Consensus Report : 2nd European Workshop on Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation for Oral Health Professionals

Tobacco use has been identified as a major risk factor for oral disorders such as cancer and periodontal disease. Tobacco use cessation (TUC) is associated with the potential for reversal of precancer, enhanced outcomes following periodontal treatment, and better periodontal status compared to patients who continue to smoke. Consequently, helping tobacco users to quit has become a part of both the responsibility of oral health professionals and the general practice of dentistry. TUC should consist of behavioural support, and if accompanied by pharmacotherapy, is more likely to be successful. It is widely accepted that appropriate compensation of TUC counselling would give oral health professionals greater incentives to provide these measures. Therefore, TUC-related compensation should be made accessible to all dental professionals and be in appropriate relation to other therapeutic interventions. International and national associations for oral health professionals are urged to act as advocates to promote population, community and individual initiatives in support of tobacco use prevention and cessation (TUPAC) counselling, including integration in undergraduate and graduate dental curricula. In order to facilitate the adoption of TUPAC strategies by oral health professionals, we propose a level of care model which includes 1) basic care: brief interventions for all patients in the dental practice to identify tobacco users, assess readiness to quit, and request permission to re-address at a subsequent visit, 2) intermediate care: interventions consisting of (brief) motivational interviewing sessions to build on readiness to quit, enlist resources to support change, and to include cessation medications, and 3) advanced care: intensive interventions to develop a detailed quit plan including the use of suitable pharmacotherapy. To ensure that the delivery of effective TUC becomes part of standard care, continuing education courses and updates should be implemented and offered to all oral health professionals on a regular basis

Long-term changes in spatial overlap between interacting cod and flounder in the Baltic Sea

The strength of interspecific competition and predator\u2013prey interactions depends on the area of co-occurrence of the interacting species. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify the changes in the spatial overlap of trophically connected species to understand the outcomes of species interactions. In the Baltic Sea, the interplay between cod and flounder has previously been neglected. In this study, we use four decades of data on cod and flounder distributions covering the southern and central Baltic Sea to: (1) model and map the changes in the distributions of the two species using generalized additive models; (2) quantify the temporal changes in the potential competitive and predator\u2013prey interactions between them using spatial overlap indices; (3) relate these changes in overlap to the known dynamics of the different cod and flounder populations in the Baltic Sea. Competition overlap has continuously increased for cod, from the beginning of the time-series. This is a possible cause of the observed decline in feeding levels and body condition of small and intermediate sized cod. Flounder overlap with large cod instead has decreased substantially, suggesting a predation release of flounder, potentially triggering its increase in abundance and distribution range observed in the last decades

Modelling indices of abundance and size-based indicators of cod and flounder stocks in the Baltic Sea using newly standardized trawl survey data

Standardized indices of abundance and size-based indicators are of extreme importance for monitoring \ufb01sh population status. The main objectives of the current study were to (i) combine and standardize recently performed trawl survey with historical ones, (ii) explore and discuss the trends in abundance, and (iii) the trends in maximum length (Lmax) for cod (Gadus morhua) and \ufb02ounder (Platichthys \ufb02esus) stocks in the Baltic Sea. Standardization of catch per unit of effort (CPUE) from trawl surveys from 1978 to 2014 to swept area per unit of time was conducted using information on trawling speed and horizontal opening of the trawls. CPUE data for cod and \ufb02ounder stocks were modelled using generalized additive models (GAMs) in a delta modelling approach framework, while the Lmax data were modelled using ordinary GAMs. The CPUE time series of the Eastern Baltic cod stock closely resembles the spawning stock biomass trend from analytical stock assessment. The results obtained furnish evidence of the cod spill-over from Subdivisions (SD) 25\u201328 to SD 24. The decline of Lmax in recent years was evident for both species in all the stocks analysed indicating that the demersal \ufb01sh community is becoming progressively dominated by small individuals. It is concluded that the standardization of long time series of \ufb01sheries-independent data constitutes a powerful tool that could help improve our knowledge on the dynamics of \ufb01shed populations, thus promoting a long-term sustainable use of these marine resources

Synthesis and affinity evaluation of a small library of bidentate cholera toxin ligands: towards non hydrolysable ganglioside mimics

A small library of nonhydrolyzable mimics of GM1 ganglioside, featuring galactose and sialic acid as pharmacophoric carbohydrate residues, was synthesized and tested. All compounds were synthesized from readily available precursors using high-performance reactions, including click chemistry protocols, and avoiding O-glycosidic bonds. Some of the most active molecules also feature a point of further derivatization that can be used for conjugation with polyvalent aglycons. Their affinity towards cholera toxin was assessed by weak affinity chromatography, which allowed a systematic evaluation and selection of the best candidates. Affinity could be enhanced up to one or two orders of magnitude over the affinity of the individual pharmacophoric sugar residues

Topographic modelling of haptic properties of tissue products

The way a product or material feels when touched, haptics, has been shown to be a property that plays an important role when consumers determine the quality of products For tissue products in constant touch with the skin, softness becomes a primary quality parameter. In the present work, the relationship between topography and the feeling of the surface has been investigated for commercial tissues with varying degree of texture from the low textured crepe tissue to the highly textured embossed- and air-dried tissue products. A trained sensory panel at was used to grade perceived haptic \uabroughness\ubb. The technique used to characterize the topography was Digital light projection (DLP) technique, By the use of multivariate statistics, strong correlations between perceived roughness and topography were found with predictability of above 90 percent even though highly textured products were included. Characterization was made using areal ISO 25178-2 topography parameters in combination with non-contacting topography measurement. The best prediction ability was obtained when combining haptic properties with the topography parameters auto-correlation length (Sal), peak material volume (Vmp), core roughness depth (Sk) and the maximum height of the surface (Sz). \ua9 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Recruitment failure of coastal predatory fish in the Baltic Sea is related to an offshore system shift

The dominant coastal predatory \ufb01sh in the southwestern Baltic Sea, perch and pike, have decreased markedly in abundance during the past decade. An investigation into their recruitment at 135 coastal sites showed that both species suffered from recruitment failures, mainly in open coastal areas. A detailed study of 15 sites showed that areas with recruitment problems were also notable for mortality of early-stage larvae at the onset of exogenous food-intake. At those sites, zooplankton abundance predicted 83 and 34% of the variation in young of the year perch and pike, respectively, suggesting that the declines were caused by recruitment failure attributable to zooplankton food limitation. Incidences of recruitment failure match in time an offshore trophic cascade that generated massive increases in planktivorous sprat and decreases in zooplankton biomass in the early 1990s. Therefore, sprat biomass explained 53% of the variation in perch recruitment from 1994 to 2007 at an open coastal site, where threespined stickleback also increased exponentially after 2002. The results indicate that the dramatic change in the offshore ecosystem may have propagated to the coast causing declines of the dominating coastal predators perch and pike followed by an increase in the abundance of small-bodied \ufb01sh

A drone agent to support a clean environment

In this paper we introduce and evaluate a concept of a drone agent that can support us to keep the environment clean. The drone has four main functions: (1) find a waste item, (2) persuade the user to pick up the item, (3) lead the user to the nearest trash bin, (4) communicate with the user when the job is done. We prototyped three types of persuasion effects with the drone (Visual, Audio, and Visual+Audio) and evaluated them through an online study with eighty two participants. The results reveal that interest in the drone technology varied significantly between developed and developing countries, with individuals in developing countries having higher ratings for drone related persuasion, compliance, pleasantness and sensibility; gender differences also emerged. Finally, evaluation results led to many design recommendations that will increase the functionality and attractiveness and usage potential of the proposed technology

Predator 12prey body size relationships of cod in a low-diversity marine system

How predators select their prey largely defines ecosystem trophic structure, function and dynamics. In aquatic systems, organism body size is an important trait explaining predator 12 prey interactions. Here, we used a unique Atlantic cod Gadus morhua stomach content dataset with diet information from over 100 000 individuals collected from the Baltic Sea in 1963 122014, to explore prey size distribution and predator 12prey mass ratios in the diet of Eastern Baltic cod. Maximum and average prey sizes increased with predator size, as for cod in other systems. However, the prey size spectra found in Eastern Baltic cod stomachs reflect the low species diversity in the Baltic Sea. In general, Eastern Baltic cod feed on smaller prey in relation to their body size than other cod populations. Due to the truncated prey size distribution in the Baltic Sea, cod cannibalism functions as a compensatory mechanism that allows Baltic cod to reach their prey size potential. On the other hand, small- and intermediate-sized cod prey mainly on a few invertebrate prey species, potentially making them vulnerable to changes in these prey populations. Our results encourage further studies disentangling the relative effects of prey preference and prey availability on cod trophodynamics in species-poor systems such as the Baltic Sea

The association between autonomic dysfunction, inflammation and atherosclerosis in men under investigation for carotid plaques

Background Autonomic dysfunction is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), however, the exact mechanism linking autonomic dysfunction to cardiovascular disease is not known. In this study we hypothesized that autonomic dysfunction increases inflammation, which subsequently accelerates atherosclerosis. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between autonomic tone, inflammation and atherosclerosis. 124 men under investigation for carotid atherosclerosis were examined for autonomic function (heart rate variability; HRV and baroreflex sensitivity; BRS), inflammatory markers (white blood cell count; WBCC and C-reactive protein; CRP) and degree of carotid atherosclerosis. The direct or indirect associations between autonomic function, inflammatory parameters and carotid plaque area were investigated with multiple linear regressions. Male subjects with prevalent CVD showed larger carotid plaque area, higher WBCC, and reduced BRS compared to subjects with no history of CVD. Further, BRS was inversely associated with carotid plaque area (r = -0.21, p = 0.018) as well as inflammatory parameters WBCC and CRP (r = -0.29, p = 0.001, and r = -0.23, p = 0.009, respectively), whereas HRV only was inversely associated with WBCC (r = -0.22, p = 0.014). To investigate if inflammation could provide a link between autonomic function and carotid atherosclerosis we adjusted the associations accordingly. After adjusting for WBCC and CRP the inverse association between BRS and carotid plaque area was attenuated and did not remain significant, while both WBCC and CRP remained significantly associated with carotid plaque area, indicating that low-grade inflammation can possibly link BRS to atherosclerosis. Also, after adjusting for age, antihypertensive treatment and cardiovascular risk factors, BRS was independently inversely associated with both WBCC and CRP, and HRV independently inversely associated with WBCC. WBCC was the only inflammatory marker independently associated with carotid plaque area after adjustment. We demonstrate that autonomic dysfunction is associated with atherosclerosis and that inflammation could play an important role in mediating this relationship

Characterizing and predicting the distribution of Baltic Sea flounder (Platichthys flesus) during the spawning season

Identi\ufb01cation of essential \ufb01sh habitats (EFH), such as spawning habitats, is important for nature conservation, sustainable \ufb01sheries management and marine spatial planning. Two sympatric \ufb02ounder (Platichthys \ufb02esus) ecotypes are present in the Baltic Sea, pelagic and demersal spawning \ufb02ounder, both displaying ecological and physiological adaptations to the low-salinity environment of this young inland sea. In this study we have addressed three main research questions: 1) What environmental conditions characterize the spatial distribution and abundance of adult \ufb02ounder during the spawning season? 2) What arethe main factors de\ufb01ning the habitats of the two \ufb02ounder ecotypes during the spawning season? 3) Where are the potential spawning areas of \ufb02ounder? We modelled catch per unit of e\ufb00ort (CPUE) of \ufb02ounder from gillnet surveys conducted over the southern and central Baltic Sea in the spring of 2014 and 2015 using generalized additive models. A general model included all the stations \ufb01shed during the survey while two other models, one for the demersal and one for the pelagic spawning \ufb02ounder, included only the stations where each \ufb02ounder ecotype should dominate. The general model captured distinct ecotype-speci\ufb01c signals as it identi\ufb01ed dual salinity and water depth responses. The model for the demersal spawning \ufb02ounder revealed a negative relation with the abundance of round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) anda positiverelation withSecchi depth and codabundance. Vegetation and substrate did not play an important role in the choice of habitat for the demersal ecotype. The model for the pelagic spawning \ufb02ounder showed a negative relation with temperature and bottom current and a positive relation with salinity. Spatial predictions of potential spawning areas of \ufb02ounder showed a decrease in habitat availability for the pelagic spawning \ufb02ounder over the last 20 years in the central part of the Baltic Sea, which may explain part of the observed changes in populations' biomass. We conclude that spatiotemporal modelling of habitat availability can improve our understanding of \ufb01sh stock dynamics and may provide necessary biological knowledge for the development of marine spatial plans