Alcohol Hangover and Multitasking: Effects on Mood, Cognitive Performance, Stress Reactivity, and Perceived Effort

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of hangover on mood, multitasking ability, and psychological stress reactivity to cognitive demand. Using a crossover design and semi-naturalistic methodology, 25 participants attended the laboratory in the morning following a night of (i) alcohol abstinence and (ii) alcohol self-administration during a typical night out (with order counterbalanced across participants). They completed a four-module multitasking framework (MTF, a widely used laboratory stressor) and a battery of questionnaires assessing mood, hangover symptom severity, and previous night’s sleep. The effects of the MTF on mood and perceived workload were also assessed. Participants in the hangover condition reported significantly lower alertness and contentment coupled with a higher mental fatigue and anxiety. Multitasking ability was also significantly impaired in the hangover condition. Completion of the cognitive stressor increased reported levels of mental demand, effort, and frustration, and decreased perceived level of performance. MTF completion did not differentially affect mood. Lastly, participants rated their sleep as significantly worse during the night prior to the hangover compared with the control condition. These findings confirm the negative cognitive and mood effects of hangover on mood. They also demonstrate that hangover is associated with greater perceived effort during task performance

Initial Investigations of the cranial size and shape of adult Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in Great Britain

Three-dimensional (3D) surface scans were carried out in order to determine the shapes of the upper sections of (skeletal) crania of adult Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) from Great Britain. Landmark points were placed on these shapes using a graphical user interface (GUI) and distance measurements (i.e., the length, height, and width of the crania) were found by using the landmark points. Male otters had significantly larger skulls than females (P < 0.001). Differences in size also occurred by geographical area in Great Britain (P < 0.05). Multilevel Principal Components Analysis (mPCA) indicated that sex and geographical area explained 31.1% and 9.6% of shape variation in “unscaled” shape data and that they explained 17.2% and 9.7% of variation in “scaled” data. The first mode of variation at level 1 (sex) correctly reflected size changes between males and females for “unscaled” shape data. Modes at level 2 (geographical area) also showed possible changes in size and shape. Clustering by sex and geographical area was observed in standardized component scores. Such clustering in a cranial shape by geographical area might reflect genetic differences in otter populations in Great Britain, although other potentially confounding factors (e.g., population age-structure, diet, etc.) might also drive regional differences. This work provides a successful first test of the effectiveness of 3D surface scans and multivariate methods, such as mPCA, to study the cranial morphology of otters

Effects of alcohol hangover on attentional resources during a verbal memory/psychomotor tracking dual attention task

Background: Alcohol hangover (AH) is associated with impaired attention and memory performance. However, whether this effect is related to reduced attentional resources remains unclear. Aims: A dual-attention paradigm was employed to assess the effects of AH on attentional resources, delayed memory recognition, and the interaction between attentional load and AH. Mental effort and perceived performance during AH and control conditions were also assessed. Methods: A seminaturalistic, crossover design was used. In total, 25 healthy social drinkers aged 18–35 years, visited the laboratory following a typical night out drinking (Hangover condition) and after alcohol abstinence (control) between 8:30 am and 12:30 pm, with conditions counterbalanced. Attentional load was manipulated via the presence (dual attention) or absence of psychomotor tracking during verbal memory encoding. Perceived mental effort and performance were measured using the NASA-TLX. Participants’ recollected alcohol consumption was used to compute estimated blood alcohol level (eBAC). Results: Compared with the control visit, AH was associated with reduced recognition accuracy (particularly more false negatives), higher “tracking costs” (poorer accuracy) in the dual attention condition, increased ratings of “mental demand,” “effort,” and “frustration,” and lower ratings of task performance. There was also a significant main effect of attentional load with poorer recognition accuracy and response time in the dual attention condition. There were no significant interaction effects between hangover and attentional load. Conclusion: These findings suggest that reduced attentional resources contribute to the cognitive deficits associated with AH including impaired memory consolidation. They further suggest that while hungover, participants are aware of these deficits but are unable to compensate

Teacher and youth priorities for education for environmental sustainability: A co-created manifesto

What would it mean to put environmental sustainability at the heart of education? This article describes a process of inclusive, participatory manifesto-making to identify young people's (aged 16–18 years) and teachers' priorities for education for environmental sustainability across the UK. Drawing on analysis of qualitative data from over 200 teachers and young people who participated in futures and visualisation workshops, we identify key educational priorities at the levels of classroom, school, community and policy, based on consensus between teacher and youth perspectives. Whilst consensus-seeking comes with a risk of favouring ‘soft’ actions which reinforce unsustainable practices and systems, the process of identifying more desirable futures and immediate barriers that must be negotiated to reach them has the potential to create spaces for more critical pedagogies and practices. There is a need for policy makers and school leaders to recognise the interests of teachers and young people to enable greater participation in decision making at different scales, and to ensure that those with the greatest capacity bear their burden of responsibility for education for environmental sustainability

The characterization, localization and physiological regulation of [125I] iodomelatonin binding sites in the gonads

published_or_final_versionPhysiologyDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph

Disengaged and disruptive : behaviour intervention for boys from year four to year seven

Disengaged and disruptive students have been an ongoing concern for teachers for many years. Teaching is complex—complex students with complex lives and complex behaviours. How best to help these students is an ever-present question without a simple answer. Solutions need to be found. Under a positive behaviour support framework when serious, disruptive behaviour requires intervention, an individualised positive behaviour support plan (PBS plan) is developed and implemented. This multicase study (Stake, 2006) investigated how task engagement was changed for boys from year four to year seven who demonstrated serious, disruptive behaviour. The individualised PBS plan was the primary tool of behaviour intervention in each of the five cases. Using the Behaviour Support Plan Quality Evaluation Scoring Guide II (BSP-QE) (Browning- Wright, Saren & Mayer, 2003) the five PBS plans were evaluated prior to implementation and rated highly in terms of technical quality. Positive changes in student task engagement were forthcoming in all five cases. Eleven advisory visiting teachers in behaviour and eleven classroom teachers, five of whom were case-study participants, took part in this study. The classroom teachers were employed in south-east Queensland primary schools located in suburbs of economic disadvantage. All 22 participants expressed very similar perceptions of serious, disruptive behaviour emphasising the collateral impact upon the teaching and learning. Data obtained through direct observations, surveys and semi-structured interviews confirmed previous research to reveal a strong link between integrity of PBS plan implementation and student behaviour change. While classroom teachers, in the main, effectively managed the implementation of the PBS plan, social validity of goals, procedures and effects; in-class technical assistance and performance feedback were identified as three enablers to effective teacher implementation of the PBS plan. While the purpose of each PBS plan was to influence change in student behaviour, this study found that changing teacher behaviour was also instrumental in achieving positive student outcomes. Changing teacher behaviour and building capacity was facilitated by trusting, collaborative partnerships established between the Advisory Visiting Teacher-Behaviour and the classroom teacher responsible for the plan implementation. The Advisory Visiting Teacher-Behaviour provides assistance to teachers dealing with students who demonstrate ongoing, problematic behaviour. The inclusion of a teaching component as part of the implementation stage of the consultation process appeared to have considerable influence upon successful intervention. Results substantiated earlier understandings of the importance of teacher instruction highlighting the value of explicit teaching and performance feedback to the delivery of effective behaviour intervention. Conclusions drawn from this study have had a major impact upon the work of a regional team of Advisory Visiting Teachers-Behaviour. The focus of behaviour intervention has moved from being primarily upon the individual student to include a greater emphasis upon the critical role of the teacher. Procedures and processes are being re-evaluated to align with evidence-based practice and to include a collaborative consultation approach to improve teacher assistance. The framework and content of staff development and training is being created directly from the findings of this study. This practical application of the results has informed better ways of providing behaviour intervention for students demonstrating serious, disruptive behaviour. What this study has clearly shown is that when it comes to behaviour intervention, the important role of the teacher cannot be underestimated

Multi-tiered culturally responsive behavior support:a qualitative study of trauma-informed education in an Australian primary school

There is growing awareness of the impact of intergenerational trauma and community disadvantage on the educational achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) children in Australia. Scholars have identified the need for culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches to complement existing disciplinary and behavior support practices utilized in schools. This pilot research project explored the experiences of primary school teachers who were supported to implement traumainformed practices in a regional primary school with a large number of First Nations students. Qualitative interviews with eight teachers were conducted after a 3-year (2017–2020) implementation of the Trauma-Informed Behavior Support (TIBS) program. Using a thematic analysis approach, the study identified the following themes: changes in teacher knowledge about the impact of intergenerational trauma, acknowledgment of the multi-systemic influences on student behavior difficulties, increased self-efficacy in providing culturally safe learning environments and strategies for building relationships with First Nations students. The findings offer insights into factors that support the successful and sustainable implementation of culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices in primary school settings

Effects of Rapid Recovery on Alcohol Hangover Severity: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Balanced Crossover Trial

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of putative hangover treatment, Rapid Recovery, in mitigating alcohol hangover (AH) symptom severity. Using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, balanced crossover design, 20 participants attended the laboratory for two evenings of alcohol consumption, each followed by morning assessments of AH severity. Participants were administered Rapid Recovery and placebo on separate visits. In the first testing visit, participants self-administered alcoholic beverages of their choice, to a maximum of 1.3 g/kg alcohol. Drinking patterns were recorded and replicated in the second evening testing visit. In the morning visits, AH severity was assessed using questionnaires measuring AH symptom severity and sleep quality, computerized assessments of cognitive functioning as well as levels of blood biomarkers of liver function (gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)) and inflammation (high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)). There were no differences in the blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) obtained in the Rapid Recovery (mean = 0.096%) and placebo (mean = 0.097%) conditions. Participants reported significantly greater sleep problems in the Rapid Recovery compared to placebo condition, although this difference was no longer significant following Bonferroni&rsquo;s correction. There were no other significant differences between Rapid Recovery and placebo. These data suggest that Rapid Recovery has no significant effect on alcohol hangover nor on associated biomarkers

Effects of Rapid Recovery on Alcohol Hangover Severity: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Balanced Crossover Trial

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of putative hangover treatment, Rapid Recovery, in mitigating alcohol hangover (AH) symptom severity. Using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, balanced crossover design, 20 participants attended the laboratory for two evenings of alcohol consumption, each followed by morning assessments of AH severity. Participants were administered Rapid Recovery and placebo on separate visits. In the first testing visit, participants self-administered alcoholic beverages of their choice, to a maximum of 1.3 g/kg alcohol. Drinking patterns were recorded and replicated in the second evening testing visit. In the morning visits, AH severity was assessed using questionnaires measuring AH symptom severity and sleep quality, computerized assessments of cognitive functioning as well as levels of blood biomarkers of liver function (gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)) and inflammation (high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)). There were no differences in the blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) obtained in the Rapid Recovery (mean = 0.096%) and placebo (mean = 0.097%) conditions. Participants reported significantly greater sleep problems in the Rapid Recovery compared to placebo condition, although this difference was no longer significant following Bonferroni's correction. There were no other significant differences between Rapid Recovery and placebo. These data suggest that Rapid Recovery has no significant effect on alcohol hangover nor on associated biomarkers