Trends in smoking and lung cancer mortality in Switzerland.

Patterns of cigarette smoking in Switzerland were analyzed on the basis of sales data (available since 1924) and national health surveys conducted in the last decade. There was a steady and substantial increase in cigarettes sales up to the early 1970s. Thereafter, the curve tended to level off around an average value of 3,000 cigarettes per adult per year. According to the 1981-1983 National Health Survey, 37% of Swiss men were current smokers, 25% were ex-smokers, and 39% were never smokers. Corresponding porportions in women were 22, 11, and 67%. Among men, smoking prevalence was higher in lower social classes, and some moderate decline was apparent from survey data over the period 1975-1981 mostly in later middle-age. Trends in lung cancer death certification rates over the period 1950-1984 were analyzed using standard cross-sectional methods and a log-linear Poisson model to isolate the effects of age, birth cohort, and year of death. Mortality from lung cancer increased substantially among Swiss men between the early 1950s and the late 1970s, and levelled off (around a value of 70/100,000 men) thereafter. Among women, there has been a steady upward trend which started in the mid-1960s, and continues to climb steadily, although lung cancer mortality is still considerably lower in absolute terms (around 8/100,000 women) than in several North European countries or in North America. Cohort analyses indicate that the peak rates in men were reached by the generation born around 1910 and mortality stabilized for subsequent generations up to the 1930 birth cohort. Among females, marked increases were observed in each subsequent birth cohort. This pattern of trends is consistent with available information on smoking prevalence in successive generations, showing a peak among men for the 1910 cohort, but steady upward trends among females. Over the period 1980-1984, about 90% of lung cancer deaths among Swiss men and about 40% of those among women could be attributed to smoking (overall proportion, 85%).

Reliable detection of directional couplings using rank statistics

To detect directional couplings from time series various measures based on distances in reconstructed state spaces were introduced. These measures can, however, be biased by asymmetries in the dynamics' structure, noise color, or noise level, which are ubiquitous in experimental signals. Using theoretical reasoning and results from model systems we identify the various sources of bias and show that most of them can be eliminated by an appropriate normalization. We furthermore diminish the remaining biases by introducing a measure based on ranks of distances. This rank-based measure outperforms existing distance-based measures concerning both sensitivity and specificity for directional couplings. Therefore, our findings are relevant for a reliable detection of directional couplings from experimental signals.

Vital Statistics of Iowa, 2000

This publication is an historical recording of the most requested statistics on vital events and is a source of information that can be used in further analysis.

Vital Statistics of Iowa, 1999

This publication is an historical recording of the most requested statistics on vital events and is a source of information that can be used in further analysis.

Vital Statistics of Iowa, 2003

This publication is an historical recording of the most requested statistics on vital events and is a source of information that can be used in further analysis.

Vital Statistics of Iowa, 2002

This publication is an historical recording of the most requested statistics on vital events and is a source of information that can be used in further analysis.

Vital Statistics of Iowa in Brief, 2004

This publication is an historical recording of the most requested statistics on vital events and is a source of information that can be used in further analysis.

Vital Statistics of Iowa in Brief, 2001

This publication is an historical recording of the most requested statistics on vital events and is a source of information that can be used in further analysis.

Vital Statistics of Iowa in Brief, 2002

This publication is an historical recording of the most requested statistics on vital events and is a source of information that can be used in further analysis.

Vital Statistics of Iowa in Brief, 2003

This publication is an historical recording of the most requested statistics on vital events and is a source of information that can be used in further analysis.

Pocket Digest Iowa Public Library Statistics, 1999

The pocket digest for public library statistics highlights pertinent information about public libraries in Iowa.