ARACHNOLOGY

Jewel of the forest: New electric blue tarantula species discovered in Thailand

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PENSOFT PUBLISHERS

 

IMAGE: CHILOBRACHYS NATANICHARUM . view more 

CREDIT: YURANAN NANTHAISONG

In an exciting discovery, a new species of tarantula with electric blue coloration was found in Thailand.

“In 2022, the bamboo culm tarantula was discovered, marking the first known instance of a tarantula species living inside bamboo stalks. Thanks to this discovery, we were inspired to rejoin the team for a fantastic expedition, during which we encountered a captivating new species of electric blue tarantula,” researcher Dr. Narin Chomphuphuang said.

After the announcement of Taksinus bambus in Thailand, he and his research team, along with local wildlife YouTuber JoCho Sippawat, embarked on a survey expedition in the Phang-Nga province. There, they identified the new tarantula species by its distinctive electric-blue coloration. This is the first tarantula species ever found in a Thai mangrove forest.

"The first specimen we found was on a tree in the mangrove forest. These tarantulas inhabit hollow trees, and the difficulty of catching an electric-blue tarantula lies in the need to climb a tree and lure it out of a complex of hollows amid humid and slippery conditions. During our expedition, we walked in the evening and at night during low tide, managing to collect only two of them," Narin said.

“The secret behind the vivid blue coloration of our tarantula lies not in the presence of blue pigments, but rather in the unique structure of their hair, which incorporates nanostructures that manipulate light to create this striking blue appearance.”

Blue is one of the rarest colors to appear in nature, which makes blue coloration in animals particularly fascinating. To appear blue, an object needs to absorb very small amounts of energy while reflecting high-energy blue light. Generating molecules capable of absorbing this energy is complex, making blue in nature relatively rare. What’s even more fascinating is its ability to not only display blue but also a beautiful violet hue, creating a remarkable iridescent effect.

“This species was previously found on the commercial tarantula market. There, it was known as the "Chilobrachys sp. Electric Blue Tarantula" but no documentation existed describing its distinctive features or natural habitat,” Narin said.

“The electric blue tarantula demonstrates remarkable adaptability. These tarantulas can thrive in arboreal as well as terrestrial burrows in evergreen forests. However, when it comes to mangrove forests, their habitat is restricted to residing inside tree hollows due to the influence of tides,” Narin also said.

The scientific name of Chilobrachys natanicharum was chosen after an auction campaign for naming the new species. The winner of the auction campaign was Nichada Properties Co., Ltd., Thailand, which suggested a combination of the names of company executives Mr. Natakorn Changrew and Ms. Nichada Changrew.

All proceeds from the auction were donated to support the education of Lahu children in Thailand and poor cancer patients.

“The Lahu people are an indigenous hill tribe in northern Thailand (Musoe) and are known for their vibrant culture and traditional way of life. Unfortunately, many Lahu children are denied access to education due to poverty, leaving them with limited opportunities for their future. Additionally, cancer remains a significant public health issue globally, affecting millions of people each year. Many cancer patients struggle with financial hardship, which can make accessing quality care even more difficult. We believe that everyone deserves access to quality healthcare, regardless of their financial situation,” the researchers write in their paper, which was just published in the journal ZooKeys.

“It's essential for the general public to understand the significance of taxonomy as a fundamental aspect of research. Taxonomy serves a vital role, ranging from the basic, such as when people inquire on social media about the name of a spider, to conducting crucial research aimed at preserving these species from extinction.” Narin said.

Mangrove forests face the looming threat of deforestation. The electric blue tarantula is also one of the world's rarest tarantulas. “This raises a critical question: Are we unintentionally contributing to the destruction of their natural habitats, pushing these unique creatures out of their homes?” the researchers say in conclusion.

Chilobrachys natanicharum

CREDIT

Narin Chomphuphuang

Narin Chomphuphuang

Chilobrachys natanicharum.

CREDIT

Yuranan Nanthaisong

Chilobrachys natanicharum

Chilobrachys natanicharum

The discovery of Chilobrachys [VIDEO] | 

Original source:

Chomphuphuang N, Sippawat Z, Sriranan P, Piyatrakulchai P, Songsangchote C (2023) A new electric-blue tarantula species of the genus Chilobrachys Karsh, 1892 from Thailand (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae). ZooKeys 1180: 105-128. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1180.106278

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JOURNAL

ZooKeys

DOI

10.3897/zookeys.1180.106278 

ARTICLE TITLE

A new electric-blue tarantula species of the genus Chilobrachys Karsh, 1892 from Thailand (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae)

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

18-Sep-2023

 

UW team’s shape-changing smart speaker lets users mute different areas of a room

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

 

IMAGE: A TEAM LED BY RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON HAS DEVELOPED A SHAPE-CHANGING SMART SPEAKER, WHICH USES SELF-DEPLOYING MICROPHONES TO DIVIDE ROOMS INTO SPEECH ZONES AND TRACK THE POSITIONS OF INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS. HERE ALLEN SCHOOL DOCTORAL STUDENTS TUOCHAO CHEN (FOREGROUND), MENGYI SHAN, MALEK ITANI, AND BANDHAV VELURI DEMONSTRATE THE SYSTEM IN A MEETING ROOM. view more 

CREDIT: APRIL HONG/UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

In virtual meetings, it’s easy to keep people from talking over each other. Someone just hits mute. But for the most part, this ability doesn’t translate easily to recording in-person gatherings. In a bustling cafe, there are no buttons to silence the table beside you.

The ability to locate and control sound — isolating one person talking from a specific location in a crowded room, for instance — has challenged researchers, especially without visual cues from cameras.

A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed a shape-changing smart speaker, which uses self-deploying microphones to divide rooms into speech zones and track the positions of individual speakers. With the help of the team’s deep-learning algorithms, the system lets users mute certain areas or separate simultaneous conversations, even if two adjacent people have similar voices. Like a fleet of Roombas, each about an inch in diameter, the microphones automatically deploy from, and then return to, a charging station. This allows the system to be moved between environments and set up automatically. In a conference room meeting, for instance, such a system might be deployed instead of a central microphone, allowing better control of in-room audio.

The team published its findings Sept. 21 in Nature Communications.

“If I close my eyes and there are 10 people talking in a room, I have no idea who’s saying what and where they are in the room exactly. That’s extremely hard for the human brain to process. Until now, it’s also been difficult for technology,” said co-lead author Malek Itani, a UW doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. “For the first time, using what we’re calling a robotic ‘acoustic swarm,’ we’re able to track the positions of multiple people talking in a room and separate their speech.”

Previous research on robot swarms has required using overhead or on-device cameras, projectors or special surfaces. The UW team’s system is the first to accurately distribute a robot swarm using only sound.

The team’s prototype consists of seven small robots that spread themselves across tables of various sizes. As they move from their charger, each robot emits a high frequency sound, like a bat navigating, using this frequency and other sensors to avoid obstacles and move around without falling off the table. The automatic deployment allows the robots to place themselves for maximum accuracy, permitting greater sound control than if a person set them. The robots disperse as far from each other as possible since greater distances make differentiating and locating people speaking easier. Today’s consumer smart speakers have multiple microphones, but clustered on the same device, they’re too close to allow for this system’s mute and active zones.

“If I have one microphone a foot away from me, and another microphone two feet away, my voice will arrive at the microphone that’s a foot away first. If someone else is closer to the microphone that’s two feet away, their voice will arrive there first,” said co-lead author Tuochao Chen, a UW doctoral student in the Allen School. “We developed neural networks that use these time-delayed signals to separate what each person is saying and track their positions in a space. So you can have four people having two conversations and isolate any of the four voices and locate each of the voices in a room.”

The team tested the robots in offices, living rooms and kitchens with groups of three to five people speaking. Across all these environments, the system could discern different voices within 1.6 feet (50 centimeters) of each other 90% of the time, without prior information about the number of speakers. The system was able to process three seconds of audio in 1.82 seconds on average — fast enough for live streaming, though a bit too long for real-time communications such as video calls.

As the technology progresses, researchers say, acoustic swarms might be deployed in smart homes to better differentiate people talking with smart speakers. That could potentially allow only people sitting on a couch, in an “active zone,” to vocally control a TV, for example.

Researchers plan to eventually make microphone robots that can move around rooms, instead of being limited to tables. The team is also investigating whether the speakers can emit sounds that allow for real-world mute and active zones, so people in different parts of a room can hear different audio. The current study is another step toward science fiction technologies, such as the “cone of silence” in “Get Smart” and “Dune,” the authors write.

Of course, any technology that evokes comparison to fictional spy tools will raise questions of privacy. Researchers acknowledge the potential for misuse, so they have included guards against this: The microphones navigate with sound, not an onboard camera like other similar systems. The robots are easily visible and their lights blink when they’re active. Instead of processing the audio in the cloud, as most smart speakers do, the acoustic swarms process all the audio locally, as a privacy constraint. And even though some people’s first thoughts may be about surveillance, the system can be used for the opposite, the team says.

“It has the potential to actually benefit privacy, beyond what current smart speakers allow,” Itani said. “I can say, ‘Don’t record anything around my desk,’ and our system will create a bubble 3 feet around me. Nothing in this bubble would be recorded. Or if two groups are speaking beside each other and one group is having a private conversation, while the other group is recording, one conversation can be in a mute zone, and it will remain private.”

Takuya Yoshioka, a principal research manager at Microsoft, is a co-author on this paper, and Shyam Gollakota, a professor in the Allen School, is a senior author. The research was funded by a Moore Inventor Fellow award.

For more information, contact acousticswarm@cs.washington.edu.

A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed a shape-changing smart speaker, which uses self-deploying microphones to divide rooms into speech zones and track the position of individual speakers. Here, the swarm of robots is shown in its charging station, which the robots can return to automatically.

CREDIT

April Hong/University of Washington

JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-40869-8 

ARTICLE TITLE

Creating Speech Zones Using Self-distributing Acoustic Swarms

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

21-Sep-2023

 

Riddle of varying warm water inflow in the Arctic now solved

New study helps improve forecasts on fate of Arctic sea ice

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ALFRED WEGENER INSTITUTE, HELMHOLTZ CENTRE FOR POLAR AND MARINE RESEARCH

In winter, the Norwegian coast is normally home to harsh conditions: The wind blows out of the southwest for days or even weeks at a time. Low-pressure areas make their way along the coast and not only bring rain and snow with them; the winds they produce determine how much warm water the Atlantic transports from southerly latitudes to the Barents Sea and the Arctic. Yet this flow of warm water can vary. Climate researchers want to take a closer look at these fluctuations so that their computer models can better predict how Arctic sea-ice extent will change over the next several decades. The problem: We still don’t completely understand the cause of these fluctuations in the complex air and ocean currents off the coast of Norway and in the Barents Sea. But doing so is essential to further improving climate models.

Temporary decoupling

A team led by oceanographer Finn Heukamp from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) has just published a study in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment, in which he and his colleagues investigated ocean currents along the Norwegian coast and into the Barents Sea. Their focus was on the atmospheric pressure difference between the Azores High and the Icelandic Low, also known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which shapes the currents off of Norway. They were particularly interested in the question of why there are (in some cases, extreme) deviations from the typical interplay between the NAO and weather conditions. Normally, the intensity of the winds and therefore the ocean currents is predominantly determined by the atmospheric pressure difference in the NAO. When the NAO is more pronounced, it creates powerful air currents, which drive low-pressure areas across the North Atlantic and past Norway on their way north. When the atmospheric pressure difference lessens, both the winds and the low-pressure areas run out of momentum. As such, the NAO, the low-pressure areas’ track, and the intensity of the ocean currents off the coast of Norway are normally closely interconnected. However, a decoupling of the NAO and ocean currents was observed in the Barents Sea as far back as the late 1990s.

“This unusual decoupling frequently manifested in winter between the years 1995 and 2005,” says Finn Heukamp. “But the cause of these changes was unclear.” Thanks to a mathematical ocean model that simulates the Arctic Ocean at very high resolution, the experts now have the answer. Apparently, the phenomenon is caused by an unusual change in the low-pressure areas’ track. Finn Heukamp has now determined that the stream of low-pressure areas that pass by Norway, moving from the southwest to the north, is at times disrupted by powerful, nearly stationary high-pressure areas, also known as blocking highs. The latter push the fast-moving low-pressure areas out of their normal track. As a result, the NAO and the northward flow of warm water are temporarily decoupled.

Refining climate models

“At the moment, we still can’t say how often this type of situation arises – for instance, if it repeats every few decades – because the observational data we use to compare with our ocean model only goes back roughly 40 years,” says Heukamp. Nevertheless, the findings are very important for climate modelling. “Global climate models simulate on a comparatively broad scale,” the researcher explains. “With the latest results from our high-resolution analysis for the North Atlantic and the Arctic, we’ve now added an important detail for making climate modelling for the Arctic even more accurate.” They also show that, in future, the NAO, the low-pressure areas over the Atlantic, and the ocean currents need to increasingly be viewed together. Given that both the transport of warm water and the track of lows over the Atlantic affect our weather in the middle latitudes, the results are also interesting in terms of more accurately predicting the future climate and weather in Central Europe.

 

Original publication:

Heukamp, F.O., Aue, L., Wang, Q. et al. Cyclones modulate the control of the North Atlantic Oscillation on transports into the Barents Sea. Commun Earth Environ 4, 324 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00985-1

 

Notes for editorial offices:

You can find printable images in the online version of this press release: https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/service/press.html

Your contact partner at the Alfred Wegener Institute is Finn Heukamp, tel. +49 (0)471 4831 1817 (e-mail: finn.heukamp@awi.de)  

If you have any further questions, Nils Ehrenberg, tel. +49 (0)471 4831 2008 (e-mail: media@awi.de) at the AWI’s Communications and Media Relations Department will be happy to help you.

Follow the Alfred Wegener Institute on Twitter (https://twitter.com/AWI_Media), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/awiexpedition/) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/AlfredWegenerInstitute).

The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) conducts research in the Arctic, Antarctic and oceans of the high and mid-latitudes. It coordinates polar research in Germany and provides major infrastructure to the international scientific community, such as the research icebreaker Polarstern and stations in the Arctic and Antarctica. The Alfred Wegener Institute is one of the 18 research centres of the Helmholtz Association, the largest scientific organisation in Germany.

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DOI

10.1038/s43247-023-00985-1 

 

Towards a better understanding of early human embryonic development

In a new study, researchers compare the transcriptomic profiles of recently reported human embryo stage 8-cell-like cells with human embryos

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CHIBA UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: UNSUPERVISED CLUSTERING OF THE 8CLCS REPORTED BY FIVE INDEPENDENT RESEARCH GROUPS AND HUMAN PRE-IMPLANTATION EMBRYOS REVEALED THAT THE IBM CELLS REPORTED BY YOSHIHARA ET AL. WERE MOST SIMILAR TO THE 8-CELL-STAGE EMBRYOS, WHILE OTHER 8CLCS WERE HETEROGENOUS. view more 

CREDIT: THE AUTHORS HTTPS://WWW.CELL.COM/STEM-CELL-REPORTS/FULLTEXT/S2213-6711(23)00238-2

The onset of embryo-specific gene transcription, also known as embryonic genome activation (EGA), is a crucial step in the developmental journey of an organism. Although EGA has been studied to some extent in mice, human EGA remains largely unexplored, mainly due to the lack of novel in vitro cell models and ethical restrictions on the usage of human embryos. Thus, cell models resembling the human blastomere stage—when the embryo undergoes a cell duplication process—are necessary to study the earliest stages of human EGA and understand the events that occur during early embryonic development.

 

To enable such studies, five independent research groups recently developed different methods to produce human 8-cell-like cells (8CLCs)—a small subpopulation of cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)—closely resembling the 8-cell-stage embryo. Taubenschmid–Stowers et al. and Moya–Jódar et al. found 8CLCs from naive hPSCs under two different but specific culture conditions, while Mazid et al. optimized culture conditions to determine the existence of 8CLCs in naive hPSCs. Elsewhere, Yu et al. employed chemical screening to promote the conversion of pre-implantation epiblast-like hPSCs to 8CLCs. Yoshihara et al. reprogrammed induced blastomere-like (iBM) cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) by transient expression of DUX4, a transcription factor activated just after fertilization. Although all research groups identified these cells as 8CLCs using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), the extent of similarities or differences among these 8CLC populations remains unknown.

 

In a new study, Associate Professor Masahito Yoshihara from the Institute for Advanced Academic Research and Graduate School of Medicine at Chiba University, along with Professor Juha Kere from the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and University of Helsinki, Finland, set out to bridge this knowledge gap. They compared the transcriptomic profiles of the 8CLCs reported by the five research groups, including theirs, with each other and with 8-cell-stage blastomeres. Their findings were made available online on July 20, 2023, and published in Volume 18, Issue 8 of Stem Cell Reports journal on August 8, 2023.

 

For this comparison, the researchers first integrated the scRNA-seq data of the five developed 8CLCs with two datasets of human pre-implantation embryos—Petropoulos et al. and the Yan et al. datasets. The Yan et al. dataset included primed hESCs and embryos, while the Petropoulos et al. dataset included data from embryonic day three (8-cell stage) till day seven.

 

Statistical analysis of the successfully integrated data revealed that the iBM cells reprogrammed by Dr. Yoshihara and his team showed the highest similarity to the 8-cell-stage embryo across both datasets, while the other 8CLCs were heterogenous. These findings were reinforced by the cell type annotation of the 8CLCs using the scRNA-seq data of human pre-implantation embryos as references. 

 

Gene expression analysis of all 8CLCs revealed that EGA genes were highly expressed, with pluripotency gene expression being minimal in iBM cells. The other 8CLCs displayed higher expression of pluripotency genes. The researchers also found compelling evidence suggesting that the origin of 8CLCs, as well as their mode of reprogramming, might affect the final cell properties.

 

They anticipate that the present findings will trigger more extensive research in the early human embryonic development. As Dr. Yoshihara explains, “The developed cell models will enable us to study the earliest stages of human life without ethical concerns. In addition, reprogrammed cells overcome the constraint of limited study specimens, since they can be produced in large numbers at once.”

 

With further clarity on the mechanism of normal early human development, it may be possible to find new methods for understanding the causes of infertility and improving the success of in vitro fertilization.  

 

 

About Associate Professor Masahito Yoshihara

Dr. Masahito Yoshihara is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Advanced Academic Research and Graduate School of Medicine at Chiba University, Japan. He is also a Visiting Researcher at the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. He is actively involved in research on the elucidation of gene expression control mechanisms in disease onset by omics analyses. His research interests include stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, and ophthalmology. He has authored over 35 publications in reputed journals with almost 1,000 citations. 

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JOURNAL

Stem Cell Reports

DOI

10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.06.009 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

Transcriptomic differences between human 8-cell-like cells reprogrammed with different methods

 

SBQuantum to test quantum magnetometer in space - designed to map Earth’s magnetic field

Upgrading map of Earth’s magnetic field is vital for navigation of all aircraft, ships and other types of transport - the field Itself is shifting and must be measured more accurately and more often for safe navigation

Business Announcement

SBQUANTUM

 

IMAGE: CEO DAVID ROY-GUAY AND THE REST OF THE SBQUANTUM TEAM POINT TO WHERE THEIR FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND QUANTUM MAGNETOMETER WILL SOON BE TESTED. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO CREDIT TO "SBQUANTUM"

SHERBROOKE, Canada (September 21, 2023) – SBQuantum, the first company developing diamond quantum magnetometers capable of providing vector measurements of both the amplitude and the orientation of Earth's magnetic field, today announces it has been selected as a participant in the final phases of the MagQuest Challenge, along with its partner, Spire Global.

Led by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, MagQuest is a multi-million dollar competition to find more accurate and efficient ways to map the earth’s electromagnetic field, also known as the World Magnetic Model (WMM). Aircraft, ships, cars and trucks, along with billions of smartphone users rely on the WMM every day for navigational purposes. However, as shifts in the Earth’s magnetic field continue to accelerate, the WMM must be monitored more closely, and updated more often to ensure the model’s accuracy, while keeping people and goods flowing safely.

“It is an honor for us to be invited to participate in the final phase of this prestigious competition. We see this as a validation of our years of unwavering work in developing our diamond-powered quantum magnetometer and compensation algorithms,” said David Roy-Guay, CEO and Co-Founder of SBQuantum. “Testing the instrument in space represents a fantastic opportunity to show the entire industry what we have built, and to highlight the tremendous potential of quantum-enabled sensors not only for aerospace, but for various other industry verticals as well.”

The MagQuest Challenge resumes this month for its final phase, which includes testing of the 3 remaining solutions. SBQuantum’s offering combines its diamond-powered quantum magnetometer with a suite of reference sensors to train a machine learning algorithm, which compensates for magnetic field interference. The solution is designed to provide more accurate measurements of the WMM, with increased frequency than existing spaceborne applications. Furthermore, pre-test analysis indicates that the SBQuantum magnetometer will potentially provide stable and accurate readings for the WMM in excess of 10-times longer than today’s sensors.

“The MagQuest challenge is a prime example of how satellite technology plays a crucial role in powering technology and systems that each and every one of us use on a near-daily basis,” said Chuck Cash, Vice President of Federal Sales at Spire. “We’re proud to leverage Spire’s expertise in satellite technology and existing infrastructure for manufacturing, ground stations, and data processing with SBQuantum’s magnetometer technology to provide a novel and more accurate solution to collect geomagnetic data.”

SBQuantum’s diamond magnetometer leverages quantum properties to reduce drifts such as those induced by temperature constraints which can distort readings from today’s classical technologies. The diamond crystal contains four sensing axes in a very small volume at the atomic scale, and the amplitude and direction of its magnetic field measurements provides high accuracy with no blind spots. The device’s use of quantum effects also provides a greater accuracy than existing technologies. By applying a green laser and microwaves to the diamond, a red glow is generated which translates directly to the magnetic field vector measurements at the basis of the WMM.

The final phase of the MagQuest Challenge runs from September 2023, with a launch of all the finalists’ solutions into space for testing purposes, planned for mid-2025.

 

About SBQuantum

Founded and based in the quantum technology hub of Sherbrooke, Canada, SBQuantum is producing leading edge hardware in the field of quantum sensing, combined with advanced interpretation and compensation algorithms to bring magnetics to new heights. SBQ has obtained significant sums of non-dilutive financing to help propel it forward on its mission to bring to market the power of advanced sensors leveraging quantum effects. Its quantum magnetometer has already been tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as part of NASA Tournament Lab. Beyond testing its equipment in space via the MagQuest Challenge, the company also intends to bring its miniaturized sensors to unmanned vehicles and a range of other deployment scenarios today’s sensors cannot perform. For additional information, visit sbquantum.com.

 

E-cigarettes are not a gateway into smoking

Peer-Reviewed Publication

QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

The most comprehensive study to date investigating whether e-cigarettes are a gateway into or out of smoking finds that, at the population level, there is no sign that e-cigarettes and other alternative nicotine delivery products promote smoking.

The study, led by Queen Mary University of London and funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), also found some evidence that these products compete against cigarettes and so may be speeding up the demise of smoking, but this finding is only tentative and more data are needed to determine the size of this effect.

The study compared the time course of use and sales of electronic cigarettes with that of smoking rates and cigarette sales in countries with historically similar smoking trajectories, but differing current e-cigarette regulations. It compared the United Kingdom and United States with Australia, where sales of nicotine containing e-cigarettes are banned. It also looked at interactions between smoking and nicotine alternatives that are popular in other countries, including the use of oral nicotine pouches in Sweden and products that heat rather than burn tobacco in Japan and South Korea where they are widely used.

The decline in smokers in Australia has been slower than in the UK, and slower than in both the UK and the USA among young people and in lower socioeconomic groups. The decline in cigarette sales has also accelerated faster in the UK than in Australia. The increase in heated tobacco product sales in Japan was accompanied by a significant decrease in cigarette sales.

Researchers note that because people may use both cigarettes and alternative products, prevalence figures for these products overlap, and so longer time periods are needed to determine any effects of exclusive use of the new products on smoking prevalence. They also say that the indications that alternative nicotine products are replacing smoking – especially the size of this effect – need to be confirmed when more data become available. As further prevalence and sales data emerge, the analyses will become more informative.

Professor Peter Hajek, Director of Health and Lifestyle Research Unit, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, said:

"The results of this study alleviate the concern that access to e-cigarettes and other low-risk nicotine products promote smoking. There is no sign of that, and there are some signs that they in fact compete against cigarettes, but more data over a longer time period are needed to determine the size of this effect."

Co-author, Professor Lion Shahab, Co-Director of the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, said:

"This comprehensive analysis provides reassurance that countries which have adopted a more progressive stance towards e-cigarettes have not seen a detrimental impact on smoking rates. If anything, the results suggest that - more likely than not - e-cigarettes have displaced harmful cigarettes in those countries so far. However, as this is fast moving field, with new technologies entering the market every year, it remains important to continue monitoring national data."

Professor Brian Ferguson, Director of the Public Health Research Programme (NIHR) commented: 

"The initial findings from this study are valuable but no firm conclusions can be drawn yet. More research is needed in this area to understand further the impact that alternative nicotine delivery products, such as e-cigarettes, might have on smoking rates.”

This research, published in the journal Public Health Research, was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. 

END

NOTES FOR EDITORS

• Pesola F, Phillips-Waller A, Beard E, Shahab L, Sweanor D, Jarvis M, Hajek P. Effects of reduced-risk nicotine-delivery products on smoking prevalence and cigarette sales: the GIRO observational study. Public Health Res 2023;11(XX). https://doi.org/10.3310/RPDN7327
• For more information on this release, to receive a copy of the paper or to speak with the researcher, please contact Laurence Leong in Queen Mary’s press office: l.leong@qmul.ac.uk

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About the University of Ottawa 

Rooted in our bilingual and Francophone DNA, we are evolving at the intersection of many cultures. Located in Canada’s capital, a gateway to the world, we possess a unique platform to respond with energy, creativity, and scale to the global challenges and opportunities our world offers. With an active focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion, we will thrive like never before. 

Already in this new millennium we have rocketed into the top 1% of the world’s 20,000+ universities with our research reputation. We have doubled our enrolment with students from across Canada, as well as from 147 countries around the globe, choosing uOttawa. 

Our international influence is surging, with institutional partnerships in Europe, Asia and Africa multiplying rapidly – including membership in the U7 Alliance of world universities. 

Meanwhile our research and programs in Cybertech, health, science, social justice, sustainability, education, and entrepreneurship continue to impact communities across Canada and around the globe every single day. Our scientists and academicians are driving progress in ethical AI and technology development, in clean growth and innovation and in action- oriented research on aging, active and healthy living, lifelong learning, and well-being, to name but a few. 

At uOttawa we are driven by the urge to challenge the status quo, the will to make an impact, and the ambition to become a catalyst for change.

About The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:

· Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;

· Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;

· Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;

· Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;

· Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;

·  Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.

NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.

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JOURNAL

Public Health Research

Researchers discover potential treatment for nicotine dependence

Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy may reduce cigarette cravings

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA

New research from the University of Missouri School of Medicine suggests there may be another way to treat cigarette cravings. Researchers found that theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS) – strong, rapidly fluctuating magnetic field pulses that can affect brain activity – can lead to improved self-control, reduced cravings and as a result, less smoking.

People with nicotine dependence tend to have significant structural and functional differences in the brain, compared to healthy non-smokers. Smoking cigarettes has been shown to be associated with less grey matter, which means they have less neurons and other cells in the brain.

Research suggests these differences may affect inhibitory control (IC), which is our control over automatic urges and response to stimuli – what enables humans to stop an impulsive reaction to something.

“Having difficulties with IC may make it harder to avoid smoking when the urge arises, in response to all the cues and contexts in the environment that trigger the behavior to light a cigarette,” said lead author Brett Froeliger, PhD, professor of Psychiatry.

TBS refers to when magnetic pulses are applied to the brain in bursts of three and come in two forms: continuous TBS (cTBS) and intermittent TBS (iTBS). cTBS consists of applying these three bursts repeatedly for 40 seconds, whereas iTBS applies the same number of pulses irregularly for more than 190 seconds.

Magnetic stimulation has been used to treat other mental illnesses and disorders. cTBS has been experimentally tested to treat generalized anxiety disorder, whereas iTBS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – a part of your brain responsible for cognitive processes – is FDA-approved for treating major depressive disorder.

The study involved 37 participants, mostly in their late 40’s, and examined the effects of both cTBS and iTBS to the right inferior frontal gyrus, a brain region heavily involved with IC. Researchers found that cTBS improved IC, whereas both cTBS and iTBS reduced cravings and, subsequently, smoking.

“Identifying treatments that improve IC may help reduce smoking and can potentially help with preventing relapse following when a person attempts to quit smoking,” Froeliger said. “Treatments that improve IC may also help disrupt the cycle of drug use among individuals with other substance use disorders; however, further research is needed to examine the clinical value of TBS for treating substance use disorders.”

“Effects of Hyperdirect Pathway Theta-Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Inhibitory Control, Craving, and Smoking in Adults with Nicotine Dependence: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Trial” was recently published in Biological Psychiatry CNNI.

In addition to Froeliger, study authors include Muaid Ithman, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry; MU PhD student Spencer Upton; TBS technician and data analyst Alexander Brown and other researchers from the University of South Carolina and Stanford University. The authors claim no conflicts of interest.

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JOURNAL

Biological Psychiatry

DOI

10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.07.014 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Effects of Hyperdirect Pathway Theta-Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Inhibitory Control, Craving, and Smoking in Adults with Nicotine Dependence: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Trial