Operating system directed power reduction on EFM32

Power consumption has become a major concern of embedded systems.Currently FreeRTOS wastes a power waking up regularly to keep track of time.In this work FreeRTOS is modified to sleep when there is no work for the CPU to be done.Timekeeping while sleeping is done by a low frequency oscillator, consuming very little power.Drivers for peripherals have been developed, in order to optimise power consumption even more. Battery life time has been increased from 56 hours to 1867 hours for a simple self made benchmark.The goal is to get the changes into the official FreeRTOS distribution, but it has not been accepted yet.However, a customer of Energy Micro has started to develop an application based on this design

Does smoking reduction in midlife reduce mortality risk? Results of 2 long-term prospective cohort studies of men and women in Scotland

A long-term cohort study of working men in Israel found that smokers who reduced their cigarette consumption had lower subsequent mortality rates than those who did not. We conducted comparable analyses in 2 populations of smokers in Scotland. The Collaborative Study included 1,524 men and women aged 40–65 years in a working population who were screened twice, in 1970–1973 and 1977. The Renfrew/Paisley Study included 3,730 men and women aged 45–64 years in a general population who were screened twice, in 1972–1976 and 1977–1979. Both groups were followed up through 2010. Subjects were categorized by smoking intensity at each screening as smoking 0, 1–10, 11–20, or ≥21 cigarettes per day. At the second screening, subjects were categorized as having increased, maintained, or reduced their smoking intensity or as having quit smoking between the first and second screenings. There was no evidence of lower mortality in all reducers compared with maintainers. Multivariate adjusted hazard ratios of mortality were 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75, 1.10) in the Collaborative Study and 1.08 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.20) in the Renfrew/Paisley Study. There was clear evidence of lower mortality among quitters in both the Collaborative Study (hazard ratio = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.78) and the Renfrew/Paisley Study (hazard ratio = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.84). In the Collaborative Study only, we observed lower mortality similar to that of quitters among heavy smokers (≥21 cigarettes/day) who reduced their smoking intensity. These inconclusive results support the view that reducing cigarette consumption should not be promoted as a means of reducing mortality, although it may have a valuable role as a step toward smoking cessation

Biomarker-assessed passive smoking in relation to cause-specific mortality: pooled data from 12 prospective cohort studies comprising 36 584 individuals

AIMS: While investigators have typically quantified the health risk of passive (secondhand) smoking by using self-reported data, these are liable to measurement error. By pooling data across studies, we examined the prospective relation of a biochemical assessment of passive smoking, salivary cotinine, with mortality from a range of causes. METHODS: We combined data from 12 cohort studies from England and Scotland initiated between 1998 and 2008. A total of 36 584 men and women aged 16-85 years of age reported that they were non-smoking at baseline, provided baseline salivary cotinine and consented to mortality record linkage. RESULTS: A mean of 8.1 years of mortality follow-up of 36 584 non-smokers (16 792 men and 19 792 women) gave rise to 2367 deaths (775 from cardiovascular disease, 779 from all cancers and 289 from smoking-related cancers). After controlling for a range of covariates, a 10 ng/mL increase in salivary cotinine was related to an elevated risk of total (HRs; 95% CI) (1.46; 1.16 to 1.83), cardiovascular disease (1.41; 0.96 to 2.09), cancer (1.49; 1.00 to 2.22) and smoking-related cancer mortality (2.92; 1.77 to 4.83). CONCLUSIONS: Assessed biomedically, passive smoking was a risk factor for a range of health outcomes known to be causally linked to active smoking

The association between parity, CVD mortality, and CVD risk factors among Norwegian women and men

Background Several studies have shown that women and men with two children have lower mortality than the childless, but there is less certainty about mortality, including CVD mortality, at higher parities and meagre knowledge about factors underlying the parity–mortality relationship. Methods The association between parity and CVD mortality was analyzed by estimating discrete-time hazard models for women and men aged 40–80 in 1975–2015. Register data covering the entire Norwegian population were used, and the models included a larger number of relevant sociodemographic control variables than in many previous studies. To analyze the relationship between parity and seven CVD risk factors, logistic models including the same variables as the mortality models were estimated from the CONOR collection of health surveys, linked to the register data. Results Men (but not women) who had four or more children had higher mortality from CVD than those with two, although this excess mortality was not observed for the heart disease sub-group. Overweight, possibly in part a result of less physical activity, seems to play a role in this. All CVD risk factors except smoking and alcohol may contribute to the relatively high CVD mortality among childless. Conclusions Childbearing is related to a number of well-known CVD risk factors, and becoming a parent or having an additional child is, on the whole, associated with lower—or at least not higher—CVD mortality in Norway. However, for men family sizes beyond three children are associated with increased CVD mortality, with risks of overweight one possible pathway

Gode driftsmøter i byggeprosjekter: En casestudie av praksiser i Veidekke

Bakgrunnen for valg av oppgaven ligger i kompleksiteten og samarbeidsbehovet innen byggeprosjekter, hvor effektiv kommunikasjon er avgjørende, men ofte utfordrende. Møter fungerer som viktige plattformer i planleggingen og gjennomføringen av prosjekter, men det er lite litteratur om hvordan driftsmøter konkret bør gjennomføres, noe som motiverer behovet for nærmere undersøkelser. Hensikten med masteroppgaven er å undersøke hvordan Veidekke kan sørge for gode driftsmøter. For å oppnå hensikten er det definert følgende fire forskningsspørsmål: 1) Hva er konteksten av driftsmøter? 2) Hvordan gjennomfører Veidekke driftsmøter? 3) Hva fungerer ved nåværende driftsmøter? 4) Hva er utfordringene ved driftsmøtene? Masteroppgaven tar for seg en casestudie av to prosjekter fra Veidekke, hvor kvalitative forskningsmetoder benyttes for å besvare forskningsspørsmålene. Studien kombinerer litteraturstudie, observasjoner, semistrukturerte intervju og dokumentstudie, for å få et omfattende bilde av driftsmøtenes kontekst, gjennomføring og effektivitet. Denne metodiske tilnærmingen tillater en dybdeanalyse av møtenes dynamikk og identifisering av sentrale faktorer som påvirker deres suksess og utfordringer. Resultatene viser at en vellykket gjennomføring av driftsmøter hos Veidekke avhenger av flere faktorer. Studien identifiserer sentrale aspekter ved møtekonteksten, inkludert relasjonsbygging, tillit, sosiale arrangementer og involverende planlegging. Disse elementene skaper en samarbeidsvillig og åpen atmosfære, forbedrer kommunikasjonen, reduserer konflikter og fremmer eierskapsfølelse blant deltakerne. Effektiv informasjonsflyt, basmøter og oppstartsamlinger er også essensielle for å opprettholde god koordinering, fokus og samarbeid. Veidekkes driftsmøter er forankret i Involverende planlegging (IP), som er basert på Last Planner System (LPS). Møtene gjennomføres med en strukturert tilnærming som varierer mellom prosjekter, men som generelt følger en fast agenda og avholdes jevnlig på samme sted og tidspunkt. Agendaen dekker hovedpunktene fremdrift, HMS, leveranser og rigg. Bruken av visuelle hjelpemidler som BIM-modeller og fremdriftsplaner bidrar til tydelig kommunikasjon og opprettholdelse av fokus. Møteleder sikrer aktiv deltakelse og ansvarsfordeling ved å stille konkrete spørsmål og fordele oppgaver. Referatføringen hindrer misforståelser og sikrer oppfølgning av beslutninger. Til tross for mange vellykkede aspekter ved møtene, identifiserer studien utfordringer som dårlig deltakelse, kompleks fremdriftsplanlegging, balansen mellom kortsiktig og langsiktig fokus, samt behovet for bedre møteledelse. Studien konkluderer med at møtene er godt strukturert i organisasjonen gjennom IP. For ytterligere forbedringer anbefales det proaktiv møteledelse, økt utnyttelse av digitale verktøy, håndtering av deltakelsesutfordringer, opplæring og kontinuerlig evaluering. Selv om standardisering av disse praksisene kan være utfordrende, kan funnene gi verdifull innsikt for Veidekke og andre organisasjoner i byggebransjen.The background for choosing the task lies in the complexity and collaborative needs within construction projects, where effective communication is crucial yet often challenging. Meetings serve as vital platforms in project planning and execution, but there is little literature on how operational meetings should be conducted in practice, motivating the need for further investigation. The purpose of the master's thesis is to examine how Veidekke can ensure effective operational meetings. To achieve this, four research questions were defined: 1) What is the context of operational meetings? 2) How does Veidekke conduct operational meetings? 3) What works well in the current operational meetings? 4) What are the challenges in these meetings? This thesis presents a case study of two projects from Veidekke, using qualitative research methods to answer the research questions. The study combines a literature review, observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to gain a comprehensive understanding of the context, execution, and efficiency of the operational meetings. This methodological approach allows for an in-depth analysis of the meeting dynamics and the identification of key factors influencing their success and challenges. The results indicate that the successful execution of operational meetings at Veidekke depends on several factors. The study identifies key aspects of the meeting context, including relationship building, trust, social events, and involving planning. These elements create a collaborative and open atmosphere, enhance communication, reduce conflicts, and promote a sense of ownership among participants. Effective information flow, team leader meetings, and kickoff gatherings are also essential for maintaining coordination, focus, and collaboration. Veidekke's operational meetings are rooted in Involving planning (IP), based on the Last Planner System (LPS). The meetings are conducted with a structured approach that varies between projects, but generally follows a fixed agenda and is held regularly at the same location and time. The agenda includes key points such as progress, health, safety and environment (HSE), deliveries, and site logistics. The use of visual aids such as BIM models and progress plans contributes to clear communication and maintaining focus. The meeting leader ensures active participation and responsibility distribution by asking specific questions and assigning tasks. The minute-taking process prevents misunderstandings and ensures the follow-up of decisions. Despite many successful aspects of the meetings, the study identifies challenges such as poor participation, complex progress planning, balancing short-term and long-term focus, and the need for better meeting leadership. The study concludes that the meetings are well-structured within the organization through IP. For further improvements, proactive meeting leadership, increased utilization of digital tools, addressing participation challenges, training, and continuous evaluation are recommended. Although standardizing these practices can be challenging, the findings provide valuable insights for Veidekke and other organizations in the construction industry

Biomarker-assessed passive smoking in relation to cause-specific mortality: pooled data from 12 prospective cohort studies comprising 36 584 individuals

acceptedVersionacceptedVersio

Alcohol consumption and incidence of pancreatic cancer

Purpose The association between alcohol consumption and pancreatic cancer is unsettled. Methods Altogether 243,169 men and women 20–79 years, without cancer at baseline, were followed with respect to pancreatic cancer by linkage to the Cancer Registry of Norway and the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. They participated in a cardiovascular survey where information on alcohol consumption, smoking habits, anthropometric measures, and some biological variables were recorded. During 20 years of follow-up, 991 incident pancreatic cancers were registered. We estimated the hazard ratios with the Cox proportional hazards model, and graphed spline curves between glass-units/d of alcohol and hazard ratio of incident pancreatic cancer. Results The multivariable adjusted hazard per 1 glass-unit/d was 1.08 (95% confidence interval 1.02–1.15) for men and 1.04 (0.97–1.13) for women. The association between alcohol consumption and incident pancreatic cancer was present in ex- and current smokers, but the association could be ascribed to smoking habits. The multivariable adjusted spline curves increased with increasing glass-units/d and with confidence bands not encompassing 1.0 above one glass-unit/day. Conclusion Our findings of an association between higher level of alcohol consumption and incident pancreatic cancer, could be attributed to confounding by smoking habits.Alcohol consumption and incidence of pancreatic cancerpublishedVersio

Tobacco use disorder and the risk of suicide mortality

Background and aims Tobacco use may be a risk factor for suicide mortality; however, prior research has produced equivocal findings and has been limited by relatively small sample sizes to study the rare event of suicide, as well as a lack of adjustment for other important factors, including psychiatric illness. We estimate the predictive association between tobacco use disorder and the risk of suicide mortality, adjusting for other important variables. Design A prospective cohort study. Setting The U nited S tates V eterans H ealth A dministration ( VHA ). Participants All individuals who received VHA services in fiscal year (FY) 2005 and were alive at the start of FY 2006 ( n  = 4 863 086). Measurements Tobacco use disorder was assessed via FYs 2004–05 VHA National P atient C are D atabase records. The outcome of suicide mortality was assessed during the follow‐up interval from the beginning of FY 2006 to the end of FY 2008 using N ational D eath I ndex records. Findings Of the 4 863 086 individuals in the study, 4823 died by suicide during the follow‐up interval. In the unadjusted model, tobacco use disorder was associated with an increased risk of suicide [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.88; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.76, 2.02]. After adjustment for model covariates, the association remained statistically significant, although attenuated (HR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.27, 1.46). Conclusions Tobacco use disorder may confer a modest excess risk of death by suicide. Psychiatric disorders may partially explain the relationship between tobacco use disorder and suicide.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102156/1/add12381.pd

Height and risk of death among men and women: aetiological implications of associations with cardiorespiratory disease and cancer mortality

OBJECTIVES: Height is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease mortality risk and has shown variable associations with cancer incidence and mortality. The interpretation of findings from previous studies has been constrained by data limitations. Associations between height and specific causes of death were investigated in a large general population cohort of men and women from the West of Scotland. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Renfrew and Paisley, in the West of Scotland. SUBJECTS: 7052 men and 8354 women aged 45-64 were recruited into a study in Renfrew and Paisley, in the West of Scotland, between 1972 and 1976. Detailed assessments of cardiovascular disease risk factors, morbidity and socioeconomic circumstances were made at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Deaths during 20 years of follow up classified into specific causes. RESULTS: Over the follow up period 3347 men and 2638 women died. Height is inversely associated with all cause, coronary heart disease, stroke, and respiratory disease mortality among men and women. Adjustment for socioeconomic position and cardiovascular risk factors had little influence on these associations. Height is strongly associated with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and adjustment for FEV1 considerably attenuated the association between height and cardiorespiratory mortality. Smoking related cancer mortality is not associated with height. The risk of deaths from cancer unrelated to smoking tended to increase with height, particularly for haematopoietic, colorectal and prostate cancers. Stomach cancer mortality was inversely associated with height. Adjustment for socioeconomic position had little influence on these associations. CONCLUSION: Height serves partly as an indicator of socioeconomic circumstances and nutritional status in childhood and this may underlie the inverse associations between height and adulthood cardiorespiratory mortality. Much of the association between height and cardiorespiratory mortality was accounted for by lung function, which is also partly determined by exposures acting in childhood. The inverse association between height and stomach cancer mortality probably reflects Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood resulting inor being associated withshorter height. The positive associations between height and several cancers unrelated to smoking could reflect the influence of calorie intake during childhood on the risk of these cancers