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

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3�6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55 of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017�and more than 80 in some low- and middle-income regions�was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing�and in some countries reversal�of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. © 2019, The Author(s)

Investigations on magnesium-meta-dinitrobenzene organic cell at different temperatures

Magnesium-meta-dinitrobenzene, hereafter referred to as MgIDNB, organic cells are considered as a high energy density primary power source, though lacking in a high power density capability. To improve the current drain characteristics of the DNB, electrolytic manganese dioxide is incorporated in the cathode. The cathode variables are optimised after selection of suitable grid. Fifteen percent of manganese dioxide additive to the cathode mix is found to deliver good reduction efficiency at moderate current drain. Performance results of MgIDNB cell at moderate current drain at room temperature (30°C) and temperature down to -2O0Care reported. High energy density per unit weight, voltage stability ti11 80% of its capacity, low cost and availability of DNB are the importantifnd attractive features of this organic battery system

Effect of addition agents on the reduction of divalent silver oxide

This paper reports the results of investigation carried out on the preparation of silver (11) oxide by the chemical method and electrochemical reduction of silver (11) oxide with and without additional agents. The results indicate that a suitable composition of the material with additives can give single-stage discharg

Gasometric investigations on the corrosion of magnesium alloy in battery electrolytes

Corrosion of magnesium alloy (AZ 31) has been studied in various battery electrolytes at different temperatures by gasometric technique. Results obtained throw light on the use of magnesium alloy as anode material in batterie

The adventures of ‘Ascaris lumbricoides’ - An intrepid traveller

Hepatobiliary ascariasis is an underestimated & unforeseen corollary of gastrointestinal ascariasis particularly common amongst the endemic populations. A high index of suspicion coupled with the increased use of ultrasonography & endoscopic procedures have unravelled this deviant sequel of helminth infestation. Conservative measures with meticulous sonographic surveillance remain the preferred first-line treatment for worms confined to the biliary ducts; with, endoscopic and surgical interventions being reserved for the persistently symptomatic or when complications ensue. Gall bladder ascariasis however mandates aggressive endoscopic/ surgical measures in most cases due to poor inherent response to pharmacotherapy alone. We hereby present the study of a 10 years old female child with the sonographic, MRCP, per-operative & histopathological correlates of hepatobiliary ascariasis. The bizarre eventuality of the worm migrating from the gastrointestinal tract and traversing across the intrahepatic ducts to ultimately lodge within the gall bladder (as demonstrated on consecutive scans & confirmed per-operatively ) , especially across narrow calibre childhood ducts is a singular affair and hence consigns exclusivity to our case

A new scenario framework for climate change research: The concept of shared socioeconomic pathways

The new scenario framework for climate change research envisions combining pathways of future radiative forcing and their associated climate changes with alternative pathways of socioeconomic development in order to carry out research on climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation. Here we propose a conceptual framework for how to define and develop a set of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) for use within the scenario framework. We define SSPs as reference pathways describing plausible alternative trends in the evolution of society and ecosystems over a century timescale, in the absence of climate change or climate policies. We introduce the concept of a space of challenges to adaptation and to mitigation that should be spanned by the SSPs, and discuss how particular trends in social, economic, and environmental development could be combined to produce such outcomes. A comparison to the narratives from the scenarios developed in the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) illustrates how a starting point for developing SSPs can be defined. We suggest initial development of a set of basic SSPs that could then be extended to meet more specific purposes, and envision a process of application of basic and extended SSPs that would be iterative and potentially lead to modification of the original SSPs themselves

A new scenario framework for Climate Change Research: scenario matrix architecture

This paper describes the scenario matrix architecture that underlies a framework for developing new scenarios for climate change research. The matrix architecture facilitates addressing key questions related to current climate research and policy-making: identifying the effectiveness of different adaptation and mitigation strategies (in terms of their costs, risks and other consequences) and the possible trade-offs and synergies. The two main axes of the matrix are: 1) the level of radiative forcing of the climate system (as characterised by the representative concentration pathways) and 2) a set of alternative plausible trajectories of future global development (described as shared socio-economic pathways). The matrix can be used to guide scenario development at different scales. It can also be used as a heuristic tool for classifying new and existing scenarios for assessment. Key elements of the architecture, in particular the shared socio-economic pathways and shared policy assumptions (devices for incorporating explicit mitigation and adaptation policies), are elaborated in other papers in this special issue