Explaining trends in alcohol-related harms in Scotland 1991–2011 (II): policy, social norms, the alcohol market, clinical changes and a synthesis

Objective: To provide a basis for evaluating post-2007 alcohol policy in Scotland, this paper tests the extent to which pre-2007 policy, the alcohol market, culture or clinical changes might explain differences in the magnitude and trends in alcohol-related mortality outcomes in Scotland compared to England & Wales (E&W). Study design: Rapid literature reviews, descriptive analysis of routine data and narrative synthesis. Methods: We assessed the impact of pre-2007 Scottish policy and policy in the comparison areas in relation to the literature on effective alcohol policy. Rapid literature reviews were conducted to assess cultural changes and the potential role of substitution effects between alcohol and illicit drugs. The availability of alcohol was assessed by examining the trends in the number of alcohol outlets over time. The impact of clinical changes was assessed in consultation with key informants. The impact of all the identified factors were then summarised and synthesised narratively. Results: The companion paper showed that part of the rise and fall in alcohol-related mortality in Scotland, and part of the differing trend to E&W, were predicted by a model linking income trends and alcohol-related mortality. Lagged effects from historical deindustrialisation and socio-economic changes exposures also remain plausible from the available data. This paper shows that policy differences or changes prior to 2007 are unlikely to have been important in explaining the trends. There is some evidence that aspects of alcohol culture in Scotland may be different (more concentrated and home drinking) but it seems unlikely that this has been an important driver of the trends or the differences with E&W other than through interaction with changing incomes and lagged socio-economic effects. Substitution effects with illicit drugs and clinical changes are unlikely to have substantially changed alcohol-related harms: however, the increase in alcohol availability across the UK is likely to partly explain the rise in alcohol-related mortality during the 1990s. Conclusions: Future policy should ensure that alcohol affordability and availability, as well as socio-economic inequality, are reduced, in order to maintain downward trends in alcohol-related mortality in Scotland

The Effect of a Serious Digital Game on Students\u27 Ability to Transfer Knowledge in Secondary Agricultural Education: An Exploratory Study

This study’s purpose was to compare the effectiveness of the traditional, lecture and discussion method to a digital game-based learning (DGBL) approach on students’ near and far knowledge transfer abilities in agriculture and mathematics regarding a unit on swine diseases in animal science courses. Two research questions guided the study, which employed a quasi-experimental, between-groups design. No statistically significant differences (p \u3e .05) were found between the counterfactual group and the treatment group regarding students’ near and far knowledge transfer. Based on this result, it can be recommended that professional development opportunities be created with an emphasis on using serious games to teach course content for in-service teachers without diminishing students’ knowledge transfer. Specifically, the creators of this professional development should consider emphasizing Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge development in teachers. In addition, future investigations should focus on the kind of transfer that occurred, whether positive, negative, or zero

Treatment utilization and outcomes in elderly patients with locally advanced esophageal carcinoma: A review of the National Cancer Database

For elderly patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer, therapeutic approaches and outcomes in a modern cohort are not well characterized. Patients ≥70 years old with clinical stage II and III esophageal cancer diagnosed between 1998 and 2012 were identified from the National Cancer Database and stratified based on treatment type. Variables associated with treatment utilization were evaluated using logistic regression and survival evaluated using Cox proportional hazards analysis. Propensity matching (1:1) was performed to help account for selection bias. A total of 21,593 patients were identified. Median and maximum ages were 77 and 90, respectively. Treatment included palliative therapy (24.3%), chemoradiation (37.1%), trimodality therapy (10.0%), esophagectomy alone (5.6%), or no therapy (12.9%). Age ≥80 (OR 0.73), female gender (OR 0.81), Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score ≥2 (OR 0.82), and high-volume centers (OR 0.83) were associated with a decreased likelihood of palliative therapy versus no treatment. Age ≥80 (OR 0.79) and Clinical Stage III (OR 0.33) were associated with a decreased likelihood, while adenocarcinoma histology (OR 1.33) and nonacademic cancer centers (OR 3.9), an increased likelihood of esophagectomy alone compared to definitive chemoradiation. Age ≥80 (OR 0.15), female gender (OR 0.80), and non-Caucasian race (OR 0.63) were associated with a decreased likelihood, while adenocarcinoma histology (OR 2.10) and high-volume centers (OR 2.34), an increased likelihood of trimodality therapy compared to definitive chemoradiation. Each treatment type demonstrated improved survival compared to no therapy: palliative treatment (HR 0.49) to trimodality therapy (HR 0.25) with significance between all groups. Any therapy, including palliative care, was associated with improved survival; however, subsets of elderly patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer are less likely to receive aggressive therapy. Care should be taken to not unnecessarily deprive these individuals of treatment that may improve survival

Mach 0.3 Burner Rig Facility at the NASA Glenn Materials Research Laboratory

This Technical Memorandum presents the current capabilities of the state-of-the-art Mach 0.3 Burner Rig Facility. It is used for materials research including oxidation, corrosion, erosion and impact. Consisting of seven computer controlled jet-fueled combustors in individual test cells, these relatively small rigs burn just 2 to 3 gal of jet fuel per hour. The rigs are used as an efficient means of subjecting potential aircraft engine/airframe advanced materials to the high temperatures, high velocities and thermal cycling closely approximating actual operating environments. Materials of various geometries and compositions can be evaluated at temperatures from 700 to 2400 F. Tests are conducted not only on bare superalloys and ceramics, but also to study the behavior and durability of protective coatings applied to those materials

Nitrogen addition alters composition, diversity, and functioning of microbial communities in mangrove soils : an incubation experiment

Mangrove ecosystems are important for carbon storage due to their high productivity and low decomposition rates. Waterways have experienced increased nutrient loads as a result of anthropogenic activities and it is unclear how this may affect carbon and nutrient cycles in downstream mangroves that receive these nutrient-rich waters. Using a laboratory-based incubation experiment, this study aimed to assess the effects of nutrient addition on the diversity and structure of mangrove soil bacterial communities, as well as biomass and activity of the soil microbial community, under different oxygen conditions. Bacterial community diversity and composition was characterised using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and microbial activity was examined through the measurement of microbial respiration and the activities of enzymes associated with organic matter decomposition. Nitrogen addition caused clear shifts in bacterial community composition, with decreases in bacterial diversity and the abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Microbial biomass also decreased with nitrogen addition under reduced oxygen incubations. Changes in bacterial community structure were accompanied by changes in the activity of some enzymes involved in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. Under reduced oxygen conditions, nitrogen addition resulted in a significant increase in the microbial metabolic quotient but no accompanying change in microbial respiration, which was explained by a decrease in microbial biomass. The findings of this study indicate that nitrogen loading has potential implications for microbial communities and carbon and nutrient cycling in mangrove environments that warrant further investigation under field conditions

Estimating the Lactate Threshold Using Wireless Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Threshold Detection Analyses

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(4): 284-294, 2021. The present investigation examined the ability of two threshold detection analyses (maximum distance, Dmax; modified maximum distance, mDmax) in identifying the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) threshold, a lactate threshold (LT) estimate, from exercising tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) responses. Additionally, the test-retest reliability of exercising StO2 and total hemoglobin concentration (THC) responses were examined at moderate and peak cycling intensities. Fourteen healthy, recreationally active participants performed maximal incremental step cycling tests (+25 W / 3 minutes) to volitional fatigue on two separate occasions while StO2 and THC of the vastus lateralis were monitored. Exercising blood [lactate] was collected during Session One. LT and NIRS thresholds (NIRS1, NIRS2) were then determined using Dmax and mDmax threshold analyses. Significant (p \u3c 0.05), moderate correlations were detected between LT and NIRS1 when using Dmax (LT = 130 ± 49 W, NIRS1 = 136 ± 34 W, r = 0.690), but not for mDmax (r = 0.487). No significant test-retest reliability for the NIRS thresholds were observed for Dmax (ICC = 0.351) or mDmax (ICC = 0.385). Exercising StO2 responses demonstrated good reliability (ICC = 0.841-0.873) while exercising THC responses demonstrated moderate-good reliability (ICC = 0.720-0.873) at moderate and peak exercise intensities. The results of this study suggest that neither the Dmax nor mDmax threshold analyses should be used to estimate the LT due to the unreliable detection of the NIRS threshold from session to session

A Millisecond Pulsar Optical Counterpart with Large-Amplitude Variability in the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae

Using extensive HST imaging, combined with Chandra X-ray and Parkes radio data, we have detected the optical binary companion to a second millisecond pulsar (MSP) in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae. This faint (V=22.3) blue (V-I=0.7) star shows a large amplitude (60-70%) sinusoidal variation in both V and I. The period (3.19066 hr) and phase of the variation match those of the MSP 47 Tuc W (which does not have an accurate radio timing position) to within 0.5 seconds and 1.2 minutes respectively, well within the ~1sigma errors. The phase dependence of the intensity and color implies that heating of a tidally locked companion causes the observed variations. The eclipsing nature of this MSP in the radio, combined with the relatively large companion mass (> 0.13 solar masses) and the companion's position in the color-magnitude diagram, suggest that the companion is a main sequence star, a rare circumstance for an MSP companion. This system is likely to have had a complex evolution and represents an interesting case study in MSP irradiation of a close companion. We present evidence for another optical variable with similar properties to the companion of 47 Tuc W. This variable may also be an MSP companion, although no radio counterpart has yet been detected.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Worsening Glycemia increases the Odds of intermittent But Not Persistent Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage in Two Cohorts of Mexican american adults

Numerous host and environmental factors contribute to persistent and intermittent nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage in humans. The effects of worsening glycemia on the odds of S. aureus intermittent and persistent nasal carriage was established in two cohorts from an adult Mexican American population living in Starr County, Texas. The anterior nares were sampled at two time points and the presence of S. aureus determined by laboratory culture an

Emotional valence and arousal affect reading in an interactive way: neuroimaging evidence for an approach-withdrawal framework

A growing body of literature shows that the emotional content of verbal material affects reading, wherein emotional words are given processing priority compared to neutral words. Human emotions can be conceptualised within a two-dimensional model comprised of emotional valence and arousal (intensity). These variables are at least in part distinct, but recent studies report interactive effects during implicit emotion processing and relate these to stimulus-evoked approach-withdrawal tendencies. The aim of the present study was to explore how valence and arousal interact at the neural level, during implicit emotion word processing. The emotional attributes of written word stimuli were orthogonally manipulated based on behavioural ratings from a corpus of emotion words. Stimuli were presented during an fMRI experiment while 16 participants performed a lexical decision task, which did not require explicit evaluation of a word's emotional content. Results showed greater neural activation within right insular cortex in response to stimuli evoking conflicting approach-withdrawal tendencies (i.e., positive high-arousal and negative low-arousal words) compared to stimuli evoking congruent approach vs. withdrawal tendencies (i.e., positive low-arousal and negative high-arousal words). Further, a significant cluster of activation in the left extra-striate cortex was found in response to emotional than neutral words, suggesting enhanced perceptual processing of emotionally salient stimuli. These findings support an interactive two-dimensional approach to the study of emotion word recognition and suggest that the integration of valence and arousal dimensions recruits a brain region associated with interoception, emotional awareness and sympathetic functions