Inflammation and cell migration in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the fourth most common cause of death worldwide, is characterised by chronic airflow obstruction and chronic inflammation which affects large and, especially, small airways. There is an accumulation of inflammatory cells in the airways in COPD, in particular neutrophils, macrophages and CD8+ T-cells. Neutrophil numbers correlate with disease severity and neutrophils have been attributed a central pathophysiological role in COPD. The overall aim of this thesis was to elucidate how neutrophil function is altered by the inflammation observed in COPD. Thus, study I, II and IV were all performed on three groups of subjects, healthy non-smoking controls, smokers without COPD and smokers with COPD. In paper I neutrophil release of CXCL8, MIP-1α and MCP-1 in response to different stimuli were studied. Also the role of TNF-α in regulating these responses was studied by inhibition of endogenous TNF-α with an anti-TNF-α antibody (infliximab). Neutrophil derived TNF-α contributed to the release of these chemokines after stimulation with LPS and organic dust as the response was inhibited by infliximab. In the COPD group infliximab did not inhibit the release of CXCL8 suggesting that the role of TNF-α is somehow altered in COPD. In paper II chemotaxis towards CXCL8 was increased in smokers with and without COPD and migration towards LTB4 was increased in smokers without COPD compared to healthy controls. In the smoker groups serum TNF-α and migration induced by CXCL8 and LTB4 correlated. Thus chemotaxis of circulating neutrophils towards CXCL8, and partly towards LTB4, is increased in smokers. Hence smoking may cause neutrophil activation and pro- inflammatory stimuli, such as TNF-α, may be central in this activation. The enhanced migration could to some degree explain the increase in neutrophil numbers observed in the COPD lung. In paper III we studied the influence of a β2-agonist (formoterol) and a glucocorticoid (budesonide) on circulating neutrophils isolated from healthy subjects. Budesonide inhibited and formoterol enhanced LPS-induced release of IL-6, CXCL1 and CXCL8. Moreover, formoterol up-regulated the chemokine receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2, while budesonide up-regulated CXCR2. However, the drugs did not affect the chemotactic response. Thus budesonide and formoterol, which are often used in the treatment of COPD, affect chemokine release and receptor expression, but the functional consequences of these findings are unclear. In paper IV T-cell and alveolar macrophage (AM) interaction in COPD was examined by investigating if the production of CXCR3 binding chemokines (CXCL9, -10, -11) by AMs is enhanced in COPD. The macrophage product was also assessed for its chemotactic effects on CXCR3 expressing T-cells. No difference in chemokine release by AMs was detected and while the AM supernatant induced migration in CXCR3 expressing T-cells there was no difference between the groups. We thus conclude that the increase of CXCR3 expressing T-cells, which has been observed in the COPD lung, is not caused by the CXCR3 binding chemokines released by AMs. Taken together these studies show an alteration in different aspects of neutrophil function in smokers with COPD but also in smokers without COPD

Insurance for autonomous underwater vehicles

The background and practice of insurance for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are examined. Key topics include: relationships between clients, brokers and underwriters; contract wording to provide appropriate coverage; and actions to take when an incident occurs. Factors that affect cost of insurance are discussed, including level of autonomy, team experience and operating environment. Four case studies from industry and academia illustrate how AUV insurance has worked in practice. The paper concludes by stressing the importance of effective dialogue between client, broker and underwriter to review, assess and reduce risk to the benefit of all parties

Electronic changes in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-coated LiFeSO4F during electrochemical lithium extraction

The redox activity of tavorite LiFeSO4F coated with poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), i.e. PEDOT, is investigated by means of several spectroscopic techniques. The electronic changes and iron-ligand redox features of this LiFeSO4F-PEDOT composite are probed upon delithiation through X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The PEDOT coating, which is necessary here to obtain enough electrical conductivity for the electrochemical reactions of LiFeSO4F to occur, is electrochemically stable within the voltage window employed for cell cycling. Although the electronic configuration of PEDOT shows also some changes in correspondence of its reduced and oxidized forms after electrochemical conditioning in Li half-cells, its p-type doping is fully retained between 2.7 and 4.1 V with respect to Li+/Li during the first few cycles. An increased iron-ligand interaction is observed in LixFeSO4F during electrochemical lithium extraction, which appears to be a general trend for polyanionic insertion compounds. This finding is crucial for a deeper understanding of a series of oxidation phenomena in Li-ion battery cathode materials and helps paving the way to the exploration of new energy storage materials with improved electrochemical performances

WTEC panel report on research submersibles and undersea technologies

This report covers research submersibles and related subsea technologies in Finland, France, Russia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Manned, teleoperated, and autonomous submersibles were of interest. The panel found that, in contrast to the United States, Europe is making substantial progress in cooperative and coordinated research in subsea technology, including the development of standards. France is a leader in autonomous vehicle technology. Because much less was known a priori about the technologies in Russia and Ukraine, there were more new findings in those countries than in those Western European nations visited. However, Russia and Ukraine have a sizeable (and currently underutilized) infrastructure in this field, including a highly educated and experienced manpower pool, impressive (in some cases unique) facilities for physical testing, extensive fleets of seagoing research vessels capable of long voyages, and state-of-the-art facilities for conducting oceanographic investigations. The panel visited newly-formed commercial companies associated with long-standing submersible R&D and production centers in Russia and Ukraine. So far, these new efforts are undercapitalized, and as such represent opportunities at very low cost for Western nations, as detailed in the site reports

Increased activation of blood neutrophils after cigarette smoking in young individuals susceptible to COPD

Background: Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Only a subgroup of smokers develops COPD and it is unclear why these individuals are more susceptible to the detrimental effects of cigarette smoking. The risk to develop COPD is known to be higher in individuals with familial aggregation of COPD. This study aimed to investigate if acute systemic and local immune responses to cigarette smoke differentiate between individuals susceptible or non-susceptible to develop COPD, both at young (18-40 years) and old (40-75 years) age. Methods: All participants smoked three cigarettes in one hour. Changes in inflammatory markers in peripheral blood (at 0 and 3 hours) and in bronchial biopsies (at 0 and 24 hours) were investigated. Acute effects of smoking were analyzed within and between susceptible and non-susceptible individuals, and by multiple regression analysis. Results: Young susceptible individuals showed significantly higher increases in the expression of Fc gamma RII (CD32) in its active forms (A17 and A27) on neutrophils after smoking (p = 0.016 and 0.028 respectively), independently of age, smoking status and expression of the respective markers at baseline. Smoking had no significant effect on mediators in blood or inflammatory cell counts in bronchial biopsies. In the old group, acute effects of smoking were comparable between healthy controls and COPD patients. Conclusions: We show for the first time that COPD susceptibility at young age associates with an increased systemic innate immune response to cigarette smoking. This suggests a role of systemic inflammation in the early induction phase of COPD

A European threshold value and assessment method for macro litter on coastlines: Guidance developed within the Common Implementation Strategy for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC) requires that European threshold values (TVs) for marine litter (descriptor 10) be defined. The MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter (TG ML) decided to focus on coastline litter (Criterion 1), often referred to as beach litter, in a first step, since for this criterion a monitoring framework is in place and a substantial amount of fit-for-purpose beach litter monitoring data is available at the European scale (see Hanke et al., 2019). This report describes the rationale and method to obtain a European TV for beach litter, as developed by Member States and other experts within the TG ML. It was concluded by TG ML that a TV cannot be based on quantitative ecological and socio-economic harm due to a lack of scientific data on harm caused by marine litter on beaches. Of the remaining options, the use of the 10th percentile value of the total litter abundance dataset from all European beaches in the baseline period 2015-2016 was selected and applied, as it was considered to be sufficiently precautionary while being based on already available beach litter abundances in the EU. The underlying baseline dataset was developed within the TG ML. Calculation of the 10th percentile of the EU baseline dataset resulted in a value of 13 litter items per 100 m of coastline length. Further consideration of the 95% confidence intervals of the TV and assessment value, respectively, led to a final TV of 20 litter items/100 m beach length, which corresponds to the 15th percentile value of the EU baseline dataset. This TV is estimated by experts from TG ML to reduce harm from beach litter to a sufficiently precautionary level. The methodology acknowledges uncertainties in the underlying data which is considered in the proposal. The median assessment value is compared with this TV for compliance checking. It is acknowledged that achieving this TV will require substantial and sustained measures over a longer period. Intermediate targets over time towards the proposed TV are proposed to support the achievement of the TV.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Measuring and Predicting Export Activity:An application on the Region of West Sweden

In Sweden, export accounts for approximately 50 percent of the GDP and is a good indicator of the economic situation. This thesis develops an export index on quarterly basis to measure and predict the business cycle. The export index is built as a composite diffusion index. We propose a diffusion index including five categories and show that it is more informative than a diffusion index with three categories. The export index uses the opinions and expectations from firms in the region of West Sweden in 2013. This region has the largest export and was the region most affected by the recent financial crisis. The focus lies on firms from three well established clusters in the region: automotive, life science and textile. The estimated export index shows that 56.34 percent of the firms have a positive view on the current state, where life science is the cluster most positive. We also evaluate the determinants of positive export expectations using a discrete choice export policy function from a dynamic model. The findings show that previous quarter result, share capital and productivity have a positive impact on the expectations.MSc in Economic

Patient´s need for information after myocardial infarction.

Att drabbas av en hjärtinfarkt är en stor och omvälvande händelse. Under vårdtiden möter patienten många olika vårdkategorier och erhåller mycket information på kort tid samtidigt som patienten befinner sig i chock. Det är en utmaning för sjuksköterskan med tuff arbetsbelastning att kunna ge patienten den information han/hon behöver och önskar under den korta vårdtiden. Syftet med litteraturstudien var att undersöka vilken information sjuksköterskan ger till patienten under vårdtiden på sjukhuset efter hjärtinfarkt och om den informationen motsvarar patientens behov. För att få en inblick i hur det kan se ut under svenska förhållanden kontaktades hjärtintensivavdelningen och hjärtmottagningen på ett västsvenskt sjukhus, där en sjuksköterska på respektive avdelning intervjuades. Litteraturstudien baseras på 13 vetenskapliga artiklar vilka vi valt utifrån vårt syfte. Forskning visar att patienten har ett stort informationsbehov och vill veta mycket men det förändras över tid och person. Det allra första patienten vill veta handlar om att överleva. Därefter information om livsstilsförändringar och förklarande information om hjärtats uppbyggnad och funktion. Resultatet visar att sjuksköterskan ger patienten den information patienten vill ha men pekar samtidigt på vikten av att individanpassa informationen utifrån varje patients enskilda behov