Changes in the prevalence of cigarette smoking and quitting smoking determinants in adult inhabitants of rural areas in Poland between 2003 and 2012.

OBJECTIVES: We investigate trends in the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults at all ages in two time points 9 years apart in two neighbouring rural populations and examine social and respiratory health determinants of quitting smoking. STUDY DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional study. METHODS: Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in the same rural area of lower Silesia in Poland in 2003 and 2012. A total of 1328 (91% of adult eligible individuals) in 2003 and 1449 (92% of eligible) in 2012 adult inhabitants were surveyed, 908 people (560 villagers and 348 town inhabitants) participated in both surveys. Participants completed a questionnaire on smoking behaviour, education level and respiratory diseases. RESULTS: Current smoking was higher in the villages than the town, among men than women and those with a middle level of education. The prevalence of current smokers decreased over time, although this decline was much more pronounced in the town than in the villages (30.2% vs 23% and 35.5% vs 33.7%, respectively). Men were more likely to stop smoking than women both in villages and in town. The prevalence of current smokers among village women even increased between the two surveys from 27.6% to 29.3%. Respiratory diseases did not influence quitting smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of decreasing trend in smoking prevalence varied considerably within neighbouring populations. It was mainly seen in the town and among younger people. Men and those better educated were more willing to quit smoking. The discrepancies between two close rural populations indicates the need for an individual approach when designing programs of tobacco control

Aegilops-Secale amphiploids: chromosome categorisation, pollen viability and identification of fungal disease resistance genes

The aim of this study was to assess the potential breeding value of goatgrass-rye amphiploids, which we are using as a “bridge” in a transfer of Aegilops chromatin (containing, e.g. leaf rust resistance genes) into triticale. We analysed the chromosomal constitution (by genomic in situ hybridisation, GISH), fertility (by pollen viability tests) and the presence of leaf rust and eyespot resistance genes (by molecular and endopeptidase assays) in a collection of 6× and 4× amphiploids originating from crosses between five Aegilops species and Secale cereale. In the five hexaploid amphiploids Aegilops kotschyi × Secale cereale (genome UUSSRR), Ae. variabilis × S. cereale (UUSSRR), Ae. biuncialis × S. cereale (UUMMRR; two lines) and Ae. ovata × S. cereale (UUMMRR), 28 Aegilops chromosomes were recognised, while in the Ae. tauschii × S. cereale amphiploid (4×; DDRR), only 14 such chromosomes were identified. In the materials, the number of rye chromosomes varied from 14 to 16. In one line of Ae. ovata × S. cereale, the U-R translocation was found. Pollen viability varied from 24.4 to 75.4%. The leaf rust resistance genes Lr22, Lr39 and Lr41 were identified in Ae. tauschii and the 4× amphiploid Ae. tauschii × S. cereale. For the first time, the leaf rust resistance gene Lr37 was found in Ae. kotschyi, Ae. ovata, Ae. biuncialis and amphiploids derived from those parental species. No eyespot resistance gene Pch1 was found in the amphiploids

Cauchy's infinitesimals, his sum theorem, and foundational paradigms

Cauchy's sum theorem is a prototype of what is today a basic result on the convergence of a series of functions in undergraduate analysis. We seek to interpret Cauchy's proof, and discuss the related epistemological questions involved in comparing distinct interpretive paradigms. Cauchy's proof is often interpreted in the modern framework of a Weierstrassian paradigm. We analyze Cauchy's proof closely and show that it finds closer proxies in a different modern framework. Keywords: Cauchy's infinitesimal; sum theorem; quantifier alternation; uniform convergence; foundational paradigms.Comment: 42 pages; to appear in Foundations of Scienc

Ten Misconceptions from the History of Analysis and Their Debunking

The widespread idea that infinitesimals were "eliminated" by the "great triumvirate" of Cantor, Dedekind, and Weierstrass is refuted by an uninterrupted chain of work on infinitesimal-enriched number systems. The elimination claim is an oversimplification created by triumvirate followers, who tend to view the history of analysis as a pre-ordained march toward the radiant future of Weierstrassian epsilontics. In the present text, we document distortions of the history of analysis stemming from the triumvirate ideology of ontological minimalism, which identified the continuum with a single number system. Such anachronistic distortions characterize the received interpretation of Stevin, Leibniz, d'Alembert, Cauchy, and others.Comment: 46 pages, 4 figures; Foundations of Science (2012). arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1108.2885 and arXiv:1110.545

7. Biological Effectiveness of 12 C and 20 Ne Ions with Very High LET

Knowledge of radiobiological effects of heavy ions at the cellular and molecular level is of fundamental importance in the field of radiation therapy (for example C ions) and space radiation biology (for example Ne ions). One of the issues that require deeper investigations is a determination of RBE values for a wide range of LET, for all relevant doses, for many cell types and various kinds of radiations During recent years, the biological effectiveness of heavy ions has been widely investigated with the aim to identify physical characteristics relevant to biological actions. These investigations are pertinent to the use of heavy ions in radiosurgery and radiotherapy. What has not been investigated so thoroughly is the biological effectiveness of heavy ions at low energies and very high LET values. The LET, which is equal to the stopping power of heavy particles, increases sharply at the end of the particle's path, forming a so-called Bragg peak. The shape of the Bragg peak depends on the particle type. Because overlying beams with different energies and components of primary and secondary particles are used in radiotherapy, the knowledge of RBE values of very high LET radiation need to be well characterized. An experimental set-up designed for such investigations was constructed at the isochronic cyclotron in Heavy Ion Laboratory. A more detailed description of the set-up can be found in Ref. CHO-K1 cells have been used as a suitable biological system for our studies. The cell line is characterized by genetic stability, the ability to form colonies, a relatively rapid growth rate with a cell cycle of 12-14 hours. For exposure to ions the cells were seeded in specially designed Petri dishes, which were filled with medium, sealed by a parafilm cover and placed in a vertical sample holder mounted in an x-y-z table that was connected to a special stepping motor. The irradiated sample moved under the beam according to a planned route. Movement was initiated when the number of counts detected by the 20 o particle detector reached the preset value. When all fields have been exposed the sample holder returned to the start position. Stored information enabled to evaluate the beam stability and intensity. The whole set-up was surveyed by a digital camera. The total time of exposure per dish was between 1-5 min. depending on the dose and beam intensity. The dose rates were changed from 0.05 Gy/min. to 1 Gy/min depending on the dose. Cell survival was estimated according to standard procedure

Spexin-expressing neurons in the magnocellular nuclei of the human hypothalamus

Neuropeptides are involved in numerous brain activities being responsible for a wide spectrum of higher mental functions. The purpose of this concise, structural and qualitative investigation was to map the possible immunoreactivity of the novel neuropeptide spexin (SPX) within the human magnocellular hypothalamus. SPX is a newly identified peptide, a natural ligand for the galanin receptors (GALR) 2/3, with no molecular structure similarities to currently known regulatory factors. SPX seems to have multiple physiological functions, with an involvement in reproduction and food-intake regulation recently revealed in animal studies. For the first time we describe SPX expressing neurons in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei of the human hypothalamus using immunohistochemical and fluorescent methods, key regions involved in the mechanisms of osmotic homeostasis, energy expenditure, consummatory behaviour, reproductive processes, social recognition and stress responses. The vast majority of neurons located in both examined neurosecretory nuclei show abundant SPX expression and this may indirectly implicate a potential contribution of SPX signalling to the hypothalamic physiology in the human brain. © 2020 Elsevier B.V