Normative Feedback for Parents of College Students: Piloting a Parent Based Intervention to Correct Misperceptions of Students’ Alcohol Use and Other Parents’ Approval of Drinking

Objective Multi-component parent-based interventions (PBIs) provide a promising avenue for targeting alcohol use and related consequences in college students. Parents of college-aged children can have a significant influence on their children’s alcohol use decisions. However, parents tend to underestimate their own child’s alcohol use and overestimate other similar parents’ approval of student drinking. These misperceptions could have important implications for parents’ own attitudes and alcohol-related communication with their student. Targeting these misperceptions through normative feedback could help promote greater and more in-depth alcohol-related communication. The present study examines the potential efficacy of web-based alcohol-related normative feedback for parents of college students. Method A sample of 144 parents of college students received web-based normative feedback about students’ alcohol use and approval, as well as other same-college parents’ alcohol approval. Parents completed measures of perceived student alcohol use, student alcohol approval, other-parent alcohol approval, and intentions to discuss alcohol use both pre- and post-normative feedback. Results Post-feedback, parents reported stronger intentions to talk to their student about alcohol, were less confident in their knowledge of their students’ alcohol use, and believed that their student drank in greater quantity and more frequently than pre-feedback. Parents also perceived other parents to be less approving of alcohol use after viewing normative feedback. Conclusions These findings provide preliminary support for the use of web-based normative feedback for parents of college students. Given these promising results, further research developing and testing this approach merits attention

A Quantitative Evaluation of the Nighttime Visual Sign Inspection Method

A research project to determine the appropriate sign inspection and replacement procedure was conducted at North Carolina State University and sponsored by the North Carolina DOT. The purpose was to determine the optimum strategy for sign inspection and replacement under different conditions to respond to the pending retroreflectivity requirements. This paper reports on a spreadsheet tool developed to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of different sign inspection and replacement scenarios. The spreadsheet was designed for yellow and red engineer-grade sign sheetings, and takes into account sign vandalism and knock-downs as well as normal sign aging. The spreadsheet provides estimates of the number of signs in place that would not meet the minimum retroreflectivity standard and the cost of the sign inspection and replacement program. The results from a number of trials of the spreadsheet show that agencies that generally conform to the key assumptions made to build the spreadsheet should consider replacing all signs every seven years, as that insures that no aged signs are in place at a relatively low cost. If total replacement is not possible, an inspection program using retroreflectometers every three years appears very competitive in its effectiveness with a program using typical visual inspection rates each year. The retroreflectometers appear to allow fewer deficient signs, while the typical visual inspection program costs are lower for a given vandalism rate. More conservative visual sign replacement rates do not appear to offer distinct advantages, because typical replacement rates with visual inspections every two or three years allow relatively high numbers of deficient signs to remain on the roads

Event-specific risk and ecological factors associated with prepartying among heavier drinking college students

Using event-specific data, the present study sought to identify relevant risk factors and risky drinking patterns associated with prepartying. Analyses focused on drinking outcomes as a function of drinking game playing and the social context on occasions where prepartying did and did not occur. This research utilized a representative two-site sample of prepartiers who also reported a heavy episodic drinking event in the past month (n = 988). Results revealed that during a preparty event, participants drank significantly more, reached higher blood alcohol levels (BALs), and experienced significantly more negative consequences compared to the last occasion that they drank but did not preparty. Students who played drinking games when they prepartied had higher BALs and experienced more negative consequences than those who did not play drinking games. Whether females prepartied in a single-sex or coed setting had little effect on their BALs. For males, however, their BALs were greater when they prepartied in a coed setting compared to a single sex setting. Moreover, participants reported more negative consequences when they prepartied in a coed setting than in a single-sex setting. Finally, regression analyses demonstrated that participants’ BAL, frequency of prepartying, and the interaction between BAL and frequency of prepartying all uniquely contributed to the prediction of event-specific alcohol-related negative consequences. As BAL increased, the number of negative consequences increased more sharply for those who prepartied infrequently, compared to those who prepartied frequently. Analyses were examined as a function of gender which revealed important gender effects and interactions. Interventions can be designed to intervene with high-risk prepartiers by using BAL education emphasizing the impact of time-limited prepartying drinking

Whose Opinion Matters? The Relationship Between Injunctive Norms and Alcohol Consequences in College Students

Harm reduction approaches may benefit from research extending the exploration of predictors of alcohol use per se to those components most directly related to alcohol-related harm. This investigation evaluated the relationship between perceived injunctive norms of alcohol use (level of approval of drinking behaviors in specific situations) and the experience of alcohol-related consequences as a function of typical student reference groups at increasing levels of similarity to the respondent: based on race, gender, Greek status, and combinations of these dimensions, as well as parents, close friends, and the students\u27 own attitudes. Participants were 3753 students (61% female) from two campuses who completed an online survey. Preliminary analyses determined that there were no differences in the relationship between perceived injunctive norms and consequences across the eight student groups of varying specificity, thus all eight levels were combined into one variable of perceived student injunctive norms. However, the relationship between this variable and consequences was weaker than the perceived attitudes of more proximal referents (parents, close friends, as well as their own personal attitudes). Subsequent analyses predicting consequences while controlling for demographic variables and drinking level, revealed that perceived injunctive norms for students, parents, and close friends as well as personal attitudes each significantly predicted consequences. Results suggest an important role for perceived injunctive norms in the experiencing of consequences over and above the amount of consumption and point to types of injunctive norms feedback that might form effective interventions (i.e., incorporating close friend and parent feedback as well as general student feedback)

A Quantitative Evaluation of the Nighttime Visual Sign Inspection Method

A research project to determine the appropriate sign inspection and replacement procedure was conducted at North Carolina State University and sponsored by the North Carolina DOT. The purpose was to determine the optimum strategy for sign inspection and replacement under different conditions to respond to the pending retroreflectivity requirements. This paper reports on a spreadsheet tool developed to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of different sign inspection and replacement scenarios. The spreadsheet was designed for yellow and red engineer-grade sign sheetings, and takes into account sign vandalism and knock-downs as well as normal sign aging. The spreadsheet provides estimates of the number of signs in place that would not meet the minimum retroreflectivity standard and the cost of the sign inspection and replacement program. The results from a number of trials of the spreadsheet show that agencies that generally conform to the key assumptions made to build the spreadsheet should consider replacing all signs every seven years, as that insures that no aged signs are in place at a relatively low cost. If total replacement is not possible, an inspection program using retroreflectometers every three years appears very competitive in its effectiveness with a program using typical visual inspection rates each year. The retroreflectometers appear to allow fewer deficient signs, while the typical visual inspection program costs are lower for a given vandalism rate. More conservative visual sign replacement rates do not appear to offer distinct advantages, because typical replacement rates with visual inspections every two or three years allow relatively high numbers of deficient signs to remain on the roads

Heavier drinking American college students may self-select into study abroad programs: An examination of sex and ethnic differences within a high-risk group

As with other heavier drinking groups, heavier drinking American college students may self-select into study abroad programs with specific intentions to use alcohol in the foreign environment. This cross-sectional study used a sample of 2144 students (mean age = 20.00, SD = 1.47) to explore differences in alcohol use and related negative consequences among (1) students intending to study abroad while in college, (2) students not intending to study abroad, and (3) students reporting prior study abroad participation. Results revealed that participants with no intention to study abroad drank less and experienced fewer alcohol-related consequences than participants intending to study abroad. In addition, students reporting prior completion of study abroad programs drank more and reported more hazardous alcohol use than those not intending to study abroad. Ethnic and sex differences existed; with White students, males, and females intending to study abroad and non-White students who previously completed study abroad programs demonstrating the most risk. These findings provide empirical support that study abroad students may be a heavier drinking subgroup necessitating intervention prior to beginning programs abroad

A Young Stellar Cluster in the Nucleus of NGC 4449

We have obtained 1-2 A resolution optical Echellette spectra of the nuclear star cluster in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 4449. The light is clearly dominated by a very young (6-10 Myr) population of stars. For our age dating, we have used recent population synthesis models to interpret the observed equivalent width of stellar absorption features such as the HI Balmer series and the CaII triplet around 8500 A. We also compare the observed spectrum of the nuclear cluster to synthesized spectra of simple stellar populations of varying ages. All these approaches yield a consistent cluster age. Metallicity estimates based on the relative intensities of various ionization lines yield no evidence for significant enrichment in the center of this low mass galaxy: the metallicity of the nuclear cluster is about one fourth of the solar value, in agreement with independent estimates for the disk material of NGC 4449.Comment: 24 pages (incl. 7 figures), accepted by AJ, March 2001 issue revised version with minor changes and additions, one additional figur

Group Identification as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Perceived Social Norms and Alcohol Consumption

Previous research has shown that social norms are among the strongest predictors of college student drinking. Among college students, perceiving that “others” drink heavier relative to themselves has been strongly and consistently associated with heavier drinking. Research has also shown that the more specifically “others” are defined, the stronger the association with one’s own drinking. The present research evaluated whether group identification as defined by feeling closer to specific groups moderates the associations between perceived drinking norms in the group and one’s own drinking. Participants included 3752 (61% Female) students who completed online assessments of their perceived drinking norms for four groups of students on their campus as well as identification with each group and participants’ own drinking behavior. Results indicated that greater identification with same-sex students, same-race students, and same-Greek-status students were associated with stronger relationships between perceived drinking norms in the specific groups and own drinking

Collaborative Exploration between NIAS Genebank and USDA ARS (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) for the Collection of Genetic Resources of Fruit and Nut Species in Hokkaidō and the Northern Tōhoku Region

From 7 to 25 September 2009, a collaborative exploration between NIAS Genebank and USDA ARS to collect genetic resources in Hokkaidō and the Northern Tōhoku region was performed. The investigated areas were mainly upper deciduous forest and subalpine conifer forest zones. The vegetation was mainly forests, but we also visited upland bogs and coastal vegetation to collect some particular plants. The expedition obtained 147 seed and plant samples representing 20 genera and 53 species. Collected genera were Actinidia, Chaenomeles, Corylus, Crataegus, Empetrum, Gaultheria, Humulus, Fragaria, Lonicera, Lycium, Malus, Mentha, Prunella, Potentilla, Pyrus, Ribes, Rubus, Sorbu, Vaccinium and Vitis.農業生物資源研究所ジーンバンクと米国農務省研究局との共同事業として，2009年9月7日から25日まで，北海道及び北東北地域の果樹遺伝資源の探索を行った．調査地域の植生は，上部温帯から亜寒帯針葉樹林帯にあたる．主として森林地帯で調査を行ったが，立地条件の特殊な種の探索のため，高山湿原や海岸周辺部も巡った．この結果，以下の20属53種について計147点を収集した：マタタビ属，ボケ属，ハシバミ属，サンザシ属，ガンコウラン属，アカモノ属，カラハナソウ属，イチゴ属，ウグイスカグラ属，クコ属，リンゴ属，ハッカ属，ウツボグサ属，キジムシロ属，ナシ属，スグリ属，キイチゴ属，ナナカマド属，スノキ属，ブドウ属である

The Nature of LINERs

We present $J$-band ($1.15-1.35 \mu$m) spectroscopy of a sample of nine galaxies showing some degree of LINER activity (classical LINERs, weak-[O {\sc i}] LINERs and transition objects), together with $H$-band spectroscopy for some of them. A careful subtraction of the stellar continuum allows us to obtain reliable [Fe {\sc ii}]$1.2567 \mu$m/Pa$\beta$ line ratios. We conclude that different types of LINERs (i.e., photoionized by a stellar continuum or by an AGN) cannot be easily distinguished based solely on the [Fe {\sc ii}]$1.2567 \mu$m/Pa$\beta$ line ratio. The emission line properties of many LINERs can be explained in terms of an aging starburst. The optical line ratios of these LINERs are reproduced by a model with a metal-rich H {\sc ii} region component photoionized with a single stellar temperature $T_* = 38,000$K, plus a supernova remnant (SNR) component. The [Fe {\sc ii}] line is predominantly excited by shocks produced by SNRs in starbursts and starburst-dominated LINERs, while Pa$\beta$ tracks H {\sc ii} regions ionized by massive young stars. The contribution from SNRs to the overall emission line spectrum is constrained by the [Fe {\sc ii}]$1.2567 \mu$m/Pa$\beta$ line ratio. Although our models for aging starbursts are constrained only by these infrared lines, they consistently explain the optical spectra of the galaxies also. The LINER-starburst connection is tested by predicting the time dependence of the ratio of the ionizing luminosity ($L_{\rm ion}$) to the supernova rate (SNr), $L_{\rm ion}$/(SNr). We predict the relative number of starbursts to starburst-dominated LINERs (aging starbursts) and show that it is in approximate agreement with survey findings for nearby galaxies.Comment: Accepted in ApJ (19 pages, 8 figures, uses emulateapj.sty