Examining Factors that Influence Reactions to Human Trafficking

Human trafficking involves the transportation or harboring of individuals under conditions of force or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. Trafficking is a worldwide issue, and involves millions of individuals who cross all gender, racial, and ethnic lines. Previous research has shown that individuals high on the constructs of belief in a just world and human trafficking myth acceptance attribute greater blame to victims than individuals low on these constructs. The results of the present study suggest that belief in a just world, ethical ideologies, and human trafficking myth acceptance are significant predictors of blame attributions toward victims of human trafficking. The results further suggest that belief in a just world and human trafficking myth acceptance are significant predictors of willingness to help victims when the cost associated with helping is high. Implications are discussed

A Cross-Sectional Study of the Impact of Standardized Tobacco Packaging Legislation on University Students

Background: European Union and national legislation implemented from May 2016 mean that from May 2017 all tobacco products in the United Kingdom must be sold in standardized packs without external branding and with prominent graphic health warnings. This study investigates the level of awareness and acceptability of the legislation in students during the implementation period, and how the legislation may impact on student perceptions of pack attributes, health warning effectiveness, student smokers' willingness to pay for cigarette packs, and intentions to quit.Methods: An online survey link was e-mailed to randomly selected University of Nottingham students in autumn 2016. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression models were used to investigate awareness, acceptability, and potential quitting behavior.Results: 546 students (175 smokers, 371 nonsmokers) responded. Very few of students had seen a standardized pack. Smokers were more likely to be aware of the new legislation than non-smokers. More smokers noticed the warnings on standardized packs than on branded ones. Fewer smokers were willing to pay current prices for standardized packs than for 20 branded packs. Just under half of smokers anticipated quitting in response to the new legislation, with those who smoke infrequently being more likely to anticipate quitting than daily smokers.Conclusions: Few students had seen a standardized pack, suggesting that the level of implementation of the legislation was low five to six months into the implementation period. However, the findings suggest that the legislation has the potential to increase quitting behavior in smoking students

Lipometabolic side-effects of three ritonavir-boosted double protease inhibitor regimens without reverse transcriptase inhibitors

Poster presentation: Purpose of the study To compare the lipometabolic profiles of three double-boosted protease inhibitor (PI) regimens at standard dose, containing saquinavir and ritonavir in combination with lopinavir (LOPSAQ), atazanavir (ATSAQ) or fosamprenavir (FOSAQ) in HIV-positive patients, treated without reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTI). ..

Length-weight relationships of the Emerald Shiner (Notropis atherinoides - Rafinesque, 1818) in the Western Basin of Lake Erie

Total length and standard length (mm) were compared to weight (mg) in the Emerald Shiner (Notropis atherinoides - Rafinesque, 1818) in the western basin of Lake Erie. Length and weight relationship (n = 400), length-frequency distribution, and sex ratios were evaluated for  coastal and tributary habitats and compared to open water habitats. A strong positive correlation was observed between length and weight for both males and females. For males (n = 195) there was a significant positive relationship between standard length (SL) and weight (F = 935.64, d.f = 195; R2 = 0.989) and between total length (TL) and weight (F = 918.75, d.f. = 195; R2 = 0.991). In females (n = 205), there was also a strong positive correlation between SL and weight (F = 1108.18, d.f. = 204; R2 = 0.976) and between TL and weight (F = 1208.86, d.f. = 204; R2 = 0.983). This same positive relationship between SL and weight (F = 1909.58, d.f. = 399; R2 = 0.984,) and between TL and weight (F = 1960.07, d.f. = 399; R2 = 0.988) that was found for  the individual sexes was present in the combined data for the two sexes. Length-weight relationship patterns in Emerald Shiner were significantly influenced by sex (ANCOVA, F= 313.03, p < 0.01) and habitat (ANCOVA, F = 6.693, p = 0.013).  Three separate age classes were distinguished in the data. Age 0 males ranged from 15-33 mm TL, while age 0 females ranged from 18-30 mm TL. Age I males ranged from 39-78 mm TL and Age I females ranged from 42-78 mm TL. Age II+ males ranged from 78-111 mm TL and Age II+ females ranged from 81-108 mm TL. Emerald Shiner exhibit indeterminate growth and sex influenced growth patterns based on the von Bertalanffy growth model

The Making of Transgenic

The complex color patterns on the wings and body of Drosophila guttifera (D. guttifera) are emerging as model systems for studying evolutionary and developmental processes. Studies regarding these processes depend on overexpression and downregulation of developmental genes, which ultimately rely upon an effective transgenic system. Methods describing transgenesis in Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) have been reported in several studies, but they cannot be applied to D. guttifera due to the low egg production rate and the delicacy of the eggs. In this protocol, we describe extensively a comprehensive method used for generating transgenic D. guttifera. Using the protocol described here, we are able to establish transgenic lines, identifiable by the expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in the eye disks of D. guttifera larvae. The entire procedure, from injection to screening for transgenic larvae, can be completed in approximately 30 days and should be relatively easy to adapt to other non-model Drosophila species, for which no white-eyed mutants exist

Effective Product Placement

Mit der zunehmenden Verbreitung gezielter Produktplatzierungen in amerikanischen Unterhaltungsprogrammen wächst auch das Interesse der deutschen Werbeindustrie an einer Nutzung dieses Instruments zur werblichen Kommunikation. Bis dato mangelt es jedoch an wissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen, welche die in der Marketingpraxis bestehenden Unsicherheiten hinsichtlich eines effektiven Einsatzes von Product Placements beseitigen. In der Forschungsliteratur existiert bislang noch keine umfassende wissenschaftliche Betrachtung potentieller Determinanten und Konsequenzen der Werbewirkung von Product Placements. Das Erkenntnisziel dieser Studie liegt darin, einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Schließung dieser Forschungslücke beizusteuern. Zunächst erfolgt eine ausführliche Darstellung des Forschungsstands zur Werbeeffektivität von Product Placements. Auf dieser Basis werden die Determinanten der Einstellungswirkung zur platzierten Marke und der damit verbundenen Kaufabsicht identifiziert. Die erarbeiteten Wirkungszusammenhänge werden in ein komplexes Hypothesensystem integriert und anhand der Analyse von empirisch erhobenen Daten (n= 309) unter Verwendung eines linearen Strukturgleichungsmodells überprüft. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung belegen, dass die Einstellung zur platzierten Marke und die daraus resultierende Kaufabsicht in hohem Maße durch die Gestaltung der Produktplatzierung beeinflusst werden. Darunter erweisen sich mehrere vom Marketing-Management direkt beeinflussbare Gestaltungsdeterminanten der Werbeeffektivität als signifikant. Die Werbewirkung ist umso effektiver, je höher die wahrgenommene Kongruenz zwischen Marke und Film sowie zwischen Marke und Hauptfigur ausfällt. Weiterhin übt die wahrgenommene Attraktivität der Hauptfigur einen positiven Effekt auf die Einstellung zur platzierten Marke aus. Schließlich kann auch ein positiver Einfluss der durch den Film induzierten Stimmung auf die Werbeeffektivität von Product Placements nachgewiesen werden

Archaeal host cell recognition and viral binding of HFTV1 to its Haloferax host

Viruses are highly abundant and the main predator of microorganisms. Microorganisms of each domain of life are infected by dedicated viruses. Viruses infecting archaea are genomically and structurally highly diverse. Archaea are undersampled for viruses in comparison with bacteria and eukaryotes. Consequently, the infection mechanisms of archaeal viruses are largely unknown, and most available knowledge stems from viruses infecting a select group of archaea, such as crenarchaea. We employed Haloferax tailed virus 1 (HFTV1) and its host, Haloferax gibbonsii LR2-5, to study viral infection in euryarchaea. We found that HFTV1, which has a siphovirus morphology, is virulent, and interestingly, viral particles adsorb to their host several orders of magnitude faster than most studied haloarchaeal viruses. As the binding site for infection, HFTV1 uses the cell wall component surface (S)-layer protein. Electron microscopy of infected cells revealed that viral particles often made direct contact with their heads to the cell surface, whereby the virion tails were perpendicular to the surface. This seemingly unfavorable orientation for genome delivery might represent a first reversible contact between virus and cell and could enhance viral adsorption rates. In a next irreversible step, the virion tail is orientated toward the cell surface for genome delivery. With these findings, we uncover parallels between entry mechanisms of archaeal viruses and those of bacterial jumbo phages and bacterial gene transfer agents.IMPORTANCE Archaeal viruses are the most enigmatic members of the virosphere. These viruses infect ubiquitous archaea and display an unusually high structural and genetic diversity. Unraveling their mechanisms of infection will shed light on the question if entry and egress mechanisms are highly conserved between viruses infecting a single domain of life or if these mechanisms are dependent on the morphology of the virus and the growth conditions of the host. We studied the entry mechanism of the tailed archaeal virus HFTV1. This showed that despite "typical" siphovirus morphology, the infection mechanism is different from standard laboratory models of tailed phages. We observed that particles bound first with their head to the host cell envelope, and, as such, we discovered parallels between archaeal viruses and nonmodel bacteriophages. This work contributes to a better understanding of entry mechanisms of archaeal viruses and a more complete view of microbial viruses in general.Archaeal viruses are the most enigmatic members of the virosphere. These viruses infect ubiquitous archaea and display an unusually high structural and genetic diversity.Peer reviewe

Factors affecting journal submission numbers: Impact factor and peer review reputation

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154894/1/leap1285_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154894/2/leap1285.pd

When females compete and males care: Phenotypic differences in the spotted sandpiper

Ecology can shape variation in mating systems. Spotted sandpipers (Actitis macularius) are migratory shorebirds with a sequentially polyandrous mating system. Females compete for multiple mates, and males care for offspring, including through incubation and chick care. A study of a Midwestern population found that females have larger body mass and feather spots, but we do not know whether this pattern extends to other populations of this species. We studied a California population of spotted sandpipers surrounding Mono Lake. We used PCR to determine genetic sex from blood samples, and we used R to compare morphological traits between females and males. We find sexual dimorphism in several morphological traits, including tarsus, wing, and bill length, as well as body mass, suggesting the Midwestern and California populations have evolved similarly, and both have sexually dimorphic morphology