Diversity Initiative Schemas: Students’ Cognitive Representations of Managing Diversity on College Campuses

Using schemas as a theoretical framework, this paper explores students’ cognitive representations of managing gender and racio-ethnic diversity initiatives on college and university campuses. Exploration of student schemas is necessary to inform higher education administrators of the existing expectations present among students since these expectations interplay with student responses and reactions to diversity management efforts. Using content analysis of students’ narratives, results concerning students’ cognitive representations are offered, and key managerial implications are shared for those in higher education leadership

Short term impact of smoke-free legislation in England: retrospective analysis of hospital admissions for myocardial infarction

Objective To measure the short term impact on hospital admissions for myocardial infarction of the introduction of smoke-free legislation in England on 1 July 2007

Characterizing tobacco control mass media campaigns in England

Aims To characterize publically funded tobacco control campaigns in England between 2004 and 2010 and to explore if they were in line with recommendations from the literature in terms of their content and intensity. International evidence suggests that campaigns which warn of the negative consequences of smoking and feature testimonials from real-life smokers are most effective, and that four exposures per head per month are required to reduce smoking prevalence. Design Characterization of tobacco control advertisements using a theoretically based framework designed to describe advertisement themes, informational and emotional content and style. Study of the intensity of advertising and exposure to different types of advertisement using data on population-level exposure to advertisements shown during the study period. Setting England. Measurements Television Ratings (TVRs), a standard measure of advertising exposure, were used to calculate exposure to each different campaign type. Findings A total of 89% of advertising was for smoking cessation; half of this advertising warned of the negative consequences of smoking, while half contained how-to-quit messages. Acted scenes featured in 72% of advertising, while only 17% featured real-life testimonials. Only 39% of months had at least four exposures to tobacco control campaigns per head. Conclusions A theory-driven approach enabled a systematic characterization of tobacco control advertisements in England. Between 2004 and 2010 only a small proportion of tobacco control advertisements utilized the most effective strategies—negative health effects messages and testimonials from real-life smokers. The intensity of campaigns was lower than international recommendations

Differential localization of GABAA receptor subunits in relation to rat striatopallidal and pallidopallidal synapses

As a central integrator of basal ganglia function, the external segment of the globus pallidus (GP) plays a critical role in the control of voluntary movement. The GP is composed of a network of inhibitory GABA-containing projection neurons which receive GABAergic input from axons of the striatum (Str) and local collaterals of GP neurons. Here, using electrophysiological techniques and immunofluorescent labeling we have investigated the differential cellular distribution of a1, a2 and a3 GABAA receptor subunits in relation to striatopallidal (Str-GP) and pallidopallidal (GP-GP) synapses. Electrophysiological investigations showed that zolpidem (100 nm; selective for the a1 subunit) increased the amplitude and the decay time of both Str-GP and GP-GP IPSCs, indicating the presence of the a1 subunits at both synapses. However, the application of drugs selective for the a2, a3 and a5 subunits (zolpidem at 400 nm, L-838,417 and TP003) revealed differential effects on amplitude and decay time of IPSCs, suggesting the nonuniform distribution of non-a1 subunits. Immunofluorescence revealed widespread distribution of the a1 subunit at both soma and dendrites, while double- and triple-immunofluorescent labeling for parvalbumin, enkephalin, gephyrin and the ?2 subunit indicated strong immunoreactivity for GABAAa3 subunits in perisomatic synapses, a region mainly targeted by local axon collaterals. In contrast, immunoreactivity for synaptic GABAAa2 subunits was observed in dendritic compartments where striatal synapses are preferentially located. Due to the kinetic properties which each GABAAa subunit confers, this distribution is likely to contribute differentially to both physiological and pathological patterns of activity

Characterizing tobacco control mass media campaigns in England

Aims To characterize publically funded tobacco control campaigns in England between 2004 and 2010 and to explore if they were in line with recommendations from the literature in terms of their content and intensity. International evidence suggests that campaigns which warn of the negative consequences of smoking and feature testimonials from real-life smokers are most effective, and that four exposures per head per month are required to reduce smoking prevalence. Design Characterization of tobacco control advertisements using a theoretically based framework designed to describe advertisement themes, informational and emotional content and style. Study of the intensity of advertising and exposure to different types of advertisement using data on population-level exposure to advertisements shown during the study period. Setting England. Measurements Television Ratings (TVRs), a standard measure of advertising exposure, were used to calculate exposure to each different campaign type. Findings A total of 89% of advertising was for smoking cessation; half of this advertising warned of the negative consequences of smoking, while half contained how-to-quit messages. Acted scenes featured in 72% of advertising, while only 17% featured real-life testimonials. Only 39% of months had at least four exposures to tobacco control campaigns per head. Conclusions A theory-driven approach enabled a systematic characterization of tobacco control advertisements in England. Between 2004 and 2010 only a small proportion of tobacco control advertisements utilized the most effective strategies—negative health effects messages and testimonials from real-life smokers. The intensity of campaigns was lower than international recommendations

Freeing Energy Data: A Guide for Regulators to Reduce One Barrier to Residential Energy Efficiency

This report advocates for improving entrepreneurs' access to residential energy-use data, thereby increasing the deployment of cost-effective energy-efficiency measures, generating saving and improving the environment. While this report does discuss policy, its focus is on informing policy makers on how to address liability, consumer privacy, and administrative concerns that could arise when third parties receive energy-use data from utilities. What makes this report novel compared to other efforts is that it provides model language for laws or rules that lawmakers or regulators can use as building blocks to open up access to energy data

Effectiveness of tobacco control television advertising in changing tobacco use in England: a population‐based cross‐sectional study

AIM: To examine whether government‐funded tobacco control television advertising shown in England between 2002 and 2010 reduced adult smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption. DESIGN: Analysis of monthly cross‐sectional surveys using generalised additive models. SETTING: England. PARTICIPANTS: More than 80 000 adults aged 18 years or over living in England and interviewed in the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey. MEASUREMENTS: Current smoking status, smokers' daily cigarette consumption, tobacco control gross rating points (GRPs—a measure of per capita advertising exposure combining reach and frequency), cigarette costliness, tobacco control activity, socio‐demographic variables. FINDINGS: After adjusting for other tobacco control policies, cigarette costliness and individual characteristics, we found that a 400‐point increase in tobacco control GRPs per month, equivalent to all adults in the population seeing four advertisements per month (although actual individual‐level exposure varies according to TV exposure), was associated with 3% lower odds of smoking 2 months later [odds ratio (OR) = 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.95, 0.999] and accounted for 13.5% of the decline in smoking prevalence seen over this period. In smokers, a 400‐point increase in GRPs was associated with a 1.80% (95%CI = 0.47, 3.11) reduction in average cigarette consumption in the following month and accounted for 11.2% of the total decline in consumption over the period 2002–09. CONCLUSION: Government‐funded tobacco control television advertising shown in England between 2002 and 2010 was associated with reductions in smoking prevalence and smokers' cigarette consumption

Impact of smoke-free legislation on children's exposure to secondhand smoke: cotinine data from the Health Survey for England

International audienceObjective: To examine the impact of the ban on smoking in enclosed public places implemented in England in July 2007 on children's exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. Design: Repeated cross-sectional surveys of the general population in England. Setting: The Health Survey for England Participants: Confirmed non-smoking children aged 4-15 with measured saliva cotinine participating in surveys from 1998 to 2008, a total of 10,825 children across years. Main outcome measures: The proportion of children living in homes reported to be smoke free; the proportion of children with undetectable concentrations of cotinine; geometric mean cotinine as an objective indicator of overall exposure. Results: Significantly more children with smoking parents lived in smoke-free homes in 2008 (48.1%, 95%CI 43.0-53.1) than in either 2006 (35.5%, 95% CI 29.7-41.7) or the first 6 months of 2007, immediately before the ban came into effect (30.5%, 95% CI 19.7-43.9). A total of 41.1% (95% CI 38.9-43.4) of children had undetectable cotinine in 2008, up from 34.0 % (95% CI 30.8-37.3) in 2006. Geometric mean cotinine in all children combined was 0.21ng/ml (95% CI .20-.23) in 2008, slightly lower than in 2006, 0.24ng/ml (95% CI .21-.26). Conclusions: Predictions that the2007 legislative ban on smoking in enclosed public places would adversely affect children's exposure to tobacco smoke were not confirmed. While overall exposure in children has not been greatly affected by the ban, the trend towards the adoption of smoke-free homes by parents who themselves smoke has received fresh impetus