Assessing the Depiction of Electronic Cigarettes in YouTube Videos

poster abstractObjective: Use of electronic cigarettes is an emerging phenomenon with unknown health implications. YouTube videos of e-cigarettes are abundant, easily accessible, and possess the potential to promote e-cigarette use through the increased visibility of user-generated content and novel marketing strategies. As there are no published studies examining the content of e-cigarette videos, this study aimed to assess the depiction of e-cigarettes in terms of content and viewing qualities. Methods: Two calibrated reviewers conducted 4 searches for e-cigarette English language YouTube videos between August 2, 2013 and November 26, 2013. Based on a Google Insights analysis, the sample was selected from the top 20 search results for the terms “electronic cigarette,” and “e-cig”. Two searches were performed for each term using the filters “Relevance” and “View Count”. The initial sample included a total of 80 short-length videos from which duplicates were removed, leaving a final sample of 63 unique videos. Data collected included: title; uploader alias; length; number of views, “likes”, “dislikes”, comments and actor demographics. Videos were rated independently by the two reviewers for content theme and connotation. Inter-rater reliability was good (k=.70). Reviewer ratings were compared; consensus was reached on any discrepancies. Data was coded and recorded into an electronic database for statistical analysis. Results: The sample of assessed videos (N=63), generated the following means: video length, 135 seconds; views, 199,311; “likes”, 21.5; “dislikes”, 98.2; and posted comments, 244. Of the actors shown, 49.2% were male, 61.9% were Caucasian, and 33.3%, the largest segment, were coded as young (i.e. < 40 years). The most commonly mentioned brand was Blu. Video content connotation was coded as follows: positive (76.1%); neutral (17.4%); and negative (6.3%). Videos were categorized into one of the following seven content themes: Advertisement (33%); Instructional/how-to (17.4%); news clip/story (19.0%); product review (12.7%); entertainment (11.1%); public health/educational (3.1%); and personal testimonial (3.1%). Conclusions: YouTube videos of electronic cigarettes primarily feature young, male, Caucasian actors and depict e-cigarettes in a positive manner. Most videos were non-traditional advertisements

Chaotic dynamics in superconducting nanocircuits

The quantum kicked rotator can be realized in a periodically driven superconducting nanocircuit. A study of the fidelity allows the experimental investigation of exponential instability of quantum motion inside the Ehrenfest time scale, chaotic diffusion and quantum dynamical localization. The role of noise and the experimental setup to measure the fidelity is discussed as well.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Standard and Null Weak Values

Weak value (WV) is a quantum mechanical measurement protocol, proposed by Aharonov, Albert, and Vaidman. It consists of a weak measurement, which is weighed in, conditional on the outcome of a later, strong measurement. Here we define another two-step measurement protocol, null weak value (NVW), and point out its advantages as compared to WV. We present two alternative derivations of NWVs and compare them to the corresponding derivations of WVs.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Quantum Theory: A Two-Time Success Story: Yakir Aharonov Festschrif

Cetuximab induced cutaneous rash: Does it affect psychological well-being in colorectal cancer patients?

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Genome editing for blood disorders: state of the art and recent advances

In recent years, tremendous advances have been made in the use of gene editing to precisely engineer the genome. This technology relies on the activity of a wide range of nuclease platforms — such as zinc-finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and the CRISPR–Cas system — that can cleave and repair specific DNA regions, providing a unique and flexible tool to study gene function and correct disease-causing mutations. Preclinical studies using gene editing to tackle genetic and infectious diseases have highlighted the therapeutic potential of this technology. This review summarizes the progresses made towards the development of gene editing tools for the treatment of haematological disorders and the hurdles that need to be overcome to achieve clinical success

Exposure to Plasma From Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients Affects Hepatocyte Viability, Generates Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Modulates Pathways Involved in Fat Accumulation and Inflammation

Changes of lipidic storage, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction may be involved in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although the knowledge of intracellular pathways has vastly expanded in recent years, the role and mechanisms of circulating triggering factor(s) are debated. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that factors circulating in the blood of NAFLD patients may influence processes underlying the disease. Huh7.5 cells/primary human hepatocytes were exposed to plasma from 12 NAFLD patients and 12 healthy subjects and specific assays were performed to examine viability, H2O2 and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) release, mitochondrial membrane potential and triglycerides content. The involvement of NLRP3 inflammasome and of signaling related to peroxisome-proliferator-activating-ligand-receptor-γ (PPARγ), sterol-regulatory-element-binding-protein-1c (SREBP-1c), nuclear-factor-kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB), and NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) was evaluated by repeating the experiments in the presence of NLRP3 inflammasome blocker, MCC950, and through Western blot. The results obtained shown that plasma of NAFLD patients was able to reduce cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential by about 48 and 24% (p &lt; 0.05), and to increase H2O2, mitochondrial ROS, and triglycerides content by about 42, 19, and 16% (p &lt; 0.05), respectively. An increased expression of SREBP-1c, PPARγ, NF-kB and NOX2 of about 51, 121, 63, and 46%, respectively, was observed (p &lt; 0.05), as well. Those effects were reduced by the use of MCC950. Thus, in hepatocytes, exposure to plasma from NAFLD patients induces a NAFLD-like phenotype by interference with NLRP3-inflammasome pathways and the activation of intracellular signaling related to SREBP-1c, PPARγ, NF-kB and NOX2

Analysis of equilibrium states of Markov solutions to the 3D Navier-Stokes equations driven by additive noise

We prove that every Markov solution to the three dimensional Navier-Stokes equation with periodic boundary conditions driven by additive Gaussian noise is uniquely ergodic. The convergence to the (unique) invariant measure is exponentially fast. Moreover, we give a well-posedness criterion for the equations in terms of invariant measures. We also analyse the energy balance and identify the term which ensures equality in the balance.Comment: 32 page