Content analysis of tobacco imagery in popular music Videos, 2018-2021.

Exposure to tobacco imagery in movies and television has been identified as a key factor to youth smoking initiation (Davis, 2008; Bennett et al., 2020). This study aims to investigate the prevalence of tobacco imagery in popular music videos from 2018 to 2021. The weekly top 10 songs of 2018-2021 were identified using Billboard Charts categories (Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop, Country, Rock & Alternative, Dance/Electronic, Pop Airplay). Content analyses of the top music videos using the Thumbs up Thumbs Down methodology were conducted to identify tobacco depictions on screen. The sample consisted of 1,008 music videos across four years; 196 of which contained tobacco imagery (19.4%). Between 2018 and 2021, the proportion of videos with tobacco imagery ranged between 12.8% and 23.0% of the total year sample. Tobacco incidences almost doubled from 280 occurrences in 2018 to 522 occurrences in 2020, but decreased by over half to 290 occurrences in 2021. Tobacco incidences varied by year and genre, with Hot 100 being the top offending genre in 2018 with 40.0% of videos containing tobacco imagery while Hot R&B/Hip-Hop was the top offending genre from 2019 to 2021 (52.7%, 52.5%, and 23.9% respectively). Cigarettes were most pervasive in 2019 (70.1% of total tobacco incidences), 2020 (45.6%), and 2021 (64.1%) music videos. Pipes were the most pervasive product in 2018 music videos (39.6%). Given the reach and frequency of exposure to music videos among young people, reducing tobacco imagery in popular music videos may prevent tobacco use among young people.

A resurgence of e-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults late in the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, e-cigarette use significantly declined among young people due, in part, to losing access through social sources. As the pandemic progressed, adolescents and young adults gained opportunities to resume contact with peers. This study sought to determine whether e-cigarette use has returned to pre-pandemic levels among adolescents and young adults. METHODS: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional weekly survey of adolescents (aged 15-17) and young adults (aged 18-24) (N = 37,331). Logistic regression analyses measured odds of past 30-day e-cigarette use among respondents surveyed (a) late in the pandemic (April 2021-April 2022) compared to early in the pandemic (March-July 2020) and (b) late in the pandemic (August-December 2021) compared to prior to the pandemic (August-December 2019). RESULTS: The odds of current e-cigarette use were significantly higher later in the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2021-April 2022), compared to its initial months (March-July 2020) (OR:1.27, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38; p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the odds of e-cigarette use for youth and younger adults late in the pandemic (August-December 2021) compared to the same time period prior to the pandemic (August-December 2019), but odds were greater for young adults aged 21 years or older (OR:1.16; 95% CI: 1.01-1.32; p = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: E-cigarette use has returned to pre-pandemic levels among adolescents and young adults. Young adults over age 21 are more likely to use e-cigarettes than young adults of the same age surveyed prior to the pandemic. Findings have implications for targeted e-cigarette prevention and cessation efforts.

Perceived Sensory Characteristics of Blended and Ambiguous "Concept" Flavors Among Adolescent and Young Adult E-cigarette Users.

INTRODUCTION: Flavors with names describing blended tastes/sensations or with ambiguous terminology ("concept flavors") are available on the e-cigarette market. AIMS AND METHODS: This study investigates adolescent and young adult use and sensory perceptions of blended and concept flavors. Current e-cigarette users aged 15-24 years (N = 2281) completed an online convenience sample survey (October 20-November 23, 2020) and rated the sensory attributes (fruity, cooling, sweet, and minty) of their current flavor(s) using nine-point scales. T-tests compared mean sensory perception scores within and between flavors. To compare concept flavors to blends, reference categories used the average of blends with relevant descriptors: fruit (Banana Ice, Iced Mango, Melon Ice, Cool Cucumber); cooling (Banana Ice, Iced Mango, Melon Ice, Blue B Ice, Cool Cucumber, Lush Ice, and Menthol Purple); sweet (Vivid Vanilla) and mint (Mint-sation). RESULTS: Most respondents had used at least one product with blended descriptors (74.8%) or concept flavor (57.9%) in the past 30 days. All flavors had high perceived strength for at least two sensory attributes. Mint taste was not perceived to be a strong sensory characteristic for all but two flavors (Mint-sation and Winter) in the study. The most commonly used flavors used blended descriptors (Iced Mango was used by 30.2% of the sample; Banana Ice: 26.2%; Lush Ice: 23.8%; Melon Ice: 22.9%). Some concept flavors did not significantly differ from flavor blend reference categories for strength of: fruit taste (Bahama Mama and Tropic); cooling sensation (Marigold, Island Breeze, Winter); sweet taste (Bahama Mama, Honeymoon, Island Breeze, Island Cream, Meteor Milk, OMG, Royal Dagger and Tropic); and mint taste (Winter). CONCLUSIONS: Blended and concept flavors are used by most young e-cigarette users, who describe these products as fruity, sweet, and cooling. A variety of flavored products with high youth appeal are available in the U.S. market. IMPLICATIONS: This study of adolescent and young adult e-cigarette users finds evidence of the popularity of e-cigarette flavors combining a cooling sensation with fruity and sweet flavorings. Some products with this flavor profile do not use characterizing descriptors. Findings inform public health interventions intended to reduce e-cigarette use in young people.

Evaluation of In-Field Inoculation Methods for Characterization of Macadamia Germplasm to Husk Spot Incidence and Severity.

Husk spot, a fungal disease of macadamia pericarps (Pseudocercospora macadamiae), induces premature abscission in several major commercial cultivars. Breeding for resistance to husk spot is a priority of the Australian macadamia industry. Due to the large tree size of macadamia and high numbers of progeny in breeding populations, inoculating for resistance screening is laborious and time consuming. Previously utilized methods included direct applications of P. macadamiae suspensions and the hanging of bags of diseased husks above developing fruit in tree canopies. In this study, both methods were modified to allow for efficient application in large-scale breeding populations, and their efficacy was evaluated. Two quantities of diseased husk per bag, 'large' (75 g) and 'small' (30 g), and two concentrations of sprayed P. macadamiae suspensions, 'stock' (5 × 105 propagules/ml) and 'dilute' (2.5 × 105 propagules/ml), were tested across two fruiting seasons. Treatments were compared against a control (sterile water) in commercial cultivars A38 and A4. Husk spot incidence and severity produced by small bags were significantly affected by season. A significant season effect was less common for other treatments. All four treatments infected over 50% of target fruit in each season, but the highest husk spot incidence across both seasons (≥85%) was produced from large bags. Overall, the large bags were the most reliable method for infection of target fruit. Results also demonstrate the importance of considering the effect of season when selecting husk spot inoculation methods.

Genomic selection and genetic gain for nut yield in an Australian macadamia breeding population.

BACKGROUND: Improving yield prediction and selection efficiency is critical for tree breeding. This is vital for macadamia trees with the time from crossing to production of new cultivars being almost a quarter of a century. Genomic selection (GS) is a useful tool in plant breeding, particularly with perennial trees, contributing to an increased rate of genetic gain and reducing the length of the breeding cycle. We investigated the potential of using GS methods to increase genetic gain and accelerate selection efficiency in the Australian macadamia breeding program with comparison to traditional breeding methods. This study evaluated the prediction accuracy of GS in a macadamia breeding population of 295 full-sib progeny from 32 families (29 parents, reciprocals combined), along with a subset of parents. Historical yield data for tree ages 5 to 8 years were used in the study, along with a set of 4113 SNP markers. The traits of focus were average nut yield from tree ages 5 to 8 years and yield stability, measured as the standard deviation of yield over these 4 years. GBLUP GS models were used to obtain genomic estimated breeding values for each genotype, with a five-fold cross-validation method and two techniques: prediction across related populations and prediction across unrelated populations. RESULTS: Narrow-sense heritability of yield and yield stability was low (h2 = 0.30 and 0.04, respectively). Prediction accuracy for yield was 0.57 for predictions across related populations and 0.14 when predicted across unrelated populations. Accuracy of prediction of yield stability was high (r = 0.79) for predictions across related populations. Predicted genetic gain of yield using GS in related populations was 474 g/year, more than double that of traditional breeding methods (226 g/year), due to the halving of generation length from 8 to 4 years. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that the incorporation of GS for yield into the Australian macadamia breeding program may accelerate genetic gain due to reduction in generation length, though the cost of genotyping appears to be a constraint at present.

E-Cigarette Use Among Youths and Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: United States, 2020.

Objectives. To determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected e-cigarette use among young people in the United States.Methods. Data came from a weekly cross-sectional online survey of youths and young adults (aged 15-24 years). Logistic regression analyses measured odds of past-30-day e-cigarette use (n = 5752) following widespread stay-at-home directives (March 14-June 29, 2020), compared with the pre‒COVID-19 period (January 1-March 13, 2020). Logistic regression among a subsample of current e-cigarette users (n = 779) examined factors associated with reduced use following stay-at-home orders.Results. Odds of current e-cigarette use were significantly lower during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the pre‒COVID-19 period among youths aged 15 to 17 years (odds ratio [OR] = 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.54, 0.96) and young adults aged 18 to 20 years (OR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.52, 0.81). E-cigarette users with reduced access to retail environments had higher odds of reporting reduced e-cigarette use (OR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.07, 2.14).Conclusions. COVID-19 stay-at-home directives present barriers to e-cigarette access and are associated with a decline in e-cigarette use among young people.Public Health Implications. Findings support the urgent implementation of interventions that reduce underage access to e-cigarettes to accelerate a downward trajectory of youth and young adult e-cigarette use.