Exploring the association between problem drinking and language use on Facebook in young adults

Recent literature suggests that variations in both formal and content aspects of texts shared on social media tend to reflect user-level differences in demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral characteristics. In the present study, we examined associations between language use on Facebook and problematic alcohol use. We collected texts shared on Facebook by a sample of 296 adult social media users (66.9% females; mean age = 28.44 years (SD = 7.38)). Texts were mined using the closed-vocabulary approach based on the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) semantic dictionary, and an open-vocabulary approach performed via Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). Then, we examined associations between emerging textual features and alcohol-drinking scores as assessed using the AUDIT-C questionnaire. As a final aim, we employed the Random Forest machine-learning algorithm to determine and compare the predictive accuracy of closed- and open-vocabulary features over users' AUDIT-C scores. We found use of words about family, school, and positive feelings and emotions to be negatively associated with alcohol use and problematic drinking, while words suggesting interest in sport events, politics and economics, nightlife, and use of coarse language were more frequent among problematic drinkers. Results coming from LIWC and LDA analyses were quite similar, but LDA added information that could not be retrieved only with LIWC analysis. Furthermore, open-vocabulary features outperformed closed-vocabulary features in terms of predictive power over participants’ AUDIT-C scores (r = .46 vs. r = .28, respectively). Emerging relationships between text features and offline behaviors may have important implications for alcohol screening purposes in the online environment. </p

Innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems: Structure, boundaries, and dynamics

Recognizing the broader dimensions of entrepreneurial and innovation activities, holistic and inclusive networked approaches pave the way to co-creation activities that are essential for achieving sustainability in food systems. Recent studies have started to deepen what are the critical enablers for creating thriving entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems. Networks that include firms, institutions, and several other relevant stakeholders in knowledge spillovers enable to produce more social and economic value through co-creation processes. However, due to the unique complexity within ecosystems, there is no standardized framework or strategy to develop entrepreneurial or innovation ecosystems effectively. In this chapter, a synthesis of the structure, dynamics, and boundaries of innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems is presented. In particular, the main differences between these two concepts and the traditional ecosystem concept are provided and an overview of the more well-established definitions and frameworks present in the business and management literature offered. So, the following questions and many others will be addressed: what are the critical factors that lead some ecosystems to success? What the key actors? What dynamics characterize them? Answering these questions may represent an effective solution to address sustainability in the multi-functionality of food systems collectively. Therefore, how the heterogeneous elements and complexity of entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems can be applied in food system sustainability initiatives will be finally discussed and critical action points for policy and practice recommended

Innovative and sustainable food business models

Companies are called upon to solve the great challenges of the new millennium. The food sector, from this point of view, plays a strategic role. Poverty, malnutrition, hunger, climate change, and social inequalities are just some of the trends which the agri-food sector has to cope with. The digital transformation that companies will need to embrace to survive requires new ways of creating, thinking, and working with technology-driven tools to provide value for their businesses and customers. Digitization, whether it pertains to new technologies, the analysis of big data or the development of on-line and spatial applications, can contribute to achieving systemic food production transformation in a way that aligns the sector more closely with contemporary sustainability and health challenges. Digital techniques are leading established companies to renew and innovate their business models by connecting producers to consumers, setting up innovative marketing channels, and improving logistics. Artificial intelligence for smart farming, precision and urban farming, data management for waste-less, blockchain for supply chain traceability and auditability are just some of the disruptive technologies which have been adopting by both start-ups and an increasing number of established companies, redefining their business models. This chapter aims to analyse how these new paradigms are impacting the food sector by providing examples from the real world

Emotion experience and frailty in a sample of Italian community-dwelling older adults

Anna Mulasso,1,2 Laura Argiolu,1 Mattia Roppolo,1 Danny Azucar,1 Emanuela Rabaglietti1 1Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; 2NeuroMuscular Function Research Group, School of Exercise and Sport Sciences, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy Abstract: Frailty increases individual vulnerability to external stressors and involves high risk for adverse geriatric outcomes. To date, few studies have addressed the role of emotion perception and its association with frailty in aged populations. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore whether a significant association between frailty and emotional experience exists in a sample of Italian community-dwelling older adults. Our sample consisted of 104 older adults (age 76&plusmn;8&nbsp;years; 59.6% women) living in Piedmont, Italy. Frailty was measured using the Italian version of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI), and emotion perception was measured with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The Mini&ndash;Mental State Examination was used as a screening tool for cognitive functions (people with a score &le;20 points were excluded). One-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusted for interesting variables, and post hoc tests were performed where appropriate. According to the TFI, 57.7% of participants resulted as frail. Analysis showed a significant greater severity of frailty in the low positive affect (PA) group compared to the high PA group. Similarly, those with high negative affect (NA) showed significantly higher levels of frailty than the low NA group. As expected, significant differences for frailty were also found among the groups composed of 1) people with high PA and low NA, 2) people with low PA or high NA, and 3) people with low PA and high NA. Post hoc tests showed a greater severity of frailty in the second and in the third groups compared to the first one. Lastly, robust participants aged &gt;75 years showed higher levels of PA than the group aged between 60 and 75 years. These findings demonstrate that both PA and NA may influence frailty, giving new insights for the evaluation and prevention of frailty in older adults. Keywords: emotion perception functional decline, frail individuals, Tilburg Frailty Indicator, analysis of covariance&nbsp

Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in the LGBTQIA Community

Objectives. To report findings from qualitative research that describe sources of hesitancy and barriers to vaccine uptake among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) populations. Methods. In March 2021, we conducted focus groups with members of the Los Angeles, California LGBTQIA community to identify barriers to becoming vaccinated. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 32 individuals in 5 focus groups. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes. Results. Historical and ongoing medical trauma, including misgendering, and perceived emotional violence emerged as significant barriers to LGBTQIA individuals becoming vaccinated. Fear of violence was found to be a major barrier among transgender individuals, whereas fear of an unwelcoming vaccination site was a barrier for seniors. Finally, surviving was a higher priority than becoming vaccinated. Conclusions. Participants reported vaccine hesitancy and barriers that are unique to the life experiences of LGBTQIA individuals; these include medical trauma, violence, stigma, and discrimination. Our findings highlight the need to include LGBTQIA leaders and trusted individuals in the development of vaccination education and the delivery of vaccination services. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(3):405–407. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306599 ) </jats:p