Boomerang effects of gambling warnings exposed to non-problem gamblers

Gambling is the most popular form of entertainment in most markets where it is legal. Theindustry has embraced technology and is a growing category online and through mobileplatforms. Governments throughout the world worry about the product when gambling ismore widely available and more private to play. Warnings for problem gambling have longbeen used in land-based gambling venues but online gambling often does not have thisremedy. In addition, non-problem gamblers make up about 99% of gamblers but littleresearch has tested their reaction to warnings. An online casino was developed to testwarnings and found that a significant proportion of non-problem gamblers gambled morefrequently after exposure to the warnings. Because increased frequency of gambling is one symptom of problem gambling, the implications of these findings are discussed in terms of future remedies for consumers that have problems with gambling products

Kepler photometry of RRc stars: peculiar double-mode pulsations and period doubling

We present the analysis of four first overtone RR Lyrae stars observed with the Kepler space telescope, based on data obtained over nearly 2.5 yr. All four stars are found to be multiperiodic. The strongest secondary mode with frequency f2 has an amplitude of a few mmag, 20–45 times lower than the main radial mode with frequency f1. The two oscillations have a period ratio of P2/P1 = 0.612–0.632 that cannot be reproduced by any two radial modes. Thus, the secondary mode is non-radial. Modes yielding similar period ratios have also recently been discovered in other variables of the RRc and RRd types. These objects form a homogenous group and constitute a new class of multimode RR Lyrae pulsators, analogous to a similar class of multimode classical Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds. Because a secondary mode with P2/P1 ∼ 0.61 is found in almost every RRc and RRd star observed from space, this form of multiperiodicity must be common. In all four Kepler RRc stars studied, we find subharmonics of f2 at ∼1/2f2 and at ∼3/2f2. This is a signature of period doubling of the secondary oscillation, and is the first detection of period doubling in RRc stars. The amplitudes and phases of f2 and its subharmonics are variable on a time-scale of 10–200 d. The dominant radial mode also shows variations on the same time-scale, but with much smaller amplitude. In three Kepler RRc stars we detect additional periodicities, with amplitudes below 1 mmag, that must correspond to non-radial g-modes. Such modes never before have been observed in RR Lyrae variables

Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy

We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude, with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Effect of aluminum on membrane potential of parenchymal cells of root and coleoptile of Zea mays L. seedlings

Jak powszechnie wiadomo glin działa fitotoksycznie wyłącznie w środowisku o pH poniżej 5,0 [KOCHIAN 1995]. Pomimo dużej liczby publikacji na temat toksyczności glinu, mechanizm indukowanej przez glin zmiany potencjału membranowego jest słabo poznany. Przedmiotem badań niniejszej pracy było określenie i porównanie wpływu jonów glinu na potencjał membranowy komórek parenchymatycznych korzeni i koleoptyli siewek Zea mays L. Eksperymenty przeprowadzono na 5 mm segmentach korzeni i 10 mm segmentach koleoptyli wycinanych z czterodniowych, etiolowanych siewek kukurydzy. Pomiarów potencjału membranowego dokonywano standardową mikroelektrodową techniką elektrofizjologiczną opisaną przez STOLARKA i KARCZA [1987]. Segmenty korzeni i koleoptyli inkubowano w obecności glinu (w postaci A1C1₃) w stężeniu 10⁻⁵-10⁻³ mol·dm⁻³, odpowiednio przez 3 lub 5 godz., pH środowiska wynosiło 4,2. Ekspozycja segmentów korzeni i koleoptyli siewek kukurydzy na glin przejawiała się depolaryzacją potencjału membranowego ich komórek. Stopień depolaryzacji potencjału zależał od stężenia glinu, czasu ekspozycji oraz od badanego organu (korzeń, koleoptyl). Komórki korzeni, w porównaniu z komórkami koleoptyli, były znacznie bardziej wrażliwe na glin. Uzyskane wyniki mogą potwierdzać hipotezę, w myśl której toksyczne działanie glinu przejawia się obniżeniem aktywności plazmolemowej H+-ATPazy.It is now generally accepted that aluminum becomes phytotoxic only in the pH below 5.0 [KOCHIAN 1995]. In spite of a large number of recent papers published on aluminum toxicity, the mechanism of Al-induced membrane potential changes remains poorly understood. The main objective of the present study was to determine and compare the effect of aluminum ions on the membrane potential of root and coleoptile parenchymal cells of Zea mays L. seedlings. The experiments were caried out with 5 mm-long root and 10 mm-long coleoptile segments cut from four-day-old etiolated maize seedlings. Membrane potential maesurements were performed using standard microelectrode electrophysiology, as described by STOLAREK and KARCZ [1987]. The segments of root and coleoptiles were incubated in the presence 10⁻⁵-10⁻³ mol·dm⁻³ aluminum (A1C1₃) within 3 h and 5 h, respectively. pH of the medium was 4.2. We showed, that the exposure of root and shoot cells of maize to aluminum brought about the depolarization of their membrane potential. Moreover, we determined that the value of depolarization depended on aluminum concentration, time of eksposure and the kind of organ (root, coleoptile). It was also found, that root cells were much more sensitive to aluminum, than coleoptile cells. Our data support the hypothesis, that aluminum changes the activity of plasma membrane H+-ATP

The unintended consequence of an EGM warning

The article discusses a study which examined how different ways for delivering Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) warnings affected the EGM use of regular gamblers. The gambling warnings used in the study are those considered for implementation in land-based casinos in countries like Australia. The warnings delivered via a pop-up window are designed to deter and reduce gambling

Comparing measures of persuasion knowledge adapted for young children

Young children under 8 years old are viewed as especially vulnerable to marketing communications because they do not have sufficient knowledge about the purpose of persuasive advertising messages, also known as children's persuasion knowledge (CPK). However, a review of 25 studies that have tested CPK effects, on primarily older children, finds inconsistent or no support for CPK. The lack of support depends on the effect studied, and a measurement challenge because of young children's limited capabilities in reading and responding to questions from interviewers. Thirteen measures of CPK have been tested but not compared for CPK effects. These measures were simplified to nonverbal options for young children and tested on a sample of 4- to 7-year-old North East Chinese children (n = 233). These measures were each tested in relation to the children's age (positive), their skepticism toward advertising (positive), their disbelief of false claims in a TV commercial (TVC) (positive) and their affect toward the TVC (negative). Only two measures of CPK show any expected associated responses with “knowing the source” of advertisements the best measure. Perceived marketer intentions had no expected associations, nor did the age of the child. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of theory, measurement, and applications for marketers and public policy.</p