Bone sequestrum in a yearling red deer (Cervus elaphus) hind in New Zealand.

CAUL Read and Publish Agreement.Publishe

Direct and mediated effects of a social-emotional and character development program on adolescent substance use

Mitigating and preventing substance use among adolescents requires approaches that address the multitude of factors that influence this behavior. Such approaches must be tested, not only for evidence of empirical effectiveness, but also to determine the mechanisms by which they are successful. The aims of the present study were twofold: 1) To determine the effectiveness of a school-based social-emotional and character development (SECD) program, Positive Action (PA), in reducing substance use (SU) among a sample of U.S. youth living in a low-income, urban environment, and 2) to test one mechanism by which the program achieves its success. We used longitudinal mediation analysis to test the hypotheses that: 1) students attending PA intervention schools engage in significantly less SU than students attending control schools, 2) students attending PA intervention schools show significantly better change in SECD than students attending control schools, and 3) the effect of the PA intervention on SU is mediated by the change in SECD. Analyses revealed program effects on both SECD and SU, a relationship between SECD and SU, and the effects of PA on SU were completely mediated by changes in SECD. Future research directions and implications for schoolbased social-emotional and character development efforts and substance use prevention are addressed.peer-reviewe

Internally-Developed Teen Smoking Cessation Programs: Characterizing the Unique Features of Programs Developed by Community-Based Organizations

We have compared the unique features of teen tobacco cessation programs developed internally by community-based organizations (N=75) to prepackaged programs disseminated nationally (N=234) to expand our knowledge of treatment options for teen smokers. Internally-developed programs were more likely offered in response to the sponsoring organization’s initiative (OR=2.16, p<0.05); had fewer trained cessation counselors (OR=0.31, p<0.01); and were more likely found in urban areas (OR=2.89, p=0.01). Internally-developed programs more often provided other substance-abuse treatment services than prepackaged programs and addressed other youth-specific problem behaviors (p≤0.05). Studies that examine the effectiveness of internally-developed programs in reducing smoking and maintaining cessation for teen smokers are warranted

Precision Measurement of the Neutron Twist-3 Matrix Element d(2)(n): Probing Color Forces

Double-spin asymmetries and absolute cross sections were measured at large Bjorken x (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.90), in both the deep-inelastic and resonance regions, by scattering longitudinally polarized electrons at beam energies of 4.7 and 5.9 GeV from a transversely and longitudinally polarized 3He target. In this dedicated experiment, the spin structure function g(2)(3He) was determined with precision at large x, and the neutron twist-3 matrix element d(2)(n) was measured at \u3c Q2\u3e of 3.21 and 4.32 GeV2/c2, with an absolute precision of about 10-5. Our results are found to be in agreement with lattice QCD calculations and resolve the disagreement found with previous data at \u3c Q2\u3e = 5 GeV2/c2. Combining d(2)(n) and a newly extracted twist-4 matrix element f(2)(n), the average neutron color electric and magnetic forces were extracted and found to be of opposite sign and about 30 MeV/fm in magnitude

Illicit Use of Prescription Stimulants in a College Student Sample: A Theory-Guided Analysis

BACKGROUND: The illicit use of prescription stimulants (IUPS) has emerged as a high-risk behavior of the 21st century college student. As the study of IUPS is relatively new, we aimed to understand 1) characteristics of IUPS (i.e., initiation, administration routes, drug sources, motives, experiences), and 2) theory-guided intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental correlates associated with use. METHODS: Using one-stage cluster sampling, 520 students (96.3% response rate) at one Pacific Northwest University completed a paper-based, in-classroom survey on IUPS behaviors and expected correlates. Aim 1 was addressed using descriptive statistics and aim 2 was addressed via three nested logistic regression analyses guided by the Theory of Triadic Influence. RESULTS: The prevalence of ever engaging in IUPS during college was 25.6%. The majority (>50.0%) of users reported initiation during college, oral use, friends as the drug source, academic motives, and experiencing desired outcomes. Intrapersonal correlates associated with use included identifying as White, lower grade point average, diagnoses of attention deficit disorder, and lower avoidance self-efficacy. Interpersonal correlates of use included off-campus residence, varsity sports participation, IUPS perceptions by socializing agents, and greater behavioral norms. Exposure to prescription drug print media, greater prescription stimulant knowledge, and positive attitudes towards prescription stimulants were environmental correlates associated with use. In all models, IUPS intentions were strongly associated with use. CONCLUSIONS: IUPS was prevalent on the campus under investigation and factors from the intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental domains were associated with the behavior. Implications for prevention and future research are discussed.Keywords: Prescription stimulants, Health behavior theory, College studentsKeywords: Prescription stimulants, Health behavior theory, College student

The Illicit Use of Prescription Stimulants on College Campuses: A Theory-Guided Systematic Review

The illicit use of prescription stimulants (IUPS) is a substance use behavior that remains prevalent on college campuses. As theory can guide research and practice, we provide a systematic review of the college-based IUPS epidemiological literature guided by one ecological framework, the Theory of Triadic Influence (TTI). We aim to assess prevalence, elucidate the behavior’s multi-etiological nature, and discuss prevention implications. Peer-reviewed studies were located through key phrase searches (prescription stimulant misuse and college; “prescription stimulant misuse” and “college”; illicit use of prescription stimulants in college; nonmedical prescription stimulant use in college students) in electronic databases (PubMed, PubMed Central, and EBSCO Host) for the period 2000 to 2013. Studies meeting inclusion criteria had their references reviewed for additional eligible literature. Statistically significant correlates of IUPS in the 62 retrieved studies were organized using the three streams of influence and four levels of causation specified in the TTI. Results show the prevalence of IUPS varies across campuses. Additionally, findings suggest the behavior is multifaceted, as correlates were observed within each stream of influence and level of causation specified by the TTI. We conclude that IUPS is prevalent in, but varies across, colleges, and is influenced by intrapersonal and broader social and societal factors. We discuss implications for prevention and directions for future research.Keywords: Systematic review, Health behavior, Prescription stimulants, Behavioral theories, College healt

Development and Psychometric Properties of a Theory-Guided Prescription Stimulant Misuse Questionnaire for College Students

A theory-guided instrument for examining prescription stimulant misuse in the college population was developed and its psychometric properties were evaluated from 2011-2012 at one Pacific Northwest (United States) university. Study methods included instrument development, assessment by five health and measurement professionals, group interviews with six college students, a test-retest pilot study, and a paper-based, in-classroom, campus study using one-stage cluster sampling (N = 520 students, 20 classrooms, eligible student response rate = 96.30%). The instrument demonstrated reliability (i.e. internal consistency and stability) and validity (i.e. face, content, and predictive). Limitations and implications are discussed.Keywords: college, reliability, prescription stimulant misuse, validity, questionnaire developmen

Teachers&apos; Perceptions of School Organizational Climate as Predictors of Dosage and Quality of Implementation of a Social-Emotional and Character Development Program

Abstract Organizational climate has been proposed as a factor that might influence a school&apos;s readiness to successfully implement school-wide prevention programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of teachers&apos; perceptions of three dimensions of school organizational climate on the dosage and quality of teacher implementation of Positive Action, a social-emotional and character development (SECD) program. The dimensions measured were teachers&apos; perceptions of (a) the school&apos;s openness to innovation, (b) the extent to which schools utilize participatory decision-making practices, and (c) the existence of supportive relationships among teachers (teacher-teacher affiliation). Data from 46 teachers in seven schools enrolled in the treatment arm of a longitudinal, cluster-randomized, controlled trial were analyzed. Teacher perceptions of a school&apos;s tendency to be innovative was associated with a greater number of lessons taught and self-reported quality of delivery, and teacher-teacher affiliation was associated with a higher use of supplementary activities. The findings suggest that perceptions of a school&apos;s organizational climate impact teachers&apos; implementation of SECD programs and have implications for school administrators and technical assistance providers as they work to implement and sustain prevention programs in schools