Choice Of Alcohol Research Articles

Zebrafish Are Able to Detect Ethanol in Their Environment.

Zebrafish have become a popular animal model for studying the development of alcohol addiction. Several behavioral paradigms for studying alcohol addiction have been developed for zebrafish, including conditioned place preference, alcohol-induced tolerance, and withdrawal. However, alcohol choice preference tasks have not been established in zebrafish as of yet. The ability of zebrafish to detect alcohol in their environment is required in alcohol choice or preference tasks. To our knowledge, it is currently unknown whether zebrafish are able to detect alcohol in their environment immediately following bath immersion. In the current study, we analyzed the time course of alcohol-induced behavioral changes of zebrafish while being immersed in alcohol solution in a 1.5 L tank. We recorded each trial in high-definition and quantified behavioral responses using automated video tracking-based and manual observation-based methods to quantify temporal changes in alcohol-induced behaviors. As alcohol is known to require several minutes of bath immersion to reach the brain in zebrafish, we argued that behavioral responses before this time point would prove zebrafish's ability to detect this substance in the water. Our results show that a 60-min exposure to 1% alcohol alters behavioral responses in a time-dependent manner. Notably, alcohol exposure significantly increased absolute turn angle, decreased distance to bottom, and variance of distance to bottom within the first 3 min immediately following exposure, a response that occurred before alcohol could reach the brain of the subjects in measurable amounts. These results imply that zebrafish are able to detect alcohol in their environment immediately following immersion into the drug solution.

Qualitative evaluation of perceptions of smoking cessation among clients at an alcohol and other drug treatment program.

Smoking is highly prevalent in the substance use population and trials of smoking cessation among patients actively receiving treatment for substance use disorder have yielded modest quit rates. However, smoking cessation is not routinely provided due to the ungrounded belief it will interfere with recovery from the primary substance use problem. The objective of this qualitative study was to determine the perceptions of smoking cessation in a substance use population. Specifically, we aimed to 1) identify the motivations for and barriers to cessation for clients in treatment for substance use disorder; 2) explore the attitudes of clients towards cessation efforts while actively receiving treatment for substance use disorder; 3) identify sources of social support during cessation; and 4) describe the culture of cessation at the site. Semi-structured, one-on-one, in-person interviews were conducted with clients at Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, a 90-day residential alcohol and other drug treatment facility in Pittsburgh, PA. All current and past smokers were invited to participate. Participants were asked to complete a brief demographic survey. Enrollment continued until thematic saturation was achieved. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were verified. Codes were developed and themes were identified using Grounded Theory. Sixteen interviews were conducted over a period of 6 months. Most participants were white men (68.8%) with a primary drug of choice of alcohol (75%). Thematic analysis from interviews identified 9 themes relating to the environment at the site, specific strategies and challenges related to substance use, and generalized factors impacting their confidence in success. Clients at Harbor Light face several unique barriers to quitting that are consistent with findings in the literature. Program administrators may consider adopting policies that promote cultural changes to encourage smoking cessation in the recovery community. This data will help to tailor smoking cessation services to the needs of the population.

Impact of Catalyst Ink Stirring Condition on Oxygen Transport within PEFC

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) are regarded as a promising alternative power source for automobiles (fuel cell electric vehicle; FCEV). Cost reduction and increasing power density of PEFCs are the key challenges for commercialization of FCEVs, and reduction of Platinum amount in the catalyst layer (CL) is essential to achieve cost reduction of FCEVs. In order to accomplish the reduction of Platinum loading without sacrificing PEFC performance under high current density operation, it is important to make more effective use of Pt used in the CL of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), and the mass transport of reactants within the CL should be enhanced significantly. From this background, fabrication process of the CL should be investigated in more detail. The fabrication process of the CL includes an ink preparation process and a coating and dry process. In the former process, the materials composing the CL are mixed and dispersed in the solvent. A blend of water and alcohol is typically used as a dispersion medium for Pt-supported carbon and ionomer. The composition of the dispersion medium, the choice of alcohol, solid contents, and mixing conditions are major controlling parameters. The catalyst ink is deposited on a substrate or directly onto a PEM. The screen printing, die coating, or spray-coating is a major choice for the deposition method. The CL structure is finally formed after drying the deposited CL ink under elevated temperature. Extensive number of studies have been conducted to understand the impact of each parameters on PEFC performance, but the mechanism of structural formation of the CL has not been fully understood. In this study, Impact of stirring condition of the catalyst ink on the CL structure, cell performance and oxygen transport phenomena was investigated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurement, limiting current density measurement, and soft X-ray imaging. To investigate the impact of stirring condition, we prepared two catalyst ink with the same composition but the different stirring condition; stirred with Zr ball (ink A) and without Zr ball (ink B). Figure 1 shows the result of CV measurement, and it showed that the CL prepared from the ink A have larger electrochemical surface area. Because the amount of Pt-supported carbon contained within the MEA should be the same, this result clearly suggested that the stirring condition of the catalyst ink affect the CL structure and its Pt utilization ratio. In addition, the i-V characteristics of these CLs (Figure 2) clearly showed that the CL prepared from the ink A have better performance than the CL prepared from the ink B, and the performance drop of the CL prepared from ink B was serious under the cell temperature of 30 deg.C. To understand this performance drop in more detail, the soft X-ray imaging technique and the oxygen transport resistance measurement were carried out. Results of the soft X-ray imaging (Figure 3) showed that more liquid water was accumulated within the MEA prepared from ink B. In addition, the oxygen transport resistance suggested that the oxygen transport resistance within the MEA prepared by using the ink A is smaller than the MEA prepared by using the ink B. These results clearly showed that the stirring condition of the catalyst ink strongly affect the structure of the CL and the transport phenomena within the MEA. The stirring condition might affect not only the aggregation of the Pt-supported carbon but also the ionomer coverage on it, and their impact on the PEFC performance is still not clear. It is highly important to understand the CL fabrication process more scientifically, and it helps to develop high-performance CL. Acknowledgement: This work was supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan. Figure 1

Exploring the impact of self-construal and cultural intelligence on alcohol consumption: implications for social marketing

There is enormous cross-cultural variation in alcohol choices and drinking behaviour. Because of the inherent differences in historical drinking culture, as well as differences in alcohol policy globally, similarities and differences in drinking patterns have long been a focus of interest among public health and social marketing researchers. Thus, the purposes of this study are (1) to explore differences between groups (Australian and non-Australian-born respondents) on self-construal, cultural intelligence and alcohol consumption and (2) to investigate the impact of self-construal and cultural intelligence on alcohol consumption in Australia. Data for this study were collected through a large public university in Australia (N = 669). The paper found that people with interdependent self-concept were less likely to drink alcohol than people with independent self-concept and cultural intelligence was not significantly related to hazardous alcohol use, harmful alcohol use and dependence symptoms. Variations between Australian-born and overseas-born groups were evident. Limitations of the current study and an agenda for future research are outlined. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Direct transesterification of wet microalgal biomass for preparation of biodiesel

Most conventional processes for algal biodiesel production involve separate lipid extraction steps or require usage of dry biomass that incurs extra cost and an energy intensive drying step. A novel process that involves dehydration of wet biomass via pretreatment with ethanol followed by direct in situ transesterification into biodiesel was investigated in this study. Under mild esterification at 80°C for 30min, pretreating the wet biomass twice with 3 volumes of ethanol resulted in a nearly four-fold increase of fatty acid ethyl ester (FAEE) yield from 3.04mg to 11.78mg, while increasing the ethanol from 1 volume to 10 volumes resulted in a six fold increase of yield from 3.18 to 18.29mg. The FAEE yield further increased when the esterification reaction was run at higher temperature and longer durations of up to 120°C for 2h. The overall positive impact of the pretreatment step on the final yield was far greater for milder reaction conditions, which makes the process more attractive in terms of economics and energy savings. In addition, it was found that the yield is unaffected by the choice of alcohol, which means methanol and butanol can also be used for the process. Lastly, it was found that the low concentration of water in the FAEE containing spent ethanol meant that both the solvent and sulfuric acid could be reused to further concentrate the quantity of FAEE in the final product mixture.

ChemInform Abstract: Current Status and New Developments of Biodiesel Production Using Fungal Lipases

AbstractReview: 178 refs.

Sales promotion strategies and youth drinking in Australia

This study employed an exploratory approach to generate detailed information about how in-store shopping experiences and exposure to sales promotion activities feature in the alcohol choices of Australian 18–21 year old drinkers. The qualitative methods of interviews, focus groups, and emailed narratives were used during 2014 to collect relevant data. The findings suggest that young drinkers' in-store shopping experiences and exposure to sales promotions influence the type, range, and quantity of alcohol purchased. In particular, the role of sales staff can be critical in increasing the amount of alcohol purchased by drawing drinkers' attention to and encouraging their participation in sales promotions. There thus appears to be an important interaction between promotional practices and young drinkers purchasing substantially larger quantities of alcohol than originally intended. Such practices need review in light of the high risk of alcohol-related harm experienced by many members of this age group.

Relationships between Diet, Alcohol Preference, and Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes among Americans.

Although excessive alcohol consumption is a recognized cause of morbidity and mortality, many studies have linked moderate alcohol consumption to improved cardiovascular health and a lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Self-reported alcohol and diet data used to generate these results suffer from measurement error due to recall bias. We estimate the effects of diet, alcohol, and lifestyle choices on the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular disease and T2D among U.S. adults using a nationally representative cohort of households with scanner data representing their food-at-home, alcohol, and tobacco purchases from 2007-2010, and self-reported health surveys for the same study participants from 2010-2012. Multivariate regression models were used to identify significant associations among purchase data and lifestyle/demographic factors with disease prevalence in 2010, and with incidence of new disease from 2011-2012. After controlling for important confounders, respondents who purchased moderate levels of wine were 25% less likely than non-drinkers to report heart disease in 2010. However, no alcohol-related expenditure variables significantly affected the likelihood of reporting incident heart disease from 2011-2012. In contrast, many types of alcohol-related purchases were associated with a lower prevalence of T2D, and respondents who purchased the greatest volumes of wine or beer—but not liquor—were less likely to report being diagnosed with T2D in 2011-2012 than non-drinkers.

Alcoholic precipitation of small non-coding RNAs.

Alcoholic precipitation is a critical step to recover RNA of high purity. This chapter describes the principles of alcoholic precipitation as well as a standard, basic protocol with key advices to observe, but numerous variations on the theme are discussed. Indeed, several important parameters, such as the choice of salt, alcohol, or carrier, have to be considered to improve the efficiency of precipitation and the yield of RNA recovery.

Autonomy, special offers and routines: a Q methodological study of industry-driven marketing influences on young people's drinking behaviour.

To identify shared patterns of views in young people relating to the influence of industry-driven alcohol marketing (price, promotion, product and place of purchase/consumption) on their reported drinking behaviour. Q methodology harnessed qualitative and quantitative data to generate distinct clusters of opinions as follows: 39 opinion statements were derived from earlier in-depth qualitative interviews with 31 young people; by-person factor analysis was carried out on 28 participants' (six previous interviewees and 22 new recruits) rank orderings of these statements (most-to-least agreement); interpretation of the factor arrays was aided by 10-15-minute debriefing interviews held immediately following each Q-sort. Northeast England Young people aged 14-17 years purposively recruited from high schools, higher education colleges, youth centres and youth offending teams. Centroid factor extraction and varimax rotation of factors generated three distinct accounts: factor one ('autonomous, sophisticated consumers') illustrated a self-defined sense of individuality and autonomy in alcohol choices; factor two ('price-driven consumers') appeared price-led, choosing to drink what was most accessible or cheapest; and factor three ('context-focused consumers') described drinking practices where products were chosen to serve specific functions such as being easy to carry while dancing. Considering young people's views on alcohol marketing, different perspectives can be identified. These include perceived imperviousness to maketing, responsiveness to price and affordability and responsiveness to marketing focusing on youth lifestyles.

Role of glutamate transporter 1 in the attenuation of alcohol intake.

Role of glutamate transporter 1 in the attenuation of alcohol intake.

Alcohol and community football in Australia

This paper focuses on spectators’ alcohol use at a regional community football (Australian Rules) club in Victoria, Australia, in the context of a season-long trial to sell only mid-strength (and not full-strength) beer at the ground during home games. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected on spectators’ alcohol choices and preferences together with experiences and attitudes towards the trial. A minority (31%) usually drank alcohol while watching the game and 75% of all supporters agreed with the supply of alcohol at football grounds. Full-strength beer was the drink of choice for 70% of drinkers and faced with a restricted choice of alcohol for purchase (that did not include full-strength beer), 44% reported they would choose full-strength mixed drinks as an alternative. Choosing higher alcohol content drinks if the usual choice was not available was also found in the case of mid-strength beer drinkers, half of whom would choose full-strength beer if mid-strength was unavailable. In bivariate correlations, women, those aged 30–39 years, home supporters and those who did not drink alcohol while spectating were significantly more likely to support the trial. In a regression model the significant predictors were refined to being: female, a non-drinker and aged 50–59 years. Qualitative data supported the idea that the trial had been successful in terms of supporter acceptance of the move to cease the sale of full- strength beer and indicated that the club’s relatively supportive and ‘family friendly’ culture was a key in overcoming earlier opposition to the trial. While the results of this evaluation are mainly positive, the club’s particular culture and leadership suggest that its experience may not be transferred in any automatic sense to other clubs both within and without its league where more ‘traditional’ patterns associated with masculinity and alcohol use may be more persistent and prevalent.

The contributions of value‐based decision‐making and attentional bias to alcohol‐seeking following devaluation

AimsTo investigate the mediating role of attentional bias for alcohol cues on alcohol-seeking following devaluation of alcohol.DesignBetween subject.SettingEye-tracking laboratory at the University of Liverpool.ParticipantsStudent social drinkers (n = 64).MeasurementsAn operant choice task in which participants chose between simultaneously presented alcohol and non-alcohol drink rewards, while attentional bias for alcohol and non-alcohol drink cues was inferred from eye movements. Participants then consumed 30 mL of an alcoholic beverage, which was either presented alone (no devaluation: n = 32) or had been adulterated to taste unpleasant (devaluation: n = 32). Choice and attentional bias for the alcohol and non-alcohol drink pictures were then measured again.FindingsAlcohol devaluation reduced behavioural choice for alcohol (F = 32.64, P < 0.001) and attentional bias for the alcohol pictures indexed by dwell time (F = 22.68, P < 0.001), initial fixation (F = 7.08, P = 0.01) and final fixation (F = 22.44, P < 0.001). Mediation analysis revealed that attentional bias partially mediated the effect of devaluation on alcohol choice; however, the proportion of the variance accounted for by attentional bias is low to moderate (∼30%).ConclusionsAmong student social drinkers, attentional bias is only a partial mediator of alcohol choice following devaluation of alcohol. Value-based decision-making may be a more important determinant of drinking behaviour among student social drinkers than attentional bias.

A Strong Brand as a Determi- nant of Purchase the Case of Sectors, where Advertising in Mass Media Is Banned – on the Example of the Polish Spirits Sector

The purpose of the paper is the assessment of the significance of a strong brand in the process of competing for clients as well as in the client`s decision making processes in a situation where advertising in mass media is almost completely banned. The paper presents results of two complementary studies. The first study was carried out by means of personal interviews on a trial group of 1501 individual respondents in 2007 in Poland. The second study was carried out using personal or Internet questionnaires on a trial group of 16 companies producing or importing spirits. The collected material showed that clients pointed to a strong brand as the key factor influencing their choice of top market alcohols. All representatives of producers see the need for building strong brands and declare having such brands in their offer. Building strong product brands is possible even in sectors in which mass media advertising is prohibited or for some reason cannot be used. The conceptual model proposed by the authors suggests what should be taken into account when creating a strong brand in sectors where adverting may not be used for this purpose.

A Strong Brand as a Determi- nant of Purchase the Case of Sectors, where Advertising in Mass Media Is Banned – on the Example of the Polish Spirits Sector

The purpose of the paper is the assessment of the significance of a strong brand in the process of competing for clients as well as in the client`s decision making processes in a situation where advertising in mass media is almost completely banned. The paper presents results of two complementary studies. The first study was carried out by means of personal interviews on a trial group of 1501 individual respondents in 2007 in Poland. The second study was carried out using personal or Internet questionnaires on a trial group of 16 companies producing or importing spirits. The collected material showed that clients pointed to a strong brand as the key factor influencing their choice of top market alcohols. All representatives of producers see the need for building strong brands and declare having such brands in their offer. Building strong product brands is possible even in sectors in which mass media advertising is prohibited or for some reason cannot be used. The conceptual model proposed by the authors suggests what should be taken into account when creating a strong brand in sectors where adverting may not be used for this purpose.

Gender Differences in Alcohol Choice among Russians: Evidence from a Quantitative Study

Aims: Qualitative studies find that men and women in Russia have different preferences for alcoholic beverages, but quantitative evidence for gender differences in beverage type choice remains scarce. The purpose of this article is to test numerically whether and to what extent men and women in Russia differ in terms of preferences for type of drink, such as vodka, wine and beer. Methods: Results are based on multinomial logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression analyses of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey-Higher School of Economics 2008 data. Results: We observed significant gender differences in preferences for alcoholic beverages. Men have strong preferences for vodka, and they drink it in much larger amounts in comparison with women. Women are more likely to either refrain from drinking or drink mild types of alcoholic beverages, such as wine and beer. Gender differences remain statistically significant even when sociodemographic factors are well accounted for. Conclusions: The present study confirms the previous research findings about gender differences in drinking practices among Russians. Our results provide quantitative evidence of the pronounced differences in beverage types consumed by men and women.

Towards an organic thermally regenerative fuel cell for truck engines

A thermally regenerative fuel cell (TRFC) on board a long-haul truck would convert waste heat from the engine or exhaust into electrical energy. We propose a TRFC in which waste-heat drives the endothermic dehydrogenation of a secondary benzylic alcohol to the corresponding ketone in a catalytic reaction chamber adjacent to the engine. 1-Phenyl-1-propanol has been identified as a suitable alcohol. In a fully functioning TRFC, the H2 produced from the dehydrogenation will be sent to the fuel cell's anode, while the ketone, propiophenone, will be sent to the cathode to serve as an oxidant, together producing electricity to charge a battery that could power auxiliary vehicle components. The electrochemical reduction of the ketone back to the original benzylic alcohol would take place at the cathode. For such a system to be viable, both reactions must be very selective and rapid. Herein, the initial development of this system and the implications of catalyst and benzylic alcohol choice on the performance of both of these reactions are discussed. For the dehydrogenation of 1-phenyl-1-propanol, Pd/SiO2 offers the highest selectivity (99.65%) at 200 °C. For the re-hydrogenation of the analogous ketone, propiophenone, palladium catalysts offer the highest selectivity, although the highest rates are observed for platinum immobilized on Vulcan XC-72 carbon support; surface modification of commercial catalysts with n-butyl tin also affects the selectivity and rate in a manner that depends on the choice of catalyst support. It has also been shown that the electronic and steric properties of the phenyl ring substituents and the identity of the alkyl chain affect the rate and selectivity.

Surface chemistry of a pine-oil cleaner and other terpene mixtures with ozone on vinyl flooring tiles

Indoor environments are dynamic reactors where consumer products (such as cleaning agents, deodorants, and air fresheners) emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can subsequently interact with indoor oxidants such as ozone (O 3), hydroxyl radicals, and nitrate radicals. Typically, consumer products consist of mixtures of VOCs and semi-VOCs which can react in the gas-phase or on surfaces with these oxidants to generate a variety of oxygenated products. In this study, the reaction of a pine-oil cleaner (POC) with O 3 (100 ppb) on a urethane-coated vinyl flooring tile was investigated at 5% and 50% relative humidity. These results were compared to previous α-terpineol + O 3 reactions on glass and vinyl surfaces. Additionally, other terpene and terpene alcohol mixtures were formulated to understand the emission profiles as seen in the POC data. Results showed that the α-terpineol + O 3 reaction products were the prominent species that were also observed in the POC/O 3 surface experiments. Furthermore, α-terpineol + O 3 reactions generate the largest fraction of oxygenated products even in equal mixtures of other terpene alcohols. This finding suggests that the judicial choice of terpene alcohols for inclusion in product formulations may be useful in reducing oxidation product emissions.

Digit ratio, nicotine and alcohol intake and national rates of smoking and alcohol consumption

The intake of nicotine (mainly through smoking) and alcohol has public health consequences. However, it is unclear whether all factors that affect individual and national rates of consumption are known. Prenatal testosterone (PT) may influence smoking and alcohol choices through effects on personality. Thus, morphological markers of PT may correlate with smoking and/or alcohol intake choices. Here we examine the relationship between individual values and national means of 2D:4D, a putative negative correlate of PT, and intake of nicotine and alcohol in a large sample of men and women, i.e. the BBC Internet Study. High intake of nicotine was related to high 2D:4D and high intake of alcohol with low 2D:4D. These findings were independent of sex, age, height, education, and individual choices regarding nicotine or alcohol intake. National means of 2D:4D were positively correlated with number of cigarettes consumed per nation after the removal of the effects of gross domestic product (GDP), average height and consumption of alcohol. Alcohol consumption correlated negatively with national 2D:4D after the influence of GDP, average height and consumption of cigarettes per nation were removed. We conclude that PT may have organising effects on smoking and alcohol intake choices.

Effects of sazetidine-A, a selective α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor desensitizing agent on alcohol and nicotine self-administration in selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) rats

Manipulations of nicotinic cholinergic receptors have been shown to influence both alcohol and nicotine intake. Sazetidine-A [6-(5(((S)-azetidine-2-yl)methoxy)pyridine-3-yl)hex-5-yn-1-ol] is a novel compound that potently and selectively desensitizes alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptors with only modest receptor activation. The goal of the present study was to examine the effects of sazetidine-A on alcohol and nicotine self-administration in alcohol-preferring (P) rats. P rats were given the choice of water or alcohol. Once stable baselines were established, the acute (0, 0.1, 0.3, 1, and 3 mg/kg, s.c.) and chronic (3 mg/kg for 10 days) effects of sazetidine-A on alcohol intake were assessed. Naltrexone (2.5 mg/kg) served as a positive control. The effect of sazetidine-A (3 mg/kg) and naltrexone (4 mg/kg) on saccharin (0.2%) preference was also assessed. In addition, the acute effects of sazetidine-A (3 mg/kg) and naltrexone (4 mg/kg) on alcohol intake after alcohol deprivation were evaluated. In another experiment, the effects of sazetidine-A (0, 1, or 3 mg/kg) on i.v. nicotine self-administration in P and NP rats were assessed. Sazetidine-A caused a dose-dependent reduction in alcohol intake. Chronic sazetidine-A also effectively reduced alcohol intake until the seventh day of treatment, when partial tolerance appeared to develop. In the post-deprivation study, sazetidine-A significantly reduced alcohol intake and preference. Sazetidine-A at 3 mg/kg significantly reduced nicotine self-administration in both lines. Sazetidine-A significantly reduced alcohol and nicotine intake in P rats that self-administer higher levels of both drugs. Sazetidine-A may hold promise for the treatment of alcohol and nicotine addiction.