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The Offshore Wind Service sector is about to established itself as an industrial sector with an own identity, own organisation, and with large future challenges. The article introduces this new sector, including assessment of present and future market sizes. The overall aim of the research reported in this article was to increase the innovation capacity of the European offshore wind servicing (OWS) sector by establishing cross-regional cooperation and intensifying the relationship between research and the offshore wind industry. The article uses the concept of innovation system foresight (ISF). The linking of the two concepts of foresight and innovation systems has been explored by several studies, but ISF takes a further integration of the two concepts. The article presents a set of concrete actions at multiple levels to support the development of the offshore wind service sector. The findings provides an input for a concerted effort for supporting both the offshore wind development and the emerging clusters of offshore wind services around the North Sea. In addition, the article addresses the value of the ISF approach to such policy development.

The administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics is often associated with antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD), and impacts gastrointestinal tract homeostasis, as evidenced by the following: (a) an overall reduction in both the numbers and diversity of the gut microbiota, and (b) decreased short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Evidence in humans that probiotics may enhance the recovery of microbiota populations after antibiotic treatment is equivocal, and few studies have addressed if probiotics improve the recovery of microbial metabolic function. Our aim was to determine if Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 (BB-12)-containing yogurt could protect against antibiotic-induced fecal SCFA and microbiota composition disruptions. We conducted a randomized, allocation-concealed, controlled trial of amoxicillin/clavulanate administration (days 1–7), in conjunction with either BB-12-containing or control yogurt (days 1–14). We measured the fecal levels of SCFAs and bacterial composition at baseline and days 7, 14, 21, and 30. Forty-two participants were randomly assigned to the BB-12 group, and 20 participants to the control group. Antibiotic treatment suppressed the fecal acetate levels in both the control and probiotic groups. Following the cessation of antibiotics, the fecal acetate levels in the probiotic group increased over the remainder of the study and returned to the baseline levels on day 30 (−1.6% baseline), whereas, in the control group, the acetate levels remained suppressed. Further, antibiotic treatment reduced the Shannon diversity of the gut microbiota, for all the study participants at day 7. The magnitude of this change was larger and more sustained in the control group compared to the probiotic group, which is consistent with the hypothesis that BB-12 enhanced microbiota recovery. There were no significant baseline clinical differences between the two groups. Concurrent administration of amoxicillin/clavulanate and BB-12 yogurt, to healthy subjects, was associated with a significantly smaller decrease in the fecal SCFA levels and a more stable taxonomic profile of the microbiota over time than the control group.

The effects of cadmium (Cd) on the enzymatic activities of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) were investigated in the gill, liver and kidney tissues of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Three test groups of fish were subjected to increasing concentrations (1, 3 and 5 mg/l) of cadmium (Cd) in vivo, respectively. The G6PD and 6PGD activities in the gill, liver, and kidney tissues of each group of fish were measured on days 1, 3, 5 and 7. G6PD and 6PGD enzyme activities, measured in gill, liver and kidney homogenates, were stimulated by various concentrations (1, 3, and 5 mg/l) of cadmium. Although the dose-response pattern of G6PD enzyme activities in liver and kidney tissue was very similar, that in gill was different from both other tissues. The enzyme activity of G6PD enzyme was significantly stimulated after three days (Day 3) in liver and kidney tissues at a dose of 1 mg/l Cd (p < 0.05), whereas it was stimulated on the first day of experiment (Day 1) in gill, liver and kidney tissues at doses of 3 and 5 mg/l Cd (p < 0.05). However, the activity of 6PGD was stimulated after three days (Day 3) in the liver at a dose of 1 mg/l Cd (p < 0.05) and on the first day in gill, liver and kidney tissues at doses of 3 and 5 mg/l Cd (p < 0.05). The stimulation effect of the 5 mg/l dose of Cd on G6PD and 6PGD enzyme activities was significantly diminished after seven days (Day 7) in all tissues (p < 0.05). In contrast to the dose-response pattern at the dose of 5 mg/l Cd, G6PD and 6PGD enzyme activities were stimulated significantly (p < 0.05) in liver and kidney tissues at the doses of 3 and 1 mg/l Cd. The stimulation effect of cadmium on the three tissues studied was also calculated; for both of the enzymes (G6PD and 6PGD), the enzyme activity levels were stimulated by approximately 60% and 38% in gills, 68% and 44% in liver, and 67% and 41% in kidneys, respectively, over the base-line enzyme activity of the control groups during the sevenday experimental period. These findings indicate that tissue G6PD and 6PGD enzymes function to protect against cadmium toxicity. Enzyme activity, in vivo, kidney, gill, G6PD, 6PGD It is generally recognized that the cell has four major NADPH-production systems that correspond to the activities of four cytoplasmatic enzymes: glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) belong to the pentose phosphate pathway, malic enzyme (ME) and NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-IDH).

Predicting the lifetime of lead-acid batteries in applications with irregular operating conditions such as partial state-of-charge cycling, varying depth-of-discharge and different times between full charging is known as a difficult task. Experimental investigations in the laboratory are difficult because each application has its own specific operation profile. Therefore, an experimental investigation is necessary for each application and, moreover, for each operation strategy. This paper presents a lifetime model that allows comparison of the impact of different operating conditions, different system sizing and different battery technologies on battery lifetime. It is a tool for system designers and system operators to select appropriate batteries, to do a proper system design (sizing of the battery, power generators and loads), and to implement an optimized operation strategy (end-of-charge voltage, frequency of full charging, gassing periods, maximum depth-of-discharge). The model is a weighted Ah throughput approach based on the assumption that operating conditions are typically more severe than those used in standard tests of cycling and float lifetime. The wear depends on the depth-of-discharge, the current rate, the existing acid stratification, and the time since the last full charging. The actual Ah throughput is continuously multiplied by a weight factor that represents the actual operating conditions. Even though the modelling approach is mainly heuristic, all of the effects that are taken into account are based on a detailed analysis and understanding of ageing processes in lead-acid batteries. The ‘normal’ user can adapt the model to different battery types simply from the data sheet information on cycle lifetime and float lifetime.

We performed a retrospective analysis of 384 consecutive stereotactic breast biopsies (SBBs) from March 1995 through January 1999 and compared it with our historical breast biopsy experience. Two hundred forty-four patients underwent biopsies for microcalcifications and 135 patients for abnormal mammographic densities. Pathology diagnoses included 302 patients with benign disease, 35 patients with atypical ductal hyperplasia, 4 patients with lobular carcinoma in situ, 29 patients with ductal carcinoma in situ, and 9 patients with invasive breast cancer. These diagnostic rates were compared with our prior needle-localized pathology findings. For the study period, the number of mammograms, open biopsies, and needle-localized biopsies remained stable. The number of SBBs, however, increased progressively in every year. Medicare reimbursement for SBB was $921.19, and for breast biopsy after needle localization, $1566.22. Our study strongly suggests that the availability of SBB has significantly lowered the threshold for recommending biopsy of abnormal mammograms. The increased utilization of SBB almost certainly indicates an increase in the overall cost of breast care. This cost must be balanced against substantial potential benefits of this minimally invasive technique: possible earlier diagnosis of atypical and precancerous lesions, patient reassurance in cases of uncertain mammographic interpretation, and a reduced need for follow-up of indeterminate mammograms.