Raising cigarette excise tax to reduce consumption in low-and middle-income countries of the Asia-Pacific region:a simulation of the anticipated health and taxation revenues impacts.

Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of the world's smokers live in low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, more than half of the world's smoking-addicted population resides in the Asia-Pacific region. The reduction of tobacco consumption has thus become one of the major social policies in the region.

The effects of a rise in cigarette price on cigarette consumption, tobacco taxation revenues, and of smoking-related deaths in 28 EU countries-- applying threshold regression modelling.

Background: European Union public healthcare expenditure on treating smoking and attributable diseases is estimated at over €25bn annually. The reduction of tobacco consumption has thus become one of the major social policies of the EU. This study investigates the effects of price hikes on cigarette consumption, tobacco tax revenues and smoking-caused deaths in 28 EU countries.

The effect of cigarette price increases on cigarette consumption, tax revenue, and smoking-related death in Africa from 1999 to 2013.

Objectives: This study investigates the effects of price hikes on cigarette consumption, tobacco tax revenues, and reduction in smoking-caused mortality in 36 African countries.

Methods: Using panel data from the 1999-2013 Euromonitor International, the World Bank and the World Health Organization, we applied fixed-effects and random-effects regression models of panel data to estimate the elasticity of cigarette prices and simulate the effect of price fluctuations.

Results: Cigarette price elasticity was the highest for low-income countries and considerably lower for other African economies.

Factors affecting Taiwanese smokers' identification of smuggled cigarettes.

Objectives: To analyze whether the perception that smuggled cigarettes are a greater health risk than legal cigarettes affects Taiwanese smokers' intention to distinguish smuggled cigarettes from legal cigarettes.

Methods: The study used the Recursive Bivariate Probit Model to analyze data from a survey conducted in 2013 of 450 smokers of smuggled cigarettes.

Results: The study found that when smokers believe they are more likely to get lung cancer from consuming smuggled cigarettes than they are from consuming legal cigarettes, the probability of the intention to identify smuggled cigarettes increased by 42.

Effect of alkyl properties and head groups of cationic surfactants on retention of cesium by organoclays.

Cationic surfactants modified clays exhibit high sorptive capability toward anionic radionuclides but retention of cationic radionuclides was concurrently reduced. In this study, organoclays were synthesized by intercalating a variety of primary/quaternary alkylammonium species (NH(2)R/(CH(3))(3)N(+)RBr(-), where R = benzyl, dodecyl, and octadecyl) into bentonite MX-80. The effect of surfactant's properties on enhancing or limiting cationic sorption capability was investigated by performing Cs sorption experiments.

Does perceived safety of light cigarette encourage smokers to smoke more or to inhale more deeply?

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of smoking light cigarettes and believing that light cigarettes are less of a health threat on the decision to smoke more light cigarettes or inhale more deeply in Taiwan.

Methods: Demographic and smoking characteristic data for 1,182 smokers who believe that smoking light cigarettes is relatively safe was obtained from the 2002 Survey of the Health Promotion Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior of Taiwan Citizens; this data was used to establish Logit models for the decision to smoke more light cigarettes or inhale more deeply.

Results: Respectively 5.