| 31. |
- Bhatty, Asad, et al.
(författare)
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Cohort profile: the European Unified Registries On Heart Care Evaluation and Randomized Trials (EuroHeart)-acute coronary syndrome and percutaneous coronary intervention
- 2024
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Ingår i: European Heart Journal - Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 2058-5225 .- 2058-1742.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims The European Unified Registries On Heart Care Evaluation and Randomized Trials (EuroHeart) aims to improve the quality of care and clinical outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease. The collaboration of acute coronary syndrome/percutaneous coronary intervention (ACS/PCI) registries is operational in seven vanguard European Society of Cardiology member countries.Methods and results Adults admitted to hospitals with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) are included, and individual patient-level data collected and aligned according to the internationally agreed EuroHeart data standards for ACS/PCI. The registries provide up to 155 variables spanning patient demographics and clinical characteristics, in-hospital care, in-hospital outcomes, and discharge medications. After performing statistical analyses on patient data, participating countries transfer aggregated data to EuroHeart for international reporting. Between 1st January 2022 and 31st December 2022, 40 021 admissions (STEMI 46.7%, NSTEMI 53.3%) were recorded from 192 hospitals in the seven vanguard countries: Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, and Sweden. The mean age for the cohort was 67.9 (standard deviation 12.6) years, and it included 12 628 (31.6%) women.Conclusion The EuroHeart collaboration of ACS/PCI registries prospectively collects and analyses individual data for ACS and PCI at a national level, after which aggregated results are transferred to the EuroHeart Data Science Centre. The collaboration will expand to other countries and provide continuous insights into the provision of clinical care and outcomes for patients with ACS and undergoing PCI. It will serve as a unique international platform for quality improvement, observational research, and registry-based clinical trials.
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| 32. |
- Bhatty, Asad, et al.
(författare)
-
Cohort profile : the European Unified Registries On Heart Care Evaluation and Randomized Trials (EuroHeart)—acute coronary syndrome and percutaneous coronary intervention
- 2024
-
Ingår i: European Heart Journal - Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 2058-5225 .- 2058-1742. ; 10:5, s. 386-390
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims The European Unified Registries On Heart Care Evaluation and Randomized Trials (EuroHeart) aims to improve the quality of care and clinical outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease. The collaboration of acute coronary syndrome/percutaneous coronary intervention (ACS/PCI) registries is operational in seven vanguard European Society of Cardiology member countries. Methods and Adults admitted to hospitals with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction results (NSTEMI) are included, and individual patient-level data collected and aligned according to the internationally agreed EuroHeart data standards for ACS/PCI. The registries provide up to 155 variables spanning patient demographics and clinical characteristics, in-hospital care, in-hospital outcomes, and discharge medications. After performing statistical analyses on patient data, participating countries transfer aggregated data to EuroHeart for international reporting. Between 1st January 2022 and 31st December 2022, 40 021 admissions (STEMI 46.7%, NSTEMI 53.3%) were recorded from 192 hospitals in the seven vanguard countries: Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, and Sweden. The mean age for the cohort was 67.9 (standard deviation 12.6) years, and it included 12 628 (31.6%) women. Conclusion The EuroHeart collaboration of ACS/PCI registries prospectively collects and analyses individual data for ACS and PCI at a national level, after which aggregated results are transferred to the EuroHeart Data Science Centre. The collaboration will expand to other countries and provide continuous insights into the provision of clinical care and outcomes for patients with ACS and undergoing PCI. It will serve as a unique international platform for quality improvement, observational research, and registry-based clinical trials.
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| 33. |
- Boyero, Luz, et al.
(författare)
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Riparian plant litter quality increases with latitude
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant litter represents a major basal resource in streams, where its decomposition is partly regulated by litter traits. Litter-trait variation may determine the latitudinal gradient in decomposition in streams, which is mainly microbial in the tropics and detritivore-mediated at high latitudes. However, this hypothesis remains untested, as we lack information on large-scale trait variation for riparian litter. Variation cannot easily be inferred from existing leaf-trait databases, since nutrient resorption can cause traits of litter and green leaves to diverge. Here we present the first global-scale assessment of riparian litter quality by determining latitudinal variation (spanning 107 degrees) in litter traits (nutrient concentrations; physical and chemical defences) of 151 species from 24 regions and their relationships with environmental factors and phylogeny. We hypothesized that litter quality would increase with latitude (despite variation within regions) and traits would be correlated to produce 'syndromes' resulting from phylogeny and environmental variation. We found lower litter quality and higher nitrogen: phosphorus ratios in the tropics. Traits were linked but showed no phylogenetic signal, suggesting that syndromes were environmentally determined. Poorer litter quality and greater phosphorus limitation towards the equator may restrict detritivore-mediated decomposition, contributing to the predominance of microbial decomposers in tropical streams.
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| 34. |
- Comba, Valentina, et al.
(författare)
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A Benchmarking Exercise for Quality Blended Learning. A Challenge for European Universities in the 21st Century
- 2010
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Ingår i: [Host publication title missing].
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper shares the experiences of 5 universities involved in a benchmarking exercise on e-learning in 2009 through ESMU. A total of 9 European universities participated in the exercise with the purpose of evaluating their existing e-learning practices and policies and getting advice on which areas to improve and how. Initially, the paper discusses the benchmarking concept and reasons why institutions should engage in benchmarking exercises. Benchmarking is viewed as a method for quality assurance and enhancement in higher education. Self-assessment is involved at the participating institutions, which leads to a high level of awareness and understanding of existing practices and policies at different levels of the organisation. Benchmarking is thus an efficient self-improvement tool. In chapter two, the planning of the benchmarking exercise is outlined. A combination of an individual, collaborative and expert approach to benchmarking was chosen. Chapter three deals with the creation of the benchmarking questionnaire which was a collaborative effort between all nine participating universities, ESMU and EADTU. Taking their starting point in the online E-xellence benchmarking tool developed by EADTU, participants reformulated, deleted and added benchmarks within the following six categories: Strategic management, curriculum design, course design, course delivery, staff support and student support. An effort was made to translate the E-xellence questions to the blended learning context of the participating universities. The internal data collection and formulation of responses are accounted for in chapter 4 which also contains reflections on the challenges and benefits of the selected approaches. Chapter five presents the overall conclusions of the benchmarking exercise within each of the six benchmark categories. The final chapter discusses and provides examples of how participants can use the benchmarking results to improve existing practices and policies and outlines potential external collaboration opportunities between participants.
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| 35. |
- Costello, David M., et al.
(författare)
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Global patterns and controls of nutrient immobilization on decomposing cellulose in riverine ecosystems
- 2022
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Ingår i: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0886-6236 .- 1944-9224. ; 36:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microbes play a critical role in plant litter decomposition and influence the fate of carbon in rivers and riparian zones. When decomposing low-nutrient plant litter, microbes acquire nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from the environment (i.e., nutrient immobilization), and this process is potentially sensitive to nutrient loading and changing climate. Nonetheless, environmental controls on immobilization are poorly understood because rates are also influenced by plant litter chemistry, which is coupled to the same environmental factors. Here we used a standardized, low-nutrient organic matter substrate (cotton strips) to quantify nutrient immobilization at 100 paired stream and riparian sites representing 11 biomes worldwide. Immobilization rates varied by three orders of magnitude, were greater in rivers than riparian zones, and were strongly correlated to decomposition rates. In rivers, P immobilization rates were controlled by surface water phosphate concentrations, but N immobilization rates were not related to inorganic N. The N:P of immobilized nutrients was tightly constrained to a molar ratio of 10:1 despite wide variation in surface water N:P. Immobilization rates were temperature-dependent in riparian zones but not related to temperature in rivers. However, in rivers nutrient supply ultimately controlled whether microbes could achieve the maximum expected decomposition rate at a given temperature. Collectively, we demonstrated that exogenous nutrient supply and immobilization are critical control points for decomposition of organic matter.
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| 36. |
- Dai, Jing, et al.
(författare)
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Dispersing Carbon Nanotubes in Water with Amphiphiles : Dispersant Adsorption, Kinetics, and Bundle Size Distribution as Defining Factors
- 2018
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 122:42, s. 24386-24393
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Debundling and dispersing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is essential for applications, but the process is not well understood. In this work, aqueous SWNT dispersions were produced by sonicating pristine SWNT powder in the presence of an amphiphilic triblock copolymer (Pluronic F127) as dispersant. Upon centrifugation, one obtains a supernatant with suspended individual tubes and thin bundles and a precipitate with large bundles (and impurities). In the supernatant, that constitutes the final dispersion, we determined the dispersed SWNT concentration by thermogravi-metric analysis (TGA) and UV-vis spectroscopy, and the dispersant concentration by NMR The fraction of dispersant adsorbed at the SWNT surface was obtained by H-1 diffusion NMR Sigmoidal dispersion curves recording the concentration of dispersed SWNTs as a function of supernatant dispersant concentration were obtained at different SWNT loadings and sonication times. As SWNT bundles are debundled into smaller and smaller ones, the essential role of the dispersant is to sufficiently quickly cover the freshly exposed surfaces created by shear forces induced during sonication. Primarily kinetic reasons are behind the need for dispersant concentrations required to reach a substantial SWNT concentration. Centrifugation sets the size threshold below which SWNT particles are retained in the dispersion and consequently determines the SWNT concentration as a function of sonication time.
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| 37. |
- Dai, Jing, et al.
(författare)
-
The dispersion process of carbon nanotubes sonicated in aqueous solutions of a dispersant
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) dispersions are created by sonicating pristine SWNT powders added to aqueous solutions of the dispersant block copolymer Pluronic F127. In those dispersions, the amount of the dispersed SWNT is determined by the combination of TGA and UV-Vis methods, while the dispersant concentration is estimated by 1H NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the amount of dispersant adsorbed at the SWNT surface is obtained by 1H NMR diffusion experiments. A part of the dispersant is taken up by non-dispersed and precipitated particles. Dispersion curves recording the amount of the dispersed SWNT as a function of either the initial dispersant concentration or the final dispersant concentration are obtained at different initial SWNT loadings and sonication times. The results show in detail the way the original SWNT particles are divided into smaller and smaller sizes thereby increasing the available SWNT surface to be covered by dispersant. Centrifugation sets the size-threshold above which SWNT particles are retained in the dispersion which determined the SWNT content as a function of sonication time.
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| 38. |
- Ferreira Fernandes, Ricardo Manuel, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Block copolymers adsorbed on single-walled carbon nanotubes. Block polydispersity and the modes of surface attachment
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- 1H NMR peak intensities, 1H NMR diffusion measurements and TGA experiments were used to clarify the fate of the dispersing molecules, block copolymer Pluronic F127, during preparation of single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersions and their state in the created dispersions. In the dispersions, a fraction of the F127 molecules is adsorbed to the CNT surface. The mode of adsorption is the attachment and significant immobilization of the hydrophobic polypropylene oxide (PPO) block to the CNT surface and, as a result, the 1H NMR signal from the attached PPO blocks is lost. On the other hand, the hydrophilic polyethylene oxide (PEO) blocks remain highly mobile and thereby detectable by NMR. The F127 is revealed to exhibit significant block polydispersity. Molecules with large PPO blocks become enriched upon the surface of that fraction of the initial CNT powder that does not become dispersed. The molecular motions involved in creating the observed NMR features are clarified.
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| 39. |
- Ferreira Fernandes, Ricardo Manuel, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Block Copolymers as Dispersants for Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes : Modes of Surface Attachment and Role of Block Polydispersity
- 2018
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Ingår i: Langmuir. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 34:45, s. 13672-13679
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When using amphiphilic polymers to exfoliate and disperse carbon nanotubes in water, the balance between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties is critical and nontrivial. Here, we investigate the mode of surface attachment of a triblock copolymer, Pluronics F127, composed of a central hydrophobic polypropylene oxide block flanked by hydrophilic polyethylene oxide blocks, onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Crucially, we analyze the composition in dispersant of both the as-obtained dispersion (the supernatant) and the precipitate-containing undispersed materials. For this, we combine the carefully obtained data from H-1 NMR peak intensities and self-diffusion and thermogravimetric analysis. The molecular motions behind the observed NMR features are clarified. We find that the hydrophobic blocks attach to the dispersed SWNT surface and remain significantly immobilized leading to H-1 NMR signal loss. On the other hand, the hydrophilic blocks remain highly mobile and thus readily detectable by NMR. The dispersant is shown to possess significant block polydispersity that has a large effect on dispersibility. Polymers with large hydrophobic blocks adsorb on the surface of the carbonaceous particles that precipitate, indicating that although a larger hydrophobic block is good for enhancing adsorption, it may be less effective in dispersing the tubes. A model is also proposed that consistently explains our observations in SWNT dispersions and some contradicting findings obtained previously in carbon nanohorn dispersions. Overall, our findings help elucidating the molecular picture of the dispersion process for SWNTs and are of interest when looking for more effective (i.e., well-balanced) polymeric dispersants.
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| 40. |
- Ferreira Fernandes, Ricardo Manuel, et al.
(författare)
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Lateral Diffusion of Dispersing Molecules On Nanotubes As Probed by NMR
- 2014
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 118:1, s. 582-589
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Noncovalent dispersion of carbon nanotubes is essential to most applications but still poorly understood at the molecular level. The interaction of the dispersing molecule with the nanotube, wrapping or nonwrapping, still awaits consensus. Herein, we have studied by H-1 NMR diffusometry some features of molecular dynamics in the system of carbon nanotubes dispersed by triblock copolymer Pluronics F127 in water. The diffusional decays obtained at different diffusion times, Delta, are not single-exponential and have a complex Delta-dependent profile, ultimately implying that the polymer is observed in two states: free (in unimeric form) and nanotube-bound. Fitting a two-site exchange model to the data indicates that at any instant, only a small fraction of polymers are adsorbed on the nanotubes, with polydisperse residence times in the range of 100-400 ms. Most significantly, we further provide an estimate of D = (3-8) x 10(-12) m(2) s(-1) the coefficient of lateral diffusion of the polymer along the nanotube surface, which is an order of magnitude slower than the corresponding self-diffusion coefficient in water. The emerging picture is that of a nonwrapping mode for the polymer-nanotube interaction.
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