| 1. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(author)
-
Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 2. |
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- 2019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(author)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
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In: eLIFE. - 2050-084X. ; 5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.522.7) and 16.5 cm (13.319.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
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| 6. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(author)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
-
In: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3– 19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8– 144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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In: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 9. |
- Kristan, Matej, et al.
(author)
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The first visual object tracking segmentation VOTS2023 challenge results
- 2023
-
In: 2023 IEEE/CVF International conference on computer vision workshops (ICCVW). - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. - 9798350307443 - 9798350307450 ; , s. 1788-1810
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Visual Object Tracking Segmentation VOTS2023 challenge is the eleventh annual tracker benchmarking activity of the VOT initiative. This challenge is the first to merge short-term and long-term as well as single-target and multiple-target tracking with segmentation masks as the only target location specification. A new dataset was created; the ground truth has been withheld to prevent overfitting. New performance measures and evaluation protocols have been created along with a new toolkit and an evaluation server. Results of the presented 47 trackers indicate that modern tracking frameworks are well-suited to deal with convergence of short-term and long-term tracking and that multiple and single target tracking can be considered a single problem. A leaderboard, with participating trackers details, the source code, the datasets, and the evaluation kit are publicly available at the challenge website1
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| 10. |
- Luo, Yifei, et al.
(author)
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Technology Roadmap for Flexible Sensors
- 2023
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In: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society. - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 17:6, s. 5211-5295
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Humans rely increasingly on sensors to address grand challenges and to improve quality of life in the era of digitalization and big data. For ubiquitous sensing, flexible sensors are developed to overcome the limitations of conventional rigid counterparts. Despite rapid advancement in bench-side research over the last decade, the market adoption of flexible sensors remains limited. To ease and to expedite their deployment, here, we identify bottlenecks hindering the maturation of flexible sensors and propose promising solutions. We first analyze challenges in achieving satisfactory sensing performance for real-world applications and then summarize issues in compatible sensor-biology interfaces, followed by brief discussions on powering and connecting sensor networks. Issues en route to commercialization and for sustainable growth of the sector are also analyzed, highlighting environmental concerns and emphasizing nontechnical issues such as business, regulatory, and ethical considerations. Additionally, we look at future intelligent flexible sensors. In proposing a comprehensive roadmap, we hope to steer research efforts towards common goals and to guide coordinated development strategies from disparate communities. Through such collaborative efforts, scientific breakthroughs can be made sooner and capitalized for the betterment of humanity.
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| 11. |
- Ablikim, M., et al.
(author)
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First measurement of e(+)e(-) -> pK(S)(0)(n)over-barK(-) + c.c. above open charm threshold
- 2018
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In: Physical Review D. - 2470-0010 .- 2470-0029. ; 98:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The process e(+)e(-) -> pK(S)(0)(n) over barK(-) + c.c. and its intermediate processes are studied for the first time, using data samples collected with the BESIII detector at BEPCII at center-of-mass energies of 3.773, 4.008, 4.226, 4.258, 4.358, 4.416, and 4.600 GeV, with a total integrated luminosity of 7.4 fb(-1). The Born cross section of e(+)e(-) -> pK(S)(0)(n) over barK(-) + c.c. is measured at each center-of-mass energy, but no significant resonant structure in the measured cross-section line shape between 3.773 and 4.600 GeV is observed. No evident structure is detected in the pK(-), nK(S)(0), pK(S)(0), nK(+), p (n) over bar, or (KSK-)-K-0 invariant mass distributions except for Lambda(1520). The Born cross sections of e(+)e(-) -> Lambda(1520)(n) over barK(S)(0) + c.c. and e(+)e(-) -> Lambda(1520)(p) over barK(+) + c.c. are measured, and the 90% confidence level upper limits on the Born cross sections of e(+)e(-) -> Lambda(1520)(Lambda) over bar (1520) are determined at the seven center-of-mass energies. There is an evident difference in line shape and magnitude of the measured cross sections between e(+)e(-) -> Lambda(1520)(-> pK(-))(n) over barK(S)(0) and e(+)e(-) -> pK-(Lambda) over bar (1520)(-> (n) over barK(S)(0)).
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| 12. |
- Ablikim, M., et al.
(author)
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Measurement of e(+)e(-) -> D(D)over-bar cross sections at the psi(3770) resonance
- 2018
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In: Chinese Physics C. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1674-1137 .- 2058-6132. ; 42:8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report new measurements of the cross sections for the production of D (D) over bar final states at the psi(3770) resonance. Our data sample consists of an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) annihilation data produced by the BEPCII collider and collected and analyzed with the BESIII detector. We exclusively reconstruct three D-0 and six D+ hadronic decay modes and use the ratio of the yield of fully reconstructed D (D) over bar events ("double tags") to the yield of all reconstructed D or (D) over bar mesons ("single tags") to determine the number of D-0(D) over bar (0) and D+D- events, benefiting from the cancellation of many systematic uncertainties. Combining these yields with an independent determination of the integrated luminosity of the data sample, we find the cross sections to be sigma(e(+)e(-) -> D-0(D) over bar (0)(-) )=(3.615 +/- 0.010 +/- 0.038) nb and sigma(e(+)e(-) -> D+D-)=(2.830 +/- 0.011 +/- 0.026) nb, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.
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| 13. |
- Ablikim, M., et al.
(author)
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Measurement of the integrated Luminosities of cross-section scan data samples around the psi(3770) mass region
- 2018
-
In: Chinese Physics C. - : SCIENCE PRESS. - 1674-1137 .- 2058-6132. ; 42:6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To investigate the nature of the psi(3770) resonance and to measure the cross section for e(+)e(-) -> D (D) over bar, a cross-section scan data sample, distributed among 41 center-of-mass energy points from 3.73 to 3.89 GeV, was taken with the BESIII detector operated at the BEPCII collider in the year 2010. By analyzing the large angle Bhabha scattering events, we measure the integrated luminosity of the data sample at each center-of-mass energy point. The total integrated luminosity of the data sample is 76.16 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.61 pb(-1), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic.
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| 14. |
- Ablikim, M., et al.
(author)
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Observation of psi(3686) -> eta ' e(+)e(-)
- 2018
-
In: Physics Letters B. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 0370-2693 .- 1873-2445. ; 783, s. 452-458
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using a data sample of 448.1 x 10(6) psi(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, we report the first observation of the electromagnetic Dalitz decay psi(3686) -> eta'e(+)e(-), with significances of 7.0 sigma and 6.3 sigma when reconstructing the eta' meson via its decay modes eta' -> gamma pi(+)pi(-) and eta' -> pi(+)pi(-) eta (eta -> gamma gamma), respectively. The weighted average branching fraction is determined to be B(psi(3686) -> eta'e(+)e(-)) = (1.90 +/- 0.25 +/- 0.11) x 10(-6), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic.
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| 15. |
- Ablikim, M., et al.
(author)
-
Observation of the Semileptonic Decay D-0 -> a(0)(980)(-)e(+)nu(e) and Evidence for D+ -> a(0)(980)(0)e(+)nu(e)
- 2018
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 121:8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using an e(+)e(-) collision data sample of 2.93 fb(-1) collected at a center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV by the BESIII detector at BEPCII, we report the observation of D-0 -> a(0)(980)(-)e(+)nu(e) and evidence for D+ -> a(0)(980)(0)e(+)nu(e) with significances of 6.4 sigma and 2.9 sigma, respectively. The absolute branching fractions are determined to be B(D-0 -> a(0)(980)(-)e(+)nu(e)) x B(a(0)(980)(-) -> eta pi(-)) = [1.33(-0.29)(+0.33)(stat) +/- 0.09(syst)] x 10(-4) and B(D+ -> a(0)(980)(0)e(+)nu(e)) x B(a(0)(980)(0) -> eta pi(0)) = [1.66(-0.66)(+0.81)(stat) +/- 0.11(syst) x 10(-4). This is the first time the a(0)(980) meson has been measured in a D-0 semileptonic decay, which would open one more interesting page in the investigation of the nature of the puzzling a(0)(980) states.
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| 16. |
- Ablikim, M., et al.
(author)
-
Precision Measurement of the e(+)e(-) -> Lambda(+)(c)(Lambda)over-bar(c)(-) Cross Section Near Threshold
- 2018
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - : American Physical Society. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 120:13
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The cross section of the e(+)e(-) -> Lambda(+)(c)(Lambda) over bar (-)(c) process is measured with unprecedented precision using data collected with the BESIII detector at root s = 4574.5, 4580.0, 4590.0 and 4599.5 MeV. The nonzero cross section near the Lambda(+)(c)(Lambda) over bar (-)(c) production threshold is cleared. At center-of-mass energies root s = 4574.5 and 4599.5 MeV, the higher statistics data enable us to measure the Lambda(c) polar angle distributions. From these, the.c electric over magnetic form-factor ratios (vertical bar G(E)/G(M)vertical bar) are measured for the first time. They are found to be 1.14 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.07 and 1.23 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.03, respectively, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic.
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| 17. |
- Ablikim, M., et al.
(author)
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Search for invisible decays of omega and phi with J/psi data at BESIII
- 2018
-
In: Physical Review D. - : American Physical Society. - 2470-0010 .- 2470-0029. ; 98:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using a data sample of (1310.6 +/- 7.0) x 10(6) J/psi events collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider, we perform the first experimental search for invisible decays of a light vector meson (V = omega, phi) via J/psi -> V-eta decays. The decay of eta -> pi(+)pi(-)pi(0) is utilized to tag the V meson decaying into the invisible final state. No evidence for a significant invisible signal is observed, and the upper limits on the ratio of branching fractions at the 90% confidence level are determined to be B(omega -> invisible)/B(omega -> pi(+)pi(-)pi(0)) < 8.1 x 10(-5) and B(phi -> invisible)/B(phi -> K+K-) < 3.4 x 10(-4). By using the world average values of B(omega -> pi(+)pi(-)pi(0) and B(phi -> K+K-,) the upper limits on the decay branching fractions at the 90% confidence level are set as B(omega -> invisible) < 7.3 x 10(-5) and B(phi -> invisible) < 1.7 x 10(-4), respectively.
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| 18. |
- Ablikim, M., et al.
(author)
-
Search for the rare decay of ψ(3686)→Λ+c¯pe+e−+c.c. at BESIII
- 2018
-
In: Physical Review D. - 2470-0010 .- 2470-0029. ; 97:9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Based on a data sample of (448.1 +/- 2.9) x 10(6)Psi(3686) decays collected with the BESIII experiment, a search for the flavor changing neutral current transition Psi(3686) -> Lambda(+)(c) pe(+) e(-) + c.c. is performed for the first time. No signal candidates are observed and the upper limit on the branching fraction of Psi(3686) -> Lambda(+)(c) pe(+) e(-) is determined to be 1.7 x 10(-6) at the 90% confidence level. The result is consistent with expectations from the standard model, and no evidence for new physics is found.
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| 19. |
- Ablikim, M., et al.
(author)
-
Search for the rare decays D -> h(h((')))e(+) e(-)
- 2018
-
In: Physical Review D. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 2470-0010 .- 2470-0029. ; 97:7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We search for rare decays of D mesons to hadrons accompanied by an electron-positron pair (h(h((')))e(+)e(- )),using an e(+)e(-) collision sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb(-1) collected with the BESIII detector at root s = 3.773 GeV. No significant signals are observed, and the corresponding upper limits on the branching fractions at the 90% confidence level are determined. The sensitivities of the results are at the level of 10(-5)-10(-6), providing a large improvement over previous searches.
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| 20. |
- Arndt, D. S., et al.
(author)
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State of the Climate in 2016
- 2017
-
In: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 98:8, s. S1-S280
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2016, the dominant greenhouse gases released into Earth's atmosphere-carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide-continued to increase and reach new record highs. The 3.5 +/- 0.1 ppm rise in global annual mean carbon dioxide from 2015 to 2016 was the largest annual increase observed in the 58-year measurement record. The annual global average carbon dioxide concentration at Earth's surface surpassed 400 ppm (402.9 +/- 0.1 ppm) for the first time in the modern atmospheric measurement record and in ice core records dating back as far as 800000 years. One of the strongest El Nino events since at least 1950 dissipated in spring, and a weak La Nina evolved later in the year. Owing at least in part to the combination of El Nino conditions early in the year and a long-term upward trend, Earth's surface observed record warmth for a third consecutive year, albeit by a much slimmer margin than by which that record was set in 2015. Above Earth's surface, the annual lower troposphere temperature was record high according to all datasets analyzed, while the lower stratospheric temperature was record low according to most of the in situ and satellite datasets. Several countries, including Mexico and India, reported record high annual temperatures while many others observed near-record highs. A week-long heat wave at the end of April over the northern and eastern Indian peninsula, with temperatures surpassing 44 degrees C, contributed to a water crisis for 330 million people and to 300 fatalities. In the Arctic the 2016 land surface temperature was 2.0 degrees C above the 1981-2010 average, breaking the previous record of 2007, 2011, and 2015 by 0.8 degrees C, representing a 3.5 degrees C increase since the record began in 1900. The increasing temperatures have led to decreasing Arctic sea ice extent and thickness. On 24 March, the sea ice extent at the end of the growth season saw its lowest maximum in the 37-year satellite record, tying with 2015 at 7.2% below the 1981-2010 average. The September 2016 Arctic sea ice minimum extent tied with 2007 for the second lowest value on record, 33% lower than the 1981-2010 average. Arctic sea ice cover remains relatively young and thin, making it vulnerable to continued extensive melt. The mass of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which has the capacity to contribute similar to 7 m to sea level rise, reached a record low value. The onset of its surface melt was the second earliest, after 2012, in the 37-year satellite record. Sea surface temperature was record high at the global scale, surpassing the previous record of 2015 by about 0.01 degrees C. The global sea surface temperature trend for the 21st century-to-date of +0.162 degrees C decade(-1) is much higher than the longer term 1950-2016 trend of +0.100 degrees C decade(-1). Global annual mean sea level also reached a new record high, marking the sixth consecutive year of increase. Global annual ocean heat content saw a slight drop compared to the record high in 2015. Alpine glacier retreat continued around the globe, and preliminary data indicate that 2016 is the 37th consecutive year of negative annual mass balance. Across the Northern Hemisphere, snow cover for each month from February to June was among its four least extensive in the 47-year satellite record. Continuing a pattern below the surface, record high temperatures at 20-m depth were measured at all permafrost observatories on the North Slope of Alaska and at the Canadian observatory on northernmost Ellesmere Island. In the Antarctic, record low monthly surface pressures were broken at many stations, with the southern annular mode setting record high index values in March and June. Monthly high surface pressure records for August and November were set at several stations. During this period, record low daily and monthly sea ice extents were observed, with the November mean sea ice extent more than 5 standard deviations below the 1981-2010 average. These record low sea ice values contrast sharply with the record high values observed during 2012-14. Over the region, springtime Antarctic stratospheric ozone depletion was less severe relative to the 1991-2006 average, but ozone levels were still low compared to pre-1990 levels. Closer to the equator, 93 named tropical storms were observed during 2016, above the 1981-2010 average of 82, but fewer than the 101 storms recorded in 2015. Three basins-the North Atlantic, and eastern and western North Pacific-experienced above-normal activity in 2016. The Australian basin recorded its least active season since the beginning of the satellite era in 1970. Overall, four tropical cyclones reached the Saffir-Simpson category 5 intensity level. The strong El Nino at the beginning of the year that transitioned to a weak La Nina contributed to enhanced precipitation variability around the world. Wet conditions were observed throughout the year across southern South America, causing repeated heavy flooding in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Wetter-than-usual conditions were also observed for eastern Europe and central Asia, alleviating the drought conditions of 2014 and 2015 in southern Russia. In the United States, California had its first wetter-than-average year since 2012, after being plagued by drought for several years. Even so, the area covered by drought in 2016 at the global scale was among the largest in the post-1950 record. For each month, at least 12% of land surfaces experienced severe drought conditions or worse, the longest such stretch in the record. In northeastern Brazil, drought conditions were observed for the fifth consecutive year, making this the longest drought on record in the region. Dry conditions were also observed in western Bolivia and Peru; it was Bolivia's worst drought in the past 25 years. In May, with abnormally warm and dry conditions already prevailing over western Canada for about a year, the human-induced Fort McMurray wildfire burned nearly 590000 hectares and became the costliest disaster in Canadian history, with $3 billion (U.S. dollars) in insured losses.
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| 21. |
- Blunden, Jessica, et al.
(author)
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State of the Climate in 2012
- 2013
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In: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 94:8, s. S1-S258
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For the first time in serveral years, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation did not dominate regional climate conditions around the globe. A weak La Ni a dissipated to ENSOneutral conditions by spring, and while El Nino appeared to be emerging during summer, this phase never fully developed as sea surface temperatures in the eastern conditions. Nevertheless, other large-scale climate patterns and extreme weather events impacted various regions during the year. A negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation from mid-January to early February contributed to frigid conditions in parts of northern Africa, eastern Europe, and western Asia. A lack of rain during the 2012 wet season led to the worst drought in at least the past three decades for northeastern Brazil. Central North America also experienced one of its most severe droughts on record. The Caribbean observed a very wet dry season and it was the Sahel's wettest rainy season in 50 years. Overall, the 2012 average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces ranked among the 10 warmest years on record. The global land surface temperature alone was also among the 10 warmest on record. In the upper atmosphere, the average stratospheric temperature was record or near-record cold, depending on the dataset. After a 30-year warming trend from 1970 to 1999 for global sea surface temperatures, the period 2000-12 had little further trend. This may be linked to the prevalence of La Ni a-like conditions during the 21st century. Heat content in the upper 700 m of the ocean remained near record high levels in 2012. Net increases from 2011 to 2012 were observed at 700-m to 2000-m depth and even in the abyssal ocean below. Following sharp decreases in to the effects of La Ni a, sea levels rebounded to reach records highs in 2012. The increased hydrological cycle seen in recent years continued, with more evaporation in drier locations and more precipitation in rainy areas. In a pattern that has held since 2004, salty areas of the ocean surfaces and subsurfaces were anomalously salty on average, while fresher areas were anomalously fresh. Global tropical cyclone activity during 2012 was near average, with a total of 84 storms compared with the 1981-2010 average of 89. Similar to 2010 and 2011, the North Atlantic was the only hurricane basin that experienced above-normal activity. In this basin, Sandy brought devastation to Cuba and parts of the eastern North American seaboard. All other basins experienced either near-or below-normal tropical cyclone activity. Only three tropical cyclones reached Category 5 intensity-all in Bopha became the only storm in the historical record to produce winds greater than 130 kt south of 7 N. It was also the costliest storm to affect the Philippines and killed more than 1000 residents. Minimum Arctic sea ice extent in September and Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent in June both reached new record lows. June snow cover extent is now declining at a faster rate (-17.6% per decade) than September sea ice extent (-13.0% per decade). Permafrost temperatures reached record high values in northernmost Alaska. A new melt extent record occurred on 11-12 July on the Greenland ice sheet; 97% of the ice sheet showed some form of melt, four times greater than the average melt for this time of year. The climate in Antarctica was relatively stable overall. The largest maximum sea ice extent since records begain in 1978 was observed in September 2012. In the stratosphere, warm air led to the second smallest ozone hole in the past two decades. Even so, the springtime ozone layer above Antarctica likely will not return to its early 1980s state until about 2060. Following a slight decline associated with the global 2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production reached a record 9.5 +/- 0.5 Pg C in 2011 and a new record of 9.7 +/- 0.5 Pg C is estimated for 2012. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations increased by 2.1 ppm in 2012, to 392.6 ppm. In spring 2012, 2 concentration exceeded 400 ppm at 7 of the 13 Arctic observation sites. Globally, other greenhouse gases including methane and nitrous oxide also continued to rise in concentration and the combined effect now represents a 32% increase in radiative forcing over a 1990 baseline. Concentrations of most ozone depleting substances continued to fall.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Chang, Kuang Yu, et al.
(author)
-
Observational constraints reduce model spread but not uncertainty in global wetland methane emission estimates
- 2023
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In: Global Change Biology. - 1354-1013. ; 29:15, s. 4298-4312
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The recent rise in atmospheric methane (CH4) concentrations accelerates climate change and offsets mitigation efforts. Although wetlands are the largest natural CH4 source, estimates of global wetland CH4 emissions vary widely among approaches taken by bottom-up (BU) process-based biogeochemical models and top-down (TD) atmospheric inversion methods. Here, we integrate in situ measurements, multi-model ensembles, and a machine learning upscaling product into the International Land Model Benchmarking system to examine the relationship between wetland CH4 emission estimates and model performance. We find that using better-performing models identified by observational constraints reduces the spread of wetland CH4 emission estimates by 62% and 39% for BU- and TD-based approaches, respectively. However, global BU and TD CH4 emission estimate discrepancies increased by about 15% (from 31 to 36 TgCH4 year−1) when the top 20% models were used, although we consider this result moderately uncertain given the unevenly distributed global observations. Our analyses demonstrate that model performance ranking is subject to benchmark selection due to large inter-site variability, highlighting the importance of expanding coverage of benchmark sites to diverse environmental conditions. We encourage future development of wetland CH4 models to move beyond static benchmarking and focus on evaluating site-specific and ecosystem-specific variabilities inferred from observations.
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| 24. |
- Danaei, Goodarz, et al.
(author)
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Effects of diabetes definition on global surveillance of diabetes prevalence and diagnosis: a pooled analysis of 96 population-based studies with 331288 participants
- 2015
-
In: The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. - 2213-8595 .- 2213-8587. ; 3:8, s. 624-637
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Diabetes has been defined on the basis of different biomarkers, including fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h plasma glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test (2hOGTT), and HbA(1c). We assessed the effect of different diagnostic definitions on both the population prevalence of diabetes and the classification of previously undiagnosed individuals as having diabetes versus not having diabetes in a pooled analysis of data from population-based health examination surveys in different regions. Methods We used data from 96 population-based health examination surveys that had measured at least two of the biomarkers used for defining diabetes. Diabetes was defined using HbA(1c) (HbA(1c) >= 6 . 5% or history of diabetes diagnosis or using insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs) compared with either FPG only or FPG-or-2hOGTT definitions (FPG >= 7 . 0 mmol/L or 2hOGTT >= 11 . 1 mmol/L or history of diabetes or using insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs). We calculated diabetes prevalence, taking into account complex survey design and survey sample weights. We compared the prevalences of diabetes using different definitions graphically and by regression analyses. We calculated sensitivity and specificity of diabetes diagnosis based on HbA1c compared with diagnosis based on glucose among previously undiagnosed individuals (ie, excluding those with history of diabetes or using insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs). We calculated sensitivity and specificity in each survey, and then pooled results using a random-effects model. We assessed the sources of heterogeneity of sensitivity by meta-regressions for study characteristics selected a priori. Findings Population prevalence of diabetes based on FPG- or-2hOGTT was correlated with prevalence based on FPG alone (r= 0 . 98), but was higher by 2-6 percentage points at different prevalence levels. Prevalence based on HbA(1c) was lower than prevalence based on FPG in 42 . 8% of age-sex-survey groups and higher in another 41 . 6%; in the other 15 . 6%, the two definitions provided similar prevalence estimates. The variation across studies in the relation between glucose-based and HbA(1c)-based prevalences was partly related to participants' age, followed by natural logarithm of per person gross domestic product, the year of survey, mean BMI, and whether the survey population was national, subnational, or from specific communities. Diabetes defined as HbA(1c) 6 . 5% or more had a pooled sensitivity of 52 . 8% (95% CI 51 . 3-54 . 3%) and a pooled specificity of 99 . 74% (99 . 71-99 . 78%) compared with FPG 7 . 0 mmol/L or more for diagnosing previously undiagnosed participants; sensitivity compared with diabetes defined based on FPG-or-2hOGTT was 30 . 5% (28 . 7-32 . 3%). None of the preselected study-level characteristics explained the heterogeneity in the sensitivity of HbA(1c) versus FPG. Interpretation Different biomarkers and definitions for diabetes can provide different estimates of population prevalence of diabetes, and differentially identify people without previous diagnosis as having diabetes. Using an HbA(1c)-based definition alone in health surveys will not identify a substantial proportion of previously undiagnosed people who would be considered as having diabetes using a glucose-based test.
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- Kato, Norihiro, et al.
(author)
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Trans-ancestry genome-wide association study identifies 12 genetic loci influencing blood pressure and implicates a role for DNA methylation
- 2015
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 47:11, s. 1282-1293
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We carried out a trans-ancestry genome-wide association and replication study of blood pressure phenotypes among up to 320,251 individuals of East Asian, European and South Asian ancestry. We find genetic variants at 12 new loci to be associated with blood pressure (P = 3.9 × 10−11 to 5.0 × 10−21). The sentinel blood pressure SNPs are enriched for association with DNA methylation at multiple nearby CpG sites, suggesting that, at some of the loci identified, DNA methylation may lie on the regulatory pathway linking sequence variation to blood pressure. The sentinel SNPs at the 12 new loci point to genes involved in vascular smooth muscle (IGFBP3, KCNK3, PDE3A and PRDM6) and renal (ARHGAP24, OSR1, SLC22A7 and TBX2) function. The new and known genetic variants predict increased left ventricular mass, circulating levels of NT-proBNP, and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality (P = 0.04 to 8.6 × 10−6). Our results provide new evidence for the role of DNA methylation in blood pressure regulation.
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