The association of early IQ and education with mortality: 65 year longitudinal study in Malmö, Sweden

Objectives To establish whether differences in early IQ explain why people with longer education live longer, or whether differences in father’s or own educational attainment explain why people with higher early IQ live longer

From customer understanding to product understanding: Collaboration with industrial lead users in a B2B context

Product innovation will continue to play a strategic role for companies producing high-quality, functional products for customers in the process industries. In the future, creating improved or radically new products will necessitate not only the development of product concepts resting more on an applied research knowledge base but also collaboration with customers. LKAB is a world-leading producer of processed iron ore products for steelmaking. The development of next-generation pellet products in collaboration with lead users presented an opportunity for a single case study in a B2B context. Two customers for present products as well as a technology/equipment supplier were identified as lead users. Using a framework grounded in lead user development, the Quality Function Deployment methodology (adapted to process-industrial use) was used as the facilitating instrument. It is concluded that this modified system will constitute an improved integrated knowledge-based platform for the development of new product and process concepts. It isargued that this development approach could also be applied in other process-industrial sectors serving industrial customers in an open innovation perspective

The pregnancy outcome prediction (POP) study: Investigating the relationship between serial prenatal ultrasonography, biomarkers, placental phenotype and adverse pregnancy outcomes

Placental dysfunction is implicated in many major complications of pregnancy associated with adverse maternal and infant outcome, such as preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction and stillbirth. Yet, despite years of intensive research, screening for these complications is still largely based upon clinical grounds rather than ultrasonic and/or biochemical assessment of placental function. One of the few widely employed methods for assessment of risk, low first trimester levels of PAPP-A (Pregnancy Associated Plasma Protein A), was identified through secondary analysis of data collected to identify new methods of screening for Down's syndrome rather than as a purposeful search for screening tests for abnormal placentation. Development of improved methods for population screening requires better mechanistic understanding of the pathways leading to placentally-related complications of human pregnancy. This is in addition to a need for identification of biomarkers which reflect the underlying pathology, while predicting associated disease with high sensitivity and specificity. In this paper, we outline some of the challenges and opportunities in this area. Furthermore, we illustrate how some of these can be addressed in research studies using the example of the Pregnancy Outcome Prediction (POP) study, a prospective cohort study conducted in Cambridge, UK.This study was funded by the NIHR Cambridge Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre [grant number A019057], the Medical Research Council [grant number MR/K021133/1] and the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS)

Experimental Reproduction of Severe Disease in CD/CD Pigs Coinfected with PRRSV and Type 2 Porcine Circovirus

Postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) has been recognized worldwide and is characterized clinically by wasting, dyspnea, and occasionally by icterus in nursery and grow-finish pigs. Type 2 porcine circovirus (PCV2) is consistently demonstrated in PMWS lesions. At the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, both porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and PCV2 are detected in tissues from most cases of PMWS. Since PRRSV-PCV2 coinfection has also been associated with “atypical PRRS” hepatitis, 3 week old cesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived (CD/CD) pigs were inoculated with PRRSV, PCV2, both PRRSV and PCV2, or uninfected cell culture media in order to compare the independent and combined effects of these agents. PRRSV-inoculated pigs developed respiratory distress and interstitial pneumonia typical of that previously reported for this agent. None of the pigs in the PRRSV or control groups became moribund or developed hepatitis. PCV2-inoculated pigs developed lymphoid depletion and sporadic hepatitis associated with 40% mortality. Pigs in the PRRSV/PCV2 group developed severe and persistent pyrexia and dyspnea; mortality between 10 and 20 days was \u3e90% and was associated with severe interstitial pneumonia and/or hepatitis. We conclude that 1) PCV2 alone can induce clinical disease and lesions of PMWS in CD/CD pigs, 2) PCV2 alone does not induce significant respiratory disease in CD/CD pigs, 3) PCV2/PRRSV coinfection induces more severe clinical disease and lesions of PMWS than PCV2 alone, including severe interstitial pneumonia, and 4) PCV2 coinfection is responsible for the hepatitis associated with cases of “atypical PRRS.” Simultaneous coinfection of PRRSV and PCV2 has the potential to significantly exacerbate morbidity and mortality. The timing of exposure and decay of maternal antibody to PCV2 and other pathogens may play a critical role in determining whether PCV2 infection induces PMWS or remains subclinical

Experimental Model for Porcine Circovirus and Porcine Parvovirus Coinfection of Specific-Pathogen-Free Pigs

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) coinfection has been shown to increase the incidence and severity of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) associated disease in gnotobiotic and in colostrum-deprived pigs. PPV and PCV2 coinfection is also common in the grow-finish pigs in the field today. The objectives of this study were to determine the interactions between PCV2 and PPV in conventional SPF pigs and to determine whether PPV vaccine has an effect on the coinfection. Seventy-two, 6-week-old conventional pigs were inoculated either with PCV2, PPV, both PCV2 and PPV, or sham-inoculated. Before inoculation, 56 pigs were vaccinated twice with a PPV killed-virus vaccine. Clinical signs due to postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) (fever, respiratory disease, jaundice, weight loss) were seen in both coinfected groups, vaccinated as well as nonvaccinated. The majority of pigs in the PCV2, and in the PCV2/PPV-inoculated groups had mild-to-severe lymphoid depletion with histiocytic replacement of follicles, and mild lymphohistiocytic interstitial pneumonia. The majority of pigs in the PCV2/PPV-coinfected groups also had mild-to-severe lymphoplasmacytic interstitial nephritis and hepatitis. There were no statistical differences between the two coinfected groups (vaccinated and non-vaccinated) in terms of clinical disease, and macroscopic and microscopic lesions. The results indicated that PPV and PCV2 coinfection resulted in increased severity of clinical disease and lymphoid lesions typical of PMWS and that a PPV-vaccination was not able to prevent PMWS in PCV2/PPV-coinfected pigs

Convective Term and Transversely Driven Charge-Density Waves

We derive the convective terms in the damping which determine the structure of the moving charge-density wave (CDW), and study the effect of a current flowing transverse to conducting chains on the CDW dynamics along the chains. In contrast to a recent prediction we find that the effect is orders of magnitude smaller, and that contributions from transverse currents of electron- and hole-like quasiparticles to the force exerted on the CDW along the chains act in the opposite directions. We discuss recent experimental verification of the effect and demonstrate experimentally that geometry effects might mimic the transverse current effect.Comment: RevTeX, 9 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publications in PR

Evaluation of Extent and Bioavailability of Chromium Contamination Near an Abandoned Strip Mine

Chromium is a potentially toxic element to plants and animals commonly associated with serpentine and anthropogenic sources. An abandoned Cr strip-mine at US National Guard Camp SLO, CA containing serpentinitic parent material was tested for total and bioavailable Cr in the soil and overlying vegetation via US EPA Methods 3050a (Total Cr) and 1311 (Total Characteristic Leaching Procedure, TCLP) (US EPA, 1995), respectively. The analysis of total and bioavailable Cr was used to assess the risk of nearby surface and groundwater contamination and to evaluate the site’s need for remediation. In addition, trends in soil Cr levels with respect to slope position and sampling transect were identified. Total and most bioavailable Cr concentrations in plants were below the method detection limits (TotalMDL = 0.12 mg L-1; TCLPMDL = 0.04 mg L-1), suggesting the Cr was immobile and not bioavailable. The average total Cr level was 403.5 +/- 177.6 mg kg-1, significantly below the background total Cr level of 829.4 +/- 213.6 mg kg-1. Based on Chromium’s immobility, and its low levels in the site relative to background concentrations, remediation practices were not recommended. No significant trends were observed in total soil Cr levels along any transect or between sampled slope positions. The information gained from this was used by Camp SLO officers to assess the threat of Cr mobility and bioavailability in the soils at this site, as well as in nearby waterways and ground water

Susceptibility of swine to H5 and H7 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses

Citation: Balzli, C., Lager, K., Vincent, A., Gauger, P., Brockmeier, S., Miller, L., . . . Swayne, D. E. (2016). Susceptibility of swine to H5 and H7 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses. Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses. doi:10.1111/irv.12386Background: The ability of pigs to become infected with low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses and then generate mammalian adaptable influenza A viruses is difficult to determine. Yet, it is an important link to understanding any relationship between LPAI virus ecology and possible epidemics among swine and/or humans. Objectives: Assess susceptibility of pigs to LPAI viruses found within the United States and their direct contact transmission potential. Methods: Pigs were inoculated with one of ten H5 or H7 LPAI viruses selected from seven different bird species to test infectivity, virulence, pathogenesis, and potential to transmit virus to contact pigs through histological, RRT-PCR and seroconversion data. Results: Although pigs were susceptible to infection with each of the LPAI viruses, no clinical disease was recognized in any pig. During the acute phase of the infection, minor pulmonary lesions were found in some pigs and one or more pigs in each group were RRT-PCR-positive in the lower respiratory tract, but no virus was detected in upper respiratory tract (negative nasal swabs). Except for one group, one or more pigs in each LPAI group developed antibody. No LPAI viruses transmitted to contact pigs. Conclusions: LPAI strains from various bird populations within the United States are capable of infecting pigs. Although adaptability and transmission of individual strains seem unlikely, the subclinical nature of the infections demonstrates the need to improve sampling and testing methods to more accurately measure incidence of LPAI virus infection in pigs, and their potential role in human-zoonotic LPAI virus dynamics. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer:Results of a Dutch Multidisciplinary Consensus Meeting

Background: Oligometastatic prostate cancer (OMPC) is a heterogeneous disease state that is imperfectly understood, and its clinical implications are unclear. Objective: To determine the consensus of a Dutch multidisciplinary expert panel on biological aspects, treatment goals, and management of OMPC in daily clinical practice. Design, setting, and participants: The study comprised a modified Delphi method including an explorative survey with various statements and questions, followed by a consensus meeting to discuss and determine the agreement with revised statements and related items. The panel consisted of 34 Dutch representatives from urology, medical and radiation oncology, radiology, nuclear medicine, and basic research. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Agreement was determined with statements (five-point scale). Consensus was defined as ≥75% panel agreement with a statement. Results and limitations: Consensus existed for 56% of statements. The panel agreed that OMPC comprises a limited metastatic spread in the hormone-sensitive setting, in both the synchronous and the metachronous presentation. Limited metastatic spread was believed to involve three to five metastases and a maximum of two organs. Prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan was currently perceived as the most accurate diagnostic imaging modality. Although there was a consensus that targeted treatment of all metastases in OMPC will delay further dissemination of the disease, opinions on specific treatment regimens were divided. Panel outcomes were limited by the lack of scientific evidence on OMPC. Conclusions: A multidisciplinary panel reached a consensus that OMPC is a specific disease state requiring a tailored treatment approach. OMPC registries and clinical studies should focus on both the biology and the clinical parameters in relation to optimal treatment strategies in synchronous and metachronous OMPC. Patient summary: A group of Dutch medical specialists agreed that prostate cancer patients having few metastases may benefit from a new therapeutic approach. Clinical studies need to determine which treatment is best for each specific situation. A multidisciplinary panel reached consensus that oligometastatic prostate cancer (OMPC) is a specific disease state requiring a tailored treatment approach. OMPC registries and clinical studies should provide insight into the biology and clinical parameters in relation to optimal treatment strategies in synchronous and metachronous OMPC