Structural or Dispositional? An Experimental Investigation of the Experience of Winning in Social Casino Games (and Impulsivity) on Subsequent Gambling Behaviors

Background and aims: In the present research, we experimentally investigated whether the experience of winning (i.e., inflated payout rates) in a social casino game influenced social casino gamers’ subsequent decision to gamble for money. Furthermore, we assessed whether facets of dispositional impulsivity – negative and positive urgency in particular – also influenced participants’ subsequent gambling. Methods: Social casino gamers who were also current gamblers (N = 318) were asked to play a social casino game to assess their perceptions of the game in exchange for $3. Unbeknownst to them, players were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: winning (n = 110), break-even (n = 103), or losing (n = 105). After playing, participants were offered a chance to gamble their$3 renumeration in an online roulette game. Results: A total of 280 participants (88.1%) elected to gamble, but no between-condition variation in the decision to gamble emerged. Furthermore, there were no differences in gambling on the online roulette between condition. However, higher levels of both negative and positive urgency increased the likelihood of gambling. Finally, impulsivity did not moderate the relationship between experience of winning and decision to gamble. Conclusion: The results suggest that dispositional factors, including impulsive urgency, are implicated in the choice to gamble for social casino gamers following play

Study of UV Degradation on Plastic (PET) Aerosols

The present study was aimed to explore the impact of UV radiation, from ‘real world’ environmental exposure, on the degradation of plastic PET aerosol containers. Additionally, the intent was to correlate the ‘real world’ environmental exposure to artificial sunlight, using a Xenon-Arc lamp, to develop a simulated test. The standardized methodology could then be used to evaluate the integrity of the plastic aerosol container and product, without the complexity of using ‘real world’ exposure. Through this study, a lab method was developed and validated that would simulate the effect of UV radiation using the Xenon-Arc. Moreover, a correlation was made for conditions inside the Xenon-Arc chamber that were conducive to testing a plastic pressurized container

Getting the 'Missing Millions' on to the electoral register:A vision for voter registration reform in the UK

This report was researched and funded by Bite The Ballot, Dr. Toby James and the University of East Anglia, with support from ClearView Research. This report is not an official publication of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. It has not been approved by either House or its Committees. All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of Members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in this report are those of the Group

Demographic and Psychiatric Correlates of Compulsive Sexual Behaviors in Gambling Disorder

Background and aims: Gambling disorder (GD) and compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) may commonly co-occur. Yet, the psychiatric correlates of these co-occurring disorders are an untapped area of empirical scrutiny, limiting our understanding of appropriate treatment modalities for this dual-diagnosed population. This study examined the demographic and clinical correlates of CSB in a sample of treatment-seeking individuals with GD (N = 368) in São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: Psychiatrists and psychologists conducted semi-structured clinical interviews to identify rates of CSB and other comorbid psychiatric disorders. The Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire was administered to assess additional addictive behaviors. The TCI and BIS-11 were used to assess facets of personality. Demographic and gambling variables were also assessed. Results: Of the total sample, 24 (6.5%) met diagnostic criteria for comorbid CSB (GD + CSB). Compared to those without compulsive sexual behaviors (GD − CSB), individuals with GD + CSB were more likely to be younger and male. No differences in gambling involvement emerged. Individuals with GD + CSB tended to have higher rates of psychiatric disorders (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bulimia nervosa) and engage in more addictive behaviors (problematic alcohol use, drug use, and exercise) compared to GD − CSB. Those with GD + CSB evidenced less self-directedness, cooperativeness, self-transcendence, and greater motor impulsivity. Logistic regression showed that the predictors of GD + CSB, which remained in the final model, were being male, a diagnosis of bulimia, greater gambling severity, and less self-transcendence. Discussion and conclusion: Given those with GD + CSB evidence greater psychopathology, greater attention should be allocated to this often under studied comorbid condition to ensure adequate treatment opportunities

Structural or dispositional? An experimental investigation of the experience of winning in social casino games (and impulsivity) on subsequent gambling behaviors

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In the present research, we experimentally investigated whether the experience of winning (i.e., inflated payout rates) in a social casino game influenced social casino gamers' subsequent decision to gamble for money. Furthermore, we assessed whether facets of dispositional impulsivity - negative and positive urgency in particular - also influenced participants' subsequent gambling. METHODS: Social casino gamers who were also current gamblers (N = 318) were asked to play a social casino game to assess their perceptions of the game in exchange for $3. Unbeknownst to them, players were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: winning (n = 110), break-even (n = 103), or losing (n = 105). After playing, participants were offered a chance to gamble their$3 renumeration in an online roulette game. RESULTS: A total of 280 participants (88.1%) elected to gamble, but no between-condition variation in the decision to gamble emerged. Furthermore, there were no differences in gambling on the online roulette between condition. However, higher levels of both negative and positive urgency increased the likelihood of gambling. Finally, impulsivity did not moderate the re

HbA1c variability in adults with type 1 diabetes on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy compared to multiple daily injection (MDI) treatment

Objective To determine if continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy is associated with lower glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) variability (long-term glycaemic variability; GV) relative to multiple daily injection (MDI) treatment in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Design Retrospective audit. Setting and participants Clinic records from 506 adults with T1DM from two tertiary Australian hospitals. Outcome measures Long-term GV was assessed by HbA1c SD and coefficient of variation (CV) in adults on established MDI or CSII therapy, and in a subset changing from MDI to CSII. Results Adults (n=506, (164 CSII), 50% women, mean±SD age 38.0±15.3 years, 17.0±13.7 years diabetes, mean HbA1c 7.8%±1.2% (62±13 mmol/mol) on CSII, 8.0%±1.5% (64±16 mmol/mol) on MDI) were followed for 4.1±3.6 years. CSII use was associated with lower GV (HbA1c SD: CSII vs MDI 0.5%±0.41% (6±6 mmol/mol) vs 0.7%±0.7% (9±8 mmol/mol)) and CV: CSII vs MDI 6.7%±4.6% (10±10 mmol/mol) vs 9.3%±7.3% (14±13 mmol/mol), both p<0.001. Fifty-six adults (73% female, age 36±13 years, 16±13 years diabetes, HbA1c 7.8%±0.8% (62±9 mmol/mol)) transitioned from MDI to CSII. Mean HbA1c fell by 0.4%. GV from 1 year post-CSII commencement decreased significantly, HbA1c SD pre-CSII versus post-CSII 0.7%±0.5% (8±5 mmol/mol) vs 0.4%±0.4% (5±4 mmol/mol); p<0.001, and HbA1c CV 9.2%±5.5% (13±8 mmol/mol) vs 6.1%±3.9% (9±5 mmol/mol); p<0.001. Conclusions In clinical practice with T1DM adults relative to MDI, CSII therapy is associated with lower HbA1c GV

Associations between the HEXACO model of personality and gambling involvement, motivations to gamble, and gambling severity in young adult gamblers

Background and aims Substantial research has examined the role of personality in disordered gambling. The predominant model in this work has been the five-factor model (FFM) of personality. In this study, we examined the personality correlates of gambling engagement and gambling severity using a six-dimensional framework known as the HEXACO model of personality, which incorporates FFM characteristics with the addition of honesty–humility. In addition, the potential mediating role of gambling motives in the personality and gambling severity relationship was explored. Methods A sample of undergraduate gamblers (n = 183) and non-gamblers (n = 143) completed self-report measures of the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and the Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial, as well as self- and observer report forms of the HEXACO-100. Results Logistic regression results revealed that scores on honesty–humility were positively associated with non-gambling over gambling status. Furthermore, it was also found that honesty–humility, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were each uniquely associated with PGSI severity scores. The results of the mediational analyses suggest that each personality factor has different gambling motivational paths leading to PGSI gambling severity. Discussion and conclusions The findings of this study contribute to the literature on behavioral addictions by providing an increased understanding of individual personality factors associated with likelihood of gambling, overall gambling severity, and gambling motives. Ultimately, these findings suggest that the honesty–humility dimension may be a target for the prevention efforts against problematic gambling outcomes

Circulating ceramide ratios and risk of vascular brain aging and dementia

BACKGROUND: We determined the association between ratios of plasma ceramide species of differing fatty-acyl chain lengths and incident dementia and Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) dementia in a large, community-based sample. METHODS: We measured plasma ceramide levels in 1892 [54% women, mean age 70.1 (SD 6.9) yr.] dementia-free Framingham Offspring Study cohort participants between 2005 and 2008. We related ratios of very long-chain (C24:0, C22:0) to long-chain (C16:0) ceramides to subsequent risk of incident dementia and AD dementia. Structural MRI brain measures were included as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: During a median 6.5 year follow-up, 81 participants developed dementia, of whom 60 were diagnosed with AD dementia. In multivariable Cox-proportional hazards analyses, each standard deviation (SD) increment in the ratio of ceramides C24:0/C16:0 was associated with a 27% reduction in the risk of dementia (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.56-0.96) and AD dementia (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.53-1.00). The ratio of ceramides C22:0/C16:0 was also inversely associated with incident dementia (HR per SD 0.75, 95% CI 0.57-0.98), and approached statistical significance for AD (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.53-1.01, P = 0.056). Higher ratios of ceramides C24:0/C16:0 and C22:0/C16:0 were also cross-sectionally associated with lower white matter hyperintensity burden on MRI (-0.05 ± 0.02, P = 0.02; -0.06 ± 0.02, P = 0.003; respectively per SD increase), but not with other MRI brain measures. CONCLUSIONS: Higher plasma ratios of very long-chain to long-chain ceramides are associated with a reduced risk of incident dementia and AD dementia in our community-based sample. Circulating ceramide ratios may serve as potential biomarkers for predicting dementia risk in cognitively healthy adults

CANDELS Observations Of The Structural Properties Of Cluster Galaxies At Z=1.62

We discuss the structural and morphological properties of galaxies in a z = 1.62 proto-cluster using near-IR imaging data from Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 data of the Cosmic Assembly Near-IR Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS). The cluster galaxies exhibit a clear color-morphology relation: galaxies with colors of quiescent stellar populations generally have morphologies consistent with spheroids, and galaxies with colors consistent with ongoing star formation have disk-like and irregular morphologies. The size distribution of the quiescent cluster galaxies shows a deficit of compact (less than or similar to 1 kpc), massive galaxies compared to CANDELS field galaxies at z = 1.6. As a result, the cluster quiescent galaxies have larger average effective sizes compared to field galaxies at fixed mass at greater than 90% significance. Combined with data from the literature, the size evolution of quiescent cluster galaxies is relatively slow from z similar or equal to 1.6 to the present, growing as (1 + z)(-0.6 +/- 0.1). If this result is generalizable, then it implies that physical processes associated with the denser cluster region seem to have caused accelerated size growth in quiescent galaxies prior to z = 1.6 and slower subsequent growth at z < 1.6 compared to galaxies in the lower density field. The quiescent cluster galaxies at z = 1.6 have higher ellipticities compared to lower redshift samples at fixed mass, and their surface-brightness profiles suggest that they contain extended stellar disks. We argue that the cluster galaxies require dissipationless (i.e., gas-poor or "dry") mergers to reorganize the disk material and to match the relations for ellipticity, stellar mass, size, and color of early-type galaxies in z < 1 clusters.NASA NAS5-26555HST GO-12060NASA through from the Space Telescope Science Institute GO-12060European Research CouncilRoyal SocietyTexas AM UniversityGeorge P. and Cynthia Woods Institute for Fundamental Physics and AstronomyAstronom

Centuries of intense surface melt on Larsen C Ice Shelf

Following a southward progression of ice-shelf disintegration along the Antarctic Peninsula, Larsen C Ice Shelf is the focus of ongoing investigation regarding its future stability. The ice shelf is known to be experience surface melt, and commonly features surface meltwater ponds. Here, we use a flowline model and a firn density model to date and interpret observations of melt-affected ice layers found within five 90?m boreholes distributed across the ice shelf. We find that units of ice within the boreholes, which have densities exceeding those expected under normal compaction metamorphism, correspond to two climatic warm periods within the last 300 years on the Antarctic Peninsula. The more recent warm period, from the 1960s onwards, has generated distinct sections of dense ice in two boreholes in Cabinet Inlet, close to the Antarctic Peninsula mountains ? a region currently affected by f?hn winds. Previous work has classified these layers as refrozen pond ice, requiring large quantities of mobile liquid water to form. Our flowline model shows that, whilst preconditioning of the ice began in the late 1960s, it was probably not until the early 1990s that twentieth-century ponding began. The earlier warm period occurred during the 18th century and resulted in two additional sections of anomalously dense ice deep within the boreholes. The first, in one of the Cabinet Inlet boreholes, consists of ice characteristic of refrozen ponds and must have formed in an area currently featuring ponding. The second, in a mid-shelf borehole, formed at the same time in an area which now experiences significant annual melt. Further south on the shelf, the boreholes sample ice that is of an equivalent age but which does not exhibit the same degree of melt influence. This west?east and north?south gradient in past melt distribution resembles current spatial patterns of surface melt intensity. Using flowlines to trace the advection and submergence of continental ice identified in boreholes, we demonstrate that, even by the time the ice reaches the calving front, only the upper 40 to 50?% of the shelf is composed of meteoric ice accumulated on the shelf. This vertical composition implies that basal crevasses must be confined within continental and/or basally accreted ice, and therefore will be unaffected by current climate-induced firn compactionauthorsversio