Visual attention to alcohol cues and responsible drinking statements within alcohol advertisements and public health campaigns: Relationships with drinking intentions and alcohol consumption in the laboratory.

Both alcohol advertising and public health campaigns increase alcohol consumption in the short term, and this may be attributable to attentional capture by alcohol-related cues in both types of media. The present studies investigated the association between (a) visual attention to alcohol cues and responsible drinking statements in alcohol advertising and public health campaigns, and (b) next-week drinking intentions (Study 1) and drinking behavior in the lab (Study 2). In Study 1, 90 male participants viewed 1 of 3 TV alcohol adverts (conventional advert; advert that emphasized responsible drinking; or public health campaign; between-subjects manipulation) while their visual attention to alcohol cues and responsible drinking statements was recorded, before reporting their drinking intentions. Study 2 used a within-subjects design in which 62 participants (27% male) viewed alcohol and soda advertisements while their attention to alcohol/soda cues and responsible drinking statements was recorded, before completing a bogus taste test with different alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. In both studies, alcohol cues attracted more attention than responsible drinking statements, except when viewing a public health TV campaign. Attention to responsible drinking statements was not associated with intentions to drink alcohol over the next week (Study 1) or alcohol consumption in the lab (Study 2). However, attention to alcohol portrayal cues within alcohol advertisements was associated with ad lib alcohol consumption in Study 2, although attention to other types of alcohol cues (brand logos, glassware, and packaging) was not associated. Future studies should investigate how responsible drinking statements might be improved to attract more attention

Economic Contribution of Maine’s Food Industry

Using existing state and federal data and Maine IMPLAN, a state-of-the-art economic modeling system, the authors present an overview of the economic contributions of Maine’s food industry. This includes food makers (farms, fisheries, food-processing companies) and food sellers (grocery stores, direct sales, restaurants). Each play a unique, but interconnected, role in the Maine economy and add up to significant economic impact

Word Cloud Analysis of Early Adopter No-Till Farmer Interviews

We interviewed early adopter no-till farmers in the New England region to assess why they changed tillage practices and what the perceived advantages and disadvantages of doing so were. We then generated word clouds from answers to key interview questions to convey the farmers\u27 experiences. Most of these innovators were influenced to convert to no-till by the success of other exemplary farmers. Advantages noted included reductions in production time and fuel use. The greatest perceived disadvantage was pest management issues caused by cover crop residues. Yield losses were not mentioned, and many of the farmers experienced increased yields. Our findings suggest that Extension staff can increase adoption of new production techniques by identifying and conveying experiences of key farmer leaders

Solidifying system of democracy in the Central and Eastern European new EU members

The paper examines the requirements of an effective and legitimized democratic political system in the process of transition. The analysis and the conclusions are based on the Hungarian experience, which can carefully be applied to all Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. Special focus is given to the relationship of legal certainty and the efficiency of the democratic system, to the tension between legalism and managerialism and to the characteristics of civil society organizations. In the conclusion special features of the transitional countries are pointed out

MRI based preterm white matter injury classification: the importance of sequential imaging in determining severity of injury

The evolution of non-hemorrhagic white matter injury (WMI) based on sequential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not been well studied. Our aim was to describe sequential MRI findings in preterm infants with non-hemorrhagic WMI and to develop an MRI classification system for preterm WMI based on these findings.Eighty-two preterm infants (gestation ≤35 weeks) were retrospectively included. WMI was diagnosed and classified based on sequential cranial ultrasound (cUS) and confirmed on MRI.138 MRIs were obtained at three time-points: early (<2 weeks; n = 32), mid (2-6 weeks; n = 30) and term equivalent age (TEA; n = 76). 63 infants (77%) had 2 MRIs during the neonatal period. WMI was non-cystic in 35 and cystic in 47 infants. In infants with cystic-WMI early MRI showed extensive restricted diffusion abnormalities, cysts were already present in 3 infants; mid MRI showed focal or extensive cysts, without acute diffusion changes. A significant reduction in the size and/or extent of the cysts was observed in 32% of the infants between early/mid and TEA MRI. In 4/9 infants previously seen focal cysts were no longer identified at TEA. All infants with cystic WMI showed ≥2 additional findings at TEA: significant reduction in WM volume, mild-moderate irregular ventriculomegaly, several areas of increased signal intensity on T1-weighted-images, abnormal myelination of the PLIC, small thalami.In infants with extensive WM cysts at 2-6 weeks, cysts may be reduced in number or may even no longer be seen at TEA. A single MRI at TEA, without taking sequential cUS data and pre-TEA MRI findings into account, may underestimate the extent of WMI; based on these results we propose a new MRI classification for preterm non-hemorrhagic WMI

Temporary abstinence challenges: what do we need to know?

Participation in temporary abstinence challenges (TAC) continues to increase with campaigns established in several countries. Temporarily abstaining from alcohol as part of such challenges is associated with ongoing benefits including reductions to alcohol consumption after the TAC. We identified three research priorities regarding TACs which are outlined in this paper. First, the role of temporary abstinence itself is unclear with post-TAC reductions in alcohol consumption still apparent among participants who do not remain fully abstinent throughout the challenge. It is necessary to establish to what degree temporary abstinence itself, rather than the combination of abstinence and the additional supports provided by TAC organisers (e.g., mobile applications, online support groups), contributes to changes in consumption after the TAC. Second, little is known about the psychological changes underlying these changes in alcohol consumption, with conflicting evidence as to whether increases in someone's belief in their ability to avoid drinking mediates the association between participation in a TAC and reductions in consumption afterwards. Other potential psychological and social mechanisms of change have been subjected to little, if any, scrutiny. Third, evidence of increased consumption post-TAC among a minority of participants indicates a need to establish for whom or in what circumstances participation in a TAC may result in unintended negative consequences. Focussing research in these areas would increase the confidence with which participation could be encouraged. It would also enable campaign messaging and additional supports to be prioritised and tailored to be as effective as possible in facilitating long-term change

Purinergic Signaling Controls Spontaneous Activity in the Auditory System throughout Early Development

Spontaneous bursts of electrical activity in the developing auditory system arise within the cochlea before hearing onset and propagate through future sound-processing circuits of the brain to promote maturation of auditory neurons. Studies in isolated cochleae revealed that this intrinsically generated activity is initiated by ATP release from inner supporting cells (ISCs), resulting in activation of purinergic autoreceptors, K+ efflux, and subsequent depolarization of inner hair cells. However, it is unknown when this activity emerges or whether different mechanisms induce activity during distinct stages of development. Here we show that spontaneous electrical activity in mouse cochlea from both sexes emerges within ISCs during the late embryonic period, preceding the onset of spontaneous correlated activity in inner hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons, which begins at birth and follows a base to apex developmental gradient. At all developmental ages, pharmacological inhibition of P2Y1 purinergic receptors dramatically reduced spontaneous activity in these three cell types. Moreover, in vivo imaging within the inferior colliculus revealed that auditory neurons within future isofrequency zones exhibit coordinated neural activity at birth. The frequency of these discrete bursts increased progressively during the postnatal prehearing period yet remained dependent on P2RY1. Analysis of mice with disrupted cholinergic signaling in the cochlea indicate that this efferent input modulates, rather than initiates, spontaneous activity before hearing onset. Thus, the auditory system uses a consistent mechanism involving ATP release from ISCs and activation of P2RY1 autoreceptors to elicit coordinated excitation of neurons that will process similar frequencies of sound.Fil: Babola, Travis A.. University Johns Hopkins; Estados UnidosFil: Li, Sally. University Johns Hopkins; Estados UnidosFil: Wang, Zhirong. University Of Georgetown; Estados UnidosFil: Kersbergen, Calvin J.. University Johns Hopkins; Estados UnidosFil: Elgoyhen, Ana Belen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Coate, Thomas M.. University Johns Hopkins; Estados UnidosFil: Bergles, Dwight E.. University Johns Hopkins; Estados Unido

The effects of exposure to appetitive cues on inhibitory control: A meta-analytic investigation

© 2018 The Authors Inhibitory control refers to the ability to stop, change or delay a response, and is often used in order to protect higher order goals. Theoretical models suggest that appetitive cues such as pictures of alcoholic drinks or food evoke strong automatic appetitive responses which lead to transient impairments in inhibitory control, and that these effects of cues may be related to individual differences (e.g. in body mass index, or alcohol consumption). In order to investigate these claims we conducted a random effects meta-analysis of 66 effect sizes (35 alcohol, 31 food) from 37 articles that tested the effect of exposure to appetitive (alcohol/food) cues on indices of inhibitory control. The overall effect of cue exposure was small, but robust (SMD = −0.12 [95% CI −0.23, −0.02]; Z = 2.34, p =.02, I2= 84%). Exposure to alcohol-related cues significantly impaired inhibitory control (SMD = −0.21 [95% CI = −0.32, −0.11]; Z = 4.17, p <.001), however exposure to food-related cues did not lead to impairments (SMD = −0.03 [95% CI = −0.21, 0.15]; Z = 0.36, p =.720). There was no evidence that drinking or weight status significantly moderated the effects of cues on inhibitory control. Similarly, cue modality (words, pictures, or smells) did not significantly moderate the effects. Trim and Fill analysis suggested bias in the literature, which when corrected, made the overall effect of cues non-significant. Overall, these findings provide some tentative support for theoretical claims that exposure to appetitive cues prompts transient impairments in inhibitory control. Further research is required to determine the clinical significance of these observations. However, care should be taken when drawing conclusions from a potentially biased evidence base