The European Respiratory Society study on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (EUROSCOP): recruitment methods and strategies

Primary cultures derived from pre-cancerous and cancerous human colon tissue are essential for understanding normal and abnormal growth function in the large intestine. Here presented are (i) the methodology for routine establishment of primary cultures of normal, adenoma- and carcinoma-derived cells, and (ii) data for the apparently protective role of vitamin-D compounds in colon carcinogenesis. The steroid hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and some non-hypercalcemic analogs reduce the high mitotic rate of adenoma cells to that of normal colonocytes. After vitamin-D treatment, tumor cells are less proliferative and differentiation is enhanced. Primary-colon-cancer cultures display a mosaic pattern of vitamin-D-receptor expression, at the mRNA level and at the protein level, with varying intensity of expression in positive cells. This suggests that, in human colorectal tumors in vivo, a large fraction of cells will respond to genomic action of vitamin-D compounds.     

European Consumers' Perceptions of Time–Temperature Indicators in Food Packaging

Food quality is an essential aspect of the food industry. Time–temperature indicator (TTI) technology has the capability to provide information on temperature fluctuations that temperature‐sensitive food products have undergone. However, the adoption of the TTI technology in the consumer market has yet to materialize despite the many benefits that TTIs bring to food manufacturers, retailers and consumers. One of the reasons for this could be the general lack of knowledge regarding consumers' perceptions of TTIs. The aim of this study is to understand the consumers' knowledge, interest and perceptions of TTIs. To reach this aim, 16 focus group discussions and a quantitative survey were conducted in four European countries (Finland, Greece, France and Germany) during May–October 2012. Consumers' views on both the TTI technology concept and two commercially available TTI applications were studied. The results of the study show that consumers in all countries appreciate and understand TTI technology and associate differing benefits with it, especially so in warmer countries. On the other hand, the studied applications did not meet all consumers' expectations implying the need for further work to enable TTIs to gain a wider acceptance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Azimuth, elevation, and time-delay distributions in wireless communication channels

We investigate the wave-propagation characteristics in urban environments as functions of the angle-of-arrival distribution, both in the azimuth and elevation planes. We also take into consideration the time delays for various base-station antenna elevations. We combine a statistical multi-parametric model, describing randomly distributed buildings, and a waveguide model, describing a grid of crossing streets with buildings lining the sides to create a new stochastic model. The joint probability of signal distributions in the azimuth-elevation, azimuth-time delay, and elevation-time delay planes are obtained and compared with high-resolution three-dimensional experiments carried out in urban areas in Helsinki, Finland. A good agreement between experimental and theoretical results is obtained.     

Characterization of the effects of phosphorus and calcium on the activity of Rh-containing catalyst powders

Topics in Catalysis - The individual and combined effects of phosphorus and calcium on Rh-containing catalyst powders have been studied. The results showed a strong deactivating impact of...     

The transpassive dissolution mechanism of highly alloyed stainless steels: II. Effect of pH and solution anion on the kinetics

The transpassive dissolution of austenitic stainless steels (AISI 316L, AISI 904L, 254SMO and 654SMO) in a 0.5 M sulphate solution with pH 2 was studied by conventional and rotating ring–disc voltammetry, as well as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The main process in the transpassive potential region was found to be the release of soluble Cr(VI), while small amounts of lower-valency Cr or Mo species are released as well. Secondary passivation readily occurs for AISI 316L, whereas the remaining highly alloyed steels dissolve at high current densities in the whole potential range studied. The dissolution rate was found to increase in the order AISI 904L<254SMO<654SMO. Thus it can be correlated to the increase in the Cr and especially Mo content of the steel substrate. The impedance spectra contain contributions from the transpassive dissolution of Cr and secondary passivation, probably due to enrichment of Fe in the outermost layer of the surface film. A kinetic model of the process is proposed, including a two-step transpassive dissolution of Cr via a Cr(VI) intermediate and the dissolution of Fe(III) through the anodic film. The model was found to be in quantitative agreement with steady state current vs. potential curves and electrochemical impedance spectra. The kinetic parameters of transpassive dissolution were determined and the relevance of their values is discussed.     

Quantification of greenhouse gas emissions from sludge treatment wetlands

Constructed wetlands are nowadays successfully employed as an alternative technology for wastewater and sewage sludge treatment. In these systems organic matter and nutrients are transformed and removed by a variety of microbial reaction and gaseous compounds such as methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) may be released to the atmosphere. The aim of this work is to introduce a method to determine greenhouse gas emissions from sludge treatment wetlands (STW) and use the method in a full-scale system. Sampling and analysing techniques used to determine greenhouse gas emissions from croplands and natural wetlands were successfully adapted to the quantification of CH₄ and N₂O emissions from an STW. Gas emissions were measured using the static chamber technique in 9 points of the STW during 13 days. The spatial variation in the emission along the wetland did not follow some specific pattern found for the temporal variation in the fluxes. Emissions ranged from 10 to 5400 mgCH₄/m² d and from 20 to 950 mgN₂O/m² d, depending on the feeding events. The comparison between the CH₄ and N₂O emissions of different sludge management options shows that STW have the lowest atmospheric impact in terms of CO₂ equivalent emissions (Global warming potential with time horizon of 100 years): 17 kgCO₂eq/PE y for STW, 36 kgCO₂eq/PE y for centrifuge and 162 kgCO₂eq/PE y for untreated sludge transport, PE means Population Equivalent.     

Factors influencing the choice of solution-specific business models

Services are receiving an increasing amount of attention in project-based firms. This has led project suppliers to employ new business models; the project supplier can offer services as an additional component of the project or take full responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the facility throughout its life-cycle. In this paper, we build on the idea that within the context of project-based firms, assessing business models requires a solution level of analysis which implies services as integral parts of project offering. We analyze business models in five solutions that were delivered by a power plant supplier firm. The evidence clearly demonstrates that there are variations in business models at the solution level. The paper further contributes to existing research by empirically identifying factors that influence the choice of business model for a particular solution. Finally, we formulate propositions on how these identified factors influence the choice of a business model for an individual solution.     

Regional effects or none? Firms' profitability during the Great Recession in Finland

We analyse the effects of the Great Recession (GR) on the profitability of firms located in the main cities versus in the rest of Finland. Based on earlier literature, various regional factors could affect firms' profitability in urban areas in comparison to periphery during a major export demand shock, such as what the GR was in Finland. Yet, there are both negative and positive location specific factors in play. We use micro‐data from 2005 to 2010, and employ different profitability indicators and fixed effects panel regressions. Our results indicate that firm and sector level factors affected the profitability changes the most. Regional differences seem to stem mainly from a composition of firm and sector level factors.     

Laser-induced plasma spectroscopy to as low as 130 nm when a gas-purged spectrograph and ICCD detection are used

An experimental setup is described for measuring laser-induced plasma emission spectra in the near vacuum UV with a Czerny-Turner spectrograph and intensified charge-coupled device under atmospheric pressure. With a simple gas-purge technique, emission lines down to 130 nm could be recorded. The strongest emission lines of bromine, chlorine, and iodine in the near vacuum UV are easily detected.