| 1. |
- Kanoni, Stavroula, et al.
(author)
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Implicating genes, pleiotropy, and sexual dimorphism at blood lipid loci through multi-ancestry meta-analysis.
- 2022
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In: Genome biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1474-760X .- 1465-6906 .- 1474-7596. ; 23:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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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| 2. |
- Schaeffer, Jennie, PhD, 1974-, et al.
(author)
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Carbon Dioxide Theatre : at the museum
- 2020. - 1
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Book (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- This book is about the Carbon Dioxide Theatre project, in which we explored how participatory theatre and participatory design can be used in a museum to create engagement with climate issues.The Carbon Dioxide Theatre project focused on young people’s ability to reflect on and critically review social norms and practices around climate targets and carbon dioxide emissions, although the process affected all participants. Objects from the museum’s existing collections were central to the project to create reflections on past and present social norms.With this text, we want to inspire you to explore how museums can develop new ways of working with collections and communication related to our cultural heritage and contemporary global challenges.In the text, we have mixed descriptions of the process and the methods with personal stories from us in the project in order to share as many different perspectives of the project as possible with you. We hope that you will get inspired!
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| 3. |
- Bauer, M., et al.
(author)
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Association between polarity of first episode and solar insolation in bipolar I disorder
- 2022
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In: Journal of Psychosomatic Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-3999 .- 1879-1360. ; 160
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Circadian rhythm disruption is commonly observed in bipolar disorder (BD). Daylight is the most powerful signal to entrain the human circadian clock system. This exploratory study investigated if solar insolation at the onset location was associated with the polarity of the first episode of BD I. Solar insolation is the amount of electromagnetic energy from the Sun striking a surface area of the Earth. Methods: Data from 7488 patients with BD I were collected at 75 sites in 42 countries. The first episode occurred at 591 onset locations in 67 countries at a wide range of latitudes in both hemispheres. Solar insolation values were obtained for every onset location, and the ratio of the minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation was calculated. This ratio is largest near the equator (with little change in solar insolation over the year), and smallest near the poles (where winter insolation is very small compared to summer insolation). This ratio also applies to tropical locations which may have a cloudy wet and clear dry season, rather than winter and summer. Results: The larger the change in solar insolation throughout the year (smaller the ratio between the minimum monthly and maximum monthly values), the greater the likelihood the first episode polarity was depression. Other associated variables were being female and increasing percentage of gross domestic product spent on country health expenditures. (All coefficients: P ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Increased awareness and research into circadian dysfunction throughout the course of BD is warranted.
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| 4. |
- Bauer, M., et al.
(author)
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Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder
- 2023
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In: International Journal of Bipolar Disorders. - 2194-7511. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundSunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about > 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample.MethodsData for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P <= 0.001.ResultsThe 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger.ConclusionUVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition.
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| 5. |
- Bauer, M., et al.
(author)
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Variations in seasonal solar insolation are associated with a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder
- 2021
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In: International Journal of Bipolar Disorders. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2194-7511. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Bipolar disorder is associated with circadian disruption and a high risk of suicidal behavior. In a previous exploratory study of patients with bipolar I disorder, we found that a history of suicide attempts was associated with differences between winter and summer levels of solar insolation. The purpose of this study was to confirm this finding using international data from 42% more collection sites and 25% more countries. Methods Data analyzed were from 71 prior and new collection sites in 40 countries at a wide range of latitudes. The analysis included 4876 patients with bipolar I disorder, 45% more data than previously analyzed. Of the patients, 1496 (30.7%) had a history of suicide attempt. Solar insolation data, the amount of the sun's electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, was obtained for each onset location (479 locations in 64 countries). Results This analysis confirmed the results of the exploratory study with the same best model and slightly better statistical significance. There was a significant inverse association between a history of suicide attempts and the ratio of mean winter insolation to mean summer insolation (mean winter insolation/mean summer insolation). This ratio is largest near the equator which has little change in solar insolation over the year, and smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. Other variables in the model associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts were a history of alcohol or substance abuse, female gender, and younger birth cohort. The winter/summer insolation ratio was also replaced with the ratio of minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation to accommodate insolation patterns in the tropics, and nearly identical results were found. All estimated coefficients were significant at p < 0.01. Conclusion A large change in solar insolation, both between winter and summer and between the minimum and maximum monthly values, may increase the risk of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. With frequent circadian rhythm dysfunction and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder, greater understanding of the optimal roles of daylight and electric lighting in circadian entrainment is needed.
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| 6. |
- Etemadi, Khashayar, et al.
(author)
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Sorald : Automatic Patch Suggestions for SonarQube Static Analysis Violations
- 2022
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In: IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 1545-5971 .- 1941-0018. ; , s. 1-1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous work has shown that early resolution of issues detected by static code analyzers can prevent major costs later on. However, developers often ignore such issues for two main reasons. First, many issues should be interpreted to determine if they correspond to actual flaws in the program. Second, static analyzers often do not present the issues in a way that is actionable. To address these problems, we present Sorald: a novel system that uses metaprogramming templates to transform the abstract syntax trees of programs and suggests fixes for static analysis warnings. Thus, the burden on the developer is reduced from interpreting and fixing static issues, to inspecting and approving full fledged solutions. Sorald fixes violations of 10 rules from SonarJava, one of the most widely used static analyzers for Java. We evaluate Sorald on a dataset of 161 popular repositories on Github. Our analysis shows the effectiveness of Sorald as it fixes 65% (852/1,307) of the violations that meets the repair preconditions. Overall, our experiments show it is possible to automatically fix notable violations of the static analysis rules produced by the state-of-the-art static analyzer SonarJava.
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| 7. |
- Groenewold, Nynke A., et al.
(author)
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Volume of subcortical brain regions in social anxiety disorder : mega-analytic results from 37 samples in the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group
- 2023
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In: Molecular Psychiatry. - : Springer Nature. - 1359-4184 .- 1476-5578. ; 28:3, s. 1079-1089
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is limited convergence in neuroimaging investigations into volumes of subcortical brain regions in social anxiety disorder (SAD). The inconsistent findings may arise from variations in methodological approaches across studies, including sample selection based on age and clinical characteristics. The ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group initiated a global mega-analysis to determine whether differences in subcortical volumes can be detected in adults and adolescents with SAD relative to healthy controls. Volumetric data from 37 international samples with 1115 SAD patients and 2775 controls were obtained from ENIGMA-standardized protocols for image segmentation and quality assurance. Linear mixed-effects analyses were adjusted for comparisons across seven subcortical regions in each hemisphere using family-wise error (FWE)-correction. Mixed-effects d effect sizes were calculated. In the full sample, SAD patients showed smaller bilateral putamen volume than controls (left: d = −0.077, pFWE = 0.037; right: d = −0.104, pFWE = 0.001), and a significant interaction between SAD and age was found for the left putamen (r = −0.034, pFWE = 0.045). Smaller bilateral putamen volumes (left: d = −0.141, pFWE < 0.001; right: d = −0.158, pFWE < 0.001) and larger bilateral pallidum volumes (left: d = 0.129, pFWE = 0.006; right: d = 0.099, pFWE = 0.046) were detected in adult SAD patients relative to controls, but no volumetric differences were apparent in adolescent SAD patients relative to controls. Comorbid anxiety disorders and age of SAD onset were additional determinants of SAD-related volumetric differences in subcortical regions. To conclude, subtle volumetric alterations in subcortical regions in SAD were detected. Heterogeneity in age and clinical characteristics may partly explain inconsistencies in previous findings. The association between alterations in subcortical volumes and SAD illness progression deserves further investigation, especially from adolescence into adulthood.
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| 8. |
- Hilbert, Kevin, et al.
(author)
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Cortical and Subcortical Brain Alterations in Specific Phobia and Its Animal and Blood-Injection-Injury Subtypes: A Mega-Analysis From the ENIGMA Anxiety Working Group.
- 2024
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In: The American Journal of Psychiatry. - 1535-7228.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Specific phobia is a common anxiety disorder, but the literature on associated brain structure alterations exhibits substantial gaps. The ENIGMA Anxiety Working Group examined brain structure differences between individuals with specific phobias and healthy control subjects as well as between the animal and blood-injection-injury (BII) subtypes of specific phobia. Additionally, the authors investigated associations of brain structure with symptom severity and age (youths vs. adults).Data sets from 31 original studies were combined to create a final sample with 1,452 participants with phobia and 2,991 healthy participants (62.7% female; ages 5-90). Imaging processing and quality control were performed using established ENIGMA protocols. Subcortical volumes as well as cortical surface area and thickness were examined in a preregistered analysis.Compared with the healthy control group, the phobia group showed mostly smaller subcortical volumes, mixed surface differences, and larger cortical thickness across a substantial number of regions. The phobia subgroups also showed differences, including, as hypothesized, larger medial orbitofrontal cortex thickness in BII phobia (N=182) compared with animal phobia (N=739). All findings were driven by adult participants; no significant results were observed in children and adolescents.Brain alterations associated with specific phobia exceeded those of other anxiety disorders in comparable analyses in extent and effect size and were not limited to reductions in brain structure. Moreover, phenomenological differences between phobia subgroups were reflected in diverging neural underpinnings, including brain areas related to fear processing and higher cognitive processes. The findings implicate brain structure alterations in specific phobia, although subcortical alterations in particular may also relate to broader internalizing psychopathology.
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| 9. |
- Hoppenreijs, Jacqueline, et al.
(author)
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Three major steps toward the conservation of freshwater and riparian biodiversity
- 2024
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In: Conservation Biology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0888-8892 .- 1523-1739. ; 38:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Freshwater ecosystems and their bordering wetlands and riparian zones are vital for human society and biological diversity. Yet, they are among the most degraded ecosystems, where sharp declines in biodiversity are driven by human activities, such as hydropower development, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. Because freshwater ecosystems are characterized by strongly reciprocal linkages with surrounding landscapes, human activities that encroach on or degrade riparian zones ultimately lead to declines in freshwater–riparian ecosystem functioning. We synthesized results of a symposium on freshwater, riparian, and wetland processes and interactions and analyzed some of the major problems associated with improving freshwater and riparian research and management. Three distinct barriers are the lack of involvement of local people in conservation research and management, absence of adequate measurement of biodiversity in freshwater and riparian ecosystems, and separate legislation and policy on riparian and freshwater management. Based on our findings, we argue that freshwater and riparian research and conservation efforts should be integrated more explicitly. Best practices for overcoming the 3 major barriers to improved conservation include more and sustainable use of traditional and other forms of local ecological knowledge, choosing appropriate metrics for ecological research and monitoring of restoration efforts, and mirroring the close links between riparian and freshwater ecosystems in legislation and policy. Integrating these 3 angles in conservation science and practice will provide substantial benefits in addressing the freshwater biodiversity crisis.
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| 10. |
- Larsen, Simon R., et al.
(author)
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Magnetic properties and thermal stability of B2 and bcc phases in AlCoCrFeMnxNi
- 2021
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In: Journal of Alloys and Compounds. - : Elsevier BV. - 0925-8388 .- 1873-4669. ; 861
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alloys of AlCoCrFeMnxNi (x = 0.0, 0.04, 0.08, 0.12 and 0.16) have been synthesized through arc-melting and gas atomisation (x = 0.0 and 0.16) to investigate the effect of Mn additions to AlCoCrFeNi. Here, the structure, magnetic properties and the thermal stability of the alloys is presented. Electron microscopy confirmed the elemental composition and revealed the microstructure to consist of two spinodally decomposed phases. Rietveld analysis of standard powder X-ray diffraction showed the arc-melted samples consisted of two phases, a B2 phase and a bcc phase while the gas atomised powders consisted of a singlephased B2 structure. Magnetic measurements revealed an increase in the saturation magnetisation at room temperature by 68% for AlCoCrFeMnNi compared to AlCoCrFeNi. The thermal stability of the alloys was investigated using magnetometry, differential scanning calorimetry and in-situ X-ray diffraction, which showed that an increase in Mn content adversely effected the thermal stability of the alloy.
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