The economics of wind power:onshore vs. offshore technologies

Abstract. In a constantly changing world, where environmental issues are discussed more and more, the share and impact of renewable energy production methods are continuously rising. One such promising production method is wind power. The capacity of wind power has increased tremendously in the past few decades due to technological developments. Administrative factors, like the required use of renewable methods in power production have also contributed to the necessity of wind power. Unlike most of conventional power production methods, usage of wind power avoids the release of a lot of emissions, for example carbon dioxide. Wind power is produced by machines called wind turbines, that are usually massive devices. Construction of wind turbines use a lot of materials, most of which are metals. Wind turbines aim at converting some of the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity. Wind turbines can be found in many different variants. One major division in wind turbines is between onshore and offshore wind turbines. Both production methods pose challenges of their own now, and in the future. Challenges revolve mainly around the price of wind turbines, and the unpredictability of wind. The unpredictability of the wind forces the inclusion of reserve backup power in power systems, which increases the expenses even more. The electricity production criteria are also constantly growing, which puts new challenges on wind power. This bachelor’s thesis presents as a literature review the typical wind power production methods from technological, economical, and environmental perspective. The aim of the thesis is to compare different wind turbine models to each other, and to find out the strengths, weaknesses, and economic profitability of different turbines. Comparison is also done in relation to some differing production methods from specific points of view. The ability of wind power to respond to the demands set on it is also assessed from economic and performance perspectives. The thesis presents the principle, main components and structure of wind turbines. The problems, limitations, and future prospects and developments faced by wind power are introduced. In addition to onshore and offshore wind turbines, the turbines are exhibited by their type of axis and rotational speed. Also, the principle of some of unique wind turbine designs are addressed. The suitability of wind power in different environments and climates, like in urban environment, cold climates and arid areas are presented and considered. Recyclability and life cycle of wind turbines are assessed, alongside the emissions generated in wind turbine manufacturing. The thesis showcases the use of wind farms as an answer to the high requirement demands of electricity. Problems faced by wind power are also presented alongside future prospects. Likewise, the positive and negative environmental impacts of wind power are processed. In the conclusions of the thesis, the use of wind power as a tool in decreasing emissions to the atmosphere, capabilities in rising to a significant electricity production method all over the globe, and the applicability of wind power in different environments are assessed. The abilities of offshore wind farms in replacing large polluting power plants, utilization of water areas, and the accomplishment of additional positive environmental impacts are evaluated. Also, the possibilities of increasing the profitability of wind power through designing, extensive spreading of wind power, and expansion of recycling are considered.Tuulivoiman taloudellisuus maalla ja merellä. Tiivistelmä. Jatkuvasti muuttuvassa maailmassa, missä ilmastoasioista keskustellaan alati enemmän, uusiutuvien energiantuotantomuotojen määrä ja merkittävyys kasvaa tauotta. Yksi tällaisista lupaavista tuotantomuodoista on tuulivoima. Tuulivoiman määrä on lisääntynyt suuresti viimeisten vuosikymmenten aikana teknologian kehittyessä. Myöskin hallinnolliset tekijät, kuten vaatimus uusiutuvien tuotantomuotojen käytöstä, ovat lisänneet tuulivoiman tarpeellisuutta. Tuulivoimaa käyttämällä voidaan välttää esimerkiksi hiilidioksidipäästöjä, jotka vaivaavat useimpia perinteisiä energiantuotantomuotoja. Tuulivoimaa tuotetaan tuuliturbiineilla, jotka ovat yleensä massiivisia laitteita, joiden rakentamiseen käytetään paljon materiaaleja, joista suurin osa on metalleja. Tuuliturbiineilla pyritään muuttamaan osa tuulen sisältämästä liike-energiasta sähköksi. Tuuliturbiinit voivat esiintyä useanlaisissa muodoissa. Yksi suuri jaottelu on maa- ja merituuliturbiinien välillä. Kummallakin tuotantomenetelmällä on omat haasteensa nyt, ja tulevaisuudessa. Ongelmat liittyvät pääasiassa tuuliturbiinien hintaan, sekä tuulen ennalta-arvaamattomuuteen. Tuulen ennalta-arvaamattomuus pakottaa sisällyttämään varalähteitä energiajärjestelmiin, mikä lisää kustannuksia entisestään. Myös sähköntuotantokriteerit kasvavat jatkuvasti, mikä asettaa uusia haasteita tuulivoimalle. Tämä kandidaatintyö esittelee kirjallisuuskatsauksena tyypillisimmät tuulivoiman tuotantomuodot teknologisesta, taloudellisesta, sekä ympäristöllisestä näkökannasta. Työn tarkoituksena on vertailla eri tuuliturbiinimuotoja keskenään ja selvittää turbiinien vahvuuksia, heikkouksia, sekä taloudellista kannattavuutta. Vertailua suoritetaan myös suhteessa joihinkin eriäviin sähköntuotantomuotoihin tietyistä näkökulmista. Lisäksi arvioidaan, kuinka hyvin tuulivoima kykenee vastaamaan sille asetettuihin vaatimuksiin, niin hinnan kuin suorituskyvynkin kannalta. Työssä esitellään tuuliturbiinien periaatteet, pääosat ja rakenteet. Myöskin tuulivoiman kohtaamiin ongelmiin, rajoituksiin ja tulevaisuuden näkymiin ja kehityksiin perehdytään. Meri- ja maatuuliturbiinien lisäksi turbiinit esitellään niiden akselien ja käyntinopeuden perusteella. Lisäksi joidenkin ainutlaatuisten tuuliturbiinimallien toimintaperiaatteita käsitellään. Tuulivoiman soveltuvuutta erilaisissa ympäristöissä ja ilmastoissa, kuten kaupunkiympäristöissä, kylmissä olosuhteissa ja kuivilla alueilla esitellään ja pohditaan. Tuulivoimaloiden kierrätettävyyttä ja elinkaarta, sekä valmistuksessa syntyviä päästöjä arvioidaan. Työssä esitellään tuulivoimapuistojen käyttämistä vastauksena korkeisiin sähköntuotantovaatimuksiin. Samoin käydään läpi tuulivoiman aiheuttamat positiiviset, sekä negatiiviset ympäristövaikutukset. Työn loppupäätelmissä määritellään ja arvioidaan tuulivoiman käytettävyyttä työkaluna ilmastopäästöjen vähentämiseksi, potentiaalia nousta merkittäväksi sähköntuotantomuodoksi joka puolella maapalloa, sekä soveltuvuutta eri ympäristöihin. Merituulivoimapuistojen kykyjä suurien saastuttavien tuotantolaitoksien korvaamiseksi, vesialueiden hyödyntämiseksi, sekä positiivisten lisäympäristövaikutuksien aikaansaamiseksi arvioidaan. Lisäksi pohditaan, kuinka tuulivoiman kannattavuutta voitaisiin lisätä suunnittelulla, tuulivoiman laajalla levittämisellä ja kierrätyksen määrän kasvattamisella

An inventory of collaborative medication reviews for older adults-evolution of practices

Background Collaborative medication review (CMR) practices for older adults are evolving in many countries. Development has been under way in Finland for over a decade, but no inventory of evolved practices has been conducted. The aim of this study was to identify and describe CMR practices in Finland after 10 years of developement. Methods An inventory of CMR practices was conducted using a snowballing approach and an open call in the Finnish Medicines Agency's website in 2015. Data were quantitatively analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitatively by inductive thematic content analysis. Clyne et al's medication review typology was applied for evaluating comprehensiveness of the practices. Results In total, 43 practices were identified, of which 22 (51%) were designed for older adults in primary care. The majority (n = 30, 70%) of the practices were clinical CMRs, with 18 (42%) of them being in routine use. A checklist with criteria was used in 19 (44%) of the practices to identify patients with polypharmacy (n = 6), falls (n = 5), and renal dysfunction (n = 5) as the most common criteria for CMR. Patients were involved in 32 (74%) of the practices, mostly as a source of information via interview (n = 27, 63%). A medication care plan was discussed with the patient in 17 practices (40%), and it was established systematically as usual care to all or selected patient groups in 11 (26%) of the practices. All or selected patients' medication lists were reconciled in 15 practices (35%). Nearly half of the practices (n = 19, 44%) lacked explicit methods for following up effects of medication changes. When reported, the effects were followed up as a routine control (n = 9, 21%) or in a follow-up appointment (n = 6, 14%). Conclusions Different MRs in varying settings were available and in routine use, the majority being comprehensive CMRs designed for primary outpatient care and for older adults. Even though practices might benefit from national standardization, flexibility in their customization according to context, medical and patient needs, and available resources is important.Peer reviewe

The Spectrum of FANCM Protein Truncating Variants in European Breast Cancer Cases

Germline protein truncating variants (PTVs) in the FANCM gene have been associated with a 2-4-fold increased breast cancer risk in case-control studies conducted in different European populations. However, the distribution and the frequency of FANCM PTVs in Europe have never been investigated. In the present study, we collected the data of 114 European female breast cancer cases with FANCM PTVs ascertained in 20 centers from 13 European countries. We identified 27 different FANCM PTVs. The p.Gln1701* PTV is the most common PTV in Northern Europe with a maximum frequency in Finland and a lower relative frequency in Southern Europe. On the contrary, p.Arg1931* seems to be the most common PTV in Southern Europe. We also showed that p.Arg658*, the third most common PTV, is more frequent in Central Europe, and p.Gln498Thrfs*7 is probably a founder variant from Lithuania. Of the 23 rare or unique FANCM PTVs, 15 have not been previously reported. We provide here the initial spectrum of FANCM PTVs in European breast cancer cases.Peer reviewe

Community Pharmacists' Contribution to Medication Reviews for Older Adults : A Systematic Review

ObjectivesTo identify medication review interventions for older adults that involve community pharmacists and evidence of outcomes of these interventions. DesignSystematic review. MeasurementsCinahl, MEDLINE (Ovid), Scopus, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and Cochrane Library were searched for articles published between January 2000 and February 2016. Articles involving community pharmacists in medication reviews for outpatients aged 65 and older were included. Evidence of economic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes of interventions was summarized. ResultsSixteen articles were found that described 12 medication review interventions, of which 6 were compliance and concordance reviews, 4 were clinical medication reviews, and 2 were prescription reviews according to a previously developed typology. Community pharmacists' contributions to reviewing medications varied from sending the dispensing history to other healthcare providers to comprehensive involvement in medication management. The most commonly assessed outcomes of the interventions were medication changes leading to reduction in actual or potential drug-related problems (n=12) and improved adherence (n=5). ConclusionRegardless of community pharmacists' contributions to interventions, medication review interventions seem to reduce drug-related problems and increase medication adherence. More well-designed, rigorous studies with more sensitive and specific outcomes measures need to be conducted to assess the effect of community pharmacists' contributions to reviewing medications and improving the health of older adults.Peer reviewe

High miR-30 Expression Associates with Improved Breast Cancer Patient Survival and Treatment Outcome

Deregulated miRNA expression has been suggested in several stages of breast cancer pathogenesis. We have studied the miR-30 family, in particular miR-30d, in relation to breast cancer patient survival and treatment outcomes. With tumor specimens from 1238 breast cancer patients, we analyzed the association of miR-30d expression with tumor characteristics with the 5-year occurrence of breast cancer-specific death or distant metastasis (BDDM), and with 10-year breast cancer survival (BCS). We conducted a two-stage drug-screen to investigate the impact of miR-30 family members (miR-30a-30e) on sensitivity to doxorubicin and lapatinib in six breast cancer cell lines HCC1937, HCC1954, MDA-MB-361, MCF7, MDA-MB-436 and CAL-120, using drug sensitivity scores (DSS) to compare the miR-30 family mimics to their specific inhibitors. The study was complemented with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) with the METABRIC data. We found that while high miR-30d expression is typical for aggressive tumors, it predicts better metastasis-free (pBDDM = 0.035, HR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.4–0.9) and breast cancer-specific survival (pBCS = 0.018, HR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.4–0.9), especially in HER2-positive (pBDDM = 0.0009), ER-negative (pBDDM = 0.003), p53-positive (pBDDM = 0.011), and highly proliferating (pBDDM = 0.0004) subgroups, and after adjuvant chemotherapy (pBDDM = 0.035). MiR-30d predicted survival independently of standard prognostic markers (pBDDM = 0.0004). In the drug-screening test, the miR-30 family sensitized the HER2-positive HCC1954 cell line to lapatinib (p < 10−2) and HCC1937, MDA-MB-361, MDA-MB-436 and CAL120 to doxorubicin (p < 10−4) with an opposite impact on MCF7. According to the pathway analysis, the miR-30 family has a suppressive effect on cell motility and metastasis in breast cancer. Our results suggest prognostic and predictive potential for the miR-30 family, which warrants further investigation

High miR-30 Expression Associates with Improved Breast Cancer Patient Survival and Treatment Outcome

Deregulated miRNA expression has been suggested in several stages of breast cancer pathogenesis. We have studied the miR-30 family, in particular miR-30d, in relation to breast cancer patient survival and treatment outcomes. With tumor specimens from 1238 breast cancer patients, we analyzed the association of miR-30d expression with tumor characteristics with the 5-year occurrence of breast cancer-specific death or distant metastasis (BDDM), and with 10-year breast cancer survival (BCS). We conducted a two-stage drug-screen to investigate the impact of miR-30 family members (miR-30a-30e) on sensitivity to doxorubicin and lapatinib in six breast cancer cell lines HCC1937, HCC1954, MDA-MB-361, MCF7, MDA-MB-436 and CAL-120, using drug sensitivity scores (DSS) to compare the miR-30 family mimics to their specific inhibitors. The study was complemented with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) with the METABRIC data. We found that while high miR-30d expression is typical for aggressive tumors, it predicts better metastasis-free (pBDDM = 0.035, HR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.4–0.9) and breast cancer-specific survival (pBCS = 0.018, HR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.4–0.9), especially in HER2-positive (pBDDM = 0.0009), ER-negative (pBDDM = 0.003), p53-positive (pBDDM = 0.011), and highly proliferating (pBDDM = 0.0004) subgroups, and after adjuvant chemotherapy (pBDDM = 0.035). MiR-30d predicted survival independently of standard prognostic markers (pBDDM = 0.0004). In the drug-screening test, the miR-30 family sensitized the HER2-positive HCC1954 cell line to lapatinib (p < 10−2) and HCC1937, MDA-MB-361, MDA-MB-436 and CAL120 to doxorubicin (p < 10−4) with an opposite impact on MCF7. According to the pathway analysis, the miR-30 family has a suppressive effect on cell motility and metastasis in breast cancer. Our results suggest prognostic and predictive potential for the miR-30 family, which warrants further investigation

Dominantly inherited distal nemaline/cap myopathy caused by a large deletion in the nebulin gene

We report the first family with a dominantly inherited mutation of the nebulin gene (NEB). This 100kb in-frame deletion encompasses NEB exons 14-89, causing distal nemaline/cap myopathy in a three-generation family. It is the largest deletion characterized in NEB hitherto. The mutated allele was shown to be expressed at the mRNA level and furthermore, for the first time, a deletion was shown to cause the production of a smaller mutant nebulin protein. Thus, we suggest that this novel mutant nebulin protein has a dominant-negative effect, explaining the first documented dominant inheritance of nebulin-caused myopathy. The index patient, a young man, was more severely affected than his mother and grandmother. His first symptom was foot drop at the age of three, followed by distal muscle atrophy, slight hypomimia, high-arched palate, and weakness of the neck and elbow flexors, hands, tibialis anterior and toe extensors. Muscle biopsies showed myopathic features with type 1 fibre predominance in the index patient and nemaline bodies and cap-like structures in biopsies from his mother and grandmother. The muscle biopsy findings constitute a further example of nemaline bodies and cap-like structures being part of the same spectrum of pathological changes. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

The FANCM:p.Arg658* truncating variant is associated with risk of triple-negative breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a common disease partially caused by genetic risk factors. Germline pathogenic variants in DNA repair genes BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, ATM, and CHEK2 are associated with breast cancer risk. FANCM, which encodes for a DNA translocase, has been proposed as a breast cancer predisposition gene, with greater effects for the ER-negative and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. We tested the three recurrent protein-truncating variants FANCM:p.Arg658*, p.Gln1701*, and p.Arg1931* for association with breast cancer risk in 67,112 cases, 53,766 controls, and 26,662 carriers of pathogenic variants of BRCA1 or BRCA2. These three variants were also studied functionally by measuring survival and chromosome fragility in FANCM -/- patient-derived immortalized fibroblasts treated with diepoxybutane or olaparib. We observed that FANCM:p.Arg658* was associated with increased risk of ER-negative disease and TNBC (OR = 2.44, P = 0.034 and OR = 3.79; P = 0.009, respectively). In a country-restricted analysis, we confirmed the associations detected for FANCM:p.Arg658* and found that also FANCM:p.Arg1931* was associated with ER-negative breast cancer risk (OR = 1.96; P = 0.006). The functional results indicated that all three variants were deleterious affecting cell survival and chromosome stability with FANCM:p.Arg658* causing more severe phenotypes. In conclusion, we confirmed that the two rare FANCM deleterious variants p.Arg658* and p.Arg1931* are risk factors for ER-negative and TNBC subtypes. Overall our data suggest that the effect of truncating variants on breast cancer risk may depend on their position in the gene. Cell sensitivity to olaparib exposure, identifies a possible therapeutic option to treat FANCM-associated tumors

The FANCM : p.Arg658* truncating variant is associated with risk of triple-negative breast cancer

Breast cancer is a common disease partially caused by genetic risk factors. Germline pathogenic variants in DNA repair genes BRCA1, BRCA2, PAM, ATM, and CHEK2 are associated with breast cancer risk. FANCM, which encodes for a DNA translocase, has been proposed as a breast cancer predisposition gene, with greater effects for the ER-negative and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. We tested the three recurrent protein-truncating variants FANCM:p.Arg658*, p.Gln1701*, and pArg1931* for association with breast cancer risk in 67,112 cases, 53,766 controls, and 26,662 carriers of pathogenic variants of BRCA1 or BRCA2. These three variants were also studied functionally by measuring survival and chromosome fragility in FANCM(-/-) patient-derived immortalized fibroblasts treated with diepoxybutane or olaparib. We observed that FANCM:p.Arg658* was associated with increased risk of ER-negative disease and TNBC (OR = 2.44, P = 0.034 and OR = 3.79; P = 0.009, respectively). In a country-restricted analysis, we confirmed the associations detected for FANCM:p.Arg658* and found that also FANCM:p.Arg1931* was associated with ER-negative breast cancer risk (OR = 1.96; P = 0.006). The functional results indicated that all three variants were deleterious affecting cell survival and chromosome stability with FANCM:p.Arg658* causing more severe phenotypes. In conclusion, we confirmed that the two rare FANCM deleterious variants p.Arg658* and p.Arg1931* are risk factors for ER-negative and TNBC subtypes. Overall our data suggest that the effect of truncating variants on breast cancer risk may depend on their position in the gene. Cell sensitivity to olaparib exposure, identifies a possible therapeutic option to treat FANCM-associated tumors.Peer reviewe