Regional Economic Development Issues within the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Industry

This exploratory research was initiated to develop a computer-based interview tool that would help determine the factors that companies in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry consider a problem in regards to the economic environment within a local study region. Topics included the labor market and community issues, including costs of doing business and quality-of-life questions. A computer-based process was employed in telephone interviews to solicit and record responses from executives in ICT-related companies for the 197 cases that are included in this study. Descriptive data are presented along with a first-order and a second-order factor analysis

The Impact of Time Perspective Latent Profiles on College Drinking: A Multidimensional Approach

Background- Zimbardo and Boyd\u27s1 time perspective, or the temporal framework individuals use to process information, has been shown to predict health behaviors such as alcohol use. Previous studies supported the predictive validity of individual dimensions of time perspective, with some dimensions acting as protective factors and others as risk factors. However, some studies produced findings contrary to the general body of literature. In addition, time perspective is a multidimensional construct, and the combination of perspectives may be more predictive than individual dimensions in isolation; consequently, multidimensional profiles are a more accurate measure of individual differences and more appropriate for predicting health behaviors. Objectives- The current study identified naturally occurring profiles of time perspective and examined their association with risky alcohol use. Methods- Data were collected from a college student sample (n = 431, mean age = 20.41 years) using an online survey. Time perspective profiles were identified using latent profile analysis. Results-Boot-strapped regression models identified a protective class that engaged in significantly less overall drinking (β= -0.254) as well as engaging in significantly less episodic high risk drinking (β = -0.274). There was also emerging evidence of a high risk time perspective profile that was linked to more overall drinking (β = 0.198) and engaging in more high risk drinking (β = 0.245), though these differences were not significant. Conclusions/Importance- These findings support examining time perspective in a multidimensional framework rather than individual dimensions in isolation. Implications include identifying students most in need of interventions, and tailoring interventions to target temporal framing in decision-making

Unplanned Drinking and Alcohol-Related Problems: A Preliminary Test of the Model of Unplanned Drinking Behavior

Much research links impulsivity with alcohol use and problems. In 2 studies, unplanned (or impulsive) drinking is assessed directly to determine whether it has direct effects on alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. In Study 1, we examined whether unplanned drinking serves as a proximal mediator of the effects of impulsivity-like traits on alcohol-related outcomes. With a sample of 211 college student drinkers, we found that the Unplanned Drinking Scale was significantly related to alcohol use, and perhaps more important, had a direct effect on alcohol-related problems even after controlling for frequency and quantity of alcohol use. Furthermore, unplanned drinking partially mediated the effects of negative urgency on alcohol-related problems. In Study 2, we examined whether unplanned drinking accounts for unique variance in alcohol-related outcomes when controlling for use of protective behavioral strategies. With a sample of 170 college students, we replicated the findings of Study 1 in that the Unplanned Drinking Scale had a significant direct effect on alcohol-related problems even after controlling for alcohol use; this effect was maintained when controlling for use of protective behavioral strategies. Limitations include the modest sample sizes and the cross-sectional design. Future directions for testing the Model of Unplanned Drinking Behavior are proposed

Personalized Boosters For a Computerized Intervention Targeting College Drinking: The Influence of Protective Behavioral Strategies

Objective: Computerized interventions are cost-effective and can quickly deliver individual feedback to many students. However, in-person interventions are more efficacious. The current study sought to improve the efficacy of a popular online intervention via e-mailed boosters with personalized feedback. Participants: Participants were 213 student drinkers at a southeastern public university, ages 18-24. Methods: Students were randomized into (1) intervention only, or (2) intervention plus booster. Alcohol consumption and related problems were assessed at baseline, 2weeks post, and 4weeks post. Results: Boosters yielded reductions in drinking, but not alcohol-related problems. Boosters were associated with significant reductions for drinking frequency, heavy drinking days, peak drinks, and associated blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) moderated this effect, with significant reductions for students low in PBS, but not students already highly engaged in PBS use. Conclusions: Easy dissemination and low cost make e-mailed boosters a very efficient way to promote student health

Socially Induced Ovulation Synchrony and its Effect on Seabird Population Dynamics

Spontaneous oscillator synchrony is a form of self-organization in which populations of interacting oscillators ultimately cycle together. This phenomenon occurs in a wide range of physical and biological systems. In rats and humans, oestrous/menstrual cycles synchronize through social stimulation with pheromones acting as synchronizing signals. In previous work, we showed that glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) can lay eggs synchronously on an every-other-day schedule, and that synchrony increases with colony density. We posed a discrete-time mathematical model for reproduction during the breeding season based on the hypothesis that pre-ovulatory luteinizing hormone surges synchronize by means of visual, auditory and/or olfactory cues. Here, we extend the seasonal model in order to investigate the effect of ovulation synchrony on population dynamics across reproductive seasons. We show that socially stimulated ovulation synchrony can enhance total population size and allow the population to persist at lower birth rates than would otherwise be possible. © 2011 Taylor & Francis

Can We Predict Who Tries E-Cigarettes?

Background: Since the emergence of e-cigarettes in the United States in 2007, the aerosol-delivery devices have become the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth. This trend puts decades of work deterring young people from cigarettes in jeopardy and increases the risk of exposing a new generation of young people to nicotine. Researchers need to know what behaviors to target and who is at greatest risk in order to act upon the U.S. surgeon general’s 2018 call to action. Method: This study examined a variety of factors that have the potential to differentiate college students on their e-cigarette use. The sample for this study consisted of 1,083 college students ranging in age between 18 and 42 (Mage = 20.04, SDage = 2.57; 75.3% female; 40.5% Black). A variety of personality, environment, and behavioral factors were examined for their ability to sort students into two user groups based on their lifetime use of e-cigarettes, with participants who indicated having ever tried e-cigarettes being coded as ever users (n = 410, 37.9%). A recursive partition analysis (RPA) was used to assess which factors best separate students based on if they ever used e-cigarettes. Results: RPA creates a hierarchy of variables that determine the e-cigarette user category in order of strength. Positive-negative functions discrepancy and past use of cannabis emerged as the most important factors able to differentiate students as never users and ever users. Positive-negative functions discrepancy is the difference in endorsed positive reasons to use e-cigarettes and negative reasons to not use e-cigarettes. Conclusion: Results indicate that students who report less negative and more positive functions of e-cigarettes and have used cannabis are e-cigarette ever users. Policy makers and interventionists should use this information to reduce the risk of using e-cigarettes among young people.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_healthsciences/1014/thumbnail.jp

Predictive Effects of Good Self-Control and Poor Regulation on Alcohol-Related Outcomes: Do Protective Behavioral Strategies Mediate?

In the present study, we examined whether use of protective behavioral strategies mediated the relationship between self-control constructs and alcohol-related outcomes. According to the two-mode model of self-control, good self-control (planfulness; measured with Future Time Perspective, Problem Solving, and Self-Reinforcement) and poor regulation (impulsivity; measured with Present Time Perspective, Poor Delay of Gratification, Distractibility) are theorized to be relatively independent constructs rather than opposite ends of a single continuum. The analytic sample consisted of 278 college student drinkers (68% women) who responded to a battery of surveys at a single time point. Using a structural equation model based on the two-mode model of self-control, we found that good self-control predicted increased use of three types of protective behavioral strategies (Manner of Drinking, Limiting/Stopping Drinking, and Serious Harm Reduction). Poor regulation was unrelated to use of protective behavioral strategies, but had direct effects on alcohol use and alcohol problems. Further, protective behavioral strategies mediated the relationship between good self-control and alcohol use. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed

Clarifying Observed Relationships Between Protective Behavioral Strategies and Alcohol Outcomes: The Importance of Response Options

Protective behavioral strategies (PBS), or harm-reduction behaviors that can potentially reduce alcohol consumption or associated problems, have been assessed in varied ways throughout the literature. Existing scales vary in focus (i.e., broad vs. narrow), and importantly, in response options (i.e., absolute frequency vs. contingent frequency). Absolute frequency conflates PBS use with number of drinking occasions, resulting in inconsistencies in the relationship between PBS use and alcohol outcomes, whereas contingent frequency is less precise, which could reduce power. The current study proposes the use of absolute frequencies to maximize precision, with an adjustment for number of drinking days to extricate PBS use from drinking occasions, resulting in a contingent score. Study 1 examined the associations between PBS subscales using the Strategy Questionnaire (Sugarman & Carey, 2007) and alcohol outcomes, finding that in raw score form the association between PBS and typical alcohol outcomes varied greatly from significantly positive to significantly negative, but adjusted score relationships were all consistent with harm reduction perspectives. In addition, curvilinear relationships with typical alcohol use were eliminated using the score adjustment, resulting in linear associations. Study 2 confirmed the findings from Study 1 with a more precise timeframe, additional alcohol assessments, and heavier college drinkers. The relationships between alcohol outcomes and PBS in raw score form were again varied, but became consistently negative using the score adjustment. Researchers examining PBS and related constructs should consider modifying current scales to include a precise frequency response scale that is adjusted to account for number of drinking occasions