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Even though that there has been increasing focus on the energy-efficient operation of vessels and that the knowledge of cost-effective improvements is widespread in the industry, energy-efficient operation is only a minor topic on board many working vessels. A significant reduction in fuel can be achieved through changes in the operational practices, but to establish a successful system for best practices within energy-management the installation of a decision support system is essential. This article presents a decision support system for working vessels to determine best practice for the reduction of fuel consumption. Requirements for the system are defined through interviews with crew and observations on board vessels. Case studies are used for illustrating the usefulness. The use of generators onboard is analyzed using the software. It is found that the generators are not running optimally, but the crew can use the software to re-organize and find the most fuel-efficient loading range for the generators on board.

Household air pollution (HAP) from indoor combustion of solid fuel is a global health burden that has been linked to lung cancer. A striking example occurs in Xuanwei, China where the lung cancer rate for never smoking women is among the highest in the world and largely attributed to high levels of various toxic constituents, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a combustion product of smoky (bituminous) coal used for cooking and heating. Several air pollution constituents have been associated with epigenetic accelerated aging (EAA) derived from DNA methylation (DNAm)-based biomarkers that are highly correlated with biological processes underlying aging-related diseases. We aim to assess the association between HAP exposure and EAA in Xuanwei, China. We analyzed 106 never smoking women in an exposure assessment study in Xuanwei, China with a repeat DNA sample from 23 subjects. Household fuel type used for cooking and heating (smoky vs. smokeless coal) was collected using a questionnaire, and exposure models were used to predict levels of 43 individual HAP constituents for current and childhood exposure. Leukocyte DNAm was measured using Illumina EPIC array. EAA was derived for five clocks using the Horvath calculator and defined as the residuals resulting from regressing each clock on chronological age. We used generalized estimating equations to assess the associations between fuel type, clusters derived from predicted levels of HAP exposure, and ambient 5-methylchrysene (5-MC), a carcinogenic PAH previously associated with lung cancer in Xuanwei and selected a priori for analyses, as independent variables and EAA clocks as dependent variables, while accounting for repeated-measurements. We observed a significant increase in GrimAge EAA among smoky coal users compared to smokeless coal users for current (β=1.84 years (y), 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.59, 3.09, P-value=0.004) and childhood (β=4.14 y, 95% CI: 1.63, 6.64, P-value=0.001) exposures. We also observed a monotonic increase in GrimAge EAA for a cluster of 31 PAHs reflecting current exposure (β=0.77 y, 95% CI: 0.36, 1.19, P-value=3 × 10−4) and for a cluster of 33 PAHs reflecting childhood exposure (β=0.92 y, 95% CI: 0.40, 1.45, P-value=0.001). Ambient 5-MC, one of the constituents within the PAH clusters, was found to have an increasing monotonic relationship with GrimAge EAA for current (β=0.15 y, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.25, P-value=0.003) and childhood (β=0.30 y, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.47, P-value=4.7 × 10−4) exposures. Our findings suggest that exposure to PAH from indoor smoky coal combustion is associated with EAA, particularly for the GrimAge clock, a strong biomarker of mortality. This finding is consistent with our recent observation linking accelerated GrimAge to increased risk of lung cancer in a prospective study of never smoking women in China. Additionally, our study provides further support for 5-MC as a prominent carcinogenic component of smoky coal emissions. Citation Format: Batel Blechter, Andres Cardenas, Seraphina (Junming) Shi, Mohammad L. Rahman, Jason Y.Y. Wong, Wei Hu, George S. Downward, Lutzen Portengen, Richard Cawthon, H. Dean Hosgood, Jihua Li, Debra T. Silverman, Yunchao Huang, Roel Vermeulen, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan. Smoky coal exposure is associated with epigenetic accelerated aging. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4219.

Little is known about personal and time-integrated exposure to past and current used pesticides in agricultural areas and within-family exposure similarities. We aimed to assess exposure to pesticides using silicone wristbands in child/guardian pairs living on farms and in villages within two agricultural areas in South Africa. Using silicone wristbands, we quantified 21 pesticides in child/guardian pairs in 38 households over six days in 2018. Levels (in ng/g wristband) of pesticides and their transformation products (12 current-use pesticides and nine organochlorine pesticides) were measured using GC-MS/MS. We assessed the correlation between pesticide levels and between household members using Spearman correlation coefficients (r(s)). Multivariable generalized least squares (GLS) models, using household id as intercept, were used to determine level of agreement between household members, exposure differences between children and guardians and exposure predictors (study area, household location [farm vs. village] and household pesticide use). We detected 16 pesticides with highest detection frequencies for deltamethrin (89%), chlorpyrifos (78%), boscalid (56%), cypermethrin (55%), and p,p'-DDT (48%). Most wristbands (92%) contained two or more pesticides (median seven (range one to 12)). Children had higher concentrations than guardians for four pesticides. Correlation between the pesticide levels were in most cases moderate (rs 0.30-0.68) and stronger in children than in guardians. Five pesticides showed moderate to strong correlation between household members, with the strongest correlation for boscalid (r(s) 0.84). Exposure differences between the two agricultural areas were observed for chlorpyri fas, diazinon, pmthiofos, cypermethrin, boscalid, p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE and within areas for cypermethrin. We showed that for several pesticides children had higher exposure levels than guardians. The positive correlations observed for child/guardian pairs living in the same household suggest non-occupational shared exposure pathways in these communities.

A well failure model is constructed as a matrix that identifies the most common modes of well failure seen by the Well Operator. For specific well types, well anomalies are assessed before they happen, in a what-if risk assessment. A traditional well failure model (WFM) includes a subset of possible anomalies and is based on subjective judgement. Total E&P Denmark's (TEPDK) new WFM uses quantitative analysis with an objective approach to risk assessment. This gives detail and clarity of actual risk (as a product of probability and severity) from well integrity anomalies not previously available. This Analytical WFM assesses well integrity barrier compliance and risk. It uses individual component failure mode probabilities and severities and analyses thousands of potential leak paths throughout wells. It includes potential flow from multiple pressure sources and to multiple pressure sinks, providing a comprehensive understanding of all possible failure cases, and their associated impact on risk. Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) was used to calculate maximum Safe Service Life for wells following component failure. Outputs from the analysis were used to build a detailed WFM. Immediate and long-term actions were developed in workshops and suitable response times agreed based on the Safe Service Life calculation. Engineers now spend 85% less time in well integrity risk assessments and failure management when anomalies arise because this work has been done in advance. This means engineers' time is freed for other valuable tasks. The company also saves management time, onshore and offshore, cutting down the need for management challenge and action justification. All personnel involved have a more consistent understanding of well issues, with routine anomalies dealt with much more efficiently. This means decisions are made at a lower level, including whether to continue to operate a well or shut it in. TEPDK has reduced the probability of process safety incidents from wells. This is because it has a far more sophisticated, clearer understanding of well risks, and actions and timeframes for anomaly response. It has also improved production efficiency, safeguarding on average 2,700 boepd, through a reduction in well shut-in time. This has an equivalent value of approximately $50 million / year.

Chronic inflammation may be involved in cancer development and progression. Using 28 inflammatory-related proteins collected from prospective blood samples from two case-control studies nested in the Italian component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (n = 261) and in the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study (n = 402), we tested the hypothesis that an inflammatory score is associated with breast cancer (BC) and Β-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-cell NHL, including 68 multiple myeloma cases) onset. We modelled the relationship between this inflammatory score and the two cancers studied: (BC and B-cell NHL) using generalised linear models, and assessed, through adjustments the role of behaviours and lifestyle factors. Analyses were performed by cancer types pooling both populations, and stratified by cohorts, and time to diagnosis. Our results suggested a lower inflammatory score in B-cell NHL cases (β = −1.28, p = 0.012), and, to lesser, extent with BC (β = −0.96, p = 0.33) compared to controls, mainly driven by cancer cases diagnosed less than 6 years after enrolment. These associations were not affected by subsequent adjustments for potential intermediate confounders, notably behaviours. Sensitivity analyses indicated that our findings were not affected by the way the inflammatory score was calculated. These observations call for further studies involving larger populations, larger variety of cancer types and repeated measures of larger panel of inflammatory markers.

Objectives: To characterize the impact of PCB exposure on DNA methylation in peripheral blood leucocytes and to evaluate the corresponding changes in relation to possible health effects, with a focus on B-cell lymphoma. Methods: We conducted an epigenome-wide association study on 611 adults free of diagnosed disease, living in Italy and Sweden, in whom we also measured plasma concentrations of 6 PCB congeners, DDE and hexachlorobenzene. Results: We identified 650 CpG sites whose methylation correlates strongly (FDR

Chronic inflammation may be involved in cancer development and progression. Using 28 inflammatory-related proteins collected from prospective blood samples from two case-control studies nested in the Italian component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (n = 261) and in the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study (n = 402), we tested the hypothesis that an inflammatory score is associated with breast cancer (BC) and Β-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-cell NHL, including 68 multiple myeloma cases) onset. We modelled the relationship between this inflammatory score and the two cancers studied: (BC and B-cell NHL) using generalised linear models, and assessed, through adjustments the role of behaviours and lifestyle factors. Analyses were performed by cancer types pooling both populations, and stratified by cohorts, and time to diagnosis. Our results suggested a lower inflammatory score in B-cell NHL cases (β = −1.28, p = 0.012), and, to lesser, extent with BC (β = −0.96, p = 0.33) compared to controls, mainly driven by cancer cases diagnosed less than 6 years after enrolment. These associations were not affected by subsequent adjustments for potential intermediate confounders, notably behaviours. Sensitivity analyses indicated that our findings were not affected by the way the inflammatory score was calculated. These observations call for further studies involving larger populations, larger variety of cancer types and repeated measures of larger panel of inflammatory markers.

Chronic inflammation may be involved in cancer development and progression. Using 28 inflammatory-related proteins collected from prospective blood samples from two case-control studies nested in the Italian component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (n = 261) and in the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study (n = 402), we tested the hypothesis that an inflammatory score is associated with breast cancer (BC) and Β-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-cell NHL, including 68 multiple myeloma cases) onset. We modelled the relationship between this inflammatory score and the two cancers studied: (BC and B-cell NHL) using generalised linear models, and assessed, through adjustments the role of behaviours and lifestyle factors. Analyses were performed by cancer types pooling both populations, and stratified by cohorts, and time to diagnosis. Our results suggested a lower inflammatory score in B-cell NHL cases (β = -1.28, p = 0.012), and, to lesser, extent with BC (β = -0.96, p = 0.33) compared to controls, mainly driven by cancer cases diagnosed less than 6 years after enrolment. These associations were not affected by subsequent adjustments for potential intermediate confounders, notably behaviours. Sensitivity analyses indicated that our findings were not affected by the way the inflammatory score was calculated. These observations call for further studies involving larger populations, larger variety of cancer types and repeated measures of larger panel of inflammatory markers.

ACL; International audience; Recent prospective studies have shown that dysregulation of the immune system may precede the development of B-cell lymphomas (BCL) in immunocompetent individuals. However, to date, the studies were restricted to a few immune markers, which were considered separately. Using a nested case-control study within two European prospective cohorts, we measured plasma levels of 28 immune markers in samples collected a median of 6 years before diagnosis (range 2.01-15.97) in 268 incident cases of BCL (including multiple myeloma [ MM]) and matched controls. Linear mixed models and partial least square analyses were used to analyze the association between levels of immune marker and the incidence of BCL and its main histological subtypes and to investigate potential biomarkers predictive of the time to diagnosis. Linear mixed model analyses identified associations linking lower levels of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2 p = 7.2 x 10(-4)) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha, p = 6.5 x 10(-5)) and BCL incidence. Analyses stratified by histological subtypes identified inverse associations for MM subtype including FGF-2 (p = 7.8 x 10(-7)), TGF-alpha (p = 4.08 x 10(-5)), fractalkine (p = 1.12 x 10(-3)), monocyte chemotactic protein-3 (p = 1.36 x 10(-4)), macrophage inflammatory protein 1-alpha (p = 4.6 x 10(-4)) and vascular endothelial growth factor (p = 4.23 x 10(-5)). Our results also provided marginal support for already reported associations between chemokines and diffuse large BCL (DLBCL) and cytokines and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Case-only analyses showed that Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor levels were consistently higher closer to diagnosis, which provides further evidence of its role in tumor progression. In conclusion, our study suggests a role of growth-factors in the incidence of MM and of chemokine and cytokine regulation in DLBCL and CLL.What's new?B-cell lymphomas (BCL) are frequent in immunocompromised individuals, but most BCL cases are thought to occur as a consequence of minor immune perturbations in otherwise immunocompetent individuals. Here the authors prospectively examined a panel of immune markers in the blood from 268 patients afflicted with BCL and paired controls. The data uncover a functional role for growth factors (i.e. FGF-2, TGF-alpha) in the incidence and progression of multiple myeloma, a BCL subtype, and underscore the importance of chemokine and cytokine regulation in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Background: Swimming in a chlorinated pool results in high exposure levels to disinfection by-products (DBPs), which have been associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. Objectives: By studying molecular responses at the blood transcriptome level we examined the biological processes associated with exposure to these compounds. Methods: Whole-genome gene expression and microRNA analysis was performed on blood samples collected from 43 volunteers before and 2h after 40min swimming in an indoor chlorinated pool (PISCINAII study). Exposure to THMs was measured in exhaled breath. Heart rate and kcal expenditure were measured as proxies for physical activity. Associations between exposure levels and gene expression were assessed using multivariate normal models (MVN), correcting for age, body mass index and sex. A Bonferroni threshold at 5% was applied. Results: MVN-models for the individual exposures identified 1778 genes and 23 microRNAs that were significantly associated with exposure to at least one DBP. Due to co-linearity it was not possible to statistically disentangle responses to DBP exposure from those related to physical activity. However, after eliminating previously reported transcripts associated with physical activity a large number of hits remained associated with DBP exposure. Among those, 9 were linked with bladder and 31 with colon cancer. Concordant microRNA/mRNA expressions were identified in association with DBP exposure for hsa-mir-22-3p and hsa-miR-146a-5p and their targets RCOR1 and TLR4, both related to colon cancer in association with DBP exposure. Conclusions: Short-term exposure to low levels of DBPs shows genomics responses that may be indicative of increased cancer risk. Keywords: Disinfection by-products, Transcriptomics, microRNA, Multivariate normal models

Background: We hypothesize that biological perturbations due to exposure to ambient air pollution are reflected in gene expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.Methods: We assessed the association between exposure to ambient air pollution and genome-wide gene expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from 550 healthy subjects participating in cohorts from Italy and Sweden. Annual air pollution estimates of nitrogen oxides (NOx) at time of blood collection (1990-2006) were available from the ESCAPE study. In addition to univariate analysis and two variable selection methods to investigate the association between expression and exposure to NOx, we applied gene set enrichment analysis to assess overlap between our most perturbed genes and gene sets hypothesized to be related to air pollution and cigarette smoking. Finally, we assessed associations between NOx and CpG island methylation at the identified genes.Results: Annual average NOx exposure in the Italian and Swedish cohorts was 94.2 and 6.7 mu g/m(3), respectively. Long-term exposure to NOx was associated with seven probes in the Italian cohort and one probe in the Swedish (and combined) cohorts. For genes AHCYL2 and MTMR2, changes were also seen in the methylome. Genes hypothesized to be downregulated due to cigarette smoking were enriched among the most strongly downregulated genes from our study.Conclusion: This study provides evidence of subtle changes in gene expression related to exposure to long-term NOx. On a global level, the observed changes in the transcriptome may indicate similarities between air pollution and tobacco induced changes in the transcriptome.

We recently reported that differential gene expression and DNA methylation profiles in blood leukocytes of apparently healthy smokers predicts with remarkable efficiency diseases and conditions known to be causally associated with smoking, suggesting that blood-based omic profiling of human populations may be useful for linking environmental exposures to potential health effects. Here we report on the sex-specific effects of tobacco smoking on transcriptomic and epigenetic features derived from genome-wide profiling in white blood cells, identifying 26 expression probes and 92 CpG sites, almost all of which are affected only in female smokers. Strikingly, these features relate to numerous genes with a key role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, especially thrombin signaling, including the thrombin receptors on platelets F2R (coagulation factor II (thrombin) receptor; PAR1) and GP5 (glycoprotein 5), as well as HMOX1 (haem oxygenase 1) and BCL2L1 (BCL2-like 1) which are involved in protection against oxidative stress and apoptosis, respectively. These results are in concordance with epidemiological evidence of higher female susceptibility to tobacco-induced cardiovascular disease and underline the potential of blood-based omic profiling in hazard and risk assessment.

Objective Although poor parental bonding is a known risk factor for suicidality, current literature is inconsistent about the relative role of low parental care and parental overprotection, as well as the combination of the two, termed “affectionless control”. This review presents the current state of knowledge of the relationship between suicidality and these two aspects of parental bonding. Method The computerized databases Medline, PubMed, PsychINFO, PsychLit, and Google Scholar were searched using combinations of the following keywords: suicidality, suicide, suicide attempt, suicidal behavior, parental bonding, and parental bonding instrument. Using the results, we reviewed the reports on the relationship between suicidality and parental bonding as measured by validated parental bonding instruments. Results Twelve papers were analyzed. All of them used the parental bonding instrument (PBI) and one used both the PBI and the object representation inventory (ORI). Most reports agreed that, in mothers, either lack of maternal care and/or overprotection was associated with an increase in suicidal behavior, while in fathers only low care was consistently associated with suicidality. This lack of constancy with regard to the effect of paternal overprotection appears to be due to cultural differences in fathers' role in child rearing. With these differences acknowledged, affectionless control in both parents emerges as the parenting style most strongly associated with suicidal behavior. Common methodological problems included low numbers of subjects, inconsistent control groups, and the lack of a uniform definition of suicidality. Conclusion Despite methodological limitations, current literature consistently indicates that parental affectionless control is associated with suicidal behavior. Recognizing affectionless control as a risk factor for suicide and developing early interventions aimed at modifying affectionless and overprotective parenting style in families with a history of affective disorders may be effective in reducing suicidal risk.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesize that biological perturbations due to exposure to ambient air pollution are reflected in gene-expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. METHODS: We assessed the association between exposure to ambient air pollution and genome-wide gene-expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from 550 healthy subjects participating in cohorts from Italy and Sweden. Annual air pollution estimates of nitrogen oxides (NOx) at time of blood collection (1990 to 2006) were available from the ESCAPE study. In addition to univariate analysis and two variable selection methods to investigate the association between expression and exposure to NOx, we applied gene set enrichment analysis to assess overlap between our most perturbed genes and gene sets hypothesized to be related to air pollution and cigarette smoking. Finally, we assessed associations between NOx and CpG island methylation at the identified genes. RESULTS: Annual average NOx exposure in the Italian and Swedish cohorts was 94.2 µg/m3, and 6.7 µg/m3, respectively. Long-term exposure to NOx was associated with seven probes in the Italian cohort and one probe in the Swedish (and combined) cohorts. For genes AHCYL2 and MTMR2 changes were also seen in the methylome. Genes hypothesized to be downregulated due to cigarette smoking were enriched among the most strongly downregulated genes from our study. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of subtle changes in gene expression related to exposure to long-term NOx. On a global level the observed changes in the transcriptome may indicate similarities between air pollution and tobacco induced changes in the transcriptome.

A study showing that student internet behavior differed significantly for students with high scores on a test of depression is thought to be the first to consider the relationship between internet use and depression that focuses on patterns of online behavior rather than content. Study findings have the potential for use in the human services as a way to assess and/or promote mental health. Although the data were collected anonymously with Institutional Review Board approval and participants' informed consent, objections have been raised suggesting this type of data collection represents “Big Brother” or the monitoring of individuals' behavior without their awareness as portrayed in George Orwell's famous novel, 1984. The importance of this type of research in furthering our understanding of the impact of Internet use on human behavior is emphasized. Additionally, the role of the university is stressed as a location for conducting ethical research which disseminates findings via publication to inform and ...

Pre-diagnostic serum/plasma concentrations of B-cell activation markers have been associated with future risk of B-cell lymphomas (BCL) in HIV-infected patients and in the general population. Current evidence for the general population is however limited and relies on relatively small numbers of observations, especially for specific histologies. We carried out a nested case-control study, including 218 BCL and 218 matched controls, within two prospective cohorts, to investigate the association between plasma levels of soluble (s)CD27 and sCD30 and future risk of BCL, and main histologic subtypes separately. To expand the evidence further, we performed meta-analyses of the published data on these associations from prospective studies among the general population. Our study revealed a significant relationship between sCD30 concentration and BCL risk (OR=0.86, 1.53, 1.76, for the 2(nd) -4(th) quartiles respectively, P-trend=0.01). Similar increased risks were observed for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. Analyses of sCD27 blood concentrations did not show significant associations with BCL, (OR=0.90, 1.26, 1.65 for the 2(nd) -4(th) quartiles, respectively, P-trend=0.17), but significant associations were observed for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and for the group of ‘other BCL’ subtypes. Our findings involving sCD30 were confirmed within our meta-analyses of five prospective cohorts, while results were more heterogeneous for sCD27 with the exception of CLL which was found consistently in all studies. Data to date suggest that chronic B-cell stimulation might be an important mechanism involved in B-cell lymphomagenesis both in HIV-infected and in the general population. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Supplementary materials for the paper "Associations between genome-wide gene expression and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in ambient air", Submittedby Epidemiologyin 2015. Result of the associations between long-term exposure to NOx and transcript level based on agnostic approach in three cohorts (Italian, Swedish, Combined).If you have questions about any of these materials, please write to n.s.mostafavimontazeri@uu.nl.

Objectives Vertigo has been reported by people working around magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners and was found to increase with increasing strength of scanner magnets. This suggests an association with exposure to static magnetic fields (SMF) and/or motion-induced time-varying magnetic fields (TVMF). This study assessed the association between various metrics of shift-long exposure to SMF and TVMF and self-reported vertigo among MRI workers. Methods We analysed 358 shifts from 234 employees at 14 MRI facilities in the Netherlands. Participants used logbooks to report vertigo experienced during the work day at the MRI facility. In addition, personal exposure to SMF and TVMF was measured during the same shifts, using portable magnetic field dosimeters. Results Vertigo was reported during 22 shifts by 20 participants and was significantly associated with peak and time-weighted average (TWA) metrics of SMF as well as TVMF exposure. Associations were most evident with full-shift TWA TVMF exposure. The probability of vertigo occurrence during a work shift exceeded 5% at peak exposure levels of 409 mT and 477 mT/s and at full-shift TWA levels of 3 mT and 0.6 mT/s. Conclusions These results confirm the hypothesis that vertigo is associated with exposure to MRI-related SMF and TVMF. Strong correlations between various metrics of shift-long exposure make it difficult to disentangle the effects of SMF and TVMF exposure, or identify the most relevant exposure metric. On the other hand, this also implies that several metrics of shift-long exposure to SMF and TVMF should perform similarly in epidemiological studies on MRI-related vertigo.

Software producing organizations are frequently judged by others for being 'open' or 'closed', where a more 'closed' organization is seen as being detrimental to its software ecosystem. These qualifications can harm the reputation of these companies, for they are deemed to promote vendor lock-in, use closed data formats, and are seen as using intellectual property laws to harm others. These judgements, however, are frequently based on speculation and the need arises for a method to establish openness of an organization, such that decisions are no longer based on prejudices, but on an objective assessment of the practices of a software producing organization. In this article the open software enterprise model is presented that enables one to establish the degree of openness of a software producing organization. The model has been evaluated in five interviews, is illustrated using three case studies, and shows that organizational openness and transparency are complex variables, that should not be determined based on belief or prejudice. Furthermore, the model can be used by software producing organizations as a reference for further opening up their business, to stimulate the surrounding software ecosystem, and further their business goals.

Depression is a serious mental health problem affecting a significant segment of American society today, and in particular college students. In a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2009, 26.1% of U.S. students nationwide reported feeling so sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 or more weeks in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities. Similar statistics are also reported in mental health studies by the American College Health Association, and by independent surveys. In this article, the author report their findings from a month-long experiment conducted at Missouri University of Science and Technology on studying depressive symptoms among college students who use the Internet. This research was carried out using real campus Internet data collected continuously, unobtrusively, and while preserving privacy.

The efficiency of polymer - metal oxide hybrid solar cells depends critically on the intimacy of mixing of the two semiconductors. The effect of side chain functionalization on the morphology and performance of conjugated polymer:ZnO solar cells is investigated. Using an ester-functionalized side chain poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) derivative (P3HT-E), the nanoscale morphology of ZnO:polymer solar cells is significantly more intimately mixed compared to ZnO:poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (ZnO:P3HT), as evidenced experimentally from a 3D reconstruction of the phase separation using electron tomography. Photoinduced absorption reveals nearly quantitative charge generation for the ZnO:P3HT-E blend but not for ZnO:P3HT, consistent with the results obtained from solving the 3D diffusion equation for excitons formed in the polymer within the two experimental ZnO morphologies. For thin ZnO:P3HT-E active layers (similar to 50 nm) this yields a significant improvement of the solar cell performance. For thicker cells, however, the reduced hole mobility and a reduced percolation of ZnO pathways hinders charge carrier collection, limiting the power conversion efficiency.

Benzene exposure has been causally linked with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but inconsistently associated with other hematopoietic, lymphoproliferative and related disorders (HLD) or solid tumors in humans. Many neoplasms have been described in experimental animals exposed to benzene. We used Poisson regression to estimate adjusted relative risks (RR) and the likelihood ratio statistic to derive confidence intervals for cause-specific mortality and HLD incidence in 73,789 benzene-exposed compared with 34,504 unexposed workers in a retrospective cohort study in 12 cities in China. Follow-up and outcome assessment was based on factory, medical and other records. Benzene-exposed workers experienced increased risks for all-cause mortality (RR = 1.1, 95% CI = 1.1, 1.2) due to excesses of all neoplasms (RR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.2, 1.4), respiratory diseases (RR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.2, 2.3) and diseases of blood forming organs (RR = ∞, 95% CI = 3.4, ∞). Lung cancer mortality was significantly elevated (RR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.2, 1.9) with similar RRs for males and females, based on three-fold more cases than in our previous follow-up. Significantly elevated incidence of all myeloid disorders reflected excesses of myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia (RR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.2, 6.6) and chronic myeloid leukemia (RR = 2.5, 95% CI = 0.8, 11), and increases of all lymphoid disorders included excesses of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (RR = 3.9, 95%CI = 1.5, 13) and all lymphoid leukemia (RR = 5.4, 95%CI = 1.0, 99). The 28-year follow-up of Chinese benzene-exposed workers demonstrated increased risks of a broad range of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases and suggested possible associations with other malignant and non-malignant disorders.

Prediagnostic serum/plasma concentrations of B-cell activation markers have been associated with future risk of B-cell lymphomas (BCL) in HIV-infected patients and in the general population. Current evidence for the general population is however limited and relies on relatively small numbers of observations, especially for specific histologies. We carried out a nested case-control study, including 218 BCL and 218 matched controls, within two prospective cohorts, to investigate the association between plasma levels of soluble (s)CD27 and sCD30 and future risk of BCL, and main histologic subtypes separately. To expand the evidence further, we performed meta-analyses of the published data on these associations from prospective studies among the general population. Our study revealed a significant relationship between sCD30 concentration and BCL risk (OR = 0.86, 1.53, 1.76, for the 2nd-4th quartiles respectively, p trend = 0.01). Similar increased risks were observed for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. Analyses of sCD27 blood concentrations did not show significant associations with BCL, (OR = 0.90, 1.26, 1.65 for the 2nd-4th quartiles, respectively, p trend = 0.17), but significant associations were observed for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and for the group of "other BCL" subtypes. Our findings involving sCD30 were confirmed within our meta-analyses of five prospective cohorts, while results were more heterogeneous for sCD27 with the exception of CLL which was found consistently in all studies. Data to date suggest that chronic B-cell stimulation might be an important mechanism involved in B-cell lymphomagenesis both in HIV-infected and in the general population.

Benzene exposure has been causally linked with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but inconsistently associated with other hematopoietic, lymphoproliferative and related disorders (HLD) or solid tumors in humans. Many neoplasms have been described in experimental animals exposed to benzene. We used Poisson regression to estimate adjusted relative risks (RR) and the likelihood ratio statistic to derive confidence intervals for cause-specific mortality and HLD incidence in 73,789 benzene-exposed compared with 34,504 unexposed workers in a retrospective cohort study in 12 cities in China. Follow-up and outcome assessment was based on factory, medical and other records. Benzene-exposed workers experienced increased risks for all-cause mortality (RR = 1.1, 95% CI = 1.1, 1.2) due to excesses of all neoplasms (RR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.2, 1.4), respiratory diseases (RR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.2, 2.3) and diseases of blood forming organs (RR = ∞, 95% CI = 3.4, ∞). Lung cancer mortality was significantly elevated (RR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.2, 1.9) with similar RRs for males and females, based on three-fold more cases than in our previous follow-up. Significantly elevated incidence of all myeloid disorders reflected excesses of myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia (RR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.2, 6.6) and chronic myeloid leukemia (RR = 2.5, 95% CI = 0.8, 11), and increases of all lymphoid disorders included excesses of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (RR = 3.9, 95%CI = 1.5, 13) and all lymphoid leukemia (RR = 5.4, 95%CI = 1.0, 99). The 28-year follow-up of Chinese benzene-exposed workers demonstrated increased risks of a broad range of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases and suggested possible associations with other malignant and non-malignant disorders.

We report on the electronic properties and application of conductive carbon as a novel front-end material. Conductive carbon is attractive due to its metallic properties, high thermal stability, compatibility to Si-based dielectrics, and the availability of a low-cost batch deposition process. Here, we utilize carbon instead of a polysilicon top electrode in a deep trench capacitor with SiON node dielectric. A capacitance gain of 10% is observed due to suppression of electronic depletion. Furthermore, the midgap work function of 4.4 eV leads to a reduction of leakage currents due to a higher tunneling barrier. This allows electric thinning of the dielectric for a total capacitance gain of 20%, compared to a polysilicon electrode, while maintaining excellent electronic reliability characteristics.

The epidemiologic evidence for the carcinogenicity of lead is inconsistent and requires improved exposure assessment to estimate risk. We evaluated historical occupational lead exposure for a population-based cohort of women (n=74,942) by calibrating a job-exposure matrix (JEM) with lead fume (n=20,084) and lead dust (n=5383) measurements collected over four decades in Shanghai, China. Using mixed-effect models, we calibrated intensity JEM ratings to the measurements using fixed-effects terms for year and JEM rating. We developed job/industry-specific estimates from the random-effects terms for job and industry. The model estimates were applied to subjects' jobs when the JEM probability rating was high for either job or industry; remaining jobs were considered unexposed. The models predicted that exposure increased monotonically with JEM intensity rating and decreased 20-50-fold over time. The cumulative calibrated JEM estimates and job/industry-specific estimates were highly correlated (Pearson correlation=0.79-0.84). Overall, 5% of the person-years and 8% of the women were exposed to lead fume; 2% of the person-years and 4% of the women were exposed to lead dust. The most common lead-exposed jobs were manufacturing electronic equipment. These historical lead estimates should enhance our ability to detect associations between lead exposure and cancer risk in the future epidemiologic analyses.

International audience

Crump asserts that we “inappropriately mixed data from exposures lagged 5 years and 15 years” in our study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (Vermeulen et al. 2014). Exposure metrics from different studies available for meta-analysis are rarely, if ever, completely comparable. Therefore, even exposures labeled exactly the same (e.g., “cumulative exposure lagged 15 years”) differ between studies because of differences in exposure assessment (cumulative exposure is accrued in different ways in different populations) and because of differences in age composition and extent of follow-up. As a result, in epidemiological studies, optimal lag times to exclude exposures not affecting risk may be variable across studies. For our meta-regression, we included the exposure–response relationships that were presented as the main analyses in the respective papers. For the two trucking studies (Garshick et al. 2012; Steenland et al. 1998), the exposure metric was lagged 5 years, whereas for the Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study (DEMS; Silverman et al. 2012) it was 15 years. Results for an analysis using a 5-year lag in DEMS were not published, although the 5-year lag had been included in analyses to examine changes in model fit as a function of lag. From those analyses (Silverman et al. 2012, Supplementary Figure 1), it is apparent that a 5-year lag showed the worst model fit of all lags (0–25 years); thus, it does not make sense to use this particular analysis as the primary exposure–response relation simply because the label “5-year lag” coincides with that of the other two studies. We acknowledge that the interpretation of the risk function may be affected by differences in exposure between lag times. For this reason, we performed sensitivity analyses that included different lags from each study; overall results changed only slightly. We extended our earlier sensitivity analyses by including the unpublished 5-year lagged data from Silverman et al. (Silverman DT, personal communication).We note again, however, that these 5-year lagged data from the DEMS do not fit nearly as well as the 15-year lagged data. We stress our belief that they should not be the primary data for use in any risk assessment/meta-regression. Crump argues that his alternative analyses using the 5-year lagged data were more consistent with the underlying DEMS data. Figure 1 includes the individual risk estimates for all three studies, with three alternative lag times for DEMS. It is clear from Figure 1 that the 5-year lagged risk estimates for DEMS selected by Crump for his meta-analysis are considerably lower than those of the two trucking studies and the alternative lag times for DEMS. We also included in the figure three different regression lines based on the two trucking studies and one of three different sets of results for DEMS, obtained using the exposure data lagged 0, 5, and 15 years. All models are fitted using the full estimated covariance matrix to appropriately account for the correlation between categorical point estimates from the same study, a correction ignored by Crump. The lowest meta-regression slope, using the 5-year lagged exposure results from DEMS, a) is higher than that reported by Crump using the variance estimates only; b) is statistically significant (0.00065; 95% CI: 0.00028, 0.0010); and c) falls within our previous sensitivity analyses (Vermeulen et al. 2014). It is also clear that the exposure–response function derived using the 15-year lagged exposure data from DEMS is a much better fit overall. Figure 1 Predicted exposure–response curve of cumulative elemental carbon (EC) and lung cancer risk using different lag-times based on a log-linear regression model using relative risk estimates from the three cohort studies. In summary, we strongly disagree with the assertions made by Crump in his letter that we inappropriately mixed lag times. On his other points, we note that adjustment for employment duration in the trucking industry cohort study was not a second exposure measure, but appropriately reduced bias attributable to a healthy worker survivor effect. Additional analyses presented here confirm that the original findings from the meta-analyses are robust. Therefore, we firmly stand with the conclusions of our original paper.

Software companies and organizations increasingly open up their business to other software companies and as a consequence they find themselves in an ecosystem of software companies, developers and partners. These actors, and especially the software organization that is at the core of this ecosystem, are having difficulties in getting insight into this ecosystem and how their actions influence its performance. In this paper a model is presented that describes the key characteristics of a Software Ecosystem. The central hub of a Software Ecosystem can use data on these characteristics to its strategic advantage. This is demonstrated by the use of the model in a case study of a hub in a software ecosystem.

The process of implementing a Web Content Management System (WCM) can be complex and time consuming. We argue that there is a need for a web engineering methods specifically addressing WCM implementations. In this paper we present the design phase of our Web Engineering Method (WEM). The design phase of WEM addresses fourteen identified key WCM concepts and consists of the main activities: Conceptual Design, Architecture Design, Presentation Design and Detailed Component Design. The proposed method is validated through an expert validation and a case study. Based on the outcome, we developed a prototype of a CASE-application supporting the Conceptual Design activity. Future research includes further development of the CASE-application including the abstract syntax and automation of the transition.

Development of a new software product is a complex process, in which requirements, release deadlines, and technical challenges fight for priority. These products are designed with the first release in mind which can sometimes cause software developers to have to make extensive design changes in subsequent releases. This paper presents an approach that creates design methods for product software design projects. The resulting design method is used to create a complete, maintainable, and durable product design. The approach has been applied in a practical case study of a series of web information system design projects. In this paper we describe the part of the case where key features were gathered and associated to method fragments, and how they were validated by an expert group.

A high performance surrounding gate transistor (SGT) enabling sufficient static and dynamic retention time of future DRAM cells is presented. For the first time, we demonstrate a fully depleted SGT, that shows no reduction of the retention time due to the transient bipolar effect. This effect potentially prevents DRAM application of fully depleted SGTs and is therefore investigated in detail. Based on experimental results, the impact of the proposed SGT on the scalability and performance of future DRAMs is discussed.

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from burning "smoky" (bituminous) coal has been implicated as a cause of the high lung cancer incidence in the counties of Xuanwei and Fuyuan, China. Little is known about variations in PAH exposure from throughout the region nor how fuel source and stove design affects exposure. Indoor and personal PAH exposure resulting from solid fuel combustion in Xuanwei and Fuyuan was investigated using repeated 24 h particle bound and gas-phase PAH measurements, which were collected from 163 female residents of Xuanwei and Fuyuan. 549 particle bound (283 indoor and 266 personal) and 193 gas phase (all personal) PAH measurements were collected. Mixed effect models indicated that PAH exposure was up to 6 times higher when burning smoky coal than smokeless coal and varied by up to a factor of 3 between different smoky coal geographic sources. PAH measurements from unventilated firepits were up to 5 times that of ventilated stoves. Exposure also varied between different room sizes and season of measurement. These findings indicate that PAH exposure is modulated by a variety of factors, including fuel type, coal source, and stove design. These findings may provide valuable insight into potential causes of lung cancer in the area.

This paper presents a stochastic model of a turbulent shallow-water acoustic channel. The model utilizes a Monte Carlo realization method to predict signal transmission conditions. The main output from the model are statistical descriptions of the signal-to-multipath ratio (SMR) and signal fading. Probability density functions of signal envelope are evaluated by Pearsons's Skew-Kurtosis Chart, generally predicting Ricean fading. Dynamic calculations of SMR by the model overcome the main inconveniences of deterministic calculations, providing "smooth" instead of "noisy" curves as a result. Dynamic calculations of SMR and fading are concluded to provide more intelligible and realistic results than deterministic calculations.

This article presents the theoretical application of Parse's Man-Living-Health theory. The main objective is to offer an interpretation of and to clarify the theory's main principles, themes and concepts in the Swedish language. A hypothetical, and often occurring situation in psychiatric nursing practice has been chosen as an example of how the themes--meaning, rythmicity and co-transcendence could conceivably be applied as a guide for nursing action. It is well known that the patient with the diagnosis, manic depressive disorder, often finds Lithium treatment meaningless. The use of Parse theory may guide the nurse in helping the patient to express his values and beliefs in order to enhance quality of life. One of the emphases and perspectives of the theory is that the patient is the expert in knowing his own needs. The nurse should not impose her own values or make choices for the patient. In order to apply Parse theory, presupposes an understanding of the basic concepts in existentialism and phenomenology as well as a shared psychiatric ideology in the practical setting.

Prof. Kim Lutzen contacted the Department of Advanced Nursing Sciences, Unisa, via the Department's Web Page. Prof. Lutzen is the Chair of the Department of Nursing, which offers undergraduate, master and doctoral programmes. This Department of Nursing is situated within the Karolinska Institute, which comprises 29 Departments of Health Sciences, including a number of Medical Departments, Dentistry, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Nursing. Prof. Lutzen emphasised that there is no Swedish phrase similar to "nursing science", consequently this t e n seems to be somewhat unfamiliar to the Swedish nurses. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

The protonephridial terminal organ in the nemertean Pantinonemertes californiensis is composed of two cells that are similar in size and shape and are mirror images of each other. Basally in the organ the two cells combine to form a binucleate cytoplasmic mass. Apically they are intimately joined to form a subcylindrical thin-walled weir apparatus; this part is supported by two opposed cytoplasmic columns running the length of the weir region, one originating from each of the two cells, and by a number of regularly spaced circular bars that arise from the two columns. The ciliary flame consists of 94–114 cilia that originate in the bases of the two cells, and it is surrounded by a palisade of incomplete circlets of long, straight microvilli. The convoluted protonephridial tubule is rich in structures that indicate intensive reabsorption from the primary urine. It is argued that the terminal organs in Pantinonemertes and Geonemertes are fundamentally similar and differ only in the amount of microtubules present in the longitudinal supports.

The protective action of piridoxilate on hypoxic myocardium has been studied on rats in acute hypoxia (isolated heart, perfused with a non-oxygenated solution) and in prolonged hypoxia (3 days at high [3454 m] altitude). Piridoxilate maintained a higher ATP level with a much lower production of lactate. The mechanisms of action of piridoxilate are probably fairly similar to those of Na dichloracetate.

A species of Gonophysema (Copepod parasitic in Ascidians) has been found in the Mediterranean living in Distomus variolosus, which is a new host for the genus. This form is morphologically and anatomically indistinguishable from G. gullmarensis, single species of the genus. However, its specific rank can not be established with certainty. Gonophgsema (eine ascidicole Copepode) ist lebend im Distomus variolosus, ein neuer Wirt dieser Gattung, im Mittelmeer gefunden worden. Da es nicht moglich ist, die neue Form auf morphologischer und anatomischer Grundlage von G. gullmarensis, der bis jetzt einigen Art dieser Gattung, zu unterscheiden, bleibt seine specifische Stellung noch unklar. [NOT CONTROLLED OCR], Une forme de Gonophysema (Copépode parasite d'Ascidie) a été récoltée en Méditerranée dans un hôte nouveau pour le genre, Distomus variolosus. Cette forme ne se distingue ni morphologiquement, ni anatomiquement, de G.gullmarensis, unique espèce du genre. Son statut spécifique ne peut cependant être défini avec certitude. [OCR NON CONTRÔLE]

One of the key enablers in scaling DRAM trench capacitors to sub-100 nm ground rules is a viable collar integration concept. We report, for the first time, the successful implementation of a buried collar concept, which leaves ample space for the connection from the array device to the inner electrode. The new collar integration scheme is fully compatible with a number of capacitance enhancement techniques including surface enlargement by trench widening, HSG deposition as well as the utilization of high-k node dielectrics such as Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/. These capacitance enhancement techniques are required to maintain a capacitance in excess of 30 fF/cell. In addition, a metal fill of the deep trench is necessary to maintain a low series resistance of the inner electrode, which is also demonstrated for the first time. The successful integration of these key enablers in deep trenches is presented.

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