Grassroots Market Research on Grass: Predicting Cannabis Brand Performance Using Social Media Scraping

[EN] Social media listening has become a useful tool to marketers in studying behavior for a wide variety of consumer applications, from political leanings and drug abuse to common product choices. Although most cannabis products are illegal at the U.S. Federal level, it is legal in 30 states for medical use and 8 states and the District of Columbia for recreational use. Despite the legal issues, cannabis is projected to reach over $31 billion in sales world-wide by 2021. The industry is both rapidly evolving and highly fragmented, making it challenging for companies operating in the space to access the insights and the data to help design communications, product development and branding strategies. The research presented here will show that the application of social media listening can be helpful for cannabis brand marketers to gauge size, scope and nuances of these markets and tailored social media mining can accurately predict a brand’s future performance. Later research will show that social media scraping will help identify and segment consumers at a fraction the cost of traditional consumer research methods.Kregor, J.; Gomez, B.; Kelly, JS.; Stevenson, K. (2018). Grassroots Market Research on Grass: Predicting Cannabis Brand Performance Using Social Media Scraping. En 2nd International Conference on Advanced Reserach Methods and Analytics (CARMA 2018). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 201-208. https://doi.org/10.4995/CARMA2018.2018.8348OCS20120

Are We Engaged? A College-level Inventory of Community Engagement

In this study, a team of six faculty members from Weber State University’s Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities tested and applied the Engaged College Rubric as part of a pilot program. Based on this application of the rubric, the committee found that the college tended toward the “Emerging” (i.e., first stage) classification for most items, thus indicating a need to continue developing programs and practices that center on community engagement (CE) within the college. The primary finding from this activity was that fragmentation exists surrounding CE in the college, within its constituent departments, and at the university level. This fragmentation limits the effectiveness of community-engaged learning, teaching, and scholarship. The committee’s findings, and interpretations of the rubric elements, are discussed, as are recommendations for future use of the Engaged College Rubric

BreastScreen Australia monitoring report 1998–1999 and 1999–2000

This report is the fourth annual report based on key program activity, performance and outcome indicators to monitor the achievements of the BreastScreen Australia Program. The report presents the most recent information on participation in breast screening, cancer detection, program sensitivity and recall to assessment and rescreening rates

Buckle-Up Safely (Shoalhaven): a process and impact evaluation of a pragmatic multifaceted preschool based pilot program to increase correct use of age appropriate child restraints

Objective: To conduct a process and impact evaluation of a multifaceted education-based pilot program targeting correct use of age-appropriate restraints in a regional setting with a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Methods: The program was delivered in 2010 in 3 early learning centers where 31 percent of the children were of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. Each component of the program was assessed for message consistency and uptake. To measure program effectiveness, participating children were matched 1:1 by age, language spoken at home, and annual household income with 71 children from the control arm of a contemporaneous trial. The outcome measure in the control and program centers (a 4-category ordinal scale of restraint use) was compared using ordinal logistic regression accounting for age of the parent. Results: Process evaluation found that though program components were delivered with a consistency of message, uptake was affected by turnover of all staff at one center and by parents experiencing difficulty in paying for subsidized restraints at each of the centers. Impact evaluation found that children from the centers receiving the program had nearly twice the odds of being in a better restraint category than children matched from the control group (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj] = 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-3.90). Conclusions: This was a pragmatic study reflecting the real-life issues of implementing a program in preschools where 57 percent of families had a low income and turnover of staff was high. Despite these issues, impact evaluation showed that the integrated educational program showed promise in increasing correct use of age-appropriate restraints. The findings from this pilot study support the use of an integrated educational program that includes access to subsidized restraints to promote best practice child restraint use among communities that include a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in New South Wales. Future trials in similar settings should consider offering more support in centers with high turnover of staff and offering alternative methods of payment when families experience financial difficulties in purchasing the subsidized restraints. If proven in larger trials, this approach could reduce death and injuries in child passengers in this vulnerable group

Facets of Mindfulness Mediate the Relationship Between Attachment Orientation and Emotion Regulation in University Students

Whilst both mindfulness and adult attachment have been linked to wellbeing, little is known about how these constructs relate to emotion regulation that can underpin wellbeing. The present study examined the association between adult attachment orientation and emotion regulation (strategies and difficulties) and the mediating role of facets of dispositional mindfulness. A sample of 301 university students (Mage = 23.08, SD = 8.08; 74.75% female) completed measures of adult attachment, emotion regulation, difficulties in emotion regulation, and dispositional mindfulness. Parallel multiple mediation analyses indicated that the act with awareness and non-judging facets of mindfulness repeatedly emerged as significant mediators in the positive associations between the dimensions of attachment insecurity (anxiety, avoidance, and disorganized) and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and difficulties in emotion regulation. Those individuals exhibiting greater attachment insecurity employ maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and display difficulties in emotion regulation via mindfulness deficits. The present findings extend our current understanding of the role of dispositional mindfulness in the associations between adult attachment orientation and varying aspects of the emotion regulation process

Explorations, Vol. 2, No. 2

Cover: The painting reproduced on the cover is an oil on canvas entitled “Konrad Oberhuber’s Visit to Compass Harbor, Maine, ” by Michael Lewis, 1985. Lewis is Professor of Art at the University of Maine at Orono. ©Michael Lewis, 1985 Articles include: The Gulf of Maine: A Sea Beside a Sea, by Kathleen Lignell The Gulf of Maine Littoral world of promise, by Carole J. Bombard for David Sanger Marine Worms Worth Fifteen Dollars Each? by David Dean Free Trade, Not Trade War, by James A. Wilson Inner Space—The Gulf of Maine: its history and future for research, by Robert S. Steneck The Shape of Mud and Its Importance to Marine Animals, by Les Watling The Humble Herring gold-plated sardine, by David K. Stevenson Seismic Profiling: The Search for the Submerged Geological Record in the Gulf of Maine, by Daniel F. Belknap and Joseph T. Kelley Our Cover Artist: Michael Lewis In the Classroom, by Michael Brody Nobody Told the Bumblebee He Couldn\u27t Fly, by Herbert Hidu The Tie That Binds: technology and research, by Robert S. Steneck Diet Developments for the Maine Lobster, by Robert Bayer A Wet Desert: secrets of the salt marsh, by Gary M. King Maine Marshes, by George L. Jacobson Mya Arenaria: return of the clam, by Devon Phillips CES: commitment and action, by Devon Phillips EPSCoR benthic research, by Lawrence M. Mayer In the Field of Researc

Lifelong Fitness in Ambulatory Children and Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy I: Key Ingredients for Bone and Muscle Health

Physical activity of a sufficient amount and intensity is essential to health and the prevention of a sedentary lifestyle in all children as they transition into adolescence and adulthood. While fostering a fit lifestyle in all children can be challenging, it may be even more so for those with cerebral palsy (CP). Evidence suggests that bone and muscle health can improve with targeted exercise programs for children with CP. Yet, it is not clear how musculoskeletal improvements are sustained into adulthood. In this perspective, we introduce key ingredients and guidelines to promote bone and muscle health in ambulatory children with CP (GMFCS I–III), which could lay the foundation for sustained fitness and musculoskeletal health as they transition from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. First, one must consider crucial characteristics of the skeletal and muscular systems as well as key factors to augment bone and muscle integrity. Second, to build a better foundation, we must consider critical time periods and essential ingredients for programming. Finally, to foster the sustainability of a fit lifestyle, we must encourage commitment and self-initiated action while ensuring the attainment of skill acquisition and function. Thus, the overall objective of this perspective paper is to guide exercise programming and community implementation to truly alter lifelong fitness in persons with CP

Developing community-based urine sampling methods to deploy biomarker technology for the assessment of dietary exposure

Objective: Obtaining objective, dietary exposure information from individuals is challenging because of the complexity of food consumption patterns and the limitations of self-reporting tools (e.g., FFQ and diet diaries). This hinders research efforts to associate intakes of specific foods or eating patterns with population health outcomes. Design: Dietary exposure can be assessed by the measurement of food-derived chemicals in urine samples. We aimed to develop methodologies for urine collection that minimised impact on the day-to-day activities of participants but also yielded samples that were data-rich in terms of targeted biomarker measurements. Setting: Urine collection methodologies were developed within home settings. Participants: Different cohorts of free-living volunteers. Results: Home collection of urine samples using vacuum transfer technology was deemed highly acceptable by volunteers. Statistical analysis of both metabolome and selected dietary exposure biomarkers in spot urine collected and stored using this method showed that they were compositionally similar to urine collected using a standard method with immediate sample freezing. Even without chemical preservatives, samples can be stored under different temperature regimes without any significant impact on the overall urine composition or concentration of forty-six exemplar dietary exposure biomarkers. Importantly, the samples could be posted directly to analytical facilities, without the need for refrigerated transport and involvement of clinical professionals. Conclusions: This urine sampling methodology appears to be suitable for routine use and may provide a scalable, cost-effective means to collect urine samples and to assess diet in epidemiological studies