| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Barucca, G., et al.
(author)
-
The potential of Λ and Ξ- studies with PANDA at FAIR
- 2021
-
In: European Physical Journal A. - : Springer Nature. - 1434-6001 .- 1434-601X. ; 57:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The antiproton experiment PANDA at FAIR is designed to bring hadron physics to a new level in terms of scope, precision and accuracy. In this work, its unique capability for studies of hyperons is outlined. We discuss ground-state hyperons as diagnostic tools to study non-perturbative aspects of the strong interaction, and fundamental symmetries. New simulation studies have been carried out for two benchmark hyperon-antihyperon production channels: p¯ p→ Λ¯ Λ and p¯ p→ Ξ¯ +Ξ-. The results, presented in detail in this paper, show that hyperon-antihyperon pairs from these reactions can be exclusively reconstructed with high efficiency and very low background contamination. In addition, the polarisation and spin correlations have been studied, exploiting the weak, self-analysing decay of hyperons and antihyperons. Two independent approaches to the finite efficiency have been applied and evaluated: one standard multidimensional efficiency correction approach, and one efficiency independent approach. The applicability of the latter was thoroughly evaluated for all channels, beam momenta and observables. The standard method yields good results in all cases, and shows that spin observables can be studied with high precision and accuracy already in the first phase of data taking with PANDA.
|
|
| 4. |
- Barucca, G., et al.
(author)
-
Study of excited Ξ baryons with the P¯ ANDA detector
- 2021
-
In: European Physical Journal A. - : Springer Nature. - 1434-6001 .- 1434-601X. ; 57:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The study of baryon excitation spectra provides insight into the inner structure of baryons. So far, most of the world-wide efforts have been directed towards N∗ and Δ spectroscopy. Nevertheless, the study of the double and triple strange baryon spectrum provides independent information to the N∗ and Δ spectra. The future antiproton experiment P¯ANDA will provide direct access to final states containing a Ξ¯ Ξ pair, for which production cross sections up to μb are expected in p¯p reactions. With a luminosity of L= 10 31 cm- 2 s- 1 in the first phase of the experiment, the expected cross sections correspond to a production rate of ∼106events/day. With a nearly 4 π detector acceptance, P¯ANDA will thus be a hyperon factory. In this study, reactions of the type p¯p → Ξ¯ +Ξ∗ - as well as p¯p → Ξ¯ ∗ +Ξ- with various decay modes are investigated. For the exclusive reconstruction of the signal events a full decay tree fit is used, resulting in reconstruction efficiencies between 3 and 5%. This allows high statistics data to be collected within a few weeks of data taking.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
- Mayes, Maureen D, et al.
(author)
-
Immunochip analysis identifies multiple susceptibility Loci for systemic sclerosis.
- 2014
-
In: American Journal of Human Genetics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9297 .- 1537-6605. ; 94:1, s. 47-61
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, 1,833 systemic sclerosis (SSc) cases and 3,466 controls were genotyped with the Immunochip array. Classical alleles, amino acid residues, and SNPs across the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region were imputed and tested. These analyses resulted in a model composed of six polymorphic amino acid positions and seven SNPs that explained the observed significant associations in the region. In addition, a replication step comprising 4,017 SSc cases and 5,935 controls was carried out for several selected non-HLA variants, reaching a total of 5,850 cases and 9,401 controls of European ancestry. Following this strategy, we identified and validated three SSc risk loci, including DNASE1L3 at 3p14, the SCHIP1-IL12A locus at 3q25, and ATG5 at 6q21, as well as a suggested association of the TREH-DDX6 locus at 11q23. The associations of several previously reported SSc risk loci were validated and further refined, and the observed peak of association in PXK was related to DNASE1L3. Our study has increased the number of known genetic associations with SSc, provided further insight into the pleiotropic effects of shared autoimmune risk factors, and highlighted the power of dense mapping for detecting previously overlooked susceptibility loci.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Lundstedt, Staffan, et al.
(author)
-
First intercomparison study on the analysis of oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (oxy-PAHs) and nitrogen heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic compounds (N-PACs) in contaminated soil
- 2014
-
In: TrAC. Trends in analytical chemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0165-9936 .- 1879-3142. ; 57, s. 83-92
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (oxy-PAHs) and nitrogen heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic compounds (N-PACs) are toxic, highly leachable and often abundant at sites that are also contaminated with PAHs. However, due to lack of regulations and standardized methods for their analysis, they are seldom included in monitoring and risk-assessment programs. This intercomparison study constitutes an important step in the harmonization of the analytical methods currently used, and may also be considered a first step towards the certification of reference materials for these compounds. The results showed that the participants were able to determine oxy-PAHs with accuracy similar to PAHs, with average determined mass fractions agreeing well with the known levels in a spiked soil and acceptable inter- and intra-laboratory precisions for all soils analyzed. For the N-PACs, the results were less satisfactory, and have to be improved by using analytical methods more specifically optimized for these compounds.
|
|
| 9. |
- Morrisroe, Kathleen, et al.
(author)
-
Determinants of health-related quality of life in a multinational systemic sclerosis inception cohort
- 2018
-
In: Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology. - 0392-856X. ; 36:4, s. 53-60
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its determinants in a systemic sclerosis (SSc) multinational inception cohort. We performed a meta-analysis of data from individual countries, and compared the meta-analysis to individual country results by pooling data from each of the countries.METHODS: SSc patients within 2 years of disease onset were recruited from 5 countries participating in the International Systemic Sclerosis Inception Cohort (INSYNC). Data from each country's database were exported for analysis using a harmonised platform. HRQoL was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Short Form-36 (SF-36). Multivariate linear regression assessed associations between HRQoL and predictors in cohorts separately and meta-analyzed to generate pooled estimates. The analyses were repeated using individual patient data.RESULTS: Of the 637 SSc patients recruited, the majority was female (80.2%-83.3%), aged between 52.4-56.7 years with limited cutaneous disease subtype (48.6%-66.7%). HRQoL scores were lower for SSc patients than the general population (SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) score (36.4-39.6), mental component summary (MCS) score (41.0-46.4)). Determinants of SF-36 PCS by meta-analysis included increasing age (β=-0.1, 95%CI -0.2, -0.01), diffuse cutaneous disease subtype (β=-8.4, 95%CI -10.6, -6.3), and pulmonary arterial hypertension (β=-10.9, 95%CI -16.6, -5.3). Increasing age (β=0.09, 95%CI 0.0, 0.18) was the only variable associated with SF-36 MCS. Analyses using individual patient data revealed similar results to those of the meta-analysis of cohort data.CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides estimates of HRQoL in a large inception SSc cohort and provides evidence that individual patient data analysis is valid in the INSYNC dataset.
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
| 11. |
|
|
| 12. |
- Frech, M, et al.
(author)
-
Regional surface fluxes over the NOPEX area
- 1998
-
In: JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 0022-1694. ; 213:1-4, s. 155-171
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The regional surface fluxes of sensible heat and moisture are estimated for two days during NOPEX '94 by means of aircraft measurements. A box flight pattern is analysed for 13 June (a weak wind case) and 14 June (a strong wind case), both with cold air
|
|
| 13. |
- Gottschalk, L, et al.
(author)
-
Scale aggregation - comparison of flux estimates from NOPEX
- 1999
-
In: AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 0168-1923. ; 98-9, s. 103-119
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The NOPEX two concentrated field efforts (CFEs) (June 1994 and April-July 1995) provide high quality data sets for the Boreal environment. The analysis of these data with traditional meteorological and hydrological approaches allow estimations of fluxes o
|
|
| 14. |
|
|
| 15. |
- Iregren, A, et al.
(author)
-
Effects on the nervous system in different groups of workers exposed to aluminium
- 2001
-
In: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. ; 58, s. 453-60
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE - To investigate possible neurotoxic effects in groups of aluminium pot room and foundry workers, aluminium welders, and a small group of workers exposed to aluminium in the production of flake powder.METHODS - Exposure to aluminium was evaluated with aluminium concentrations in blood and urine as well as a questionnaire. The groups exposed to aluminium were compared with a group of mild steel welders. Neurotoxic effects were studied with mood and symptom questionnaires and several psychological and neurophysiological tests.RESULTS - The pot room and foundry workers showed very low aluminium uptake as their aluminium concentrations in blood and urine were close to normal, and no effects on the nervous system were detected. The group of workers exposed to flake powder had high concentrations of aluminium in blood and urine, even higher than those of the aluminium welders. However, aluminium could not be shown to affect the functioning of the nervous system in flake powder producers. Although significant effects could not be shown in the present analysis of the data on welders, the performance of the welders exposed to high concentrations of aluminium was affected according to the analyses in the original paper from this group.CONCLUSIONS - For the pot room and foundry workers no effects related to the exposure to aluminium could be found. For the group of flake powder producers exposed for a short term no effects on the nervous systems were evident despite high levels of exposure. Due to the high concentrations of aluminium in the biological samples of this group, measures to reduce the exposure to aluminium are recommended, as effects on the central nervous system might develop after protracted exposures. However, this assumption needs to be verified in further studies.
|
|
| 16. |
- Morabito, R, et al.
(author)
-
Towards a new Certified Reference Material for butyltins, methylmercury and arsenobetaine in oyster tissue
- 2004
-
In: TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-9936. ; 23:9, s. 664-76
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Increasing awareness of the determination of chemical species in the environment evolves jointly with the need to control the validity of analytical measurements in a wide variety of matrices. There are few Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) available for various chemical species, and they are certified for species of one single element (e.g., species of tin and mercury). Three years of collaboration within the framework of European Commission research programmes involving more than 20 laboratories have made it possible to produce an oyster reference material for species of tin, mercury and arsenic (BCR-710) and to perform the necessary experimental work for its certification. This article summarises the feasibility study and describes the various steps in the preparation, production and characterisation of this material for its content of arsenobetaine, methylmercury, tributyltin and dibutyltin. These steps included stability and homogeneity testing as well as value assignment based on a collaborative approach involving a group of European laboratories. Further work is going on to certify total contents for a range of trace metals.
|
|
| 17. |
- Saketkoo, LA, et al.
(author)
-
World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set Development for Interstitial Lung Disease
- 2022
-
In: Frontiers in pharmacology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1663-9812. ; 13, s. 979788-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) as a scientific method of disability data collection comprised of >1,200 categories describing the spectrum of impairment types (functional, symptoms-based and anatomical) under the bio-psycho-social model with consideration of environmental and personal factors (pf). ICF Core Sets and ICF Checklists are streamlined disease-specific resources for clinical use, service provision, and for use in health economics and health policy. ICF can disclose strengths and weaknesses across multiple patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and help consolidate best-fitting question-items from multiple PROMs. Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), are generally progressive, with restrictive physiology sometimes occurring in the context of multi-organ autoimmunity/inflammatory conditions such as connective tissue diseases (CTDs). In spite of significant associated morbidity and potential disability, ILD has yet to be linked to the ICF.Methods: Each instrument and their question-items within the consensus-recommended core sets for clinical trials in ILD were deconstructed to single concept units, and then linked per updated ICF linkage rules. Inter-linker agreement was established. Three additional subsequently validated measures were also included.Results: One-hundred-eleven ICF categories were identified for ten PROMs and three traditional objective measures that were amenable to ICF linkage. The proportion of agreement ranged from 0.79 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.91) to 0.93 (0.76, 0.99) with the overall proportion of inter-linker agreement being very high 0.86 (0.82, 0.89) for the initial instruments, with 94–100% for the three additional PROMs. Thirty-four new ‘Personal Factors’ emerged to capture disease-specific qualities not elsewhere described in ICF, e.g. ‘pf_embarrassed by cough’ or ‘pf_panic/afraid when can’t get a breath’.Conclusion: This first known effort in ICF linkage of ILD has provided important revelations on the current utility of the ICF in lung disease. Results have indicated areas for meaningful assessment of ICF descriptors for lung impairment. The mapping across PROMs provides insight into possibilities of developing more streamline and precise instrumentation. Finally, familiarity with the ICF in ILD may enable clinicians to experience a smoother transition with the imminent harmonization of ICD and ICF, ICD-11.
|
|
| 18. |
|
|
| 19. |
|
|
| 20. |
|
|
| 21. |
- Burba, Christopher M., et al.
(author)
-
Detecting unalloyed tin in LiSn2(PO4)3-based anodes with Mössbauer spectroscopy
- 2009
-
In: Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-8488 .- 1433-0768. ; 13:8, s. 1267-1272
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The first discharge of the Li+ ion anode material LiSn2(PO4)3 was investigated with Mössbauer spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques. Mössbauer spectroscopy provided insight into the structure of the tin atoms of the fully discharged anode materials. Spectra consist of overlapping peaks, which are assigned to noncrystalline β-Sn and Li–Sn alloy domains. An analysis of the relative intensities of the Mössbauer spectra shows the relative abundance of β-Sn increases at the expense of the Li–Sn alloy as the discharge rate increases. Cell polarization occurs at higher discharge rates, leading to inefficient electrode utilization and poor cycling performance. Sluggish Li+ ion diffusion through the amorphous Li3PO4 network that is formed early in the discharge process might be responsible for the poor electrochemical performance and the accumulation of unalloyed tin.
|
|
| 22. |
|
|
| 23. |
|
|
| 24. |
- Hermann, G, et al.
(author)
-
Platform-to-platform sample transfer, distribution, dilution, and dosing via electrothermal vaporization and electrostatic deposition
- 2004
-
In: Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0584-8547. ; 59:5, s. 737-48
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel system for solid sample pretreatment, handling and dosing for analytical atomic spectrometry is described. A primary solid or liquid sample is vaporized in a graphite furnace and then condensed in a specially designed condensation zone. On the further transport path, the analyte aerosol can be diluted and distributed in pre-set ratios in the laboratory made flow control system. Applying a corona discharge, aerosol particulates are then quantitatively re-collected by means of intra-furnace electrostatic precipitation on the platform of another graphite furnace or by external precipitation on one or a set of platforms. This makes possible to produce a set of secondary platforms with equal analyte compositions from one individual primary sample. Such multitudes allow sequential multi-element determinations with single-element instrumentation or comparative measurements with different techniques. Furthermore, the described procedure allows external thermal sample pretreatment with preceding pyrolysis and additional vaporization, condensation, and re-precipitation that significantly reduces or removes the sample matrix. Owing to different losses, transport efficiencies of electrothermal vaporization (ETV) instrumentation depend on analyte element, matrix, vaporization temperature, ramp rate, and tube history. In order to reduce the losses and therewith such dependencies of the losses, new laboratory constructed ETV unit with analyte condensation in an axially focusing upstream convection zone has been constructed. Analytical performance of the new setup is compared with the performance of a commercial end-on flow-through ETV unit when analyzing both liquid dosed samples and certified solid reference materials. The new system shows much higher transport efficiencies that are, in addition, more uniform for elements of different volatility. The effects of chemical sample modifiers and elements supporting analyte condensation are studied. Most of the analytical measurements were carried out with a continuum source coherent forward scattering multi-element spectrometer. Comparative measurements were also carried out independently in the co-authors’ laboratories with atomic absorption and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry techniques.
|
|
| 25. |
|
|
| 26. |
- Matousek, T, et al.
(author)
-
Gas flow patterns and longitudinal distribution of free selenium atoms in quartz tube atomizers for hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry
- 2000
-
In: Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. ; 55:2, s. 151-63
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Gas flow patterns in unheated quartz tube hydride atomizers were studied by light scattering on ammonium chloride particles and by observation of iodine vapors. The flow pattern is basically laminar, with a turbulent region at the T-junction and irregularities at the tube ends. We studied the free atom distribution over the length of the atomizers optical bar under various conditions by measuring the selenium signal with the tube perpendicular to the radiation beam, through the tube walls. In the whole range of atomization conditions used (Se 60-400 g l-1, 0.8-2 l min-1 of H2 as purge gas, 0-50 ml min-1 O2,), there is a sharp maximum of free atom concentration in the tube centre, and all the free atoms disappear before they reach the tube ends. The absorption profiles are essentially the same in unheated as in flame-heated tubes, and there is no difference between heated flame-in-tube and externally heated arrangement. With decreasing purge gas flow rate, free atoms occupy a shorter part of the tube. Free atoms start to decay immediately after entering the optical tube of the atomizer. In both heated and unheated atomizers, enhanced free atom decay at higher concentrations contributes to the curvature of calibration graphs. As all free atoms disappear before reaching the ends of the tube even at relatively high purge gas flow rates, it is not possible to obtain higher sensitivities by extending the atomizer length. There is no difference in the free atom distribution in the central part of the tube if oxygen is prevented to enter the tube from the ends (by quartz windows or flames burning at the tube ends), so the free atom decay is not caused by O2 diffusing from the ambient atmosphere. With flames burning on tube ends, free Se atoms were reappearing close to the ends, proving the possibility of reatomization of species formed by free atom reactions. When no measures against O2 penetration from the tube ends of the heated atomizer are taken, signal reappearance takes place at the borders of the hot part of the atomizer, contributing substantially to the overall sensitivity. The results obtained correspond very well to the present picture of hydride atomization by H-radicals and their subsequent decay.
|
|
| 27. |
- Smith, Vanessa, et al.
(author)
-
Standardisation of nailfold capillaroscopy for the assessment of patients with Raynaud's phenomenon and systemic sclerosis
- 2020
-
In: Autoimmunity Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 1568-9972. ; 19:3
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Capillaroscopy is a non-invasive and safe tool which allows the evaluation of the morphology of the microcirculation. Since its recent incorporation in the 2013 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) classification criteria for systemic sclerosis together with its assessed role to monitor disease progression, capillaroscopy became a ‘mainstream’ investigation for rheumatologists. Given its increasing use by a variety of physicians internationally both in daily practice to differentiate primary from secondary Raynaud's phenomenon, as well as in research context to predict disease progression and monitor treatment effects, standardisation in capillaroscopic image acquisition and analysis seems paramount. To step forward to this need, experts in the field of capillaroscopy/microcirculation provide in this very consensus paper their view on image acquisition and analysis, different capillaroscopic techniques, normal and abnormal capillaroscopic characteristics and their meaning, scoring systems and reliability of image acquisition and interpretation.
|
|
| 28. |
- Szefer, P, et al.
(author)
-
Heavy-metal pollution of sediments from the Polish exclusive economic zone, southern Baltic Sea
- 2009
-
In: Environmental Geology. - Berlin / Heidelberg : Springer. - 0943-0105 .- 1432-0495. ; 57:4, s. 847-862
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Analysis of 59 surface sediment samples from the Polish exclusive economic zone (EEZ) shows that Szczecin Lagoon sediments are the most polluted by heavy metals and that the degree of heavy-metal pollution decreases substantially on passing from the Szczecin Lagoon to the Pomeranian Bay and the inner shelf area and then on passing to the Bornholm Deep and Słupsk Furrow. Heavy-metal pollution in the sediments of the western part of the Polish EEZ therefore appears to follow the dispersion of the Oder River. Fluffy material from the Oder estuary appears to be the main source of heavy metals in the muddy sediments of the Bornholm Deep. The formation of sulphides is therefore not the principal factor controlling the enrichment of heavy metals in the sediments of this anoxic basin, although it may be responsible for the uptake of Mo, Sb and As. Two main factors control the distribution of the rare earth elements (REE) in sediments of the Polish EEZ: the input of Fe-organic colloids from rivers and the presence of detrital material in the sediments.
|
|
