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- Hudson, Lawrence N, et al.
(author)
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The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
- 2017
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In: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 7:1, s. 145-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
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- Hudson, Lawrence N., et al.
(author)
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The PREDICTS database : a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
- 2014
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In: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 4:24, s. 4701-4735
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - ). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015.
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| 4. |
- Hoenigl, M., et al.
(author)
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Guideline adherence and survival of patients with candidaemia in Europe: results from the ECMM Candida III multinational European observational cohort study
- 2023
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In: Lancet. Infectious Diseases. - : Elsevier BV. - 1473-3099 .- 1474-4457. ; 23:6, s. 751-761
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background The European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM) collected data on epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, and outcomes of patients with culture-proven candidaemia across Europe to assess how adherence to guideline recommendations is associated with outcomes.Methods In this observational cohort study, 64 participating hospitals located in 20 European countries, with the number of eligible hospitals per country determined by population size, included the first ten consecutive adults with culture-proven candidaemia after July 1, 2018, and entered data into the ECMM Candida Registry (FungiScope CandiReg). We assessed ECMM Quality of Clinical Candidaemia Management (EQUAL Candida) scores reflecting adherence to recommendations of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines.Findings 632 patients with candidaemia were included from 64 institutions. Overall 90-day mortality was 43% (265/617), and increasing age, intensive care unit admission, point increases in the Charlson comorbidity index score, and Candida tropicalis as causative pathogen were independent baseline predictors of mortality in Cox regression analysis. EQUAL Candida score remained an independent predictor of mortality in the multivariable Cox regression analyses after adjusting for the baseline predictors, even after restricting the analysis to patients who survived for more than 7 days after diagnosis (adjusted hazard ratio 1 & BULL;08 [95% CI 1 & BULL;04-1 & BULL;11; p<0 & BULL;0001] in patients with a central venous catheter and 1 & BULL;09 [1 & BULL;05-1 & BULL;13; p<0 & BULL;0001] in those without one, per one score point decrease). Median duration of hospital stay was 15 days (IQR 4-30) after diagnosis of candidaemia and was extended specifically for completion of parenteral therapy in 100 (16%) of 621 patients. Initial echinocandin treatment was associated with lower overall mortality and longer duration of hospital stay among survivors than treatment with other antifungals.Interpretation Although overall mortality in patients with candidaemia was high, our study indicates that adherence to clinical guideline recommendations, reflected by higher EQUAL Candida scores, might increase survival. New antifungals, with similar activity as current echinocandins but with longer half-lives or oral bioavailability, are needed to reduce duration of hospital stay.
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| 7. |
- Pearce, Neil E, et al.
(author)
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IARC Monographs : 40 Years of Evaluating Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans
- 2015
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In: Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives. - : Environmental Health Perspectives. - 0091-6765 .- 1552-9924. ; 123:6, s. 507-514
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Recently the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Programme for the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans has been criticized for several of its evaluations, and also the approach used to perform these evaluations. Some critics have claimed that IARC Working Groups' failures to recognize study weaknesses and biases of Working Group members have led to inappropriate classification of a number of agents as carcinogenic to humans.OBJECTIVES: The authors of this paper are scientists from various disciplines relevant to the identification and hazard evaluation of human carcinogens. We have examined here criticisms of the IARC classification process to determine the validity of these concerns. We review the history of IARC evaluations and describe how the IARC evaluations are performed.DISCUSSION: We conclude that these recent criticisms are unconvincing. The procedures employed by IARC to assemble Working Groups of scientists from the various discipline and the techniques followed to review the literature and perform hazard assessment of various agents provide a balanced evaluation and an appropriate indication of the weight of the evidence. Some disagreement by individual scientists to some evaluations is not evidence of process failure. The review process has been modified over time and will undoubtedly be altered in the future to improve the process. Any process can in theory be improved, and we would support continued review and improvement of the IARC processes. This does not mean, however, that the current procedures are flawed.CONCLUSIONS: The IARC Monographs have made, and continue to make, major contributions to the scientific underpinning for societal actions to improve the public's health.
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| 14. |
- Azarbarzin, A., et al.
(author)
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Cardiovascular Benefit of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Adults with Coronary Artery Disease and Obstructive Sleep Apnea without Excessive Sleepiness
- 2022
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In: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. - 1073-449X .- 1535-4970. ; 206:6, s. 767-774
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rationale: Randomized controlled trials of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have not demonstrated protection against adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Recently, observational studies revealed that OSA-related cardiovascular risk is concentrated in patients with an elevated pulse rate response to respiratory events (Delta HR). Objectives: Here, in this post hoc analysis of a prospective clinical trial, we test the hypothesis that a greater pretreatment Delta HR is associated with greater CPAP-related protection against adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Methods: Delta HR was measured from baseline polysomnography of the RICCADSA (Randomized Intervention with CPAP in CAD and OSA) randomized controlled trial (patients with coronary artery disease [CAD] and OSA [apnea-hypopnea index >= 15 events/h] with Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, 10; n(CPAP):n(control) = 113:113; male, 85%; age, 66 +/- 8 [mean +/- SD] yr). The primary outcome was a composite of repeat revascularization, myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular mortality. Multivariable Cox regression assessed whether the effect of CPAP was moderated by Delta HR (treatmentby-Delta HR interaction). Measurements and Main Results: The CPAP-related reduction in risk increased progressively with increasing pretreatment Delta HR (interaction hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.49 [0.27 to 0.90] per SD increase in Delta HR; P, 0.05). This means that in patients with a Delta HR of 1 SD above the mean (i.e., 10 beats/min), CPAP was estimated to reduce cardiovascular risk by 59% (6% to 82%) (P<0.05), but no significant risk reduction was estimated in patients with a mean Delta HR (6 beats/min; CPAP risk reduction, 16% [253% to 54%]; P= 0.6). Conclusions: The protective effect of CPAP in patients with CAD and OSA without excessive sleepiness was modified by the Delta HR. Specifically, patients with higher Delta HR exhibit greater cardiovascular benefit from CPAP therapy.
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- Gjergji, R., et al.
(author)
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Strategy disclosure and cost of capital : The key role of women directors for family firms
- 2023
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In: The Journal of Family Business Strategy. - : Elsevier. - 1877-8585 .- 1877-8593.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper investigates whether and to what extent strategy disclosure influences the cost of capital, comparing family and non-family firms and considering the proportion of women directors. We theorize that voluntary strategy disclosure may be either beneficial or detrimental depending on the perceptions by financial stakeholders about the role of governance attributes. These stakeholders might, indeed, assess strategy disclosure differently based on their stereotyped view of the family firm status and women's involvement on the board of directors. By referring to a sample of 93 listed Italian small and medium-sized enterprises, we show that, unlike with their non-family counterparts, strategy disclosure increases the cost of capital for family firms. However, an increasing proportion of women directors softens this negative effect. Moreover, when a critical mass of women directors is appointed to the board, the strategy disclosure becomes beneficial for family firms too. We consequently offer a threefold contribution to the literature on gender diversity, family business and corporate voluntary disclosure.
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| 18. |
- Gudmundsson, Magni, et al.
(author)
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Atelectasis is inversely proportional to transpulmonary pressure during weaning from ventilator support in a large animal model
- 2018
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In: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-5172 .- 1399-6576. ; 62:1, s. 94-104
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundIn mechanically ventilated, lung injured, patients without spontaneous breathing effort, atelectasis with shunt and desaturation may appear suddenly when ventilator pressures are decreased. It is not known how such a formation of atelectasis is related to transpulmonary pressure (P-L) during weaning from mechanical ventilation when the spontaneous breathing effort is increased. If the relation between P-L and atelectasis were known, monitoring of P-L might help to avoid formation of atelectasis and cyclic collapse during weaning. The main purpose of this study was to determine the relation between P-L and atelectasis in an experimental model representing weaning from mechanical ventilation. MethodsDynamic transverse computed tomography scans were acquired in ten anaesthetized, surfactant-depleted pigs with preserved spontaneous breathing, as ventilator support was lowered by sequentially reducing inspiratory pressure and positive end expiratory pressure in steps. The volumes of gas and atelectasis in the lungs were correlated with P-L obtained using oesophageal pressure recordings. Work of breathing (WOB) was assessed from Campbell diagrams. ResultsGradual decrease in P-L in both end-expiration and end-inspiration caused a proportional increase in atelectasis and decrease in the gas content (linear mixed model with an autoregressive correlation matrix; P<0.001) as the WOB increased. However, cyclic alveolar collapse during tidal ventilation did not increase significantly. ConclusionWe found a proportional correlation between atelectasis and P-L during the weaning process' in experimental mild lung injury. If confirmed in the clinical setting, a gradual tapering of ventilator support can be recommended for weaning without risk of sudden formation of atelectasis.
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