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Although phthalate esters (PAEs) are plasticizers widely utilized nowadays to enhance the flexibility and pro-cessability of polymeric materials, their presence and detection in the food environment have become an important concern. In this study, phthalate esters (butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and diisononyl phthalate (DINP)) were detected in 40 coffee samples in single-use or large plastic-based packages of different brands collected from the Turkish market. PAEs exposure and non -carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks were calculated for females and males aged 15-64, depending on their coffee consumption within 24 h. DBP and DINP exhibited the highest level of migration to coffee samples (10-4) reported by the US EPA. Our research findings showed that almost all age groups over 15 were exposed to PAEs orally from the coffee they frequently consumed, which might lead to an excessive risk of cancer in individuals. Therefore, it was concluded that more comprehensive studies should be conducted based on this study, especially regarding cancer risk., Scientific Research Project Centre of Agri I?brahim Cecen University; [SYO.21.002], Funding This research was financed by the Scientific Research Project Centre of Agri I?brahim Cecen University (Project No: SYO.21.002) .

Illegal mining and inappropriate use of agrochemicals have exacerbated surface water pollution in Ghana. The quality of water has changed, and knowledge of their current condition is important for formulating policies to conserve the country's water bodies. This study assessed the quality of surface waters in Ghana's Pra River Basin. A survey of 344 local farmers randomly sampled was conducted and a physicochemical analysis of 33 water samples collected from 25 rivers in the basin. Boreholes are the main source of drinking water for 85% of farmers, and they assessed water quality by its appearance. Rainwater provides over 50% of the water needed by the respondents for domestic use. River water was mainly used for crop production and only secondarily for domestic use. At more than 80% of the sampled sites, pH, Fe and P were above the WHO recommended values, while Pb was exceeded at 30% of the sites. Cu, Hg, As and Fe were above permissible levels for irrigation, especially near the mining areas. The poor quality of river water makes it unusable despite its availability. A more effective and efficient land-use policy focusing on buffer zone protection is recommended to minimise water quality degradation in the basin. HIGHLIGHTS Surface water are mainly used for crop production in the Pra River Basin.; Mercury, Copper, Arsenic and Iron concentration levels exceed the permissible limits for irrigation in mostly mining communities.; Surface water is available but the level of pollution limits its usability.; Sustainable land management practices can reduce rate of surface water pollution in small-scale mining zones.

Background The increased availability of patient reported outcome data makes it feasible to provide patients tailored risk information of cancer treatment side effects. However, it is unclear how such information influences patients’ risk interpretations compared to generic population-based risks, and which message format should be used to communicate such individualized statistics. Methods A web-based experiment was conducted in which participants (n = 141) read a hypothetical treatment decision-making scenario about four side effect risks of adjuvant chemotherapy for advanced colon cancer. Participants were cancer patients or survivors who were recruited from an online Dutch cancer patient panel. All participants received two tailored risks (of which the reference class was based on their age, gender and tumor stage) and two generic risks conveying the likelihood of experiencing the side effects. The risks were presented either in words-only (‘common’ and ‘very common’), or in a combination of words and corresponding numerical estimates (‘common, 10 out of 100’ and ‘very common, 40 out of 100’). Participants’ estimation of the probability, accuracy of their estimation, and perceived likelihood of occurrence were primary outcomes. Perceived personal relevance and perceived uncertainty were secondary outcomes. Results Tailored risks were estimated as higher and less accurate than generic risks, but only when they were presented in words; Such differences were not found in the verbal and numerical combined condition. Although tailoring risks did not impact participants’ perceived likelihood of occurrence, tailored risks were perceived as more personally relevant than generic risks in both message formats. Finally, tailored risks were perceived as less uncertain than generic risks, but only in the verbal-only condition. Conclusions Considering current interest in the use of personalized decision aids for improving shared decision-making in oncology, it is important that clinicians consider how tailored risks of treatment side effects should be communicated to patients. We recommend both clinicians who communicate probability information during consultations, and decision aid developers, that verbal descriptors of tailored risks should be supported by numerical estimates of risks levels, to avoid overestimation of risks.

Prior work has shown that popular peers can set a powerful norm for the valence and salience of aggression in adolescent classrooms, which enhances aggressive friendship processes (selection, maintenance, influence). It is unknown, however, whether popular peers also set a norm for prosocial behavior that can buffer against aggressive friendship processes and stimulate prosocial friendship processes. This study examined the role of prosocial and aggressive popularity norm combinations in prosocial and aggressive friendship processes. Three waves of peer-nominated data were collected in the first- and second year of secondary school (N = 1816 students; 81 classrooms; Mage = 13.06; 50.5% girl). Longitudinal social network analyses indicate that prosocial popularity norms have most power to affect both prosocial and aggressive friendship processes when aggressive popularity norms are non-present. In prosocial classrooms (low aggressive and high prosocial popularity norms), friendship maintenance based on prosocial behavior is enhanced, whereas aggressive friendship processes are largely mitigated. Instead, when aggressive popularity norms are equally strong as prosocial norms (mixed classrooms) or even stronger than prosocial norms (aggressive classrooms), aggression is more important for friendship processes than prosocial behavior. These findings show that the prosocial behavior of popular peers may only buffer against aggressive friendship processes and stimulate prosocial friendship processes if these popular peers (or other popular peers in the classroom) abstain from aggression. Funding agencies: HSRD VA [SDR 10-012]

Seafood and other environmental matrices are major entry route of harmful pollutants into humans due to constant contamination of the aquatic environment hence requires monitoring. This study scientifically explored the hypothesis that benthic gastropods bioaccumulate harmful pollutants that pose health risk to consumers of the sea food. Fifty samples of Thais coronata were collected per site from major regional fish landings. Two hundred samples were collected monthly for eight months to determine the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-PAH and possible health risks due to consumption using regulatory limits for guidance. Total PAH concentrations (μg/kg) varied between 65.68–173.52 suggesting differences in consumed concentrations at different times. The concentration of individual PAH congeners (1.376 ± 0.07-40.356±2.21 μg/kg) and PAH4 were below the European Union maximum limits. The Daily Dietary Intake values ranged from 0.075-2.212 μg/kg for individual PAH congeners while that of PAH4 was 1.359 μg/kg and were all below their respective reference oral doses. The carcinogenic potencies of the PAH congeners ranged from 0.001-143.389, the carcinogenic toxic equivalents (TEQs) of all PAH congeners was 0.1522 while that of PAH4 was 0.0044. The Excess cancer risk (ECR) value (10-8–10-5) was within USEPA guideline of 10-6 while the margin of exposure (MOE) of individual PAHs and PAH4 were higher than critical border line of 10,000 given by European Food Safety Authority but diagnostic ratio suggested PAH sources of pyrogenic origin in samples monitored. The study concluded low health risk for consumers of the shellfish (Thais coronata) in the study region but with recommendation advisory for regular monitoring to observe changes.

Globally, the consumption of herbal supplements is on an upward trend. As the food supplement industry thrives, so does the need for consumers’ awareness of health risks. This contribution is grounded on two assumptions. Firstly, not always “wild” is a food quality attribute, and secondly, the food chain is judged as a noteworthy route for human exposure to soil contamination. Sea buckthorn (SBT) was selected for investigation due to its versatility. In addition to its wide therapeutic uses, it is present in ecological rehabilitation which may raise concerns regarding its safety for human consumption as a consequence of the accumulation of contaminants in the plant. The study aims to discover if the objective contamination of SBT with toxic residues is congruent with people’s subjective evaluation of SBT consumption risk. A quantitative determination of heavy metals was performed by atomic absorption spectrometry. The metals abundance followed the sequence Fe &gt, Cu &gt, Zn &gt, Mn &gt, Cr &gt, Ni &gt, Pb &gt, Cd. Quantitative data on consumers’ subjective risk evaluations were collected through an online survey on 408 Romanians. Binary logistic shows that the consumption of SBT is predicted by the perceived effect of SBT consumption on respondents’ health. The study confirms that the objective contamination of wild and cultivated SBT is in line with the perceived contamination risk. It is inferred that a joint effort of marketers, media, physicians, and pharmacists is needed to inform consumers about the risks and benefits of SBT consumption.

For decades, psychological research has examined the extent to which children's and adolescents' behavior is influenced by the behavior of their peers (i.e., peer influence effects). This review provides a comprehensive synthesis and meta-analysis of this vast field of psychological science, with a goal to quantify the magnitude of peer influence effects across a broad array of behaviors (externalizing, internalizing, academic). To provide a rigorous test of peer influence effects, only studies that employed longitudinal designs, controlled for youths' baseline behaviors, and used "external informants" (peers' own reports or other external reporters) were included. These criteria yielded a total of 233 effect sizes from 60 independent studies across four different continents. A multilevel meta-analytic approach, allowing the inclusion of multiple dependent effect sizes from the same study, was used to estimate an average cross-lagged regression coefficient, indicating the extent to which peers' behavior predicted changes in youths' own behavior over time. Results revealed a peer influence effect that was small in magnitude (β¯ = .08) but significant and robust. Peer influence effects did not vary as a function of the behavioral outcome, age, or peer relationship type (one close friend vs. multiple friends). Time lag and peer context emerged as significant moderators, suggesting stronger peer influence effects over shorter time periods, and when the assessment of peer relationships was not limited to the classroom context. Results provide the most thorough and comprehensive synthesis of childhood and adolescent peer influence to date, indicating that peer influence occurs similarly across a broad range of behaviors and attitudes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved). ispartof: PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN vol:147 issue:7 pages:719-747 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Generalised Joint Hypermobility (GJH) is a heritable disorder of the connective tissue that manifests as extreme range of motion in the joints; it is considered both an asset and health risk to the dancer. Recently, links between GJH, anxiety, emotional and mental wellbeing have been established. The experiences of GJH in professional dance artists (five male, four female; mean age = 32.3 yrs; range = 25–40 yrs) and Ballet masters (3 female & 1 male, mean experience 30.8 yrs.) were exploredthrough semi-structured interviews (45-60 min). A biopsychosocial filter and qualitative reflective thematic approach were appliedto the analysis. Emerging themes include; hypermobile aesthetic, professional values and preconceptions, choreographic trends, company strategies, intellectual curiosity, pedagogy and leadership. Participants agreed dancers with GJH characteristics met the direction and desired aesthetic for today’s dance companies and choreographers. They showed a good understanding of the strengths and challenges of GJH but did not directly associate any psychosocial traits. The findings demonstrate that whilst commonly exploited for choreographic gains, the health risks and experience of GJH are not understood in the professional dance environment. Finally, we translate the practical implications of our findings for teaching dance in developmental environments.

Heavy-metal pollution of surface water, sediment and fish have been seen as a major global problem, with a significant proportion of developing countries like Bangladesh. This study assessed the intensity of alarming six toxic substances (Cr, Zn, Fe, Cu, Pb and Ni) throughout the River water, sediments as well as soft tissues of three widely consumed fishes (Heteropneustes fossilis, Channa punctatus and Channa striata) obtained from two urban streams of the Buriganga and Turag in the Dhaka metropolitan. For evaluating the comparative seasonal variation of heavy-metal concentration, water and sediment samples were collected from five selected sites for two different seasons (viz. 10 from winter seasons and 10 from summer seasons). Finally, a total of 20 water samples, 20 sediment and 12 fish samples were investigated by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (GFAAS) corrected with the Zeeman effect background correction system. The hierarchy of mean concentration of selected heavy metals in Buriganga water is found to be Fe > Cr > Ni > Zn > Cu > Pb in the winter season whereas during the summer season the order is Fe > Cr > Zn > Ni > Cu > Pb. For the River Turag, the order is Fe > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Pb and Fe > Zn > Ni > Cu > Cr > Pb during winter and summer season, respectively. The level of metals studied surpassed the acceptable level of drinkable water, implying the ineptitude of drinking and cooking water from these Rivers. However, this hierarchy of heavy metals for sediments of Buriganga River changed to Fe > Cr > Ni > Zn > Cu > Pb for the winter season and Fe > Cr > Ni > Cu > Zn > Pb for the summer season. Whereas, for the Turag River, the decreasing trend of metal concentration found in sediment was Fe > Zn > Cr > Ni > Cu > Pb for both seasons. For probable human health hazard implications, contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) were studied. The CF values revealed the low-to-moderate pollution of sediment. The PLI value above one shows the degradation of the consistency of the sediments. Fe, Ni, Pb, Cr, Zn and Cu concentrations in fish species were found to be 19.66–45.1, 0.07–12.18, 1.2–10.18, 20.18–187.07, 11.08–68.25, 2.07–10.4 mg/kg, respectively. The metals studied differed considerably among organisms and seasons. Bioconcentration factor (BCF), the daily average consumption of metal (EDI), as well as target threat quotients (THQs) for specific metal indicated that Cr and Pb are harmful in fish muscles and possible risks remain for fish consumers. The obtained concentrations of some metals are higher than the WHO/FAO’s permissible limit, suggesting that the water and fish found in these Rivers are like to be harmful to the human being. This study shows that attention should be given to the risk assessment for heavy metals in these Rivers.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a large group of chemicals mostly found in indoor environments such as homes and workplaces. Long term exposure to certain VOCs can cause symptoms in some individuals and therefore, monitoring and controlling air quality can help better manage chronic respiratory diseases. In this study, we aimed to develop an easy-to-use, economical, in house needle trap-based methodology to detect certain VOCs to be used for public and occupational health. For this purpose, a multi-bed (packed with PDMS/Carbopack-X/Carboxen-1000) needle trap device (NTD) was utilized for sampling, enrichment, and injection of the VOCs into the gas chromatography. The performance of the developed method was investigated for the analysis of the group known as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene). Operational and instrumental parameters such as sampling flow rate and relative humidity, desorption time and temperature were optimized, and the analytical figures of merit of the proposed method have indicated that very low levels of BTEX in air samples can be easily determined by this new method. Overall results have shown that multi-bed NTD offers a high sensitive procedure for sampling and analysis of BTEX in concentration range of 0.002–0.298 mg/m3 in indoor air. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd, 15-TIP-74 Ege Üniversitesi Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştirma Kurumu, TÜBITAK: 116S196, Ege University Translational Pulmonology Research Group [EgeTPAG] Study. This study is one of the spin-off projects of CA15129- Diagnosis, Monitoring, and Prevention of ExposureRelated Noncommunicable Diseases (DiMoPEx) EUCOST Action. Project is funded by TUBITAK ( Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey ) with project number 116S196 (Determination Of Molecular Asthma Endotypes By Exhaled Volatile Organic Compounds and Peripheral Blood Microrna Biomarkers [Voc/Mirna-Endotip] Study) and by Ege University Scientific Research Council with project number 15-TIP-74 ., Ege University Translational Pulmonology Research Group [EgeTPAG] Study. This study is one of the spin-off projects of CA15129- Diagnosis, Monitoring, and Prevention of ExposureRelated Noncommunicable Diseases (DiMoPEx) EUCOST Action. Project is funded by TUBITAK (Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) with project number 116S196 (Determination Of Molecular Asthma Endotypes By Exhaled Volatile Organic Compounds and Peripheral Blood Microrna Biomarkers [Voc/Mirna-Endotip] Study) and by Ege University Scientific Research Council with project number 15-TIP-74.

The aim of the present study was to determine the most significant heavy metal concentration in hen eggs, in particular to compare the heavy metal concentration in eggs originating from industrial poultry farms versus free-range hens. The sampling process was carried out between October and December 2018, in the Republic of Kosovo. In total, 22 random egg samples were collected, with 54.5% and 45.5% of samples coming from poultry farms and free-range hens, respectively. The measurements of the heavy metals were taken by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), using a wide range of elements, and only the most important elements were reported, such as Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb within the range of 0.48–8.45, 38.77–289, 4286.59–15383.74, 0.45–144.74, 61.68–550.59, 1078.04–11378.56, 0.29–35.42, 0.27–6.54, and 0.04–1.41 μg kg−1, respectively. This study revealed that the heavy metals in eggs from free-range hens are richer in essential elements such as Mn, Fe, and Zn, while poultry farm eggs contain a higher contribution of Cr, Cd, As, and Pb. However, the daily intake of heavy metals from egg consumption was lower than the WHO-FAO advised provisional daily intake. Therefore, egg consumption does not exceed the safety levels of toxic metals and does not pose any risk to human health.

Background Risk communication, situated in the model of shared decision making (SDM), is an essential element in daily clinical practice. The scientific literature makes a number of generic recommendations. Yet the application of risk communication remains a challenge in patient-clinician encounters. How clinicians actually communicate risk during consultations is not well understood. We aimed to explore the risk communication strategies used by clinicians and extract narratives and visualizations of those strategies to help inform medical education. Methods In this qualitative descriptive study, we interviewed fifteen purposely sampled clinicians from several medical disciplines, who were familiar with the concept of SDM. Deductive and inductive content analysis was used during an iterative data collection and analyses process. Results Our study identified various strategies reported to be used by clinicians to address the complexities of risk communication such as dealing with uncertainty. These included verbal, numerical and visual risk communication and framing. Clinicians were familiar with recommended risk formats such as natural frequencies and population pictograms. However, it became clear that clinicians' expertise and communication goals also play an important role in the risk talk. Clinicians try to lay a foundation for balanced decision-making and to incorporate patient preferences while faced with several challenges such as the dilemma of raising awareness but triggering anxiety or fan fear in patients. Consequently, they also use communication goals such as influencing mindset and reassuring patients. Additionally, clinicians frequently have to account for the illusion of certainty in the risk talk. Conclusion Risk communication is a multi-faceted construct that cannot be dealt with in isolation from the clinical context. For future research we recommend considering a more practical framework within the clinical setting and to take a goal-directed approach into account when investigating and teaching the topic. The patient perspective should also be addressed in further research.

Background: Salmonella enterica represents a considerable public concern worldwide, with farm animals often recognised as an important reservoir. This study gives an overview of the prevalence and serotype diversity of Salmonella over a 5-year period in the meat production chain in Estonia. Data on human salmonellosis over the same period are provided. Methods: Salmonella surveillance data from 2016 to 2020 were analysed. Results: The prevalence of Salmonella at the farm level was 27.7%, 3.3% and 0.1% for fattening pigs, cattle and poultry, respectively. S. Derby was the most prevalent serotype at the farm level for fattening pigs and S. Dublin for cattle. The top three serotypes isolated at the slaughterhouse and meat cutting levels were S. Derby, monophasic S. Typhimurium and S. Typhimurium with proportions of 64.7%, 9.4% and 7.0%, respectively. These serotypes were the top five most common Salmonella serotypes responsible for human infections in Estonia. S. Enteritidis is the main cause (46.9%) of human salmonellosis cases in Estonia, but in recent years, Enteritidis has not been detected at the slaughterhouse or meat cutting level. Conclusion: In recent years, monophasic S. Typhimurium has become epidemiologically more important in Estonia, with the second-highest cause in human cases and third-highest among the most prevalent serotypes of Salmonella enterica in the meat chain.

Variation in zinc toxicity with variation in environmental conditions was studied using the kinetic bioluminescence inhibition assay conducted with live cultures of Aliivibrio fischeri. A good correlation was observed between the static assay and flash assay for colorless non-turbid samples. Color and turbidity had negligible impact on the flash assay results while the static assay caused artifacts. Naturally occurring water samples showed wide variation in the toxicity profiles. Change in zinc toxicity was determined in response to variation in hardness, alkalinity and other coexisting cations/anions in model lake water and in the presence of a solid matrix. The presence of other anions and cations in model lake water reduced and enhanced zinc toxicity, respectively, due to changes in zinc speciation, and bioluminescence inhibition was well correlated with free zinc ion concentration. Increase in alkalinity and sulfate in model lake water lowered zinc toxicity, whereas increase in ammonium ions enhanced the toxicity. Variation in toxicity with hardness was dependent on the Ca: Mg hardness ratio in the samples. The presence of solid matrix decreased toxicity of the aqueous extracts, and toxicity of the matrix was found to increase with decreasing grain size. Speciation pattern of zinc in the respective fractions, however, revealed no direct relationship between zinc associated with fraction that are considered bioavailable to higher organism and the observed toxicity. This assay may be recommended for toxicity analysis of environmental samples since most of the results obtained correlate well with observations reported in toxicity studies with higher organisms.

Introduction: Adolescents in Uganda, as in other sub-Saharan countries, engage in sex with multiple concurrent partners, thus placing them at risk for HIV and unplanned pregnancies, but it is not clear why. This study explored why adolescents in Uganda engage in multiple concurrent sexual partnerships (MCSP).Methods: This study used a Core Processes methodology. We used the processes of brainstorming, and identification of evidence and theoretical support, in various phases/steps of intervention planning, to provide possible explanations for adolescent MCSP.Results: Adolescents were found to have limited knowledge of the risks associated with MCSP and perceived a low risk for HIV. Peer influence to engage in MCSP exacerbated the problem among adolescents. Poor communication with sexual partners and parents and societal indifference to multiple sexual partnerships increased permissive attitudes toward infidelity. The unclear adolescent sexual and reproductive health policies hampered access to services, and transactional sexual relationships with older (polygamous) sexual partners increased the HIV risk. Adolescents were found to be more concerned about unplanned pregnancies than HIV risk.Discussion: From the empirical evidence, adolescent health programs in Uganda should incorporate comprehensive sexual health education on HIV and teenage pregnancy risk-reduction strategies. Programs should strengthen parental and community support through enhanced collaborative training on communication with and for adolescents. Forming strategic partnerships with various stakeholders for concerted efforts to address the MCSP problem among adolescents is critical.

Urban areas are increasing worldwide at a dramatic rate and their soils definitely deserve more attention than they have received in the past. In urban environments, soils potentially provide the same ecosystem services as in rural and wild environments, although in some cases they are depleted of their basic functions, such as when they lose their productive and filtering capacities because of sealing, and become mere supports for infrastructures. In other cases, soils of urban areas acquire new functions that are unique to these environments. Current soil classifications fail to effectively account for the complexity of urban soils and the information that is required for their management. Additionally, the survey of urban soils is difficult, due to fragmentation and rapid land use change and the fact that due to human pressure their properties seldom vary linearly and predictably according to landforms, which hinders the effectiveness of geostatistics. The conventional practice of grouping similar soils and transferring their information in a concise manner is not viable for urban soils. We advocate the introduction of a faceted system - i.e., a scheme using semantic categories, either general or subject-specific, that are combined to create the full classification entry - to organize the information on urban soils to support decision making. The facets that such a system should be based on are not only the intrinsic physical and chemical properties that are usually used to describe any soil, but also other tangible or even immaterial properties that are particularly meaningful in an urban context, such as landscape metrics, or aesthetic, social and historical values. As well as providing more adequately the information of the type requested by urban planners and policymakers, a faceted system of classification of urban soil resources would have the flexibility to accommodate all available or future scattered, rapidly changing, or incomplete data.

Risk communication is a significant research domain with practical importance in supporting societal risk governance and informed private decision making. In this article, a high-level analysis of the risk communication research domain is performed using scientometrics methods and visualization tools. Output trends and geographical patterns are identified, and patterns in scientific categories determined. A journal distribution analysis provides insights into dominant journals and the domain&rsquo, s intellectual base. Thematic clusters and temporal evolution of focus topics are obtained using a terms analysis, and a co-citation analysis provides insights into the evolution of research fronts and key documents. The results indicate that the research volume grows exponentially, with by far most contributions originating from Western countries. The domain is highly interdisciplinary, rooted in psychology and social sciences, and branching mainly into medicine and environmental sciences. Narrative themes focus on risk communication in medical and societal risk governance contexts. The domain originated from public health and environmental concerns, with subsequent research fronts addressing risk communication concepts and models. Applied research fronts are associated with environmental hazards, public health, medical risks, nuclear power, and emergency response to various natural hazards. Based on the results, various avenues for future research are described.

Although there are theoretical reasons to expect an association between ethnic minority status and popularity, research on this topic is scarce. Therefore, this association was investigated including the moderating role of the ethnic classroom composition and the mediating role of aggression. Data from the longitudinal Dutch SNARE (Social Network Analysis of Risk behavior in Early adolescence) project were used among first-year students (comparable to 5th grade) (N = 1134, Nclassrooms = 51, M = 12.5 years, 137 non-Western ethnic minority students). Popularity and aggression were assessed with peer nominations. Multi-level Structural Equation Models showed that ethnic minority status was indirectly associated with higher popularity, through higher aggression. Moreover, with increasing numbers of ethnic minority students in the classroom, popularity levels of both ethnic majority and ethnic minority students decreased. Only when differences in aggression between ethnic minority and majority students were included in the analyses, while the ethnic classroom composition was not included, lower popularity levels were found for ethnic minority than ethnic majority students. Scientific and practical implications of this study were addressed in the discussion.

Use of fear appeals assumes that when people are emotionally confronted with the negative effects of their behaviour they will change that behaviour. That reasoning is simple and intuitive, but only true under specific, rare circumstances. Risk perception theories predict that if people will experience a threat, they want to counter that threat. However, how they do so is determined by their coping efficacy level: if efficacy is high, they may change their behaviour in the suggested direction; if efficacy is low, they react defensively. Research on fear appeals should be methodologically sound, comparing a threatening to a non-threatening intervention under high and low efficacy levels, random assignment and measuring behaviour as outcome. We critically review extant empirical evidence and conclude that it does not support positive effects of fear appeals. Nonetheless, their use persists and is even promoted by health psychology researchers, causing scientific insights to be ignored or misinterpreted.

Cyanobacteria blooms are frequent in freshwaters and are responsible for water quality deterioration and human intoxication. Although, not a new phenomenon, concern exists on the increasing persistence, scale, and toxicity of these blooms. There is evidence, in recent years, of the transfer of these toxins from inland to marine waters through freshwater outflow. However, the true impact of these blooms in marine habitats has been overlooked. In the present work, we describe the detection of Planktothrix agardhii, which is a common microcystin producer, in the Portuguese marine coastal waters nearby a river outfall in an area used for shellfish harvesting and recreational activities. P. agardhii was first observed in November of 2016 in seawater samples that are in the scope of the national shellfish monitoring system. This occurrence was followed closely between November and December of 2016 by a weekly sampling of mussels and water from the sea pier and adjacent river mouth with salinity ranging from 35 to 3. High cell densities were found in the water from both sea pier and river outfall, reaching concentrations of 4,960,608 cells·L−1 and 6810.3 × 106 cells·L−1 respectively. Cultures were also established with success from the environment and microplate salinity growth assays showed that the isolates grew at salinity 10. HPLC-PDA analysis of total microcystin content in mussel tissue, water biomass, and P. agardhii cultures did not retrieve a positive result. In addition, microcystin related genes were not detected in the water nor cultures. So, the P. agardhii present in the environment was probably a non-toxic strain. This is, to our knowledge, the first report on a P. agardhii bloom reaching the sea and points to the relevance to also monitoring freshwater harmful phytoplankton and related toxins in seafood harvesting and recreational coastal areas, particularly under the influence of river plumes. © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the project SNMB—INOV: Innovation for a more competitive shellfish sector co-financed by the Portuguese Government, Operational Program (OP) Mar 2020, Portugal 2020 and European Union through the European Structural Funds and Investment Funds (FEEI) and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The authors also acknowledge the Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve and Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) of the University of Porto and the Funding of RD Units Strategic Plan from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the projects UID/Multi/04326/2013 and UID/Multi/04423/2013 respectively.

To reveal the emission patterns of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in the Beijiang River, South China, concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and phenolic BFRs (2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP), pentabromophenol (PeBP), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)), and bisphenol A (BPA) in water and sediments were simultaneously measured, and the geographic information system (GIS) were applied to analyse their emission patterns. Results showed that PBDEs, TBP, PeBP, TBBPA and BPA were ubiquitous in the water and sediment samples collected from the Beijiang River. However, most of the concentrations were very low or below the detection limits (DL). In water, Σ20PBDEs (sum of all 20 PBDEs congeners) levels ranged from < DL to 232 pg L-1, with the predominant congeners containing low bromine contents. The levels of TBP, PeBP, TBBPA and BPA in water were lower than 810 pg L-1. In sediments, Σ20PBDEs varied from 260 to 5640 pg g-1 dry weight (d.w.), with the predominant congeners containing high bromine contents. The levels of TBP, PeBP, TBBPA and BPA were lower than 600 pg g-1 d.w.. Risk assessments indicated that the water and sediments at the sampling locations imposed no estrogenic risk (E2EQ

WOS: 000329243700038, PubMed ID: 23884878, There is an increasing attempt in the world to determine the exposures of children to environmental chemicals. To analyze the genotoxic effect of air pollution, micronucleus (MN) assay was carried out in buccal epithelial cells (BECs) of children living in an urban city of Turkey. Children from two schools at urban-traffic and suburban sites were investigated in summer and winter seasons for the determination of BEC-MN frequency (per mille) and frequency of BEC with MN (per mille). The same children were also recruited for lung function measurements within a MATRA project ("Together Towards Clean Air in Eskisehir and Iskenderun") Measured NO2 and SO2 concentrations did not exceed the European Union (EU) limit levels either in urban-traffic or suburban regions. Higher O-3 concentrations were measured in the suburban site especially in the summer period. Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels which did not differ statistically between two regions were above the EU limits in general. Although BEC-MN frequencies of children living in the suburban sites were higher in general, the difference between two regions was not significant either in the summer or winter periods. BEC-MN frequencies of the urban-traffic children were found to be significantly higher in summer period (mean +/- SD, 2.68 +/- 1.99) when compared to winter period (1.64 +/- 1.59; p = 0.004). On the other hand, no seasonality was observed for the suburban children. Similar results have been obtained in the BEC frequency with MN in our study. In summer, BEC-MN frequencies were significantly increased with the decrease in pulmonary function levels based on forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75 % of vital capacity (FEF25-75 %) levels (p < 0.05). As a conclusion, children living in urban-traffic and suburban areas in the city of EskiAYehir exhibited similar genotoxicity. Seasonal variation in genotoxicity may be interpreted as relatively high ozone levels and increasing time spent at outdoors in the summer., Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, We would like to thank Kees Meliefste and Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences for their support during field studies. We also thank very much to the school directors and teachers for their very valuable help during the sampling studies. The authors are grateful to the children and their parents for their participation in this study. We would also like to thank Mr. Salih Ergocen for performing the statistical analysis.; This study was part of the MATRA project "Together Towards Clean Air in Eskisehir and Iskenderun" financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Communicating about the health effects of fish and seafood may potentially result in a conflict situation: increasing intake is desirable because of health and nutritional benefits, but higher consumption may also lead to an increased intake of potentially harmful environmental contaminants. In order to anticipate the communication challenge this conflict may pose, the research presented here aimed to assess the impact of risk/benefit communication on Belgian consumers' fish consumption behavior and fish attribute perception. Data were collected in June 2005 from a sample of 381 women, aged between 20 and 50 years. An experimental design consisting of four message conditions (benefit-only; risk-only; benefit-risk; and risk-benefit) combined with three information sources (fish and food industry; consumer organization; government) was used. Exposure to the benefit-only message resulted in an increase from a self-reported fish consumption frequency of 4.2 times per month to an intended fish consumption frequency of 5.1 times per month (+21%), while fish attribute perceptions only marginally improved. The risk-only message resulted in a strong negative perceptual change in the range of two points on a seven-point scale. This translated into an 8% decrease of behavioral intention (from eating fish 4.5 times per month to an intention of eating fish 4.1 times per month). Balanced messages referring to both risks and benefits yielded no significant change in behavioral intention, despite a significant worsening of fish attribute perception. The presentation order of benefits and risks in the balanced message showed a tendency to affect both behavioral intention and attribute perception, with the first message component being most influential. Information source did not yield any significant impact either on behavioral intention or on attribute perceptions, independent of the message content. The results from this study provide valuable insights for future risk/benefit and balanced communication about seafood.

Objective: This study reported on correlates of parental perception of their child's weight status. Associations between parental misperception (i.e., underestimation of the child's weight) and parental intention to improve their child's overweight-related health behaviors and their child meeting guidelines regarding these behaviors were also investigated. Methods: Baseline data from the population-based 'Be active, eat right study' were used. The population for analysis consisted of 630 overweight and 153 obese five year-old children and their parents. Questionnaires were used to measure parental perception of the child's weight status, correlates of misperception (i.e., child age, child gender, child BMI, parental age, parental gender, parental country of birth, parental educational level and parental weight status), overweight-related health behaviors (i.e., child playing outside, having breakfast, drinking sweet beverages, and watching TV), and parental intention to improve these behaviors. Height and weight were measured using standardized protocols. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: In total, 44.40% of the parents misperceived their child's weight status. Parental misperception was associated with lower child BMI, the parent being the father, a foreign parental country of birth, and a lower parental education level (p

The existing empirical research exploring the impact of threat appeals on driver behavior has reported inconsistent findings. In an effort to provide an up-to-date synthesis of the experimental findings, meta-analytic techniques were employed to examine the impact of threat-based messages on fear arousal and on lab-based indices of driving behavior. Experimental studies (k = 13, N = 3044), conducted between 1990 and 2011, were included in the analyses. The aims of the current analysis were (a) to examine whether or not the experimental manipulations had a significant impact on evoked fear, (b) to examine the impact of threat appeals on three distinct indices of driving, and (c) to identify moderators and mediators of the relationship between fear and driving outcomes. Large effects emerged for the level of fear evoked, with experimental groups reporting increased fear arousal in comparison to control groups (r = .64, n = 619, p < .01). The effect of threat appeals on driving outcomes, however, was not significant (r = .03, p = .17). This analysis of the experimental literature indicates that threat appeals can lead to increased fear arousal, but do not appear to have the desired impact on driving behavior. We discuss these findings in the context of threat-based road safety campaigns and future directions for experimental research in this area.

The results of a study on drug/substance use and sexual behaviours are reported for 1 573 teenagers from a rural district of South Africa (males = 834; females = 692; mean age = 16.27 years and SD = 2.77 years). The teenagers reported on their drug/substance use, use of condoms, experience with anal sex and number of sexual partners. The analyses considered the prevalence of drug/substance use, condom use and anal sex within sexually-active cohorts and the prevalence of drug/substance use in a sexually-inactive cohort. Drug/substance use and non-use of condoms were more prevalent among the sexually-active than the sexually-inactive. Within the sexually-active cohort, those with multiple sexual partners were more likely to use drugs/substances or not to use condoms. Anal sex occurred in both males and females to a greater extent than could be attributed to chance. Keywords: prevalence, health-risk, partners, teenagers Journal of Psychology in Africa 2005, 15(1): 11–15

Plasmids encoding resistance and virulence properties in multidrug resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica (S.) serovar Typhimurium monophasic variant 4,[5],12:i:- isolates recovered from pigs and humans (2006-2008) in Europe were characterised. The isolates were selected based on the detection by PCR-amplification of S. Typhimurium virulence plasmid pSLT genes and were analysed by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). The resistance genes present in the isolates and the association of these genes with integrons, transposons and insertion sequences were characterised by PCR-sequencing, and their plasmid location was determined by alkaline lysis and by S1-nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) Southern-blot hybridisation. Plasmids were further analysed by replicon typing, plasmid MLST and conjugation experiments. The 10 S. 4,[5],12,i:- selected isolates belonged to ST19. Each isolate carried a large plasmid in which MDR with pSLT-associated virulence genes were located. After analysis, eight different plasmids of three incompatibility groups (IncA/C, IncR and IncF) were detected. Two IncA/C plasmids represented novel variants within the plasmid family of the S. 4,[5],12:i:- Spanish clone, and carried an empty class 1 integron with a conventional qacEΔ1-sul1 3′ conserved segment or an In-sul3 type III with estX-psp-aadA2-cmlA1-aadA1-qacH variable region linked to tnpA440-sul3, part of Tn2, Tn21 and Tn1721 transposons, and ISCR2. Four newly described IncR plasmids contained the resistance genes within In-sul3 type I (dfrA12-orfF-aadA2-cmlA1-aadA1-qacH/tnpA440-sul3) and part of Tn10 [tet(B)]. Two pSLT-derivatives with FIIs-ST1+FIB-ST17 replicons carried cmlA1-[aadA1-aadA2]-sul3-dfrA12 and bla TEM-1 genes linked to an In-sul3 type I integron and to Tn2, respectively. In conclusion, three emerging European clones of S. 4,[5],12:i:- harboured MDR plasmids encoding additional virulence functions that could contribute significantly to their evolutionary success.