| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N, et al.
(författare)
-
The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 7:1, s. 145-188
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N., et al.
(författare)
-
The PREDICTS database : a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 4:24, s. 4701-4735
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - ). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
| 11. |
- Tang, R., et al.
(författare)
-
A literature review of Artificial Intelligence applications in railway systems
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Transportation Research Part C. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0968-090X .- 1879-2359. ; 140
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nowadays it is widely accepted that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is significantly influencing a large number of domains, including railways. In this paper, we present a systematic literature review of the current state-of-the-art of AI in railway transport. In particular, we analysed and discussed papers from a holistic railway perspective, covering sub-domains such as maintenance and inspection, planning and management, safety and security, autonomous driving and control, revenue management, transport policy, and passenger mobility. This review makes an initial step towards shaping the role of AI in future railways and provides a summary of the current focuses of AI research connected to rail transport. We reviewed about 139 scientific papers covering the period from 2010 to December 2020. We found that the major research efforts have been put in AI for rail maintenance and inspection, while very limited or no research has been found on AI for rail transport policy and revenue management. The remaining sub-domains received mild to moderate attention. AI applications are promising and tend to act as a game-changer in tackling multiple railway challenges. However, at the moment, AI research in railways is still mostly at its early stages. Future research can be expected towards developing advanced combined AI applications (e.g. with optimization), using AI in decision making, dealing with uncertainty and tackling newly rising cybersecurity challenges.
|
|
| 12. |
- Canonico, R., et al.
(författare)
-
Automatic Generation of Domain-Aware Control Plane Logic for Software Defined Railway Communication Networks
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 13704. - Cham : Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. - 9783031197611 ; , s. 308-320
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The emergence of 5G technologies opens up new opportunities for railway communications. One of the foundational aspects of 5G architecture is its control-plane programmability, which can be achieved through Software Defined Networking (SDN). In railway scenarios, this can be used to dynamically reconfigure the network for a more effective and efficient management of communication flows produced by moving trains. The paper presents a framework for integrating modelling and analysis tools into a programmable control plane specifically tailored to railway communications. We introduce the concept of domain-awareness in the network control plane as an SDN-enabled feature that allows achieving application-specific advantages besides those purely expressed in terms of key performance indicators such as the quality of service. We propose a reference architecture in which domain-awareness in the control plane is obtained by considering information gathered by network devices and ad-hoc communication gateways that are able to detect relevant signalling events. In the architecture, the actual behaviour of the SDN controller is governed by applications that are able to react to specific triggers and re-configure network devices accordingly. We also provide a methodological framework based on model-driven engineering and formal methods, including dynamic state machines, for the automatic generation of SDN control plane logic.
|
|
| 13. |
- Hering, Bernhard J., et al.
(författare)
-
Phase 3 Trial of Transplantation of Human Islets in Type 1 Diabetes Complicated by Severe Hypoglycemia
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Diabetes Care. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0149-5992 .- 1935-5548. ; 39:7, s. 1230-1240
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE Impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) and severe hypoglycemic events (SHEs) cause substantial morbidity and mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Current therapies are effective in preventing SHEs in 50-80% of patients with IAH and SHEs, leaving a substantial number of patients at risk. We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of a standardized human pancreatic islet product in subjects in whom IAH and SHEs persisted despite medical treatment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This multicenter, single-arm, phase 3 study of the investigational product purified human pancreatic islets (PHPI) was conducted at eight centers in North America. Forty-eight adults with T1D for >5 years, absent stimulated C-peptide, and documented IAH and SHEs despite expert care were enrolled. Each received immunosuppression and one or more transplants of PHPI, manufactured on-site under good manufacturing practice conditions using a common batch record and standardized lot release criteria and test methods. The primary end point was the achievement of HbA(1c) <7.0% (53 mmol/mol) at day 365 and freedom from SHEs from day 28 to day 365 after the first transplant. RESULTS The primary end point was successfully met by 87.5% of subjects at 1 year and by 71% at 2 years. The median HbA(1c) level was 5.6% (38 mmol/mol) at both 1 and 2 years. Hypoglycemia awareness was restored, with highly significant improvements in Clarke and HYPO scores (P > 0.0001). No study-related deaths or disabilities occurred. Five of the enrollees (10.4%) experienced bleeds requiring transfusions (corresponding to 5 of 75 procedures), and two enrollees (4.1%) had infections attributed to immunosuppression. Glomerular filtration rate decreased significantly on immunosuppression, and donor-specific antibodies developed in two patients. CONCLUSIONS Transplanted PHPI provided glycemic control, restoration of hypoglycemia awareness, and protection from SHEs in subjects with intractable IAH and SHEs. Safety events occurred related to the infusion procedure and immunosuppression, including bleeding and decreased renal function. Islet transplantation should be considered for patients with T1D and IAH in whom other, less invasive current treatments have been ineffective in preventing SHEs.
|
|
| 14. |
- Lembrechts, Jonas J., et al.
(författare)
-
SoilTemp : A global database of near-surface temperature
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:11, s. 6616-6629
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Current analyses and predictions of spatially explicit patterns and processes in ecology most often rely on climate data interpolated from standardized weather stations. This interpolated climate data represents long-term average thermal conditions at coarse spatial resolutions only. Hence, many climate-forcing factors that operate at fine spatiotemporal resolutions are overlooked. This is particularly important in relation to effects of observation height (e.g. vegetation, snow and soil characteristics) and in habitats varying in their exposure to radiation, moisture and wind (e.g. topography, radiative forcing or cold-air pooling). Since organisms living close to the ground relate more strongly to these microclimatic conditions than to free-air temperatures, microclimatic ground and near-surface data are needed to provide realistic forecasts of the fate of such organisms under anthropogenic climate change, as well as of the functioning of the ecosystems they live in. To fill this critical gap, we highlight a call for temperature time series submissions to SoilTemp, a geospatial database initiative compiling soil and near-surface temperature data from all over the world. Currently, this database contains time series from 7,538 temperature sensors from 51 countries across all key biomes. The database will pave the way toward an improved global understanding of microclimate and bridge the gap between the available climate data and the climate at fine spatiotemporal resolutions relevant to most organisms and ecosystem processes.
|
|
| 15. |
- Markmann, James F., et al.
(författare)
-
Phase 3 trial of human islet-after-kidney transplantation in type 1 diabetes
- 2021
-
Ingår i: American Journal of Transplantation. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1600-6135 .- 1600-6143. ; 21:4, s. 1477-1492
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Allogeneic islet transplant offers a minimally invasive option for beta cell replacement in the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The CIT consortium trial of purified human pancreatic islets (PHPI) in patients with T1D after kidney transplant (CIT06), a National Institutes of Health-sponsored phase 3, prospective, open-label, single-arm pivotal trial of PHPI, was conducted in 24 patients with impaired awareness of hypoglycemia while receiving intensive insulin therapy. PHPI were manufactured using standardized processes. PHPI transplantation was effective with 62.5% of patients achieving the primary endpoint of freedom from severe hypoglycemic events and HbA(1c) <= 6.5% or reduced by >= 1 percentage point at 1 year posttransplant. Median HbA(1c)declined from 8.1% before to 6.0% at 1 year and 6.3% at 2 and 3 years following transplant (P < .001 for all vs baseline), with related improvements in hypoglycemia awareness and glucose variability. The improved metabolic control was associated with better health-related and diabetes-related quality of life. The procedure was safe and kidney allograft function remained stable after 3 years. These results add to evidence establishing allogeneic islet transplant as a safe and effective treatment for patients with T1D and unstable glucose control despite intensive insulin treatment, supporting the indication for PHPI in the post-renal transplant setting.
|
|
| 16. |
- Markoulli, Maria, et al.
(författare)
-
BCLA CLEAR Presbyopia : Epidemiology and impact
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Contact lens & anterior eye. - : Elsevier. - 1367-0484 .- 1476-5411.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The global all-ages prevalence of epidemiologically-measured 'functional' presbyopia was estimated at 24.9% in 2015, affecting 1.8 billion people. This prevalence was projected to stabilise at 24.1% in 2030 due to increasing myopia, but to affect more people (2.1 billion) due to population dynamics. Factors affecting the prevalence of presbyopia include age, geographic location, urban versus rural location, sex, and, to a lesser extent, socioeconomic status, literacy and education, health literacy and inequality. Risk factors for early onset of presbyopia included environmental factors, nutrition, near demands, refractive error, accommodative dysfunction, medications, certain health conditions and sleep. Presbyopia was found to impact on quality-of-life, in particular quality of vision, labour force participation, work productivity and financial burden, mental health, social wellbeing and physical health. Current understanding makes it clear that presbyopia is a very common age-related condition that has significant impacts on both patient-reported outcome measures and economics. However, there are complexities in defining presbyopia for epidemiological and impact studies. Standardisation of definitions will assist future synthesis, pattern analysis and sense-making between studies.
|
|
| 17. |
- Maron, David J., et al.
(författare)
-
Initial Invasive or Conservative Strategy for Stable Coronary Disease
- 2020
-
Ingår i: New England Journal of Medicine. - 0028-4793 .- 1533-4406. ; 382:15, s. 1395-1407
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Among patients with stable coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia, whether clinical outcomes are better in those who receive an invasive intervention plus medical therapy than in those who receive medical therapy alone is uncertain.Methods: We randomly assigned 5179 patients with moderate or severe ischemia to an initial invasive strategy (angiography and revascularization when feasible) and medical therapy or to an initial conservative strategy of medical therapy alone and angiography if medical therapy failed. The primary outcome was a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure, or resuscitated cardiac arrest. A key secondary outcome was death from cardiovascular causes or myocardial infarction.Results: Over a median of 3.2 years, 318 primary outcome events occurred in the invasive-strategy group and 352 occurred in the conservative-strategy group. At 6 months, the cumulative event rate was 5.3% in the invasive-strategy group and 3.4% in the conservative-strategy group (difference, 1.9 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8 to 3.0); at 5 years, the cumulative event rate was 16.4% and 18.2%, respectively (difference, -1.8 percentage points; 95% CI, -4.7 to 1.0). Results were similar with respect to the key secondary outcome. The incidence of the primary outcome was sensitive to the definition of myocardial infarction; a secondary analysis yielded more procedural myocardial infarctions of uncertain clinical importance. There were 145 deaths in the invasive-strategy group and 144 deaths in the conservative-strategy group (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.32).Conclusions: Among patients with stable coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia, we did not find evidence that an initial invasive strategy, as compared with an initial conservative strategy, reduced the risk of ischemic cardiovascular events or death from any cause over a median of 3.2 years. The trial findings were sensitive to the definition of myocardial infarction that was used. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others; ISCHEMIA ClinicalTrials.gov number, .) Patients with stable coronary disease were randomly assigned to an initial invasive strategy with angiography and revascularization if appropriate or to medical therapy alone. At 3.2 years, there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the estimated rate of ischemic events. The findings were sensitive to the definition of myocardial infarction.
|
|
| 18. |
|
|
| 19. |
- Nguyen, Dan D., et al.
(författare)
-
Health Status and Clinical Outcomes in Older Adults With Chronic Coronary Disease
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Journal of the American College of Cardiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0735-1097 .- 1558-3597. ; 81:17, s. 1697-1709
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Whether initial invasive management in older vs younger adults with chronic coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia improves health status or clinical outcomes is unknown. OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to examine the impact of age on health status and clinical outcomes with invasive vs conservative management in the ISCHEMIA (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches) trial.METHODS: One-year angina-specific health status was assessed with the 7-item Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) (score range 0-100; higher scores indicate better health status). Cox proportional hazards models estimated the treatment effect of invasive vs conservative management as a function of age on the composite clinical outcome of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for resuscitated cardiac arrest, unstable angina, or heart failure.RESULTS: Among 4,617 participants, 2,239 (48.5%) were aged <65 years, 1,713 (37.1%) were aged 65 to 74 years, and 665 (14.4%) were aged $75 years. Baseline SAQ summary scores were lower in participants aged <65 years. Fully adjusted differences in 1-year SAQ summary scores (invasive minus conservative) were 4.90 (95% CI: 3.56-6.24) at age 55 years, 3.48 (95% CI: 2.40-4.57) at age 65 years, and 2.13 (95% CI: 0.75-3.51) at age 75 years (Pinteraction = 0.008). Improvement in SAQ Angina Frequency was less dependent on age (Pinteraction = 0.08). There were no age differences between invasive vs conservative management on the composite clinical outcome (Pinteraction = 0.29).CONCLUSIONS: Older patients with chronic coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia had consistent improvement in angina frequency but less improvement in angina-related health status with invasive management compared with younger patients. Invasive management was not associated with improved clinical outcomes in older or younger patients.
|
|
| 20. |
- Reynolds, Harmony R., et al.
(författare)
-
Association of Sex With Severity of Coronary Artery Disease, Ischemia, and Symptom Burden in Patients With Moderate or Severe Ischemia Secondary Analysis of the ISCHEMIA Randomized Clinical Trial
- 2020
-
Ingår i: JAMA cardiology. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 2380-6583 .- 2380-6591. ; 5:7, s. 773-786
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Key PointsQuestion When considering patients who have obstructive coronary artery disease and ischemia on stress testing, are there sex differences in severity of coronary artery disease, ischemia, and/or symptoms?Findings In this secondary analysis of the ISCHEMIA randomized clinical trial of 5179 patients, women had more frequent angina, less extensive coronary artery disease, and less severe ischemia than men. On multivariate analysis, female sex was independently associated with greater angina frequency.Meaning There may be inherent sex differences in the complex relationships between angina, ischemia, and atherosclerosis that may have implications for testing and treatment of patients with suspected coronary artery disease.AbstractImportance While many features of stable ischemic heart disease vary by sex, differences in ischemia, coronary anatomy, and symptoms by sex have not been investigated among patients with moderate or severe ischemia. The enrolled ISCHEMIA trial cohort that underwent coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) was required to have obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) for randomization.Objective To describe sex differences in stress testing, CCTA findings, and symptoms in ISCHEMIA trial participants.Design, Setting, and Participants This secondary analysis of the multicenter ISCHEMIA randomized clinical trial analyzed baseline characteristics of patients with stable ischemic heart disease. Individuals were enrolled from July 2012 to January 2018 based on local reading of moderate or severe ischemia on a stress test, after which blinded CCTA was performed in most. Core laboratories reviewed stress tests and CCTAs. Participants with no obstructive CAD or with left main CAD of 50% or greater were excluded. Those who met eligibility criteria including CCTA (if performed) were randomized to a routine invasive or a conservative management strategy (N = 5179). Angina was assessed using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire. Analysis began October 1, 2018.Interventions CCTA and angina assessment.Main Outcomes and Measures Sex differences in stress test, CCTA findings, and symptom severity.Results Of 8518 patients enrolled, 6256 (77%) were men. Women were more likely to have no obstructive CAD (<50% stenosis in all vessels on CCTA) (353 of 1022 [34.4%] vs 378 of 3353 [11.3%]). Of individuals who were randomized, women had more angina at baseline than men (median [interquartile range] Seattle Angina Questionnaire Angina Frequency score: 80 [70-100] vs 90 [70-100]). Women had less severe ischemia on stress imaging (383 of 919 [41.7%] vs 1361 of 2972 [45.9%] with severe ischemia; 386 of 919 [42.0%] vs 1215 of 2972 [40.9%] with moderate ischemia; and 150 of 919 [16.4%] vs 394 of 2972 [13.3%] with mild or no ischemia). Ischemia was similar by sex on exercise tolerance testing. Women had less extensive CAD on CCTA (205 of 568 women [36%] vs 1142 of 2418 men [47%] with 3-vessel disease; 184 of 568 women [32%] vs 754 of 2418 men [31%] with 2-vessel disease; and 178 of 568 women [31%] vs 519 of 2418 men [22%] with 1-vessel disease). Female sex was independently associated with greater angina frequency (odds ratio, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.13-1.76).Conclusions and Relevance Women in the ISCHEMIA trial had more frequent angina, independent of less extensive CAD, and less severe ischemia than men. These findings reflect inherent sex differences in the complex relationships between angina, atherosclerosis, and ischemia that may have implications for testing and treatment of patients with suspected stable ischemic heart disease.
|
|
| 21. |
|
|
| 22. |
|
|
| 23. |
|
|
| 24. |
|
|
| 25. |
- Bernardi, S., et al.
(författare)
-
Enabling the usage of UML in the verification of railway systems : The DAM-rail approach
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Reliability Engineering & System Safety. - : Elsevier. - 0951-8320 .- 1879-0836. ; 120, s. 112-126
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The need for integration of model-based verification into industrial processes has produced several attempts to define Model-Driven solutions implementing a unifying approach to system development. A recent trend is to implement tool chains supporting the developer both in the design phase and V&V activities. In this Model-Driven context, specific domains require proper modelling approaches, especially for what concerns RAM (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability) analysis and fulfillment of international standards. This paper specifically addresses the definition of a Model-Driven approach for the evaluation of RAM attributes in railway applications to automatically generate formal models. For this aim we extend the MARTE-DAM UML profile with concepts related to maintenance aspects and service degradation, and show that the MARTE-DAM framework can be successfully specialized for the railway domain. Model transformations are then defined to generate Repairable Fault Tree and Bayesian Network models from MARTE-DAM specifications. The whole process is applied to the railway domain in two different availability studies. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
|
|
| 26. |
|
|
| 27. |
|
|
| 28. |
- De Nicola, G., et al.
(författare)
-
An experience in validating train control systems by a grey-box testing approach
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Advances in Safety and Reliability - ESREL 2005. - Boca Raton : CRC Press. - 0415383420 - 9780415383424 - 9780415383400 ; , s. 1435-1442
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Systematic functional testing is a fundamental step of embedded control systems development cycle, as it allows to verify and validate their final implementation. Various approaches to black-box testing have been proposed, however they either involve test-case explosion or do not ensure the correctness of system behavior in scenarios not covered by system specifications. To cope with such issues, a methodology which better suits both complexity and safety-criticality of the target system is needed. This paper describes the ASF functional testing methodology, based on a grey-box approach aimed at generating and reducing an extensive set of influence variables and test-cases. The methodology, embracing different aspects of system test process (code coverage verification, regression testing, etc.), was successfully applied to validate the ASF implementation of SCMT (an Italian project for an Automatic Train Protection System). The results obtained in our testing experience proved the time effectiveness and extensive coverage of the proposed approach.
|
|
| 29. |
- De Nicola, G, et al.
(författare)
-
ERTMS/ETCS : working principles and validation
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Conference on Ship Propulsion and Railway Traction Systems, SPRTS. ; , s. 59-68
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)
|
|
| 30. |
- di Tommaso, P., et al.
(författare)
-
The simulation of anomalies in the functional testing of the ERTMS/ETCS trackside system
- 2005
-
Ingår i: HASE 2005 : Ninth IEEE International Symposium on High Assurance Systems Engineering. - Heidelberg : Springer. - 0769523773 - 9780769523774 ; , s. 131-139
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- ERTMS/ETCS is going to become the reference standard for modern railway signalling. To develop a safe and reliable Automatic Train Protection System (ATPS) based on ERTMS/ETCS, a detailed functional testing phase is needed, meeting the requirements of international railway safety standards. In this paper we deal with the functional validation of the trackside part of an ERTMS/ETCS compliant system. An extensive set of functional tests have been specified in order to thoroughly verify the system, using an innovative approach based on influence variables and state diagrams. However, such a detailed test specification requires a great amount of time and resources to be entirely executed in the real environment. Moreover, several tests need to generate abnormal safety-critical conditions that are unfeasible on the field. In this paper we describe how we overcame such problems using a specific simulation environment capable to quickly and automatically execute anomaly tests in normal as well as in degraded operating conditions.
|
|
| 31. |
- Faramondi, L., et al.
(författare)
-
A Hardware-in-the-Loop Water Distribution Testbed Dataset for Cyber-Physical Security Testing
- 2021
-
Ingår i: IEEE Access. - 2169-3536. ; 9, s. 122385-1223896
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents a dataset to support researchers in the validation process of solutions such as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) based on artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques for the detection and categorization of threats in Cyber Physical Systems (CPS). To this end, data were acquired from a hardware-in-the-loop Water Distribution Testbed (WDT) which emulates water flowing between eight tanks via solenoid-valves, pumps, pressure and flow sensors. The testbed is composed of a real subsystem that is virtually connected to a simulated one. The proposed dataset encompasses both physical and network data in order to highlight the consequences of attacks in the physical process as well as in network traffic behaviour. Simulations data are organized in four different acquisitions for a total duration of 2 hours by considering normal scenario and multiple anomalies due to cyber and physical attacks.
|
|
| 32. |
- Faramondi, L., et al.
(författare)
-
Evaluating Machine Learning Approaches for Cyber and Physical Anomalies in SCADA Systems
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Cyber Security Resilience, CSR. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. - 9798350311709 ; , s. 412-417
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, machine learning (ML) techniques have been widely adopted as anomaly-based Intrusion Detection System in order to evaluate cyber and physical attacks against Industrial Control Systems. Nevertheless, a performance comparison of such techniques applied to multiple Cyber-Physical Systems datasets is still missing. In light of this, we propose a comparative study about the performance of four supervised ML-algorithms, Random Forest, k-nearest-Neighbors, Support-Vector-Machine and Naïve-Bayes, applied to three different publicly available datasets from water testbeds. Specifically, we consider three different scenarios where we evaluate: (1) the ability to detect cyber and physical anomalies with respect to the nominal samples, (2) the ability to detect specific types of cyber and physical attacks and (3) the ability to recognize unforeseen attacks without providing any previous knowledge about them. Results show the effectiveness of the ML-techniques in identifying cyber and physical anomalies under some assumptions about their effects on the process dynamics.
|
|
| 33. |
- Furneaux, Brendan R., 1979-
(författare)
-
Fungal communities of West African ectomycorrhizal woodlands
- 2020
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis is a widespread mutualist relationship between fungi and plants, often trees. It is most well-known in temperate and boreal forests, but also occurs in a variety of tropical ecosystems, including Sudanian savanna woodlands and gallery forests in West Africa. In addition to their important role in nutrient cycling, many ectomycorrhizal fungi also produce edible mushrooms as their fruit-bodies. In this thesis, I explore spatial patterns of above-ground and below-ground diversity in West African ectomycorrhizal communities, as well as the use of wild edible fungi by the local human population. In Papers I and II, I used soil DNA metabarcoding to investigate fungal communities in their vegetative state. Paper I used measurements of the scale of spatial autocorrelation within the fungal community in Sudanian woodlands in Benin as a test to compare different high-throughput DNA sequencing strategies, including short (≈350 bp) amplicon barcoding using the Illumina, Ion Torrent, and PacBio sequencing platforms, as well as long (≈1550 bp) amplicon barcoding using PacBio. There were some differences in species richness and community composition recovered by the two amplicon lengths, attributable to known primer biases for the short amplicons, but these did not lead to different ecological results. Additionally, Paper I introduced new software packages for analysis of long-amplicon metabarcoding data and integrating phylogenetic information into sequence-based taxonomic identification. In Paper II we sampled both Sudanian woodland and gallery forest sites in five countries across West Africa using long-amplicon metabarcoding with PacBio. We found significant differences in fungal community composition between Sudanian woodland and gallery forest sites, but not between different tree species within each vegetation type. Papers III and IV focused above-ground to study the natural production and human use of the mushrooms themselves. In Paper III we exhaustively collected mushrooms from nine Sudanian woodland plots in Benin during three consecutive rainy seasons. We measured the total biomass produced of each morphospecies, as well as environmental variables related to microclimate, host tree availability, and soil chemistry. Mushroom production and diversity were negatively correlated with soil nitrogen levels, and positively correlated with soil phosphorus levels. Although there were no clear differences in the fungal communities associated with the four host trees present in our plots, greater host tree diversity was associated with greater fungal diversity and productivity. Finally, Paper IV combined interviews with local people from four ethnic groups in five villages near the study sites from Paper III about their knowledge and preferences for edible mushrooms with DNA barcoding of specimens. Knowledge and preferences for different mushrooms varied between ethnic groups, but people living in a village where their ethnic group is a minority tended to absorb knowledge about mushrooms from the majority group in the village. Women over age 35 were the most knowledgeable about mushrooms, but the degree of gender difference varied between groups. We compiled a list of the most choice edible mushrooms in the area, which can inform the possibility for commercial trade in wild mushrooms to supplement the income of rural people and encourage sustainable forest management.
|
|
| 34. |
- Garnsworthy, A. B., et al.
(författare)
-
Spectroscopy of Po-212 and At-213 using a He-8 radioactive beam and EXOGAM
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Journal of Physics G. - : IOP Publishing. - 0954-3899 .- 1361-6471. ; 31:10, s. S1851-S1854
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A beam of 28 MeV He-8 particles with an average intensity 2 x 10(5) ions s(-1), produced by the SPIRAL facility at GANIL, was used to initiate fusion-evaporation reactions in thick targets of Pb-201 and Bi-209. Excited states of Po-212 and At-213 were populated in (He-8,4n) reactions. The emitted gamma-rays were detected using the EXOGAM array composed of four Compton suppressed germanium Clover detectors in a close geometry configuration. Preliminary results show that Po-212 has been populated to high spin (I similar or equal to 14) with a significantly increased yield compared with our previous He-8 beam experiment. An apparently increased relative population of states up to 12(+) was observed compared with published results from a Pb-208(Be-9,alpha n)(212) Po reaction at 48 MeV. Evidence is presented for a previously unreported de-excitation pathway: 69 keV (13(-) -> 12(+)). States up to I-pi = (39/2(-)) have also been observed in At-213.
|
|
| 35. |
- Gruber, T, et al.
(författare)
-
Geodetic SAR for Height System Unification and Sea Level Research - Observation Concept and Results in the Baltic Sea
- 2021
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Traditionally, sea level is observed at tide gauge stations, which usually also serve as height reference stations for national leveling networks and therefore define a height system of a country. Thus, sea level research across countries is closely linked to height system unification and needs to be regarded jointly. One of the main deficiencies to use tide gauge data for geodetic sea level research and height systems unification is that only a few stations are connected to permanent GNSS receivers next to the tide gauge in order to systematically observe vertical land motion. As a new observation technique, absolute positioning by SAR using active transponders on ground can fill this gap by systematically observing time series of geometric heights at tide gauge stations. By additionally knowing the tide gauge geoid heights in a global height reference frame, one can finally obtain absolute sea level heights at each tide gauge. With this information the impact of climate change on the sea level can be quantified in an absolute manner and height systems can be connected across the oceans. First results from applying this technique at selected tide gauges at the Baltic coasts are promising but also exhibit some problems related to the new technique. The paper presents the concept of using the new observation type in an integrated sea level observing system and provides results for a test network in the Baltic sea area by combining geometric and physical heights with tide gauge readings.
|
|
| 36. |
- Korotkova, Nataliia, et al.
(författare)
-
Do you know your people? : Situated expertise and permeable expertise boundaries in complex project work
- 2024
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Project Management. - : Elsevier. - 0263-7863 .- 1873-4634. ; 42:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the context of complex and digitalized engineering projects, effectively orchestrating meta-knowledge that encompasses awareness of diverse expertise presents a significant challenge, as it requires crossing various boundaries. Situated expertise plays a critical role in this process, connecting individual or group-level meta-knowledge to wider expertise systems in projects. We report a case study exploring how group expertise boundaries influence situated expertise development in the oil and gas front-end project context. Through qualitative analysis, we underscore the role of permeable group expertise boundaries in fostering open situated expertise systems, allowing for meta-knowledge about individuals, groups, and digital technologies. This permeability is especially critical in innovative and non-contractual contexts. We identify four elements—strategy, structural design, interaction molding routines and roles, and digital boundary objects—that contribute to open situated expertise development. Our findings show that while digital boundary objects can mediate expertise boundaries by enabling communication and navigation of expertise in projects, the reach of situated expertise largely depends on interaction molding elements, particularly boundary-spanning roles. This study concludes by recommending that practitioners expand their meta-knowledge, rethink their strategic approaches to situating and utilizing expertise in projects, and carefully establish routines for using digital technologies to record and retrieve expertise.
|
|
| 37. |
- Korotkova, Nataliia, et al.
(författare)
-
Do you know your people?: Situated expertise and permeable expertise boundaries in complex project work
- 2024
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Project Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0263-7863 .- 1873-4634. ; 42:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the context of complex and digitalized engineering projects, effectively orchestrating meta-knowledge that encompasses awareness of diverse expertise presents a significant challenge, as it requires crossing various boundaries. Situated expertise plays a critical role in this process, connecting individual or group-level meta-knowledge to wider expertise systems in projects. We report a case study exploring how group expertise boundaries influence situated expertise development in the oil and gas front-end project context. Through qualitative analysis, we underscore the role of permeable group expertise boundaries in fostering open situated expertise systems, allowing for meta-knowledge about individuals, groups, and digital technologies. This permeability is especially critical in innovative and non-contractual contexts. We identify four elements—strategy, structural design, interaction molding routines and roles, and digital boundary objects—that contribute to open situated expertise development. Our findings show that while digital boundary objects can mediate expertise boundaries by enabling communication and navigation of expertise in projects, the reach of situated expertise largely depends on interaction molding elements, particularly boundary-spanning roles. This study concludes by recommending that practitioners expand their meta-knowledge, rethink their strategic approaches to situating and utilizing expertise in projects, and carefully establish routines for using digital technologies to record and retrieve expertise.
|
|
| 38. |
- Lentini, Antonio, 1990-
(författare)
-
Dynamic regulation of DNA methylation in human T-cell biology
- 2019
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- T helper cells play a central role in orchestrating immune responses in humans. Upon encountering a foreign antigen, T helper cells are activated followed by a differentiation process where the cells are specialised to help combating the infection. Dysregulation of T helper cell activation, differentiation and function has been implicated in numerous diseases, including autoimmunity and cancer. Whereas gene-regulatory networks help drive T-cell differentiation, acquisition of stable cell states require heritable epigenetic signals, such as DNA methylation. Indeed, the establishment of DNA methylation patterns is a key part of appropriate T-cell differentiation but how this is regulated over time remains unknown. Methylation can be directly attached to cytosine residues in DNA to form 5-methylcytosine (5mC) but the removal of DNA methylation requires multiple enzymatic reactions, commonly initiated by the conversion into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), thus creating a highly complex regulatory system. This thesis aimed to investigate how DNA methylation is dynamically regulated during T-cell differentiation.To this end, we employed large-scale profiling techniques combining gene expression as well as genome-wide 5mC and 5hmC measurements to construct a time-series model of epigenetic regulation of differentiation. This revealed that early T-cell activation was accompanied by extensive genome-wide deposition of 5hmC which resulted in demethylation upon proliferation. Early DNA methylation remodelling through 5hmC was not only indicative of demethylation events during T-cell differentiation but also marked changes persisting longterm in memory T-cell subsets. These results suggest that priming of epigenetic landscapes in T-cells is initiated during early activation events, preceding any establishment of a stable lineage, which are then maintained throughout the cells lifespan. The regions undergoing remodelling were also highly enriched for genetic variants in autoimmune diseases which we show to be functional through disruption of protein binding. These variants could potentially disrupt gene-regulatory networks and the establishment of epigenetic priming, highlighting the complex interplay between genetic and epigenetic layers. In the course of this work, we discovered that a commonly used technique to study genome-wide DNA modifications, DNA immunoprecipitation (DIP)-seq, had a false discovery rate between 50-99% depending on the modification and cell type being assayed. This represented inherent technical errors related to the use of antibodies resulting in off-target binding of repetitive sequences lacking any DNA modifications. These sequences are common in mammalian genomes making robust detection of rare DNA modifications very difficult due to the high background signals. However, offtarget binding could easily be controlled for using a non-specific antibody control which greatly improved data quality and biological insight of the data. Although future studies are advised to use alternative methods where available, error correction is an acceptable alternative which will help fuel new discoveries through the removal of extensive background signals.Taken together, this thesis shows how integrative use of high-resolution epigenomic data can be used to study complex biological systems over time as well as how these techniques can be systematically characterised to identify and correct errors resulting in improved detection.
|
|
| 39. |
- Patkowski, Jonasz B., et al.
(författare)
-
The F-pilus biomechanical adaptability accelerates conjugative dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 14
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conjugation is used by bacteria to propagate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment. Central to this process are widespread conjugative F-pili that establish the connection between donor and recipient cells, thereby facilitating the spread of IncF plasmids among enteropathogenic bacteria. Here, we show that the F-pilus is highly flexible but robust at the same time, properties that increase its resistance to thermochemical and mechanical stresses. By a combination of biophysical and molecular dynamics methods, we establish that the presence of phosphatidylglycerol molecules in the F-pilus contributes to the structural stability of the polymer. Moreover, this structural stability is important for successful delivery of DNA during conjugation and facilitates rapid formation of biofilms in harsh environmental conditions. Thus, our work highlights the importance of F-pilus structural adaptations for the efficient spread of AMR genes in a bacterial population and for the formation of biofilms that protect against the action of antibiotics.
|
|
| 40. |
- Perrone, P., et al.
(författare)
-
Machine Learning for Threat Recognition in Critical Cyber-Physical Systems
- 2021
-
Ingår i: 2021 IEEE International Conference on Cyber Security and Resilience (CSR), 2021. - 9781665402859 ; , s. 298-303
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cybersecurity has become an emerging challenge for business information management and critical infrastructure protection in recent years. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been widely used in different fields, but it is still relatively new in the area of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) security. In this paper, we provide an approach based on Machine Learning (ML) to intelligent threat recognition to enable run-time risk assessment for superior situation awareness in CPS security monitoring. With the aim of classifying malicious activity, several machine learning methods, such as k-nearest neighbours (kNN), Naïve Bayes (NB), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree (DT) and Random Forest (RF), have been applied and compared using two different publicly available real-world testbeds. The results show that RF allowed for the best classification performance. When used in reference industrial applications, the approach allows security control room operators to get notified of threats only when classification confidence will be above a threshold, hence reducing the stress of security managers and effectively supporting their decisions.
|
|
| 41. |
- Plos, M., et al.
(författare)
-
Non-Linear Analysis and Remaining Fatigue Life of Reinforced Concrete Bridges
- 2007
-
Rapport (refereegranskat)abstract
- The work provides methods for non-linear structural analysis and fatigue safety evaluation in assessment of existing railway bridges. The use of non-linear analysis leads to higher load carrying capacities, but also to improved understanding of the structural response, forming a better basis for decisions in the assessment. The methods for fatigue assessment lead to increased remaining service life of reinforced concrete railway bridges.The achievements of the work are:• Models for assessment of concrete bridges by non-linear analysis are described, and examples and general recommendations for practical application of the methods aregiven.• An overview of the effect of corrosion on the bond properties has been developed through non-linear analyses and tests found in literature. Recommendations for practical assessment of anchorage capacity in corroded railway concrete bridges are presented.• The determination of reliable in-situ material properties in old concrete bridges is described,including properties for fully probabilistic analysis. A particular aim was to develop better methods to describe development of concrete properties with age and degree of hydration.• Recommendations are given regarding re-distribution of sectional forces and moments, obtained through linear structural analysis (with FEM). In a case study, a typical slab bridge was designed using different methods, and its response evaluated through nonlinearanalyses.• A good understanding of the load-carrying mechanisms in combined bending-shear-torsion gives a possibility to make more accurate assessments than with standard code methods. Methods and examples are presented.• A state-of-the-art review of fatigue behaviour of reinforced concrete railway bridges is presented and a methodology to assess the remaining fatigue life of existing reinforced concrete bridges subjected to railway traffic is developed.
|
|
| 42. |
- Possolo, Antonio, et al.
(författare)
-
Value assignment and uncertainty evaluation for single-element reference solutions
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Metrologia. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0026-1394 .- 1681-7575. ; 55:3, s. 404-413
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A Bayesian statistical procedure is proposed for value assignment and uncertainty evaluation for the mass fraction of the elemental analytes in single-element solutions distributed as NIST standard reference materials. The principal novelty that we describe is the use of information about relative differences observed historically between the measured values obtained via gravimetry and via high-performance inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, to quantify the uncertainty component attributable to between-method differences. This information is encapsulated in a prior probability distribution for the between-method uncertainty component, and it is then used, together with the information provided by current measurement data, to produce a probability distribution for the value of the measurand from which an estimate and evaluation of uncertainty are extracted using established statistical procedures.
|
|
| 43. |
- Queen, C, et al.
(författare)
-
Multi-method analysis of gender differences in psychological distress among the elderly during COVID
- 2022
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Public Health. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 32:Supplement_3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As COVID swept through Europe, and the world, with high rates of illness and death, so did symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, stress, and psychological distress. This study examines the relationship between gender and psychological distress among Latvians over 50 years old within the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from Wave 8 COVID-19 data of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) as an early data version of the SHARE Corona survey conducted between June and August 2020. It features the data collected by telephone (CATI) on topics related to COVID-19 for a large sub-sample of SHARE panel respondents. This study examined a sample of 980 adults over 50 years old in Latvia. Bivariate analysis were performed utilizing the Pearson chi-square test for association to examine differences in symptoms of psychological distress by gender during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Level of significance was determined by the p-value test statistic. Alpha level was established at .05. A chi-square test for association shows that there were statistically relationships between gender and feeling nervous (X2 (2, N = 976) = 22.11, p < .001), feeling depressed (X2 (3, N = 976) = 10.95, p < .01), and trouble sleeping (X2 (2, N = 976) = 20.40, p < .001). This study rejects the null hypothesis that no differences exist between the genders, as women reported greater psychological distress during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional multi-method analysis is consistent with these findings and concludes that this is due to the greater concern women report for family, and the burden which placed limitations on meeting their children and grandchildren.
|
|
| 44. |
- Salihovic, Samira, Associate Senior Lecturer, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
-
Identification and validation of a blood- based diagnostic lipidomic signature of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 15:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Improved biomarkers are needed for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Here we identify a diagnostic lipidomic signature for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease by analyzing blood samples from a discovery cohort of incident treatment-naïve pediatric patients and validating findings in an independent inception cohort. The lipidomic signature comprising of only lactosyl ceramide (d18:1/16:0) and phosphatidylcholine (18:0p/22:6) improves the diagnostic prediction compared with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Adding high-sensitivity C-reactive protein to the signature does not improve its performance. In patients providing a stool sample, the diagnostic performance of the lipidomic signature and fecal calprotectin, a marker of gastrointestinal inflammation, does not substantially differ. Upon investigation in a third pediatric cohort, the findings of increased lactosyl ceramide (d18:1/16:0) and decreased phosphatidylcholine (18:0p/22:6) absolute concentrations are confirmed. Translation of the lipidomic signature into a scalable diagnostic blood test for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease has the potential to support clinical decision making.
|
|
| 45. |
- Salihovic, Samira, Associate Senior Lecturer, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
-
Identification and validation of a blood- based diagnostic lipidomic signature of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2041-1723. ; 15:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Improved biomarkers are needed for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Here we identify a diagnostic lipidomic signature for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease by analyzing blood samples from a discovery cohort of incident treatment-na & iuml;ve pediatric patients and validating findings in an independent inception cohort. The lipidomic signature comprising of only lactosyl ceramide (d18:1/16:0) and phosphatidylcholine (18:0p/22:6) improves the diagnostic prediction compared with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Adding high-sensitivity C-reactive protein to the signature does not improve its performance. In patients providing a stool sample, the diagnostic performance of the lipidomic signature and fecal calprotectin, a marker of gastrointestinal inflammation, does not substantially differ. Upon investigation in a third pediatric cohort, the findings of increased lactosyl ceramide (d18:1/16:0) and decreased phosphatidylcholine (18:0p/22:6) absolute concentrations are confirmed. Translation of the lipidomic signature into a scalable diagnostic blood test for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease has the potential to support clinical decision making. Diagnostic blood-based biomarkers of pediatric IBD are limited. Here, the authors demonstrate a diagnostic lipidomic signature, comprising only of two molecular lipids. Translation of this signature into a scalable test has the potential to support clinical decision making.
|
|
| 46. |
- Schreurs, Guido, et al.
(författare)
-
Benchmarking analogue models of brittle thrust wedges
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Journal of Structural Geology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0191-8141 .- 1873-1201. ; 92, s. 116-139
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We performed a quantitative comparison of brittle thrust wedge experiments to evaluate the variability among analogue models and to appraise the reproducibility and limits of model interpretation. Fifteen analogue modeling laboratories participated in this benchmark initiative. Each laboratory received a shipment of the same type of quartz and corundum sand and all laboratories adhered to a stringent model building protocol and used the same type of foil to cover base and sidewalls of the sandbox. Sieve structure, sifting height, filling rate, and details on off-scraping of excess sand followed prescribed procedures. Our analogue benchmark shows that even for simple plane-strain experiments with prescribed stringent model construction techniques, quantitative model results show variability, most notably for surface slope, thrust spacing and number of forward and backthrusts. One of the sources of the variability in model results is related to slight variations in how sand is deposited in the sandbox. Small changes in sifting height, sifting rate, and scraping will result in slightly heterogeneous material bulk densities, which will affect the mechanical properties of the sand, and will result in lateral and vertical differences in peak and boundary friction angles, as well as cohesion values once the model is constructed. Initial variations in basal friction are inferred to play the most important role in causing model variability. Our comparison shows that the human factor plays a decisive role, and even when one modeler repeats the same experiment, quantitative model results still show variability. Our observations highlight the limits of up-scaling quantitative analogue model results to nature or for making comparisons with numerical models. The frictional behavior of sand is highly sensitive to small variations in material state or experimental set-up, and hence, it will remain difficult to scale quantitative results such as number of thrusts, thrust spacing, and pop-up width from model to nature.
|
|
| 47. |
- Sedaghat, Ahmad R., et al.
(författare)
-
Consensus criteria for chronic rhinosinusitis disease control : an international Delphi Study*
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Rhinology. - 0300-0729. ; 61:6, s. 519-530
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) disease control is a global metric of disease status for CRS. While there is broad acceptance that it is an important treatment goal, there has been inconsistency in the criteria used to define CRS control. The objective of this study was to identify and develop consensus around essential criteria for assessment of CRS disease control. Methods: Modified Delphi methodology consisting of three rounds to review a list of 24 possible CRS control criteria developed by a 12-person steering committee. The core authorship of the multidisciplinary EPOS 2020 guidelines was invited to participate. Results: Thirty-two individuals accepted the invitation to participate and there was no dropout of participants throughout the entire study (3 rounds). Consensus essential criteria for assessment of CRS control were: overall symptom severity, need for CRS-related systemic corticosteroids in the prior 6 months, severity of nasal obstruction, and patient-reported CRS control. Near-consensus items were: nasal endoscopy findings, severity of smell loss, overall quality of life, impairment of normal activities and severity of nasal discharge. Participants’ comments provided insights into caveats of, and disagreements related to, near-consensus items. Conclusions: Overall symptom severity, use of CRS-related systemic corticosteroids, severity of nasal obstruction, and patient-reported CRS control are widely agreed upon essential criteria for assessment of CRS disease control. Consideration of near-consensus items to assess CRS control should be implemented with their intrinsic caveats in mind. These identified consensus CRS control criteria, together with evidence-based support, will provide a foundation upon which CRS control criteria with wide-spread acceptance can be developed.
|
|
| 48. |
|
|
| 49. |
- Sivaramakrishnan, V. C., et al.
(författare)
-
Influence of convergence on vertical fusional vergence amplitude
- 2005
-
Ingår i: American Journal of Ophthalmology. - 0002-9394 .- 1879-1891. ; 139:3 Suppl., s. S46-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Deficiency in vertical fusional vergence amplitude (VFVA) is known to cause asthenopia and oculomotor imbalances. The measurement of VFVA however is confounded by its increase with convergence (Hara et al., 1998). A quantitative relationship between the two vergences is thus necessary to predict the VFVA at a given convergence angle. Here, we sought to derive such a relationship by measuring the VFVA at a range of convergence angles. Methods: 30 subjects (17–21 yrs) wearing red-green goggles fused a pair of red-green concentric circles projected on a computer monitor at a distance of 50 cms in a dark room. The horizontal and vertical separation between the red-green circles determined the convergence and vertical vergence demand respectively. The VFVA was measured at 8 equally spaced convergence demands ranging from 0.58° to 11.13°. The convergence demands were either systematically increased or randomly varied across different sessions. in each session, the convergence demand was kept constant while the vertical vergence demand was varied in steps of 0.03°. The maximum vertical vergence demand that could be fused determined the VFVA. Results: The subjects’ data was divided into four groups based on the range of convergence demands that could be fused. in all the groups, the VFVA increased linearly with the systematic increase in convergence demand (mean regression equation: y 0.15x 0.49). Randomizing the convergence demands did not show any significant change in this relationship (y0.12x 0.80). Conclusion: The VFVA increases linearly in the range of convergence demands tested. The linear regression equation derived could be used in a clinical setup to predict the VFVA at a given convergence angle
|
|
| 50. |
- Spinelli, L., et al.
(författare)
-
Determination of reference values for optical properties of liquid phantoms based on Intralipid and India ink
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Biomedical Optics Express. - : Optical Society of America. - 2156-7085. ; 5:7, s. 2037-2053
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A multi-center study has been set up to accurately characterize the optical properties of diffusive liquid phantoms based on Intralipid and India ink at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Nine research laboratories from six countries adopting different measurement techniques, instrumental set-ups, and data analysis methods determined at their best the optical properties and relative uncertainties of diffusive dilutions prepared with common samples of the two compounds. By exploiting a suitable statistical model, comprehensive reference values at three NIR wavelengths for the intrinsic absorption coefficient of India ink and the intrinsic reduced scattering coefficient of Intralipid-20% were determined with an uncertainty of about 2% or better, depending on the wavelength considered, and 1%, respectively. Even if in this study we focused on particular batches of India ink and Intralipid, the reference values determined here represent a solid and useful starting point for preparing diffusive liquid phantoms with accurately defined optical properties. Furthermore, due to the ready availability, low cost, long-term stability and batch-to-batch reproducibility of these compounds, they provide a unique fundamental tool for the calibration and performance assessment of diffuse optical spectroscopy instrumentation intended to be used in laboratory or clinical environment. Finally, the collaborative work presented here demonstrates that the accuracy level attained in this work for optical properties of diffusive phantoms is reliable.
|
|
