130 research outputs found
Occupations and geographical distribution of mesothelioma in Switzerland 1989-2018 - record linkage of an asbestos-exposed population with the Swiss National Cohort
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the possibility of linking the data of the Swiss Laboratory for Particle Analysis (Silag), a valuable but incomplete data source in the field of asbestos-related diseases, to the Swiss National Cohort (SNC). With the resulting comprehensive dataset, we intended to provide a source for further research in the field. We also conducted preliminary analyses of data focusing on occupations and regional distribution of malignant pleural mesothelioma cases.
METHODS
Data of asbestos-exposed individuals available from the Silag were anonymously linked with the SNC by means of deterministic record linkage. From this linkage, data on occupation classified according to the international standard classification of occupations (ISCO) as well as the canton of residence in Switzerland could be retrieved.
RESULTS
Of 838 eligible individuals from the Silag data, 788 (94.0%) could be linked to the SNC database, including 476 mesothelioma cases. In 340 cases of the latter, data on occupation and industries were available. Although the majority of them were blue-collar workers, a significant proportion (n = 44, 12.9%) had executive professions. The Canton of residence in 1990 was established in 430 of subjects with mesothelioma. A cluster could be identified in eastern Switzerland, especially in the canton of Glarus.
CONCLUSIONS
It was possible to link the datasets to a large extent thereby creating a data source for further research. Of note, the linkage provided data on occupation of a selection of mesothelioma cases in Switzerland
Clergy Perceptions of Denominational, Doctrine and Seminary School Support for Health and Wellness in Churches
Background: Churches are a viable community partner for reaching large populations for health promotion interventions. Despite their usefulness, little is known about the institutional capacity or beliefs of churches toward health. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how a churchesâ doctrine, parent organization (e.g. conference/diocese), and leader training (e.g. seminary school) perceive and support health-related issues. Design & Methods: Clergy (n=24) from multiple denominations participated in a semi-structured interview. The interviewer asked questions about the doctrine/philosophy of their church on health, parent organization support for health, and education and training on health. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded. Results: Clergy reported that stewardship and holistic views on health were a part of their churchesâ doctrine. Health insurance programs and clergy wellness initiatives were the most common form of health-related support from parent organizations. The majority of clergy reported minimal or no instruction on health during their education/training, and desired instruction on self-care in seminary school. These results indicate there are a number of institutional influences on health and wellness within churches. Conclusions: Future programs could include policy and environment level initiatives to address clergy health, and the development of culturally tailored intervention concurrent with church doctrine
The orbits of the quadruple star system 88 Tau A from PHASES differential astrometry and radial velocity
We have used high precision differential astrometry from the Palomar
High-precision Astrometric Search for Exoplanet Systems (PHASES) project and
radial velocity measurements covering a time-span of 20 years to determine the
orbital parameters of the 88 Tau A system. 88 Tau is a complex hierarchical
multiple system comprising a total of six stars; we have studied the brightest
4, consisting of two short-period pairs orbiting each other with an 18-year
period. We present the first orbital solution for one of the short-period
pairs, and determine the masses of the components and distance to the system to
the level of a few percent. In addition, our astrometric measurements allow us
to make the first determination of the mutual inclinations of the orbits. We
find that the sub-systems are not coplanar.Comment: Corrected Author Ordering; 12 Pages, Accepted for publication in Ap
Opposing Roles of Membrane and Soluble Forms of the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products in Primary Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common respiratory pathogen in infants and the older population, causes pulmonary inflammation and airway occlusion that leads to impairment of lung function. Here, we have established a role for receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in RSV infection. RAGE-deficient (agerâ/â) mice were protected from RSV-induced weight loss and inflammation. This protection correlated with an early increase in type I interferons, later decreases in proinflammatory cytokines, and a reduction in viral load. To assess the contribution of soluble RAGE (sRAGE) to RSV-induced disease, wild-type and agerâ/â mice were given doses of sRAGE following RSV infection. Of interest, sRAGE treatment prevented RSV-induced weight loss and neutrophilic inflammation to a degree similar to that observed in agerâ/â mice. Our work further elucidates the roles of RAGE in the pathogenesis of respiratory infections and highlights the opposing roles of membrane and sRAGE in modulating the host response to RSV infection
High-Power Test of Two Prototype X-band Accelerating Structures Based on SwissFEL Fabrication Technology
This article presents the design, construction, and high-power test of two -band radio frequency (RF) accelerating structures built as part of a collaboration between CERN and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) for the compact linear collider (CLIC) study. The structures are a modified 'tuning-free' variant of an existing CERN design and were assembled using Swiss free electron laser (SwissFEL) production methods. The purpose of the study is two-fold. The first objective is to validate the RF properties and high-power performance of the tuning-free, vacuum brazed PSI technology. The second objective is to study the structures' high-gradient behavior to provide insight into the breakdown and conditioning phenomena as they apply to high-field devices in general. Low-power RF measurements showed that the structure field profiles were close to the design values, and both structures were conditioned to accelerating gradients in excess of 100 MV/m in CERN's high-gradient test facility. Measurements performed during the second structure test suggest that the breakdown rate (BDR) scales strongly with the accelerating gradient, with the best fit being a power law relation with an exponent of 31.14. In both cases, the test results indicate that stable, high-gradient operation is possible with tuning-free, vacuum brazed structures of this kind
Global carbon budget 2019
Accurate assessment of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere â the âglobal carbon budgetâ â is important to better understand the global carbon cycle, support the development of climate policies, and project future climate change. Here we describe data sets and methodology to quantify the five major components of the global carbon budget and their uncertainties. Fossil CO2 emissions (EFF) are based on energy statistics and cement production data, while emissions from land use change (ELUC), mainly deforestation, are based on land use and land use change data and bookkeeping models. Atmospheric CO2 concentration is measured directly and its growth rate (GATM) is computed from the annual changes in concentration. The ocean CO2 sink (SOCEAN) and terrestrial CO2 sink (SLAND) are estimated with global process models constrained by observations. The resulting carbon budget imbalance (BIM), the difference between the estimated total emissions and the estimated changes in the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere, is a measure of imperfect data and understanding of the contemporary carbon cycle. All uncertainties are reported as ±1Ï. For the last decade available (2009â2018), EFF was 9.5±0.5âGtCâyrâ1, ELUC 1.5±0.7âGtCâyrâ1, GATM 4.9±0.02âGtCâyrâ1 (2.3±0.01âppmâyrâ1), SOCEAN 2.5±0.6âGtCâyrâ1, and SLAND 3.2±0.6âGtCâyrâ1, with a budget imbalance BIM of 0.4âGtCâyrâ1 indicating overestimated emissions and/or underestimated sinks. For the year 2018 alone, the growth in EFF was about 2.1â% and fossil emissions increased to 10.0±0.5âGtCâyrâ1, reaching 10âGtCâyrâ1 for the first time in history, ELUC was 1.5±0.7âGtCâyrâ1, for total anthropogenic CO2 emissions of 11.5±0.9âGtCâyrâ1 (42.5±3.3âGtCO2). Also for 2018, GATM was 5.1±0.2âGtCâyrâ1 (2.4±0.1âppmâyrâ1), SOCEAN was 2.6±0.6âGtCâyrâ1, and SLAND was 3.5±0.7âGtCâyrâ1, with a BIM of 0.3âGtC. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration reached 407.38±0.1âppm averaged over 2018. For 2019, preliminary data for the first 6â10 months indicate a reduced growth in EFF of +0.6â% (range of â0.2â% to 1.5â%) based on national emissions projections for China, the USA, the EU, and India and projections of gross domestic product corrected for recent changes in the carbon intensity of the economy for the rest of the world. Overall, the mean and trend in the five components of the global carbon budget are consistently estimated over the period 1959â2018, but discrepancies of up to 1âGtCâyrâ1 persist for the representation of semi-decadal variability in CO2 fluxes. A detailed comparison among individual estimates and the introduction of a broad range of observations shows (1) no consensus in the mean and trend in land use change emissions over the last decade, (2) a persistent low agreement between the different methods on the magnitude of the land CO2 flux in the northern extra-tropics, and (3) an apparent underestimation of the CO2 variability by ocean models outside the tropics. This living data update documents changes in the methods and data sets used in this new global carbon budget and the progress in understanding of the global carbon cycle compared with previous publications of this data set (Le QuĂ©rĂ© et al., 2018a, b, 2016, 2015a, b, 2014, 2013). The data generated by this work are available at https://doi.org/10.18160/gcp-2019 (Friedlingstein et al., 2019)
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