Prevalence and factors associated with difficulty and intention to quit smoking in Switzerland

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Recent data indicate a slight decrease in the prevalence of smoking in Switzerland, but little is known regarding the intention and difficulty to quit smoking among current smokers. Hence, we aimed to quantify the difficulty and intention to quit smoking among current smokers in Switzerland. METHODS: Cross-sectional study including 607 female and 658 male smokers. Difficulty, intention and motivation to quit smoking were assessed by questionnaire. RESULTS: 90% of women and 85% of men reported being "very difficult" or "difficult" to quit smoking. Almost three quarters of smokers (73% of women and 71% of men) intended to quit; however, less than 20% of them were in the preparation stage and 40% were in the precontemplation stage. On multivariate analysis, difficulty to quit was lower among men (Odds ratio and 95% [confidence interval]: 0.51 [0.35-0.74]) and increased with nicotine dependence and number of previous quitting attempts (OR=3.14 [1.75-5.63] for 6+ attempts compared to none). Intention to quit decreased with increasing age (OR=0.48 [0.30-0.75] for [greater than or equal to]65 years compared to <45 years) and increased with nicotine dependence, the number of previous quitting attempts (OR=4.35 [2.76-6.83] for 6+ attempts compared to none) and among non-cigarette smokers (OR=0.51 [0.28-0.92]). Motivation to quit was inversely associated with nicotine dependence and positively associated with the number of previous quitting attempts and personal history of lung disease. CONCLUSION: Over two thirds of Swiss smokers want to quit. However, only a small fraction wishes to do so in the short term. Nicotine dependence, previous attempts to quit or previous history of lung disease are independently associated with difficulty and intention to quit

Clinical guideline for the treatment of dual pathology in the adult population

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The prototype of the Small Synoptic Second Solar Spectrum Telescope (S5T)

We present the design and the prototype of the Small Synoptic Second Solar Spectrum Telescope (S5T), which can autonomously measure scattering polarization signals on a daily basis with large sensitivity and accuracy. Its data will be used to investigate the nature of weak, turbulent magnetic fields through the Hanle effect in many lines. Also the relation between those fields and the global solar dynamo can be revealed by spanning the observations over a significant fraction of a solar cycle. The compact instrument concept is enabled by a radial polarization converter that allows for “one-shot” polarimetry over the entire limb of the Sun. A polarimetric sensitivity of ∼10−5 is achieved by minimizing the instrumental polarization and by FLC modulation in combination with a fast line-scan camera in the fiber-fed spectrograph. The first prototype results successfully show the feasibility of the concept

Coevolutionary processes for strategic decisions

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comWe present a description and initial results of a computer code that coevolves Fuzzy Logic rules to play a two-sided zero-sum competitive game. It is based on the TEMPO Military Planning Game that has been used to teach resource allocation to over 20,000 students over the past 40 years. No feasible algorithm for optimal play is known. The coevolved rules, when pitted against human players, usually win the first few competitions. For reasons not yet understood, the evolved rules (found in a symmetrical competition) place no value on information concerning the play of the opponent.Rodney W. Johnson, Michael E. Melich, Zbigniew Michalewicz and Martin Schmid

Coevolutionary TEMPO game

© Copyright 2004 IEEEWe present a description and initial results of a computer code that coevolves fuzzy logic rules to play a two-sided zero-sum competitive game. It is based on the TEMPO military planning game that has been used to teach resource allocation to over 20,000 students over the past 40 years. No feasible algorithm for optimal play is known. The coevolved rules, when pitted against human players, usually win the first few competitions. For reasons not yet understood, the evolved rules (found in a symmetrical competition) place little value on information concerning the play of the opponent but rather focus on exploiting the available weapon systems.Johnson, R.W. ; Melich, M.E. ; Michalewicz, Z. ; Schmidt, M

A process of unlearning/unstitching

In Aotearoa, how do we position ourselves within an academy pervaded by Western philosophical thought? During the 1980’s Post-structuralist theory was the main stay in my education as an architect. Although we live in a colonised country, local research oriented by post-structuralist thinking seemed to be unable to interrogate how our cities and rural areas are socially and ethnically segregated. Suspicious of collectives and racial or ethnic identity, Poststructuralism, has been strangely indifferent and disconnected to social, political or environmental concerns relating directly to indigenous peoples but in spite of this, Post Structuralist theory is seen as critical to supporting research within the academy. My PhD research is involved with Māori communities in the Far North of Aotearoa, to which I am affiliated, but disillusioned by Western philosophical frameworks, I have found myself unlearning its principal doxa to reposition my research practice