Obesity and Advertising Policy

It is clear that Americans are getting fatter, both adults and children. This development has led some to call for a ban on food advertising directed at children. There are numerous practical and constitutional difficulties with such a policy. This article poses a more fundamental question - even if feasible, would restricting food advertising do anything to reduce obesity or even slow its trends? The article also considers whether the social costs of banning advertising could outweigh the social benefits of such an action. This article provides a review of the literature on the fundamental causes of the American obesity problem as well as the purported contribution of children\u27s advertising to the problem. The final conclusion is inescapable - the available evidence does not support the theory that children\u27s exposure to food advertising has significantly contributed to increased children\u27s obesity. Although children\u27s obesity rates have skyrocketed during the past two decades, the available evidence indicates that children\u27s exposure to food advertising has remained constant or has even declined during that same period. This article first describes the existing theories and empirical evidence regarding the causal factors in the American obesity problem. Second, the article examines in detail the claim that the rise in children\u27s obesity has been caused in whole or in part by food advertising directed at children. Available evidence and observations regarding the exposure of children to food advertising fail to support the hypothesis that increased food advertising directed at children has significantly contributed to the rise in childhood obesity. As a result, there is also little reason to believe that greater restrictions on advertising directed at children will do much at all to staunch the increase in children\u27s obesity. Third, the article reviews the existing literature on the positive effects that advertising can have on increasing consumer knowledge and choice. Thus, even though there is little evidence that advertising is the cause of the obesity problem, it is likely that advertising can play a positive role in being part of the solution to obesity by providing more information to consumers and by providing incentives to create and market healthier food alternatives

Study of the prevalence of musculoskeletal abnormalities, particularly arthritis, in children with Down’s syndrome in the Glasgow population

Down’s syndrome (DS) is associated with multiple musculoskeletal (MSK) features, including hypermobility and inflammatory arthritis. MSK disorders are not included in the screening programme for these children and correct diagnosis of MSK problems can be missed or delayed. This study aimed to identify and examine the population of children with DS resident in Greater Glasgow to determine the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders and the levels of associated physical disability, particularly hypermobility, podiatric disorders, arthritis and obesity levels. Between Jan 2011-2012 147 children with DS, aged between two and sixteen years and resident in Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board by postcode were identified from the Glasgow Thyroid and community paediatricians’ register. They were invited to a single study visit encompassing musculoskeletal and podiatric examinations, anthropometric measurements and completion of study questionnaires. Focus groups were carried out to establish knowledge of MSK disorders in professionals likely to encounter this population. Seventy three children participated in the study. A high level of hypermobility was identified, characterized by predominance in the weight bearing joints of the lower limbs, especially hips (77%), ankles (56%) and feet (59%). Standard measures of hypermobility failed to identify the extent and severity of hypermobility in these children, identifying only 15% of children as having hypermobility syndrome. No new cases of arthritis were identified in the study cohort. Families reported a lack of expression of pain. Ten percent of the cohort were obese, compared to 20% in the UK cohort from which DS growth charts are derived. Focus groups identified concerns from professionals about knowledge and skills in identifying musculoskeletal problems in these children, and challenges in ascribing an appropriate diagnosis. This study identified barriers to care for a range of MSK pathologies in DS which targeted education and disease specific structuring of services could address. Rheumatologists found that expectations for MSK functioning in this population were low. Education focusing on the recognition and accurate assessment of altered or deteriorating MSK function is required. Severe and extensive hypermobility combined with altered expression of pain were found in this population, adding diagnostic challenges. Current MSK examination tools for hypermobility and hypotonia did not perform well in this population. Current health screening structures, the education and expectations of those providing health screening were identified as further barriers to MSK diagnosis. Facilitating early and accurate MSK diagnosis through the development of MSK examination tools, targeted education and structuring services for this population are important for the MSK and broader health of these children

Creating birds of similar feathers: Leveraging similarity to improve teacher-student relationships and academic achievement

When people perceive themselves as similar to others, greater liking and closer relationships typically result. In the first randomized field experiment that leverages actual similarities to improve real-world relationships, we examined the affiliations between 315 ninth grade students and their 25 teachers. Students in the treatment condition received feedback on five similarities that they shared with their teachers; each teacher received parallel feedback regarding about half of his/her ninth grade students. Five weeks after our intervention, those in the treatment conditions perceived greater similarity with their counterparts. Furthermore, when teachers received feedback about their similarities with specific students, they perceived better relationships with those students, and those students earned higher course grades. Exploratory analyses suggest that these effects are concentrated within relationships between teachers and their “underserved” students. This brief intervention appears to close the achievement gap at this school by over 60%

On-Orbit Data and Validation of Astra\u27s ACE Electric Propulsion System

The first ACE propulsion system reached orbit on July 1st 2021 as part of Spaceflight’s demonstration of the Sherpa-LTE all-electric Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV). We are now able to share on-orbit data and have successfully verified the on-orbit performance of the ACE propulsion system, using xenon propellent. The mission objective was to lower altitude and use on-orbit data to derive performance, correlating the propulsion system’s performance to ground test data. The demonstration consisted of activating the propulsion system for 5- minute durations at a total input power of 340 W into the Power Processing Unit (PPU). Altitude change and propellant usage were used to derive thrust and total specific impulse. On-orbit performance is compared to ground test data in Table 1. Averaged performance is within one standard deviation of ground test data. Astra considers this a validation of system performance, as well as the ground test facilities used to test propulsion systems. On-orbit thrust has a large standard deviation as a result of the limited data sampling rate and measurement errors, rather than variability in thruster performance. Figure 1 shows the thruster operating on-orbit. The Astra team gratefully acknowledges the support of Spaceflight, Inc., the U.S. Air Force, and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) without which this mission would not have been possible

The transcriptional regulator Aire coopts the repressive ATF7ip-MBD1 complex for the induction of immunotolerance

The maintenance of immune tolerance requires the deletion of self-reactive T cells in the thymus. The expression of tissue-specific antigen genes (TSAs) by thymic epithelial cells is critical for this process and depends on the activity of the Autoimmune Regulator (Aire) protein, however, the molecular mechanism(s) Aire uses to target TSA gene loci are unknown. Here we identified two Aire-interacting proteins – activating transcription factor 7 interacting protein (ATF7ip) and methyl CpG binding protein 1 (MBD1) –that are required for Aire’s targeting of TSA geneloci. Moreover, Mbd1−/− mice developed pathological autoimmunity and had a defect in Aire-dependent thymic TSA gene expression underscoring the critical importance of Aire’s interaction with the ATF7ip-MBD1 protein complex in maintaining central tolerance

Association between actual weight status, perceived weight and depressive, anxious symptoms in Chinese adolescents: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Backgroud</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to describe actual measured weight and perceived weight and to explore associations with depressive, anxiety symptoms in school adolescents in China.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A sample of 1144 Chinese adolescents was randomly selected from four schools in Wuhan, China, including 665 boys and 479 girls with ages ranging between 10 and 17 years. Actual measured weight and height and perceived weight status were compared to anxiety and depressive symptoms measured using the revised Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Children's Depression Inventory. A general linear model was used to compare differences in psychological symptoms among the teenagers with different measured and perceived weights.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When compared with standardized weight tables (WHO age- and gender-specific body mass index (BMI) cutoffs (2007 reference)), girls were more likely to misperceive themselves as overweight, whereas more boys misclassified their weight status as underweight. The adolescents who perceived themselves as overweight were more likely to experience depressive and anxiety symptoms (except girls) than those who perceived themselves as normal and/or underweight. However, no significant association was found between depressive and anxiety symptoms actual measured weight status.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Perceived weight status, but not the actual weight status, was associated with psychological symptoms.</p

Corporate Governance for Sustainability

The current model of corporate governance needs reform. There is mounting evidence that the practices of shareholder primacy drive company directors and executives to adopt the same short time horizon as financial markets. Pressure to meet the demands of the financial markets drives stock buybacks, excessive dividends and a failure to invest in productive capabilities. The result is a ‘tragedy of the horizon’, with corporations and their shareholders failing to consider environmental, social or even their own, long-term, economic sustainability. With less than a decade left to address the threat of climate change, and with consensus emerging that businesses need to be held accountable for their contribution, it is time to act and reform corporate governance in the EU. The statement puts forward specific recommendations to clarify the obligations of company boards and directors and make corporate governance practice significantly more sustainable and focused on the long term

Southeastern Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting

The 2009 SEAALL Annual Meeting was held in Athens Georgia, April 16-18, 2009