The Buzz Behind Alcohol Advertising: A study of how alcohol advertisements on social media impact behavior

Alcohol advertisements are known to be appealing and memorable, and several researchers have investigated what makes these advertisements so attractive. Several trends have emerged regarding the content within alcohol advertisements: themes of parties, celebration, and social success within television, magazines, and social media since the 1970s. Recently, several studies found that new themes in alcohol ads have been found to be popular, especially in social media advertisements (Campbell & Chung, 2022). The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) provides insight into why a person’s attitude could be more susceptible or why their behavior could be more easily influenced by certain types of alcohol marketing messages (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). This thesis tested three different alcohol advertising message strategies (i.e., taste, humor, and influencer appeals) to see how each strategy affects consumer attitude and behavior, including the consumers’ inclination to drink or purchase alcohol and perceptions of drinking alcohol. Two of the most popular ad appeals- taste and joke/humor- along with “influencer marketing” were tested. Results showed that alcohol advertisements positively changed peoples’ perceptions and attitudes about drinking; without really changing their drinking intention. Influencer marketing and humor were not nearly as effective as the taste appeal at impacting behavior, indicating that the central route of appeals works best for alcohol advertisements from the ELM. Being a heavy social media user or a member of Greek Life increased the impact of these advertisements on behavior.Keywords: Alcohol, social media, advertisements, drinking, strategies

Senior Recital

Senior recitals of Kimberley Attaway and Alexis Morgan for MUAP 4040. Accompanied by Susan Monroe and Phyllis Walker on piano

Space-Based Capstone: Public-Private-Academic Partnership in the Making

The Electronic Systems Engineering Technology (ESET) Program at Texas A&M University provides a recognized undergraduate program with an emphasis in electronics, communication, embedded systems, testing, instrumentation and control systems. The program combines engineering and industrial knowledge and methods to develop, design, and implement new innovative products through a two-semester long Senior Capstone Project. Capstone is designed to prepare future engineers by bridging the gap between the classroom and industry. Students are required to form teams of two to six members which allows them to develop the skills necessary to succeed in a diverse industry setting. Each team is required to use their knowledge and skills to design, develop, document, and deliver a real-world project equivalent to the assignments they will soon receive as professional engineers. Following NASA’s approval for funding the development of a research facility named Hermes, a Capstone team, named Microgravity Automated Research Systems (MARS), was sponsored by T STAR, a local space commercialization company, to develop the electronics portion of the facility. Hermes will reside on the International Space Station for five years in the hopes of streamlining the development of experiments that require extended periods of time in microgravity environments. The Hermes facility will host and manage up to four experiments at a time while allowing for the downlink of experiment data to an Earth station, and the uplink of commands to change experiment parameters. Experiments will adhere to a power budget and communication standard established by MARS so that experiments can be swapped out during the facility’s lifetime. MARS will work with the Mobile Integrated Solutions Laboratory (MISL), an undergraduate applied research lab, in order to prepare them to maintain support for Hermes in the future.Cockrell School of Engineerin

The Optimization of a Numerical Steel Foundry Simulation Through a Characterization of the Thermal Properties of the Materials

In many foundries, numerical simulation is used to determine the origins of different defects as this tool allows the acceleration of the design process. However, the databases provided by different software do not seem to tally with the actual properties of the material. In fact, every foundry uses a different grade of steel and varying mixtures of sand. An evaluation of the impact of different material properties showed the importance of measuring every physical property to improve the database of the software. Following this, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the gap between numerical simulations and the results obtained through experimentation. This experiment, called thermal analysis, consists in measuring the solidification and cooling of a cylinder filled with liquid steel. After the calculation of the steel properties and a simulation with real experimental parameters, a comparison between each cooling curve was realized. This comparison shows that the calculated properties provide a simulated cooling curve which is closer to the experimental curve than the properties in the original database. We did not explore all of the metal properties in this study, but the modification of the sand properties was explored, together with the thermal conductivity of the steel and sand. These other measurements will be obtained in a future study

Gridbot: An autonomous robot controlled by a Spiking Neural Network mimicking the brain's navigational system

It is true that the "best" neural network is not necessarily the one with the most "brain-like" behavior. Understanding biological intelligence, however, is a fundamental goal for several distinct disciplines. Translating our understanding of intelligence to machines is a fundamental problem in robotics. Propelled by new advancements in Neuroscience, we developed a spiking neural network (SNN) that draws from mounting experimental evidence that a number of individual neurons is associated with spatial navigation. By following the brain's structure, our model assumes no initial all-to-all connectivity, which could inhibit its translation to a neuromorphic hardware, and learns an uncharted territory by mapping its identified components into a limited number of neural representations, through spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP). In our ongoing effort to employ a bioinspired SNN-controlled robot to real-world spatial mapping applications, we demonstrate here how an SNN may robustly control an autonomous robot in mapping and exploring an unknown environment, while compensating for its own intrinsic hardware imperfections, such as partial or total loss of visual input.Comment: 8 pages, 3 Figures, International Conference on Neuromorphic Systems (ICONS 2018

Anatomy of corpus callosum in prenatally malnourished rats

Indexación: Web of Science; ScieloThe effect of prenatal malnutrition on the anatomy of the corpus callosum was assessed in adult rats (45-52 days old). In the prenatally malnourished animals we observed a significant reduction of the corpus callosum total area, partial areas, and perimeter, as compared with normal animals. In addition, the splenium of corpus callosum (posterior fifth) showed a significant decrease of fiber diameters in the myelinated fibers without changing density. There was also a significant decrease in diameter and a significant increase in density of unmyelinated fibers. Measurements of perimeter's fractal dimensions from sagittal sections of the brain and corpus callosum did not show significant differences between malnourished and control animals. These findings indicate that cortico-cortical connections are vulnerable to the prenatal malnutrition, and suggest this may affect interhemispheric conduction velocity, particulary in visual connections (splenium).http://ref.scielo.org/nph4s

The Effects of Testosterone and Transcutaneous Muscle Stimulation on Strength and Muscle Mass in Myotonic Dystrophy

         In myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) quadriceps weakness often results in severe functional limitations and genu recurvatum. To improve quadriceps strength the effects of isometric tetanic contractions using transcutaneous muscle stimulation (TMS) and testosterone enanthate (TE) were assessed. Ten DM1 subjects underwent unilateral TMS 6 hours per day for 14 days. The stimulated leg was randomly assigned and sham stimulation was done on the opposite leg by transcutaneous nerve stimulation. Muscle mass was estimated by cross-sectional area computed tomography and strength was measured by Cybex ergometry. Following the initial TMS period, 8 of 10 subjects were given a 12-week course of TE (3 mg/kg/wk) followed by 14 days of TMS. Neither TMS nor TE improved strength.  Following 12 weeks of TE, there was an average increase in muscle mass of at least 8.7 +/- 1.6 cm2. These findings are consistent with the TE—increased muscle mass in DM1 as measured by creatinine clearance and total body potassium. The dissociation of mass and strength following TE and the failure of exercise to improve strength may have significance in characterizing the muscle defect in DM1

The Effects of Testosterone and Transcutaneous Muscle Stimulation on Strength and Muscle Mass in Myotonic Dystrophy

         In myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) quadriceps weakness often results in severe functional limitations and genu recurvatum. To improve quadriceps strength the effects of isometric tetanic contractions using transcutaneous muscle stimulation (TMS) and testosterone enanthate (TE) were assessed. Ten DM1 subjects underwent unilateral TMS 6 hours per day for 14 days. The stimulated leg was randomly assigned and sham stimulation was done on the opposite leg by transcutaneous nerve stimulation. Muscle mass was estimated by cross-sectional area computed tomography and strength was measured by Cybex ergometry. Following the initial TMS period, 8 of 10 subjects were given a 12-week course of TE (3 mg/kg/wk) followed by 14 days of TMS. Neither TMS nor TE improved strength.  Following 12 weeks of TE, there was an average increase in muscle mass of at least 8.7 +/- 1.6 cm2. These findings are consistent with the TE—increased muscle mass in DM1 as measured by creatinine clearance and total body potassium. The dissociation of mass and strength following TE and the failure of exercise to improve strength may have significance in characterizing the muscle defect in DM1

Acupressure to Reduce Treatment-Related Symptoms for Children With Cancer and Recipients of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundWe describe the study design and protocol of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) Acupressure for Children in Treatment for a Childhood Cancer (ACT-CC).ObjectiveTo describe the feasibility and effectiveness of an acupressure intervention to decrease treatment-related symptoms in children in treatment for cancer or recipients of a chemotherapy-based hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).DesignTwo-armed RCTs with enrollment of 5 to 30 study days.SettingTwo pediatric teaching hospitals.PatientsEighty-five children receiving cancer treatment or a chemotherapy-based HSCT each with 1 parent or caregiver.InterventionPatients are randomized 1:1 to receive either usual care plus daily professional acupressure and caregiver delivered acupressure versus usual care alone for symptom management. Participants receive up to 20 professional treatments.Main outcomeA composite nausea/vomiting measure for the child.Secondary outcomesChild's nausea, vomiting, pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and positive affect.Parent outcomesDepression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, caregiver self-efficacy, and positive affect. Feasibility of delivering the semistandardized intervention will be described. Linear mixed models will be used to compare outcomes between arms in children and parents, allowing for variability in diagnosis, treatment, and age.DiscussionTrial results could help childhood cancer and HSCT treatment centers decide about the regular inclusion of trained acupressure providers to support symptom management