Tuesday, May 23, 2023

THERE IS ONLY THE WORKING CLASS

How intermittent feedback drives consumer impatience

THERE IS NO CONSUMER CLASS

News from the Journal of Consumer Psychology

SOCIETY FOR CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY

Researchers from Fudan University’s School of Management published a new paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that provides original insights about the impact different types of feedback consumers have on consumers’ psychological state.

Specifically, the research examines “piecemeal” feedback informing consumers of their progress or performance during each step of an online process such as making a purchase, playing a computer game, or customizing a product. The work compares intermittent feedback with “lump sum” feedback offered at the end of a process.

The article, recently published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, is authored by Haichao Lin, Qian Xu, and Liyin Jin and offers a deeper understanding of how external factors impact consumers’ internal experience. Previous research has focused on how feedback reinforces consumer behavior but not on how different types of feedback affect consumers’ mindset and subsequent actions.

The authors found that intermittent feedback helped consumers connect their actions to progress toward a goal. This association generated a sense of impatience compared to those who only received lump sum feedback at the completion of a goal. For example, piecemeal feedback such as “You have completed Step 1 in this customization, please proceed to Step 2…” provides consumers with the satisfaction of accomplishing an action. This reward boosts their motivation to quickly complete the next, generating greater impatience.

Through a series of five studies, the research team found that regular feedback forms a strong, reliable action-outcome association, spurring consumers to pursue prompt results in subsequent related or unrelated situations.

“This effect is robust regardless of whether the valence of feedback is positive or negative, whether the outcome involves gain or loss, and whether the form of feedback is monetary or informative,” the authors found.

The timing of piecemeal feedback is significant. The researchers discovered that piecemeal feedback increases consumer impatience only when it is provided at a fixed pace (rather than at a varied schedule) and immediately following specific behaviors that are directed toward action (rather than inaction).

The researchers propose several avenues for future research related to their findings including whether the effect of piecemeal feedback on consumer impatience holds if consumers are told beforehand about the feedback procedure. Given that the team measured consumer impatience immediately after receiving feedback, they suggest future studies could delay such measurement to explore how long the activated action–outcome persists.

Full article and author contact information available at https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcpy.1347

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About the Journal of Consumer Psychology

The Journal of Consumer Psychology publishes top-quality research articles that contribute both theoretically and empirically to our understanding of the psychology of consumer behavior. The Journal is intended for researchers in consumer psychology, social and cognitive psychology, judgment and decision making, and related disciplines. It is also relevant to professionals in advertising and public relations, marketing and branding, consumer and market research, and public policy. Published by the Society for Consumer Psychology since its founding in 1992, JCP has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the consumer psychology discipline. Dr. Lauren Block (Lippert Professor of Marketing at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College) serves as the current Editor-in-Chief.

About the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP)

The Society for Consumer Psychology is the premier voice to further the advancement of the discipline of consumer psychology in a global society. Building upon the Society's excellence in mentoring young behavioral scientists, the SCP facilitates the generation and dissemination of intellectual contributions and promotes professional development and research opportunities for its members around the globe. Dr. Tiffany White, Associate Professor of Business Administration and Bruce and Anne Strohm Faculty Fellow at Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, currently serves as the President.

JOURNAL

Journal of Consumer Psychology

DOI

10.1002/jcpy.1347

METHOD OF RESEARCH

News article

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Feedback-induced action–outcome associations increase consumer impatience

Why consumers forgo front-row seats: Sacrificing experience quality for togetherness

News from the Journal of Consumer Psychology

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SOCIETY FOR CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY

Researchers from, Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, Harvard University’s Harvard Business School, and University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, published a new paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that provides novel insights about how consumers make trade-offs between experience quality and togetherness.

The paper offers sheds new light on the choices people make when presented with the option of improving an activity separately (with first-class airline tickets, for example) or sharing that experience in nearby physical proximity with a “close other” such as a romantic partner, dear friend, or family member.

The article, “A desire to create shared memories increases consumers' willingness to sacrifice experience quality for togetherness,” recently published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, is authored by Ximena Garcia-Rada, Michael I. Norton, and Rebecca K. Ratner.

The research team found that consumers prioritize physical togetherness with relationship partners over opportunities that would improve an experience in real time. For instance, a couple in a movie theater would choose to sit together in the front row, craning their necks, rather than take two non-adjacent seats in rows with better views for both. A desire to “create shared memories” drives this behavior, according to a pilot study and five experiments conducted by the team. This dynamic is more pronounced when a consumer and their partner are offered “asymmetrical” or different experience qualities – with one person receiving a better quality option than the other. In contrast, the authors found that people are less likely to sacrifice experience quality when they are with someone to whom they do not feel close.

In one experiment conducted in a university behavioral lab, the authors discovered that students chose to eat two chocolates together with a friend rather than four chocolates they each could consume apart. In another study, more participants chose two adjacent seats very far from the stage over two non-adjacent seats close to the stage when asked to imagine attending a Cirque du Soleil performance with a close friend as opposed to a casual acquaintance.

In marketing-based experiment, the team found that framing an activity as functional rather than pleasurable increased the likelihood that close partners would choose a higher-quality experience over togetherness. Specifically, to some participants, researchers described a train ride as a fun part of an excursion. To others, they positioned it as a utilitarian part of an excursion that would get them to their destination.

“More participants accepted a free upgrade – even though it would require sitting apart from their companion -- when they perceived the activity as utilitarian, because they cared less about creating shared memories during the train ride,” the authors said.

These findings convey important insights for marketers seeking to fill airplanes, concert halls, amusement parks and other consumer experiences.

Additionally, the authors suggest “marketers can increase uptake by reassuring consumers that they can create shared memories even if apart.”

Full article and author contact information available at: https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcpy.1352

About the Journal of Consumer Psychology

About the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP)

JOURNAL

Journal of Consumer Psychology

DOI

10.1002/jcpy.1352

METHOD OF RESEARCH

News article

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

A desire to create shared memories increases consumers' willingness to sacrifice experience quality for togetherness

Unpacking consumer research: identifying trends, emerging topics, and key insights

News from the Journal of Consumer Psychology

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SOCIETY FOR CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY

Researchers from Newcastle Business School, The University of Newcastle, and UNSW Business School, University of New South Wales, published a new paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that provides a comprehensive review of consumer research journals from both marketing and non-marketing disciplines.

By identifying gaps in the literature, the paper offers guidance for those seeking to further progress consumer research.

The article, recently published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, “’Inside’ versus ‘outside’ trends in consumer research,” is authored by Edwin Camilleri, Nitika Garg, Shah Jahan Miah.

A thriving field of study, consumer research provides relevant source material on vast range of issues studied across multiple disciplines, including choice and decision processes, lifestyle and culture, health and wellness, and existing and new technologies. Previous reviews of consumer research focused exclusively on journals, articles, and authors in the marketing field -- but not on the impact or citation frequency of specific topics from both “inside” and “outside” the marketing field.

The authors identified emerging, declining and the most impactful topics in both between 1999 and 2019. Based on a review of literature during that period, the authors found that non-marketing journals focusing on consumer research has continually increased, particularly since 2055, while the number of marketing journals publishing consumer research has remained relatively consistent.

Through a five-step process of data collection, topic modeling and analysis, the team discovered that several topics from non-marketing disciplines have grown significantly in terms of coverage and citations. For example, topics such as food waste, technology, and sustainability reflect emerging contemporary issues pertinent to consumers. Marketing scholars have taken interest and are applying various marketing concepts and theories to these subjects, adding fresh scholarship to the field.

The authors propose topics for future research based on subjects common “inside” consumer psychology literature that haven’t yet been explored in relation to the topics of emerging interest in other fields. These “gaps” include Self-Regulation, Consumption Experience and Giving Behavior.

The authors also identified the Journal of Consumer Psychology and the Journal of Consumer Research as two of the elite marketing (FT50) journals at the forefront of cutting-edge consumer psychology research.

Given that the study concluded in 2019, the authors note that marketing scholars are also now considering a range of consumer relevant issues in the wake of the pandemic, which will add additional breadth and stimulating new perspectives to the field.

Full article and author contact information available at https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcpy.1349

About the Journal of Consumer Psychology

About the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP)

JOURNAL

Journal of Consumer Psychology

DOI

10.1002/jcpy.1349

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Meta-analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

“Inside” versus “outside” trends in consumer research

Study points out errors in illustrations of one of the most famous scientific experiments

Described by Benjamin Franklin in the mid-eighteenth century, the kite experiment was an important step toward our modern understanding of electricity, but the pictures that popularized this episode are full of inaccuracies

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

The kite experiment — IMAGE: HAND-COLORED LITHOGRAPH PUBLISHED BY CURRIER & IVES IN 1876. THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST WIDELY DISTRIBUTED ILLUSTRATION OF THE EXPERIMENT. FRANKLIN IS WRONGLY SHOWN TO BE HOLDING THE STRING IN ONE HAND ABOVE THE POINT TO WHICH THE KEY IS ATTACHED. HAD HE DONE SO, HE WOULD HAVE EARTHED THE KITE, AND THE EXPERIMENT WOULD NOT HAVE WORKED view more
CREDIT: BEQUEST OF A. S. COLGATE, 1962

Illustrations of scientific experiments play a fundamental role in both science education and the dissemination of scientific knowledge to the general public. Confirming the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” these depictions of famous experiments remain in the minds of those who study them and become definitive versions of the scientific process. Archimedes in the bath discovering the law of buoyancy; Newton refracting sunlight with a prism and defining the principles of modern optics; Mendel cultivating peas and laying the foundations of genetics – these are just a few well-known examples.

Many of these depictions convey false information, either because the experiments never actually happened or because they were performed quite differently. People who try to reproduce them on the basis of what the illustrations depict might not get any results at all or could even face dangerous consequences.

A study supported by FAPESP and conducted by Breno Arsioli Moura, a researcher at the Federal University of the ABC (UFABC) in São Paulo state, Brazil, investigated depictions of one of these famous experiments, in which Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) flew a kite to draw electricity from a thundercloud.

An article on the study is published in the journal Science & Education.

Franklin was one of the leaders of the American Revolution and the first United States Ambassador to France. He was a Deist, a Freemason, and one of the most renowned personifications of the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century. His many interests included religion, philosophy, politics, and moral and social reform, and he was one of the foremost inventors and scientists of his time. “The kite experiment is Franklin’s most famous scientific achievement. In the article I analyze seven illustrations of the event published later on, in the nineteenth century,” Moura told Agência FAPESP.

In fact, he added, the kite experiment was designed to be a simpler version of another experiment Franklin thought up in 1750 and which is now known as the “sentry box” experiment. “A kind of sentry box was to be set up on top of a tower, steeple or hill, and a man would stand inside it on an insulating dais made of wax, with a long, sharply pointed iron rod measuring some 10 meters inserted into it [see the first figure in the gallery at the bottom of this page]. Franklin expected the tip of the rod to ‘draw fire’ from the clouds. If the experimenter brought his knuckles close to the bottom of the rod, he would produce sparks,” Moura said. “It’s important to note two things. The experiment wasn’t to be performed during a storm to take advantage of lightning strikes, and the rod wasn’t to be earthed but anchored by the insulating stand so that all the electricity extracted would be stored in it.”

Franklin’s proposal stayed on paper until a highly similar experiment was performed by French researchers in 1752. Its success drew even more international attention to his work on electricity. “When he heard about the French experiment, Franklin wrote to a correspondent in England that a simpler version of the experiment had been performed in Philadelphia, where he lived. This was in fact the kite experiment,” Moura said.

The kite consisted of a “small cross made of two light strips of cedar, the arms so long as to reach to the four corners of a large thin silk handkerchief when extended”, Franklin wrote. A “very sharp-pointed wire” was tied to the “top of the upper stick of the cross, rising a foot or more above the wood”. The principle was the same as in the sentry box proposal. A key was fastened to the end of a silk ribbon, which in turn was tied to the end of the string (silk is an insulator).

“The experimenter held the apparatus by the silk ribbon so that electricity drawn down ‘silently’ from the clouds by the kite and conveyed along the string was stored in the key. As in the sentry box experiment, the kite was insulated, not earthed. By approaching a finger or knuckle, the experimenter could draw sparks,” Moura explained.

Like other eighteenth-century natural philosophers, Franklin thought of electricity as a fluid built up and then discharged, flowing from one place to another. This fluid could be obtained in the laboratory by rubbing a glass tube with a piece of leather and stored in a Leyden jar, invented in mid-century by Dutch scientists. The general idea behind the sentry box and kite experiments was to show that the fluid could also be drawn from the clouds. Franklin was fascinated by the physics of cloud electrification and other aspects of meteorology.

For example, he thought seawater was full of electric fluid, and that when it evaporated to form storms high above the ocean, it took this fluid with it, so that the clouds were full of electricity.

“In Franklin’s writings, there are no details showing whether he or someone else performed the experiment, but it does appear to have taken place. Another account of the experiment was produced 15 years later, in 1767, in a book by Joseph Priestley entitled The History and Present State of Electricity. Franklin helped Priestley obtain materials for the book and is therefore assumed to have agreed with its contents. Priestley’s account is far more detailed and includes participation in the experiment by Franklin’s son. However, it differs from the original 1752 account on several points,” Moura said.

In his study of the illustrations depicting Franklin’s kite experiment, Moura argues that they were based on Priestley’s account. Many show Franklin with his son as a small boy even though at the time he was actually 21. Some also contain more important errors. “Many show the experiment being performed in the open air even though Franklin specified that the experimenter must be in a ‘door or window, or under some cover, so that the silk ribbon may not be wet’, which would make it conductive. In most cases, the kite is being struck by lightning, or lightning bolts are very near it, although Franklin did not want to draw a lightning strike down upon himself. Most illustrations don’t show the silk ribbon that was meant to insulate the kite. Franklin simply holds the string. If that had been the case, he would have earthed the kite and ruined the experiment. One illustration shows Franklin holding the key near or on the string, which isn’t warranted by any account,” Moura said.

The illustrations should not be used indiscriminately, especially in science classes, he argued. They embody messages that can be construed in a confusing or wrong manner, both historically and scientifically, if they are not treated critically. As noted at the outset, the images stay in the mind of the viewer and any errors they foster are hard to eradicate.

JOURNAL

Science & Education

DOI

10.1007/s11191-023-00421-y

ARTICLE TITLE

Picturing Benjamin Franklin’s Kite Experiment in the Nineteenth Century

LET'S GET OVER OURSELVES

Humans are unique but not exceptional species of mammal

UC Davis study looks at reproductive inequality in humans compared to other species

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - DAVIS

In modern society, one parent may take a daughter to ballet class and fix dinner so the other parent can get to exercise class before picking up the son from soccer practice. To an observer, they seem to be cooperating in their very busy, co-parenting, monogamous relationship.

These people may think they are part of an evolved society different from the other mammals that inhabit earth. But their day-to-day behavior and child-rearing habits are not much different than other mammals who hunt, forage for food, and rear and teach their children, researchers suggest.

“For a long time it has been argued that humans are an exceptional, egalitarian species compared to other mammals,” said Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, professor emerita of anthropology at the University of California, Davis, and corresponding author of a new study. But, she said, this exceptionalism may have been exaggerated.

“Humans appear to resemble mammals that live in monogamous partnerships and to some extent, those classified as cooperative breeders, where breeding individuals have to rely on the help of others to raise their offspring,” she said.

The UC Davis-led study, with more than 100 researchers collaborating from several institutions throughout the world, is the first to look at whether human males are more egalitarian than are males among other mammals, focusing on the numbers of offspring they produce.

The article, “Reproductive inequality in humans and other mammals,” was published this week (May 22) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Co-authors include researchers from UC Davis, The Santa Fe Institute, the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany.

The researchers amassed data from 90 human populations comprising 80,223 individuals from many parts of the world — both historical and contemporary. They compared the records for men and women to lifetime data for 45 different nonhuman, free-ranging mammals.

The researchers found that humans are by no means exceptional, merely another unique species of mammal. Furthermore, as first author Cody Ross, former UC Davis graduate student in the Department of Anthropology now at the Max Planck Institute, points out “we can quite successfully model reproductive inequality in humans and nonhumans using the same predictors.”

Egalitarianism in polygynous societies

Somewhat unexpectedly, when focusing specifically on women, the researchers found greater reproductive egalitarianism in societies that allow for polygynous marriage than in those where monogamous marriage prevails. In polygynous systems, in which men take several wives at the same time, women tend to have more equal access to resources, such as land, food and shelter — and parenting help. This is because women, or their parents on their behalf, favor polygynous marriages with wealthy men who have more resources to share.

Researchers observed something else in their work.

“It turns out that monogamous mating (and marriage) can drive significant inequalities among women,” Borgerhoff Mulder said. Monogamy, practiced in agricultural and market economies, can promote large differences in the number of children couples produce, researchers found, resulting from large differences in wealth in such economies.

How humans may differ

The fact men are relatively egalitarian compared to other animals reflects our patterns of child rearing. Human children are heavily dependent on the care and resources provided by both mothers and fathers — a factor that is unusual, but not completely absent — in other mammals, researchers said.

The critical importance of the complementary nature of this care — that that each parent provides different and often non-substitutable resources and care throughout long human childhoods — is why we don’t show the huge reproductive variability seen in some of the great apes, said researcher Paul Hooper, from the University of New Mexico.

To support these inferences, however, anthropologists need more empirical data. “In short, the importance of biparental care is grounded in our model, but needs further testing,” Borgerhoff Mulder said.

JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2220124120

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Reproductive inequality in humans and other mammals

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

22-May-2023

Skin patch shows promise for toddlers with peanut allergy

Lurie Children’s clinical trials program for food allergies contributed to global study

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ANN & ROBERT H. LURIE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF CHICAGO

A global phase 3 clinical trial that included Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago found that a year-long immunotherapy through a skin patch safely desensitized toddlers with peanut allergy, lowering the risk of a severe allergic reaction from accidental exposure. Results of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial for children 1-3 years of age, funded by DBV Technologies, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“We were excited to contribute to this landmark study that carries so much promise for our young patients with peanut allergy,” said co-author Melanie Makhija, MD, who was the Principal Investigator of the study at Lurie Children’s and is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Children who originally reacted to a small fraction of a peanut were able to tolerate the equivalent of one to four peanuts after completing the treatment course. This means that these children will be well protected from accidental exposure to peanuts. Importantly, we found that the peanut patch was safe, with very low chances of a severe allergic reaction. This is terrific news for families of kids with peanut allergies.”

Peanut allergy affects approximately 2 percent of children in the United States, Canada and other westernized countries, and it commonly persists into adulthood. Life-threatening allergic reactions can be triggered by unintentional exposure to minute quantities, including through products manufactured on shared equipment as peanuts. Currently, there are no approved treatments for peanut-allergic children younger than 4 years of age.

Since 2012, the clinical trials program for food allergies at Lurie Children’s has enrolled patients on numerous studies of novel treatments, including the oral immunotherapy for peanuts that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ongoing trials are available for all age groups, from infancy to young adulthood. The program is led by Principal Investigators Elizabeth Lippner, MD, and Abigail Lang, MD, MSCI. For information on the available clinical trials for food allergies, please contact the program at 312.227.6474 or AllergyResearchNurse@luriechildrens.org.

Research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. The Manne Research Institute is focused on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Lurie Children’s is a nonprofit organization committed to providing access to exceptional care for every child. It is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Lurie Children’s is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

JOURNAL

New England Journal of Medicine

ARTICLE TITLE

Phase 3 Trial of Epicutaneous Immunotherapy in Toddlers with Peanut Allergy

UC San Diego first to test cancer drugs in space using private astronaut mission

The latest space experiments will explore leukemia, breast cancer and colorectal cancer, and also monitor astronauts’ stem cell health over time

Business Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN DIEGO

Researcher — IMAGE: RESEARCHERS AT THE UC SAN DIEGO SANFORD STEM CELL INSTITUTE EVALUATE CELL SAMPLES AFTER THEY HAVE RETURNED FROM LOW EARTH ORBIT. view more
CREDIT: UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH SCIENCES

On May 21, 2023, scientists at University of California San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute launched several new nanobioreactor experiments onto the International Space Station (ISS) via the second Axiom Space Private Astronaut Mission, Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2). The latest experiments expand their research on human stem cell aging, inflammation and cancer in low Earth orbit.

Increasing evidence shows that microgravity conditions can accelerate aging, inflammation and immune dysfunction in human stem cells. Understanding this process is not only helpful for keeping astronauts healthy — it could also teach us how to better treat cancer on Earth.

During Axiom Space’s first Private Astronaut Mission, Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the researchers discovered that in low Earth orbit, cancer stem cells appeared to regenerate more easily and become more resistant to standard therapies. The Ax-2 mission will now determine if two inhibitory drugs can reverse the regeneration in an organoid model of breast cancer. Another line of experiments will track the health of astronauts’ blood stem cells before, during and after spaceflight to evaluate the effects of the space environment on stem cell aging, immune function and cancer stem cell generation.

These projects are part of the NASA-funded Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR) Center, a collaboration between UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute, JM Foundation and Axiom Space. The experiments will take place over 10 days in orbit, with subsequent data collection and analysis performed at UC San Diego.

“Space is a uniquely stressful environment,” said Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Koman Family Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at UC San Diego Health and director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute. “By conducting these experiments in low Earth orbit, we are able to understand mechanisms of cancer evolution in a compressed time frame and inform the development of new cancer stem cell inhibitory strategies.”

The findings will inform the development of predictive models for cancer and immune dysfunction-related diseases and could lead to the development of new drugs to prevent or treat these conditions during space exploration and here on Earth.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity with our private astronaut missions to advance this important work, aligned with the White House Cancer Moonshot initiatives,” said Christian Maender, executive vice president of in-space solutions at Axiom Space. “Our mission is to improve life on Earth and foster the possibilities beyond by building and operating the world’s first commercial space station. Together with the Sanford Stem Cell Institute team, we are building history.”

Cancer in Low Earth Orbit

In UC San Diego’s initial experiments under the ISSCOR program, the researchers sent blood stem cells aboard the ISS across four launches and found that several pre-cancerous markers were elevated after one month in space. Of particular note was the activation of APOBEC3C and ADAR1, two enzymes that edit DNA and RNA, respectively, and promote cancer proliferation and immune evasion.

The researchers will now build on these initial findings during the Ax-2 mission, led by Jamieson and her collaborators Sheldon Morris, MD, PhD, and Ludmil Alexandrov, PhD, both associate professors at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

In the latest launch, the scientists have sent tumor organoid models of leukemia, colorectal and breast cancer into low Earth orbit, where the microgravity conditions will accelerate insights into how cancers adopt stem cell properties that make them resistant to standard therapy, including dormancy, regeneration and longevity. The researchers will also test two ADAR1 inhibitors, Fedratinib and Rebecsinib, to see if the drugs can reverse the process of malignant regeneration and potentially prevent cancer progression. These experiments mark the start of a developing program at the Sanford Stem Cell Institute to expand stem cell translational research and drug discovery in space.

Space Hematopoietic Stem Cell Aging

A second longitudinal study will monitor the health of astronauts’ stem cells over time to learn how they are affected by spaceflight. Blood samples will be collected from the crew members before, during and immediately after the mission, with up to five years of annual follow-ups after the trip.

The scientists will assess the activity of DNA and RNA-editing enzymes such as APOBEC3C and ADAR1 in the blood stem cells and cancer organoids. Dysregulation of these enzymes has been linked to immune dysfunction and potential pre-cancer changes, so understanding when and how they become perturbed in the astronauts will allow researchers to develop potential countermeasures.

“With the growing support of NASA, philanthropic funders and our partners in commercial spaceflight, this is just the beginning of a long line of exciting and impactful health science advances that will be enabled by space,” said Jamieson.

Research favors testing and voluntary isolation over closures in disease outbreaks

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING

Regular diagnostic testing and self-isolation can be more effective than school and business closures when it comes to combating infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, according to a new study by University of Wyoming researchers.

The findings appear today (Monday) in Scientific Reports, an online, open access journal from the publishers of Nature.

UW Department of Economics faculty members Stephen Newbold, David Finnoff, Jason Shogren and Linda Thunstrom, along with recent Ph.D. graduate Madison Ashworth, developed an epidemiological and economic model to compare the effectiveness of physical distancing mandates with policies encouraging regular testing and self-isolation to combat an emerging pandemic. They found that, in most scenarios considered, a random testing strategy would outperform a physical distancing strategy for mitigating COVID-19 or similar diseases.

“The United States initially attempted to combat the spread of (COVID-19) using a portfolio of controls that is heavy on physical distancing and masks and light on regular diagnostic testing with self-isolation,” the researchers wrote, noting that the former included work-from-home requirements, school and business closures, and travel restrictions. “However, these same measures also have led to reduced employment, lost earnings and a variety of adverse physical and mental health impacts due to withdrawing from economic activities and curtailing social interactions for long periods.”

While a number of researchers and public health experts have conducted studies suggesting testing and self-isolation would be more effective than large-scale shutdowns, the UW study is the first to take into account the concept of “superspreading” -- in which a large share of people are exposed to a pathogen by a small number of infected individuals.

The UW researchers also used a wide variety of model variations looking at both economic benefits and costs, and health outcomes, of the two approaches to combating a disease outbreak. The study took into account diagnostic test error rates, self-isolation compliance rates, the cost of testing and lost economic productivity from physical distancing or isolation.

The researchers acknowledge that there is no clear answer to whether government policy in the event of an outbreak should focus on suppressing the disease through aggressive actions or slowing the spread through less aggressive measures -- apparently subtle differences can lead to one approach performing better than the other in any given case.

The main implications of the study, however, centered on the relative performance of physical distancing vs. testing.

“We found that for an epidemic similar to the ancestral strain of SARS-CoV-2, an optimized strategy of random testing with voluntary self-isolation can deliver higher net benefits than a physical distancing strategy over a wide range of plausible conditions in our model,” the economists wrote, adding that incorporating the concept of superspreading makes the testing-isolation approach even more effective than physical-distancing mandates.

JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-023-35083-x

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Physical distancing versus testing with self-isolation for controlling an emerging epidemic

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

22-May-2023

BOILERS USED IN OIL FIELDS USE BRACKISH WATER

Researchers examine cooling power plants with brackish groundwater

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING

A new analysis led by a University of Wyoming researcher shows that brackish or salty groundwater has the potential to replace fresh water to cool coal- and natural gas-fired power plants and strengthen resilience in the energy infrastructure, although there’s a cost associated with doing so.

With freshwater supplies threatened due to drought, climate change and rapid socioeconomic growth, water competition is increasing between the electric power sector and other sectors. While transitioning to a low-carbon energy future, decarbonization of fossil fuel-fired power plants by carbon capture and storage would significantly increase water consumption and exacerbate water competition. Water challenges drive power plant operators to explore alternative water sources.

“Nontraditional water sources can be deployed to help cope with climate-induced water risks and tackle the increasing water demand for decarbonization of fossil fuel-fired power plants,” wrote the research team, led by Haibo Zhai, UW’s Roy and Caryl Cline Distinguished Chair in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. “Treatment of brackish groundwater for thermoelectric generation cooling can help alleviate potential competition for freshwater resources among various sectors in water-stressed regions.”

The research appears in the journal Nature Water, with Zhai’s UW Ph.D. student, Zitao Wu, as the lead author of the paper. Other contributors are from the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, Pa. This journal publishes the best research on the evolving relation between water and society. It’s the second paper of a multiyear project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy; the first paper, published last year in the journal Applied Energy, examined the possibility of switching from water cooling towers to dry cooling systems at fossil fuel-fired plants.

Removing excess dissolved salts and minerals from brackish water can itself be energy intensive and produce concentrated brines requiring disposal. A method called zero liquid discharge minimizes environmental impacts of desalination but is particularly costly.

The researchers examined the technical and economic feasibility of multiple desalination processes. They also estimated how much fresh water would be saved as a result of treating brackish water for power plant cooling, and they evaluated the cost-effectiveness of brackish water treatment retrofits -- and the impact on the net generating capacity of power plants. They concluded that retrofitting power plants to treat brackish groundwater could nearly eliminate the use of fresh water but would increase the cost of electricity generation by 8 percent to 10 percent.

“Our study reveals trade-offs in freshwater savings, cost and generating capacity shortfalls from desalination deployment,” Wu says.

The researchers call for further development of technologies to treat brackish water, along with exploration of using other nontraditional water sources for cooling of power plants. Those include treated municipal wastewater, as well as water produced from oil and gas extraction and carbon dioxide storage reservoirs.

The trade-offs identified for various nontraditional water sources will fill knowledge gaps to better inform water-for-energy decisions and management, the researchers say.

JOURNAL

Nature Water

DOI

10.1038/s44221-023-00072-x

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Treatment of brackish water for fossil power plant cooling

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

22-May-2023