Comorbidity of Alcohol and Gambling Problems in Emerging Adults: A Bifactor Model Conceptualization

Addictive disorders, such as pathological gambling and alcohol use disorders, frequently co-occur at greater than chance levels. Substantive questions stem from this comorbidity regarding the extent to which shared variance between gambling and alcohol use reflects a psychological core of addictive tendencies, and whether this differs as a function of gender. The aims of this study were to differentiate both common and unique variance in alcohol and gambling problems in a bifactor model, examine measurement invariance of this model by gender, and identify substantive correlates of the final bifactor model. Undergraduates (N = 4475) from a large northwestern university completed an online screening questionnaire which included demographics, quantity of money lost and won when gambling, the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the AUDIT, gambling motives, drinking motives, personality, and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Results suggest that the bifactor model fit the data well in the full sample. Although the data suggest configural invariance across gender, factor loadings could not be constrained to be equal between men and women. As such, general and specific factors were examined separately by gender with a more intensive subsample of females and males (n = 264). Correlations with motivational tendencies, personality traits, and mental health symptoms indicated support for the validity of the bifactor model, as well as gender-specific patterns of association. Results suggest informative distinctions between shared and unique attributes related to problematic drinking and gambling.     

A ‘weak and small’ race in China’s southwest: Yi elites and the struggle for recognition in Republican China

Studies on ethnic minorities for the Republican period (1912–1949) highlight the political agency these groups displayed in their negotiations with the modern Chinese state. Most of this work has focused on those non-Han groups officially recognized as part of the Five-Race Republic (wuzu gonghe). Little is known, however, about those excluded from the early Republic’s flag such as the Yi inhabiting southwest China. This article discusses the role played by a group of Yi leaders who engaged with Sun Yat-sen’s ideology of nationalism, racial equality, and anti-imperialism in their attempts to obtain both recognition and aid from the Chinese nation–state. Rather than rejecting the commonly used term to identify China’s non-Han population of ‘weak and small races’ present in Sun Yat-sen’s ideology, Yi elites appropriated this term to their advantage seeking aid from the Guomindang but at the same time placing boundaries to what they perceived to be a Han-centered state.     

The Effects of Urban Form on Ambient Air Pollution and Public Health Risk: A Case Study in Raleigh,North Carolina

Since motor vehicles are a major air pollution source, urban designs that decrease private automobile use could improve air quality and decrease air pollution health risks. Yet, the relationships among urban form, air quality, and health are complex and not fully understood. To explore these relationships, we model the effects of three alternative development scenarios on annual average fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) concentrations in ambient air and associated health risks from PM_2.5 exposure in North Carolina's Raleigh‐Durham‐Chapel Hill area. We integrate transportation demand, land‐use regression, and health risk assessment models to predict air quality and health impacts for three development scenarios: current conditions, compact development, and sprawling development. Compact development slightly decreases (?0.2%) point estimates of regional annual average PM_2.5 concentrations, while sprawling development slightly increases (+1%) concentrations. However, point estimates of health impacts are in opposite directions: compact development increases (+39%) and sprawling development decreases (?33%) PM_2.5‐attributable mortality. Furthermore, compactness increases local variation in PM_2.5 concentrations and increases the severity of local air pollution hotspots. Hence, this research suggests that while compact development may improve air quality from a regional perspective, it may also increase the concentration of PM_2.5 in local hotspots and increase population exposure to PM_2.5. Health effects may be magnified if compact neighborhoods and PM_2.5 hotspots are spatially co‐located. We conclude that compactness alone is an insufficient means of reducing the public health impacts of transportation emissions in automobile‐dependent regions. Rather, additional measures are needed to decrease automobile dependence and the health risks of transportation emissions.     

Who Will Celebrate Our 200th Anniversary? Growing the Next Generation of ASA Members

During the next 25 years, the growth and vitality of the American Statistical Association will depend on how well we attract and serve members in emerging areas of practice such as data science, where statistics as a skill set is in high demand but statistics as a profession has low recognition. Successful adaptation to the era of Big Data requires that we broaden our understanding of statistical practice to include the work of all those who learn from data. In order to grow the next generation of members, we must also retain a much higher proportion of today's student members, many of whom leave the ASA upon graduation. By providing value that meets the needs of these groups and equips them to flourish in their organizations, we can become the Big Tent for Statistics.     

Strategic competitive information systems

A variety of strategic competitive information systems is described and evaluated in terms of three criteria which should be met by strategic information systems. The more sophisticated varieties—those that incorporate specific models into the system—generally meet the criteria better than do the ‘retrieval’ varieties of systems. Since systems of this kind are relatively expensive to develop, this suggests that the area of strategic competitive information may be one of great potential payoff for the integration of models into information systems.     

Health Insurance,from a Child Language Broker's Perspective

In the midst of dramatic changes to American health care law there is need to understand the challenges that vulnerable populations encounter in obtaining and managing health insurance. Research has found that child language brokers, children who mediate language and culture for their immigrant families, assist with health‐related matters. We report on focus groups with 17 language brokers living in Central Los Angeles. In this article we detail their experiences language brokering for health insurance and their knowledge of health insurance and policies that apply to their immigrant families. We illuminate some barriers immigrant families face as well as how they navigate them. We conclude with policy implications, particularly in relation to making health insurance more accessible to non‐English speaking and immigrant populations.     

A cramer - von mises type goodness of fit test with asymmetric weight function

A goodness of fit test of the Cramer - von Mises type, which gives more weight to the upper (or to the lower) tail of the distribution, is proposed and studied. It is found the orthogonal representation of the test for the case of a simple null hypothesis. The characteristic function of the asymptotic null distribution is found and inverted to get percentage points. The asymptotic power of the test is obtained for the normal null hypothesis, against mean and variance shifts and more asymmetric alternatives.

Also the case of the exponential null hypothesis is studied. It is found that the test, which emphasizes the upper tail, has more power than those of Anderson - Darling and Cramer - von Mises, against alternatives which differ from the null hypothesis mainly in the upper tail, and less power when the main difference is in the lower tail of the distribution.     

Urban Governance Reform Index: An Alignment of Traditional Reform and Public Choice Propositions

The persistent debate on the consolidation versus fragmentation model of government is a result of a dualist conceptualization of governance reform by two competing theories—public choice and traditional reform. Both argue for reform, but their definitions of reform are diametrically opposed and there is no appropriate instrument to measure government reform. We propose an alignment of the traditional reform and public choice traditions and an instrument to measure governance reform by an index comprised of 1) form of government, 2) home-rule status, 3) methods of election, 4) number of elected officials, and 5) number of jurisdictions. The alignment of the two theoretical camps is supported by the selection of the five reform components and their particular operationalizations.     

Four publics of anti-bioterrorism information campaigns: A test of the situational theory

Applying the situational theory, this study examines the extent to which citizens recognize bioterrorism as a social issue, their level of involvement with it, and how their perceptions of it affect communication and protective behaviors. A national sample survey (N = 363) showed that problem recognition was positively related to information seeking and processing while constraints recognition was negatively related to information seeking and processing. Involvement was positively related to information seeking. Respondents were segmented into four public types based on media consumption habits, source trust evaluations and intentions to perform recommended behaviors.