DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES, DRIVING PERFORMANCE, AND ACUTE RESPONSES TO ALCOHOL IN DUI OFFENDERS

Alcohol-impaired driving is a major cause of motor vehicle accident and death in the United States. People who are arrested for DUI (Driving under the Influence) are at high risk to reoffend; approximately one in three of these individuals will commit another DUI offense in the three years following their first conviction (Nochajski & Stasiewicz, 2006). This high risk for recidivism in these individuals suggests that cognitive characteristics may contribute to a pattern of pathological decision making leading to impaired driving. Indeed, individuals with a history of DUI report higher rates of impulsiveness and behavioral dysregulation compared to their nonoffending peers. Relatively little research, however, has used laboratory methods to identify the specific behavioral characteristics, such as poor inhibitory control or heightened sensitivity to immediate reward, which may differentiate DUI offenders from nonoffenders. Further, little is known about how individuals with a history of DUI respond following an acute dose of alcohol. Study 1 examined impulsivity in 20 adults with a recent DUI conviction and 20 adults with no history of DUI using self-report and behavioral measures of impulsivity. This study also used a novel decision-making paradigm to examine how different levels of risk and reward influenced the decision to drive after drinking in both groups. Results of this study found that DUI offenders did not differ from controls in their performance on behavioral measures of impulsivity. They did, however, report higher levels of impulsivity and demonstrated a greater willingness to tolerate higher levels of risk for more modest rewards. Study 2 examined the acute effects of alcohol and expectancy manipulation on driving performance and decision making in the same group of participants. Neither alcohol nor expectancy manipulation exerted a systematic effect on decision making in either group. Alcohol impaired driving performance equally in both groups, but the DUI group perceived themselves as less impaired by alcohol. Expectancy manipulation eliminated this group difference in perceived driving ability. Taken together, these findings identify processes that risk of impaired driving in DUI offenders. They may perceive themselves as less impaired by alcohol, leading to risky decision making when drinking. Expectancy manipulation may be a viable method of reducing risky decision making in DUI offenders

Rapid fitting of particle cascade development data from X-ray film densitometry measurements

A semiautomatic method of fitting transition curves to X-ray film optical density measurements of electromagnetic particle cascades is described. Several hundred singly and multiple interacting cosmic ray events from the JACEE 8 balloon flights were analyzed using this procedure. In addition to greatly increased speed compared to the previous manual method, the semiautomatic method offers increased accuracy through maximum likelihood fitting

Walter B. Roberts Collection - Accession 485

This collection consists of black and white photographs autographed by the entertainers who performed at Winthrop College as part of the institution’s Artist Series program, a photograph of the Winthrop College Poetry Society including Dr. David B. Johnson, founder and first president of Winthrop, and photographs of Walter B. Roberts and other Winthrop College Professors as well as visiting instructors from Juilliard School of Music. Artists include Jasha Heifetz, Jan Peerce, Will Rogers, Arthur Rubenstein, Risë Stevens, Vienna Choir Boys and many others.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1193/thumbnail.jp

Interview with Walter B. Roberts

In his April 25, 1980 interview with Jeff Clark, Walter Roberts shares his experience as the chair of the Music Department and a faculty member during the Great Depression. Roberts discusses morale on campus and how the University remained fairly unaffected by change. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/oralhistoryprogram/1204/thumbnail.jp

Walter Roberts Papers - Accession 1284

This collection follows the career and life of Dr. Walter B. Roberts (1893-1993). Roberts, former head of the Winthrop Music Department (1925-1958), who founded the South Carolina High School Music Festival and contributed greatly to the formation of music programs around the state. The contents of this collection regarding Dr. Walter Roberts cover various aspects of his life such as his education, service in the military, and career at Winthrop. The contents include correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, a house blueprint, academic transcripts, program bulletins, and documents concerning his funeral.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/2059/thumbnail.jp

Probing Extreme-Density Matter with Gravitational Wave Observations of Binary Neutron Star Merger Remnants

We present a proof-of-concept study, based on numerical-relativity simulations, of how gravitational waves (GWs) from neutron star merger remnants can probe the nature of matter at extreme densities. Phase transitions and extra degrees of freedom can emerge at densities beyond those reached during the inspiral, and typically result in a softening of the equation of state (EOS). We show that such physical effects change the qualitative dynamics of the remnant evolution, but they are not identifiable as a signature in the GW frequency, with the exception of possible black-hole formation effects. The EOS softening is, instead, encoded in the GW luminosity and phase and is in principle detectable up to distances of the order of several Mpcs with advanced detectors and up to hundreds of Mpcs with third generation detectors. Probing extreme-density matter will require going beyond the current paradigm and developing a more holistic strategy for modeling and analyzing postmerger GW signals.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Matches version accepted on ApJ

Curbing the DUI Offender\u27s Self-Efficacy to Drink and Drive: A Laboratory Study

Background—People arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) are at high risk to reoffend. One reason for this high rate of recidivism among DUI offenders is that these individuals systematically underestimate the degree to which alcohol impairs their ability to drive. This study compared perceived and objective driving ability following alcohol and performance feedback in drivers with and without a history of DUI. Method—Adult drivers with (n = 20) and without (n = 20) a history of DUI arrest attended two dose challenge sessions where they received 0.64 g/kg alcohol or placebo, completed a simulated driving task, and provided measures of subjective impairment. They attended a third retesting session where they received feedback that they were impaired by alcohol. They received 0.64 g/kg alcohol and their objective and perceived driving ability was retested. Results—Both groups showed significant impairment of driving performance following 0.64 g/kg alcohol compared to placebo. DUI offenders rated themselves as less impaired than controls. After performance feedback, self-reported impairment during the alcohol retest increased for DUI offenders but not for controls. There was no effect of performance feedback on objective driving ability. Conclusions—These results support the notion that under alcohol DUI offenders characteristically perceive themselves as better able to drive than non-offenders. These perceptions can be tempered by performance feedback. To the extent that perceived ability to drive safely after drinking contributes to DUI and its recidivism, feedback geared towards lowering this self-efficacy could reduce willingness to engage in this behavior

Assimilation of GPM-Retrieved Marine Surface Meteorology Variables for Two Winter Storms

No abstract availabl