Lottery-Purchasing Adolescents: Gambling Perceptions, Problems, and Characteristics.

Gambling on the lottery is a prevalent behavior, and lottery products are increasingly available in online and electronic formats. As lottery-purchasing is prevalent in adolescents, this study systematically examined relationships between lottery-purchasing and problem-gambling severity and gambling perceptions and attitudes, as well as differences in the relationships between problem-gambling severity and measures of health/functioning and gambling characteristics among lottery-purchasing groups. Participants were 1517 Connecticut high-school adolescents with past-year gambling. Chi-square and logistic regression models were conducted, and interactions between problem-gambling severity and lottery-purchasing status on multiple outcomes were determined. Lottery-purchasing, compared to non-lottery-purchasing, adolescents had greater problem-gambling severity and reported more permissive gambling attitudes and greater parental approval of gambling. Significant between-group differences were observed, with at-risk/problem-gambling more strongly associated with having friends and adult gambling partners among non-lottery-purchasing adolescents, and machine and online gambling, and gambling alone more strongly associated among lottery-purchasing adolescents. Greater problem-gambling severity, permissive gambling attitudes, and parental approval of gambling in lottery-purchasing adolescents suggest that parenting contexts are important considerations in prevention efforts targeting problem gambling in youths. Between-group differences in associations between problem-gambling severity and gambling types and partners may identify high-risk groups associated with more solitary gambling behaviors for whom targeted interventions may be adapted.

Sleep-wake body temperature regulates tau secretion in mice and correlates with CSF and plasma tau in humans.

The sleep-wake cycle regulates interstitial fluid and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau levels in both mouse and human by mechanisms that remain unestablished. Here, we reveal a novel pathway by which wakefulness increases extracellular tau levels in mouse and humans. In mice, higher body temperature (BT) associated with wakefulness and sleep deprivation increased CSF tau. In vitro, wakefulness temperatures upregulated tau secretion via a temperature-dependent increase in activity and expression of unconventional protein secretion pathway-1 components, namely caspase-3-mediated C-terminal cleavage of tau (TauC3), and membrane expression of PIP2 and syndecan-3. In humans, the increase in both CSF and plasma tau levels observed post-wakefulness correlated with BT increase during wakefulness. Our findings suggest sleep-wake variation in BT may contribute to regulating extracellular tau levels, highlighting the importance of thermoregulation in pathways linking sleep disturbance to neurodegeneration, and the potential for thermal intervention to prevent or delay tau-mediated neurodegeneration.

Differences in associations between problematic video-gaming, video-gaming duration, and weapon-related and physically violent behaviors in adolescents.

Seemingly mixed findings have been reported on possible relationships between video-gaming and violent or aggressive behaviors. Given the prevalence of gaming in adolescents and potential harms associated with violent behaviors, relationships between problematic gaming, gaming engagement, and risk behaviors involving weapons and physical violence require further research. This study examined in a large sample of high-school students the relationships between problem-gaming severity, gaming duration, and violence-related measures including weapon-carrying, having been threatened by someone with a weapon, perceived insecurity, physical fights and serious fights leading to injuries. Potential moderation by sensation-seeking and impulsivity was also tested. Participants were 3,896 Connecticut high-school adolescents. Chi-square, logistic regression, and moderation models were conducted. Adolescents with at-risk/problem gaming, compared to low-risk and non-gaming adolescents, reported more weapon-carrying, having been threatened with weapons, feeling unsafe at school, and serious fighting leading to injury. Among those reporting gaming, weekly time spent gaming was associated with problem-gaming severity. Those with longer (versus shorter) gaming durations were more likely to report weapon-carrying and feeling unsafe at school. Sensation-seeking moderated associations between at-risk/problem gaming and weapon-carrying frequency. Associations between gaming quantity and problem-gaming severity and measures of weapon-carrying and physical violence in adolescents suggest that understanding further their mechanistic relationships may be important in promoting safer developmental trajectories for youth. Future longitudinal studies may provide important insight into the etiologies underlying these relationships and such information may help develop more effective prevention and intervention strategies.

New Jersey's waste management data: retrospect and prospect.

Reliable data about collection, volume, tonnage, stream composition, and disposal price have long been described as key components of successful solid waste management planning. Yet, concerns about data quality and quantity have continued to limit even the most sincere, progressive waste management schemes. This paper examines solid waste management data that has been collected in the US state of New Jersey starting in the 1960s. We present the origins of waste management data collection in New Jersey and trace some of the applications that have been made with the data over time. We compare the New Jersey dataset to waste management data that has been collected in other US states. We then describe our work collecting, cleaning, and preparing for public dissemination and use in a geospatial visualization exercise a digital version of the data spanning approximately 1993 to 2016, before presenting some illustrations of the type of modeling and analysis that researchers or the concerned public would be able to undertake now that the dataset is available. (We are publishing the 1993-2016 dataset alongside this paper). We argue that the New Jersey waste management dataset is much better than most other waste datasets in the US, but despite this fairly high quality, there remain significant gaps which inhibit the ability of planners to design and implement comprehensive waste management plans. That there are limits inherent to the New Jersey dataset suggests, we argue, a ceiling to the usefulness of waste management data as a category of environmental knowledge with possible implications for 'big' environmental data more broadly.