A qualitative exploration of consumers’ perceived impacts, behavioural reactions, and future reflections of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (2017) as applied to electronic cigarettes

Background: Electronic cigarette regulations included in the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), Article 20, implemented in Europe by May 2017, aimed to improve safety for e-cigarette consumers, and prevent uptake among non-smokers, particularly young people. Before implementation, there were significant concerns from consumers, industry, and some in the scientific community about the potential negative impact of the TPD on people using e-cigarettes to stay stopped from smoking. To date, there is limited evidence on how the TPD has affected consumers. This study aimed to add insight into how consumers perceived and experienced the regulations. Methods: Qualitative data, collected between March 2018 and March 2019, relating to participant views of the TPD were extracted from 160 interviews/extended surveys of e-cigarette consumers as part of a wider study into e-cigarette use trajectories (ECtra study). Data were thematically analysed. Results: Awareness of the TPD amongst consumers was not universal. Participants’ smoking behaviour did not appear to be influenced by the legislation. Participants were reassured by manufacturing regulations and requirements for ingredients labels. Participants responded negatively to changes perceived to cause inconvenience and extra plastic waste. The product restrictions prompted some participants to purchase non-compliant products illegally, potentially putting their safety at risk. Conclusions: E-cigarette regulation should focus on ensuring product safety. Raising awareness of the TPD amongst consumers and smokers could be beneficial

K vacancy production in medium-Z heavy ion collisions

During slow encounters between projectile and target atoms, the electronic atomic wave functions of the two collision partners distort and form molecular orbitals (MOs). K vacancy formation in slow heavy-ion collisions, which occur when electrons are excited out of the 2psigma and 1ssigma MOs, is considered. Experimental work using 200 MeV Kr ions is described. The main interest is the excitation of electrons from the 1ssigma MO. The 1ssigma vacancy production is only observed in very asymmetric collisions: as Kr K x rays in encounters with target atoms between H and Ar, and as target K x rays in encounters with atoms between Ce and U. Theoretical approximate calculations of 1ssigma ionization cross sections are described. (JFP

Size-biased dispersal prior to breeding in a damselfly

Dispersal is notoriously difficult to measure, so its potential population consequences are often unknown. If dispersal is density-dependent, it can act in population regulation. Adult damselflies Enallagma boreale (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) raised as larvae under a range of competitive regimes were individually measured and marked. Individuals that survived to reproductive maturity were either recovered at the natal pond or had dispersed to nearby water bodies. Dispersing individuals were heavier at emergence than those returning to the natal pond to breed. Therefore, an increased probability of dispersal does not appear to be a response to poor conditions in this species.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47786/1/442_2004_Article_BF00317564.pd

Nation branding: what is being branded?

Nation branding and nation brand are two different concepts. A nation has a brand image with or without nation branding. This paper examines the concept of nation branding, focusing on the central question of what is being branded. It differentiates nation branding from product branding, and draws comparisons between nation branding and product-country image. Paradoxical issues around the concept and the wider context in which nation branding can be applied are also discussed. More research is needed to find out if and how nation branding could help the economic development in a country. As many other non-marketing factors also affect a nation’s image the role played by nation branding may turn out to be only a modest one

Rodent malaria-resistant strains of the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, have slower population growth than -susceptible strains

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Trade-offs between anti-parasite defence mechanisms and other life history traits limit the evolution of host resistance to parasites and have important implications for understanding diseases such as malaria. Mosquitoes have not evolved complete resistance to malaria parasites and one hypothesis is that anti-malaria defence mechanisms are costly.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used matrix population models to compare the population growth rates among lines of <it>Anopheles gambiae </it>that had been selected for resistance or high susceptibility to the rodent malaria parasite, <it>Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis</it>. The population growth rate of the resistant line was significantly lower than that of the highly susceptible and the unselected control lines, regardless of whether mosquitoes were infected with <it>Plasmodium </it>or not. The lower population growth of malaria-resistant mosquitoes was caused by reduced post blood-feeding survival of females and poor egg hatching.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>With respect to eradicating malaria, the strategy of releasing <it>Plasmodium</it>-resistant <it>Anopheles </it>mosquitoes is unlikely to be successful if the costs of <it>Plasmodium</it>-resistance in the field are as great as the ones measured in this study. High densities of malaria-resistant mosquitoes would have to be maintained by continuous release from captive breeding facilities.</p

Some exact analytical results and a semi-empirical formula for single electron ionization induced by ultrarelativistic heavy ions

The delta function gauge of the electromagnetic potential allows semiclassical formulas to be obtained for the probability of exciting a single electron out of the ground state in an ultrarelativistic heavy ion reaction. Exact formulas have been obtained in the limits of zero impact parameter and large, perturbative, impact parameter. The perturbative impact parameter result can be exploited to obtain a semi-empirical cross section formula of the form, sigma = A ln(gamma) + B, for single electron ionization. A and B can be evaluated for any combination of target and projectile, and the resulting simple formula is good at all ultrarelativistic energies. The analytical form of A and B elucidates a result previously found in numerical calculations: scaled ionization cross sections decrease with increasing charge of the nucleus being ionized. The cross section values obtained from the present formula are in good agreement with recent CERN SPS data from a Pb beam on various nuclear targets.Comment: 14 pages, latex, revtex source, no figure

Predictable changes in predation mortality as a consequence of changes in food availability and predation risk

Theory predicts that animals will have lower activity levels when either the risk of predation is high or the availability of resources in the environment is high. If encounter rates with predators are proportional to activity level, then we might expect predation mortality to be affected by resource availability and predator density independent of the number of effective predators. In a factorial experiment, we tested whether predation mortality of larval wood frogs, Rana sylvatica, caused by a single larval dragonfly, Anax junius, was affected by the presence of additional caged predators and elevated resource levels. Observations were consistent with predictions. The survival rate of the tadpoles increased when additional caged predators were present and when additional resources were provided. There was no significant interaction term between predator density and food concentration. Lower predation rates at higher predator density is a form of interference competition. Reduced activity of prey at higher predator density is a potential general mechanism for this widespread phenomenon. Higher predation rates at low food levels provides an indirect mechanism for density-dependent predation. When resources are depressed by elevated consumer densities, then the higher activity levels associated with low resource levels can lead to a positive association between consumer density and consumer mortality due to predation. These linkages between variation in behaviour and density-dependent processes argue that variation in behaviour may contribute to the dynamics of the populations. Because the capture rate of predators depends on the resources available to prey, the results also argue that models of food-web dynamics will have to incorporate adaptive variation in behaviour to make accurate predictions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42739/1/10682_2004_Article_176894.pd

Mark-recapture Estimates of Survival in Populations of the Asp Viper, Vipera aspis aspis

We estimated th eannual survivorship of two populations of the asp viper, Vipera aspis aspis, by recapturing known dult individuals in the field over six and nine years respectively. The snakes at the two study sites in th eJura mountains of northwestern Switzerland were active between mid-March and mid-October. Vispera a. aspis is easily captured by hand, has individually recognizable marks and is, therefore, well suited for long-term mark-recapture studies. The maximum likelihood estimates of annual survivorship are about 0.75 in both populations. The probability that a snake will be recaptured in any given year is about 0.4 (habita A) and about 0.33 (habitat B). Sampling effort within a year had little effect on the probability of recapture. Our best estimate of annual survibval of 0.75 for the two habitats combined compares well with other previous estimates in viperids and in V. aspis in particular. We found no detectable differences in the survival rates between sexes even when the two habitats were combined. We found weak evidence that there was a difference in the recapture probability between the sexes. The minimal adequate model for the combined data set suggested that there is a higher probability of recapturing surviving females (0.545) than males (0.331)