The Neighborhood-Level Association Between Alcohol Outlet Density and Female Criminal Victimization Rates

The aim of this study was to explore the neighborhood-level association between alcohol outlet density and non–intimate partner violent victimization rates among females. Violent offending and victimization are more prevalent for males than females, and most research on alcohol outlets and violence emphasizes males. Studies that do focus on alcohol outlets and female violent victimization tend to focus on intimate partner violence (IPV), yet non-IPV events are over three quarters of all female violent victimization incidents in the United States. We collected data on violent victimization rates, on- and off-premise alcohol outlet density, and neighborhood-level covariates of violence rates for Milwaukee block groups. We used spatially lagged regression models to test this association, to compare non-IPV results with those for overall female violent victimization rates, and to compare results for females with those for males. Our findings showed density of both on- and off-premise alcohol outlets was positively associated with non-IPV female violent victimization rates, which is an important finding given lack of research on this topic. We also found results for females (both overall and non-IPV violent victimization) were generally the same as for males, but the effect of off-premise outlets on non-IPV female violent victimization rates was weaker than the same association for males. Our findings have clear policy implications for local jurisdictions. Alcohol outlet density is important for both female and male violent victimization. Limiting the licensing of alcohol-selling establishments, especially those that engage in irresponsible retail practices, may be a suitable approach to address violent victimization

Accelerated Life Model With Various Types Of Censored Data

The Accelerated Life Model is one of the most commonly used tools in the analysis of survival data which are frequently encountered in medical research and reliability studies. In these types of studies we often deal with complicated data sets for which we cannot observe the complete data set in practical situations due to censoring. Such difficulties are particularly apparent by the fact that there is little work in statistical literature on the Accelerated Life Model for complicated types of censored data sets, such as doubly censored data, interval censored data, and partly interval censored data. In this work, we use the Weighted Empirical Likelihood approach (Ren, 2001) [33] to construct tests, confidence intervals, and goodness-of-fit tests for the Accelerated Life Model in a unified way for various types of censored data. We also provide algorithms for implementation and present relevant simulation results. I began working on this problem with Dr. Jian-Jian Ren. Upon Dr. Ren’s departure from the University of Central Florida I completed this dissertation under the supervision of Dr. Marianna Pensky

The Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals on Plants

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a diverse group of chemicals which can have a detrimental effect on human health, affecting any physiological body system sensitive to hormonal changes. Human exposure to EDCs is inevitable due to their prevalence in modern living; EDCs are integral compounds found in everyday items with which humans interact and ingest. These, along with other indirect avenues leading to EDC exposure, pose a threat to both human health and to the health of wildlife and agricultural environments. Studies on the effects of EDCs on plants can be substantially informative and necessary for progress towards solving the numerous problems associated with EDCs, and a meta-analysis on the effects of EDCs on plants can help address these problems. A literature review of relevant journal articles citing research on effects of various EDCs on plants was conducted in order to assess utility for meta-analysis. Out of 55 selected papers, 22 were found to contain data directly relating an effect of the selected EDCs on plants which were collected and analyzed. A random-effects meta-analysis of 325 collected data points was performed with means and standard deviations using free-source meta-analysis software OpenMEE and the free-source data analysis software R. Results of the main meta-analysis indicate that the tested EDCs have significant negative effects on plants (g=- 0.94±0.136, k=325,

Comparative approaches for assessing access to alcohol outlets: exploring the utility of a gravity potential approach.

BackgroundA growing body of research recommends controlling alcohol availability to reduce harm. Various common approaches, however, provide dramatically different pictures of the physical availability of alcohol. This limits our understanding of the distribution of alcohol access, the causes and consequences of this distribution, and how best to reduce harm. The aim of this study is to introduce both a gravity potential measure of access to alcohol outlets, comparing its strengths and weaknesses to other popular approaches, and an empirically-derived taxonomy of neighborhoods based on the type of alcohol access they exhibit.MethodsWe obtained geospatial data on Seattle, including the location of 2402 alcohol outlets, United States Census Bureau estimates on 567 block groups, and a comprehensive street network. We used exploratory spatial data analysis and employed a measure of inter-rater agreement to capture differences in our taxonomy of alcohol availability measures.ResultsSignificant statistical and spatial variability exists between measures of alcohol access, and these differences have meaningful practical implications. In particular, standard measures of outlet density (e.g., spatial, per capita, roadway miles) can lead to biased estimates of physical availability that over-emphasize the influence of the control variables. Employing a gravity potential approach provides a more balanced, geographically-sensitive measure of access to alcohol outlets.ConclusionsAccurately measuring the physical availability of alcohol is critical for understanding the causes and consequences of its distribution and for developing effective evidence-based policy to manage the alcohol outlet licensing process. A gravity potential model provides a superior measure of alcohol access, and the alcohol access-based taxonomy a helpful evidence-based heuristic for scholars and local policymakers

Alcohol outlets and clusters of violence

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alcohol related violence continues to be a major public health problem in the United States. In particular, there is substantial evidence of an association between alcohol outlets and assault. However, because the specific geographic relationships between alcohol outlets and the <it>distribution </it>of violence remains obscured, it is important to identify the spatial linkages that may exist, enhancing public health efforts to curb both violence and morbidity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The present study utilizes police-recorded data on simple and aggravated assaults in Cincinnati, Ohio. Addresses of alcohol outlets for Cincinnati, including all bars, alcohol-serving restaurants, and off-premise liquor and convenience stores were obtained from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control and geocoded for analysis. A combination of proximity analysis, spatial cluster detection approaches and a geographic information system were used to identify clusters of alcohol outlets and the distribution of violence around them.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A brief review of the empirical work relating to alcohol outlet density and violence is provided, noting that the majority of this literature is cross-sectional and ecological in nature, yielding a somewhat haphazard and aggregate view of how outlet type(s) and neighborhood characteristics like social organization and land use are related to assaultive violence. The results of the statistical analysis for Cincinnati suggest that while alcohol outlets are not problematic per se, assaultive violence has a propensity to cluster around agglomerations of alcohol outlets. This spatial relationship varies by distance and is also related to the characteristics of the alcohol outlet agglomeration. Specifically, spatially dense distributions of outlets appear to be more prone to clusters of assaultive violence when compared to agglomerations with a lower density of outlets.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>With a more thorough understanding of the spatial relationships between alcohol outlets and the distribution of assaults, policymakers in urban areas can make more informed regulatory decisions regarding alcohol licenses. Further, this research suggests that public health officials and epidemiologists need to develop a better understanding of what actually occurs in and around alcohol outlets, determining what factors (whether outlet, neighborhood, or spatially related) help fuel their relationship with violence and other alcohol-related harm.</p

Systematically Addressing Inconsistencies in the Rural Social Disorganization and Crime Literature

The rural criminological literature has recently experienced an increased interest in structural theories of crime, with social disorganization theory being the primary emphasis. This article summarizes and synthesizes the existing literature that specifically tests social disorganization theory in rural communities, focusing on consistencies and inconsistencies in the findings as well as theoretical and methodological questions that have been raised. We then describe how we (the authors of this article) have taken steps to systematically address some of these questions. Finally, we offer suggestions for research advancements in this area

The increasing numbers of vacant houses, fuelled by thehousing crisis, are associated with higher burglary rates

One of the more visible aspects of the Great Recession and its associated housing crisis has been the rise in the number of vacant homes across the U.S. But has this increase in the number of empty houses had an effect on other social problems such as crime? In new research that uses Census data on home vacancies, and FBI data on crime, Roderick W. Jones and William Alex Pridemore find that when a city’s home vacancy rate increased by one percent, its burglary rate rose by 1.21 percent, but that its robbery rate remained unchanged. They also find that the local unemployment rate is important to this relationship, with higher rates associated with diminished crime rates

Population-Level Alcohol Consumption and Homicide Rates in Latin America: A Fixed Effects Panel Analysis, 1961-2019

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) possesses 8% of the global population but approximately one-third of global homicides. The region also exhibits high per capita alcohol consumption, risky drinking patterns, and a heterogeneous mix of beverage preferences. Despite this, LAC violence receives limited attention in the English-language literature and there are no studies of the population-level alcohol-homicide association in the region. We examined the effects on total, male, and female homicide rates of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption (22 nations, 1961-2019) and of risky drinking patterns (20 nations, 2005 and 2010). We collected homicide and alcohol data from the World Health Organization. Panel fixed effects models showed (1) per capita total and wine consumption were positively associated with total, male, and female homicide rates, though effects were much stronger for males, (2) per capita beer consumption was positively associated with total and male homicide rates, (3) per capita spirits consumption was not associated with homicide rates, and (4) nations with riskier drinking patterns had higher total, male, and female homicide rates than those with less risky drinking patterns