The relationship between gambling advertising and gambling attitudes, intentions and behaviours:a critical and meta-analytic review

Gambling advertising has become ubiquitous in westernised countries in the last two decades, yet there is little understanding of the relationship between exposure to gambling advertising and gambling attitudes, intentions and behaviour. We conduct a critical and meta-analytic review of the past two decades of empirical research. The research suggests a positive association between exposure to gambling advertising and gambling-related attitudes, intentions and behaviour. The association is greatest for gambling behaviour. There is some evidence for a dose-response relationship. The quality and breadth of research on gambling advertising are weaker than those in comparable areas (e.g., alcohol, tobacco), with an absence of longitudinal and experimental studies. Gaps in, and methodological problems with, the field are discussed, and research directions recommended

Predicting Carotid Artery Disease and Plaque Instability from Cell-derived Microparticles

ObjectivesCell-derived microparticles (MPs) are small plasma membrane-derived vesicles shed from circulating blood cells and may act as novel biomarkers of vascular disease. We investigated the potential of circulating MPs to predict (a) carotid plaque instability and (b) the presence of advanced carotid disease.MethodsThis pilot study recruited carotid disease patients (aged 69.3 ± 1.2 years [mean ± SD], 69% male, 90% symptomatic) undergoing endarterectomy (n = 42) and age- and sex-matched controls (n = 73). Plaques were classified as stable (n = 25) or unstable (n = 16) post surgery using immunohistochemistry. Blood samples were analysed for MP subsets and molecular biomarkers. Odds ratios (OR) are expressed per standard deviation biomarker increase.ResultsEndothelial MP (EMP) subsets, but not any vascular, inflammatory, or proteolytic molecular biomarker, were higher (p < .05) in the unstable than the stable plaque patients. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve for CD31+41− EMP in discriminating an unstable plaque was 0.73 (0.56–0.90, p < .05). CD31+41− EMP predicted plaque instability (OR = 2.19, 1.08–4.46, p < .05) and remained significant in a multivariable model that included transient ischaemic attack symptom status. Annexin V+ MP, platelet MP (PMP) subsets, and C-reactive protein were higher (p < .05) in cases than controls. Annexin V+ MP (OR = 3.15, 1.49–6.68), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (OR = 1.64, 1.03–2.59), and previous smoking history (OR = 3.82, 1.38–10.60) independently (p < .05) predicted the presence of carotid disease in a multivariable model.ConclusionsEMP may have utility in predicting plaque instability in carotid patients and annexin V+ MPs may predict the presence of advanced carotid disease in aging populations, independent of established biomarkers

[Accepted Manuscript] Anthropometry and Malaria among Children in Niger: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The complex relationship between malnutrition and malaria affects morbidity and mortality in children younger than 5 years, particularly in parts of sub-Saharan Africa where these conditions occur together seasonally. Previous research on this relationship has been inconclusive. Here, we examine the association between anthropometric indicators and malaria infection in a population-based sample of children younger than 5 years in Niger. This cross-sectional study is a secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized trial comparing treatment strategies for trachoma in Niger. We included children aged 6-60 months residing in the 48 communities enrolled in the trial who completed anthropometric and malaria infection assessments at the final study visit. We evaluated the association between anthropometric indicators, including height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) and indicators of malaria infection, including malaria parasitemia and clinical malaria. In May 2013, we collected data from 1,649 children. Of these, 780 (47.3%) were positive for malaria parasitemia and 401 (24.3%) had clinical malaria. In models of malaria parasitemia, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 1.05 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00-1.10) for HAZ and 1.07 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.15) for WAZ. In models of clinical malaria, the aOR was 1.07 (95% CI: 1.02-1.11) for HAZ and 1.09 (95% CI: 1.01-1.19) for WAZ. Overall, we did not find evidence of an association between most anthropometric indicators and malaria infection. Greater height may be associated with an increased risk of clinical malaria

Intravenous thrombolysis may not improve clinical outcome of acute ischemic stroke patients without a baseline vessel occlusion

Background and Purpose: The benefit of thrombolysis in ischemic stroke patients without a visible vessel occlusion still requires investigation. This study tested the hypothesis that non-lacunar stroke patients with no visible vessel occlusion on baseline imaging would have a favorable outcome regardless of treatment with alteplase. Methods: We utilized a prospectively collected registry of ischemic stroke patients [the International Stroke Perfusion Imaging Registry (INSPIRE)] who had baseline computed tomographic perfusion and computed tomographic angiography. The rates of patients achieving modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-1 were compared between alteplase treated and untreated patients using logistic regression to generate odds ratios. Results: Of 1569 patients in the INSPIRE registry, 1,277 were eligible for inclusion. Of these, 306 (24%) had no identifiable occlusion and were eligible for alteplase, with 141 (46%) of these patients receiving thrombolysis. The treated and untreated groups had significantly different median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) [alteplase 8, interquartile range (IQR) 5-10, untreated 6, IQR 4-8, P < 0.001] and median volume of baseline perfusion lesion [alteplase 5.6 mL, IQR 1.3-17.7 mL, untreated 2.6 mL, IQR 0-6.7 mL, P < 0.001]. After propensity analysis, alteplase treated patients without a vessel occlusion were less likely to have an excellent outcome (mRS 0-1; 56%) than untreated (78.8%, OR, 0.42, 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.75, P = 0.003). Conclusions: In this non-randomized comparison, alteplase treatment in patients without an identifiable vessel occlusion did not result in higher rates of favorable outcome compared to untreated. However, treated patients displayed less favorable baseline prognostic factors than the untreated group. Further studies may be required to confirm this data.Huiqiao Tian, Mark W. Parsons, Christopher R. Levi, Xin Cheng, Richard I. Aviv, Neil J. Spratt, Timothy J. Kleinig, Billy O'Brien, Kenneth S. Butcher, Longting Lin, Jingfen Zhang, Qiang Dong, Chushuang Chen and Andrew Bivar

Observation of exclusive DVCS in polarized electron beam asymmetry measurements

We report the first results of the beam spin asymmetry measured in the reaction e + p -> e + p + gamma at a beam energy of 4.25 GeV. A large asymmetry with a sin(phi) modulation is observed, as predicted for the interference term of Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering and the Bethe-Heitler process. The amplitude of this modulation is alpha = 0.202 +/- 0.028. In leading-order and leading-twist pQCD, the alpha is directly proportional to the imaginary part of the DVCS amplitude.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Proximity effect at superconducting Sn-Bi2Se3 interface

We have investigated the conductance spectra of Sn-Bi2Se3 interface junctions down to 250 mK and in different magnetic fields. A number of conductance anomalies were observed below the superconducting transition temperature of Sn, including a small gap different from that of Sn, and a zero-bias conductance peak growing up at lower temperatures. We discussed the possible origins of the smaller gap and the zero-bias conductance peak. These phenomena support that a proximity-effect-induced chiral superconducting phase is formed at the interface between the superconducting Sn and the strong spin-orbit coupling material Bi2Se3.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Centrality Dependence of the High p_T Charged Hadron Suppression in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 130 GeV

PHENIX has measured the centrality dependence of charged hadron p_T spectra from central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=130 GeV. The truncated mean p_T decreases with centrality for p_T > 2 GeV/c, indicating an apparent reduction of the contribution from hard scattering to high p_T hadron production. For central collisions the yield at high p_T is shown to be suppressed compared to binary nucleon-nucleon collision scaling of p+p data. This suppression is monotonically increasing with centrality, but most of the change occurs below 30% centrality, i.e. for collisions with less than about 140 participating nucleons. The observed p_T and centrality dependence is consistent with the particle production predicted by models including hard scattering and subsequent energy loss of the scattered partons in the dense matter created in the collisions.Comment: 7 pages text, LaTeX, 6 figures, 2 tables, 307 authors, resubmitted to Phys. Lett. B. Revised to address referee concerns. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/phenix/WWW/run/phenix/papers.htm

Heavy Quarks and Heavy Quarkonia as Tests of Thermalization

We present here a brief summary of new results on heavy quarks and heavy quarkonia from the PHENIX experiment as presented at the "Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization" Workshop in Vienna, Austria in August 2005, directly following the International Quark Matter Conference in Hungary.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization Workshop (Vienna August 2005) Proceeding

Single Electrons from Heavy Flavor Decays in p+p Collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV

The invariant differential cross section for inclusive electron production in p+p collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV has been measured by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider over the transverse momentum range $0.4 <= p_T <= 5.0 GeV/c at midrapidity (eta <= 0.35). The contribution to the inclusive electron spectrum from semileptonic decays of hadrons carrying heavy flavor, i.e. charm quarks or, at high p_T, bottom quarks, is determined via three independent methods. The resulting electron spectrum from heavy flavor decays is compared to recent leading and next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The total cross section of charm quark-antiquark pair production is determined as sigma_(c c^bar) = 0.92 +/- 0.15 (stat.) +- 0.54 (sys.) mb.Comment: 329 authors, 6 pages text, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm

Nuclear Modification of Electron Spectra and Implications for Heavy Quark Energy Loss in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV

The PHENIX experiment has measured mid-rapidity transverse momentum spectra (0.4 < p_T < 5.0 GeV/c) of electrons as a function of centrality in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV. Contributions from photon conversions and from light hadron decays, mainly Dalitz decays of pi^0 and eta mesons, were removed. The resulting non-photonic electron spectra are primarily due to the semi-leptonic decays of hadrons carrying heavy quarks. Nuclear modification factors were determined by comparison to non-photonic electrons in p+p collisions. A significant suppression of electrons at high p_T is observed in central Au+Au collisions, indicating substantial energy loss of heavy quarks.Comment: 330 authors, 6 pages text, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm