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- Lind, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)
- 2021
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Ingår i: eLife. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions.
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7. |
- Bixby, H., et al.
(författare)
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Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 569:7755, s. 260-4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities(.)(1,2) This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity(3-6). Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017-and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions-was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing-and in some countries reversal-of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories.
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- Taddei, C, et al.
(författare)
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Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 582:7810, s. 73-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol—which is a marker of cardiovascular risk—changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million–4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.
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- Kanoni, Stavroula, et al.
(författare)
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Implicating genes, pleiotropy, and sexual dimorphism at blood lipid loci through multi-ancestry meta-analysis.
- 2022
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Ingår i: Genome biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1474-760X .- 1465-6906 .- 1474-7596. ; 23:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genetic variants within nearly 1000 loci are known to contribute to modulation of blood lipid levels. However, the biological pathways underlying these associations are frequently unknown, limiting understanding of these findings and hindering downstream translational efforts such as drug target discovery.To expand our understanding of the underlying biological pathways and mechanisms controlling blood lipid levels, we leverage a large multi-ancestry meta-analysis (N=1,654,960) of blood lipids to prioritize putative causal genes for 2286 lipid associations using six gene prediction approaches. Using phenome-wide association (PheWAS) scans, we identify relationships of genetically predicted lipid levels to other diseases and conditions. We confirm known pleiotropic associations with cardiovascular phenotypes and determine novel associations, notably with cholelithiasis risk. We perform sex-stratified GWAS meta-analysis of lipid levels and show that 3-5% of autosomal lipid-associated loci demonstrate sex-biased effects. Finally, we report 21 novel lipid loci identified on the X chromosome. Many of the sex-biased autosomal and X chromosome lipid loci show pleiotropic associations with sex hormones, emphasizing the role of hormone regulation in lipid metabolism.Taken together, our findings provide insights into the biological mechanisms through which associated variants lead to altered lipid levels and potentially cardiovascular disease risk.
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19. |
- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(författare)
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TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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20. |
- Pelletier, F., et al.
(författare)
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Endocrine and Growth Abnormalities in 4H Leukodystrophy Caused by Variants in POLR3A, POLR3B, and POLR1C
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. - : The Endocrine Society. - 0021-972X .- 1945-7197. ; 106:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: 4H or POLR3-related leukodystrophy is an autosomal recessive disorder typically characterized by hypomyelination, hypodontia, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in POLR3A, POLR3B, POLR1C, and POLR3K. The endocrine and growth abnormalities associated with this disorder have not been thoroughly investigated to date. Objective: To systematically characterize endocrine abnormalities of patients with 4H leukodystrophy. Design: An international cross-sectional study was performed on 150 patients with genetically confirmed 4H leukodystrophy between 2015 and 2016. Endocrine and growth abnormalities were evaluated, and neurological and other non-neurological features were reviewed. Potential genotype/phenotype associations were also investigated. Setting: This was a multicenter retrospective study using information collected from 3 predominant centers. Patients: A total of 150 patients with 4H leukodystrophy and pathogenic variants in POLR3A, POLR3B, or POLR1C were included. Main Outcome Measures: Variables used to evaluate endocrine and growth abnormalities included pubertal history, hormone levels (estradiol, testosterone, stimulated LH and FSH, stimulated GH, IGF-I, prolactin, ACTH, cortisol, TSH, and T4), and height and head circumference charts. Results: The most common endocrine abnormalities were delayed puberty (57/74; 77% overall, 64% in males, 89% in females) and short stature (57/93; 61%), when evaluated according to physician assessment. Abnormal thyroid function was reported in 22% (13/59) of patients. Conclusions: Our results confirm pubertal abnormalities and short stature are the most common endocrine features seen in 4H leukodystrophy. However, we noted that endocrine abnormalities are typically underinvestigated in this patient population. A prospective study is required to formulate evidence-based recommendations for management of the endocrine manifestations of this disorder.
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21. |
- Fabian, ID, et al.
(författare)
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Travel burden and clinical presentation of retinoblastoma: analysis of 1024 patients from 43 African countries and 518 patients from 40 European countries
- 2021
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Ingår i: The British journal of ophthalmology. - : BMJ. - 1468-2079 .- 0007-1161. ; 105:10, s. 1435-1443
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The travel distance from home to a treatment centre, which may impact the stage at diagnosis, has not been investigated for retinoblastoma, the most common childhood eye cancer. We aimed to investigate the travel burden and its impact on clinical presentation in a large sample of patients with retinoblastoma from Africa and Europe.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis including 518 treatment-naïve patients with retinoblastoma residing in 40 European countries and 1024 treatment-naïve patients with retinoblastoma residing in 43 African countries.ResultsCapture rate was 42.2% of expected patients from Africa and 108.8% from Europe. African patients were older (95% CI −12.4 to −5.4, p<0.001), had fewer cases of familial retinoblastoma (95% CI 2.0 to 5.3, p<0.001) and presented with more advanced disease (95% CI 6.0 to 9.8, p<0.001); 43.4% and 15.4% of Africans had extraocular retinoblastoma and distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis, respectively, compared to 2.9% and 1.0% of the Europeans. To reach a retinoblastoma centre, European patients travelled 421.8 km compared to Africans who travelled 185.7 km (p<0.001). On regression analysis, lower-national income level, African residence and older age (p<0.001), but not travel distance (p=0.19), were risk factors for advanced disease.ConclusionsFewer than half the expected number of patients with retinoblastoma presented to African referral centres in 2017, suggesting poor awareness or other barriers to access. Despite the relatively shorter distance travelled by African patients, they presented with later-stage disease. Health education about retinoblastoma is needed for carers and health workers in Africa in order to increase capture rate and promote early referral.
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- Amiri, M., et al.
(författare)
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Periodic activity from a fast radio burst source
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 582:7812, s. 351-355
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright, millisecond-duration radio transients originating from sources at extragalactic distances1, the origin of which is unknown. Some FRB sources emit repeat bursts, ruling out cataclysmic origins for those events2–4. Despite searches for periodicity in repeat burst arrival times on timescales from milliseconds to many days2,5–7, these bursts have hitherto been observed to appear sporadically and—although clustered8—without a regular pattern. Here we report observations of a 16.35 ± 0.15 day periodicity (or possibly a higher-frequency alias of that periodicity) from the repeating FRB 180916.J0158+65 detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project4,9. In 38 bursts recorded from 16 September 2018 to 4 February 2020 utc, we find that all bursts arrive in a five-day phase window, and 50 per cent of the bursts arrive in a 0.6-day phase window. Our results suggest a mechanism for periodic modulation either of the burst emission itself or through external amplification or absorption, and disfavour models invoking purely sporadic processes.
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25. |
- Beale, M. A., et al.
(författare)
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Global phylogeny of Treponema pallidum lineages reveals recent expansion and spread of contemporary syphilis
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Microbiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-5276. ; 6:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Syphilis, which is caused by the sexually transmitted bacterium Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, has an estimated 6.3 million cases worldwide per annum. In the past ten years, the incidence of syphilis has increased by more than 150% in some high-income countries, but the evolution and epidemiology of the epidemic are poorly understood. To characterize the global population structure of T. pallidum, we assembled a geographically and temporally diverse collection of 726 genomes from 626 clinical and 100 laboratory samples collected in 23 countries. We applied phylogenetic analyses and clustering, and found that the global syphilis population comprises just two deeply branching lineages, Nichols and SS14. Both lineages are currently circulating in 12 of the 23 countries sampled. We subdivided T. p.pallidum into 17 distinct sublineages to provide further phylodynamic resolution. Importantly, two Nichols sublineages have expanded clonally across 9 countries contemporaneously with SS14. Moreover, pairwise genome analyses revealed examples of isolates collected within the last 20 years from 14 different countries that had genetically identical core genomes, which might indicate frequent exchange through international transmission. It is striking that most samples collected before 1983 are phylogenetically distinct from more recently isolated sublineages. Using Bayesian temporal analysis, we detected a population bottleneck occurring during the late 1990s, followed by rapid population expansion in the 2000s that was driven by the dominant T. pallidum sublineages circulating today. This expansion may be linked to changing epidemiology, immune evasion or fitness under antimicrobial selection pressure, since many of the contemporary syphilis lineages we have characterized are resistant to macrolides. Global syphilis prevalence has been increasing. Sequencing and analysis of a global collection of 726 Treponema pallidum samples reveal globally circulating lineages linked to a rapid expansion occurring since the end of the twentieth century.
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27. |
- Tinetti, G., et al.
(författare)
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A chemical survey of exoplanets with ARIEL
- 2018
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Ingår i: Experimental Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 46:1, s. 135-209
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Thousands of exoplanets have now been discovered with a huge range of masses, sizes and orbits: from rocky Earth-like planets to large gas giants grazing the surface of their host star. However, the essential nature of these exoplanets remains largely mysterious: there is no known, discernible pattern linking the presence, size, or orbital parameters of a planet to the nature of its parent star. We have little idea whether the chemistry of a planet is linked to its formation environment, or whether the type of host star drives the physics and chemistry of the planet’s birth, and evolution. ARIEL was conceived to observe a large number (~1000) of transiting planets for statistical understanding, including gas giants, Neptunes, super-Earths and Earth-size planets around a range of host star types using transit spectroscopy in the 1.25–7.8 μm spectral range and multiple narrow-band photometry in the optical. ARIEL will focus on warm and hot planets to take advantage of their well-mixed atmospheres which should show minimal condensation and sequestration of high-Z materials compared to their colder Solar System siblings. Said warm and hot atmospheres are expected to be more representative of the planetary bulk composition. Observations of these warm/hot exoplanets, and in particular of their elemental composition (especially C, O, N, S, Si), will allow the understanding of the early stages of planetary and atmospheric formation during the nebular phase and the following few million years. ARIEL will thus provide a representative picture of the chemical nature of the exoplanets and relate this directly to the type and chemical environment of the host star. ARIEL is designed as a dedicated survey mission for combined-light spectroscopy, capable of observing a large and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. Transit, eclipse and phase-curve spectroscopy methods, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allow us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of 10–100 part per million (ppm) relative to the star and, given the bright nature of targets, also allows more sophisticated techniques, such as eclipse mapping, to give a deeper insight into the nature of the atmosphere. These types of observations require a stable payload and satellite platform with broad, instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect many molecular species, probe the thermal structure, identify clouds and monitor the stellar activity. The wavelength range proposed covers all the expected major atmospheric gases from e.g. H2O, CO2, CH4 NH3, HCN, H2S through to the more exotic metallic compounds, such as TiO, VO, and condensed species. Simulations of ARIEL performance in conducting exoplanet surveys have been performed – using conservative estimates of mission performance and a full model of all significant noise sources in the measurement – using a list of potential ARIEL targets that incorporates the latest available exoplanet statistics. The conclusion at the end of the Phase A study, is that ARIEL – in line with the stated mission objectives – will be able to observe about 1000 exoplanets depending on the details of the adopted survey strategy, thus confirming the feasibility of the main science objectives.
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28. |
- Anderson, Beverley H., et al.
(författare)
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Mutations in CTC1, encoding conserved telomere maintenance component 1, cause Coats plus
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 44:3, s. 338-342
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coats plus is a highly pleiotropic disorder particularly affecting the eye, brain, bone and gastrointestinal tract. Here, we show that Coats plus results from mutations in CTC1, encoding conserved telomere maintenance component 1, a member of the mammalian homolog of the yeast heterotrimeric CST telomeric capping complex. Consistent with the observation of shortened telomeres in an Arabidopsis CTC1 mutant and the phenotypic overlap of Coats plus with the telomeric maintenance disorders comprising dyskeratosis congenita, we observed shortened telomeres in three individuals with Coats plus and an increase in spontaneous gamma H2AX-positive cells in cell lines derived from two affected individuals. CTC1 is also a subunit of the alpha-accessory factor (AAF) complex, stimulating the activity of DNA polymerase-alpha primase, the only enzyme known to initiate DNA replication in eukaryotic cells. Thus, CTC1 may have a function in DNA metabolism that is necessary for but not specific to telomeric integrity.
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32. |
- Abudurexiti, A, et al.
(författare)
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Taxonomy of the order Bunyavirales: update 2019
- 2019
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Ingår i: Archives of virology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-8798 .- 0304-8608. ; 164:7, s. 1949-1965
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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35. |
- Harshita, S., et al.
(författare)
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Genetic Privacy Shields: A DNA Steganography Approach for Multi-Level Text Encryption : iling the Future of Genetic Data Protection
- 2023
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Ingår i: 2023 1st International Conference on Advances in Electrical, Electronics and Computational Intelligence, ICAEECI 2023. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9798350342796
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the current era genetic sequencing has emerged as an indispensable methodology for examining diverse DNA profiles across domains encompassing healthcare, agriculture, and forensic science. To enhance precision, a range of techniques, including high-throughput shotgun sequencing, have evolved over time. Recent strides in next-generation sequencing methodologies have facilitated the embedding of data within DNA using synthesized oligonucleotides. Notably, significant efforts have been dedicated to embedding extensive volumes of information within living organisms to safeguard intellectual property. When it comes to DNA steganography, traditional detection methods, exemplified by frequency analysis-based approaches, often overlook crucial signals and are susceptible to newly emerging steganography techniques. This study undertakes a comprehensive analysis of inherent allocations, distribution variance computation, and the classification of sequences as coding or non-coding. Our research endeavors to devise an advanced security strategy employing DNA steganography. Central to our proposition is the utilization of DNA steganography to forge a robust security framework. In this study, we introduce the DNA-Genetic Encryption (D-GET) mechanism to augment security. The D-GET technique involves the binarization of digital data followed by its conversion into DNA sequences. Subsequently, a sequence of operations, including reshaping, encryption, crossover, and mutation, is performed iteratively to heighten the robustness and unpredictability of the technique. The core processes of D-GET are iterated at least three times. Encrypted data is transmitted in either text or image file formats. Upon reception, the D-GET approach is employed to decode and restore the acquired data to its original form. A distinguishing aspect of our approach is the transformation of textual content into visual representations and vice versa, augmenting security measures. Multiple key sequences are leveraged to amplify the degree of dispersion and ambiguity, rendering the final cipher data highly intricate to decipher. Empirical observations highlight that our proposed methodology affords multi-layered security attributes, fortified by multi-stage and genetic operations, rendering it resilient against diverse threats and affording an elevated level of safeguarding. Notably, the methodology's efficacy derives from the pronounced divergence between the transformed information and the confidential content, thereby reinforcing the integrity of the encryption framework.
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36. |
- Marcote, B., et al.
(författare)
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A repeating fast radio burst source localized to a nearby spiral galaxy
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 577:7789, s. 190-194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief, bright, extragalactic radio flashes1,2. Their physical origin remains unknown, but dozens of possible models have been postulated3. Some FRB sources exhibit repeat bursts4–7. Although over a hundred FRB sources have been discovered8, only four have been localized and associated with a host galaxy9–12, and just one of these four is known to emit repeating FRBs9. The properties of the host galaxies, and the local environments of FRBs, could provide important clues about their physical origins. The first known repeating FRB, however, was localized to a low-metallicity, irregular dwarf galaxy, and the apparently non-repeating sources were localized to higher-metallicity, massive elliptical or star-forming galaxies, suggesting that perhaps the repeating and apparently non-repeating sources could have distinct physical origins. Here we report the precise localization of a second repeating FRB source6, FRB 180916.J0158+65, to a star-forming region in a nearby (redshift 0.0337 ± 0.0002) massive spiral galaxy, whose properties and proximity distinguish it from all known hosts. The lack of both a comparably luminous persistent radio counterpart and a high Faraday rotation measure6 further distinguish the local environment of FRB 180916.J0158+65 from that of the single previously localized repeating FRB source, FRB 121102. This suggests that repeating FRBs may have a wide range of luminosities, and originate from diverse host galaxies and local environments.
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37. |
- Naidu, R., et al.
(författare)
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Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) : Current status and research needs
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Technology & Innovation. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-1864. ; 19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An expert workshop focusing on per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was held in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia in September 2019 following the 8th International Contaminated Site Remediation Conference — CleanUp 2019. The workshop was organised by the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE) and was chaired by Professor Ravi Naidu, CEO and Managing Director of CRC CARE and Director of the Global Centre for Environmental Remediation at the University of Newcastle, NSW. The purpose of the workshop, which was attended by more than 50 experts in the field of contaminated land assessment and management, was to discuss the current state of play and research needs relating to PFAS contaminated sites. This paper provides a summary of the discussions and conclusions and lists actions and needs that the expert group identified as critical for pursuing successful PFAS management and remedy approaches.This paper is intended to capture the shared information, comments, and current thinking related to PFAS challenges and research needs as identified by the group of expert participants; the write up is not intended to be a complete dissertation on the science and work that has been carried out. With a fast-evolving subject and increased government and public attention on PFAS presence in the environment, the group was convened with the objective of providing value in contributing to solutions to the PFAS challenges that are faced both in Australia and internationally. The text contained herein provides references to observations and methods that the experts drew on in their discussions and in support of their commentary; documentation of the original references was not provided, and the reader should consult the scientific literature if further information and confirmation of observations is required. Following a brief on the background to PFAS challenges, the paper focusses on research gaps identified by experts with focus on Australian soils and groundwater including climatic patterns, an overview of PFAS research in Australia with emphasis on:RegulatoryAnalytical considerationsEcological and Human Health RisksFate and TransportRemediation and Risk Management.
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38. |
- Pleunis, Z., et al.
(författare)
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LOFAR Detection of 110-188MHz emission and frequency-dependent activity from FRB20180916B
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 911:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The object FRB 20180916B is a well-studied repeating fast radio burst source. Its proximity (∼150 Mpc), along with detailed studies of the bursts, has revealed many clues about its nature, including a 16.3 day periodicity in its activity. Here we report on the detection of 18 bursts using LOFAR at 110-188 MHz, by far the lowest-frequency detections of any FRB to date. Some bursts are seen down to the lowest observed frequency of 110 MHz, suggesting that their spectra extend even lower. These observations provide an order-of-magnitude stronger constraint on the optical depth due to freëCfree absorption in the source's local environment. The absence of circular polarization and nearly flat polarization angle curves are consistent with burst properties seen at 300-1700 MHz. Compared with higher frequencies, the larger burst widths (∼40-160 ms at 150 MHz) and lower linear polarization fractions are likely due to scattering. We find ∼2-3 rad m variations in the Faraday rotation measure that may be correlated with the activity cycle of the source. We compare the LOFAR burst arrival times to those of 38 previously published and 22 newly detected bursts from the uGMRT (200-450 MHz) and CHIME/FRB (400-800 MHz). Simultaneous observations show five CHIME/FRB bursts when no emission is detected by LOFAR. We find that the burst activity is systematically delayed toward lower frequencies by about 3 days from 600 to 150 MHz. We discuss these results in the context of a model in which FRB 20180916B is an interacting binary system featuring a neutron star and high-mass stellar companion.
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39. |
- Singh, Purnima, et al.
(författare)
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High-spin spectroscopy of I-122
- 2012
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Ingår i: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 85:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-spin states in I-122 have been investigated using the Cd-116(B-11,5n)I-122 reaction at a beam energy of 65 MeV and gamma-ray coincidence events were recorded with the INGA spectrometer. The level scheme of I-122 has been extended up to spin I = 30. Experimental features, such as band-crossing frequencies, aligned angular momenta, signature splitting, and B(M1)/B(E2) ratios have been used for configuration assignments to low-energy band structures. Maximally aligned states involving all eight particles outside the Sn-114 core and states with one particle antialigned have been identified. Cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations have been used to interpret high-spin structures.
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40. |
- Beale, M., et al.
(författare)
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CONTEMPORARY SYPHILIS IS CHARACTERISED BY RAPID GLOBAL SPREAD OF PANDEMIC TREPONEMA PALLIDUM LINEAGES
- 2021
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Ingår i: Sexually Transmitted Infections. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 1368-4973 .- 1472-3263. ; 97:Suppl. 1, s. A17-A17
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Syphilis is an important sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The last two decades have seen syphilis incidence rise in many high-income countries, yet the evolutionary and epidemiological relationships that underpin this are poorly understood, as is the global T. pallidum population structure.Methods: We assembled a geographically and temporally diverse collection of clinical and laboratory samples, performing direct sequencing on the majority, and combining these with 133 publicly available sequences to compile a dataset comprising 726 T. pallidum genomes. We analysed the resulting genomes using detailed phylogenetic analysis and clustering.Results: We show that syphilis globally can be described by only two deeply branching lineages, Nichols and SS14. We show that both of these lineages can be found circulatingcon currently in 12 of the 23 countries sampled. To provide further phylodynamic resolution we subdivided Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum into 17 distinct sublineages. Importantly, like SS14, we provide evidence that two Nichols sublineages have expanded clonally across 9 countries contemporaneously with SS14. Moreover, pairwise genome analysis showed that recent isolates circulating in 14 different countries were genetically identical in their core genome to those from other countries, suggesting frequent exchange through international transmission pathways. This contrasts with the majority of samples collected prior to 1983, which are phylogenetically distinct from these more recently isolated sublineages. Bayesian temporal analysis provided evidence of a population bottleneck and decline occurring during the late 1990s, followed by a rapid population expansion a decade later. This was driven by the dominant T. pallidum sublineages circulating today, many of which are resistant to macrolides.Conclusion: Combined we show that the population of contemporary syphilis in high-income countries has undergone a recent and rapid global expansion. This dataset will provide a framework for future characterisation and epidemiological investigation of syphilis populations.
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- Casares, L., et al.
(författare)
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The synthetic triterpenoids CDDO-TFEA and CDDO-Me, but not CDDO, promote nuclear exclusion of BACH1 impairing its activity
- 2022
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Ingår i: Redox Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2213-2317. ; 51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The transcription factor BACH1 is a potential therapeutic target for a variety of chronic conditions linked to oxidative stress and inflammation, as well as cancer metastasis. However, only a few BACH1 degraders/inhibitors have been described. BACH1 is a transcriptional repressor of heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1), which is positively regulated by transcription factor NRF2 and is highly inducible by derivatives of the synthetic oleanane triterpenoid 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO). Most of the therapeutic activities of these compounds are due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which are widely attributed to their ability to activate NRF2. However, with such a broad range of action, these compounds have other molecular targets that have not been fully identified and could also be of importance for their therapeutic profile. Herein we identified BACH1 as a target of two CDDO-derivatives (CDDO-Me and CDDO-TFEA), but not of CDDO. While both CDDO and CDDO-derivatives activate NRF2 similarly, only CDDO-Me and CDDO-TFEA inhibit BACH1, which explains the much higher potency of these CDDO-derivatives as HMOX1 inducers compared with unmodified CDDO. Notably, we demonstrate that CDDO-Me and CDDO-TFEA inhibit BACH1 via a novel mechanism that reduces BACH1 nuclear levels while accumulating its cytoplasmic form. In an in vitro model, both CDDO-derivatives impaired lung cancer cell invasion in a BACH1-dependent and NRF2-independent manner, while CDDO was inactive. Altogether, our study identifies CDDO-Me and CDDO-TFEA as dual KEAP1/BACH1 inhibitors, providing a rationale for further therapeutic uses of these drugs.
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- Kumar, M., et al.
(författare)
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Arsenic and trace elements in groundwater, vegetables and selected food grains from middle gangetic plain—human health perspective
- 2016
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Ingår i: Arsenic Research and Global Sustainability - Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on Arsenic in the Environment, AS 2016. - : CRC Press/Balkema. - 9781138029415 ; , s. 320-321
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Very limited efforts have been directed to determine the degree of Arsenic (As) and other trace elements contamination in food grains and understanding the associated risk to human through consumption of food in middle Gangetic plain of Bihar, India. Arsenic concentration in groundwater (>80%) samples found above BIS and WHO permissible limit, while 28% samples exceeded the previous WHO drinking water guideline (400 μg/L) for manganese (Mn). In dietary food grains As followed the sequence as rice > wheat > maize. The estimated daily intake by individual of As, Mn, Ni, Cd, Co, Pb, Zn and Cr from drinking water and dietary food grains were 169,14582, 474, 19, 26, 1449, 12955 and 882 μg/ kg. The Health Risk Index (HRI) were >1 for As in drinking water, vegetables and rice indicated the potential health risk to the residents of the study area. However, HRI <1 for wheat and maize indicate a relative absence of health risks associated with their ingestion.
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- MacDougall, Andrew S., et al.
(författare)
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Widening global variability in grassland biomass since the 1980s
- 2024
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Ingår i: Nature Ecology & Evolution. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-334X.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global change is associated with variable shifts in the annual production of aboveground plant biomass, suggesting localized sensitivities with unclear causal origins. Combining remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index data since the 1980s with contemporary field data from 84 grasslands on 6 continents, we show a widening divergence in site-level biomass ranging from +51% to −34% globally. Biomass generally increased in warmer, wetter and species-rich sites with longer growing seasons and declined in species-poor arid areas. Phenological changes were widespread, revealing substantive transitions in grassland seasonal cycling. Grazing, nitrogen deposition and plant invasion were prevalent in some regions but did not predict overall trends. Grasslands are undergoing sizable changes in production, with implications for food security, biodiversity and carbon storage especially in arid regions where declines are accelerating.
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