I Did What Last Night? Adolescent Risky Sexual Behaviors and Substance Abuse

Risky sexual behaviors by teenagers have shown to be strongly correlated with drug and alcohol consumption. The purpose of this study is to examine the question of whether alcohol and drug use increases the likelihood that teenagers will engage in four risky sexual behaviors: having sex, sex with multiple partners, sex without a condom, and sex without birth control. Two-stage least squares and a reduced form model are used to account for the potential endogeneity of substance use. The finding that alcohol consumption (as defined by either heavy drinking or drinking any amount) is unrelated to the probability of having sex is consistent with the findings of previous studies that also account for the potential endogeneity of alcohol consumption. The findings imply that the risky behaviors of sexually active teens, who may have made the decision long ago to become sexually active, might be altered through policies designed to reduce alcohol consumption.

GUATEMALA'S NTFP HARVESTING INDUSTRY: IDENTIFYING STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS AND ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE MAYA BIOSPHERE RESERVE

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have long been harvested in forested tropical regions for individual consumption as well as for commercial purposes. They contribute both to local livelihoods and sustainable forest management. The NTFP industry in northern Guatemala operates across the Maya Biosphere Reserve, within the concessions that constitute a large share of the land. Each concession has their own sustainable forest management plan, participating in the harvest of different products seasonally. In this study, the harvest of the ramon nut (Brosimum alicastrum) and the xate palm (Chameadorea oblongataare) will be examined in five different NTFP harvesting cooperatives. The objectives of this study are to provide a deeper understanding of the structure of NTFP harvesting regimes by examining the types of roles, i.e. activities or positions, that exist in NTFP harvesting, who holds which roles, and how the roles may vary for different products and between different communities that participate in NTFP collection. The quantity and types of various roles associated with the NTFP harvesting process in participating communities and whether or not these roles change in accordance to demographic information (gender, age, income) were examined. Further comparative analyses allowed for the assessment of differences in operations across different NTFPs and/or harvesting locations. It was determined that there are two essential roles: Collector (i.e. harvester) and processor. These roles do not vary across the concessions, revealing a cohesive NTFP industry structure. Further analysis of these roles reveals that gender does impact the role that a participant will have, but age and income do not. Data on age and income present implications for long-term sustainability of the NTFP industry in the future. The concerns for long-term sustainability arise from the age demographic that participates in harvesting, the wages participants earn and how wages contribute to their income portfolios.Dr. Brent SohngenDr. Bayron MilianDepartment of Agricultural, Environmental and Development EconomicsAsociacion de las Comunidades Forestales del Peten (ACOFOP, Guatemala)Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP, Guatemala)SENR Small Grant, Dr. Lauren PintorHonors and Scholars Enrichment GrantNo embargoAcademic Major: Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainabilit

Capital Mediators: American Mining Engineers in the U.S. Southwest and Mexico, 1850-1914

This dissertation analyzes the technical work and social milieu of American mining engineers to understand the daily negotiations by which private U.S. capital reached up to and across the southwestern border as part of an ongoing project of American territorial and economic expansion. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, American mining engineers traveled all over the world as expert consultants and labor managers. The business negotiations, elite social networks, and gendered discourse of expertise\u27 invoked by these technocratic professionals were critical influences in bringing the hard-rock mining districts of North America into the economic system of the United States. By integrating the history of technical experts into the history of the transnational mining industry, my research contributes to an understanding of the process by which American economic hegemony was established in a border region peripheral to the federal governments of both Washington, D.C. and Mexico City

Sustainability Education and Learning Committee Web Portal

Course Code: ENR/AEDE 4567This project was completed for The Sustainability Education and Learning Committee (SELC) of OSU's Sustainability Institute to provide insight and student perspective on the best way to design an interactive web portal that encompasses and makes easily accessible all sustainability-centric and and sustainability-related majors, minors, and coursework in one platform.Sustainability Education and Learning CommitteeAcademic Major: Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainabilit

Blood Alcohol Content

The way we can make use of this model in a classroom setting is by using it to explain to the students what Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) means, and how it affects the human body. The way this model works is the student will select a user to begin the simulation. Once they do that, the user character will appear in a party with a variety of drinks, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. In this simulation the BAC of the user will increase by .05 (male) and .07 (female). If the BAC rate gets to .30 or higher, the user will die from alcohol poisoning. One of the ways they can manage the users drinking (to keep him/her alive) is by pacing themselves since BAC rates decrease over time. In addition to this simulation, students will create graphs using a given formula on Microsoft Excel to look at the relationship between the different variables that affect a person’s BAC. The nature of this activity allows for a variety of involvement from both the students and the teacher. If the students are fairly independent and quick learners, then the teacher can have the students look at more variables. If the students require more assistance from the teacher, than the teacher can make some of the variable constant so the students have less unknowns to worry about. Overall, these activities both help students to understand the relationship between drinking, BAC, and time, as well as practice with communication skills by discussing these relationships with their peers by looking at all of the graphs that were made in the classroom. These resources can be expanded or condensed based of the needs and desires of the teacher and students. This project addresses the following NYS Standards: Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematical Content and Practice The primary file is a lesson plan, accompanied by supplemental files. In the supplemental zipped files, you will find: Student worksheets Lesson plan Powerpoint presentation

Forecasting central Salish Sea Dungeness crab populations: A study in patience

Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) are an important species in the Salish Sea because they not only supply a lucrative commercial fishery, but they also fill a critical ecological role in marine food webs. Although we have a relatively good understanding of M. magister larval dynamics and the relationships between larval supply and subsequent fisheries landing on the outer coast, fundamental gaps still exist with regard to our knowledge of their early life stages within the Salish Sea. Most notably, how physical drivers influence the annual patterns in larval supply and in turn how larval supply contributes to subsequent fisheries landings. To begin addressing these questions, Swinomish Fisheries is working towards developing a forecast model for Dungeness crab fisheries in the Salish Sea using M. magister larval dynamics as the basis. Starting in 2018, we began monitoring daily abundance of late-stage larval Dungeness crab from April to September at locations in Whidbey and San Juan Basins. To date results reveal highly variable spatial and temporal patterns of larval delivery to these sub-basins. Additionally, within the central Salish Sea, phenotypically-distinct larvae are delivered to the system months apart. Dissimilarities in the timing, size at settlement, and growth rates may have important implications for the community structure of these populations. As we continue with our long-term monitoring program, we will begin to examine the physical drivers that contribute to annual patterns of cohort dynamics, larval abundances, and the growth and survival of young-of-the-year juvenile crab by sub-basin with the goal of developing more biologically appropriate management tools for the Dungeness crab fishery

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The text reflects on the author\u27s childhood ambitions, shifts to a nursing career, and recounts experiences in diverse healthcare roles over eight years. Despite an initial interest in becoming a doctor, the author chose nursing, navigating challenges in intensive care during the Covid pandemic. The narrative also highlights teaching, community service, and a commitment to palliative care, with future aspirations of working as a nurse practitioner in this field

Engaging Older Youth: Program and City-Level Strategies to Support Sustained Participation in Out-of-School Time

With support from The Wallace Foundation, the Harvard Family Research Project and P/PV conducted a study of almost 200 out-of-school-time (OST) programs in six cities to better understand how they promote sustained participation among older youth.The resulting data indicated that two of the most important practices distinguishing high-retention programs were: ample leadership opportunities for youth and high levels of staff efforts to keep informed about participants' lives outside the programs. The study also compares and contrasts effective practices for middle school- versus high school-aged youth, noting the shortcomings of "one-size-fits-all" strategies. Finally, Engaging Older Youth details the influence of city-level OST initiatives on programs and identifies the types of city-level services that likely support participation

Perspectives on self-managed abortion among providers in hospitals along the Texas– Mexico border

Background Following self-managed abortion (SMA), or a pregnancy termination attempt outside of the formal health system, some patients may seek care in an emergency department. Information about provider experiences treating these patients in hospital settings on the Texas-Mexico border is lacking. Methods The study team conducted semi-structured interviews with physicians, advanced practice clinicians, and nurses who had experience with patients presenting with early pregnancy complications in emergency and/or labor and delivery departments in five hospitals near the Texas-Mexico border. Interview questions focused on respondents’ roles at the hospital, knowledge of abortion services and laws, perspectives on SMA trends, experiences treating patients presenting after SMA, and potential gaps in training related to abortion. Researchers conducted interviews in person between October 2017 and January 2018, and analyzed transcripts using a thematic analysis approach. Results Most of the 54 participants interviewed said that the care provided to SMA patients was, and should be, the same as for patients presenting after miscarriage. The majority had treated a patient they suspected or confirmed had attempted SMA; typically, these cases required only expectant management and confirmation of pregnancy termination, or treatment for incomplete abortion. In rare cases, further clinical intervention was required. Many providers lacked clinical and legal knowledge about abortion, including local resources available. Conclusions Treatment provided to SMA patients is similar to that provided to patients presenting after early pregnancy loss. Lack of provider knowledge about abortion and SMA, despite their involvement with SMA patients, highlights a need for improved training

Adult Communication and Teen Sex: Changing a Community

Plain Talk was like no other pregnancy prevention program tried before. It investigated whether one could create an environment in America where adults in a teen's daily life would provide them with the information and encouragement to protect themselves sexually. The program also explored whether teens with easy access to contraceptives would act more responsibly protecting themselves, be less likely to get pregnant, and have fewer STDs than if communication and access were limited. The answer given in this report is, "yes," but creating this environment is much slower and more arduous than expected