Understanding How Graphic Pictorial Warnings Work on Cigarette Packaging

The 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act requires cigarette packages to contain stronger warnings in the form of color, graphic pictures depicting the negative health consequences of smoking. The authors present results from a between-subjects experiment with more than 500 smokers that test (1) the effectiveness of pictorial warnings that vary in their graphic depiction of the warning and (2) an underlying mechanism proposed to drive potential effects of the manipulation of the graphic depiction. The findings indicate that more graphic pictorial warning depictions strengthen smokers’ intentions to quit smoking. Recall of warning message statements is reduced by moderately or highly graphic pictures compared with a no picture control or less graphic pictures. The results also show that the graphic warnings affect evoked fear, and in turn, fear mediates the effects of the graphic warning depiction on intentions to quit for the sample of smokers. This pattern of results indicates that though ighly graphic pictures may reduce specific message recall and limit the direct effect of recall on intentions to quit, highly graphic pictures increase intentions to quit smoking through evoked fear (i.e., fear fully mediates the effect of the graphic depiction level). The authors discuss implications for consumer health and policy decisions

Reconstruction of supernova {\nu}_{\mu}, {\nu}_{\tau}, anti-{\nu}_{\mu}, and anti-{\nu}_{\tau} neutrino spectra at scintillator detectors

We present a new technique to directly reconstruct the spectra of mu/tau neutrinos and antineutrinos from a supernova, using neutrino-proton elastic scattering events (nu+p to nu+p) at scintillator detectors. These neutrinos, unlike electron neutrinos and antineutrinos, have only neutral current interactions, which makes it very challenging, with any reaction, to detect them and measure their energies. With updated inputs from theory and experiments, we show that this channel provides a robust and sensitive measure of their spectra. Given the low yields and lack of spectral information in other neutral current channels, this is perhaps the only realistic way to extract such information. This will be indispensable for understanding flavor oscillations of SN neutrinos, as it is likely to be impossible to disentangle neutrino mixing from astrophysical uncertainties in a SN without adequate spectral coverage of all flavors. We emphasize that scintillator detectors, e.g., Borexino, KamLAND, and SNO+, have the capability to observe these events, but they must be adequately prepared with a trigger for a burst of low-energy events. We also highlight the capabilities of a larger detector like LENA.Comment: v3: Typo corrected in Eq.14, and metadata edits. Matches PRD version. 14 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

Tests of Graphic Visuals and Cigarette Package Warning Combinations: Implications for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

The World Health Organization recently adopted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a groundbreaking public health treaty that will require that warning information in the form of text, pictures, or a combination of these two forms cover at least 30% of the front and back of cigarette packages. In three studies using smokers from the United States and Canada, the authors examine the effects of specific graphic visuals in the context of current U.S. verbal warnings. The findings indicate that including both graphic visual warnings, such as those used in Canada, and warning statements currently used in the United States can decrease the perceived attractiveness of the package and create higher levels of negative affect, such as fear or anxiety. The results also show that the addition of the specific visual warnings examined to the U.S. statements increases smokers’ perceived intentions of quitting smoking compared with warning statements alone. The authors offer implications for public policy and public health and provide suggestions for further research

NASA Langley Research Center National Aero-Space Plane Mission simulation profile sets

To provide information on the potential for long life service of oxidation resistant carbon-carbon (ORCC) materials in the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) airframe environment, NASP ascent, entry, and cruise trajectories were analytically flown. Temperature and pressure profiles were generated for 20 vehicle locations. Orbital (ascent and entry) and cruise profile sets from four locations are presented along with the humidity exposure and testing sequences that are being used to evaluate ORCC materials. The four profiles show peak temperatures during the ascent leg of an orbital mission of 2800, 2500, 2000, and 1700 F. These profiles bracket conditions where carbon-carbon might be used on the NASP vehicle

Positive allosteric modulators of the a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor

L-glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) and plays a fundamental role in the control of motor function, cognition and mood. The physiological effects of glutamate are mediated through two functionally distinct receptor families. While activation of metabotropic (G-protein coupled) glutamate receptors results in modulation of neuronal excitability and transmission, the ionotropic glutamate receptors (ligand-gated ion channels) are responsible for mediating the fast synaptic response to extracellular glutamate

How Do Consumers Use Nutrition Labels on Food Products in the United States?

This study examined how consumers use food labels in the United States. Based on the results from the cluster analysis, eight nutrition label questions from the Health and Diet Survey fell into 2 categories of label usage: for shopping or for dietary decisions. Survey respondents reported equal or more consideration of nutrition-label information for dietary choices than for shopping decisions in 2008 compared with prior survey years. Female consumers, frequent label users, well-educated, consumers aged 50 to 59, or consumers with any health issues were significantly more likely to use food labels for all kinds of purposes than their corresponding counterparts

Foundation for Heavy Lift: Early Developments in the Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle

The Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle (CaLV) is NASA's primary vessel for safe, reliable delivery of the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM) and other resources into Earth orbit, as articulated in the U.S. Vision for Space Exploration.' The Ares V launch concept is shown. The foundation for this heavy-lift companion to the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) is taking shape within NASA and with its government and industry partners. This paper will address accomplishments in the Ares V Launch Vehicle during 2006 and 2007 and offer a preview of future activities

Fidelity for imperfect postselection

We describe a simple measure of fidelity for mixed state postselecting devices. The measure is most appropriate for postselection where the task performed by the output is only effected by a specific state.Comment: 8 Pages, 8 Figure