Towards an international understanding of the power of celebrity persuasions: a review and a research agenda

Research into advertising using celebrity has been undertaken for nearly 40 years. It has principally used surveys and experiments to explore how consumers respond to celebrity advertisements. A recent meta-study of 32 papers has demonstrated that different populations respond in different ways to celebrity endorsements. Specifically, both US subjects and college students are more likely to respond in a significant way to the presence of celebrity than subjects who are not from the US, or who are not studying at college. Given that the nationality and student status of subjects matter, this article explores the make up of the samples that have been used to examine celebrity advertising. The article finds that these samples are not representative of US populations (because so many are students), nor of populations outside the US (because so few live beyond it). Furthermore, the history of dominance of US-based student samples, and the citation practices which keep them circulating in academia, suggests that theories of celebrity advertising have for a long time been excessively influenced by ideas tested on this unrepresentative group. This fact will limit the applicability of research into celebrity advertising to the wider world. I explore whether this matters, and how deficiencies might be addressed in further research

The balance of power: accretion and feedback in stellar mass black holes

In this review we discuss the population of stellar-mass black holes in our galaxy and beyond, which are the extreme endpoints of massive star evolution. In particular we focus on how we can attempt to balance the available accretion energy with feedback to the environment via radiation, jets and winds, considering also possible contributions to the energy balance from black hole spin and advection. We review quantitatively the methods which are used to estimate these quantities, regardless of the details of the astrophysics close to the black hole. Once these methods have been outlined, we work through an outburst of a black hole X-ray binary system, estimating the flow of mass and energy through the different accretion rates and states. While we focus on feedback from stellar mass black holes in X-ray binary systems, we also consider the applicability of what we have learned to supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei. As an important control sample we also review the coupling between accretion and feedback in neutron stars, and show that it is very similar to that observed in black holes, which strongly constrains how much of the astrophysics of feedback can be unique to black holes.Comment: To be published in Haardt et al. Astrophysical Black Holes. Lecture Notes in Physics. Springer 201

Meiotic nuclear divisions in budding yeast require PP2ACdc55-mediated antagonism of Net1 phosphorylation by Cdk

During meiosis, one round of deoxyribonucleic acid replication is followed by two rounds of nuclear division. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, activation of the Cdc14 early anaphase release (FEAR) network is required for exit from meiosis I but does not lead to the activation of origins of replication. The precise mechanism of how FEAR regulates meiosis is not understood. In this paper, we report that premature activation of FEAR during meiosis caused by loss of protein phosphatase PP2ACdc55 activity blocks bipolar spindle assembly and nuclear divisions. In cdc55 meiotic null (cdc55-mn) cells, the cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)–counteracting phosphatase Cdc14 was released prematurely from the nucleolus concomitant with hyperphosphorylation of its nucleolar anchor protein Net1. Crucially, a mutant form of Net1 that lacks six Cdk phosphorylation sites rescued the meiotic defect of cdc55-mn cells. Expression of a dominant mutant allele of CDC14 mimicked the cdc55-mn phenotype. We propose that phosphoregulation of Net1 by PP2ACdc55 is essential for preventing precocious exit from meiosis I

Characteristics of Early-Onset vs Late-Onset Colorectal Cancer: A Review.

The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (younger than 50 years) is rising globally, the reasons for which are unclear. It appears to represent a unique disease process with different clinical, pathological, and molecular characteristics compared with late-onset colorectal cancer. Data on oncological outcomes are limited, and sensitivity to conventional neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy regimens appear to be unknown. The purpose of this review is to summarize the available literature on early-onset colorectal cancer. Within the next decade, it is estimated that 1 in 10 colon cancers and 1 in 4 rectal cancers will be diagnosed in adults younger than 50 years. Potential risk factors include a Westernized diet, obesity, antibiotic usage, and alterations in the gut microbiome. Although genetic predisposition plays a role, most cases are sporadic. The full spectrum of germline and somatic sequence variations implicated remains unknown. Younger patients typically present with descending colonic or rectal cancer, advanced disease stage, and unfavorable histopathological features. Despite being more likely to receive neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy, patients with early-onset disease demonstrate comparable oncological outcomes with their older counterparts. The clinicopathological features, underlying molecular profiles, and drivers of early-onset colorectal cancer differ from those of late-onset disease. Standardized, age-specific preventive, screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies are required to optimize outcomes

Time-course of the physiological-stress response in bronze bream Pachymetopon grande following a simulated catch-and-release angling event

Catch-and-release (C&R) angling has increased in popularity through its mandatory and voluntary use in fisheries conservation and management. However, research has shown that fish can experience considerable stress during a C&R event. The physiological response of fishes is typically assessed by measuring the concentrations of blood-plasma cortisol, blood glucose and blood lactate. Members of the family Sparidae are extensively targeted in many warm-temperate coastal fisheries, and the bronze bream Pachymetopon grande is one of the most commonly captured sparids in the South African marine shore-based fishery. The aim of this study was to map the time-course of the physiological-stress response (PSR) after a simulated C&R event to determine the optimal blood-sampling time for assessing the physiological impact of C&R angling in the field. A general additive mixed model identified a significant effect of time on plasma cortisol (p = 0.005), blood glucose (p < 0.001) and blood lactate (p = 0.037), with plasma cortisol peaking at approximately 65 minutes and blood glucose at 86 minutes post-stress. In contrast, blood lactate continued to rise with no clear peak during the 125-minute sampling period. These results suggest that blood sampling should take place between 50 and 75 minutes after a C&R event. Despite a clear response, the PSR of P. grande will likely be greater in a true C&R event as this study made use of a simulated fight and used best handling practices. In addition, the prolonged physiological impacts of C&R may have negative consequences for the survival of this species in the high-energy, predator-rich coastal marine environment. Keywords: catch-and-release simulation, blood chemistry, marine fish, physiology, recreational fisheries, southern Africa, Sparida

Involvement of axonal guidance proteins and their signaling partners in the developing mouse mammary gland

Mammary morphogenesis in the mouse is driven by specialized structures at the ends of the developing ducts, the terminal end buds (TEB). The mechanisms controlling the precise branching and spacing of the ducts are, as yet, unknown. To identify genes that are associated with migration of TEB and differentiation of the subtending ducts, we developed a novel method of isolating TEB and ducts free of stroma, and compared the gene expression profiles of these two isolates using oligonucleotide microarrays. Ninety one genes were upregulated in TEB compared to ducts. Three of these genes, Sprr1A, Sema3B, and BASP1, are associated with axonal growth and guidance. Two additional members of the Sprr family, Sprr2A and 2B, not previously associated with axonal growth, were also highly expressed in TEB. Expression of these genes was confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blotting, and the cellular distribution of Sprr1A and BASP1 was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. Other semaphorins, including Sema3C, 4A, 4F and the cancer invasion associated Sema 4D were also expressed in the mouse mammary gland along with the semaphorin receptors, Plexins A2, A3, B2, and D1, and Neuropilins 1 and 2. These results are discussed in the context of other proteins expressed in the developing gland that are known to be downstream effectors of these signaling molecules. We suggest that these genes may influence ductal growth and morphogenesis in the developing mammary glan