| 1. |
- Coda, S., et al.
(författare)
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Physics research on the TCV tokamak facility: From conventional to alternative scenarios and beyond
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 1741-4326 .- 0029-5515. ; 59:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The research program of the TCV tokamak ranges from conventional to advanced-tokamak scenarios and alternative divertor configurations, to exploratory plasmas driven by theoretical insight, exploiting the device's unique shaping capabilities. Disruption avoidance by real-time locked mode prevention or unlocking with electron-cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) was thoroughly documented, using magnetic and radiation triggers. Runaway generation with high-Z noble-gas injection and runaway dissipation by subsequent Ne or Ar injection were studied for model validation. The new 1 MW neutral beam injector has expanded the parameter range, now encompassing ELMy H-modes in an ITER-like shape and nearly non-inductive H-mode discharges sustained by electron cyclotron and neutral beam current drive. In the H-mode, the pedestal pressure increases modestly with nitrogen seeding while fueling moves the density pedestal outwards, but the plasma stored energy is largely uncorrelated to either seeding or fueling. High fueling at high triangularity is key to accessing the attractive small edge-localized mode (type-II) regime. Turbulence is reduced in the core at negative triangularity, consistent with increased confinement and in accord with global gyrokinetic simulations. The geodesic acoustic mode, possibly coupled with avalanche events, has been linked with particle flow to the wall in diverted plasmas. Detachment, scrape-off layer transport, and turbulence were studied in L- and H-modes in both standard and alternative configurations (snowflake, super-X, and beyond). The detachment process is caused by power 'starvation' reducing the ionization source, with volume recombination playing only a minor role. Partial detachment in the H-mode is obtained with impurity seeding and has shown little dependence on flux expansion in standard single-null geometry. In the attached L-mode phase, increasing the outer connection length reduces the in-out heat-flow asymmetry. A doublet plasma, featuring an internal X-point, was achieved successfully, and a transport barrier was observed in the mantle just outside the internal separatrix. In the near future variable-configuration baffles and possibly divertor pumping will be introduced to investigate the effect of divertor closure on exhaust and performance, and 3.5 MW ECRH and 1 MW neutral beam injection heating will be added.
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| 2. |
- Tomaz, Kaira C P, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of potential inhibitors of casein kinase 2 alpha of Plasmodium falciparum with potent in vitro activity.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. - 0066-4804. ; 67:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Drug resistance to commercially available antimalarials is a major obstacle in malaria control and elimination, creating the need to find new antiparasitic compounds with novel mechanisms of action. The success of kinase inhibitors for oncological treatments has paved the way for the exploitation of protein kinases as drug targets in various diseases, including malaria. Casein kinases are ubiquitous serine/threonine kinases involved in a wide range of cellular processes such as mitotic checkpoint signaling, DNA damage response, and circadian rhythm. In Plasmodium, it is suggested that these protein kinases are essential for both asexual and sexual blood-stage parasites, reinforcing their potential as targets for multi-stage antimalarials. To identify new putative PfCK2α inhibitors, we utilized an in silico chemogenomic strategy involving virtual screening with docking simulations and quantitative structure-activity relationship predictions. Our investigation resulted in the discovery of a new quinazoline molecule (542), which exhibited potent activity against asexual blood stages and a high selectivity index (>100). Subsequently, we conducted chemical-genetic interaction analysis on yeasts with mutations in casein kinases. Our chemical-genetic interaction results are consistent with the hypothesis that 542 inhibits yeast Cka1, which has a hinge region with high similarity to PfCK2α. This finding is in agreement with our in silico results suggesting that 542 inhibits PfCK2α via hinge region interaction.
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| 3. |
- Zizka, A., et al.
(författare)
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No one-size-fits-all solution to clean GBIF
- 2020
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Ingår i: Peerj. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Species occurrence records provide the basis for many biodiversity studies. They derive from georeferenced specimens deposited in natural history collections and visual observations, such as those obtained through various mobile applications. Given the rapid increase in availability of such data, the control of quality and accuracy constitutes a particular concern. Automatic filtering is a scalable and reproducible means to identify potentially problematic records and tailor datasets from public databases such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF; http://www.gbif.org), for biodiversity analyses. However, it is unclear how much data may be lost by filtering, whether the same filters should be applied across all taxonomic groups, and what the effect of filtering is on common downstream analyses. Here, we evaluate the effect of 13 recently proposed filters on the inference of species richness patterns and automated conservation assessments for 18 Neotropical taxa, including terrestrial and marine animals, fungi, and plants downloaded from GBIF. We find that a total of 44.3% of the records are potentially problematic, with large variation across taxonomic groups (25-90%). A small fraction of records was identified as erroneous in the strict sense (4.2%), and a much larger proportion as unfit for most downstream analyses (41.7%). Filters of duplicated information, collection year, and basis of record, as well as coordinates in urban areas, or for terrestrial taxa in the sea or marine taxa on land, have the greatest effect. Automated filtering can help in identifying problematic records, but requires customization of which tests and thresholds should be applied to the taxonomic group and geographic area under focus. Our results stress the importance of thorough recording and exploration of the meta-data associated with species records for biodiversity research.
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| 4. |
- Jesus, C., et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of antibodies to a new histo-blood system: the FORS system
- 2018
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Ingår i: Blood Transfusion. - 1723-2007. ; 16:2, s. 178-183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. In 1987, three unrelated English families were reported with a putative blood subgroup called A pae. Swedish researchers later found evidence leading to abolishment of the A pae subgroup and establishment instead of the FORS blood group system (System 31 -ISBT, 2012). It is important to know the prevalence of antibodies in order to make the best decisions in transfusion medicine. Cells expressing the Forssman saccharide, such as sheep erythrocytes, are needed to detect the anti-Forssman antibody. The aim of this study was to define the prevalence of human anti-Forssman antibody. Materials and methods. Plasma samples from 800 individuals were studied. Sheep erythrocytes or Forssman "kodecytes" were mixed with the plasma samples using the tube technique. Plasma from an A pae individual was used as a negative control and monoclonal anti-Forssman antibody (M1/22.25.8HL cell line supernatant) was used as the positive control. Results. Of the 800 individuals tested, one was negative for the presence of anti-Forssman antibody. We compared the anti-Forssman antibody reaction pattern between genders and found that males have weaker reactions than females, both at room temperature (p= 0.026) and at 37 degrees C (p= 0.043). We also investigated the reaction pattern of anti-Forssman antibody in relation to ABO and Rh blood group types without finding any significant differences. Discussion. Sheep erythrocytes are suitable for searching for human anti-Forssman antibody. The quantity of anti-Forssman antibodies in plasma is higher in females than in males. In the population (n= 800) studied here, we found one individual lacking the anti-Forssman antibody. These results contribute to the data already published, confirming that FORS is a rare blood group.
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| 5. |
- Bland-Hawthorn, Joss, et al.
(författare)
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The GALAH survey and Gaia DR2 : dissecting the stellar disc's phase space by age, action, chemistry, and location
- 2019
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 486:1, s. 1167-1191
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We use the second data releases of the European Space Agency Gaia astrometric survey and the high-resolution Galactic Archaeology with HERMES (GALAH) spectroscopic survey to analyse the structure of our Galaxy's disc components. With GALAH, we separate the alpha-rich and alpha-poor discs (with respect to Fe), which are superposed in both position and velocity space, and examine their distributions in action space. We study the distribution of stars in the zV(z) phase plane, for both V-phi and V-R, and recover the remarkable 'phase spiral' discovered by Gaia. We identify the anticipated quadrupole signature in zV(z) of a tilted velocity ellipsoid for stars above and belowtheGalactic plane. By connecting ourwork with earlier studies, we show that the phase spiral is likely to extend well beyond the narrow solar neighbourhood cylinder in which it was found. The phase spiral is a signature of corrugated waves that propagate through the disc, and the associated non-equilibrium phase mixing. The radially asymmetric distribution of stars involved in the phase spiral reveals that the corrugation, which is mostly confined to the alpha-poor disc, grows in z-amplitude with increasing radius. We present new simulations of tidal disturbance of the Galactic disc by the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf. The effect on the zV(z) phase plane lasts greater than or similar to 2 Gyr, but a subsequent disc crossing wipes out the coherent structure. We find that the phase spiral was excited less than or similar to 0.5 Gyr ago by an object like Sgr with total mass similar to 3 x 10(10) M-circle dot (stripped down from similar to 5 x 10(10) M-circle dot when it first entered the halo) passing through the plane.
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| 6. |
- Bradwell, Hannah Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Staff perceptions towards virtual reality-motivated treadmill exercise for care home residents: a qualitative feedback study with key stakeholders and follow-up interview with technology developer
- 2023
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - 2044-6055. ; 13:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives Health and care resources are under increasing pressure, partly due to the ageing population. Physical activity supports healthy ageing, but motivating exercise is challenging. We aimed to explore staff perceptions towards a virtual reality (VR) omnidirectional treadmill (MOTUS), aimed at increasing physical activity for older adult care home residents. Design Interactive workshops and qualitative evaluation. Settings Eight interactive workshops were held at six care homes and two university sites across Cornwall, England, from September to November 2021. Participants Forty-four staff participated, including care home, supported living, clinical care and compliance managers, carers, activity coordinators, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Interventions Participants tried the VR treadmill system, followed by focus groups exploring device design, potential usefulness or barriers for care home residents. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. We subsequently conducted a follow-up interview with the technology developer (September 2022) to explore the feedback impact. Results The analysis produced seven key themes: anticipated benefits, acceptability, concerns of use, concerns of negative effects, suitability/unsuitability, improvements and current design. Participants were generally positive towards VR to motivate care home residents' physical activity and noted several potential benefits (increased exercise, stimulation, social interaction and rehabilitation). Despite the reported potential, staff had safety concerns for frail older residents due to their standing position. Participants suggested design improvements to enhance safety, usability and accessibility. Feedback to the designers resulted in the development of a new seated VR treadmill to address concerns about falls while maintaining motivation to exercise. The follow-up developer interview identified significant value in academia-industry collaboration. Conclusion The use of VR-motivated exercise holds the potential to increase exercise, encourage reminiscence and promote meaningful activity for care home residents. Staff concerns resulted in a redesigned seated treadmill for those too frail to use the standing version. This novel study demonstrates the importance of stakeholder feedback in product design.
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| 7. |
- Brink, Rob C., et al.
(författare)
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Three-dimensional pelvic incidence is much higher in (thoraco)lumbar scoliosis than in controls
- 2019
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Ingår i: European spine journal. - Heidelberg : Springer. - 0940-6719 .- 1432-0932. ; 28:3, s. 544-550
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeThe pelvic incidence (PI) is used to describe the sagittal spino-pelvic alignment. In previous studies, radiographs were used, leading to less accuracy in establishing the three-dimensional (3D) spino-pelvic parameters. The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences in the 3D sagittal spino-pelvic alignment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) subjects and non-scoliotic controls.MethodsThirty-seven female AIS patients that underwent preoperative supine low-dose computed tomography imaging of the spine, hips and pelvis as part of their general workup were included and compared to 44 non-scoliotic age-matched female controls. A previously validated computerized method was used to measure the PI in 3D, as the angle between the line orthogonal to the inclination of the sacral endplate and the line connecting the center of the sacral endplate with the hip axis.ResultsThe PI was on average 46.8° ± 12.4° in AIS patients and 41.3° ± 11.4° in controls (p = 0.025), with a higher PI in Lenke type 5 curves (50.6° ± 16.2°) as compared to controls (p = 0.042), whereas the Lenke type 1 curves (45.9° ± 12.2°) did not differ from controls (p = 0.141).ConclusionLenke type 5 curves show a significantly higher PI than controls, whereas the Lenke type 1 curves did not differ from controls. This suggests a role of pelvic morphology and spino-pelvic alignment in the pathogenesis of idiopathic scoliosis. Further longitudinal studies should explore the exact role of the PI in the initiation and progression of different AIS types.
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| 8. |
- Buder, Sven, et al.
(författare)
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The GALAH Survey : second data release
- 2018
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 478:4, s. 4513-4552
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Galactic Archaeology with HERMES (GALAH) survey is a large-scale stellar spectroscopic survey of the Milky Way, designed to deliver complementary chemical information to a large number of stars covered by the Gaia mission. We present the GALAH second public data release (GALAH DR2) containing 342 682 stars. For these stars, the GALAH collaboration provides stellar parameters and abundances for up to 23 elements to the community. Here we present the target selection, observation, data reduction, and detailed explanation of how the spectra were analysed to estimate stellar parameters and element abundances. For the stellar analysis, we have used a multistep approach. We use the physics-driven spectrum synthesis of Spectroscopy Made Easy (SME) to derive stellar labels (T-eff, log g, [Fe/H], [X/Fe], v(mic), vsin i, AKS) for a representative training set of stars. This information is then propagated to the whole sample with the data-driven method of The Cannon. Special care has been exercised in the spectral synthesis to only consider spectral lines that have reliable atomic input data and are little affected by blending lines. Departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) are considered for several key elements, including Li, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, and Fe, using 1D MARCS stellar atmosphere models. Validation tests including repeat observations, Gaia benchmark stars, open and globular clusters, and K2 asteroseismic targets lend confidence to our methods and results. Combining the GALAH DR2 catalogue with the kinematic information from Gaia will enable a wide range of Galactic Archaeology studies, with unprecedented detail, dimensionality, and scope.
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| 9. |
- Hughes, Arvind C. N., et al.
(författare)
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The GALAH Survey : A New Sample of Extremely Metal-poor Stars Using a Machine-learning Classification Algorithm
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 930:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars provide a valuable probe of early chemical enrichment in the Milky Way. Here we leverage a large sample of ∼600,000 high-resolution stellar spectra from the GALAH survey plus a machine-learning algorithm to find 54 candidates with estimated [Fe/H] ≤−3.0, six of which have [Fe/H] ≤−3.5. Our sample includes ∼20% main-sequence EMP candidates, unusually high for EMP star surveys. We find the magnitude-limited metallicity distribution function of our sample is consistent with previous work that used more complex selection criteria. The method we present has significant potential for application to the next generation of massive stellar spectroscopic surveys, which will expand the available spectroscopic data well into the millions of stars.
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| 10. |
- Kariippanon, Katharina E., et al.
(författare)
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Levels and Correlates of Objectively Measured Sedentary Behavior in Young Children : SUNRISE Study Results from 19 Countries
- 2022
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Ingår i: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. - : Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. - 0195-9131 .- 1530-0315. ; 54:7, s. 1123-1130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose There is a paucity of global data on sedentary behavior during early childhood. The purpose of this study was to examine how device-measured sedentary behavior in young children differed across geographically, economically, and sociodemographically diverse populations, in an international sample. Methods This multinational, cross-sectional study included data from 1071 children 3-5 yr old from 19 countries, collected between 2018 and 2020 (pre-COVID). Sedentary behavior was measured for three consecutive days using activPAL accelerometers. Sedentary time, sedentary fragmentation, and seated transport duration were calculated. Linear mixed models were used to examine the differences in sedentary behavior variables between sex, country-level income groups, urban/rural settings, and population density. Results Children spent 56% (7.4 h) of their waking time sedentary. The longest average bout duration was 81.1 +/- 45.4 min, and an average of 61.1 +/- 50.1 min center dot d(-1) was spent in seated transport. Children from upper-middle-income and high-income countries spent a greater proportion of the day sedentary, accrued more sedentary bouts, had shorter breaks between sedentary bouts, and spent significantly more time in seated transport, compared with children from low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Sex and urban/rural residential setting were not associated with any outcomes. Higher population density was associated with several higher sedentary behavior measures. Conclusions These data advance our understanding of young childrens sedentary behavior patterns globally. Country income levels and population density appear to be stronger drivers of the observed differences, than sex or rural/urban residential setting.
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