| 1. |
- Araujo, Hugo, et al.
(författare)
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A Process for Sound Conformance Testing of Cyber-Physical Systems
- 2017
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Ingår i: 2017 IEEE International Conference on Software Testing, Verification and Validation Workshops (ICSTW). - Los Alamitos, CA : IEEE Computer Society. - 9781509066766 - 9781509066773 ; , s. 46-50
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a process for sound conformance testing of cyber-physical systems, which involves functional but also non-functional aspects. The process starts with a hybrid model of cyber-physical systems in which the correct behavior of the system (at its interface level) is specified. Such a model captures both discrete behavior and evolution of continuous dynamics of the system in time. Since conformance testing inherently involves comparing continuous dynamics, the key parameters of the process are (1) the conformance bounds defining when two signals are sufficiently close to each other, and (2) the permitted error margin in the conformance analysis introduced by sampling of continuous signals. The final parameter of this process is (3) finding (and adjusting) the sampling rate of the dynamic behavior. In the specified process, we provide different alternatives for fixing the error margin of the conformance testing if the sampling rate is fixed, establishing the sampling rate if the error margin is fixed and finding conformance bounds once the sampling rate and the error margin are fixed. © 2017 IEEE.
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| 2. |
- Araujo, Hugo, et al.
(författare)
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Sound conformance testing for cyber-physical systems : Theory and implementation
- 2018
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Ingår i: Science of Computer Programming. - Amsterdam : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 0167-6423 .- 1872-7964. ; 162, s. 35-54
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conformance testing is a formal and structured approach to verifying system correctness. We propose a conformance testing algorithm for cyber-physical systems, based on the notion of hybrid conformance by Abbas and Fainekos. We show how the dynamics of system specification and the sampling rate play an essential role in making sound verdicts. We specify and prove error bounds that lead to sound test-suites for a given specification and a given sampling rate. We use reachability analysis to find such bounds and implement the proposed approach using the CORA toolbox in Matlab. We apply the implemented approach on a case study from the automotive domain.
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| 3. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(författare)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
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Ingår i: eLIFE. - 2050-084X. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)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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| 4. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(författare)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
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Ingår i: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)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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| 5. |
- Carvalho, Gustavo, et al.
(författare)
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Mitochondrial DNA Instability in Mammalian Cells
- 2022
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Ingår i: Antioxidants and Redox Signaling. - : Mary Ann Liebert. - 1523-0864 .- 1557-7716. ; 36:13-15, s. 885-905
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Significance: The small, multicopy mitochondrial genome (mitochondrial DNA [mtDNA]) is essential for efficient energy production, as alterations in its coding information or a decrease in its copy number disrupt mitochondrial ATP synthesis. However, the mitochondrial replication machinery encounters numerous challenges that may limit its ability to duplicate this important genome and that jeopardize mtDNA stability, including various lesions in the DNA template, topological stress, and an insufficient nucleotide supply.Recent Advances: An ever-growing array of DNA repair or maintenance factors are being reported to localize to the mitochondria. We review current knowledge regarding the mitochondrial factors that may contribute to the tolerance or repair of various types of changes in the mitochondrial genome, such as base damage, incorporated ribonucleotides, and strand breaks. We also discuss the newly discovered link between mtDNA instability and activation of the innate immune response.Critical Issues: By which mechanisms do mitochondria respond to challenges that threaten mtDNA maintenance? What types of mtDNA damage are repaired, and when are the affected molecules degraded instead? And, finally, which forms of mtDNA instability trigger an immune response, and how?Future Directions: Further work is required to understand the contribution of the DNA repair and damage-tolerance factors present in the mitochondrial compartment, as well as the balance between mtDNA repair and degradation. Finally, efforts to understand the events underlying mtDNA release into the cytosol are warranted. Pursuing these and many related avenues can improve our understanding of what goes wrong in mitochondrial disease.
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| 6. |
- Castro, N. R., et al.
(författare)
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Wage structure differential and disability in Brazil — Underperformance or discrimination?
- 2020
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Ingår i: EconomiA. - : National Association of Postgraduate Centers in Economics, ANPEC. - 1517-7580. ; 20:3, s. 211-228
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2013, 7.32% of the Brazilian population, or almost 15 million people, declared that they had some disability. Based on empirical evidence, this study sought to answer the following three questions: 1) Are men with disabilities paid less in the Brazilian labor market? 2) If so, is this predominantly due to differences in individual socioeconomic characteristics, underperformance, or is it a case of discrimination? 3) What are the main determinants of wage differential among disabled men? To answer these questions, we used data from a sample of men aged 18–65 working in Brazil's private sector to estimate Tobit wage equations and perform a twofold decomposition of the disabled-nondisabled wage differential by applying the traditional Oaxaca-Blinder technique. DeLeire (2001) methodology was then employed to isolate the roles of discrimination and underperformance in the analysis, which was performed separately by the severity of the disability effect on activities. It was found that male employees with disabilities that limit daily activities earn lower wages than comparably employed nondisabled men and that this difference increases with the severity of the disability; that the estimated wage differentials were associated with both discrimination and underperformance, especially the latter; that there was a wage “reward” for the disabled positively correlated with their level of education; that the onset period of a disability did not significantly affect wages; and that men with intellectual disabilities are the most wage disadvantaged. These results provide useful information for policy makers in Brazil when allocating resources to support people with disabilities.
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| 7. |
- Danaei, Goodarz, et al.
(författare)
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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
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Ingår i: The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. - 2213-8595 .- 2213-8587. ; 3:8, s. 624-637
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)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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| 8. |
- de Souza, Gustavo B., et al.
(författare)
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Enhancement of eucalypt pulp yield through extended impregnation cooking
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nordic Pulp & Paper Research Journal. - : AB SVENSK PAPPERSTIDNING. - 0283-2631 .- 2000-0669. ; 33:2, s. 175-185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The improvement caused by eucalypt chip impregnation on kraft pulping performance was assessed for terminating the cook at kappa in the range of 15-27 and at controlled residual effective alkali (REA) of 6-8 g/L NaOH. Extended impregnation cooking of eucalypt chips (EIC) increased about 10/0 lignin- and HexA-free screen yield gains in relation to conventional cooking (CC), regardless of kappa number in the range of 15-27. The EIC technology allows for cooking eucalypt wood to kappa number up to 27, without rejects production, but without significant improvement in lignin- and HexA-free screen yield and with larger chlorine dioxide (ClO2) consume during bleaching. The optimum kappa number for both CC and EIC cooking was about 19 with similar refinability and strength properties for both technologies, CC and EIC. It was concluded that extended impregnation cooking is an attractive technique for enhancing bleached eucalypt Kraft pulp yield.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Elsik, Christine G., et al.
(författare)
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The Genome Sequence of Taurine Cattle : A Window to Ruminant Biology and Evolution
- 2009
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 324:5926, s. 522-528
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To understand the biology and evolution of ruminants, the cattle genome was sequenced to about sevenfold coverage. The cattle genome contains a minimum of 22,000 genes, with a core set of 14,345 orthologs shared among seven mammalian species of which 1217 are absent or undetected in noneutherian (marsupial or monotreme) genomes. Cattle-specific evolutionary breakpoint regions in chromosomes have a higher density of segmental duplications, enrichment of repetitive elements, and species-specific variations in genes associated with lactation and immune responsiveness. Genes involved in metabolism are generally highly conserved, although five metabolic genes are deleted or extensively diverged from their human orthologs. The cattle genome sequence thus provides a resource for understanding mammalian evolution and accelerating livestock genetic improvement for milk and meat production.
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| 11. |
- Gorospe, Choco Michael, et al.
(författare)
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Mitochondrial membrane potential acts as a retrograde signal to regulate cell cycle progression
- 2023
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Ingår i: Life Science Alliance. - : Life Science Alliance, LLC. - 2575-1077. ; 6:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mitochondria are central to numerous metabolic pathways whereby mitochondrial dysfunction has a profound impact and can manifest in disease. The consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction can be ameliorated by adaptive responses that rely on crosstalk from the mitochondria to the rest of the cell. Such mito-cellular signalling slows cell cycle progression in mitochondrial DNA-deficient (ρ0) Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, but the initial trigger of the response has not been thoroughly studied. Here, we show that decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) acts as the initial signal of mitochondrial stress that delays G1-to-S phase transition in both ρ0 and control cells containing mtDNA. Accordingly, experimentally increasing ΔΨm was sufficient to restore timely cell cycle progression in ρ0 cells. In contrast, cellular levels of oxidative stress did not correlate with the G1-to-S delay. Restored G1-to-S transition in ρ0 cells with a recovered ΔΨm is likely attributable to larger cell size, whereas the timing of G1/S transcription remained delayed. The identification of ΔΨm as a regulator of cell cycle progression may have implications for disease states involving mitochondrial dysfunction.
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| 12. |
- Guimaraes, Drielle D., et al.
(författare)
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Dietary Nitrate Reduces Blood Pressure in Rats With Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension via Mechanisms That Involve Reduction of Sympathetic Hyperactivity
- 2019
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Ingår i: Hypertension. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0194-911X .- 1524-4563. ; 73:4, s. 839-848
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several experimental and clinical studies have shown that dietary nitrate supplementation can increase nitric oxide bioavailability. In the oral cavity, commensal bacteria reduce nitrate to nitrite, which is subsequently absorbed into the circulation where reduction to nitric oxide by enzymatic systems occur. Although it is well-known that boosting the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway can improve cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic functions and that sympathoexcitation contributes to the development of the same disorders, the potential effects of dietary nitrate on sympathetic activity remain to be elucidated. In this study, we hypothesized that treatment with inorganic nitrate could prevent the increase in sympathetic nerve activity in an experimental model of Ang II (angiotensin II)-induced hypertension. Multiple in vivo approaches were combined, that is, Wistar rats orally treated with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME (N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, 0.5 g/L) and implanted with subcutaneous osmotic minipump for continuous delivery of Ang II (120 ng/kg per minute; 14 days). Simultaneously, rats were supplemented with sodium nitrate (10 mmol/L) or placebo (sodium chloride; 10 mmol/L) in the drinking water. Blood pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity were recorded. In placebo-treated rats, Ang II+ L-NAME treatment-induced arterial hypertension, which was linked with reduced spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity and increased renal sympathetic nerve activity, as well as upregulation of AT 1 Rs (Ang II type-1 receptors) in the rostral ventrolateral medulla. Supplementation with nitrate normalized the expression of AT 1 Rs in rostral ventrolateral medulla and reduced sympathetic nerve activity, which was associated with attenuated development of hypertension. In conclusion, chronic dietary nitrate supplementation blunted the development of hypertension via mechanisms that involve reduction of sympathetic outflow.
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| 13. |
- Hussain-Alkhateeb, Laith, 1977, et al.
(författare)
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Early warning and response system (EWARS) for dengue outbreaks: Recent advancements towards widespread applications in critical settings
- 2018
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 13:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018 Hussain-Alkhateeb et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background Dengue outbreaks are increasing in frequency over space and time, affecting people’s health and burdening resource-constrained health systems. The ability to detect early emerging outbreaks is key to mounting an effective response. The early warning and response system (EWARS) is a toolkit that provides countries with early-warning systems for efficient and cost-effective local responses. EWARS uses outbreak and alarm indicators to derive prediction models that can be used prospectively to predict a forthcoming dengue outbreak at district level. Methods We report on the development of the EWARS tool, based on users’ recommendations into a convenient, user-friendly and reliable software aided by a user’s workbook and its field testing in 30 health districts in Brazil, Malaysia and Mexico. Findings 34 Health officers from the 30 study districts who had used the original EWARS for 7 to 10 months responded to a questionnaire with mainly open-ended questions. Qualitative content analysis showed that participants were generally satisfied with the tool but preferred open-access vs. commercial software. EWARS users also stated that the geographical unit should be the district, while access to meteorological information should be improved. These recommendations were incorporated into the second-generation EWARS-R, using the free R software, combined with recent surveillance data and resulted in higher sensitivities and positive predictive values of alarm signals compared to the first-generation EWARS. Currently the use of satellite data for meteorological information is being tested and a dashboard is being developed to increase user-friendliness of the tool. The inclusion of other Aedes borne viral diseases is under discussion. Conclusion EWARS is a pragmatic and useful tool for detecting imminent dengue outbreaks to trigger early response activities.
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| 14. |
- Maruyama, Sandra R., et al.
(författare)
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Blood transcriptome profile induced by an efficacious vaccine formulated with salivary antigens from cattle ticks
- 2019
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Ingår i: NPJ VACCINES. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2059-0105. ; 4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ticks cause massive damage to livestock and vaccines are one sustainable alternative for the acaricide poisons currently heavily used to control infestations. An experimental vaccine adjuvanted with alum and composed by four recombinant salivary antigens mined with reverse vaccinology from a transcriptome of salivary glands from Rhipicephalus microplus ticks was previously shown to present an overall efficacy of 73.2% and cause a significant decrease of tick loads in artificially tick-infested, immunized heifers; this decrease was accompanied by increased levels of antigen-specific IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies, which were boosted during a challenge infestation. In order to gain insights into the systemic effects induced by the vaccine and by the tick challenge we now report the gene expression profile of these hosts' whole-blood leukocytes with RNA-seq followed by functional analyses. These analyses show that vaccination induced unique responses to infestations; genes upregulated in the comparisons were enriched for processes associated with chemotaxis, cell adhesion, T-cell responses and wound repair. Blood transcriptional modules were enriched for activation of dendritic cells, cell cycle, phosphatidylinositol signaling, and platelets. Together, the results indicate that by neutralizing the tick's salivary mediators of parasitism with vaccine-induced antibodies, the bovine host is able to mount normal homeostatic responses that hinder tick attachment and haematophagy and that the tick otherwise suppresses with its saliva.
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| 15. |
- Oliveira, Bruno, et al.
(författare)
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Simulation of hybrid systems from natural-language requirements
- 2018
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Ingår i: 2017 13th IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE). - Piscataway, NJ : IEEE Computer Society. - 9781509067817 - 9781509067800 - 9781509067824 ; , s. 1320-1325
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cyber-physical systems are characterised by a massive and tight interaction between computer systems and physical components. Hybrid systems provide an abstraction for modelling cyber-physical systems by featuring the integration of discrete and continuous behavioural aspects. Simulation is an important tool for validating hybrid system models, which are often too complex to be treated using other validation and verification techniques. Motivated by the industrial need for such tools, we propose a strategy (h-NAT2TEST) for simulation of hybrid systems from natural-language requirements. Using the proposed approach, one writes the system specification using a controlled natural language, from which an informal semantics is automatically inferred based on the case grammar theory. Then, a formal representation is built considering a model of hybrid data-flow reactive systems (h-DFRS). Finally, in order to allow for rigorous simulation, an Acumen specification is derived from the h-DFRS model. Simulation is supported by the Acumen modelling environment. A DC-DC boost converter is used as a case study to illustrate the overall approach. © 2017 IEEE.
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| 16. |
- Pereira-Gurgel, Virginia M., et al.
(författare)
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Abnormal vascular and neural retinal morphology in congenital lifetime isolated growth hormone deficiency
- 2016
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Ingår i: Growth Hormone and IGF Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1096-6374 .- 1532-2238. ; 30-31, s. 11-15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2016 Elsevier LtdObjective Experimental models demonstrate an important role of GH in retinal development. However, the interactions between GH and the neuro-vascularization of the human retina are still not clear. A model of untreated congenital isolated GH deficiency (IGHD) may clarify the actions of GH on the retina. The purpose of this work was to assess the retinal neuro-vascularization in untreated congenital IGHD (cIGHD). Design In a cross sectional study, we performed an endocrine and ophthalmological assessment of 25 adult cIGHD subjects, homozygous for a null mutation (c.57+1G>A) in the GHRH receptor gene and 28 matched controls. Intraocular pressure measurement, retinography (to assess the number of retinal vascular branching points and the optic disc and cup size), and optical coherence tomography (to assess the thickness of macula) were performed. Results cIGHD subjects presented a more significant reduction of vascular branching points in comparison to controls (91% vs. 53% [p=0.049]). The percentage of moderate reduction was higher in cIGHD than in controls (p=0.01). The percentage of individuals with increased optic disc was higher in cIGHD subjects in comparison to controls (92.9% vs. 57.1%). The same occurred for cup size (92.9% vs. 66.7%), p<0.0001 in both cases. There was no difference in macula thickness. Conclusions Most cIGHD individuals present moderate reduction of vascular branching points, increase of optic disc and cup size, but have similar thickness of the macula.
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| 17. |
- Solmi, Marco, et al.
(författare)
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Physical and mental health impact of COVID-19 on children, adolescents, and their families :
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 299, s. 367-376
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has altered daily routines and family functioning, led to closing schools, and dramatically limited social interactions worldwide. Measuring its impact on mental health of vulnerable children and adolescents is crucial. Methods: The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT - www. coh-fit.com) is an on-line anonymous survey, available in 30 languages, involving >230 investigators from 49 countries supported by national/international professional associations. COH-FIT has thee waves (until the pandemic is declared over by the WHO, and 6-18 months plus 24-36 months after its end). In addition to adults, COH-FIT also includes adolescents (age 14-17 years), and children (age 6-13 years), recruited via nonprobability/snowball and representative sampling and assessed via self-rating and parental rating. Nonmodifiable/modifiable risk factors/treatment targets to inform prevention/intervention programs to promote health and prevent mental and physical illness in children and adolescents will be generated by COH-FIT. Co primary outcomes are changes in well-being (WHO-5) and a composite psychopathology P-Score. Multiple behavioral, family, coping strategy and service utilization factors are also assessed, including functioning and quality of life. Results: Up to June 2021, over 13,000 children and adolescents from 59 countries have participated in the COHFIT project, with representative samples from eleven countries. Limitations: Cross-sectional and anonymous design. Conclusions: Evidence generated by COH-FIT will provide an international estimate of the COVID-19 effect on childrens, adolescents and families, mental and physical health, well-being, functioning and quality of life, informing the formulation of present and future evidence-based interventions and policies to minimize adverse effects of the present and future pandemics on youth.
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| 18. |
- Solmi, Marco, et al.
(författare)
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The collaborative outcomes study on health and functioning during infection times in adults (COH-FIT-Adults) : Design and methods of an international online survey targeting physical and mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 299, s. 393-407
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: . High-quality comprehensive data on short-/long-term physical/mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are needed. Methods: . The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) is an international, multi-language (n=30) project involving >230 investigators from 49 countries/territories/regions, endorsed by national/international professional associations. COH-FIT is a multi-wave, on-line anonymous, cross-sectional survey [wave 1: 04/2020 until the end of the pandemic, 12 months waves 2/3 starting 6/24 months threreafter] for adults, adolescents (14-17), and children (6-13), utilizing non-probability/snowball and representative sampling. COH-FIT aims to identify non-modifiable/modifiable risk factors/treatment targets to inform prevention/intervention programs to improve social/health outcomes in the general population/vulnerable subgrous during/after COVID-19. In adults, co-primary outcomes are change from pre-COVID-19 to intra-COVID-19 in well-being (WHO-5) and a composite psychopathology P-Score. Key secondary outcomes are a P-extended score, global mental and physical health. Secondary outcomes include health-service utilization/ functioning, treatment adherence, functioning, symptoms/behaviors/emotions, substance use, violence, among others. Results: . Starting 04/26/2020, up to 14/07/2021 >151,000 people from 155 countries/territories/regions and six continents have participated. Representative samples of >= 1,000 adults have been collected in 15 countries. Overall, 43.0% had prior physical disorders, 16.3% had prior mental disorders, 26.5% were health care workers, 8.2% were aged >= 65 years, 19.3% were exposed to someone infected with COVID-19, 76.1% had been in quarantine, and 2.1% had been COVID 19-positive. Limitations: . Cross-sectional survey, preponderance of non-representative participants. Conclusions: . Results from COH-FIT will comprehensively quantify the impact of COVID-19, seeking to identify high-risk groups in need for acute and long-term intervention, and inform evidence-based health policies/strategies during this/future pandemics.
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| 19. |
- Solmi, Marco, et al.
(författare)
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Validation of the Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) questionnaire for adults
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : ELSEVIER. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 326, s. 249-261
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The Collaborative Outcome study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT; www.coh-fit.com) is an anonymous and global online survey measuring health and functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to test concurrently the validity of COH-FIT items and the in-ternal validity of the co-primary outcome, a composite psychopathology "P-score". Methods: The COH-FIT survey has been translated into 30 languages (two blind forward-translations, consensus, one independent English back-translation, final harmonization). To measure mental health, 1-4 items ("COH-FIT items") were extracted from validated questionnaires (e.g. Patient Health Questionnaire 9). COH-FIT items measured anxiety, depressive, post-traumatic, obsessive-compulsive, bipolar and psychotic symptoms, as well as stress, sleep and concentration. COH-FIT Items which correlated r >= 0.5 with validated companion question-naires, were initially retained. A P-score factor structure was then identified from these items using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) on data split into training and validation sets. Consistency of results across languages, gender and age was assessed. Results: From >150,000 adult responses by May 6th, 2022, a subset of 22,456 completed both COH-FIT items and validated questionnaires. Concurrent validity was consistently demonstrated across different languages for COH-FIT items. CFA confirmed EFA results of five first-order factors (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic, psychotic, psychophysiologic symptoms) and revealed a single second-order factor P-score, with high internal reliability (omega = 0.95). Factor structure was consistent across age and sex. Conclusions: COH-FIT is a valid instrument to globally measure mental health during infection times. The P-score is a valid measure of multidimensional mental health.
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| 20. |
- Torregrosa-Muñumer, Rubén, et al.
(författare)
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PrimPol is required for replication reinitiation after mtDNA damage
- 2017
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 114:43, s. 11398-11403
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Eukaryotic PrimPol is a recently discovered DNA-dependent DNA primase and translesion synthesis DNA polymerase found in the nucleus and mitochondria. Although PrimPol has been shown to be required for repriming of stalled replication forks in the nucleus, its role in mitochondria has remained unresolved. Here we demonstrate in vivo and in vitro that PrimPol can reinitiate stalled mtDNA replication and can prime mtDNA replication from nonconventional origins. Our results not only help in the understanding of how mitochondria cope with replicative stress but can also explain some controversial features of the lagging-strand replication.
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| 21. |
- Wanrooij, Paulina H., et al.
(författare)
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Elimination of rNMPs from mitochondrial DNA has no effect on its stability
- 2020
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 117:25, s. 14306-14313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ribonucleotides (rNMPs) incorporated in the nuclear genome are a well-established threat to genome stability and can result in DNA strand breaks when not removed in a timely manner. However, the presence of a certain level of rNMPs is tolerated in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) although aberrant mtDNA rNMP content has been identified in disease models. We investigated the effect of incorporated rNMPs on mtDNA stability over the mouse life span and found that the mtDNA rNMP content increased during early life. The rNMP content of mtDNA varied greatly across different tissues and was defined by the rNTP/dNTP ratio of the tissue. Accordingly, mtDNA rNMPs were nearly absent in SAMHD1(-/-) mice that have increased dNTP pools. The near absence of rNMPs did not, however, appreciably affect mtDNA copy number or the levels of mtDNA molecules with deletions or strand breaks in aged animals near the end of their life span. The physiological rNMP load therefore does not contribute to the progressive loss of mtDNA quality that occurs as mice age.
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| 22. |
- Zhou, Bin, et al.
(författare)
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Worldwide trends in diabetes since 1980: A pooled analysis of 751 population-based studies with 4.4 million participants
- 2016
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 387:10027, s. 1513-1530
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: One of the global targets for non-communicable diseases is to halt, by 2025, the rise in the age standardised adult prevalence of diabetes at its 2010 levels. We aimed to estimate worldwide trends in diabetes, how likely it is for countries to achieve the global target, and how changes in prevalence, together with population growth and ageing, are aff ecting the number of adults with diabetes.Methods: We pooled data from population-based studies that had collected data on diabetes through measurement of its biomarkers. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in diabetes prevalence-defined as fasting plasma glucose of 7.0 mmol/L or higher, or history of diagnosis with diabetes, or use of insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs-in 200 countries and territories in 21 regions, by sex and from 1980 to 2014. We also calculated the posterior probability of meeting the global diabetes target if post-2000 trends continue.Findings: We used data from 751 studies including 4372000 adults from 146 of the 200 countries we make estimates for. Global age-standardised diabetes prevalence increased from 4.3% (95% credible interval 2.4-17.0) in 1980 to 9.0% (7.2-11.1) in 2014 in men, and from 5.0% (2.9-7.9) to 7.9% (6.4-9.7) in women. The number of adults with diabetes in the world increased from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014 (28.5% due to the rise in prevalence, 39.7% due to population growth and ageing, and 31.8% due to interaction of these two factors). Age-standardised adult diabetes prevalence in 2014 was lowest in northwestern Europe, and highest in Polynesia and Micronesia, at nearly 25%, followed by Melanesia and the Middle East and north Africa. Between 1980 and 2014 there was little change in age-standardised diabetes prevalence in adult women in continental western Europe, although crude prevalence rose because of ageing of the population. By contrast, age-standardised adult prevalence rose by 15 percentage points in men and women in Polynesia and Micronesia. In 2014, American Samoa had the highest national prevalence of diabetes (>30% in both sexes), with age-standardised adult prevalence also higher than 25% in some other islands in Polynesia and Micronesia. If post-2000 trends continue, the probability of meeting the global target of halting the rise in the prevalence of diabetes by 2025 at the 2010 level worldwide is lower than 1% for men and is 1% for women. Only nine countries for men and 29 countries for women, mostly in western Europe, have a 50% or higher probability of meeting the global target.Interpretation: Since 1980, age-standardised diabetes prevalence in adults has increased, or at best remained unchanged, in every country. Together with population growth and ageing, this rise has led to a near quadrupling of the number of adults with diabetes worldwide. The burden of diabetes, both in terms of prevalence and number of adults aff ected, has increased faster in low-income and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.
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