Mountain Air Research Articles

Environmental exposures and pulmonary function among adult residents of rural Appalachian Kentucky.

Estimated residential exposures of adults to roadway density and several metrics of resource extraction, including coal mining and oil and gas drilling, were hypothesized to contribute to the prevalence of respiratory disease in rural Appalachia. Determine how small-area geographic variation in residential environmental exposures impacts measures of pulmonary function among adults in a community-based study. We examined associations between residential environmental respiratory exposures and pulmonary function among 827 adult participants of the "The Mountain Air Project", a community-based, cross-sectional study in Southeastern Kentucky during 2016-2018. Exposures characterized the density of roadways, oil/gas wells, or current/past surface and underground coal mining at the level of 14-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC), or valley "hollow" where participants resided. Each participant completed an in-person interview to obtain extensive background data on risk factors, health history, and occupational and environmental exposures, as well as a spirometry test administered by experienced study staff at their place of residence. Multivariable linear regression was used to model the adjusted association between each environmental exposure and percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1PP) and forced vital capacity (FVCPP). Adjusted regression models indicate persons living in HUCs with the highest level of roadway density experienced a reduction in both FEV1PP (-4.3: 95% CI: -7.44 -1.15;) and FVCPP (-3.8: 95% CI: -6.38, -1.21) versus persons in HUCs with the lowest roadway density. No associations were detected between the metrics associated with mining and oil and gas operations and individual pulmonary function. Our work demonstrates the potential adverse impact of roadway-related exposures on the respiratory health of rural Appalachia residents. We employed a novel method of small-areaexposure classification based on the hydrologic unit code (HUC), representing potentialexposure levels per hollow occurring in proximity to the residence, and controlled for individual-level risk factors for reducedrespiratory health. We highlightan overlooked yet ubiquitous source of residentialexposure from motor vehiclesthat may contribute to the regionally high prevalence of respiratory disease in rural Appalachia.

Legacy and current-use pesticides in Western Canadian mountain air: Influence of pesticide sales, source proximity, and altitude

Large amounts of pesticides are applied in agriculture in Canada and around the world. A considerable fraction can be dispersed in the atmosphere and deposited in non-target ecosystems. Our knowledge of the factors controlling the movement of pesticides in the atmosphere is still limited. In order to investigate the atmospheric distribution of pesticides under the influence of diverse environmental variables, we deployed XAD-2 resin-based passive air samplers (PAS) at multiple elevations of four mountains across Southern British Columbia and derived annually averaged concentrations of twelve current-use pesticides (CUPs) and five legacy organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in air. The four mountains have similar altitude and latitude but vary in their proximity to source regions. Hexachlorobenzene, endosulfan I, and simazine were most abundant with median concentrations exceeding 50 pg/m3. While concentrations were generally lower than elsewhere in Canada, especially in agricultural regions, they varied greatly across the four mountains. Remote Mount Anderson had lower CUP levels than the other three mountains. CUP concentrations correlated well with regional pesticide sales, with two distinct spatial patterns becoming apparent. The OCP concentrations in the air of the four mountains were relatively uniform. CUP concentrations in air usually decreased with increasing altitude, when under the strong influence of ground-level sources. Source proximity and altitude appear to play a much more important role than precipitation and vegetation cover in the distribution of pesticides in the atmosphere. This study also highlights the value of a good registration system for pesticide sales for explaining environmental concentration variability.

Adult asthma associated with roadway density and housing in rural Appalachia: the Mountain Air Project (MAP)

BackgroundAppalachian Kentucky is a rural area with a high prevalence of asthma among adults. The relative contribution of environmental exposures in the etiology of adult asthma in these populations has been understudied.ObjectiveThis manuscript describes the aims, study design, methods, and characteristics of participants for the Mountain Air Project (MAP), and focuses on associations between small area environmental exposures, including roadways and mining operations, and lifetime and current asthma in adults.MethodsA cohort of residents, aged 21 and older, in two Kentucky counties, was enrolled in a community-based, cross-sectional study. Stratified cluster sampling was used to select small geographic areas denoted as 14-digit USGS hydrologic units (HUCs). Households were enumerated within selected HUCs. Community health workers collected in-person interviews. The proximity of nearby active and inactive coal mining operations, density of oil and gas operations, and density of roadways were characterized for all HUCs. Poisson regression analyses were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios.ResultsFrom 1,459 eligible households contacted, 1,190 individuals were recruited, and 972 persons completed the interviews. The prevalence of lifetime asthma was 22.8%; current asthma was 16.3%. Adjusting for covariates, roadway density was positively associated with current asthma in the second (aPR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.04–2.48) and third tertiles (aPR = 2.00; 95% CI 1.32–3.03). Increased risk of current asthma was associated with residence in public, multi-unit housing (aPR = 2.01; 95% CI 1.27–3.18) compared to a residence in a single-family home. There were no notable associations between proximity to coal mining and oil and gas operations and asthma prevalence.ConclusionsThis study suggests that residents in rural areas with higher roadway density and those residing in public housing units may be at increased risk for current asthma after accounting for other known risk factors. Confirming the role of traffic-related particulates in producing high asthma risk among adults in this study contributes to the understanding of the multiple environmental exposures that influence respiratory health in the Appalachia region.

Smoky Mountain Air: Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music (mini-series)—“E3: Sacred and Spiritual Music in the Mountains”

“It ain't a thing,” I said to Matt Sparks as he approached me to write this review of Episode 3 of the Smoky Mountain Air podcast mini-series Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music. And truly, it was an enjoyable fifty-nine minutes. Since I am a non-American, it didn't come naturally to me to review a podcast from such a distant environment. Listening to the episode, at times, I felt as if I were looking into another world—but throughout my digital visit to the Appalachian podcast-scape, my stay was educational, interesting, and, most importantly, enjoyable. If you are looking for an hour of singing, spirituality, and snack-sized tidbits of knowledge about music and America, set your sights on this mini-series.Set up as a review of the music of the Black churches of Appalachia, the podcast features an array of distinguished professors as they converse about the history and future of America. Standing out is Dr. Kathy Bullock, who accompanies Episode 3 with beautiful singing and piano playing. Joining her are the Rev. Dr. Virgil Wood, a longtime church leader, educator, and civil rights activist, and the hosts: Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson. These four participants put great effort into almost an hour of discourse centered on “sacred and spiritual music.”The interaction of the guests on the show evokes a strong sense of community. They share common experiences of growing up in America and a deep love of music. Throughout the episode, Bullock bursts into songs and hymns glorifying spirituality, perseverance, and the power to overcome hardship. The grace with which the podcast guests traverse difficult subject matter, including a shared history of racial struggle, is to be admired.The distinguished guests are a remarkable beacon of excellence in America. Each participant serves as an example that, despite the hardships of racial as well as economic issues, America manages to produce individuals of extraordinary merit and achievements. In the first part of the podcast, Bullock explains the difference between spiritual music and gospel music. Her explanation is succinct as well as encompassing, pointing out that spiritual music was associated with the enslaved of America, while gospel music is influenced by blues and jazz and, in her words, is “today's spiritual.” Throughout the podcast, there are pauses to enjoy old-timey spiritual music. These rare and authentic recordings carry a tradition of freedom, salvation, and spirituality, as if carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.The podcast is a pleasant hour of discussion riddled with anecdotes about the history of spiritual music in America, and of course, some good music from a distant, yet still controversial past. As Bullock states in the introduction: “If you're singing together, you can't be arguing.”

Интонационная природа казахской инструментальной народной музыки в сэмплах

The authors examine the “intonational-complex” sample (ICS) from the point of view of its possibilities for preserving traditional musical culture and the adaptation of the proposed terminology to the field of digital art. Analysis is carried out of possible methods of digitalization of Kazakh traditional instrumental music, as well as application of methods of sampling for the sake of subjecting specimens of the art of folk music to transformation. The article provides analysis of contemporary theoretical developments in the sphere of modeling and experimental attempts of creating a digital format of the virtual model of instruments, and also a classification of samples is offered. The authors divide the samples into three basic types: the organic (a maximally natural sound of the instrument in digital format), the synthetic (a distorted sound, compared with the primary source), and the intonational-complex sample (ICS). The latter is acknowledged to be the most significant for the recreation, dissemination and preservation of folk music, since it carries out the function of notation, replication and preservation of authentic sound. One of the relevant and most complicated goals in the angle of research is seen to be the creation of samples which replicate the sound of folk music in the conditions of thin mountain air, rolling over of grains of sand in the desert, as well as the expanses of steppes, where the song or the kuyi of the performer of Kazakh music can be heard for many kilometers. Singled out as a separate problem is the lack of samples of timbres of Kazakh folk instruments, with the exception of the dombra, whose manufacturers are such companies situated outside of Kazakhsan as Impact Soundworks and Wavelet Audi.

Retraction Note: Mountain air pollution evaluation and tourism brand building based on remote sensing image processing

In recent 20 years, China has made a lot of efforts and achieved some results in air governance. However, it is not ideal from the result. Some areas of pollution also affect the daily life and physical and mental health of the people, which is an important environmental problem that China needs to solve. This paper presents a double star cooperative AOT inversion algorithm with complex background in urban area. Aiming at the difficulty of AOT inversion on urban area highlighted surface, the paper uses the double satellite remote sensing data and the atmospheric radiation transmission model to realize the inverse reflection of AOT parameters in urban area by using satellite remote sensing image processing. With the development of society, the progress of the times, and the rapid development of urbanization, the environmental pollution problems in some areas also follow. However, this problem is more difficult, because it involves many factors. At present, there is no comprehensive evaluation model to comprehensively evaluate various pollution situations. In this paper, we have carried out a detailed study on the typical model of mountain air pollution and the evaluation method of mountain air pollution. This work provides a practical solution for simulating the air pollution in mountain areas and analyzing environmental data. With the development of economy, people pay more attention to tourism, and the construction of tourism brand has become a trend. Higher and better service has become a new pursuit of consumers in the process of tourism, which makes more rural people get rid of poverty, and further improves the attention and protection of ecological environment. Therefore, this paper studies the assessment of mountain air pollution and the construction of tourism brand by using remote sensing image processing technology, which promotes pollution prevention and tourism industry development.

Retraction Note: Detection of PM2.5 in mountain air based on fuzzy multi-attribute and construction of folk sports activities

With the continuous development of social construction, China’s economy has a significant growth. But there is a problem of air pollution in mountainous areas. Statistics show that more than 70% of China’s cities exceed the air quality standard every year. Taking PM2.5 as the characteristic area of air pollution in a certain area, it is becoming the most urgent and important environmental problem in J urban agglomeration. At present, China has built a national ground monitoring network of air pollutants, but the existing monitoring stations are concentrated in urban areas. Suburban and rural areas without monitoring stations need to carry out air quality assessment, pollution prevention, and prediction, so these places have become “blind areas” for research. The factors that affect PM2.5 pollution are very complex, and the regional differences are also very obvious. It is difficult to determine the temporal and spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentration and the change mechanism only by using limited observation data at monitoring stations. The fuzzy multi-attribute of aerosol optical depth (AOD) products produced by satellite remote sensing provides an effective method to understand the distribution of air pollutants, pollutant diffusion, and pollution sources in a region. This paper also adopts the methods of field investigation, interview, and other investigation methods to investigate and analyze the ecological situation, the current situation of regional activities construction, and the existing problems of folk sports culture in China’s basin area. Based on fuzzy multi-attribute and mountain air PM2.5 detection, this paper applies it to the construction of folk sports activities, so as to promote the ecological environment development of Chinese folk culture.

Retraction Note to: Mountain air pollution evaluation and urban public art based on data mining

Air pollution in the mountains occurs from time to time. Because of its serious harm, it has attracted widespread and high attention from the whole society. In this regard, many fruitful researches have been carried out at home and abroad and have been widely used. In the development of the analysis theory of the causes of traffic accidents, the theory of system causes is a relatively comprehensive theory, which systematically analyzes the causes of traffic accidents from many aspects in order to find its internal connections. The rise and development of data mining provide powerful tools for the practical application of this theory. There are many small cities and they are facing serious air pollution problems, but there are few studies on the characteristics of air pollution in mountainous urban and rural areas and their influencing factors. Taking the deep mountain area as an example, this paper analyzes the temporal and spatial characteristics of air environmental quality in mountainous urban and rural areas with SO2, PM10, PM2.5, NO2, CO, and O3 as the main analysis indicators, and compares them with plain cities at the same latitude and studies the characteristics of urban and rural air pollution in mountainous areas and its relationship with terrain and meteorological conditions. Based on the analysis results of the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of air pollution factors, topography and meteorological effects on air pollution and human activities, the characteristics of air pollution in mountainous areas are summarized, and prevention and control measures adapted to local conditions are proposed. Finally, as an important form of artistic expression in urban public spaces, urban public art plays an important role in improving the level of urban cultural construction. At present, the public’s demand for participating in urban public art is becoming stronger and stronger. Taking technological development as the starting point, this article explores the innovative path of urban public art design based on interactive experience.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Mountain air pollution evaluation and tourism brand building based on remote sensing image processing

In recent 20 years, China has made a lot of efforts and achieved some results in air governance. However, it is not ideal from the result. Some areas of pollution also affect the daily life and physical and mental health of the people, which is an important environmental problem that China needs to solve. This paper presents a double star cooperative AOT inversion algorithm with complex background in urban area. Aiming at the difficulty of AOT inversion on urban area highlighted surface, the paper uses the double satellite remote sensing data and the atmospheric radiation transmission model to realize the inverse reflection of AOT parameters in urban area by using satellite remote sensing image processing. With the development of society, the progress of the times, and the rapid development of urbanization, the environmental pollution problems in some areas also follow. However, this problem is more difficult, because it involves many factors. At present, there is no comprehensive evaluation model to comprehensively evaluate various pollution situations. In this paper, we have carried out a detailed study on the typical model of mountain air pollution and the evaluation method of mountain air pollution. This work provides a practical solution for simulating the air pollution in mountain areas and analyzing environmental data. With the development of economy, people pay more attention to tourism, and the construction of tourism brand has become a trend. Higher and better service has become a new pursuit of consumers in the process of tourism, which makes more rural people get rid of poverty, and further improves the attention and protection of ecological environment. Therefore, this paper studies the assessment of mountain air pollution and the construction of tourism brand by using remote sensing image processing technology, which promotes pollution prevention and tourism industry development.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Detection of PM2.5 in mountain air based on fuzzy multi-attribute and construction of folk sports activities

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Detection of PM2.5 in mountain air based on fuzzy multi-attribute and construction of folk sports activities

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Mountain air pollution evaluation and urban public art based on data mining

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Mountain air pollution evaluation and urban public art based on data mining

Andean Man & the Astronaut

In 1958, Bruno Balke, a former German Luftwaffe doctor working for the United States Air Force (USAF), led a team of airmen up Colorado’s Mount Evans. Could acclimatization to the thin mountain air boost the oxygen efficiency of future astronauts living in artificial low-pressure spacecraft environments? To judge their improvement, Balke, an expert in the nascent field of space medicine, compared their performance not with military test-pilots, but with high-altitude Indigenous people he had studied in the Peruvian Andes. This article expands discussions of race in space history beyond Black scientists, mathematicians, and pilots in the Civil Rights era to this earlier case of the permanent residents of Morococha, Peru, who participated in efforts to define an ideal spacefaring body. More than recovering the story of a nearly forgotten group of astronaut-adjacent test-subjects, this article shows how racial discrimination in space medicine functioned by inclusion. Balke studied and even celebrated the bodies of Morocochans, but never considered them potential astronauts. This article begins with Balke’s participation in the 1938 Nazi-funded expedition to summit Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas, and his follow-on work acclimatizing Luftwaffe pilots during World War Two. Then it focuses on his USAF work in the 1950s studying miners living and working in Morococha, Peru, and his attempt to replicate their altitude tolerance in American airmen on Mount Evans. Recovering Balke’s work places the high-altitude Indigenous person and the mountaineer alongside the familiar figure of the pilot in the genealogy of the early American astronaut.

Training in Improving the Citizen's Economy During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are an important part of the economy of a country or region. This important role has encouraged many countries, including Indonesia, to continue to strive to develop MSMEs. Even though it is small the number of workers, assets, and turnover, because the number is quite large, the role of MSMEs is quite important in supporting the economy. Lembang, which is located in the west bandung district area, is one of the favorites and leading tourist attractions in West Java. Presenting various natural beauties supported by cool mountain air. Apart from Lembang, actually, in the West Bandung district area, there are still many tourism potentials that can be developed. One of them is in the Parongpong area which is next to Lembang. There are seven villages in Parongpong District that have this potential, such as Cihideung Village which is already known as an area of ​​ornamental plants. Other villages, Cigugur Girang, Cihanjuang Rahayu, Cihanjuang, Sariwangi, Ciwaruga, Karyawangi, also have different tourism potential and uniqueness, including improving the community's economy and Village-Owned Enterprises (Bumdes) to “skyrocket” at the national or international level.

Persistent disparities in smoking among rural Appalachians: evidence from the Mountain Air Project.

BackgroundAdult smoking prevalence in Central Appalachia is the highest in the United States, yet few epidemiologic studies describe the smoking behaviors of this population. Using a community-based approach, the Mountain Air Project (MAP) recruited the largest adult cohort from Central Appalachia, allowing us to examine prevalence and patterns of smoking behavior.MethodsA cross-sectional epidemiologic study of 972 participants aged 21 years and older was undertaken 2015–2017, with a response rate of 82%. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals for current smoking (compared to nonsmokers) were computed for the entire cohort then stratified by multiple characteristics, including respiratory health. Adjusted prevalence ratios for current smoking versus not smoking were also computed.ResultsMAP participants reported current smoking prevalence (33%) more than double the national adult smoking prevalence. Current smoking among participants with a reported diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema was 51.5 and 53.3%, respectively. Compared to participants age 65 years and older, those age 45 years or younger reported double the prevalence of smoking (PR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.51–2.74). Adjusted analyses identified younger age, lower education, unmet financial need, and depression to be significantly associated with current smoking.ConclusionsDespite declining rates of smoking across the United States, smoking remains a persistent challenge in Central Appalachia, which continues to face marked disparities in education funding and tobacco control policies that have benefitted much of the rest of the nation. Compared with national data, our cohort demonstrated higher rates of smoking among younger populations and reported a greater intensity of cigarette use.

PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECOTOURISM IN THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN

One of the developing sectors of the economy in the non-oil sector is tourism. The recent development in the field of tourism. International competitions held in our country are one of the main factors ensuring the flow of tourists. As the interest of tourists to our country grows, so do the types of tourism. There are different types of tourism, and each of them is unique. One of them is ecotourism. Ecotourism is a type of tourism in which foreign visitors come in contact with the local population, rent their homes and use their kitchens. Locals also get information about the foreign tourists’ country, history and culture, music and cuisine. When talking about nature tourism, experts draw attention to the income of the local population from this business, saying that it prevents both unemployment and people’s dependence on the state. The rich nature of Azerbaijan, sights, fresh mountain air, cool springs, the world famous Caspian Sea have led to the creation of a number of international routes and the formation of the corresponding infrastructure. In this regard, our country, which has an advantageous position for any sphere of tourism, is very lucky.

The experimental program at IHEP of CAS

The Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) is a comprehensive research center for the study of particle physics in China. It hosts or manages a number of key China based projects in operation or in preparation, and plays a major role in planning future research in the field. The rearch program at IHEP covers from the underground reactor neutrino experiments, collider experiments, high mountain air shower experiments, to space missions. In this note a few selected experiments are introduced.

The Rocky Mountain Spartans.

I can’t say I recognized him at first, faltering as he stood to wipe mud from his eyes and choking on anguished breaths. But then again my eyes were still clouded from the icy sludge we had both been immersed in, and my bloodied elbow competed for my attention in the frigid mountain air. As Chris

Compositional, Structural, Surface Characterizations of Natural Magnetite from Air Massif (Niger) in Relation to Its Catalytic Activity

Ferrimagnetic materials such as natural magnetite are used for practical applications because of their electronic, magnetic and catalytic properties in the degradation of organic compounds. In order to determine its physicochemical properties in relation to its catalytic activity, the natural magnetite of Ofoud Mount (Niger) is characterized by X-ray florescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (DRX), specific surface area (BET) and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR). The result shows an iron content of 97.09% and a specific surface area of 69.742 m2/g. The crystal structure of magnetite is cubic with lattice parameters α = β = γ = 90°, a (Å) = b (Å) = c (Å) = 8.3740. The results of this study suggest that the natural magnetite of Ofoud Mount can be used as iron source in various fields of science despite the presence of a few impurities that can improve its catalytic activity.

INCREASED CAPACITY OF YOUTH THROUGH COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN THE VILLAGE OF BANDUNG REGENCY WARNASARI PANGALENGAN

One of the large and important sector contribution in realizing the goals of national economic development is Youth. Youth have the ability to participate spur national economic growth. The development of small and medium enterprise sector that is managed by the Youth, especially in the village of Warnasari Pangalengan Bandung regency, West Java province. Warnasari village is actually located on a strategic area adjacent to the tourist potential Cileunca. Mountain air and natural beauty which is owned Warnasari, contributed to the development of the tourism sector. It can make Pangalengan Warnasari area as a tourism area.One community empowerment is very important to do in the village Warnasari is to prepare everything, both human resources and infrastructure to manage the natural resources that exist in order to boost the tourism potential there. Communication skills are also needed in relation -menjalin business development, marketing, promotion, etc. - also in the development and empowerment of self - personal branding / self empowering. Target outcomes of the implementation of this program is the creation of skills in verbal communication and non-verbal in both partners, The method used in the implementation of this program, covering namely; training and simulation. In addition to setting method, the team also determined the procedure, step - step. executive team is an expert in the field of environment Pasundan University Bandung, which is experienced in implementing development programs, especially in the field of communications. The most important thing in communication skills is understanding how to communicate in interaction, in this case the communication skills verbal and non-verbal is essential. Communication skills training people to participate actively in the interaction around it's precisely accurate. And indirectly Communication skills have become the main weapon which is powerful for people to be able to develop the tourism potential in the village Warnasari.

Scandinavian Journal of Immunology 2019 – A Norwegian Winterreise and increased impact factor

Unlike the sad and love-deprived youngster in German poet Wilhelm Müller's ‘Winterreise’ (set to music in 1927 by German composer Franz Schubert), immunologists walking up to Dr Holm's Hotel in Geilo to register for the 45th Scandinavian Society for Immunology meeting displayed happy faces. The early days of April offered mountains still covered in snow and some conference participants, including this journal's Editor-In-Chief, brought own skis (others rented on spot) to enjoy the last winter days of the year, in between lectures. Dr Holm's hotel was built in 1909 by Dr Ingebrigt Christian Lund Holm, an innovative physician specializing in respiratory diseases. Undoubtedly, many of Dr Holm's patients suffered from infection by M tuberculosis, and in his hotel, these patients could rest, breathe fresh mountain air and recover rapidly from disease. Increased public knowledge, better sanitary conditions and antibiotics has lowered the prevalence of M tuberculosis infections since Dr Holm's days, but still, 10 million people are infected, and 1.5 million killed by this disease annually.1 The Scandinavian Journal of Immunology regularly publishes new research in the tuberculosis field, on vaccines,2 disease pathogenesis3, 4 and relation to HIV infection.5 Dr Holm's legacy, and the use of his sanatorium as a conference venue, therefore ties nicely into present-day immunology and into our journal's objective to provide cutting-edge new knowledge in human immune-related disorders. The Scandinavian Journal of Immunology has a long tradition to support the annual meetings of the Scandinavian Society for Immunology, at which we take part in scientific discussion, invite article submissions and conduct strategic discussions. We also publish the abstracts from each meeting. In this issue, you can find the abstracts from Geilo in a separate section, covering many aspects of modern immunology. A few months after the Geilo meeting, the 2018 impact factors were released, and we note with satisfaction a factor of 2.563 for the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology, which should be compared with 2.314 in 2017. On behalf of myself and all editors, I wish to thank our contributors, readers and reviewers for your trust in the Scandinavian Journal of immunology. I look forward to continue a new year together with you!