Using persuasive messages to encourage hunters to support regulation of lead shot

Lead shot from hunting adds the toxic metal to environments worldwide. The United States banned lead shot for hunting waterfowl in 1991 and 26 states have lead shot restrictions beyond those mandated for waterfowl hunting. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) was interested in studying hunter attitudes about expanded restrictions on the use of lead shot for hunting small game to understand what communication strategies might increase public support for potential restrictions on lead shot. We mailed messages about lead shot, including 1,200 control messages and 400 of each of 9 treatment messages, and surveys to 4,800 resident small game hunters. We compared attitudes and intentions related to a possible ban among control and treatment groups. Compared to the control message, all treatment messages elicited more positive attitudes and intentions to support a ban. A basic factual message, messages with references to Ducks Unlimited, and a first-person narrative message generated the strongest support for a ban. Results also demonstrated a substantial relationship between the use of lead shot and response to persuasive messages supporting a ban. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.     

Public Reactions to Risk Messages Communicating Different Sources of Uncertainty: An Experimental Test

There is an abundant literature on the challenge of integrating uncertainties in experts’ risk assessments, but the evidence on the way they are understood by the public is scarce and mixed. This study aims to better understand the effect of communicating different sources of uncertainty in risk communication. A causal design was employed to test the effect of communicating risk messages varying in type of advisory warning (no risk and suggests no protective measure, or risk and recommends a protective measure) and sources of uncertainty (no uncertainty, divergence between experts, contradictory data, or lack of data) on public reactions. Participants from the general public (N = 434) were randomly assigned to read and react to variants of a fictitious government message discussing the presence of a new micro-organism found in tap water. Multiple analysis of variance showed that to report uncertainty from divergence between experts or from contradictory data reduced the adherence to the message, but not to mention the lack of data. Moreover, the communication of diverse sources of uncertainty did not affect trust in the government when the advisory warning stated there was a risk and recommended a protective measure. These findings have important implications for risk communication.     

Audience Design through Social Interaction during Group Discussion

This paper contrasts two accounts of audience design during multiparty communication: audience design as a strategic individual-level message adjustment or as a non-strategic interaction-level message adjustment. Using a non-interactive communication task, Experiment 1 showed that people distinguish between messages designed for oneself and messages designed for another person; consistent with strategic message design, messages designed for another person/s were longer (number of words) than those designed for oneself. However, audience size did not affect message length (messages designed for different sized audiences were similar in length). Using an interactive communication task Experiment 2 showed that as group size increased so too did communicative effort (number of words exchanged between interlocutors). Consistent with a non-strategic account, as group members were added more social interaction was necessary to coordinate the group''s collective situation model. Experiment 3 validates and extends the production measures used in Experiment 1 and 2 using a comprehension task. Taken together, our results indicate that audience design arises as a non-strategic outcome of social interaction during group discussion.     

Science, politics, and public policy: a legislator's perspective.

Making judgments on priorities in funding is a politican's most difficult task. Scientific information is often necessary to make those judgments, so that good communication between scientist and politican is important. This is, however, difficult because the politician's usual training and working habits are different from those of the scientist. Messages to politicans must therefore be couched differently than in communications between scientists. These messages are more effective when they are concerned with the public need than when they plead for special interests. These messages are most effective when directed to those politicians serving on committees that must deal with the specified issue because Congress makes most political decisions through these committees. Committee members and committee staff members turn to scientists whom they know personally, so that getting to know the members of Congress and the key staff members of committees facilitates communication between science and public policy.     

An Experimental Study on the Effectiveness of Disclosing Stressful Life Events and Support Messages: When Cognitive Reappraisal Support Decreases Emotional Distress,and Emotional Support Is Like Saying Nothing at All

How can we best support others in difficult times? Studies testing the effects of supportive communication revealed mixed findings. The current study focuses on the effects of supportive communication following different disclosure styles, and includes outcome measures to assess emotional well-being. Hypotheses were tested in a 2 (disclosure style: cognitive reappraisal disclosure vs. emotional disclosure) ×3 (support message: cognitive reappraisal response vs. socio-affective response vs. no response) between subjects factorial design. Receiving a cognitive reappraisal response, rather than a socio-affective response or no response, decreased emotional distress in the emotional disclosure group. Support messages showed no effects in the cognitive reappraisal disclosure group. Although socio-affective responses were positively evaluated, cognitive reappraisal responses may be more effective during emotional upheaval because they provide a positive way out of negative emotions.     

Risks and benefits of sun exposure: implications for public health practice based on the Australian experience

Over recent years, evidence has been accumulating that vitamin D has a positive impact on our overall health. This may have an impact on the future of our public health advice related to skin cancer prevention. This paper explores, from a public health perspective based on Australian experience, how skin cancer prevention messages should be managed in light of new information about vitamin D and, in particular, the times when sun protection advice should be provided and how the vitamin D message can be complementary to the sun protection message.     

An Identity-Based (IDB) Broadcast Encryption Scheme with Personalized Messages (BEPM)

A broadcast encryption scheme with personalized messages (BEPM) is a scheme in which a broadcaster transmits not only encrypted broadcast messages to a subset of recipients but also encrypted personalized messages to each user individually. Several broadcast encryption (BE) schemes allow a broadcaster encrypts a message for a subset S of recipients with public keys and any user in S can decrypt the message with his/her private key. However, these BE schemes can not provide an efficient way to transmit encrypted personalized messages to each user individually. In this paper, we propose a broadcast encryption scheme with a transmission of personalized messages. Besides, the scheme is based on multilinear maps ensure constant ciphertext size and private key size of each user and the scheme can achieve statically security. More realistically, the scheme can be applied to the Conditional Access System (CAS) of pay television (pay-TV) efficiently and safely.     

The expression of the genes for entactin, laminin A, laminin B1 and laminin B2 in murine lens morphogenesis and eye development

The temporal expression of the genes for the excellular matrix proteins entactin and the A, B1, and B2 chains of laminin was examined in the eye of the developing mouse embryo by in situ hybridization of their messenger RNAs. Entactin messenger RNA was found in abundance in specific cells. In the 25 somite embryo entactin message was synthesized by mesenchymal cells and, at later stages, by hyalocytes and lens cells in addition. The message was not detectable in corneal epithelium at embryonic stages E15 and E18.5 and at birth but was present in adjacent stromal cells. At the 28 and 38 somite stages, before pigment granules interfered with the detection of silver grains, no entactin message was detected in pigmented epithelial cells, in contrast to the messages for laminin B1 and B2. Entactin was not found in the neural epithelium at any time during development. The distribution of the laminin B1, B2 and A chain messenger RNAs was distinctly different from that of entactin. In particular, during the early stages of development B1 and B2 messages were synthesized by ectodermal, lens, corneal, pigment epithelial and hyaloid cells. In the older embryos cells in the ganglion layer of the retina synthesized B1 and B2 messages but undetectable amounts of entactin or the A chain messages. In general the A chain message was in lower abundance throughout development. The distribution of laminin and entactin messages suggested that the extracellular matrices, which contained both proteins, can be derived either from a single cell type or from the contributions of multiple cell types. The data demonstrate the complexity of extracellular matrix synthesis and assembly in the diverse structures of the developing eye where the temporal expression of specific molecules are tailored to the specific developmental requirements of particular structures.     

Understanding risk perceptions to enhance communication about human-wildlife interactions and the impacts of zoonotic disease

Inclusion of wildlife in the concept of One Health is important for two primary reasons: (1) the physical health of humans, domesticated animals, and wildlife is linked inextricably through shared diseases, and (2) humans' emotional well-being can be affected by their perceptions of animal health. Although an explicit premise of the One Health Initiative is that healthy wildlife contribute to human health, and vice versa, the initiative also suggests implicitly that wildlife may pose threats to human health through zoonotic disease transmission. As people learn more about One Health, an important question surfaces: How will they react to communications carrying the message that human health and wildlife health are linked? In the absence of adequate relevant research data, we recommend caution in the production and dissemination of One Health messages because of possible unintended or collateral effects. Understanding how and why individuals perceive risks related to wildlife diseases is essential for determining message content that promotes public support for healthy wildlife populations, on the one hand, and, on the other, for identifying messages that might inadvertently increase concern about human health effects of diseased wildlife. To that end, we review risk perception research and summarize the few empirical studies that exist on perceived risk associated with zoonoses. We conclude with some research questions that need answering to help One Health practitioners better understand how the public will interpret their messages and thus how to communicate positively and without negative collateral consequences for wildlife conservation.     

Differential expression of the "B" subunit of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase in bovine tissues.

The B subunit is one of two nucleotide-binding polypeptides found in all members of the vacuolar class of H(+)-translocating ATPases. We have isolated aDNA clone encoding the bovine brain B (58 kDa) subunit and have deduced its amino acid sequence. The bovine brain amino acid sequence is 99% identical to a partial cDNA reported from human brain. Northern blot analysis of RNA isolated from bovine tissues and a bovine kidney cell line reveals that two messages of approximately 3.2 and 2.0 kilobases (kb) are expressed in all tissues examined except brain, where only the 3.2-kb message can be detected. Northern blotting of RNA isolated from human fibroblast and human lung tumor cell lines reveals that three messages of approximately 6.0, 3.2, and 2.0 kb are expressed, whereas only the 3.2-kb message is expressed in a human brain tumor cell line. This is the first demonstration of tissue-specific expression of multiple forms of a vacuolar H(+)-ATPase subunit. We have also isolated a partial cDNA clone from bovine brain which appears to encode an isoform of the B subunit. The deduced amino acid sequence is 82% identical to the major bovine brain B subunit sequence; it does not hybridize with either the 3.2- or 2.0-kb message on Northern blot. Southern blot analysis of bovine genomic DNA with probes derived from both isolated cDNAs indicates that the bovine B subunit is encoded by a multigene family.     

Promoting the Avoidance of High-Calorie Snacks: Priming Autonomy Moderates Message Framing Effects

The beneficial effects of gain-framed vs. loss-framed messages promoting health protective behaviors have been found to be inconsistent, and consideration of potential moderating variables is essential if framed health promotion messages are to be effective. This research aimed to determine the influence of highlighting autonomy (choice and freedom) and heteronomy (coercion) on the avoidance of high-calorie snacks following reading gain-framed or loss-framed health messages. In Study 1 (N = 152) participants completed an autonomy, neutral, or heteronomy priming task, and read a gain-framed or loss-framed health message. In Study 2 (N = 242) participants read a gain-framed or loss-framed health message with embedded autonomy or heteronomy primes. In both studies, snacking intentions and behavior were recorded after seven days. In both studies, when autonomy was highlighted, the gain-framed message (compared to the loss-framed message) resulted in stronger intentions to avoid high-calorie snacks, and lower self-reported snack consumption after seven days. Study 2 demonstrated this effect occurred only for participants to whom the information was most relevant (BMI>25). The results suggest that messages promoting healthy dietary behavior may be more persuasive if the autonomy-supportive vs. coercive nature of the health information is matched to the message frame. Further research is needed to examine potential mediating processes.     

Public Protest and Popular Style: Resistance from the Right in Northern Ireland and South Boston

Popular political demonstrations often feature the use of theatrical and symbolic actions and artifacts. These are drawn from a repertoire that resembles and overlaps with festive public events. In this article I examine parades, murals, and other popular forms of public protest in Northern Ireland, where I have been conducting field research since 1991. I compare these to demonstrations of resistance in South Boston to school busing and the inclusion of gay and lesbian people in the St. Patrick's Day parade. Regardless of the political allegiances or intentions of the protesters, they tend to draw upon the same repertoire of images and actions for public display. This results in a genuinely popular style of protest. In the cases of political resistance from the Right, the use of popular styles of protest distinguishes the protesters along class lines from those whose rule they are supporting, [politicalprotest, Northern Ireland, street theater, resistance, public display events]     

Building tolerance for bears: A communications experiment

The present study examined the feasibility of experimentally manipulating perceptions of benefit and control via communications to increase public acceptance of bears. We assigned subjects to either a pseudo-control (basic bear biology message) or 1 of 3 treatments adding a benefits message, a perceived control message, or combining messages about both benefits and perceived control. Within-subjects pre–post t-tests showed a significant increase in acceptance among those in the benefits and combined treatments. A between-subjects 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant difference between the perceived control and combined treatments (where the perceived control message actually decreased acceptance). Our results highlight the importance of including information about benefits stemming from the presence of black bears, as adding this information tended to increase stakeholder acceptance of black bear populations. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.     

Guilt, fear, stigma and knowledge gaps: ethical issues in public health communication interventions

Public health communication campaigns have been credited with helping raise awareness of risk from chronic illness and new infectious diseases and with helping promote the adoption of recommended treatment regimens. Yet many aspects of public health communication interventions have escaped the scrutiny of ethical discussions. With the transference of successful commercial marketing communication tactics to the realm of public health, consideration of ethical issues becomes an essential component in the development and application of public health strategies. Ethical issues in public health communication are explored as they relate to eight topics: 'targeting' and 'tailoring' public health messages to particular population segments; obtaining the equivalence of informed consent; the use of persuasive communication tactics; messages on responsibility and culpability; messages that apply to harm reduction; and three types of unintended adverse effects associated with public health communication activities that may label and stigmatise, expand social gaps, and promote health as a value. We suggest that an ethical analysis should be applied to each phase of the public health communication process in order to identify ethical dilemmas that may appear subtle, yet reflect important concerns regarding potential effects of public health communication interventions on individuals and society as a whole.     

Diffusion of Messages from an Electronic Cigarette Brand to Potential Users through Twitter

Objective

This study explores the presence and actions of an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) brand, Blu, on Twitter to observe how marketing messages are sent and diffused through the retweet (i.e., message forwarding) functionality. Retweet networks enable messages to reach additional Twitter users beyond the sender’s local network. We follow messages from their origin through multiple retweets to identify which messages have more reach, and the different users who are exposed.

Methods

We collected three months of publicly available data from Twitter. A combination of techniques in social network analysis and content analysis were applied to determine the various networks of users who are exposed to e-cigarette messages and how the retweet network can affect which messages spread.

Results

The Blu retweet network expanded during the study period. Analysis of user profiles combined with network cluster analysis showed that messages of certain topics were only circulated within a community of e-cigarette supporters, while other topics spread further, reaching more general Twitter users who may not support or use e-cigarettes.

Conclusions

Retweet networks can serve as proxy filters for marketing messages, as Twitter users decide which messages they will continue to diffuse among their followers. As certain e-cigarette messages extend beyond their point of origin, the audience being exposed expands beyond the e-cigarette community. Potential implications for health education campaigns include utilizing Twitter and targeting important gatekeepers or hubs that would maximize message diffusion.     

Information flow and temporal coding in primate pattern vision

We perform time-resolved calculations of the information transmitted about visual patterns by neurons in primary visual and inferior temporal cortices. All measurable information is carried in an effective time-varying firing rate, obtained by averaging the neuronal response with a resolution no finer than about 25 ms in primary visual cortex and around twice that in inferior temporal cortex. We found no better way for a neuron receiving these messages to decode them than simply to count spikes for this long. Most of the information tends to be concentrated in one or, more often, two brief packets, one at the very beginning of the response and the other typically 100 ms later. The first packet is the most informative part of the message, but the second one generally contains new information. A small but significant part of the total information in the message accumulates gradually over the entire course of the response. These findings impose strong constraints on the codes used by these neurons.     

Bioethics and the Framing of Climate Change's Health Risks

Cheryl Cox MacPherson recently argued, in an article for this journal, that ‘Climate Change is a Bioethics Problem’. This article elaborates on that position, particularly highlighting bioethicists' potential ability to help reframe the current climate change discourse to give more attention to its health risks. This reframing process is especially important because of the looming problem of climate change skepticism. Recent empirical evidence from science framing experiments indicates that the public reacts especially positively to climate change messages framed in public health terms, and bioethicists are particularly well positioned to contribute their expertise to the process of carefully developing and communicating such messages. Additionally, as climate framing research and practice continue, it will be important for bioethicists to contribute to the creation of that project's nascent ethical standards. The discourse surrounding antibiotic resistance is posited as an example that can lend insight into how communicating a public health‐framed message, including the participation of bioethicists, can help to override public skepticism about the findings of politically contentious scientific fields.