Internal and External Factors Associated with Illicit Prescription Drug Use in College Students

With data suggesting emerging adulthood is a time of increased risk for illicit prescription drug use, it is essential that factors contributing to this be understood to guide prevention efforts. Internal factors (stress, GPA, gender) and external factors (type of institution, living situation) were assessed in tandem with perceptions of harm and illicit prescription drug use. In accordance with nationwide research (SAMSHA, 2006), 14% of our sample of Oregon college students reported illicitly using prescription drugs. While rates of use did not vary by gender, females held higher perceptions of harm. Perceived harm was high for our sample and inversely correlated with use. Those living on campus reported higher perceptions of harm and less use than those living off campus. Those attending private academic institutions reported higher perceptions of harm and less use than those attending public institutions. Previous studies suggest a heightened sense of community within schools, comparatively present within private institutions, can reduce drug use (Battistich, & Hom, 1997). Stress was positively correlated with use and GPA was negatively correlated with use. While numerous studies have examined various correlates of prescription drug use, few have sampled beyond a single institution, most within public universities. Thus, the inclusion of private institutions offers unique and a more holistic insight. As drug use continues to increase in college populations even with prevention programs in place, it is imperative to translate these findings into prevention targeting both genders, at times of stress, particularly those living off campus, at public universities, with lower GPAs

A Mind for Language: How Language Shapes Our Reality

To write of language is an unusual activity, for it is to describe something by, through, and with itself. This thesis not only defends the view advanced by Sapir and Whorf of linguistic relativism, but extends their thesis with an application of Heidegger, and conflates the terms of language and self. Ultimately, I believe this endeavor is one which is not successful, but which also yields significant implications for further thought on the philosophical relevance of linguistic relativism. Section two presents some initial thoughts on language and self; the third section describes the terms of language, whereas the fourth one describes those of the self. A fifth section then deals with the general interactions and observations of the interrelatedness between these terms, with a conclusion which highlights the main insights of the inquiry. (A brief appendix with some remarks on poetry follows this thesis.

Latin Square Thue-Morse Sequences are Overlap-Free

We define a morphism based upon a Latin square that generalizes the Thue-Morse morphism. We prove that fixed points of this morphism are overlap-free sequences generalizing results of Allouche - Shallit and Frid.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

New Solar Products: Creating 'Green-Collar' Job Growth in Rural Tennessee

This article is under review.

A review of the evidence for the effectiveness of primary prevention interventions for Hepatitis C among injecting drug users

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C (HCV) prevalence is most common amongst injecting drug users where up to 98% of the population can be infected despite a low prevalence of HIV. This review considers the evidence for the effectiveness of primary prevention interventions to reduce incidence or prevalence of hepatitis C. MEHODS Systematic review of the major electronic medical databases: Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library (Evidence Based Health). Either intervention or observational studies were included if they described an intervention targeting injecting drug using populations with the outcome to reduce either the prevalence or incidence of hepatitis C infection. RESULTS 18 papers were included in the final review from 1007 abstracts. Needle exchange programmes reduce the prevalence of HCV though prevalence remains high. Similarly the effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatment is only marginally effective at reducing HCV incidence. There is limited evidence evaluating either the effectiveness of behavioural interventions, bleach disinfectants, or drug consumption rooms. CONCLUSION Primary prevention interventions have led to a reduction in HIV incidence, have been less effective at reducing HCV incidence. Global prevalence of HCV remains disturbingly high in injecting drug users. A robust response to the global health problem of HCV will require provision of new interventions. Behavioural interventions; distribution of bleach disinfectant; other injecting paraphernalia alongside sterile needle distribution; and evaluation of drug consumption rooms merit further expansion internationally and research activity to contribute to the emerging evidence base. Whilst the prevalence of HCV remains high, nevertheless many current interventions aimed at primary HCV prevention have been shown to be cost-effective due to their significant positive impact upon prevalence of HIV

Concurrent and Prospective Associations among Co-rumination, Adjustment, and Friendship in Emerging Adults

Rose (2002) first defined co-rumination as excessive problem-focused discussion. Co-rumination has been found to be associated both concurrently and prospectively with depressive symptoms and positive friendship quality. However, the emerging literature has focused almost solely on youth. Thus, the primary aim of the current study is to extend a longitudinal examination of co-rumination, depression, anxiety, and friendship quality to a sample of emerging adults to understand whether co-rumination contributes to change in adjustment and friendship quality over time or whether, instead, co-rumination is simply a correlate of these variables. Second, we examined gender differences in co-rumination and whether gender moderated the longitudinal relationships between co-rumination and depression/anxiety and friendship quality. Participants (56 women, 46 men; M=19.6 years) were recruited through introductory psychology classes, instructed to bring a same-sex close friend, and completed measures of co-rumination, friendship quality (FQ), and internalizing problems. Seventy-nine students (78%) participated again one year later. Expected concurrent relationships and gender differences were found. Longitudinal associations were not found, nor did gender moderate these relationships. With limited research on co-rumination, it is unclear whether unique sampling issues or a meaningful developmental shift from adolescence to adulthood explains the lack of prospective relationships. Longitudinal research that spans this developmental transition and collects observational data and includes peer context variables which may vary with age is sorely needed. Such designs promise to enhance our understanding of the unique ways in which co-rumination may change across developmental contexts and whether certain factors predict varying trajectories