Potential effects of traffic noise on anuran call characteristics in Louisiana, USA during winter.

Urban environments expose wildlife to levels of anthropogenic noise they would not experience in rural areas (e.g., traffic noise), and research suggests that many species adjust their acoustic signals for optimal transmission in urban soundscapes. However, our understanding of anuran (order Anura) responses to noise pollution in urban environments of the southeastern United States is limited, particularly for species that can breed during winter. Our goal was to examine how vocal anuran advertisement call characteristics during winter varied with increasing distance from roadways in bottomland hardwoods of Louisiana, USA. We deployed acoustic recording units at two sites (i.e., rural and urban) perpendicular to Interstate 10 at 200-, 400-, and 600-m intervals (i.e., close, middle, and far) from November 2019 to January 2020. We detected Cajun Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris fouquettei) and Cricket Frogs (Acris spp.) at our rural site, and only detected Cricket Frogs at our urban site. At the rural site, Cajun Chorus Frogs produced longer duration notes at the far location compared to the middle location. At the urban site, Cricket Frogs produced higher dominant frequency calls at the close location compared to the far and middle locations and longer duration notes at the far location compared to the close location. We were unable to account for additional factors in our models (e.g., temperature, noise levels), but our results generally align with previous research. Our study provides baseline data for future research to examine the potential effects of traffic noise on winter advertisement calls in locations with similar environmental conditions and species.

Using Eye tracking to Examine Young Adults' Visual Attention to E-cigarette Advertising Features and Associated Positive E-cigarette Perceptions.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the influence of e-cigarette marketing features on the antecedents of e-cigarette use. PURPOSE: Using an eye-tracking experiment, we examined visual attention to common features in e-cigarette ads and its associations with positive e-cigarette perceptions among young adults. METHODS: Young adults (ages 18-29) who smoke cigarettes (n = 40) or do not use tobacco (n = 71) viewed 30 e-cigarette ads on a computer screen. Eye-tracking technology measured dwell time (fixation duration) and entry time (time to first fixation) for 14 pre-defined ad features. Participants then completed a survey about perceptions of e-cigarettes shown in the ads. We used regression models to examine the associations between ad features and standardized attention metrics among all participants and by tobacco-use status and person-aggregated standardized attention for each ad feature and positive e-cigarette perceptions. RESULTS: Dwell time was the longest for smoker-targeted claims, positive experience claims, and price promotions. Entry time was the shortest for multiple flavor descriptions, nicotine warnings, and people. Those who do not use tobacco had a longer dwell time for minor sales restrictions and longer entry time for purchasing information than those who smoke. Longer dwell time for multiple flavor descriptions was associated with e-cigarette appeal. A shorter entry time for fruit flavor description was associated with positive e-cigarette-use expectancies. CONCLUSIONS: Young adults allocated attention differently to various e-cigarette ad features, and such viewing patterns were largely similar by tobacco-use statuses. Multiple or fruit flavors may be the features that contribute to the positive influence of e-cigarette marketing among young adults.

E-cigarette marketing exposure is associated with e-cigarette use among young adults. However, little is known about the influence of e-cigarette marketing features among this population. This study used eye-tracking technology to objectively measure dwell time and entry time for 14 pre-defined e-cigarette ad features. Young adults (ages 18­29) who smoke cigarettes (n = 40) or do not use tobacco (n = 71) viewed 30 e-cigarette ads on a computer screen and completed an online survey about positive e-cigarette perceptions. The study found that dwell time was the longest for smoker-targeted claims, positive experience claims, and price promotions. Entry time was the shortest for multiple flavor descriptions, nicotine warnings, and people. Those who do not use tobacco had a longer dwell time for minor sales restrictions and longer entry time for purchasing information than those who smoke. Longer dwell time for multiple flavor descriptions was associated with e-cigarette appeal. A shorter entry time for fruit flavor description was associated with positive e-cigarette-use expectancies. The results suggest that young adults allocated attention differently to various e-cigarette ad features, and such viewing patterns were largely similar by tobacco-use statuses. Multiple or fruit flavors may be the features that contribute to the positive influence of e-cigarette marketing among young adults.

Quantifying cigarette and e-cigarette marketing exposure among Chinese adolescents using ecological momentary assessment.

INTRODUCTION: Addressing cigarette and e-cigarette use in China is key to reducing the global tobacco epidemic. Marketing exposure is one causal factor for adolescent smoking and e-cigarette use. Currently, China restricts cigarette and e-cigarette ads in public places and online; however, there may not be full policy compliance. We collected real-time data in the natural environment to estimate how much and where Chinese adolescents - a group susceptible to smoking and e-cigarette use - are exposed to cigarette and e-cigarette marketing to inform policy responses. METHODS: In June 2022, we conducted a seven-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study with 15-16-year-olds (n=96) across eight Chinese cities. Participants completed up to 42 EMA surveys (6 per day), sent at random intervals outside of school hours. In each survey, participants reported whether they saw (1) displays and (2) ads in the past hour (none, cigarette, e-cigarette, both) in the past hour. We also captured the source of cigarette/e-cigarette ad exposure. RESULTS: Most participants were exposed to cigarette and/or e-cigarette displays (89.6%) or ads (79.2%) over the seven days. On average, participants reported past-hour exposure to displays 12.7 times and past-hour exposure to ads 10.8 times over the week. The most common sources of cigarette ads were public places (e.g., kiosks, supermarkets); the most common sources of e-cigarette ad exposure were social media/internet or e-cigarette stores. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the need to enhance enforcement of restrictions on cigarette and e-cigarette ads in public places and online in China and extend restrictions to ban displays. IMPLICATIONS: Marketing exposure is a causal factor in youth smoking and e-cigarette use. We used ecological momentary assessments to estimate cigarette and e-cigarette display and ad exposure among Chinese adolescents. On average, participants reported past-hour exposure to cigarette and/or e-cigarette displays 13 times and past-hour exposure to cigarette and/or e-cigarette ads 11 times over one week. Most saw ads in public places and online. Results suggest strengthening implementation of China's ban on cigarette and e-cigarette ads in public places and online and banning product displays. These are policy responses that can contribute to reducing adolescent cigarette and e-cigarette uptake in China.

The Role of Social Media Advertisement and Physical Activity on Eating Behaviors among the General Population in Saudi Arabia.

Over the past few decades, people in Saudi Arabia have become less inclined to adopt active lifestyles and healthy eating habits due to the increasing use of digital technologies such as social media. The objective of this online-based cross-sectional study was to assess the role of social media food advertisements and physical activity on eating behaviors among the general population in Saudi Arabia (n = 471). Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, which consisted of four parts: (i) sociodemographic information, (ii) attitude towards social media, (iii) eating behaviors-related information, and (iv) exposure to and engagement with social media advertisements. The study's outcome variable, eating behaviors (healthy vs. unhealthy), was assessed using the following question: "Are you on a healthy diet (such as a balanced diet, keto, or low carb)?" A multiple binary logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors that influence unhealthy eating behaviors. Approximately 79.6% of the participants had unhealthy eating behaviors. Participants who were not involved in daily physical activity were more likely to have unhealthy eating behaviors compared to their counterparts (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 4.86). Participants who watched food ads on social media channels 1-3 times a week (AOR = 2.58) or daily (AOR = 3.49) were more likely to have unhealthy eating behaviors than their counterparts. Participants whose appetite to try foods increases always (AOR = 1.42) or usually (AOR = 2.88) after viewing ads on social media were more likely to have unhealthy eating behaviors. These findings suggest that policymakers should take immediate action to regulate food advertising policy to promote a healthy food environment across the country. Saudis should be encouraged to engage in more physical activity, which could support the maintenance of healthy eating patterns and lifestyles.

A four-year longitudinal analysis examining the effects of e-cigarette advertisements and disparities among youth with internalizing problems.

BACKGROUND: Prior research indicates a direct, short-term effect of e-cigarette advertising on e-cigarette use among youth. This study seeks to investigate the long-term effects of e-cigarette advertisements and disparities in exposure among adolescents with different levels of internalizing problems. METHODS: Panel data of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Waves 3-5 (2015-2019) were analyzed. Youth aged 12-17 who were non-e-cigarette users at the time of Wave 3 were included (n = 4,678). A moderated mediation model was employed to examine the mediating role of perceived harm of e-cigarettes and the moderating effect of internalizing problems. RESULTS: Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements in Wave 3 predicted lower harm perception of e-cigarette in Wave 4 (bp = -0.055, p <.01), leading to more e-cigarette use in Wave 5 (bp = -0.042, p <.001). While e-cigarette advertisements exhibited a lasting indirect effect (bp = 0.002, p <.05), there was no long-term direct effect (bp = 0.017, p >.05) on youth e-cigarette use. Furthermore, a moderating effect of internalizing problems was observed (bp = 0.107, p <.05). CONCLUSIONS: E-cigarette advertisements can exert a lasting influence indirectly by diminishing harm perception, particularly among those with lower internalizing problems. Adolescents with higher internalizing problems exhibit lower susceptibility to advertisement influence, yet their perceived harm of e-cigarettes is notably lower than their peers with fewer internalizing problems. These disparities underscore the need for tailored prevention strategies: implementing anti-e-cigarette education programs for adolescents with low internalizing problems and providing mental health care for those facing internalizing challenges. Regulatory measures targeting e-cigarette advertising are also crucial.

Vietnamese consumer's perspective on green beauty care products: Exploring the impact of animal welfare concerns and skepticism toward green advertising.

Green consumers increasingly consider animal welfare (AW) in their decision-making, demonstrating a growing awareness of ethical considerations beyond conventional environmental concerns. However, with an increase in greenwashing, skepticism has grown among consumers. Regardless of manufacturers' efforts to enhance consumer awareness via green advertising, consumer skepticism toward these advertisements creates doubt and consequently reduces positive attitudes and intentions to buy green products. This study investigated the variables that impact Vietnamese consumers' decision-making processes toward green beauty care products. Specifically, we focused on the role of AW concerns and skepticism toward green advertising. For this study, we adopted the timulus-response organism (SOR) framework, which is known for its ability to analyze the impact of environmental stimuli (S) on personal perceptions (O), leading to specific responses (R). We elucidated the relationship between concern for AW and green advertising skepticism (GAS) as stimulus factors, green brand trust (GBT) and attitude toward green products (ATT) as organism factors, and three sub-dimensions of behavioral intentions (BI): green purchase intention (GPI), word-of-mouth (WOM), and willingness to pay (WPP) as response factors. We explored the mediating effect of ATT on the relationship between GAS-GPI and AW-GPI. This study involved 386 Vietnamese participants surveyed using convenience sampling. Smart PLS v3.2.9 software was used to analyze the data using structural equation modeling. The hypothesis test using PLS-SEM confirmed that (a) GBT had a positive effect on BI and ATT; (b) ATT had a positive effect on BI; (c) GAS had a negative effect on GBT and WPP, but not on GPI and WOM; and (d) AW had a positive effect on GPI and WOM, but not on ATT and WPP. Surprisingly, this study found insufficient statistical evidence to support the mediating role of ATT in the relationship between GAS-GPI and AW-GPI. This study highlights the importance of integrated advertising and education campaigns in increasing customer awareness toward green products and the significance of comprehending the cultural context when developing marketing strategies, especially in emerging markets such as Vietnam, where environmental concerns are skeptical and AW issues are relatively new. The study delved into the Vietnam market and specifically examined beauty care products labeled as "not tested on animals." Additionally, we addressed a gap in the existing research by investigating the combined influence of AW concerns and GAS on the formation of green behavioral intentions (GBI).

The Effect of Explicit Suicide Language in Engagement With a Suicide Prevention Search Page Help-Seeking Prompt: Nonrandomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Given that signage, messaging, and advertisements (ads) are the gateway to many interventions in suicide prevention, it is important that we understand what type of messaging works best for whom. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether explicitly mentioning suicide increases engagement using internet ads by investigating engagement with campaigns with different categories of keywords searched, which may reflect different cognitive states. METHODS: We ran a 2-arm study Australia-wide, with or without ads featuring explicit suicide wording. We analyzed whether there were differences in engagement for campaigns with explicit and nonexplicit ads for low-risk (distressed but not explicitly suicidal), high-risk (explicitly suicidal), and help-seeking for suicide keywords. RESULTS: Our analyses revealed that having explicit wording has opposite effects, depending on the search terms used: explicit wording reduced the engagement rate for individuals searching for low-risk keywords but increased engagement for those using high-risk keywords. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that individuals who are aware of their suicidality respond better to campaigns that explicitly use the word "suicide." We found that individuals who search for low-risk keywords also respond to explicit ads, suggesting that some individuals who are experiencing suicidality search for low-risk keywords.

A multimodal deep learning architecture for smoking detection with a small data approach.

Covert tobacco advertisements often raise regulatory measures. This paper presents that artificial intelligence, particularly deep learning, has great potential for detecting hidden advertising and allows unbiased, reproducible, and fair quantification of tobacco-related media content. We propose an integrated text and image processing model based on deep learning, generative methods, and human reinforcement, which can detect smoking cases in both textual and visual formats, even with little available training data. Our model can achieve 74% accuracy for images and 98% for text. Furthermore, our system integrates the possibility of expert intervention in the form of human reinforcement. Using the pre-trained multimodal, image, and text processing models available through deep learning makes it possible to detect smoking in different media even with few training data.

Exposure to E-Cigarette Advertisements or Reviews and E-Cigarette Use Progression: A Longitudinal Examination of Short-Term and Long-Term Associations among US Young Adults.

Limited research has investigated the impact of e-cigarette advertising and reviews on the progression of e-cigarette use among young adults in the US. This study utilized five-wave longitudinal data (2018-2020) with 3006 young adults aged 18-34, reporting exposure to e-cigarette advertisements or reviews at Wave 1 (W1) and W3. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to examine the prospective associations between frequent exposure to e-cigarette advertisements or reviews and e-cigarette use progression in four groups: never users (n = 1271 at W1), former users (previously used but quit ≥ 6 months ago, n = 422 at W1), recent former users (used in the past 6 months but not in the past month, n = 186 at W1), and current users (used in the past month, n = 1127 at W1). Among baseline former users, frequent exposure to e-cigarette reviews was associated with current use at 6-month follow-up (aOR = 4.40, 95%CI = 1.46-13.29). Among baseline current users, frequent exposure to e-cigarette reviews was associated with increased days of use at 6-month follow-up (IRR = 1.20, 95%CI = 1.07-1.34) and 12-month follow-up (IRR = 1.18, 95%CI = 1.03-1.35). E-cigarette reviews may contribute to relapse among recent former users and increased usage frequency among current users, highlighting the need for enhanced e-cigarette promotional activity regulation.

Testing Behavioral Messages to Increase Recruitment to Health Research When Embedded Within Social Media Campaigns on Twitter: Web-Based Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Social media is rapidly becoming the primary source to disseminate invitations to the public to consider taking part in research studies. There is, however, little information on how the contents of the advertisement can be communicated to facilitate engagement and subsequently promote intentions to participate in research. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes an experimental study that tested different behavioral messages for recruiting study participants for a real-life observational case-control study. METHODS: We included 1060 women in a web-based experiment and randomized them to 1 of 3 experimental conditions: standard advertisement (n=360), patient endorsement advertisement (n=345), and social norms advertisement (n=355). After seeing 1 of the 3 advertisements, participants were asked to state (1) their intention to take part in the advertised case-control study, (2) the ease of understanding the message and study aims, and (3) their willingness to be redirected to the website of the case-control study after completing the survey. Individuals were further asked to suggest ways to improve the messages. Intentions were compared between groups using ordinal logistic regression, reported in percentages, adjusted odds ratio (aOR), and 95% CIs. RESULTS: Those who were in the patient endorsement and social norms-based advertisement groups had significantly lower intentions to take part in the advertised study compared with those in the standard advertisement group (aOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.55-0.97; P=.03 and aOR 0.69, 95% CI 0.52-0.92; P=.009, respectively). The patient endorsement advertisement was perceived to be more difficult to understand (aOR 0.65, 95% CI 0.48-0.87; P=.004) and to communicate the study aims less clearly (aOR 0.72, 95% CI 0.55-0.95; P=.01). While the patient endorsement advertisement had no impact on intention to visit the main study website, the social norms advertisement decreased willingness compared with the standard advertisement group (157/355, 44.2% vs 191/360, 53.1%; aOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.54-0.99; P=.02). The majority of participants (395/609, 64.8%) stated that the messages did not require changes, but some preferred clearer (75/609, 12.3%) and shorter (59/609, 9.7%) messages. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that adding normative behavioral messages to simulated tweets decreased participant intention to take part in our web-based case-control study, as this made the tweet harder to understand. This suggests that simple messages should be used for participant recruitment through Twitter (subsequently rebranded X).

Evaluation of the awareness of Western Australian SunSmart campaigns between 2008 and 2022.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: It is unknown whether SunSmart health promotion campaigns in Western Australia are still effectively reaching their target audience of young people (under 45 years). This study examined trends over time in awareness, relevancy and believability of SunSmart advertisements and identified socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors associated with campaign awareness. METHOD: Linear regression and log-binomial modelling were undertaken using data from the annual SunSmart post-campaign evaluation surveys between 2008/2009 and 2021/2022. SunSmart campaigns were analysed and categorised into the following themes: (1) personal real-life stories; (2) daily activities/sun exposure leads to skin cancer; or (3) cartoon/animated. RESULTS: Between 2008 and 2022, there were declines in total awareness (74.2% to 20.4%), unprompted awareness (33.7% to 4.9%) and relevancy (89.5% to 54.8%) of SunSmart advertisements (representing annual percent decreases of 3.6%, 3.1% and 1.8%, respectively). However, believability remained high over time (>94% in each annual survey). Trends were inconsistent between the awareness of campaign themes and socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors. Several campaigns had greater awareness in their subsequent years, compared with the first campaign year. CONCLUSION: In more recent years, SunSmart advertisements and campaigns may not have reached their target audience. In addition to socio-demographic characteristics, particularly age, advertisement factors may also affect the awareness of specific campaigns. SO WHAT?: Given the changing advertising landscape and its rising costs, ongoing funding is pertinent to increase the reach of future SunSmart campaigns. Increasing advertisements on alternative platforms and designing campaigns which separately target adolescents and adults need to be considered.

Value delivery in green consumption: the effect of advertisement value proposition on consumer perception and purchase intention.

Amid the expanding green consumer market, companies are increasingly emphasizing their eco-friendly contributions in advertising. This study delves into the value delivery process within green consumption, guided by the service-dominant logic (S-D logic). A survey-based experiment with 589 responses reveals that the information frame in advertising significantly impacts consumer value perceptions and purchase intentions. Notably, the temporal frame of advertising plays a pivotal role, influencing consumers' value perceptions. Future framing enhances emotional value perceptions, while past framing promotes environmental value perceptions. This research enhances our understanding of value delivery mechanisms in green consumption and holds valuable implications for marketers of sustainable products.

Email-Based Recruitment Into the Health eHeart Study: Cohort Analysis of Invited Eligible Patients.

BACKGROUND: Web- or app-based digital health studies allow for more efficient collection of health data for research. However, remote recruitment into digital health studies can enroll nonrepresentative study samples, hindering the robustness and generalizability of findings. Through the comprehensive evaluation of an email-based campaign on recruitment into the Health eHeart Study, we aim to uncover key sociodemographic and clinical factors that contribute to enrollment. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to understand the factors related to participation, specifically regarding enrollment, in the Health eHeart Study as a result of a large-scale remote email recruitment campaign. METHODS: We conducted a cohort analysis on all invited University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) patients to identify sociodemographic and clinical predictors of enrollment into the Health eHeart Study. The primary outcome was enrollment, defined by account registration and consent into the Health eHeart Study. The email recruitment campaign was carried out from August 2015 to February 2016, with electronic health record data extracted between September 2019 and December 2019. RESULTS: The email recruitment campaign delivered at least 1 email invitation to 93.5% (193,606/206,983) of all invited patients and yielded a 3.6% (7012/193,606) registration rate among contacted patients and an 84.1% (5899/7012) consent rate among registered patients. Adjusted multivariate logistic regression models analyzed independent sociodemographic and clinical predictors of (1) registration among contacted participants and (2) consent among registered participants. Odds of registration were higher among patients who are older, women, non-Hispanic White, active patients with commercial insurance or Medicare, with a higher comorbidity burden, with congestive heart failure, and randomized to receive up to 2 recruitment emails. The odds of registration were lower among those with medical conditions such as dementia, chronic pulmonary disease, moderate or severe liver disease, paraplegia or hemiplegia, renal disease, or cancer. Odds of subsequent consent after initial registration were different, with an inverse trend of being lower among patients who are older and women. The odds of consent were also lower among those with peripheral vascular disease. However, the odds of consent remained higher among patients who were non-Hispanic White and those with commercial insurance. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides important insights into the potential returns on participant enrollment when digital health study teams invest resources in using email for recruitment. The findings show that participant enrollment was driven more strongly by sociodemographic factors than clinical factors. Overall, email is an extremely efficient means of recruiting participants from a large list into the Health eHeart Study. Despite some improvements in representation, the formulation of truly diverse studies will require additional resources and strategies to overcome persistent participation barriers.

"Saving Journalism from Facebook's Death Grip"? The Implications of Content-Recommendation Platforms on Publishers and Their Audiences.

Previous research on the platformization of news has mostly been devoted to considering the effects of social media on the news industry. The current study focuses on Taboola and Outbrain, two leading content recommendation platforms. The companies form "partnerships" with news organizations, through which they take over a designated space on news websites and curate news, sponsored content, and advertisements, creating a blend that-the companies claim-maximizes monetization. We argue that the unique business model and distribution mechanism of these companies has a distinct effect on news sites, their audiences, and ultimately the journalism profession. An empirical analysis of 97,499 recommended content items, scraped from nine Israeli news sites, suggests that the spaces created by these partnerships blur the distinction between editorial and monetization logics. In addition, we find the creation of indirect network effects: while large media groups benefit from the circulation of sponsored content across their websites, smaller publishers pay Taboola and Outbrain as advertisers to drive traffic to their websites. Thus, even though these companies discursively position themselves as "gallants of the open web"-freeing publishers from the grip of walled-garden platforms-they de facto expose the news industry to the influence of the platform economy.

Diversity of Water Frogs Pelophylax spp. in Turkey: Do Mating Vocalizations Mirror Nominal Taxon Delimitation?

Informed conservation management requires exact knowledge on the species diversity of the taxon group in focus within a geographic area, specifically on the occurrence of endemics. In Turkey, there are three water frog taxa of the genus Pelophylax; one is the widespread P. bedriagae, the other two are geographically restricted to either Thrace (P. ridibundus) or to the Anatolian Lake district (P. caralitanus). The species status of the Beysehir frog P. caralitanus has been questioned since its proposal in 2001. We recorded and analyzed advertisement and release vocalizations at representative populations of Pelophylax taxa to assess the degree of inter-taxon differentiation and the potential for premating isolation. We found that P. bedriagae and P. caralitanus have much more similar vocalizations than both have compared to P. ridibundus. A functional bioacoustic premating barrier between bedriagae and caralitanus in syntopy does not exist according to our study. The low degree of bioacoustic differentiation mirrors earlier genetic, karyological, and morphological findings. We conclude that the Beysehir frogs do not deserve species status and that P. caralitanus should be considered a junior synonym of P. bedriagae. Therefore, the number of endemic anuran species in Turkey decreases to one.

Consistency in responses to conspecific advertisement calls with various signal-to-noise ratios in both sexes of the Anhui tree frog.

Environmental noise has a significant negative impact on acoustic communication in most situations, as it influences the production, transmission, and reception of acoustic signals. However, how animals respond to conspecific sounds when there is interference from environmental noise, and whether males and females display convergent behavioral responses in the face of noise masking remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of conspecific male advertisement calls with different signal-to-noise ratios on male-male competition and female choice in the Anhui tree frog Rhacophorus zhoukaiyae using playback and phonotaxis experiments, respectively. The results showed that (1) female Anhui tree frogs preferentially selected the conspecific calls with higher SNR compared to calls with lower SNR; (2) males preferentially responded vocally to the conspecific calls with higher SNR compared to calls with lower SNR; and (3) males' competitive strategies were flexible in the face of noise interference. These results suggest that preferences of both sexes converge in outcome, and that male competitive strategies may depend on predictable female preferences. This study will provide an important basis for further research on decision-making in animals.

Violation of Food Advertising Regulations in Iran: A Systematic Review.

Background: The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the status of nutritionally high-risk behaviors in the country are not promising. Because of undeniable impact of media advertising on food choices, to combat the problem some regulations on food advertisements are developed in the country. However, the high prevalence of NCDs warns of the possibility that either the laws are not given the necessary attention or they are not implemented properly. Therefore in the present review, all studies on how the country's visual and written mass media comply with regulations related to food product advertisement were systematically reviewed. Methods: We searched all studies, including Persian and English articles, dissertations, and research projects, published and unpublished reports in eight domestic and international databases and search engines during the years 1996 to December of 2020 (25 years). Then, the content of the eligible studies was extracted, evaluated, and reported. Results: A total of 18 eligible studies (articles and reports) were included in the review. The results indicated violations of rules and regulations including displaying food products of low nutritional value and obese people, misleading/exaggerating claims, award offers, induction of gluttony, consumerism, and inconsistency with scientific facts. Most of the studies (55%) had, implicitly or explicitly, targeted children and adolescents. Conclusions: The results of this study indicated a violation of the rules and regulations of health policies, mainly in the field of promoting foods of low nutritional value during the study period. Violations of the ban on advertising for children were also reported in more than half of the studies.

[Survey on the Current Advertising and Sales of Mucuna pruriens in Consumer-to-consumer Internet Trading in Japan].

Mucuna pruriens (MP) is leguminous plant which contains 5% of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (levodopa) in its seeds. It may have a potential to be used as an alternative therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). Meanwhile, there is a concern in terms of public health that MP products can be overused by patients with PD. As an entry for patients with PD to acquire MP products in Japan, they are often purchased via internet auctions or free markets. MP products are not reagrded as 'pharmatheutical' by Japanese law as long as the specific legal requirements on advertisements are met, so that the MP products can be advertised or sold without any permission from the authorities. In this study, we aimed to conduct internet survey as to the complianse status of these legal requirements. Several major internet auction or free market websites in Japan were surveyed in May-June 2023 by the authors, and 1157 MP product pages were examined. We found approximately 30-40% of the MP products were suspected to have potential legal risks in terms of their advertisements in their website descriptions, such as claiming pharmatheutical efficacy or describing pharmatheutical-like dosages. In addition, approximately 30-40% of the MP products also did not refer to cautions not to take MP products excessively because of the levodopa ingredients. Current study suggested the need of careful description of the MP products in the auction or free market websites for the MP products exhibitors or sellers, in order to fullfill legal requirements as well as to prevent MP abuse.

Patterns of exposure to smoked tobacco advertisements among youths in India and its association with smoked tobacco use: a Latent Class Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Youths are exposed to multiple sources of tobacco advertisements. We sought to examine patterns of exposure to smoked tobacco advertisements through various modes among Indian youths and its association with smoked tobacco use. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey design. METHODS: We utilised data from the national Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2016-17 in India, which covered adults >15 years of age. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to examine patterns of exposure to tobacco advertisements through various modes (television, radio, cinema, internet, posters, billboards, public transportation, public walls, stores, newspaper) among youths. Classes were compared across sociodemographic and tobacco use-related characteristics. Various model-fit statistics (Akaike, Bayesian and sample size-adjusted Bayesian Information Criteria, likelihood-ratio tests and, Entropy) and meaningfulness of the classes were used to select the number of latent classes. RESULTS: Three distinct latent classes were identified in terms of exposure to smoked tobacco products advertisements: "Multimodal exposure" (n = 448, 4.0%), "low exposure" (n = 9584, 86.0%), and "Television and stores" (n = 1116, 10.0%). There were significant differences between classes emerged on sociodemographics (age, sex, residence, education, wealth quintile, region). The "Multimodal exposure" class was associated with current tobacco smoking (odds ratio [OR]: 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4-3.0, P-value <0.001) and cigarette use (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.3-3.4, P-value <0.001) compared to the "low exposure" class. CONCLUSIONS: Youths could be grouped into three classes based on their exposure to smoked tobacco product advertisements. The "Multimodal exposure" class with a distinct profile was significantly associated with smoked tobacco use among youths. This evidence supports complete ban on all forms of tobacco advertisements.

Influence of socioeconomics and social marketing on smoking in Thailand: A National Survey in 2017.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking is one of the risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and is harmful to both active and passive smokers. This study aimed to identify the influence of socioeconomic and environmental issues on smoking in Thailand. METHODS: The study is a secondary dataset analysis of cross-sectional data using data from the 2017 Smoking and Drinking Behaviors Survey of the National Statistical Office of Thailand. The survey collected the data among 88689 participants using a structured questionnaire. The multi-level analysis was used to identify the association between socioeconomics, environmental factors, social marketing, and smoking while controlling for the effects of covariates and presenting the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Among 88689 respondents, the prevalence of smoking was 18.2% (95% CI: 18.00-18.51). Factors that were associated with smoking were: exposure to secondhand smoke in residential settings (AOR=15.31; 95% CI: 14.47-16.20) and alcohol regular drinking (AOR=4.44; 95% CI: 4.14-4.76). In addition, social marketing factors include: disagreeing or being unsure of the opinions that cigarettes should be categorized as harmful goods (AOR=3.15; 95% CI: 2.94-3.37); not having been exposed to the disadvantages of smoking in social media (AOR=1.51; 95% CI: 1.43-1.61); not having been exposed to the disadvantages of smoking in newspapers, television, radio, advertisements, or other sources (AOR=1.46; 95% CI: 1.37-1.62); having never seen the warning cautions or having seen them but ignored the hazardous effect (AOR=4.81; 95% CI: 4.5-4.9); and having ever seen the warning cautions/ever seen but ignore the hazardous effect (AOR=4.81; 95% CI: 4.54-5.09), and ever seen advertisements or billboards which motivate smoking in various places (AOR=1.33; 95% CI: 1.24-1.42). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking and secondhand smoke are crucial problems that affect health. In addition, related sectors should help to develop a policy recommendation to reduce the smoking rate through social marketing. Strict and comprehensive policies and laws on non-smoking in work places, public spaces, and homes, will help to reduce secondhand smoke exposure among non-smokers.