| 1. |
- Bjorn, A., et al.
(författare)
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Review of life-cycle based methods for absolute environmental sustainability assessment and their applications
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 1748-9326 .- 1748-9318. ; 15:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In many regions and at the planetary scale, human pressures on the environment exceed levels that natural systems can sustain. These pressures are caused by networks of human activities, which often extend across countries and continents due to global trade. This has led to an increasing requirement for methods that enable absolute environmental sustainability assessment (AESA) of anthropogenic systems and which have a basis in life cycle assessment (LCA). Such methods enable the comparison of environmental impacts of products, companies, nations, etc, with an assigned share of environmental carrying capacity for various impact categories. This study is the first systematic review of LCA-based AESA methods and their applications. After developing a framework for LCA-based AESA methods, we identified 45 relevant studies through an initial survey, database searches and citation analysis. We characterized these studies according to their intended application, impact categories, basis of carrying capacity estimates, spatial differentiation of environmental model and principles for assigning carrying capacity. We then characterized all method applications and synthesized their results. Based on this assessment, we present recommendations to practitioners on the selection and use of existing LCA-based AESA methods, as well as ways to perform assessments and communicate results to decision-makers. Furthermore, we identify future research priorities intended to extend coverage of all components of the proposed method framework, improve modeling and increase the applicability of methods. © 2020 The Author(s).
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| 2. |
- Dauber, A., et al.
(författare)
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A Genome-Wide Pharmacogenetic Study of Growth Hormone Responsiveness
- 2020
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Ingår i: The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. - : The Endocrine Society. - 1945-7197 .- 0021-972X. ; 105:10, s. 3203-3214
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CONTEXT: Individual patients vary in their response to growth hormone (GH). No large-scale genome-wide studies have looked for genetic predictors of GH responsiveness. OBJECTIVE: To identify genetic variants associated with GH responsiveness. DESIGN: Genome-wide association study (GWAS). SETTING: Cohorts from multiple academic centers and a clinical trial. PATIENTS: A total of 614 individuals from 5 short stature cohorts receiving GH: 297 with idiopathic short stature, 276 with isolated GH deficiency, and 65 born small for gestational age. INTERVENTION: Association of more than 2 million variants was tested. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary analysis: individual single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) association with first-year change in height standard deviation scores. Secondary analyses: SNP associations in clinical subgroups adjusted for clinical variables; association of polygenic score calculated from 697 genome-wide significant height SNPs with GH responsiveness. RESULTS: No common variant associations reached genome-wide significance in the primary analysis. The strongest suggestive signals were found near the B4GALT4 and TBCE genes. After meta-analysis including replication data, signals at several loci reached or retained genome-wide significance in secondary analyses, including variants near ST3GAL6. There was no significant association with variants previously reported to be associated with GH response nor with a polygenic predicted height score. CONCLUSIONS: We performed the largest GWAS of GH responsiveness to date. We identified 2 loci with a suggestive effect on GH responsiveness in our primary analysis and several genome-wide significant associations in secondary analyses that require further replication. Our results are consistent with a polygenic component to GH responsiveness, likely distinct from the genetic regulators of adult height. © Endocrine Society 2020.
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| 3. |
- Albertsson, M., et al.
(författare)
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Excitation energy partition in fission
- 2020
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Ingår i: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-2693. ; 803
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The transformation of an atomic nucleus into two excited fission fragments is modeled as a strongly damped evolution of the nuclear shape. As in previous studies, it is assumed that the division of mass and charge is frozen in at a critical neck radius of c0=2.5fm. In order to also determine the energetics, we follow the system further until scission occurs at a smaller neck radius, at which point the shapes of the proto-fragments are extracted. The statistical energy available at scission is then divided on the basis of the respective microscopic level densities. This approach takes account of important (and energy-dependent) finite-size effects. After the fragments have been fully accelerated and their shapes have relaxed to their equilibrium forms, they undergo sequential neutron evaporation. The dependence of the resulting mean neutron multiplicity on the fragment mass, ν¯(A), including the dependence on the initial excitation energy of the fissioning compound nucleus, agrees reasonably well with observations, as demonstrated here for 235U(n, f), and the sawtooth appearance of ν¯(A) can be understood from shell-structure effects in the level densities.
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| 4. |
- Barnes, A. T., et al.
(författare)
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LEGO - II. A 3mm molecular line study covering 100 pc of one of the most actively star-forming portions within the Milky Way disc
- 2020
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 497:2, s. 1972-2001
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The current generation of (sub)mm-telescopes has allowed molecular line emission to become a major tool for studying the physical, kinematic, and chemical properties of extragalactic systems, yet exploiting these observations requires a detailed understanding of where emission lines originate within the Milky Way. In this paper, we present 60'' (similar to 3pc) resolution observations of many 3mm-band molecular lines across a large map of the W49 massive star-forming region (similar to 100x100pc at 11kpc), which were taken as part of the 'LEGO' IRAM-30m large project. We find that the spatial extent or brightness of the molecular line transitions are not well correlated with their critical densities, highlighting abundance and optical depth must be considered when estimating line emission characteristics. We explore how the total emission and emission efficiency (i.e. line brightness per H-2 column density) of the line emission vary as a function of molecular hydrogen column density and dust temperature. We find that there is not a single region of this parameter space responsible for the brightest and most efficiently emitting gas for all species. For example, we find that the HCN transition shows high emission efficiency at high column density (10(22)cm(-2)) and moderate temperatures (35K), whilst e.g. N2H+ emits most efficiently towards lower temperatures (10(22)cm(-2); <20K). We determine XCO(1-0)similar to 0.3 x 10(20)cm(-2)(Kkms(-1))(-1), and alpha(HCN(1-0))similar to 30M(circle dot)(Kkms(-1)pc(2))(-1), which both differ significantly from the commonly adopted values. In all, these results suggest caution should be taken when interpreting molecular line emission.
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| 5. |
- Bäck, Tom, 1964, et al.
(författare)
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Targeted alpha therapy with astatine-211-labeled anti-PSCA A11 minibody shows antitumor efficacy in prostate cancer xenografts and bone microtumors
- 2020
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Ingår i: Ejnmmi Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2191-219X. ; 10:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is a promising treatment for micrometastatic and minimal residual cancer. We evaluated systemic alpha-radioimmunotherapy (alpha-RIT) of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) using the alpha-particle emitter At-211-labeled to the anti-PSCA A11 minibody. A11 is specific for prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), a cell surface glycoprotein which is overexpressed in more than 90% of both localized prostate cancer and bone metastases. Methods PC3-PSCA cells were implanted subcutaneously (s.c.) and intratibially (i.t) in nude mice. Efficacy of alpha-RIT (two fractions-14-day interval) was studied on s.c. macrotumors (0, 1.5 and 1.9 MBq) and on i.t. microtumors (100-200 mu m; 0, 0.8 or 1.5 MBq) by tumor-volume measurements. The injected activities for therapies were estimated from separate biodistribution and myelotoxicity studies. Results Tumor targeting of At-211-A11 was efficient and the effect on s.c. macrotumors was strong and dose-dependent. At 6 weeks, the mean tumor volumes for the treated groups, compared with controls, were reduced by approximately 85%. The separate myelotoxicity study following one single fraction showed reduced white blood cells (WBC) for all treated groups on day 6 after treatment. For the 0.8 and 1.5 MBq, the WBC reductions were transient and followed by recovery at day 13. For 2.4 MBq, a clear toxicity was observed and the mice were sacrificed on day 7. In the long-term follow-up of the 0.8 and 1.5 MBq-groups, blood counts on day 252 were normal and no signs of radiotoxicity observed. Efficacy on i.t. microtumors was evaluated in two experiments. In experiment 1, the tumor-free fraction (TFF) was 95% for both treated groups and significantly different (p < 0.05) from the controls at a TFF of 66%). In experiment 2, the difference in TFF was smaller, 32% for the treated group versus 20% for the controls. However, the difference in microtumor volume in experiment 2 was highly significant, 0.010 +/- 0.003 mm(3) versus 3.79 +/- 1.24 mm(3) (treated versus controls, respectively), i.e., a 99.7% reduction (p < 0.001). The different outcome in experiment 1 and 2 is most likely due to differences in microtumor sizes at therapy, or higher tumor-take in experiment 2 (where more cells were implanted). Conclusion Evaluating fractionated alpha-RIT with At-211-labeled anti-PSCA A11 minibody, we found clear growth inhibition on both macrotumors and intratibial microtumors. For mice treated with multiple fractions, we also observed radiotoxicity manifested by progressive loss in body weight at 30 to 90 days after treatment. Our findings are conceptually promising for a systemic TAT of mCRPC and warrant further investigations of At-211-labeled PSCA-directed vectors. Such studies should include methods to improve the therapeutic window, e.g., by implementing a pretargeted regimen of alpha-RIT or by altering the size of the targeting vector.
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| 6. |
- Karlson, Agnes M. L., et al.
(författare)
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Linking consumer physiological status to food-web structure and prey food value in the Baltic Sea
- 2020
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Ingår i: Ambio. - Stockholm : Springer Netherlands. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 49:2, s. 391-406
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Declining physiological status in marine top consumers has been observed worldwide. We investigate changes in the physiological status and population/community traits of six consumer species/groups in the Baltic Sea (1993-2014), spanning four trophic levels and using metrics currently operational or proposed as indicators of food-web status. We ask whether the physiological status of consumers can be explained by food-web structure and prey food value. This was tested using partial least square regressions with status metrics for gray seal, cod, herring, sprat and the benthic predatory isopod Saduria as response variables, and abundance and food value of their prey, abundance of competitors and predators as predictors. We find evidence that the physiological status of cod, herring and sprat is influenced by competition, predation, and prey availability; herring and sprat status also by prey size. Our study highlights the need for management approaches that account for species interactions across multiple trophic levels.
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| 7. |
- Petraitiene, I., et al.
(författare)
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Sex Hormones, Gonad Size, and Metabolic Profile in Adolescent Girls Born Small for Gestational Age with Catch-up Growth
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1083-3188. ; 33:2, s. 125-132
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Study Objective: To characterize and compare sex hormone concentrations, and uterine and ovarian volumes in adolescent girls born small for gestational age (SGA) who had experienced catch-up growth and girls born at a size appropriate for gestational age (AGA), and to investigate the association between these parameters and glucose metabolism, perinatal factors, and early growth. Design: A prospective, longitudinal, observational study from birth until adolescence. Setting: Mean age at final assessment was 12.7 +/- 0.1 years. Participants: We followed 55 girls (20 SGA, 35 AGA). Interventions and Main Outcome Measures: Sex hormone concentrations (gonadotropins, estradiol, testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin) were analyzed, and the oral glucose tolerance test conducted. Uterine and ovarian sizes were assessed using pelvic ultrasound. Results: Uterine and ovarian volumes were smaller in SGA-born compared with AGA-born girls (P = .013 and P = .039, respectively). SGA girls had lower sex hormone binding globulin levels (P = .039) and higher testosterone levels (P = .003), free androgen index (P < .001), and glycemia 2 hours post glucose load (P = .005) compared with AGA-born girls. Birth weight and early infancy height velocity explained 37.4% of variation in ovarian volume (P = .004), and body mass index at birth, increase in peripheral skinfold thickness during second year of life, and early childhood height velocity explained 43.2% of variation in testosterone levels in adolescence (P = .006). Conclusion: SGA-born girls who experienced catch-up growth remain at risk of biochemical hyperandrogenism in adolescence, and have reduced uterine and ovarian volumes, which might influence future reproductive function. Ovarian size and androgen levels in adolescence might be influenced by early growth and subcutaneous fat deposition.
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| 8. |
- Savendahl, L., et al.
(författare)
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Long-term mortality after childhood growth hormone treatment: the SAGhE cohort study
- 2020
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Ingår i: Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2213-8587. ; 8:8, s. 683-692
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Recombinant human growth hormone has been used for more than 30 years and its indications have increased worldwide. There is concern that this treatment might increase mortality, but published data are scarce. We present data from the entire dataset of all eight countries of the Safety and Appropriateness of Growth hormone treatments in Europe (SAGhE) consortium, with the aim of studying long-term overall and cause-specific mortality in young adult patients treated with recombinant human growth hormone during childhood and relating this to the underlying diagnosis. Methods This cohort study was done in eight European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK). Patients were classified a priori based on pre-treatment perceived mortality risk from their underlying disease and followed up for cause-specific mortality. Person-years at risk of mortality and expected rates from general population data were used to calculate standardised mortality ratios (SMRs). Findings The cohort comprised 24 232 patients treated with recombinant human growth hormone during childhood, with more than 400 000 patient-years of follow-up. In low-risk patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency or idiopathic short stature, all-cause mortality was not significantly increased (SMR 1.1, 95% CI 0.9-1.3). In children born small for gestational age, all-cause mortality was significantly increased when analysed for all countries (SMR 1.5, CI 1.1-1.9), but this result was driven by the French subcohort. In patients at moderate or high risk, mortality was increased (SMR 3.8, 3.3-4.4; and 17.1, 15.6-18.7, respectively). Mortality was not associated with mean daily or cumulative doses of recombinant human growth hormone for any of the risk groups. Cause-specific mortality from diseases of the circulatory and haematological systems was increased in all risk groups. Interpretation In this cohort, the largest, to our knowledge, with long-term follow-up of patients treated with recombinant human growth hormone during childhood, all-cause mortality was associated with underlying diagnosis. In patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency or idiopathic short stature, recombinant human growth hormone treatment was not associated with increased all-cause mortality. However, mortality from certain causes was increased, emphasising the need for further long-term surveillance. Copyright (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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