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- Parker, P, et al.
(författare)
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Progress in integrated assessment and modelling
- 2002
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Ingår i: Environmental Modelling & Software. - 1364-8152. ; 17:3, s. 209-217
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental processes have been modelled for decades. However. the need for integrated assessment and modeling (IAM) has,town as the extent and severity of environmental problems in the 21st Century worsens. The scale of IAM is not restricted to the global level as in climate change models, but includes local and regional models of environmental problems. This paper discusses various definitions of IAM and identifies five different types of integration that Lire needed for the effective solution of environmental problems. The future is then depicted in the form of two brief scenarios: one optimistic and one pessimistic. The current state of IAM is then briefly reviewed. The issues of complexity and validation in IAM are recognised as more complex than in traditional disciplinary approaches. Communication is identified as a central issue both internally among team members and externally with decision-makers. stakeholders and other scientists. Finally it is concluded that the process of integrated assessment and modelling is considered as important as the product for any particular project. By learning to work together and recognise the contribution of all team members and participants, it is believed that we will have a strong scientific and social basis to address the environmental problems of the 21st Century.
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| 3. |
- Hedén, Bo, et al.
(författare)
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A modified Anderson-Wilkins electrocardiographic acuteness score for anterior or inferior myocardial infarction.
- 2003
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Ingår i: American Heart Journal. - 1097-6744. ; 146:5, s. 797-803
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Optimal treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) depends on the duration of the ischemia. The Anderson Wilkins (AW) electrocardiographic acuteness score has been shown to complement the historical timing in estimating the time interval from acute thrombotic coronary occlusion in patients presenting with chest pain and evolving myocardial infarction. The purposes of this study were to (1) compare the distributions of the previously developed AW acuteness score in a training population with either anterior or inferior AMI and (2) propose modifications to the formula to achieve distributions similar to the observed distributions of historical times from onset of pain. Methods Two hundred three and 177 patients were included as training and testing population, respectively. All patients had an anterior or an inferior AMI and were without confounding factors on the electrocardiogram. Results The training population had similar distributions of historical times from onset of pain, but differences in distributions of AW acuteness scores, between patients with anterior and inferior AMI (P<.0001). Eighty percent of the inferior AMI group had the highest possible AW acuteness score. Modification of a Q-wave criterion from &GE;30 to &GE;20 ms resulted in similar distributions in patients with anterior and inferior AMI both in the training and an independent testing population. Conclusions These results suggest that a modified AW acuteness score using a lower Q-wave duration criterion provides similar AMI timing information in patients with anterior and inferior locations. Clinical use of the AW acuteness score will only be practical if the calculation is automated
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| 4. |
- Lewis, Cathryn M, et al.
(författare)
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Genome scan meta-analysis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, part II : Schizophrenia
- 2003
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Ingår i: American Journal of Human Genetics. - 0002-9297 .- 1537-6605. ; 73:1, s. 34-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Schizophrenia is a common disorder with high heritability and a 10-fold increase in risk to siblings of probands. Replication has been inconsistent for reports of significant genetic linkage. To assess evidence for linkage across studies, rank-based genome scan meta-analysis (GSMA) was applied to data from 20 schizophrenia genome scans. Each marker for each scan was assigned to 1 of 120 30-cM bins, with the bins ranked by linkage scores (1 = most significant) and the ranks averaged across studies (R(avg)) and then weighted for sample size (N(sqrt)[affected casess]). A permutation test was used to compute the probability of observing, by chance, each bin's average rank (P(AvgRnk)) or of observing it for a bin with the same place (first, second, etc.) in the order of average ranks in each permutation (P(ord)). The GSMA produced significant genomewide evidence for linkage on chromosome 2q (PAvgRnk<.000417). Two aggregate criteria for linkage were also met (clusters of nominally significant P values that did not occur in 1,000 replicates of the entire data set with no linkage present): 12 consecutive bins with both P(AvgRnk) and P(ord)<.05, including regions of chromosomes 5q, 3p, 11q, 6p, 1q, 22q, 8p, 20q, and 14p, and 19 consecutive bins with P(ord)<.05, additionally including regions of chromosomes 16q, 18q, 10p, 15q, 6q, and 17q. There is greater consistency of linkage results across studies than has been previously recognized. The results suggest that some or all of these regions contain loci that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia in diverse populations.
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| 5. |
- Balkau, Beverley, et al.
(författare)
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Frequency of the WHO metabolic syndrome in European cohorts, and an alternative definition of an insulin resistance syndrome
- 2002
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Ingår i: Diabetes & Metabolism. - 1878-1780. ; 28:5, s. 364-376
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: To describe the frequency, in some European populations, of the World Health Organisation (WHO) defined metabolic syndrome and to compare the frequency of this syndrome with an alternative definition for non-diabetic subjects, called the insulin resistance syndrome proposed by the European Group for the Study of Insulin Resistance (EGIR). METHODS: Investigators of eight European studies contributed, according to a written protocol, the frequencies of abnormalities of these two syndromes, by sex and age class, as well as the overall frequencies of the syndromes and the average number of abnormalities: 8200 men and 9363 women were included. RESULTS: The frequency of both syndromes increased with age and was almost always higher in men than women for a given age. In non-diabetic subjects the frequency of the WHO syndrome varied between 7% and 36% for men 40 to 55 years; for women of the same age, between 5% and 22%. The EGIR syndrome was less frequent than the WHO syndrome (1% to 22% in men, 1% to 14% in women 40-55 years), and in men this was mainly due to the differing definitions of central obesity, as the WHO definition included overall obesity, BMI > or = 30 kg/m(2). CONCLUSIONS: There is great variability in the frequency of the syndrome between different populations, due to the differing frequencies of the abnormalities and no doubt to the differing methodologies of measurement. Prospective studies and advances in the knowledge of physio-pathological mechanisms are required to determine the most appropriate and practical definition of the syndrome.
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| 9. |
- Karlsson, Jan, 1950, et al.
(författare)
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Psychosocial functioning in the obese before and after weight reduction: construct validity and responsiveness of the Obesity-related Problems scale.
- 2003
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Ingår i: International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0307-0565. ; 27:5, s. 617-30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The Obesity-related Problems scale (OP) is a self-assessment module developed to measure the impacts of obesity on psychosocial functioning. Our principal aim was to evaluate the construct validity and responsiveness of the OP scale. Our specific aims were to test: (1). the psychometric performance of OP; (2). if OP scores differed by gender and weight category; (3). if OP scores are inversely related to mental well-being; (4). if weight reduction in the obese is accompanied by improvements in psychosocial functioning (OP). SUBJECTS: Four samples were used: 6863 subjects in the SOS cross-sectional study; 2128 in the SOS intervention study; 1017 nonobese in the SOS reference study; and 3305 obese subjects in the XENDOS study. MEASUREMENTS: Psychosocial functioning was measured by OP. Overall mood was measured by MACL. Anxiety and depression symptoms were measured by HAD. RESULTS: Psychometric testing provided strong support for the construct validity of OP. Factor analysis confirmed the homogeneity of the construct and multitrait/multi-item scaling analysis demonstrated strong item-convergent/discriminant validity. Reliability coefficients were high and floor and ceiling effects were small. Psychometric results were cross-validated and replicated in subgroups by gender, age and body mass index (BMI). As expected, large differences in OP were observed between obese and nonobese (P<0.0001). Obese women reported more weight-related psychosocial problems than obese men (P<0.0001). Psychosocial disturbances (OP) among the obese were significantly related to poor mood (MACL; P<0.0001) and anxiety and depression symptoms (HAD; P<0.0001). Change in OP over time was strongly correlated with weight loss (P<0.0001). A distinct dose-response effect between weight reduction and improvements in OP was demonstrated. Scores on psychosocial functioning (OP) and mental well-being (MACL, HAD) in nonobese (BMI<30) surgical patients at 4-y follow-up were equal to scores observed in nonobese reference subjects (NS). CONCLUSION: OP is a psychometrically valid obesity-specific measure suitable for evaluating HRQL effects of obesity interventions. The negative impact of obesity on psychosocial functioning is considerable and disturbances are connected with poor mental well-being. Weight reduction in the obese is followed by improvements in both psychosocial functioning and mental well-being.
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| 10. |
- Kurland, Charles, et al.
(författare)
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Origin and evolution of the mitochondrial proteome
- 2000
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Ingår i: Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. - 1092-2172. ; 64:4, s. 786-786
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The endosymbiotic theory for the origin of mitochondria requires substantial modification. The three identifiable ancestral sources to the proteome of mitochondria are proteins descended from the ancestral alpha -proteobacteria symbiont, proteins with no homology to bacterial orthologs, and diverse proteins with bacterial affinities not derived from alpha -proteobacteria. Random mutations in the form of deletions large and small seem to have eliminated nonessential genes from the endosymbiont-mitochondrial genome lineages. This process, together with the transfer of genes from the endosymbiont-mitochondrial genome to nuclei, has led to a marked reduction in the size of mitochondrial genomes. All proteins of bacterial descent that are encoded by nuclear genes were probably transferred by the same mechanism, involving the disintegration of mitochondria ol bacteria by the intracellular membranous vacuoles of cells to release nucleic acid fragments that transform the nuclear genome. This ongoing process has intermittently introduced bacterial genes to nuclear. genomes. The genomes of the last common ancestor of all organisms, in particular of mitochondria, encoded cytochrome oxidase homologues. There are no phylogenetic indications either in the mitochondrial proteome ol in the nuclear genomes that the initial or subsequent function of the ancestor to the mitochondria was anaerobic. In contrast there are indications that relatively advanced eukaryotes adapted to anaerobiosis by dismantling their mitochondria and refitting them as hydrogenosomes. Accordingly, a continuous history of aerobic respiration seems to have been the fate of most mitochondrial lineages. The initial phases of this history may have involved aerobic respiration by the symbiont functioning as a scavenger of toxic oxygen. The transition to mitochondria capable of active ATP export to the host cell seems to have required recruitment of eukaryotic ATP transport proteins from the nucleus. The identity of the ancestral host of the alpha -proteobacterial endosymbiont is unclear; but there is no indication that it was an autotroph. There are no indications of a specific alpha -proteobacterial origin to genes for glycolysis. In the absence of data to the contrary it is assumed that the ancestral host cell was a heterotroph.
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