clearly elucidated. Isoflavones found in Trifolium pratense (red clover) have been the subject of recent research regarding tall fescue toxicosis mitigation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of ergovaline and red clover isoflavones on rumen microbial populations, fiber degradation, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) in an in vitro system. Using a dose of 1.10 mg × L-1, endophyte-infected or endophyte-free tall fescue seed was added to ANKOM fiber bags with or without 2.19 mg of isoflavones in the form of a control, powder, or pulverized tablet, resulting in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangements of treatments. Measurements of pH, VFA, bacterial taxa, as well as the disappearance of neutral detergent fiber (aNDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and crude protein (CP) were taken after 48 h of incubation. aNDF disappearance values were significantly altered by seed type (P = 0.003) and isoflavone treatment (P = 0.005), and ADF disappearance values were significantly different in a seed × isoflavone treatment interaction (P ≤ 0.05). A seed × isoflavone treatment interaction was also observed with respect to CP disappearance (P ≤ 0.05). Eighteen bacterial taxa were significantly altered by seed × isoflavone treatment interaction groups (P ≤ 0.05), eight bacterial taxa were increased by isoflavones (P ≤ 0.05), and ten bacterial taxa were altered by seed type (P ≤ 0.05). Due to the beneficial effect of isoflavones on tall fescue seed fiber degradation, these compounds may be viable options for mitigating fescue toxicosis. Further research should be conducted to determine physiological implications as well as microbiological changes in vivo