Evaluation of Risk Perception of Smoking after the Implementation of California’s Tobacco 21 Law

Decreasing smoking initiation remains a public health priority. In 2016, California, in the United States, enacted the Tobacco 21 law, which raised the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco products from age 18 to age 21. This paper evaluates whether the enactment and implementation of the Tobacco 21 law changed how young adults perceive the risk(s) of smoking. Data were drawn from a cohort of emerging adults (n = 575) in California who were non-daily smokers at enrollment and followed quarterly for 3 years. Data were collected during 2015–2019. Piecewise multilevel regression models were used to test for changes in smoking status and perceived risks of cigarettes after Tobacco 21 enforcement began. Findings indicated that the prevalence of current smoking and perceived risks of smoking both declined following Tobacco 21 implementation (ps \u3c 0.001). Post-hoc analyses suggested that post-implementation changes in perceived risk occurred primarily among ongoing smokers. Findings suggest that Tobacco 21 and associated public health measures have been effective, but additional research is needed to disentangle the effects of specific components. Understanding the impact and efficacy of tobacco laws provides great social value to research and implement policies that create intervention(s) on reducing tobacco use initiation

Food Labeling and Consumer Associations with Health, Safety, and Environment

The food supply is complicated and consumers are increasingly calling for labeling on food to be more informative. In particular, consumers are asking for the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMO) food based on health, safety and environmental concerns. At issue is whether the labels that are sought would accurately provide the information desired. The present study examined consumer (n = 181) perceptions of health, safety and the environment for foods labeled organic, natural, fat free or low fat, GMO, or non-GMO. Findings indicated that respondents consistently believed that foods labeled GMO are less healthy, safe and environmentally-friendly compared to all other labels (ps \u3c .05). These results suggest that labels mean something to consumers, but that a disconnect may exist between the meaning associated with the label and the scientific consensus for GMO food. These findings may provide insight for the development of labels that provide information that consumers seek

Cue-Evoked Positive Affect, Depression Vulnerability and Smoking Years

Objectives—To evaluate whether cue-evoked affective response would moderate the relationship between depression-proneness and smoking years. Methods—Depression-proneness profiles were derived using clinician diagnosed personal and family histories of major depression, recurrent depression, trait-anhedonia, and ruminative coping styles (n=70). Affective distress was produced by idiographic, guided negative mood imageries in the presence of an in vivo cigarette exposure. Results—Contrary to expectations, results showed that individuals less vulnerable to depression reported longer smoking histories. Stress-induced decreases in positive affect bolstered the association between depression vulnerability and smoking years. Conclusion—Depression-proneness assumptions are challenged and implications to affective influences on smoking behavior are discussed

Impulsivity and cigarette craving: differences across subtypes

Rationale: Cigarette smoking has been linked to a number of personality characteristics, including impulsivity. Smokers tend to endorse high levels of impulsivity, and more impulsive smokers have greater difficulty quitting, but little is known about potential explanatory mechanisms. Although indirect evidence suggests craving as a candidate mechanism, direct evidence has been mixed. Materials and methods: This study assessed whether specific aspects of impulsivity (sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and urgency) were associated with cue-induced craving. Regular smokers (n= 60; 50% female) were exposed to a smoking cue and a neutral cue in a repeated measure counter-balanced design. Results: Mixed effects regression models indicated that smokers who were high in sensation seeking reported greater increases in appetitive craving after smoking cue exposure, whereas, smokers who were high in urgency and lack of perseverance reported greater increases in negative affect craving. Conclusions: Findings suggest a complex relationship between impulsivity and cue-induced craving that may be masked by single construct conceptualizations of impulsivity

The Dinosauria: Baraminological and Multivariate Patterns

The Dinosauria pose both interesting and challenging questions for creationist systematists. One question is whether new dinosaur discoveries are closing morphospatial gaps between dinosaurian groups, revealing continuous morphological fossil series, such as between coelurosaurians and avialans. Questions such as these underscore the importance of systematics for resolving correct group memberships, including tools for visualizing morphospatial relationships. Baraminic distance correlation (BDC), three-dimensional multidimensional scaling (MDS), and a new method to baraminic studies – principal component analysis (PCA) – were applied to 18 character matrices from 2004. The data included saurischian and ornithischian dinosaur groups including (1) “basal” Saurischia, (2) Ceratosauria (including Coelophysidae), (3) “basal” Tetanurae, (4) Tyrannosauroidea, (5) “Prosauropoda”, (6) Sauropoda, (7) Maniraptoriformes, (8) Therizinosauroidea, and (9) Oviraptorosauria. The ornithischians included (10) “basal” Thyreophora, (11) Stegosauria, (12) Ankylosauria, (13) “basal” Ornithopoda, (14) “basal” Iguanodontia, (15) Hadrosauridae, (16) Pachycephalosauria, (17) “basal” Ceratopsia, and (18) Ceratopsidae. BDC and MDS revealed several potential holobaramins and apobaramins, and PCA identified some divisions not recognized by the traditional methods, but since the datasets are 14 years old, many important taxa are missing. As a result, we performed PCA on 19 newer datasets (from 2009 to 2018) and compared the results, which revealed a substantially clearer picture since only 2004. Dinosaur group ordinations commonly occur within morphospatial clusters or linear series. Holobaramins were revealed mainly as closely-spaced morphospatial series of taxa. Some series were additionally stratomorphic. Assuming holobaramins are discontinuity-bounded morphospatial series of taxa, we estimate 27 potential holobaramins within the newer data. PCA revealed that bird-dinosaur morphospatial relationships vary by dataset. Paravians likely contain two branching morphoseries, connected at the base by dromaeosaurs and avialans. The two morphoseries are functional/ecological, rather than evolutionary. Multivariate analysis offers the potential to improve our understanding of baramins and discontinuity, and provide a new perspective on questions in creation systematics such as bird-dinosaur relationships

Analyze This! A Cosmological Constraint Package for CMBEASY

We introduce a Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation and data analysis package that extends the CMBEASY software. We have taken special care in implementing an adaptive step algorithm for the Markov Chain Monte Carlo in order to improve convergence. Data analysis routines are provided which allow to test models of the Universe against measurements of the cosmic microwave background, supernovae Ia and large scale structure. We present constraints on cosmological parameters derived from these measurements for a $\Lambda$CDM cosmology and discuss the impact of the different observational data sets on the parameters. The package is publicly available as part of the CMBEASY software at www.cmbeasy.org.Comment: Published version, JCAP style, 16 pages, 7 figures. The software is available at http://www.cmbeasy.or

Effect of Nicotine on Negative Affect Among More Impulsive Smokers

In the present study, the authors tested the hypothesis that nicotine would provide greater relief from negative affect for more impulsive smokers than for less impulsive smokers. Euthymic adult smokers (N = 70) participated in 2 laboratory sessions, during which they underwent a negative mood induction (music x autobiographical memory), then smoked either a nicotinized or de-nicotinized cigarette. Mixed-effects regression yielded a significant Impulsivity x Condition (nicotinized vs. de-nicotinized) x Time interaction. Simple effects analyses showed that heightened impulsivity predicted greater negative affect relief after smoking a nicotinized cigarette but not after smoking a de-nicotinized cigarette. These data suggest that nicotine may be a disproportionately powerful negative reinforcer for highly impulsive smokers, promoting higher levels of nicotine dependence and inhibiting smoking cessation

Devotional Biology: A Young-age Creationist, College-level, Conceptual Biology Textbook

Devotional Biology is being developed as a one-semester college-level conceptual biology textbook for non-science majors. Except for presenting a survey of organisms and an introduction to organismal anatomy and physiology (typically reserved for a second-semester course), Devotional Biology covers all the major topics of biology presented in secular texts as well as a few others not usually covered at all. Student surveys indicate students believe they learn biology through the Devotional Biology text. At the same time, Devotional Biology presents biology from the perspective of a distinctly biblical worldview—and on surveys, Devotional Biology students believe they improved their appreciation of biology as well. Devotional Biology also focuses on God, and how His attributes are evident in the biological world—and on surveys, Devotional Biology students believe they improved their recognition of God in the creation, their understanding of God, their relationship to God, and their use of the creation in witness to others. Devotional Biology also assumes a young-age creationist interpretation of biology, critiquing the naturalistic perspective of the field in the process—and on surveys, Devotional Biology students believe they grew in their faith and learned to defend their faith. Devotional Biology also includes responsibilities of believers as priests and kings in God’s creation—and on surveys, Devotional Biology students believe they grew in their understanding of their ethical responsibilities, in their worship of God, and in better ruling over the creation