The surprising implications of familial association in disease risk

Background: A wide range of diseases show some degree of clustering in families; family history is therefore an important aspect for clinicians when making risk predictions. Familial aggregation is often quantified in terms of a familial relative risk (FRR), and although at first glance this measure may seem simple and intuitive as an average risk prediction, its implications are not straightforward. Methods: We use two statistical models for the distribution of disease risk in a population: a dichotomous risk model that gives an intuitive understanding of the implication of a given FRR, and a continuous risk model that facilitates a more detailed computation of the inequalities in disease risk. Published estimates of FRRs are used to produce Lorenz curves and Gini indices that quantifies the inequalities in risk for a range of diseases. Results: We demonstrate that even a moderate familial association in disease risk implies a very large difference in risk between individuals in the population. We give examples of diseases for which this is likely to be true, and we further demonstrate the relationship between the point estimates of FRRs and the distribution of risk in the population. Conclusions: The variation in risk for several severe diseases may be larger than the variation in income in many countries. The implications of familial risk estimates should be recognized by epidemiologists and clinicians.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

Exploring denitrifying bacteria’s resilience: impact of oxidative and nitrosative stress on NirS/NirK and NosZ enzymes

Mikroorganismer i jord utfordres av forskjellige miljøforhold. Både biotiske og abiotiske faktorer (eksempelvis respirasjon, vanning av jord eller nedbør) fører til endringer mellom oksiske og anoksiske forhold. Disse endringene i oksygenkonsentrasjon kan gi opphav til reaktive oksygenarter (ROS), som videre kan føre til oksidativt stress i mikroorganismene. Denitrifiserende bakterier, som kan respirere anaerobt ved reduksjon av nitrat til nitrogen via nitritt, nitrogenmonoksid (NO) og dinitrogenoksid, lever i slike miljøer og er dermed utsatt for de skadelige effektene av ROS. Innvirkningen av ROS på denitrifikasjonsproteinene er lite utforsket, men det er indikasjoner for at enzymene nitritt reduktase (NirS/NirK) og dinitrogenoksid reduktase (NosZ) er mest påvirket. Målet med denne avhandlingen var å undersøke hvordan oksidativt stress fra hydrogenperoksid (H2O2) og nitrosativt stress fra NO påvirker enzymene NirS/NirK og NosZ hos to fullverdige denitrifiserende bakterier, Bradyrhizobium japonicum og Pseudomonas stutzeri, in vitro og in vivo. Gjennom et robotisert inkubasjonssystem ble gasskinetikk målt for å vurdere hvordan vekst og denitrifikasjonsrate ble påvirket av oksidativt stress. Innvirkningen av nitrosativt og oksidativt stress på NirS/NirK og NosZ sin enzymaktivitet ble analysert ved bruk av viologen assay og proteomikk. Resultatene viste betydelig reduksjon i denitrifikasjon, som påvirket NosZ mer enn NirS/NirK. Nitrosativt stress hadde større negativ effekt på enzymaktiviteten sammenlignet med oksidativt stress. Funnene viser sårbarheten til denitrifiserende enzymer for oksidativt og nitrosativt stress, som kan påvirke nitrogenkretsløpet i jorden. Videre undersøkelser av hvordan stresset påvirker det aktive sete til NirS/NirK og NosZ kan gi dypere forståelse for hvilke skader som fører til redusert aktivitet.Microorganisms in soil are exposed to challenges by changing environmental conditions. Both biotic and abiotic factors (e.g. respiration, watering of soils or rainfall). Introduce alternations between oxic and anoxic conditions, which induce oxidative stress on the microorganisms through fluctuations of oxygen, giving rise to reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS react locally in the cell and can have detrimental effects on denitrification, an anaerobic respiration of nitrate/nitrite to dinitrogen gas, which is the most energetically favorable respiration in the absence of oxygen. The impact of ROS on denitrifiers and their denitrification proteome remains understudied. With some evidence suggesting that, denitrifying enzymes nitrite reductase (NirS/NirK) and nitrous oxide reductase (NosZ) are most affected. The aim of this study was to investigate how oxidative stress by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitrosative stress by nitric oxide (NO), affect NirS/NirK and NosZ enzymes of two full-fledged denitrifiers Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Pseudomonas stutzeri, in vitro and in vivo. Using a robotized incubation system, gas kinetics were measured to assess how growth and denitrification were affected by oxidative stress. The impact of nitrosative and oxidative stress on NirS/NirK and NosZ enzyme activities, was analyzed using viologen activity assay and proteomics. The results showed significant reduction in denitrification, affecting the NosZ enzyme more than NirS/NirK. With NO leading to lower enzyme activity than H2O2. The findings highlight the vulnerability of denitrification enzymes to oxidative and nitrosative stress, which could potentially influence nitrogen cycling in the soil. Further investigation into how the stress affects the active sites of Nir and NosZ could provide deeper understandings to what damages leads to reduced activity

Role Adaptation of Foster Mothers to Indian Placement Students

The three main objectives in this study were: (1) to describe the foster mother\u27s expressed reasons for taking a placement student, (2) to describe the problems and stresses associated with being an Indian placement foster mother, and (3) to describe the satisfactions and benefits of being a foster mother on the Indian Placement Program. The sample for this study consisted of 44 foster mothers in Cache and Box Elder Counties who had had the same placement student for three or more consecutive years. The instrument utilized was a semi-structured interview with the foster mother. Expressed reasons The majority of mothers expressed religious or Church-oriented reasons for becoming a foster mother to an Indian Placement Student. The responses in this category varied considerably and in many instances a foster mother\u27s reasons for taking a student were multiple. In addition to the foster mothers initial reasons for taking a student, the mother\u27s initial depth of desire to take a placement student seems to be an important factor in her willingness to work through the more difficult periods of adjustment. Problems and stresses A pronounced 68 percent of the foster mothers indicated their first year of placement experience to be the most frustrating. The four most mentioned areas of difficulty in working with a student were school work, communication, sulkiness, and sense of appreciation respectively. The findings showed that significant progress was made in minimizing the seriousness of school work, communication, and personal hygeine. Fifty percent of the foster mothers in this study said they had seriously considered termination at one time or another . A majority of foster mothers mentioned a particular caseworker as the person most helpful during their times of stress. Not counting the five foster mothers whose students were graduating and therefore would not be returning, only two mothers were actually planning to terminate placement participation. However, the findings suggest that a sizable number of foster mothers would not be willing to take another student if for some reason their present student did not return. Satisfactions and benefits The satisfactions of being a foster mother centered on the enjoyment of seeing the student grow and develop. The students 1 personality and emotional development were the areas most frequently mentioned. Conversely, the benefits of being a foster mother were of a spiritual nature and centered on the personal growth of the foster family in associating and working with the placement student. The results suggest that a great majority of foster mothers have come to a positive assessment of their placement experience

“Jeg holdt på å si express yourself”: A study of social factors that motivate young adults in Norway to use English code-switching

This thesis is a study of the social factors that influence young adults in Norway to code-switch between the Norwegian language and the English language. The study uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches, with qualitative interviews as the main data collection method. The purpose of the interviews was to gather insights and perspectives from the young adults themselves through a sociolinguistic lens. The study includes 10 informants aged 20-25, divided into two groups based on their educational backgrounds. The theoretical framework draws upon the works of Le Page and Tabouret-Keller (1985), Myers-Scotton (1993), and Gardner-Chloros (2009), among others. Concisely addressing the research question: What social factors motivate young adults in Norway to engage in English code-switching? is challenging due to the complex and multifaceted nature of the motivations behind code-switching among young adults in Norway. Several social factors, some of which are interdependent, may contribute to this phenomenon: The prevalence of social media and other online platforms has facilitated the subconscious acquisition of the English language, making it readily available to the informants. The informants may find the English language consumed through social media and other online platforms more relatable compared to the English taught in schools, which in turn may lead to the incorporation of the English language into their own lives through code-switching. However, the context must also allow for code-switching. Factors such as age group, informality among the interlocutors, and the nature of the conversation, play a role in determining whether the informants choose to engage in code-switching or not. For instance, the informants tend to avoid code-switching in formal and professional contexts. Despite the similarities in their responses, a notable distinction was found in their attitudes towards observing other people using code-switching in an otherwise Norwegian conversation. Both groups did however express criticism towards the use of excessive code-switching, suggesting that a balance needs to be struck between using it appropriately, and using it too much

Estimating Salmon Price Rise Due to the Increased Presence of Lice Caused by Global Warming: A Petri Net Based Approach

This paper describes a conceptual model to estimate how global warming will lead to increased salmon aquaculture costs due to the increased presence of salmon lice (which are known to favour warmer climates). Usually, analytical models are used for this kind of simulation. However, this paper presents a Petri Net model for this purpose, with the expectation that the Petri net modules can clearly identify the different stages of the salmon aquaculture. The Petri net model also incorporates a neural network to learn from the data fed into the model. Hence, the authors present the model as a conceptual model of assistance to those who want to build advanced models. However, the simulations run with this model took an unexpectedly long time; the long simulation time makes Petri Net’s application for modelling this type of problems questionable.publishedVersio

Material flow during the extrusion of simple and complex cross-sections using FEM

This paper deals with the extrusion of rod and shape sections and uses a 3D finite element model analysis (FEM) to predict the effect of die geometry on maximum extrusion load. A description of material flow in the container is considered in more detail for rod and shape sections in order to fully comprehend the transient conditions occurring during the process cycle. A comparison with experiments is made to assess the relative importance of some extrusion parameters in the extrusion process and to ensure that the numerical discretisation yields a realistic simulation of the process. The usefulness and the limitation of FEM are discussed when modelling complex shapes. Results are presented for velocity contours and shear stress distribution during the extrusion process. It is shown that for most of the shapes investigated, the material making up the extrudate cross-sections originates from differing regions of virgin material within the billet. The outside surface of the extrudate originates from the material moving along the dead metal zone (DMZ) and the core of the extrudate from the central deformation zone. The FE program appears to predict all the major characteristics of the flow observed macroscopically