Estimating marginal cohort working life expectancies from sequential cross-sectional survey data

This article applies recently developed health expectancy methodologies to estimate the average duration of future work life in different states of work ability. Data on working capacity obtained from sequential cross-sectional samples of the cohort population were available from Finnish surveys conducted among active municipal employees. We used these data to estimate cohort marginal probabilities and expected occupancy times in the work ability states. One finding is that the proportion of workers with excellent or good work ability decreased monotonically with advancing age for both genders, but men were prone to have worse work ability and a shorter work career than women. Transition from poor to good or excellent work ability state was estimated to increase working life expectancy of a 45-year-old person by four years for both genders. This study indicates that the work ability of aging Finnish workers deteriorates prematurely, leading to serious socio-economic consequences. Thus it is important to examine the development of work ability already at an early age when it is still possible to intervene in the process

Construction and demolition waste management : assessment of demand and supply of recycled materials in the Western Cape

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-100).Concern for environmental degradation has been a motivating factor in the efforts to reuse or recycle construction and demolition waste. The intention is not only to reduce environmental desecration, but also to recycle the construction and demolition waste into potential building materials to be reused elsewhere. This study investigated the supply and demand of recycled construction materials in the Western Cape, and aimed to determine the perception held by important stakeholders about these materials. A qualitative analysis of the case study results revealed that poor waste management plans implemented on construction and demolition sites have affected the quality, supply and price of recycled materials. In addition to this it was also revealed that the negative perceptions regarding recycled materials were the major barriers to creating an established secondary market. Inadequate knowledge and experience were major contributors to resistance to change of perceptions. A case study was conducted on Malans Quarries Recyclers in order to determine the supply of raw materials (construction and demolition waste) reaching the recycling plant; the supply of recycled materials to the end user (consumer); and the recycling process that takes place. A sample of fifteen respondents from a variety of large, medium and small construction contractors, as well as consultants and civil engineering companies, completed a questionnaire to determine the demand for and perceptions about these materials. The qualitative analysis of the results of the questionnaires showed that the majority of respondents still preferred to use primary materials over recycled materials. However, it appears that the gap between respondents who prefer to use primary materials, and those who utilize recycled materials, has narrowed in comparison to results obtained in previous studies. It seems that there may be more usage of recycled materials in the future. The results also revealed that tax cuts, could be a good economic incentive to encourage the use of recycled material. The questionnaire results also revealed that the majority of the respondents believed that landfill taxes where not effective in discouraging the illegal dumping of waste, and that the lack advertisements, and difficulties in obtaining recycled materials played a crucial role in the under-use of recycled materials

Germline EMSY sequence alterations in hereditary breast cancer and ovarian cancer families

Background: BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations explain approximately one-fifth of the inherited susceptibility in high-risk Finnish hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) families. EMSY is located in the breast cancer-associated chromosomal region 11q13. The EMSY gene encodes a BRCA2-interacting protein that has been implicated in DNA damage repair and genomic instability. We analysed the role of germline EMSY variation in breast/ovarian cancer predisposition. The present study describes the first EMSY screening in patients with high familial risk for this disease.Methods: Index individuals from 71 high-risk, BRCA1/2-negative HBOC families were screened for germline EMSY sequence alterations in protein coding regions and exon-intron boundaries using Sanger sequencing and TaqMan assays. The identified variants were further screened in 36 Finnish HBOC patients and 904 controls. Moreover, one novel intronic deletion was screened in a cohort of 404 breast cancer patients unselected for family history. Haplotype block structure and the association of haplotypes with breast/ovarian cancer were analysed using Haploview. The functionality of the identified variants was predicted using Haploreg, RegulomeDB, Human Splicing Finder, and Pathogenic-or-Not-Pipeline 2.Results: Altogether, 12 germline EMSY variants were observed. Two alterations were located in the coding region, five alterations were intronic, and five alterations were located in the 3'untranslated region (UTR). Variant frequencies did not significantly differ between cases and controls. The novel variant, c.2709 + 122delT, was detected in 1 out of 107 (0.9%) breast cancer patients, and the carrier showed a bilateral form of the disease. The deletion was absent in 897 controls (OR = 25.28; P = 0.1) and in 404 breast cancer patients unselected for family history. No haplotype was identified to increase the risk of breast/ovarian cancer. Functional analyses suggested that variants, particularly in the 3'UTR, were located within regulatory elements. The novel deletion was predicted to affect splicing regulatory elements.Conclusions: These results suggest that the identified EMSY variants are likely neutral at the population level. However, these variants may contribute to breast/ovarian cancer risk in single families. Additional analyses are warranted for rare novel intronic deletions and the 3'UTR variants predicted to have functional roles

Selective Plating Underestimates Abundance and Shows Differential Recovery of Bifidobacterial Species from Human Feces

The aim of the present work was to compare the efficacies and levels of selectivity of different culture-dependent and -independent methods for analyzing bifidobacteria in human stool samples. The three different culture media used here significantly differed from each other, particularly with regard to the recovery of Bifidobacterium adolescentis. Bifidobacterium medium failed to recover B. adolescentis; Beerens medium recovered some B. adolescentis organisms (17% of total bifidobacteria), whereas tomato-Eugon medium recovered mainly B. adolescentis organisms (58% of total bifidobacteria). A culture-independent method that combines GC fractionation of bacterial community DNA and 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that B. adolescentis organisms accounted for 85% of all bifidobacteria. Methodological biases, such as those described in this paper, should be taken into account in interpreting earlier studies and designing future experiments

Designing for Mixed Reality Urban Exploration

This paper introduces a design framework for mixed reality urban exploration (MRUE), based on a concrete implementation in a historical city. The framework integrates different modalities, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and haptics-audio interfaces, as well as advanced features such as personalized recommendations, social exploration, and itinerary management. It permits to address a number of concerns regarding information overload, safety, and quality of the experience, which are not sufficiently tackled in traditional non-integrated approaches. This study presents an integrated mobile platform built on top of this framework and reflects on the lessons learned

Indoor green wall affects health-associated commensal skin microbiota and enhances immune regulation : A randomized trial among urban office workers

Urbanization reduces microbiological abundance and diversity, which has been associated with immune mediated diseases. Urban greening may be used as a prophylactic method to restore microbiological diversity in cities and among urbanites. This study evaluated the impact of air-circulating green walls on bacterial abundance and diversity on human skin, and on immune responses determined by blood cytokine measurements. Human subjects working in offices in two Finnish cities (Lahti and Tampere) participated in a two-week intervention, where green walls were installed in the rooms of the experimental group. Control group worked without green walls. Skin and blood samples were collected before (Day0), during (Day14) and two weeks after (Day28) the intervention. The relative abundance of genus Lactobacillus and the Shannon diversity of phylum Proteobacteria and class Gammaproteobacteria increased in the experimental group. Proteobacterial diversity was connected to the lower proinflammatory cytokine IL-17A level among participants in Lahti. In addition, the change in TGF-beta 1 levels was opposite between the experimental and control group. As skin Lactobacillus and the diversity of Proteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria are considered advantageous for skin health, air-circulating green walls may induce beneficial changes in a human microbiome. The immunomodulatory potential of air-circulating green walls deserves further research attention.Peer reviewe

Influence of enzyme immobilization and skin-sensor interface on non-invasive glucose determination from interstitial fluid obtained by magnetohydrodynamic extraction

We integrated a magnetohydrodynamic fluid extractor with an amperometric glucose biosensor to develop a wearable device for non-invasive glucose monitoring. Reproducible fluid extraction through the skin and efficient transport of the extracted fluid to the biosensor surface are prerequisites for non-invasive glucose monitoring. We optimized the enzyme immobilization and the interface layer between the sensing device and the skin. The monitoring device was evaluated by extracting fluid through porcine skin followed by glucose detection at the biosensor. The biosensor featured a screen-printed layer of Prussian Blue that was coated with a layer containing glucose oxidase. Both physical entrapment of glucose oxidase in chitosan and tethering of glucose oxidase to electrospun nanofibers were evaluated. Binding of glucose oxidase to nanofibers under mild conditions provided a stable biosensor with analytical performance suitable for accurate detection of micromolar concentrations of glucose. Hydrogels of varying thickness (95-2000 mu m) as well as a thin (30 mu m) nanofibrous polycaprolactone mat were studied as an interface layer between the biosensor and the skin. The effect of mass transfer phenomena at the biosensor-skin interface on the analytical performance of the biosensor was evaluated. The sensing device detected glucose extracted through porcine skin with an apparent (overall) sensitivity of-0.8 mA/(M.cm(2)), compared to a sensitivity of-17 mA/(M.cm(2)) for measurement in solution. The amperometric response of the biosensor correlated with the glucose concentration in the fluid that had been extracted through porcine skin with the magnetohydrodynamic technique.Peer reviewe