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We implement a controlled, multi-site experiment to develop and test guidance principles for benefits transfers. These argue that when transferring across relatively similar sites, simple mean value transfers are to be preferred but that when sites are relatively dissimilar then value function transfers will yield lower errors. The paper also provides guidance on the appropriate specification of transferable value functions arguing that these should be developed from theoretical rather than ad-hoc statistical approaches. These principles are tested via a common format valuation study of water quality improvements across five countries. While this provides an idealised tested, results support the above principles and suggest directions for future transfer studies.

Background Brucellosis is an endemic zoonotic disease in most of the developing world that causes devastating losses to the livestock industry and small-scale livestock holders. Infected animals exhibit clinical signs that are of economic significance to stakeholders and include reduced fertility, abortion, poor weight gain, lost draught power, and a substantial decline in milk production. In humans, brucellosis typically manifests as a variety of non-specific clinical signs. Chronicity and recurring febrile conditions, as well as devastating complications in pregnant women are common sequelae. Discussion In regions where the disease is endemic, brucellosis has far-reaching and deleterious effects on humans and animals alike. Deeply entrenched social misconceptions and fear of government intervention contribute to this disease continuing to smolder unchecked in most of the developing world, thereby limiting economic growth and inhibiting access to international markets. The losses in livestock productivity compromise food security and lead to shifts in the cognitive competency of the working generation, influence the propagation of gender inequality, and cause profound emotional suffering in farmers whose herds are affected. The acute and chronic symptoms of the disease in humans can result in a significant loss of workdays and a decline in the socioeconomic status of infected persons and their families from the associated loss of income. The burden of the disease to society includes significant human healthcare costs for diagnosis and treatment, and non-healthcare costs such as public education efforts to reduce disease transmission. Conclusion Brucellosis places significant burdens on the human healthcare system and limits the economic growth of individuals, communities, and nations where such development is especially important to diminish the prevalence of poverty. The implementation of public policy focused on mitigating the socioeconomic effects of brucellosis in human and animal populations is desperately needed. When developing a plan to mitigate the associated consequences, it is vital to consider both the abstract and quantifiable effects. This requires an interdisciplinary and collaborative, or One Health, approach that consists of public education, the development of an infrastructure for disease surveillance and reporting in both veterinary and medical fields, and campaigns for control in livestock and wildlife species.

Eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems caused by excess concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus may have harmful consequences for biodiversity and poses a health risk to humans via water supplies. Reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus losses to aquatic ecosystems involves implementation of costly measures, and reliable monitoring methods are therefore essential to select appropriate mitigation strategies and to evaluate their effects. Here, we compare the performances and costs of three methodologies for the monitoring of nutrients in rivers: grab sampling; time-proportional sampling; and passive sampling using flow-proportional samplers. Assuming hourly time-proportional sampling to be the best estimate of the \"true\" nutrient load, our results showed that the risk of obtaining wrong total nutrient load estimates by passive samplers is high despite similar costs as the time-proportional sampling. Our conclusion is that for passive samplers to provide a reliable monitoring alternative, further development is needed. Grab sampling was the cheapest of the three methods and was more precise and accurate than passive sampling. We conclude that although monitoring employing time-proportional sampling is costly, its reliability precludes unnecessarily high implementation expenses.

Abstract Introduction: Light is the most important cue for circadian rhythms, and light-induced circadian phase shifts have antidepressant effects. Light also appears to directly influence mood-related function independent of effects on the circadian system. However, most extant studies in humans have focused on the effects of light in the context of mood disorders. In the present study, we extend this work by examining associations between light exposure, reward function, and alcohol use in a sample of late adolescent drinkers. Methods: Participants included 30 late adolescents (18–22 y/o; 18 females) all reporting weekly alcohol use. Participants completed baseline measures including the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Barrett Impulsivity Scale, Chapman Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales, and the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale. Participants also completed a ~13-day ecological momentary assessment protocol during which they completed ratings of affect, craving, and alcohol use (6 times/day) and sleep diaries via smartphone and wore wrist actigraphs with light sensors. Mean white light exposure was calculated for the 2-hour periods just prior to (i.e., evening) and following (i.e., morning) the actigraphic rest interval. Photoperiod was examined as a potential covariate. Results: Photoperiod was unrelated to any of the other variables and thus was not included as a covariate in subsequent bivariate correlations. Greater evening white light exposure was significantly associated with greater alcohol use (r=0.46), greater consummatory pleasure (r=0.41), and less social (r=-0.58) and physical (r=-0.58) anhedonia. Trend-level (p<0.10) associations were observed between greater evening light exposure and greater alcohol craving (r=0.34) and lower impulsivity (r=-0.36). No statistically-significant associations were observed between morning white light exposure and alcohol use or reward measures. Conclusion: Evening, but not morning, light exposure was associated with both alcohol use and measures of reward function at a cross-sectional level. Experimental studies should probe whether the phase-delaying effects of light influence reward function and alcohol consumption. Support (If Any): This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, including R21AA023209 (Hasler) and K01DA032557 (Hasler).

Abstract Introduction: The phase shift hypothesis suggests that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is caused by a circadian phase delay in winter. As light is the most robust entrainment cue, light exposure is proposed to be involved in SAD etiology. Blue light may be of particular interest as it is most effective for circadian photoreception. The timing of light exposure is also important for entrainment, as morning light leads to a phase advance, and evening light to a phase delay. Therefore, we hypothesized that evening circadian phase in winter will mediate the relationship between morning and/or evening light exposure and depression symptomatology. Methods: Individuals (n=28; 75% female; aged 18–65) with varying degrees of seasonality were recruited in Pittsburgh during the winter. Participants wore an actigraphy watch with a photodiode for one week. Light was analyzed for blue wavelength ranges (400-500nm; photons/cm2/sec) across a minimum of four days. Total daily light exposure was averaged across each day. The Composite Scale of Morningness was used as a proxy for circadian phase. The Structured Clinical Interview Guide for the Depression Rating Scale, SAD Version (SIGH-SAD) was used to measure depression symptomatology. Age and gender will be used as covariates. Results: Circadian preference was significantly associated with higher SIGH-SAD scores (R2=0.176, β= -0.40, p=0.04), while controlling for age and gender. There was no significant association between light exposure and circadian phase (R2=0.020, β=0.05, p=0.20), or light exposure and SIGH-SAD scores (R2=0.059, β=0.23, p=0.32), thus precluding mediation. Conclusion: The current study replicated previous findings that a delayed circadian phase is associated with greater depressive symptomatology. However, there is currently no evidence to suggest the role of total daily blue light exposure on depressive symptomatology or circadian phase, as estimated by circadian timing preference. Support (If Any): Supported by R01MH103313 (K.R.)

Abstract Introduction: Insomnia is a prominent risk factor for affective disorders, but the functional neural mechanisms underlying this relationship remain poorly understood. As affective disorders are characterized by functional abnormalities within neural circuitry supporting reward processing, it is possible that altered reward processing may link insomnia and affective disorders. This study examined insomnia - defined as both a categorical and dimensional construct - as a predictor of reward-related brain activation. Methods: 56 young adults (Age 24.4 ± 2.9yr; 28 Female) were recruited across a range of sleep disturbance using the PROMIS-Sleep Disturbance scale (PSD). Participants completed clinical interviews, rating scales, sleep diary, actigraphy, and the Monetary Incentive Delay fMRI task. This fMRI task involves anticipation and receipt of monetary gains and losses of varying magnitude. DSM-5 insomnia (N=13) was diagnosed via clinical interview. Dimensional insomnia measures included a self-report scale of insomnia severity [PSD], sleep diary-derived minutes spent awake after sleep onset [WASOs], and actigraphy-derived WASO [WASOa]. Mean BOLD activation during gain anticipation (versus no gain) was extracted from 3 bilateral anatomical regions of interest (ROIs) previously associated with reward function: nucleus accumbens[NAcc], anterior insula[AIns] and mesial prefrontal cortex[mPFC]. For each ROI, BOLD response was assessed as a function of insomnia diagnosis, PSD, WASOs, and WASOa (adjusting for age and sex). Results: Greater WASOa was related to greater mPFC activation (B=0.29,p=0.033). Insomnia diagnosis was associated with reduced NAcc activation at the trend level (B=-0.23,p=0.079). PSD and WASOd were not related to activation within the NAcc, AIns, or mPFC. Conclusion: Insomnia is associated with reward-related activations in brain regions implicated in affective disorders, though these relationships differ based on how insomnia is quantified. Using additional task-based and resting-state fMRI data collected in this study sample, future analyses will further characterize insomnia-related functional abnormalities in neural circuits supporting positive and negative affect. Support (If Any): R21MH102412 (Buysse), K01MH111953 (Soehner).

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods safely provide in vivo indicators of cerebral macrostructure, microstructure, and activation that can be examined in relation to substance use disorder (SUD) risks and effects. This article will provide an overview of MRI approaches, including volumetric measures, diffusion tensor imaging, and functional MRI, that have been applied to studies of adolescent neuromaturation in relationship to risk phenotypes and adolescent SUD. To illustrate these applications, examples of research findings will be presented. MRI indicators have demonstrated that neurobiological maturation continues throughout adolescence. MRI research has suggested that variations in neurobiological maturation may contribute to SUD risk, and that substance use adversely influences adolescent brain development. Directly measured neurobiological variables may be viable preventive intervention targets and outcome indicators. Further research is needed to provide definitive findings on neurodevelopmental immaturity as an SUD risk and to determine the directions such observations suggest for advancing prevention science.

Abstract Introduction: One of the most dramatic changes to sleep architecture across adolescence is a reduction in slow wave sleep, a stage of sleep dominated by slow delta (0.3 to <4Hz) waves. Concurrently, the brain undergoes a wealth of changes, including reductions in gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness (CT) with advancing age across adolescence. Here we investigated whether age-related differences in GMV and CT accounted for the typically observed age-related differences in slow wave (delta) activity (SWA) in adolescents. Methods: 132 participants (59 male, 73 female; age range: 12–22 years) from the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) study were included in this cross-sectional analysis of baseline polysomnographic, electroencephalographic (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, which were collected at SRI International and the University of Pittsburgh. Mediation models, which controlled for site and supratentorial volume, were used to assess whether age-related differences in cortical brain structure accounted for age-related differences in SWA. We hypothesized that age would have a direct effect on SWA, but that age may also affect SWA indirectly due to its known influence on cortical thinning and gray matter volume decline. Results: Older compared with younger adolescents had less SWA, smaller GMV and/or CT, as shown previously. The direct effect of age on SWA explained 47% of the variance (p<0.001). In addition, significant indirect effects (p=0.01-0.001) of age on SWA via CT and GMV were identified for several, predominantly frontal, brain regions, with models explaining 50–54% of the variance. Conclusion: We identified that the significant association between age and SWA was partially mediated by age-related differences in brain structure. As reductions in GMV and CT may be indicative of synaptic pruning, these results suggest that diminished SWA in adolescence may largely be driven by synaptic pruning within a number of cortical brain regions. Support (If Any): AA021690 (DBC), AA021697 (AP+KMP), AA021696 (IMC+FCB) and NIH UL1TR001857.

Abstract Introduction People with later circadian timing tend to consume more alcohol, potentially due to altered rhythms in when and how much they crave alcohol throughout the day. However, whether circadian factors play a role in alcohol craving has received scant attention. Here, we investigated if the daily rhythm of alcohol craving varied by circadian timing in two independent studies of late adolescent and young adult drinkers. Methods In Study 1, 32 participants (18–22 years of age; 61% female; 69% White) completed momentary reports of alcohol craving five times a day for 14 days. Participants wore wrist actigraphs and completed two in-lab assessments of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). Average actigraphically-assessed midpoint of sleep on weekends and average DLMO were used as indicators of circadian timing. In Study 2, 231 participants (21–35 years of age; 28% female; 71% White) completed momentary reports of alcohol craving six times a day for 10 days. Average midpoint of self-reported time-in-bed on weekends was used to estimate circadian timing. Results Multilevel cosinor analysis revealed a 24-hour daily rhythm in alcohol craving which was moderated by circadian timing in both studies (p’s<0.05). In both Study 1 and 2, people with later circadian timing had a later timed peak of craving. In Study 1, but not Study 2, later circadian timing predicted a blunted amplitude in craving. Conclusion Findings support a daily rhythm in craving that varies by individual differences in circadian timing. Because craving is an important predictor of future alcohol use, the findings implicate circadian factors as a useful area to advance alcohol research and potentially improve interventions. Support R21AA023209; R01DA044143; K01AA021135; ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research.

Animal health surveillance enables the detection and control of animal diseases including zoonoses. Under the EU-FP7 project RISKSUR, a survey was conducted in 11 EU Member States and Switzerland to describe active surveillance components in 2011 managed by the public or private sector and identify gaps and opportunities. Information was collected about hazard, target population, geographical focus, legal obligation, management, surveillance design, risk-based sampling, and multi-hazard surveillance. Two countries were excluded due to incompleteness of data. Most of the 664 components targeted cattle (26·7%), pigs (17·5%) or poultry (16·0%). The most common surveillance objectives were demonstrating freedom from disease (43·8%) and case detection (26·8%). Over half of components applied risk-based sampling (57·1%), but mainly focused on a single population stratum (targeted risk-based) rather than differentiating between risk levels of different strata (stratified risk-based). About a third of components were multi-hazard (37·3%). Both risk-based sampling and multi-hazard surveillance were used more frequently in privately funded components. The study identified several gaps (e.g. lack of systematic documentation, inconsistent application of terminology) and opportunities (e.g. stratified risk-based sampling). The greater flexibility provided by the new EU Animal Health Law means that systematic evaluation of surveillance alternatives will be required to optimize cost-effectiveness.