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Mikkel Porsborg Andersen,1,2 Rikke Wiingreen,3 Talip E Eroglu,4,5 Helle Collatz Christensen,6 Laura Bech Polcwiartek,7,8 Stig Nikolaj Fasmer Blomberg,6,9 Kristian Kragholm,10,11 Christian Torp-Pedersen,1,12 Kathrine Kold Sørensen1 1Department of Cardiology, Nordsjællands Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark; 2The Prehospital Center, Region Zealand, Denmark; 3Department of Pediatrics, Nordsjællands Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark; 4Department of Cardiology, Herlev-Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; 5Department of Experimental and Clinical Cardiology, Heart Centre, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 6Copenhagen Emergency Medical Services, Copenhagen, Denmark; 7Department of Pediatrics, Randers Regional Hospital, Randers, Denmark; 8Department of Pediatrics, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; 9Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; 10Department of Cardiology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; 11Unit of Clinical Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; 12Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkCorrespondence: Mikkel Porsborg Andersen, Department of Cardiology, Nordsjællands Hospital, Dyrehavevej 29, Hillerød, 3400, Denmark, Tel +45 92 43 22 99, Email mikkel.porsborg.andersen@regionh.dkAim of the Database: The aim of the National Child Health Registry is to provide comprehensive insight into children’s health and growth on a national scale by continuously monitoring the health status of Danish children. Through this effort, the registry assists the health authorities in prioritizing preventive efforts to promote better child health outcomes.Study Population: The registry includes all Danish children, however, incomplete coverage persists.Main Variables: The National Child Health Registry contains information on exposure to secondhand smoking, breastfeeding duration, and anthropometric measurements through childhood. The information in the registry is divided into three datasets: Smoking, Breastfeeding, and Measurements. Beside specific information on the three topics, all datasets include information on CPR-number, date of birth, sex, municipality, and region of residence.Database Status: The National Child Health Registry was established in 2009 and contains health information on children from all Danish municipalities, collected through routinely performed health examinations conducted by general practitioners and health nurses.Conclusion: The National Child Health Register is an asset to epidemiological and health research with nationwide information on children’s health and growth in Denmark. Due to the unique Danish Civil Registration System, it is possible to link data from the National Child Health Register to information from several other national health and social registers which enables longitudinal unambiguous follow-up.Keywords: child health, children‘s database, register-based research, Danish register, epidemiology

The field of combinatorial optimization has inspired the development of a large number of heuristic solution procedures. These methods are commonly assessed using a competitive evaluation methodology that may give an indication of which algorithm has a better performance. A next step in the experimental analysis is to uncover "why" one algorithm performs better. Which elements are responsible for good or bad performance? How does the performance of elements vary across the design space? What is the influence of the specific problem instance that is being solved? We focus on gaining a better understanding of heuristic algorithm performance and demonstrate that the application of a proper statistical methodology can provide researchers insight into how performance is affected by the different algorithm parameters and components. As an example, we apply a multilevel statistical analysis to a large neighborhood search algorithm for the vehicle routing problem with time windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the current generation of ventilation systems: natural ventilation, exhaust ventilation, and balanced ventilation, and weighs them against an ideal benchmark case. To achieve this, a transparent, selfdeveloped evaluation framework is constructed. This assessment framework is used to calculate three different and distinct performance indicators, namely CO2, moisture, and energy losses. The performance indicators are used to show the weaknesses and strengths of the systems in terms of indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy consumption, which are used to introduce a novel concept in terms of air recycling to increase IAQ and reduce energy consumption.

Purpose: The growth of e-commerce is accompanied by an increasing distribution of parcels in cities resulting in externalities like traffic congestion or emissions. As a consequence, different delivery concepts like bike deliveries or delivery points have been suggested. Naturally, companies will only accept these changes, if they do not result in higher costs. However, it is difficult to predict the impact of a certain delivery concept in a certain city. This leads to the research question, how different delivery scenarios for a certain area can be assessed and compared, especially if some of them have not been implemented. Methods: Using a case study, we demonstrate how the effects of different delivery concepts can be quantified with the help of a simulation study. We take care to accurately model the delivery processes and utilise a real-world dataset and realistic cost values. On the basis of these inputs, we simulate and analyse the current state-of-the-practice in the distribution of e-commerce goods in Antwerp and compare it to possible `what-if' scenarios. Results: The results highlight that the investigated delivery concepts can benefit either the companies or the quality of life in the city. Operational costs of companies can be reduced by stimulating customer self-pick-up, while externalities decrease with the implementation of a cargo bike distribution system. Conclusions: We demonstrate that both operational and external costs can be minimised, if involved stakeholders from industry and the public look for sustainable delivery solution jointly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineers designing a continuous flow production line consisting of machines and buffers in series, have to determine the optimal sizes of the intermediate buffers. When the machines operating on the product are unreliable, this dimensioning decision becomes even more difficult. This paper aims to provide some insight into the optimal sizes of intermediate buffers in a continuous flow transfer line with three machines and two buffers. To this end, an extensive series of simulation experiments are performed, and noted the performance (measured as the availability, i.e., the fraction of time that the system as a whole is producing output) under a large variety of different input conditions. The simulation model for this purpose is based on Petri-nets and has been extensively validated prior to this research. Using these simulation results, we try to find rules to determine where to allocate which amount of buffer space in order to obtain a sufficiently high availability of the system. Different scenarios are simulated: all machines have equal reliability, one machine has significantly higher reliability and one machine has significantly lower reliability. For each scenario, a large number of settings is tested. A careful study of the availability of the system as a function of the sizes of the two buffers reveals some interesting results. We find that the optimal buffer sizes depend strongly on the (relative) reliability of the different machines and that-in general-the performance of the entire system can be considerably increased by correctly choosing the sizes of the two buffers. When all machines are equally reliable, both buffers should be equally large. When the first or the last machine is less reliable, the first respectively the second buffer should be used to dampen the impact of this unreliable machine. Another finding is that if the middle machine is considerably less reliable than the other two, the buffers have far less effect on the performance of the overall system. The results reported in this paper can be used by practitioners in the field of design of continuous flow transfer line systems to gain insight into the optimal dimensioning of buffers in production systems. Future research in this area will consider simulation models of larger linear systems or more complex networks of machines and buffers. Also, the effects of relaxing one or more of the assumptions made in the simulation model (e.g., on the distribution of up- and down-times of the machines) should be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper we consider the problem of allocating resources to upgrade a rural road network in order to improve the accessibility of as many people as possible to the main cities or regional center where the economic and social infrastructure is usually located. We propose a solution approach based on the GRASP and VNS Metaheuristic. The efficiency of our approach is demonstrated on a set of random small and medium size instances and on a large instance that has been built based on a real road network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High capacity random packing is used in absorption applications where a large throughput of gas is required while simultaneously maintaining as low a pressure loss as possible. Utilising computational fluid dynamics to capture the internal flow patterns and transients when designing packed bed towers can be advantageous in respect to expected performance and cost optimisation. However, capturing the direct interaction between gas, liquid and packing is not computationally feasible and therefore the packed bed is modelled as a porous media. In this work four different porosity model are calibrated with idealised equations to data for the high capacity packing IMTP or I-Ring. The different models are evaluated based on their ability to predict pressure loss and liquid holdup in the packed bed. An Eulerian two-phase model with a porous zone representing the packed bed is setup in a cylindrical tower. The CFD results are compared to the predictions of the best performing porosity model. It was found that the best performing model had an absolute mean error of 6.7% when calibrated with the idealised equations. This error increased to 10.5% when the porosity model was implemented into the CFD model.

The increasing need for energy storage technology has led to a massive interest in novel energy storage methods. The energy geomembrane system is such a novel energy storage method. The concept of the system is briefly introduced, and a holistic numerical model of the system is presented. The model uses advanced finite-element techniques to model the energy storage system using fluid cavity elements. The developed geomembrane energy system is modelled with different constitutive models to represent the soil behaviour: a linear elastic model, a nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb model, and a hypoplastic constitutive model. The consequences of these different models on the results are studied. Hereby, the focus is the first inflation and deflation cycle of the system.

Henry Christensen,1 Jens Steen Nielsen,2 Karina Meden Sørensen,3 Mads Melbye,3 Ivan Brandslund1,41Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Vejle Hospital, Vejle, Denmark; 2The Danish Centre for Strategic Research in Type 2 Diabetes (DD2), Department of Endocrinology M, Diabetes Research Centre, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; 3Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark; 4Institute of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, DenmarkAbstract: Long-term storage of biological samples from patients has become increasingly important in studies of disease control and treatment. The first nationwide Danish diabetes project, ie, The Danish Center for Strategic Research in Type II Diabetes (DD2), aims to improve treatment and the long-term outcome of patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D). The DD2 project includes establishment of a biobank with samples from 50,000 patients with newly diagnosed T2D. This paper describes how blood and urine samples from 10,000 patients per year are collected, handled, and stored. The biobank includes whole blood, DNA, and plasma and urine samples, all frozen at −80°C. Sampling tubes have been standardized and are sent to hospital outpatient clinics and general practitioners where samples are taken, handled, aliquoted, and returned by mail overnight in standardized cryostorage tubes. When received at the biobank, samples are frozen without further treatment. From each patient, 24 cryostorage tubes are stored. Each tube is labeled with a barcode that links the data to other information available in a clinical databank registry. When patients are enrolled in DD2, a questionnaire is filled out and a quality monitoring system ensures that patients, samples, and questionnaires can be linked together at all times. The biobank is located at Vejle Hospital and the Danish National Biobank at Statens Serum Institut. As of the end of March 2012, samples from 1186 patients have been stored, and currently samples from 8–10 patients arrive per day. We have established the first national biobank in Denmark where blood, DNA, and plasma and urine samples from patients with newly diagnosed T2D are systematically collected and stored. This biobank enables sophisticated analysis of genetic variation and response to treatment, as well as disease marker studies that better classify disease status, progression, and complications.Keywords: DD2, biobank, type 2 diabetes, logistics, implementation, biorepository, data registration

A series of one-dimensional compression tests have been performed on reconstituted specimens of Søvind Marl. A clear correlation is obtained between the location and the gradient of the intrinsic compression lines and the void ratio at the liquid limit. The found correlation has subsequently been used to normalise the compression curves of 12 one-dimensional compression tests on intact specimens of Søvind Marl and Little Belt Clay obtained from various depths at two sites at Aarhus Harbour. Søvind Marl and Little Belt Clay are both marine sedimentary clays of Eocene age, which can be characterised as very stiff fissured clays with a very high plasticity. From a comparison of the reconstituted and intact compression paths the influence of structure is analysed and discussed in the paper. The majority of intact specimens of Søvind Marl and Little Belt Clay from Aarhus Harbour show similar behaviour; a very stiff recompression path and yielding at high stress level after crossing the intrinsic compression line. The displayed behaviour indicates an insignificant influence of fissuring on the pre-yield behaviour. Post-yield the compression paths indicate a stable structure dominated by fabric rather than metastable interparticle bonds. The paper furthermore highlights the importance of considering the effect of pore water salinity when assessing the influence of structure on the compression behaviour of smectite rich natural marine clays.

Agergaard P, Hebert A, Bjerre J, Sørensen KM, Olesen C, Østergaard JRChildren diagnosed with congenital cardiac malformations at the national university departments of pediatric cardiology: positive predictive values of data in the Danish National Patient Registry. Clinical Epidemiology.2011;3:61–66.The last sentence of the second paragraph in the results section should read, “A total of 238 patients had died at the time of data retrieval”.Original Article

Abstract Background Indigenous fermented food products play an essential role in the diet of millions of Africans. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are among the predominant microbial species in African indigenous fermented food products and are used for different applications in the food and biotechnology industries. Numerous studies have described antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of LAB from different parts of the world. However, there is limited information on antimicrobial resistance profiles of LAB from Africa. The aim of this study was to characterize 33 LAB previously isolated from three different African indigenous fermented food products using (GTG)5-based rep-PCR, sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and species-specific PCR techniques for differentiation of closely related species and further evaluate their antibiotic resistance profiles by the broth microdilution method and their haemolytic activity on sheep blood agar plates as indicators of safety traits among these bacteria. Results Using molecular biology based methods and selected phenotypic tests such as catalase reaction, CO2 production from glucose, colonies and cells morphology, the isolates were identified as Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus ghanensis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus salivarius, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Pediococcus acidilactici, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Weissella confusa. The bacteria were susceptible to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, clindamycin and erythromycin but resistant to vancomycin, kanamycin and streptomycin. Variable sensitivity profiles to tetracycline and gentamicin was observed among the isolates with Lb. plantarum, Lb. salivarius, W. confusa (except strain SK9-5) and Lb. fermentum strains being susceptible to tetracycline whereas Pediococcus strains and Lb. ghanensis strains were resistant. For gentamicin, Leuc. pseudomesenteroides, Lb. ghanensis and Ped. acidilactici strains were resistant to 64 mg/L whereas some W. confusa and Lb. plantarum strains had a MIC value of 16 mg/L and 32 mg/L respectively. No β-haemolytic activity was observed, however, α-haemolytic activity was observed in 27% (9) of the strains comprising Lb. salivarius (6), W. confusa (2) and Lb. delbrueckii (1) isolates. Conclusions The resistance to kanamycin and vancomycin is probably an intrinsic feature since similar observations were reported in the literature for LAB. Low prevalence of pathogenicity indicator traits were observed among the isolates especially with the presence of poor haemolytic activities and they could therefore be considered as interesting candidates for selection of starter cultures or probiotics for different applications.

Abstract Background Boar taint is the undesirable smell and taste of pork meat derived from some entire male pigs. The main causes of boar taint are the two compounds androstenone and skatole (3-methyl-indole). The steroid androstenone is a sex pheromone produced in the testis of the boars. Skatole is produced from tryptophan by bacteria in the intestine of the pigs. In many countries pigs are castrated as piglets to avoid boar taint, however, this is undesirable for animal welfare reasons. Genetic variations affecting the level of boar taint have previously been demonstrated in many breeds. In the study presented in this paper, markers and haplotypes, which can be applied to DNA-based selection schemes in order to reduce or eliminate the boar taint problem, are identified. Results Approximately 30,000 SNPs segregating in 923 boars from three Danish breeds; Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire, were used to conduct genome wide association studies of boar taint compounds. At 46 suggestive quantitative trait loci (QTL), 25 haplotypes and three single markers with effects were identified. Furthermore, 40% of the haplotypes mapped to previously identified regions. Haplotypes were also analysed for effects of slaughter weight and meat content. The most promising haplotype was identified on Sus scrofa chromosome 1. The gain in fixed effect of having this haplotype on level of androstenone in Landrace was identified to be high (1.279 μg/g). In addition, this haplotype explained 16.8% of the phenotypic variation within the trait. The haplotype was identified around the gene CYB5A which is known to have an indirect impact on the amount of androstenone. In addition to CYB5A, the genes SRD5A2, LOC100518755, and CYP21A2 are candidate genes for other haplotypes affecting androstenone, whereas, candidate genes for the indolic compounds were identified to be SULT1A1 and CYP2E1. Conclusions Despite the small sample size, a total of 25 haplotypes and three single markers were identified including genomic regions not previously reported. The haplotypes that were analysed showed large effects on trait level. However, little overlap of QTL between breeds was observed.

Abstract Background Health literacy concerns the knowledge and competences of persons to meet the complex demands of health in modern society. Although its importance is increasingly recognised, there is no consensus about the definition of health literacy or about its conceptual dimensions, which limits the possibilities for measurement and comparison. The aim of the study is to review definitions and models on health literacy to develop an integrated definition and conceptual model capturing the most comprehensive evidence-based dimensions of health literacy. Methods A systematic literature review was performed to identify definitions and conceptual frameworks of health literacy. A content analysis of the definitions and conceptual frameworks was carried out to identify the central dimensions of health literacy and develop an integrated model. Results The review resulted in 17 definitions of health literacy and 12 conceptual models. Based on the content analysis, an integrative conceptual model was developed containing 12 dimensions referring to the knowledge, motivation and competencies of accessing, understanding, appraising and applying health-related information within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion setting, respectively. Conclusions Based upon this review, a model is proposed integrating medical and public health views of health literacy. The model can serve as a basis for developing health literacy enhancing interventions and provide a conceptual basis for the development and validation of measurement tools, capturing the different dimensions of health literacy within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion settings.

Abstract Background In addition to breast imaging, ultrasound offers the potential for characterizing and distinguishing between benign and malignant breast tissues due to their different microstructures and material properties. The aim of this study was to determine if high-frequency ultrasound (20-80 MHz) can provide pathology sensitive measurements for the ex vivo detection of cancer in margins during breast conservation surgery. Methods Ultrasonic tests were performed on resected margins and other tissues obtained from 17 patients, resulting in 34 specimens that were classified into 15 pathology categories. Pulse-echo and through-transmission measurements were acquired from a total of 57 sites on the specimens using two single-element 50-MHz transducers. Ultrasonic attenuation and sound speed were obtained from time-domain waveforms. The waveforms were further processed with fast Fourier transforms to provide ultrasonic spectra and cepstra. The ultrasonic measurements and pathology types were analyzed for correlations. The specimens were additionally re-classified into five pathology types to determine specificity and sensitivity values. Results The density of peaks in the ultrasonic spectra, a measure of spectral structure, showed significantly higher values for carcinomas and precancerous pathologies such as atypical ductal hyperplasia than for normal tissue. The slopes of the cepstra for non-malignant pathologies displayed significantly greater values that differentiated them from the normal and malignant tissues. The attenuation coefficients were sensitive to fat necrosis, fibroadenoma, and invasive lobular carcinoma. Specificities and sensitivities for differentiating pathologies from normal tissue were 100% and 86% for lobular carcinomas, 100% and 74% for ductal carcinomas, 80% and 82% for benign pathologies, and 80% and 100% for fat necrosis and adenomas. Specificities and sensitivities were also determined for differentiating each pathology type from the other four using a multivariate analysis. The results yielded specificities and sensitivities of 85% and 86% for lobular carcinomas, 85% and 74% for ductal carcinomas, 100% and 61% for benign pathologies, 84% and 100% for fat necrosis and adenomas, and 98% and 80% for normal tissue. Conclusions Results from high-frequency ultrasonic measurements of human breast tissue specimens indicate that characteristics in the ultrasonic attenuation, spectra, and cepstra can be used to differentiate between normal, benign, and malignant breast pathologies.

Abstract Background Pubertal timing is a strongly heritable trait, but no single puberty gene has been identified. Thus, the genetic background of idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) is poorly understood. Overall, the genetic modulation of pubertal onset most likely arises from the additive effect of multiple genes, but also monogenic causes of ICPP probably exist, as cases of familial ICPP have been reported. Mutations in KISS1 and KISSR, coding for kisspeptin and its receptor, involved in GnRH secretion and puberty onset, have been suggested causative for monogenic ICPP. Variation in LIN28B was associated with timing of puberty in genome-wide association (GWA) studies. LIN28B is a human ortholog of the gene that controls, through microRNAs, developmental timing in C. elegans. In addition, Lin28a transgenic mice manifest the puberty phenotypes identified in the human GWAS. Thus, both LIN28B and LIN28A may have a role in pubertal development and are good candidate genes for monogenic ICPP. Methods Thirty girls with ICPP were included in the study. ICPP was defined by pubertal onset before 8 yrs of age, and a pubertal LH response to GnRH testing. The coding regions of LIN28B, LIN28A, KISS1, and KISS1R were sequenced. The missense change in LIN28B was also screened in 132 control subjects. Results No rare variants were detected in KISS1 or KISS1R in the 30 subjects with ICPP. In LIN28B, one missense change, His199Arg, was found in one subject with ICPP. However, this variant was also detected in one of the 132 controls. No variation in LIN28A was found. Conclusions We did not find any evidence that mutations in LIN28B or LIN28A would underlie ICPP. In addition, we confirmed that mutations in KISS1 and KISS1R are not a common cause for ICPP.

Abstract Background The risk of aortic dissection is 100-fold increased in Turner syndrome (TS). Unfortunately, risk stratification is inadequate due to a lack of insight into the natural course of the syndrome-associated aortopathy. Therefore, this study aimed to prospectively assess aortic dimensions in TS. Methods Eighty adult TS patients were examined twice with a mean follow-up of 2.4 ± 0.4 years, and 67 healthy age and gender-matched controls were examined once. Aortic dimensions were measured at nine predefined positions using 3D, non-contrast and free-breathing cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Transthoracic echocardiography and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure were also performed. Results At baseline, aortic diameters (body surface area indexed) were larger at all positions in TS. Aortic dilation was more prevalent at all positions excluding the distal transverse aortic arch. Aortic diameter increased in the aortic sinus, at the sinotubular junction and in the mid-ascending aorta with growth rates of 0.1 - 0.4 mm/year. Aortic diameters at all other positions were unchanged. The bicuspid aortic valve conferred higher aortic sinus growth rates (p < 0.05). No other predictors of aortic growth were identified. Conclusion A general aortopathy is present in TS with enlargement of the ascending aorta, which is accelerated in the presence of a bicuspid aortic valve.

Abstract Background Significant numbers of people are exposed to tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene, PCE) every year, including workers in the dry cleaning industry. Adverse health effects have been associated with PCE exposure. However, investigations of possible cumulative cytogenetic damage resulting from PCE exposure are lacking. Methods Eighteen dry cleaning workers and 18 laundry workers (unexposed controls) provided a peripheral blood sample for cytogenetic analysis by whole chromosome painting. Pre-shift exhaled air on these same participants was collected and analyzed for PCE levels. The laundry workers were matched to the dry cleaners on race, age, and smoking status. The relationships between levels of cytological damage and exposures (including PCE levels in the shop and in workers' blood, packyears, cumulative alcohol consumption, and age) were compared with correlation coefficients and t-tests. Multiple linear regressions considered blood PCE, packyears, alcohol, and age. Results There were no significant differences between the PCE-exposed dry cleaners and the laundry workers for chromosome translocation frequencies, but PCE levels were significantly correlated with percentage of cells with acentric fragments (R2 = 0.488, p < 0.026). Conclusions There does not appear to be a strong effect in these dry cleaning workers of PCE exposure on persistent chromosome damage as measured by translocations. However, the correlation between frequencies of acentric fragments and PCE exposure level suggests that recent exposures to PCE may induce transient genetic damage. More heavily exposed participants and a larger sample size will be needed to determine whether PCE exposure induces significant levels of persistent chromosome damage.

Abstract Background To investigate aortic dimensions in women with Turner syndrome (TS) in relation to aortic valve morphology, blood pressure, karyotype, and clinical characteristics. Methods and results A cross sectional study of 102 women with TS (mean age 37.7; 18-62 years) examined by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR- successful in 95), echocardiography, and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. Aortic diameters were measured by CMR at 8 positions along the thoracic aorta. Twenty-four healthy females were recruited as controls. In TS, aortic dilatation was present at one or more positions in 22 (23%). Aortic diameter in women with TS and bicuspid aortic valve was significantly larger than in TS with tricuspid valves in both the ascending (32.4 ± 6.7 vs. 26.0 ± 4.4 mm; p < 0.001) and descending (21.4 ± 3.5 vs. 18.8 ± 2.4 mm; p < 0.001) aorta. Aortic diameter correlated to age (R = 0.2 - 0.5; p < 0.01), blood pressure (R = 0.4; p < 0.05), a history of coarctation (R = 0.3; p = 0.01) and bicuspid aortic valve (R = 0.2-0.5; p < 0.05). Body surface area only correlated with descending aortic diameter (R = 0.23; p = 0.024). Conclusions Aortic dilatation was present in 23% of adult TS women, where aortic valve morphology, age and blood pressure were major determinants of the aortic diameter.

Abstract Background SL3-2 is a unique polytropic murine gammaretroviral isolate that is only able to infect murine cells. We have previously shown that two mutations R212G and T213I located on the surface of the receptor binding domain in a region designated the VR3 loop can alter the species tropism of this envelope protein. This location suggests that the VR3 loop composition has an influence on receptor interaction and thereby affects binding as well as superinfection resistance. In order to investigate this further, we have studied the binding and interference patterns of the SL3-2 envelope and its mutants. Results We find unexpectedly that wild type SL3-2 envelope binds equally well to both permissive and non-permissive cells, indicating a post binding defect when interacting with the human Xpr1. Using replication competent viruses containing envelopes from SL3-2 or its mutants we find that the same amino acid mutations can dramatically alter the interference profile of this polytropic ENV, suggesting that the same amino acid changes that cause the post binding defect also influence interaction with the receptor. Conclusions The envelope protein of SL3-2 MLV shows an entry defect on non-murine cells. This is coupled to a dramatically reduced ability to interfere with entry of other polytropic viruses. Two point mutations in the VR3 loop of the receptor binding domain of this envelope result both in a much increased interference ability and in removing the post-binding defect on non-murine cells, suggesting that both of these phenotypes are a consequence of insufficient interaction between the envelope and the receptor

Abstract Background Genetic linkage maps are necessary for mapping of mendelian traits and quantitative trait loci (QTLs). To identify the actual genes, which control these traits, a map based on gene-associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers is highly valuable. In this study, the SNPs were genotyped in a large family material comprising more than 5,000 piglets derived from 12 Duroc boars crossed with 236 Danish Landrace/Danish Large White sows. The SNPs were identified in sequence alignments of 4,600 different amplicons obtained from the 12 boars and containing coding regions of genes derived from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and genomic shotgun sequences. Results Linkage maps of all 18 porcine autosomes were constructed based on 456 gene-associated and six porcine EST-based SNPs. The total length of the averaged-sex whole porcine autosome was estimated to 1,711.8 cM resulting in an average SNP spacing of 3.94 cM. The female and male maps were estimated to 2,336.1 and 1,441.5 cM, respectively. The gene order was validated through comparisons to the cytogenetic and/or physical location of 203 genes, linkage to evenly spaced microsatellite markers as well as previously reported conserved synteny. A total of 330 previously unmapped genes and ESTs were mapped to the porcine autosome while ten genes were mapped to unexpected locations. Conclusion The linkage map presented here shows high accuracy in gene order. The pedigree family network as well as the large amount of meiotic events provide good reliability and make this map suitable for QTL and association studies. In addition, the linkage to the RH-map of microsatellites makes it suitable for comparison to other QTL studies.

Abstract Background There have been few reports regarding long time survival after lung cancer surgery. The influence of age and pulmonary function on long time survival is still not fully discovered. Some reports suggest that hospitals with a high surgical volume have better results. The aim of this study was to evaluate lung cancer surgery performed in a county hospital in terms of 30 days mortality, complications and predictors of long time survival. Methods All patients operated with non-small cell lung cancer in the period 1993–2006 were reviewed, and 148 patients were included in the study. 30 days mortality and complications were analyzed by univariate analysis. Kaplan Meier plots were performed to display some of the univariate variables. Cox regression analysis was performed to find Hazard Ratios (HR) that predicted long time survival in univariate and multivariate analysis. Results The overall 30 days mortality rate was 2.7%, whereas 36.3% had one or more complications after surgery. The median survival time was 3.4 years. In multivariate Cox regression analysis advanced preoperative stage predicted reduced long time survival with HR (95%CI) 1.63 (0.92, 2.89) and 4.16 (1.92, 9.05) for patients in stage IB and II-IV respectively, when compared to patients in stage IA. Age ≥ 70 years and FEV11 ≥ 80%. Conclusion Thirty days mortality and complication rate showed that lung cancer surgery can be performed safely in a county hospital with experienced thoracic surgeons. Early preoperative stage, age below 70 years and normal pulmonary function predicted long time survival.

Abstract Background In a project to determine the causes of winter mortality in reindeer in Finnmark County, northern Norway, the most frequent diagnosis turned out to be complete emaciation, despite several of the reindeer having been given silage for up to 4 weeks before they died. The present paper describes autopsy results and other findings in these animals. Methods Autopsies were made of 32 reindeer carcasses, and 28 of these were diagnosed as completely emaciated based on lack of visible fat and serous atrophy of subepicardial and bone marrow fat. Other investigations of the carcasses included histology, bacteriology, parasitology (counting of macro parasites and faecal egg counting), analysis of vitamin E and selenium in liver, chemical and botanical analysis of rumen content, analysis of lipid content in femur bone marrow and estimation of muscle atrophy by use of a muscle index. Results Main findings were: Low carcass weight, severe muscle atrophy, hemosiderosis in liver and spleen, subcutaneous oedema (18%) and effusions to body cavities (18%). Two types of lipofuscin granula were identified in the liver: One type occurred in liver endothelial cells of all carcasses, while the other type occurred in hepatocytes, and prevailed in adult animals. Abomasal haemorrhages, consistent with previously described stress lesions, was present in 68% of the carcasses. Diarrhoea occurred in 2 cases, and loose faecal consistency was associated with silage feeding. Rumen content was low in crude protein. Grass dominated rumen content in silage-fed carcasses, while reindeer on natural pastures had mainly woody plants, mosses and litter in rumen. Stem dominated the grass fraction in rumens with high grass content, indicating ruminal indigestion as a cause of emaciation in silage fed animals. Some cases had heavy infestation of parasites such as warble fly larvae (Hypoderma tarandi), throat bot larvae (Cephenemyiae trompe) and lung nematodes. Conclusion Lack of appropriate amounts and/or appropriate quality of feed has been the main cause of emaciation, though heavy infestation of parasites may have contributed to the emaciation in some cases.

Abstract Background Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of even-toed ungulates. Serological diagnosis/surveillance of FMD presents several problems as there are seven serotypes worldwide and in the event of vaccination it may be necessary to be able to identify FMD infected/exposed animals irrespective of their vaccination status. The recent development of non-structural 3ABC protein (NSP) ELISA tests has greatly advanced sero-diagnosis/surveillance as these tests detect exposure to live virus for any of the seven serotypes of FMD, even in vaccinated populations. This paper analyses the performance of three NSP tests using a Bayesian formulation of the Hui-Walter latent class model to estimate test sensitivity and specificity in the absence of a "gold-standard" test, using sera from a well described cattle population in Cameroon with endemic FMD. Results The analysis found a high sensitivity and specificity for both the Danish C-ELISA and the World Organisation for Animal Health (O.I.E.) recommended South American I-ELISA. However, the commercial CHEKIT kit, though having high specificity, has very low sensitivity. The results of the study suggests that for NSP ELISAs, latent class models are a useful alternative to the traditional approach of evaluating diagnostic tests against a known "gold-standard" test as imperfections in the "gold-standard" may give biased test characteristics. Conclusion This study demonstrates that when applied to naturally infected zebu cattle managed under extensive rangeland conditions, the FMD ELISAs may not give the same parameter estimates as those generated from experimental studies. The Bayesian approach allows for full posterior probabilities and capture of the uncertainty in the estimates. The implications of an imperfect specificity are important for the design and interpretation of sero-surveillance data and may result in excessive numbers of false positives in low prevalence situations unless a follow-up confirmatory test such as the enzyme linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) is used.

We propose time-frequency domain methods for noise estimation and speech enhancement. A speech presence detection method is used to find connected time-frequency regions of speech presence. These regions are used by a noise estimation method and both the speech presence decisions and the noise estimate are used in the speech enhancement method. Different attenuation rules are applied to regions with and without speech presence to achieve enhanced speech with natural sounding attenuated background noise. The proposed speech enhancement method has a computational complexity, which makes it feasible for application in hearing aids. An informal listening test shows that the proposed speech enhancement method has significantly higher mean opinion scores than minimum mean-square error log-spectral amplitude (MMSE-LSA) and decision-directed MMSE-LSA.