1. |
|
|
2. |
|
|
3. |
|
|
4. |
- Kehoe, Laura, et al.
(författare)
-
Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
|
|
5. |
- Glasbey, JC, et al.
(författare)
-
- 2021
-
swepub:Mat__t
|
|
6. |
|
|
7. |
- Farinha-Ferreira, Miguel, et al.
(författare)
-
Unexpected short- and long-term effects of chronic adolescent HU-210 exposure on emotional behavior
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Neuropharmacology. - : Elsevier. - 0028-3908 .- 1873-7064. ; 214
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chronic adolescent cannabinoid receptor agonist exposure has been shown to lead to persistent increases in depressive-like behaviors. This has been a key obstacle to the development of cannabinoid-based therapeutics. However, most of the published work has been performed with only three compounds, namely & UDelta;9-tetrahydro-cannabinol, CP55,940 and WIN55,212-2. Hypothesizing that different compounds may lead to distinct out-comes, we herein used the highly potent CB1R/CB2R full agonist HU-210, and first aimed at replicating cannabinoid-induced long-lasting effects, by exposing adolescent female Sprague-Dawley rats to increasing doses of HU-210, for 11 days and testing them at adulthood, after a 30-day drug washout. Surprisingly, HU-210 did not significantly impact adult anxious-or depressive-like behaviors. We then tested whether chronic adolescent HU -210 treatment resulted in short-term (24h) alterations in depressive-like behavior. Remarkably, HU-210 treat-ment simultaneously induced marked antidepressant-and prodepressant-like responses, in the modified forced swim (mFST) and sucrose preference tests (SPT), respectively. Hypothesizing that mFST results were a misleading artifact of HU-210-induced behavioral hyperreactivity to stress, we assessed plasmatic noradrenaline and corticosterone levels, under basal conditions and following an acute swim-stress episode. Notably, we found that while HU-210 did not alter basal noradrenaline or corticosterone levels, it greatly augmented the stress-induced increase in both. Our results show that, contrary to previously studied cannabinoid receptor agonists, HU-210 does not induce persisting depressive-like alterations, despite inducing marked short-term increases in stress-induced reactivity. By showing that not all cannabinoid receptor agonists may induce long-term negative effects, these results hold significant relevance for the development of cannabinoid-based therapeutics.
|
|
8. |
- Khatri, C, et al.
(författare)
-
Outcomes after perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with proximal femoral fractures: an international cohort study
- 2021
-
Ingår i: BMJ open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 11:11, s. e050830-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studies have demonstrated high rates of mortality in people with proximal femoral fracture and SARS-CoV-2, but there is limited published data on the factors that influence mortality for clinicians to make informed treatment decisions. This study aims to report the 30-day mortality associated with perioperative infection of patients undergoing surgery for proximal femoral fractures and to examine the factors that influence mortality in a multivariate analysis.SettingProspective, international, multicentre, observational cohort study.ParticipantsPatients undergoing any operation for a proximal femoral fracture from 1 February to 30 April 2020 and with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection (either 7 days prior or 30-day postoperative).Primary outcome30-day mortality. Multivariate modelling was performed to identify factors associated with 30-day mortality.ResultsThis study reports included 1063 patients from 174 hospitals in 19 countries. Overall 30-day mortality was 29.4% (313/1063). In an adjusted model, 30-day mortality was associated with male gender (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.68 to 3.13, p<0.001), age >80 years (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.31, p=0.013), preoperative diagnosis of dementia (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.16, p=0.005), kidney disease (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.55, p=0.005) and congestive heart failure (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.48, p=0.025). Mortality at 30 days was lower in patients with a preoperative diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.6 (0.42 to 0.85), p=0.004). There was no difference in mortality in patients with an increase to delay in surgery (p=0.220) or type of anaesthetic given (p=0.787).ConclusionsPatients undergoing surgery for a proximal femoral fracture with a perioperative infection of SARS-CoV-2 have a high rate of mortality. This study would support the need for providing these patients with individualised medical and anaesthetic care, including medical optimisation before theatre. Careful preoperative counselling is needed for those with a proximal femoral fracture and SARS-CoV-2, especially those in the highest risk groups.Trial registration numberNCT04323644
|
|
9. |
- Antunes, Filipe, et al.
(författare)
-
Network formation of catanionic vesicles and oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. Effect of polymer charge density and hydrophobic modification
- 2004
-
Ingår i: Langmuir. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 20:11, s. 4647-4656
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In nonequimolar solutions of a cationic and an anionic surfactant, vesicles bearing a net charge can be spontaneously formed and apparently exist as thermodynamically stable aggregates. These vesicles can associate strongly with polymers in solution by means of hydrophobic and/or electrostatic interactions. In the current work, we have investigated the rheological and microstructural properties of mixtures of cationic polyelectrolytes and net anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate/didodecyldimethylammonium bromide vesicles. The polyelectrolytes consist of two cationic cellulose derivatives with different charge densities; the lowest charge density polymer contains also hydrophobic grafts, with the number of charges equal to the number of grafts. For both systems, polymer-vesicle association leads to a major increase in viscosity and to gel-like behavior, but the viscosity effects are more pronounced for the less charged, hydrophobically modified polymer. Evaluation of the frequency dependence of the storage and loss moduli for the two systems shows further differences in behavior: while the more long-lived cross-links occur for the more highly charged hydrophilic polymer, the number of cross-links is higher for the hydrophobically modified polymer. Microstructure studies by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy indicate that the two polymers affect the vesicle stability in different ways. With the hydrophobically modified polymer, the aggregates remain largely in the form of globular vesicles and faceted vesicles (polygon-shaped vesicles with largely planar regions). For the hydrophilic polycation, on the other hand, the surfactant aggregate structure is more extensively modified: first, the vesicles change from a globular to a faceted shape; second, there is opening of the bilayers leading to holey vesicles and ultimately to considerable vesicle disruption leading to planar bilayer, disklike aggregates. The faceted shape is tentatively attributed to a crystallization of the surfactant film in the vesicles. It is inferred that a hydrophobically modified polyion with relatively low charge density can better stabilize vesicles due to formation of molecularly mixed aggregates, while a hydrophilic polyion with relatively high charge density associates so strongly to the surfactant films, due to strong electrostatic interactions, that the vesicles are more perturbed and even disrupted.
|
|
10. |
- Fröhlich-Gildhoff, Klaus, et al.
(författare)
-
Violence Prevention and Resilience Promotion in Schools : Report about the international research project STRONG - Supportive Tools for Resilient Open-minded and Non-violent Grassroots work in schools
- 2013
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Violent prevention research findings suggest different key aspects for the application of a powerful prevention strategy. The project tries to tackle the complexity of supporting a healthy mental development in children while also meeting the requirments for succesful prevention. Resilience promotion proved to be a suitable concept for implementing a violence prevention strategy in secondary schools. This two-year practice-oriented research project, with international partners from five contries had the aim of supporting schools in developing a resilience-promoting and violence-preventing strategy in a multi-level and multi-setting approach. As a result, a toolbox for resource-oriented training in schools for teachers and pupils was created. The measures undertaken during the project have been evaluated empirically and the iflunce of resilience-promoting acivities in school has been assessed. Different national implementations in easch country are presented as well as international comparisons, reflections and perspectives.
|
|
11. |
- Galinha, Iolanda Costa, et al.
(författare)
-
Cross-Cultural Comparison of Personality Traits, Attachment Security, and Satisfaction With Relationships as Predictors of Subjective Well-Being in India, Sweden, and the United States
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. - : SAGE Publications. - 0022-0221 .- 1552-5422. ; 47:8, s. 1033-1052
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Personality traits like Neuroticism and Extroversion, Satisfaction With Relationships, and Attachment Security are among the most important predictors of subjective well-being (SWB). However, the relative contribution of these predictors to SWB is seldom tested, and even more rarely tested cross-culturally. In this study, we replicate and extend Galinha, Oishi, Pereira, Wirtz, and Esteves, aiming to identify the strongest predictors of SWB, and in what way that contribution is universal or culture-specific, across such collectivist-individualist countries as India, Sweden, and the United States (N = 1,622). Structural equation modeling showed that Satisfaction With Relationships is a stronger predictor of SWB in India, while Neuroticism is a stronger predictor of SWB in Sweden and the United States, results consistent with prior Portuguese and Mozambican samples. These findings suggest that Satisfaction With Relationships is probably a stronger predictor of SWB in more collectivistic and less developed countries, while low Neuroticism is a stronger predictor of SWB in more individualistic and highly developed countries. Across all samples, Attachment Security and Extroversion showed very weak or nonsignificant effects on SWB above the contribution of Neuroticism and Satisfaction With Relationships, consistent with prior results. Neuroticism significantly mediated the relationship between Attachment Security, SWB, and Satisfaction With Relationships.
|
|
12. |
- Gei, Maga, et al.
(författare)
-
Legume abundance along successional and rainfall gradients in Neotropical forests
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Nature Ecology & Evolution. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-334X. ; 2:7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The nutrient demands of regrowing tropical forests are partly satisfied by nitrogen-fixing legume trees, but our understanding of the abundance of those species is biased towards wet tropical regions. Here we show how the abundance of Leguminosae is affected by both recovery from disturbance and large-scale rainfall gradients through a synthesis of forest inventory plots from a network of 42 Neotropical forest chronosequences. During the first three decades of natural forest regeneration, legume basal area is twice as high in dry compared with wet secondary forests. The tremendous ecological success of legumes in recently disturbed, water-limited forests is likely to be related to both their reduced leaflet size and ability to fix N2, which together enhance legume drought tolerance and water-use efficiency. Earth system models should incorporate these large-scale successional and climatic patterns of legume dominance to provide more accurate estimates of the maximum potential for natural nitrogen fixation across tropical forests.
|
|
13. |
|
|
14. |
- Gomes Guerreiro, Gabriel Miguel, et al.
(författare)
-
Cross-country faults in resonant-earthed networks : Fault analysis and distance protection
- 2021
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Cross-Country faults (CCFs) are characterized by the situation when two phase-to-earth faults are simultaneously active on different phases at different locations in a network. Specially for resonant-earthed systems the current through the earth during a CCF becomes many times higher than during a single phase-to-earth fault. So far, few studies have been carried about these faults on resonant-earthed networks, specially evaluating the performance of distance protection. In this paper, simulations in RSCAD/RTDS® using real data obtained from a resonant-earthed network in Scandinavia are performed and different effects on distance protection are simulated. Four types of CCFs showing different patterns are defined and explained. Phase-to-phase loops of distance protection proved to be quite ineffective to protect against CCF faults since the fault outside the protected line/cable increases the impedance path. Phase-to-earth loops are accurate for low-resistance faults in a conductor with single infeed (Types I and II). However, when the line/cable is fed from both ends, some challenges can appear (Types III and IV). For Type III, the non-faulted Ph-E loop can be measured inside the protection zone due to the high residual current while for Type IV Ph-E loops will have problems to operate at all due to the lack of residual current.
|
|
15. |
- Gomes Guerreiro, Gabriel Miguel, et al.
(författare)
-
Cross-Country faults in resonant-grounded networks : Mathematical modelling, simulations and field recordings
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Electric power systems research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-7796 .- 1873-2046. ; 196
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cross-Country Faults (CCFs) are defined by the occurrence of two Single Phase-to-Ground faults taking place simultaneously in different phases and at different locations of the galvanically connected network. Few studies about these faults in MV systems have been done so far, particularly with real fault data and simulations. In this work, first a mathematical model is derived to understand basic properties of CCFs. Then, simulations in RSCAD/RTDS (R) using real data obtained from an utility in Scandinavia are discussed and validated with two real faults measured in the field for resonant-grounded networks in Sweden and Norway. The mathematical calculations proved to have a good accuracy and showed important properties of CCFs such as the dependency of both faults of each others fault resistance and location. Furthermore, it was observed that such faults can be very different from more common types of faults in the power system. Interesting behaviors can appear particularly when feeders are connected in ring, where an extra current with smaller magnitude and 180 degrees appears on the measurement point, as well as in lines with double infeed where a very large difference is detected depending on the fault location which influences directly both ends of the line.
|
|
16. |
- Gorasso, Vanessa, et al.
(författare)
-
Burden of disease attributable to risk factors in European countries: a scoping literature review
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Archives of Public Health. - 0778-7367 .- 2049-3258. ; 81:1
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Within the framework of the burden of disease (BoD) approach, disease and injury burden estimates attributable to risk factors are a useful guide for policy formulation and priority setting in disease prevention. Considering the important differences in methods, and their impact on burden estimates, we conducted a scoping literature review to: (1) map the BoD assessments including risk factors performed across Europe; and (2) identify the methodological choices in comparative risk assessment (CRA) and risk assessment methods. Methods: We searched multiple literature databases, including grey literature websites and targeted public health agencies websites. Results: A total of 113 studies were included in the synthesis and further divided into independent BoD assessments (54 studies) and studies linked to the Global Burden of Disease (59 papers). Our results showed that the methods used to perform CRA varied substantially across independent European BoD studies. While there were some methodological choices that were more common than others, we did not observe patterns in terms of country, year or risk factor. Each methodological choice can affect the comparability of estimates between and within countries and/or risk factors, since they might significantly influence the quantification of the attributable burden. From our analysis we observed that the use of CRA was less common for some types of risk factors and outcomes. These included environmental and occupational risk factors, which are more likely to use bottom-up approaches for health outcomes where disease envelopes may not be available. Conclusions: Our review also highlighted misreporting, the lack of uncertainty analysis and the under-investigation of causal relationships in BoD studies. Development and use of guidelines for performing and reporting BoD studies will help understand differences, avoid misinterpretations thus improving comparability among estimates.
|
|
17. |
- Householder, John Ethan, et al.
(författare)
-
One sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is dependent on river floodplains
- 2024
-
Ingår i: NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION. - 2397-334X. ; 8, s. 901-911
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amazonia's floodplain system is the largest and most biodiverse on Earth. Although forests are crucial to the ecological integrity of floodplains, our understanding of their species composition and how this may differ from surrounding forest types is still far too limited, particularly as changing inundation regimes begin to reshape floodplain tree communities and the critical ecosystem functions they underpin. Here we address this gap by taking a spatially explicit look at Amazonia-wide patterns of tree-species turnover and ecological specialization of the region's floodplain forests. We show that the majority of Amazonian tree species can inhabit floodplains, and about a sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is ecologically specialized on floodplains. The degree of specialization in floodplain communities is driven by regional flood patterns, with the most compositionally differentiated floodplain forests located centrally within the fluvial network and contingent on the most extraordinary flood magnitudes regionally. Our results provide a spatially explicit view of ecological specialization of floodplain forest communities and expose the need for whole-basin hydrological integrity to protect the Amazon's tree diversity and its function.
|
|
18. |
- Jung, Christian, et al.
(författare)
-
A comparison of very old patients admitted to intensive care unit after acute versus elective surgery or intervention
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Journal of critical care. - : W B SAUNDERS CO-ELSEVIER INC. - 0883-9441 .- 1557-8615. ; 52, s. 141-148
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: We aimed to evaluate differences in outcome between patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) after elective versus acute surgery in a multinational cohort of very old patients (80 years; VIP). Predictors of mortality, with special emphasis on frailty, were assessed.Methods: In total, 5063 VIPs were induded in this analysis, 922 were admitted after elective surgery or intervention, 4141 acutely, with 402 after acute surgery. Differences were calculated using Mann-Whitney-U test and Wilcoxon test. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess associations with mortality.Results: Compared patients admitted after acute surgery, patients admitted after elective surgery suffered less often from frailty as defined as CFS (28% vs 46%; p < 0.001), evidenced lower SOFA scores (4 +/- 5 vs 7 +/- 7; p < 0.001). Presence of frailty (CFS >4) was associated with significantly increased mortality both in elective surgery patients (7% vs 12%; p = 0.01), in acute surgery (7% vs 12%; p = 0.02).Conclusions: VIPs admitted to ICU after elective surgery evidenced favorable outcome over patients after acute surgery even after correction for relevant confounders. Frailty might be used to guide clinicians in risk stratification in both patients admitted after elective and acute surgery.
|
|
19. |
- Lakens, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
-
Justify your alpha
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2397-3374. ; 2:3, s. 168-171
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In response to recommendations to redefine statistical significance to P ≤ 0.005, we propose that researchers should transparently report and justify all choices they make when designing a study, including the alpha level.
|
|
20. |
- Lanca, Miguel, et al.
(författare)
-
Numerical Simulation of the Thermal Performance of Four Concentrating Collectors with Bifacial PV Cells
- 2018
-
Ingår i: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ISES EUROSUN 2018 CONFERENCE - 12TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOLAR ENERGY FOR BUILDINGS AND INDUSTRY. - Freiburg, Germany : INTL SOLAR ENERGY SOC. - 9783982040806 ; , s. 810-821
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bifacial photovoltaic cells can produce electricity from the incoming solar radiation on both sides. Used in combination with concentrating solar technology, bifacial photovoltaic cells can see its electrical output further augmented, thus decreasing the cost per kWh. It is known, however, that the efficiency reduction when these cells are exposed to increased temperatures is a relevant factor. This can happen, for example, when they are mounted on a glassed collector or receiver. In this study, a thermal analysis is carried out on four prototypes of concentrating collectors with bifacial PV cells. Results show that, as expected, when glass and gables are removed from the collector, much better heat dissipation is achieved, thus resulting in favorable cell operation conditions.
|
|
21. |
- Lança, Miguel, et al.
(författare)
-
Thermal performance of three concentrating collectors with bifacial photovoltaic cells part I – Experimental and computational fluid dynamics study
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Institution of mechanical engineers. Part A, journal of power and energy. - : Sage. - 0957-6509 .- 2041-2967. ; 238:1, s. 140-156
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bifacial photovoltaic cells can produce electricity from incoming solar radiation on both sides. These cells have a strong potential to reduce electricity generation costs and may play an important role in the energy system of the future. However, today, these cells are mostly deployed with one side receiving only ground reflection, which leads to a profound sub-optimal utilization of one of the sides of the bifacial cells. Concentration allows a better usage of the potential of bifacial cells, which can lead to a lower cost per kWh. However, concentration also adds complexity due to the higher temperatures reached which add the requirement of cooling in order to achieve higher outputs. This way, this paper focuses on the effectiveness of forced air circulation methods by comparing the thermal performance of three specific concentrating bi-facial collector designs. This paper developed a computational model, using ANSYS Fluent intending to assess the thermal performance of a covered concentrating collector with bifacial Photovoltaic (PV) cells. These results have then been validated by outdoor measurements. Results show that even a simple natural ventilation mechanism such as removing the side gable can effectively reduce the receiver temperature, thus resulting in favourable cell operation conditions when compared to the case of an airtight collector. Therefore, compared with a standard model, a decrease of 13.5% on the cell operating temperature was reported when the side gables are removed. However, when forced ventilation is apllied a 22.8% reduction on temperature is found compared to the standard air-tight model. The validated CFD model has proven to be a useful and robust tool for the thermal analysis of solar concentrating systems.
|
|
22. |
- Lança, Miguel, et al.
(författare)
-
Thermal performance of three concentrating collectors with bifacial PV cells. Part II – parametrical study
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Institution of mechanical engineers. Part A, journal of power and energy. - : SAGE. - 0957-6509 .- 2041-2967.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the problems in using PV cells to extract energy from sunlight is the temperature effect on PV cells. As the solar panel is heated, the conversion efficiency of light to electrical energy is diminished. Moreover, successive temperature elevations can cause dilatations in the array of cells which may also contribute to the degradation of the receiver. Some of the operating temperature mitigation approaches may include air-flow ventilation. In this study, data obtained by experimental and numerical simulations of a collector with bifacial PV cells is compared to the expressions found in the literature for the estimation of the heat transfer coefficient. Forced ventilation was applied to the studied collector as it accounts for much better heat dissipation. A new correlation for the estimation of the heat transfer coefficient is developed for such a geometry, for inlet velocities ranging between 3 and 8 m/s. Values of heat transfer coefficient estimated in the present work have been compared with studies of other researchers.
|
|
23. |
- Lazar, Tamas, et al.
(författare)
-
PED in 2021 : A major update of the protein ensemble database for intrinsically disordered proteins
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nucleic Acids Research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0305-1048 .- 1362-4962. ; 49:D1, s. 404-411
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Protein Ensemble Database (PED) (https://proteinensemble.org), which holds structural ensembles of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), has been significantly updated and upgraded since its last release in 2016. The new version, PED 4.0, has been completely redesigned and reimplemented with cutting-edge technology and now holds about six times more data (162 versus 24 entries and 242 versus 60 structural ensembles) and a broader representation of state of the art ensemble generation methods than the previous version. The database has a completely renewed graphical interface with an interactive feature viewer for region-based annotations, and provides a series of descriptors of the qualitative and quantitative properties of the ensembles. High quality of the data is guaranteed by a new submission process, which combines both automatic and manual evaluation steps. A team of biocurators integrate structured metadata describing the ensemble generation methodology, experimental constraints and conditions. A new search engine allows the user to build advanced queries and search all entry fields including cross-references to IDP-related resources such as DisProt, MobiDB, BMRB and SASBDB. We expect that the renewed PED will be useful for researchers interested in the atomic-level understanding of IDP function, and promote the rational, structure-based design of IDP-targeting drugs.
|
|
24. |
- Luize, Bruno Garcia, et al.
(författare)
-
Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities
- 2024
-
Ingår i: JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY. - 0305-0270 .- 1365-2699. ; 51:7, s. 1163-1184
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods: Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results: In the terra firme and v & aacute;rzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igap & oacute; and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R-2 = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R-2 = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion: Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions.
|
|
25. |
- Macedo, António Filipe, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
-
Fixation in Patients with Juvenile Macular Disease
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Optometry and Vision Science. - 1040-5488 .- 1538-9235. ; 84:9, s. 852-858
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose. The instability of fixation with central scotoma has been mainly studied in patients with age-related macular diseases (MDs). However, early macular lesions can lead to different characteristics of fixation. The aim of this work was to study fixation in patients with juvenile MD.Methods. Eye movements of 10 patients and 10 controls were monitored during fixation. Visual fields were assessed by static perimetry to determine the extent of the field defects. Eye movements were separated into saccades and drifts, with fixation stability assessed by bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA). To quantify the number and location of preferred retinal loci (PRL), the kernel density estimator and expectation maximization for mixtures of gaussians were used.Results. Patients have worse fixation stability than controls and large BCEAs resulted in more than one PRL. It was found that central field defects (10°) have negative correlation with the size of BCEA. In addition, the meridian of saccades during fixation was correlated with the meridian inter-PRL.Conclusions. Patients with juvenile MDs have large BCEAs, frequently associated with two PRL. Similar results had been found for patients with age-related MDs. Also, the meridian of involuntary saccades during fixation was found to be correlated with the location of PRLs, suggesting a useful role of these movements in alternating between them.
|
|
26. |
- Malmström, Rickard E., et al.
(författare)
-
Dabigatran - a case history demonstrating the need for comprehensive approaches to optimize the use of new drugs
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Pharmacology. - : FRONTIERS RESEARCH FOUNDATION. - 1663-9812. ; 4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: There are potential conflicts between authorities and companies to fund new premium priced drugs especially where there are safety and/or budget concerns. Dabigatran, a new oral anticoagulant for the prevention of stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF), exemplifies this issue. Whilst new effective treatments are needed, there are issues in the elderly with dabigatran due to variable drug concentrations, no known antidote and dependence on renal elimination. Published studies have shown dabigatran to be cost-effective but there are budget concerns given the prevalence of AF. There are also issues with potentially re-designing anticoagulant services. This has resulted in activities across countries to better manage its use. Objective: To (i) review authority activities in over 30 countries and regions, (ii) use the findings to develop new models to better manage the entry of new drugs, and (iii) review the implications for all major stakeholder groups. Methodology: Descriptive review and appraisal of activities regarding dabigatran and the development of guidance for groups through an iterative process. Results: There has been a plethora of activities among authorities to manage the prescribing of dabigatran including extensive pre-launch activities, risk sharing arrangements, prescribing restrictions, and monitoring of prescribing post-launch. Reimbursement has been denied in some countries due to concerns with its budget impact and/or excessive bleeding. Development of a new model and future guidance is proposed to better manage the entry of new drugs, centering on three pillars of pre-, pen-, and post-launch activities. Conclusion: Models for introducing new drugs are essential to optimize their prescribing especially where there are concerns. Without such models, new drugs may be withdrawn prematurely and/or struggle for funding.
|
|
27. |
- Mir, Zahid Mohammad, et al.
(författare)
-
Numerical and Experimental Analysis of Self-Protection in Reinforced Concrete due to Application of Mg–Al–NO2 Layered Double Hydroxides
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Advanced Engineering Materials. - : Wiley-VCH Verlag. - 1438-1656 .- 1527-2648.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Concrete possesses an intrinsic chloride binding capacity. Chloride ions from the environment bind with the hydrated cementitious phases in the form of bound chlorides. The contribution of chemically bound chlorides toward increasing the service life of concrete structures is vital as they help in slowing down the chloride diffusion in the concrete thereby delaying reinforcement depassivation. The authors attempt to increase the chloride binding capacity of concrete by adding a small amount of Mg–Al–NO2 layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with the objective to delay reinforcement corrosion and by this to considerably extend the service life of concrete structures situated in harsh environments. This study presents numerical and experimental analysis of the action of LDH in concrete. Formation factor is used to determine the effective chloride diffusion coefficient. In addition, the chloride binding isotherms together with Poisson–Nernst–Planck equations are used to model the chloride ingress. A comparable chloride binding is observed for concrete with and without Mg–Al–NO2, depicting only a slight chloride uptake by Mg–Al–NO2. Further investigations are conducted to understand this behavior by studying the stability and chloride entrapping capacity Mg–Al–NO2 in concrete. © 2020 The Authors.
|
|
28. |
- Molina Gomez, Andrea, et al.
(författare)
-
Emergency power flow re-routing in a distribution system by using dynamic line rating
- 2020
-
Ingår i: 2020 International Conference on Probabilistic Methods Applied to Power Systems, PMAPS 2020 - Proceedings. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc..
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dynamic rating is a technology which allows loading power lines above their rated limits. More often, dynamic rating is used to transport new power and connect additional generators to the grid using existing infrastructure. However, this study explores the possibility to use dynamic rating for improving the security of supply and assisting fast reconnection of disconnected customers during emergency and fault situations occurring at other lines. DLR allows improving power system reliability during emergency conditions using Optimal Power Flow (OPF), which additionally helps to minimize costs of system operation. Large costs involving investment for new infrastructure and penalties for interruptions in the power supply can be considerably reduced by implementing DLR. Also, DLR can improve the reliability of the system by providing real-Time information on the status of power lines. Using Optimal Power Flow ensures that the lines loading, bus voltage magnitudes and angles as well as generation injections are within the acceptable limits as per the utility regulations. Faults are modelled as cases when one of the lines becomes disconnected. The bottlenecks in the system during post-fault situations are identified to determine optimal lines in the system on which DLR could be implemented.
|
|
29. |
- Padrela, Luis, et al.
(författare)
-
Formation of indomethacin-saccharin cocrystals using supercritical fluid technology
- 2009
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. - : Elsevier BV. - 0928-0987 .- 1879-0720. ; 38:1, s. 9-17
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The main objective of the present work is to check the feasibility of supercritical fluid (SCF) technologies in the screening and design of cocrystals (novel crystalline solids). The cocrystal formation tendencies in three different SCF techniques, focusing on distinct supercritical fluid properties - solvent, anti-solvent and atomization enhancer - were investigated. The effect of processing parameters on the cocrystal formation behaviour and particle properties in these techniques was also studied.A recently reported Indomethacin-Saccharin (IND-SAC) cocrystalline system was our model system. A 1:1 molar ratio of indomethacin (γ-form) and saccharin was used as a starting material. The SCF techniques employed in the study include the CSS technique (Cocrystallization with Supercritical Solvent), the SAS technique (Supercritical Anti-Solvent), and the AAS technique (Atomization and Anti-Solvent). The resulting cocrystalline phase was identified using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and Fourier Transform-Raman (FT-Raman). The particle morphologies and size distributions were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and aerosizer, respectively.The pure IND-SAC cocrystals were obtained from SAS and AAS processes, while partial to no cocrystal formation occurred in the CSS process. However, no remarkable differences were observed in terms of cocrystal formation at different processing conditions in SAS and AAS processes. Particles from CSS processes were agglomerated and large, whilst needle-to-block-shaped and spherical particles were obtained from SAS and AAS processes, respectively. The particle size distribution of these particles was 0.2 μm to 5 μm.Particulate IND-SAC cocrystals with different morphologies and sizes (nano-to micron) were produced using supercritical fluid techniques. This work demonstrates the potential of SCF technologies as screening methods for cocrystals with possibilities for particle engineering.
|
|
30. |
- Padrela, Luis, et al.
(författare)
-
Insight into the Mechanisms of Cocrystallization of Pharmaceuticals in Supercritical Solvents
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Crystal Growth & Design. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1528-7483 .- 1528-7505. ; 15:7, s. 3175-3181
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carbon dioxide has been extensively used as a green solvent medium for the crystallization of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) by replacing harmful organic solvents. This work explores the mechanisms underlying a novel recrystallization method-cocrystallization with supercritical solvent (CSS)-which enables APIs cocrystallization by suspending powders in pure CO2. Six well-known APIs that form cocrystals with saccharin (SAC) were processed by CSS, namely, theophylline (TPL), indomethacin (IND), carbamazepine (CBZ), caffeine (CAF), sulfamethazine (SFZ), and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Pure cocrystals were obtained for TPL, IND, and CBZ (with SAC) after 2 h of CSS processing. Convection was revealed to be a determining parameter for successful cocrystallization with high-yield levels. TPL-SAC was selected as a model system to study the cocrystallization kinetics in the gas, supercritical, and liquid phases under different conditions of pressure (8-20 MPa), temperature (30 to 70 degrees C), and convection regimes. The solubility of each substance in CO2 was measured at the selected working conditions. TPL-SAC showed a cocrystallization rate of 2.9% min(-1), two times higher than that of IND-SAC, due to the higher solubility of TPL in CO2. The cocrystallization kinetics was also improved by increasing the CO2 density, showing that cocrystallization was limited by the dissolution of cocrystal formers. Overall, the CSS process has a potential for scale-up as a novel, simple, solvent-free batch process whenever the cocrystal phase is formed in the CO2 media.
|
|
31. |
- Padrela, Luis, et al.
(författare)
-
Screening for pharmaceutical cocrystals using the supercritical fluid enhanced atomization process
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Journal of Supercritical Fluids. - : Elsevier BV. - 0896-8446 .- 1872-8162. ; 53:1-3, s. 156-164
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The supercritical fluid enhanced atomization (SEA) process was used to produce cocrystals of six different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs): indomethacin, theophylline, caffeine, sulfamethazine, aspirin and carbamazepine. Micrometric cocrystals using the FDA-approved sweetener saccharin (SAC) as a cocrystal former were produced from ethanol solutions using supercritical CO2 as the atomization enhancing fluid. The corresponding cocrystalline phases were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Particle morphologies and size distributions were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by aerosizer.The results presented here show the formation of cocrystals of all the APIs selected, evidencing the ability and the potentiality of the SEA technique to generate different pharmaceutical cocrystals. Cocrystal particles produced by SEA had similar mean particle size than those produced by classical grinding methods. Interestingly, a new cocrystal form of theophylline-saccharin (likely with a 1:2 stoichiometry) was obtained by the SEA method that has not been previously reported by traditional screening methods.
|
|
32. |
- Padrela, Luis, et al.
(författare)
-
Tuning physicochemical properties of theophylline by cocrystallization using the supercritical fluid enhanced atomization technique
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Supercritical Fluids. - : Elsevier BV. - 0896-8446 .- 1872-8162. ; 86, s. 129-136
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Formation of different micro- to nanosized cocrystals of theophylline is addressed by using the supercritical enhanced atomization (SEA) process. The experimental results presented here help to highlight how to prepare cocrystals of theophylline (TPL), using a supercritical fluid-based technique to accomplish the required physicochemical properties of that active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). The SEA process shows a strong versatility and feasibility towards the formation of highly pure theophylline cocrystals, using tetrahydrofuran as a solvent. The formation of TPL cocrystals with different types of morphology and dissolution behaviour/properties is induced by using different coformers, such as urea, saccharin, gentisic acid, salicylic acid, glutaric acid, sorbic acid, 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid, oxalic acid, maleic acid and nicotinamide. The solubility of each coformer in the dissolution medium of phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4 at 25 °C), could determine the dissolving rate behaviour of the produced cocrystals. Consequently, the low-soluble coformers generate TPL cocrystals with a slow-dissolving rate, while the use of highly-soluble coformers produces faster-dissolving TPL cocrystals. Albeit the SEA process operating temperature influences the mean cocrystal particle size, this technique shows a high potential as an effective cocrystal screening tool.
|
|
33. |
- Panchal, Rajan, et al.
(författare)
-
Evaluation of Symmetric C-PVT Solar Collector Designs with Vertical Bifacial Receivers
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the ISES Solar World Congress 2019 and IEA SHC International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry 2019. - Freiburg, Germany : International Solar Energy Society. - 9783982040813 ; , s. 165-176
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Photovoltaic thermal (PVT) solar collectors can be an effective solution for system output improvement. Photovoltaic thermal collectors naturally have a more expensive receiver than simpler photovoltaic or thermal only collectors, therefore making concentration a more appealing solution to achieve cost reduction. However, concentrating systems need careful analysis on the design phase in order to optimize the annual output. In addition, for stationary (non-tracking) collectors, it is critical to determine the incidence angle modifier (IAM).For this reason, a reflector study was carried out to determine suitable reflector designs for a stationary concentrating PVT collector. The reflectors were simulated using a Monte Carlo raytracing software called Tonatiuh. The two selected reflectors designs were named “pure parabola” (PP) and “compound parabolic concentrator” (CPC). The concentration ratio of 1.2 and 1.6 were selected for each reflector designs, which means a total of 4 collector troughs. The next step involved the construction of the two selected C-PVT collector designs, which were built and subsequently tested by the authors. The IAM was assessed and discussed by simulation and outdoor testing in detail.The IAM results show similar decreases in longitudinal IAM for both the PP and the CPC CPVT collector for the 1.2 concentration factor. For the transversal IAM with 1.2 of concentration factor, the CPC over performs. For the 1.6 concentration prototype collectors, the results are fairly similar. Lastly, the annual output was also simulated and presented.
|
|
34. |
- Pereira, Joana Gomes, et al.
(författare)
-
Livelihood vulnerability and human-wildlife interactions across protected areas
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Ecology and Society. - : Resilience Alliance. - 1708-3087. ; 29:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Protected Areas (PAs) are important wildlife refuges and act as climate change buffers, but they may impact human livelihoods, particularly engendering a high risk of negative human -wildlife interactions (HWI). Understanding synergies and tradeoffs among the drivers of overall human vulnerability within PAs is needed to ensure good outcomes for conservation and human wellbeing. We examined how climate variability, HWI, and socio-demographics affect livelihood vulnerability across three PAs in Mozambique, Southeast Africa. We used structured questionnaires to obtain information on livelihood vulnerability and socialecological context -specific variables. We applied principal component analysis to understand synergies and trade-offs between the dimensions of vulnerability and linear models to test the effect of social -ecological drivers on vulnerability. We show that households are mostly vulnerable within PAs due to exposure to climate variability and to HWI, and their low capacity to employ livelihood strategies or to have a strong social network. Furthermore, we show that vulnerability to HWI and climate variability increases with distance to strict protection areas within the PAs and distance to rivers, which implies that proximity to strict protection areas and rivers within PAs still promotes better livelihood conditions than elsewhere. On the other hand, we also found that lower access to infrastructure and other livelihood assets enhances vulnerability, which reflects a trade-off within PAs that potentially limits the benefits of socially inclusive conservation. Our results show that the impacts of PAs, HWI, and climate on community vulnerability should not be viewed in isolation, but instead, conservation and livelihood improvement strategies should reflect their interconnectedness. Although livelihood vulnerability appears to be shaped by these general effects of PAs, it is important also to consider the local PA context when addressing or mitigating livelihood vulnerability in and around them.
|
|
35. |
- Teixeira, Renata Roland, et al.
(författare)
-
Chronic stress induces a hyporeactivity of the autonomic nervous system in response to acute mental stressor and impairs cognitive performance in business executives
- 2015
-
Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 10:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study examined the incidence of chronic stress in business executives (109 subjects: 75 male and 34 female) and its relationship with cortisol levels, cognitive performance, and autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity after an acute mental stressor. Blood samples were collected from the subjects to measure cortisol concentration. After the sample collection, the subjects completed the Lipp Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults and the Stroop Color-Word Test to evaluate stress and cognitive performance levels, respectively. Saliva samples were collected prior to, immediately after, and five minutes after the test. The results revealed that 90.1% of the stressed subjects experienced stress phases that are considered chronic stress. At rest, the subjects with chronic stress showed higher cortisol levels, and no gender differences were observed. No differences were found between the stressed and non-stressed subjects regarding salivary amylase activity prior to test. Chronic stress also impaired performance on the Stroop test, which revealed higher rates of error and longer reaction times in the incongruent stimulus task independently of gender. For the congruent stimulus task of the Stroop test, the stressed males presented a higher rate of errors than the non-stressed males and a longer reaction time than the stressed females. After the acute mental stressor, the non-stressed male group showed an increase in salivary alpha-amylase activity, which returned to the initial values five minutes after the test; this ANS reactivity was not observed in the chronically stressed male subjects. The ANS responses of the non-stressed vs stressed female groups were not different prior to or after the Stroop test. This study is the first to demonstrate a blunted reactivity of the ANS when male subjects with chronic psychological stress were subjected to an acute mental stressor, and this change could contribute to impairments in cognitive performance.
|
|
36. |
- ter Steege, Hans, et al.
(författare)
-
Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora
- 2023
-
Ingår i: COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY. - 2399-3642. ; 6:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution. A study mapping the tree species richness in Amazonian forests shows that soil type exerts a strong effect on species richness, probably caused by the areas of these forest types. Cumulative water deficit, tree density and temperature seasonality affect species richness at a regional scale.
|
|
37. |
|
|