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- Analitis, A, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of cold weather on mortality : results from 15 European cities within the PHEWE project.
- 2008
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Ingår i: American journal of epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1476-6256 .- 0002-9262. ; 168:12, s. 1397-408
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Weather-related health effects have attracted renewed interest because of the observed and predicted climate change. The authors studied the short-term effects of cold weather on mortality in 15 European cities. The effects of minimum apparent temperature on cause- and age-specific daily mortality were assessed for the cold season (October-March) by using data from 1990-2000. For city-specific analysis, the authors used Poisson regression and distributed lag models, controlling for potential confounders. Meta-regression models summarized the results and explored heterogeneity. A 1 degrees C decrease in temperature was associated with a 1.35% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16, 1.53) increase in the daily number of total natural deaths and a 1.72% (95% CI: 1.44, 2.01), 3.30% (95% CI: 2.61, 3.99), and 1.25% (95% CI: 0.77, 1.73) increase in cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular deaths, respectively. The increase was greater for the older age groups. The cold effect was found to be greater in warmer (southern) cities and persisted up to 23 days, with no evidence of mortality displacement. Cold-related mortality is an important public health problem across Europe. It should not be underestimated by public health authorities because of the recent focus on heat-wave episodes.
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| 3. |
- Ballester, J., et al.
(författare)
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Post-thaw viability of bull AI-doses with low-sperm numbers
- 2007
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Ingår i: Theriogenology. - : Elsevier. - 0093-691X .- 1879-3231. ; 68:6, s. 934-943
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Use of AI-doses containing low-sperm numbers are increasingly been used to optimise use of elite bulls as well as to accommodate an eventual wider application of sex-sorted semen. Since spermatozoa might, however, suffer from high extension rates, thus compromising fertility, this study evaluated the post-thaw sperm quality of semen from commercial progeny-tested, high-ranked AI-sires whose semen was within acceptable limits of normality, frozen in a split-design to 15 (control, 15M) or 2 x 106 total spermatozoa (treatment, 2M) per straw. Assessment post-thaw included computer-evaluated sperm motility (CASA), membrane integrity (SYBR-14/PI), membrane stability (Annexin-V/Pl), acrosome integrity (Carboxy-SNARF-1/PI/ FITC-PSA), and chromatin integrity (AO of in situ acid-induced DNA denaturation). High extension did not affect the proportions of linearly motile spermatozoa, of membrane integrity or stability nor chromatin integrity, immediately post-thaw. However, high extension clearly affected linear sperm motility following incubation at 38 degrees C for 30 min, sperm viability when assessed by SNARF and, particularly, acrosome integrity of the otherwise viable spermatozoa. Individual sire variation was evident. Fertility was preliminarily evaluated for one of the less affected bulls in a blind field trial. A total of 109 dairy cows were randomly inseminated with 15M or 2M-straws without differences in pregnancy rate between them (47% versus 43%). This similarity in fertility rates, confirmed the in vitro methods used were appropriate for identifying cryosurvival and further suggested the site of sperm deposition was not crucial for the fertility of low-sperm AI-numbers for this particular sire. However, the inter-bull variation seen calls for caution when cryopreserving low concentrations of bull spermatozoa with conventional freezing protocols. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- De Vin, Leo, 1957-, et al.
(författare)
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MMI: Engineering Studies with a Truly European Dimension
- 2006
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Ingår i: Innovative teaching and learning in engineering education. ; , s. 99-106
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The paper describes a new engineering Master's program called MMII (manufacturing management and industrial informatics) that is co-located at universities in Sweden, Spain and the United Kingdom. One reason for developing the program was that the changing manufacturing landscape due to globalisation, increasing complexity of manufacturing systems itself and an increased need to integrate manufacturing systems with corporate information systems forces educators to find solutions that provide industry with engineers who have the right skills. Apart from "hard" skills related to the above-mentioned issues, industry increasingly also requires engineers to have well-developed "soft" skills such as an ability to work in an international environment and willingness to work abroad. A program given at only one location would not provide a truly European dimension and besides, it would draw heavily upon the teaching resources; hence the decision to seek international partners with complementing competences and resources; these were found at universities in Skövde, Valencia and Loughborough. In Loughborough, students read capita selecta from CAE (computer aided engineering) during one semester. In Valencia, they spend a project-based semester on international industrial management. In Skövde, they read virtual manufacturing during one semester and carry out their degree project during the final semester.
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