Evaluating young adult voter decision-making involvement within a compulsory political system

Purpose - This study aims to specifically focus on the lower-involvement young adult voters within the Australian compulsory voting context. It explores voters’ political decision-making by considering the influence of the consumer behaviour theory of involvement. Design/methodology/approach - A thematic analysis was conducted to analyse the interviews within the two research questions: information seeking and decision-making. Findings - Key themes within information seeking are the reach of the information available, the frequency of the information presented, the creativity of the message and one-way versus two-way communication. Key themes within evaluation are promise keeping/trust, achievements or performance and policies. Lower-involvement decision-making has the potential to be a habitual, limited evaluation decision. However, issues of trust, performance and policies may encourage evaluation, thereby reducing the chances of habitually voting for the same party as before. Practical implications - This new area of research has implications for the application of marketing for organisations and political marketing theory. Considering voting decision-making as a lower-involvement decision has implications for assisting the creation and adaptation of strategies to focus on this group of the population. Originality/value - The compulsory voting environment creates a unique situation to study lower-involvement decision-making, as these young adults are less likely to opt out of the voting process. Previous research in political marketing has not specifically explored the application of involvement to young adult voting within a compulsory voting environment.

Sodium ion dynamics in a sulfonate based ionomer system studied by 23Na solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and impedance spectroscopy

A poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane-sulphonate) (PAMPS) ionomer containing both sodium and quaternary ammonium cations functionalised with an ether group, has been characterised in terms of its thermal properties, ionic conductivity and sodium ion dynamics. The ether oxygen was incorporated to reduce the Na+ association with the anionic sulfonate groups tethered to the polymer backbone, thereby promoting ion dissociation and ultimately enhancing the ionic conductivity. This functionalised ammonium cation led to a significant reduction in the ionomer Tg compared to an analogue system without an ether group, resulting in an increase in ionic conductivity of approximately four orders of magnitude. The sodium ion dynamics were probed by 23Na solid-state NMR, which allowed the signals from the dissociated (mobile) and bound Na+ cations to be distinguished. This demonstrates the utility of 23Na solid-state NMR as a probe of sodium dynamics in ionomer systems.

Effect of lactoferrin protein on red blood cells and macrophages: mechanism of parasite-host interaction

BACKGROUND: Lactoferrin is a natural multifunctional protein known to have antitumor, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity. Apart from its antimicrobial effects, lactoferrin is known to boost the immune response by enhancing antioxidants. Lactoferrin exists in various forms depending on its iron saturation. The present study was done to observe the effect of lactoferrin, isolated from bovine and buffalo colostrum, on red blood cells (RBCs) and macrophages (human monocytic cell line-derived macrophages THP1 cells). METHODS: Lactoferrin obtained from both species and in different iron saturation forms were used in the present study, and treatment of host cells were given with different forms of lactoferrin at different concentrations. These treated host cells were used for various studies, including morphometric analysis, viability by MTT assay, survivin gene expression, production of reactive oxygen species, phagocytic properties, invasion assay, and Toll-like receptor-4, Toll-like receptor-9, and MDR1 expression, to investigate the interaction between lactoferrin and host cells and the possible mechanism of action with regard to parasitic infections. RESULTS: The mechanism of interaction between host cells and lactoferrin have shown various aspects of gene expression and cellular activity depending on the degree of iron saturation of lactoferrin. A significant increase (P<0.05) in production of reactive oxygen species, phagocytic activity, and Toll-like receptor expression was observed in host cells incubated with iron-saturated lactoferrin when compared with an untreated control group. However, there was no significant (P>0.05) change in percentage viability in the different groups of host cells treated, and no downregulation of survivin gene expression was found at 48 hours post-incubation. Upregulation of the Toll-like receptor and downregulation of the P-gp gene confirmed the immunomodulatory potential of lactoferrin protein. CONCLUSION: The present study details the interaction between lactoferrin and parasite host cells, ie, RBCs and macrophages, using various cellular processes and expression studies. The study reveals the possible mechanism of action against various intracellular pathogens such as Toxoplasma, Plasmodium, Leishmania, Trypanosoma, and Mycobacterium. The presence of iron in lactoferrin plays an important role in enhancing the various activities taking place inside these cells. This work provides a lot of information about targeting lactoferrin against many parasitic infections which can rule out the exact pathways for inhibition of diseases caused by intracellular microbes mainly targeting RBCs and macrophages for their survival. Therefore, this initial study can serve as a baseline for further evaluation of the mechanism of action of lactoferrin against parasitic diseases, which is not fully understood to date.

Hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis and sympatho-adrenal medullary system responses to psychological stress were not attenuated in women with elevated physical fitness levels

It is not clear if higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with lower hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and sympatho-adrenal medullary (SAM) system reactivity to psychological stress in women. The association between cardio-metabolic risk markers and acute physiological responses to psychological stress in women who differ in their cardiorespiratory fitness status has also not been investigated. Women with high (n = 22) and low (n = 22) levels of fitness aged 30-50 years (in the mid-follicular phase of the menstrual cycle) were subjected to a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) at 1500 h. Plasma concentrations of cortisol, adrenaline (Adr), noradrenaline (NA), and dopamine (DA) were measured in samples collected every 7-15 min from 1400 to 1700 h. Heart rate and blood pressure were measured at the same time points. Low-fit women had elevated serum triglyceride, cholesterol/HDL ratio, fasting glucose, and HOMA-IR levels compared with high-fit women. While cortisol, Adr, NA, HR, and blood pressure all demonstrated a significant response to the TSST, the responses of these variables did not differ significantly between high- and low-fit women in response to the TSST. Dopamine reactivity was significantly higher in the low-fit women compared with high-fit women. There was also a significant negative correlation between VO2 max and DA reactivity. These findings suggest that, for low-fit women aged 30-50 years, the response of HPA axis and SAM system to a potent acute psychological stressor is not compromised compared to that in high-fit women.