| 1. |
- Schael, S, et al.
(författare)
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Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
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Ingår i: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLID experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, m(Z) and Gamma(Z), and its couplings to fermions, for example the p parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle for leptons, are precisely measured: m(Z) = 91.1875 +/- 0.0021 GeV, Gamma(Z) = 2.4952 +/- 0.0023 GeV, rho(l) = 1.0050 +/- 0.0010, sin(2)theta(eff)(lept) = 0.23153 +/- 0.00016. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840 +/- 0.0082, in agreement with the three observed generations of fundamental fermions. The results are compared to the predictions of the Standard Model (SM). At the Z-pole, electroweak radiative corrections beyond the running of the QED and QCD coupling constants are observed with a significance of five standard deviations, and in agreement with the Standard Model. Of the many Z-pole measurements, the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quark production shows the largest difference with respect to its SM expectation, at the level of 2.8 standard deviations. Through radiative corrections evaluated in the framework of the Standard Model, the Z-pole data are also used to predict the mass of the top quark, m(t) = 173(+10)(+13) GeV, and the mass of the W boson, m(W) = 80.363 +/- 0.032 GeV. These indirect constraints are compared to the direct measurements, providing a stringent test of the SM. Using in addition the direct measurements of m(t) and m(W), the mass of the as yet unobserved SM Higgs boson is predicted with a relative uncertainty of about 50% and found to be less than 285 GeV at 95% confidence level. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Emerging Risk Factors, Collaboration, et al.
(författare)
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The Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration: analysis of individual data on lipid, inflammatory and other markers in over 1.1 million participants in 104 prospective studies of cardiovascular diseases
- 2007
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Ingår i: Eur J Epidemiol. - 0393-2990. ; 22:12, s. 839-69
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many long-term prospective studies have reported on associations of cardiovascular diseases with circulating lipid markers and/or inflammatory markers. Studies have not, however, generally been designed to provide reliable estimates under different circumstances and to correct for within-person variability. The Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration has established a central database on over 1.1 million participants from 104 prospective population-based studies, in which subsets have information on lipid and inflammatory markers, other characteristics, as well as major cardiovascular morbidity and cause-specific mortality. Information on repeat measurements on relevant characteristics has been collected in approximately 340,000 participants to enable estimation of and correction for within-person variability. Re-analysis of individual data will yield up to approximately 69,000 incident fatal or nonfatal first ever major cardiovascular outcomes recorded during about 11.7 million person years at risk. The primary analyses will involve age-specific regression models in people without known baseline cardiovascular disease in relation to fatal or nonfatal first ever coronary heart disease outcomes. This initiative will characterize more precisely and in greater detail than has previously been possible the shape and strength of the age- and sex-specific associations of several lipid and inflammatory markers with incident coronary heart disease outcomes (and, secondarily, with other incident cardiovascular outcomes) under a wide range of circumstances. It will, therefore, help to determine to what extent such associations are independent from possible confounding factors and to what extent such markers (separately and in combination) provide incremental predictive value.
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| 3. |
- Valiente-Dobon, J. J., et al.
(författare)
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Lifetime Measurements of the Neutron-Rich N=30 Isotones Ca-50 and Sc-51: Orbital Dependence of Effective Charges in the fp Shell
- 2009
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 102:24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The lifetimes of the first excited states of the N=30 isotones Ca-50 and Sc-51 have been determined using the Recoil Distance Doppler Shift method in combination with the CLARA-PRISMA spectrometers. This is the first time such a method is applied to measure lifetimes of neutron-rich nuclei populated via a multinucleon transfer reaction. This extends the lifetime knowledge beyond the f(7/2) shell closure and allows us to derive the effective proton and neutron charges in the fp shell near the doubly magic nucleus Ca-48, using large-scale, shell-model calculations. These results indicate an orbital dependence of the core polarization along the fp shell.
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| 4. |
- Allison, J, et al.
(författare)
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Geant4 developments and applications
- 2006
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Ingår i: IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE. - 0018-9499. ; 53:1, s. 270-278
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 5. |
- Sodergren, Erica, et al.
(författare)
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The genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 1095-9203 .- 0036-8075. ; 314:5801, s. 941-52
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the sequence and analysis of the 814-megabase genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a model for developmental and systems biology. The sequencing strategy combined whole-genome shotgun and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequences. This use of BAC clones, aided by a pooling strategy, overcame difficulties associated with high heterozygosity of the genome. The genome encodes about 23,300 genes, including many previously thought to be vertebrate innovations or known only outside the deuterostomes. This echinoderm genome provides an evolutionary outgroup for the chordates and yields insights into the evolution of deuterostomes.
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| 6. |
- Hagleitner, M M, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical spectrum of immunodeficiency, centromeric instability and facial dysmorphism (ICF syndrome).
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of medical genetics. - : BMJ. - 1468-6244. ; 45:2, s. 93-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Immunodeficiency, centromeric instability and facial dysmorphism (ICF syndrome) is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterised by facial dysmorphism, immunoglobulin deficiency and branching of chromosomes 1, 9 and 16 after PHA stimulation of lymphocytes. Hypomethylation of DNA of a small fraction of the genome is an unusual feature of ICF patients which is explained by mutations in the DNA methyltransferase gene DNMT3B in some, but not all, ICF patients. OBJECTIVE: To obtain a comprehensive description of the clinical features of this syndrome as well as genotype-phenotype correlations in ICF patients. METHODS: Data on ICF patients were obtained by literature search and additional information by means of questionnaires to corresponding authors. Results and CONCLUSIONS: 45 patients all with proven centromeric instability were included in this study. Facial dysmorphism was found to be a common characteristic (n = 41/42), especially epicanthic folds, hypertelorism, flat nasal bridge and low set ears. Hypo- or agammaglobulinaemia was demonstrated in nearly all patients (n = 39/44). Opportunistic infections were seen in several patients, pointing to a T cell dysfunction. Haematological malignancy was documented in two patients. Life expectancy of ICF patients is poor, especially those with severe infections in infancy or chronic gastrointestinal problems and failure to thrive. Early diagnosis of ICF is important since early introduction of immunoglobulin supplementation can improve the course of the disease. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation should be considered as a therapeutic option in patients with severe infections or failure to thrive. Only 19 of 34 patients showed mutations in DNMT3B, suggesting genetic heterogeneity. No genotype-phenotype correlation was found between patients with and without DNMT3B mutations.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Hiesmayr, M., et al.
(författare)
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Decreased food intake is a risk factor for mortality in hospitalised patients : the NutritionDay survey 2006
- 2009
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Ingår i: Clinical Nutrition. - : Elsevier BV. - 0261-5614 .- 1532-1983. ; 28:5, s. 484-491
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND & AIMS: Malnutrition is a known risk factor for the development of complications in hospitalised patients. We determined whether eating only fractions of the meals served is an independent risk factor for mortality. METHODS: The NutritionDay is a multinational one-day cross-sectional survey of nutritional factors and food intake in 16,290 adult hospitalised patients on January 19th 2006. The effect of food intake and nutritional factors on death in hospital within 30 days was assessed in a competing risk analysis. RESULTS: More than half of the patients did not eat their full meal provided by the hospital. Decreased food intake on NutritionDay or during the previous week was associated with an increased risk of dying, even after adjustment for various patient and disease related factors. Adjusted hazard ratio for dying when eating about a quarter of the meal on NutritionDay was 2.10 (1.53-2.89); when eating nothing 3.02 (2.11-4.32). More than half of the patients who ate less than a quarter of their meal did not receive artificial nutrition support. Only 25% patients eating nothing at lunch receive artificial nutrition support. CONCLUSION: Many hospitalised patients in European hospitals eat less food than provided as regular meal. This decreased food intake represents an independent risk factor for hospital mortality.
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| 9. |
- Howard, Andrew W., et al.
(författare)
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THE NASA-UC ETA-EARTH PROGRAM : I. A SUPER-EARTH ORBITING HD 7924
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 696:1, s. 75-83
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the discovery of the first low-mass planet to emerge from the NASA-UC Eta-Earth Program, a super-Earth orbiting the K0 dwarf HD 7924. Keplerian modeling of precise Doppler radial velocities reveals a planet with minimum mass M-P sin i = 9.26M(circle plus) in a P = 5.398 d orbit. Based on Keck-HIRES measurements from 2001 to 2008, the planet is robustly detected with an estimated false alarm probability of less than 0.001. Photometric observations using the Automated Photometric Telescopes at Fairborn Observatory show that HD 7924 is photometrically constant over the radial velocity period to 0.19 mmag, supporting the existence of the planetary companion. No transits were detected down to a photometric limit of similar to 0.5 mmag, eliminating transiting planets with a variety of compositions. HD 7924b is one of only eight planets detected by the radial velocity technique with M-P sini < 10 M-circle plus and as such is a member of an emerging family of low-mass planets that together constrain theories of planet formation.
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| 10. |
- Lu, R, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic associations of LYN with systemic lupus erythematosus
- 2009
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Ingår i: Genes and Immunity. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1466-4879 .- 1476-5470. ; 10:5, s. 397-403
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We targeted LYN, a src-tyosine kinase involved in B-cell activation, in case-control association studies using populations of European-American, African-American and Korean subjects. Our combined European-derived population, consisting of 2463 independent cases and 3131 unrelated controls, shows significant association with rs6983130 in a female-only analysis with 2254 cases and 2228 controls (P=1.1 x 10(-4), odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.73-0.90)). This single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is located in the 5' untranslated region within the first intron near the transcription initiation site of LYN. In addition, SNPs upstream of the first exon also show weak and sporadic association in subsets of the total European-American population. Multivariate logistic regression analysis implicates rs6983130 as a protective factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility when anti-dsDNA, anti-chromatin, anti-52 kDa Ro or anti-Sm autoantibody status were used as covariates. Subset analysis of the European-American female cases by American College of Rheumatology classification criteria shows a reduction in the risk of hematological disorder with rs6983130 compared with cases without hematological disorders (P=1.5 x 10(-3), OR=0.75 (95% CI: 0.62-0.89)). None of the 90 SNPs tested show significant association with SLE in the African American or Korean populations. These results support an association of LYN with European-derived individuals with SLE, especially within autoantibody or clinical subsets.
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| 11. |
- Aguilar-Saavedra, Juan Antonio, et al.
(författare)
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Supersymmetry parameter analysis : SPA convention and project
- 2006
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Ingår i: European Physical Journal C. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044 .- 1434-6052. ; C46, s. 43-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-precision analyses of supersymmetry parameters aim at reconstructing the fundamental supersymmetric theory and its breaking mechanism. A well defined theoretical framework is needed when higher-order corrections are included. We propose such a scheme, Supersymmetry Parameter Analysis SPA, based on a consistent set of conventions and input parameters. A repository for computer programs is provided which connect parameters in different schemes and relate the Lagrangian parameters to physical observables at LHC and high energy e(+)e(-) linear collider experiments, i.e., masses, mixings, decay widths and production cross sections for supersymmetric particles. In addition, programs for calculating high-precision low energy observables, the density of cold dark matter (CDM) in the universe as well as the cross sections for CDM search experiments are included. The SPA scheme still requires extended efforts on both the theoretical and experimental side before data can be evaluated in the future at the level of the desired precision. We take here an initial step of testing the SPA scheme by applying the techniques involved to a specific supersymmetry reference point.
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| 12. |
- Belpomme, D., et al.
(författare)
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The growing incidence of cancer : Role of lifestyle and screening detection (Review)
- 2007
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Ingår i: International Journal of Oncology. - : Spandidos Publications. - 1019-6439 .- 1791-2423. ; 30:5, s. 1037-1049
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The increasing incidence of a variety of cancers after the Second World War confronts scientists with the question of their origin. In Western countries, expansion and ageing of the population, as well as progress in cancer detection using new diagnostic and screening tests cannot fully account for the observed growing incidence of cancer. Our hypothesis is that environmental factors play a more important role in cancer genesis than it is usually agreed: i) over the last 2-3 decades, alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking in men have significantly decreased; ii) obesity is increasing in many countries, but the growing incidence of cancer also concerns cancers not related to obesity nor to other lifestyle-related factors; iii) there is evidence that the environment has changed over the same time scale as the recent rise in cancer incidence, and that this change included the accumulation of many new carcinogenic factors in the environment; iv) genetic susceptibility to cancer due to genetic polymorphism cannot have changed over one generation and actually favours the role of exogenous factors through gene-environment interactions; v) age is not the unique factor to be considered since the rising incidence of cancers is seen across all age categories, including children; vi) the fetus is specifically vulnerable to exogenous factors. A fetal exposure during a critical window period may explain why current epidemiological studies may be negative in adults. We therefore propose that the involuntary exposure to many carcinogens in the environment contributes to the rising trend in cancer incidence.
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| 13. |
- Bunce, R. G. H., et al.
(författare)
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A standardized procedure for surveillance and monitoring European habitats and provision of spatial data
- 2008
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Ingår i: Landscape Ecology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0921-2973 .- 1572-9761. ; 23, s. 11-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Both science and policy require a practical, transmissible, and reproducible procedure for surveillance and monitoring of European habitats, which can produce statistics integrated at the landscape level. Over the last 30 years, landscape ecology has developed rapidly, and many studies now require spatial data on habitats. Without rigorous rules, changes from baseline records cannot be separated reliably from background noise. A procedure is described that satisfies these requirements and can provide consistent data for Europe, to support a range of policy initiatives and scientific projects. The methodology is based on classical plant life forms, used in biogeography since the nineteenth century, and on their statistical correlation with the primary environmental gradient. Further categories can therefore be identified for other continents to assist large scale comparisons and modelling. The model has been validated statistically and the recording procedure tested in the field throughout Europe. A total of 130 General Habitat Categories (GHCs) is defined. These are enhanced by recording environmental, site and management qualifiers to enable flexible database interrogation. The same categories are applied to areal, linear and point features to assist recording and subsequent interpretation at the landscape level. The distribution and change of landscape ecological parameters, such as connectivity and fragmentation, can then be derived and their significance interpreted.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Haas, Brian J., et al.
(författare)
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Genome sequence and analysis of the Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 461:7262, s. 393-398
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Phytophthora infestans is the most destructive pathogen of potato and a model organism for the oomycetes, a distinct lineage of fungus-like eukaryotes that are related to organisms such as brown algae and diatoms. As the agent of the Irish potato famine in the mid-nineteenth century, P. infestans has had a tremendous effect on human history, resulting in famine and population displacement(1). To this day, it affects world agriculture by causing the most destructive disease of potato, the fourth largest food crop and a critical alternative to the major cereal crops for feeding the world's population(1). Current annual worldwide potato crop losses due to late blight are conservatively estimated at $6.7 billion(2). Management of this devastating pathogen is challenged by its remarkable speed of adaptation to control strategies such as genetically resistant cultivars(3,4). Here we report the sequence of the P. infestans genome, which at similar to 240 megabases (Mb) is by far the largest and most complex genome sequenced so far in the chromalveolates. Its expansion results from a proliferation of repetitive DNA accounting for similar to 74% of the genome. Comparison with two other Phytophthora genomes showed rapid turnover and extensive expansion of specific families of secreted disease effector proteins, including many genes that are induced during infection or are predicted to have activities that alter host physiology. These fast-evolving effector genes are localized to highly dynamic and expanded regions of the P. infestans genome. This probably plays a crucial part in the rapid adaptability of the pathogen to host plants and underpins its evolutionary potential.
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| 16. |
- Nath, Swapan K., et al.
(författare)
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A nonsynonymous functional variant in integrin-alpha(M) (encoded by ITGAM) is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus
- 2008
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 40:2, s. 152-154
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We identified and replicated an association between ITGAM (CD11b) at 16p11.2 and risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in 3,818 individuals of European descent. The strongest association was at a nonsynonymous SNP, rs1143679 (P = 1.7 x 10(-17), odds ratio = 1.78). We further replicated this association in two independent samples of individuals of African descent (P = 0.0002 and 0.003; overall meta-analysis P = 6.9 x 10(-22)). The genetic association between ITGAM and SLE implicates the alpha(M)beta2-integrin adhesion pathway in disease development.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Diéguez-Uribeondo, Javier, et al.
(författare)
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Phylogenetic relationships among plant and animal parasites, and saprotrophs in Aphanomyces (Oomycetes)
- 2009
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Ingår i: Fungal Genetics and Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1087-1845 .- 1096-0937. ; 46:5, s. 365-376
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Molecular phylogenetic relationships among 12 species of Aphanomyces de Bary (Oomycetes) were analyzed based on 108 ITS sequences of nuclear rDNA. Sequences used in the analyses belonged to the major species currently available in pure culture and GenBank. Bayesian, maximum likelihood, and maximum parsimony analyses support that Aphanomyces constitutes a monophyletic group. Three independent lineages were found: (i) plant parasitic, (ii) animal parasitic, and (iii) saprotrophic or opportunistic parasitic. Sexual reproduction appeared to be critical in plant parasites for survival in soil environments while asexual reproduction seemed to be advantageous for exploiting specialization in animal parasitism. Repeated zoospore emergence seems to be an advantageous property for both plant and animal parasitic modes of life. Growth in unspecific media was generally faster in saprotrophs compared with parasitic species. A number of strains and GenBank sequences were found to be misidentified. It was confirmed molecularly that Aphanomyces piscicida and Aphanomyces invadans appear to be conspecific, and found that Aphanomyces iridis and Aphanomyces euteiches are closely related, if not the same, species. This study has shown a clear evolutionary separation between Aphanomyces species that are plant parasites and those that parasitize animals. Saprotrophic or opportunistic species formed a separate evolutionary lineage except Aphanomyces stellatus whose evolutionary position has not yet been resolved.
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| 21. |
- Farbru, E, et al.
(författare)
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EFNS guideline on diagnosis and management of post-polio syndrome. Report of an EFNS task force
- 2006
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Ingår i: European Journal of Neurology. - : Wiley. - 1351-5101 .- 1468-1331. ; 13:8, s. 795-801
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is characterized by new or increased muscular weakness, atrophy, muscle pain and fatigue several years after acute polio. The aim of the article is to prepare diagnostic criteria for PPS, and to evaluate the existing evidence for therapeutic interventions. The Medline, EMBASE and ISI databases were searched. Consensus in the group was reached after discussion by e-mail. We recommend Halstead's definition of PPS from 1991 as diagnostic criteria. Supervised, aerobic muscular training, both isokinetic and isometric, is a safe and effective way to prevent further decline for patients with moderate weakness (Level B). Muscular training can also improve muscular fatigue, muscle weakness and pain. Training in a warm climate and non-swimming water exercises are particularly useful (Level B). Respiratory muscle training can improve pulmonary function. Recognition of respiratory impairment and early introduction of non-invasive ventilatory aids prevent or delay further respiratory decline and the need for invasive respiratory aid (Level C). Group training, regular follow-up and patient education are useful for the patients’ mental status and well-being. Weight loss, adjustment and introduction of properly fitted assistive devices should be considered (good practice points). A small number of controlled studies of potential-specific treatments for PPS have been completed, but no definitive therapeutic effect has been reported for the agents evaluated (pyridostigmine, corticosteroids, amantadine). Future randomized trials should particularly address the treatment of pain, which is commonly reported by PPS patients. There is also a need for studies evaluating the long-term effects of muscular training.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Han, Shizhong, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of imputation-based association in and around the integrin-alpha-M (ITGAM) gene and replication of robust association between a non-synonymous functional variant within ITGAM and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- 2009
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Ingår i: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 18:6, s. 1171-1180
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We recently identified a novel non-synonymous variant, rs1143679, at exon 3 of the ITGAM gene associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility in European-Americans (EAs) and African-Americans. Using genome-wide association approach, three other studies also independently reported an association between SLE susceptibility and ITGAM or ITGAM-ITGAX region. The primary objectives of this study are to assess whether single or multiple causal variants from the same gene or any nearby gene(s) are involved in SLE susceptibility and to confirm a robust ITGAM association across nine independent data sets (n = 8211). First, we confirmed our previously reported association of rs1143679 (risk allele 'A') with SLE in EAs (P = 1.0 x 10(-8)) and Hispanic-Americans (P = 2.9 x 10(-5)). Secondly, using a comprehensive imputation-based association test, we found that ITGAM is one of the major non-human leukocyte antigen susceptibility genes for SLE, and the strongest association for EA is the same coding variant rs1143679 (log(10)Bayes factor=20, P = 6.17 x 10(-24)). Thirdly, we determined the robustness of rs1143679 association with SLE across three additional case-control samples, including UK (P = 6.2 x 10(-8)), Colombian (P = 3.6 x 10(-7)), Mexican (P = 0.002), as well as two independent sets of trios from UK (P(TDT) = 1.4 x 10(-5)) and Mexico (P(TDT) = 0.015). A meta-analysis combing all independent data sets greatly reinforces the association (P(meta) = 7.1 x 10(-50), odds ratio = 1.83, 95% confidence interval = 1.69-1.98, n = 10 046). However, this ITGAM association was not observed in the Korean or Japanese samples, in which rs1143679 is monomorphic for the non-risk allele (G). Taken together along with our earlier findings, these results demonstrate that the coding variant, rs1143679, best explains the ITGAM-SLE association, especially in European- and African-derived populations, but not in Asian populations.
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| 24. |
- Hellerstedt, Karin, 1975-
(författare)
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The Composition of New Venture Teams : Its Dynamics and Consequences
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- New venture team composition lies at the heart of this thesis. Drawing on social-psychological explanations and human capital reasoning, the thesis addresses the social as well as the instrumental foci facing new venture teams. This is done by addressing four research questions: 1) What are the characteristics of new venture teams and their team members? 2) What impact does team composition and firm performance have on team dynamics? 3) What impact does team member characteristics and individual deviation have on individual dynamics? 4) How does team composition and team dynamics influence firm performance? Dynamics is studied by investigating the adding and dropping of team members.Research on entrepreneurial teams is characterized by several methodological challenges that this thesis takes on. First, there is a lack of longitudinal studies. Second, no studies are based on truly random samples of teams. Third, the unit and level of analysis has been the team and the firm. Rarely is the individual considered. In addition, the thesis sheds light on team diversity and its effects as well as the relationship with performance, both as an antecedent and as a consequence.The empirical setting is based on a unique database covering all individuals entering into self-employment in knowledge-intensive industries in Sweden during the 1996 to 2000 period. Their firms are tracked annually up to 2002, providing a census panel three to seven years long consisting of five cohorts. This is done by using secondary data from Statistics Sweden (SCB) covering information on individuals as well as their firms. By combining individual and firm level data, the thesis demonstrates how team level constructs can be obtained.Overall, the hypothesized relations predicting team member and individual exits receive strong support. Entries to teams and the performance of the firms are not as well explained by the chosen constructs. The findings show that greater internal diversity along some but not all demographic dimensions is positively associated with a higher rate of team member exits. More precisely,when diversity can be linked to status differences, the impact is more pronounced. Furthermore, the findings show that deviation from others in the group has an impact on which individual is likely to leave the team. There are also considerable differences in behavior between teams consisting of spousal pairs and other teams. In fact, the findings show that spousal couples venturing together are very common and that the typical team does not match the entrepreneurial team as it often is portrayed in the literature. In sum, the study suggests that diversity in attributes related to status can influence team stability. In addition, trust and prior relationships appear to be especially important for the creation and development of new venture teams.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
- Irigaray, P., et al.
(författare)
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Lifestyle-related factors and environmental agents causing cancer : an overview
- 2007
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Ingår i: Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0753-3322 .- 1950-6007. ; 61:10, s. 640-658
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The increasing incidence of a variety of cancers after the Second World War confronts scientists with the question of their origin. In Western countries, expansion and ageing of the population as well as progress in cancer detection using new diagnostic and screening tests cannot fully account for the observed growing incidence of cancer. Our hypothesis is that environmental factors play a more important role in cancer genesis than it is usually agreed. (1) Over the last 2-3 decades, alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking in men have significantly decreased in Western Europe and North America. (2) Obesity is increasing in many countries, but the growing incidence of cancer also concerns cancers not related to obesity nor to other known lifestyle-related factors. (3) There is evidence that the environment has changed over the time period preceding the recent rise in cancer incidence, and that this change, still continuing, included the accumulation of many new carcinogenic factors in the environment. (4) Genetic susceptibility to cancer due to genetic polymorphism cannot have changed over one generation and actually favours the role of exogenous factors through gene-environment interactions. (5) Age is not the unique factor to be considered since the rising incidence of cancers is seen across all age categories, including children, and adolescents. (6) The fetus is specifically vulnerable to exogenous factors. A fetal exposure during a critical time window may explain why current epidemiological studies may still be negative in adults. We therefore propose that the involuntary exposure to many carcinogens in the environment, including microorganisms (viruses, bacteria and parasites), radiations (radioactivity, UV and pulsed electromagnetic fields) and many xenochemicals, may account for the recent growing incidence of cancer and therefore that the risk attributable to environmental carcinogen may be far higher than it is usually agreed. Of major concern are: outdoor air pollution by carbon particles associated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; indoor air pollution by environmental tobacco smoke, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds such as benzene and 1,3 butadiene, which may particularly affect children and food contamination by food additives and by carcinogenic contaminants such as nitrates, pesticides, dioxins and other organochlorines. In addition, carcinogenic metals and metalloids, pharmaceutical medicines and some ingredients and contaminants in cosmetics may be involved. Although the risk fraction attributable to environmental factors is still unknown, this long list of carcinogenic and especially mutagenic factors supports our working hypothesis according to which numerous cancers may in fact be caused by the recent modification of our environment. (C) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
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| 30. |
- Poole, Kate, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular-scale topographic cues induce the orientation and directional movement of fibroblasts on two-dimensional collagen surfaces
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 349:2, s. 380-386
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Collagen fibres within the extracellular matrix lend tensile strength to tissues and form a functional scaffold for cells. Cells can move directionally along the axis of fibrous structures, in a process important in wound healing and cell migration. The precise nature of the structural cues within the collagen fibrils that can direct cell movement are not known. We have investigated the structural features of collagen that are required for directional motility of mouse dermal fibroblasts, by analysing cell movement on two-dimensional collagen surfaces. The surfaces were prepared with aligned fibrils of collagen type I, oriented in a predefined direction. These collagen-coated surfaces were generated with or without the characteristic 67 nm D-periodic banding. Quantitative analysis of cell morphodynamics showed a strong correlation of cell elongation and motional directionality with the orientation of D-periodic collagen microfibrils. Neither directed motility, nor cell body alignment, was observed on aligned collagen lacking D-periodicity, or on D-periodic collagen in the presence of peptide containing an RGD motif. The directional motility of fibroblast cells on aligned collagen type I fibrils cannot be attributed to contact guidance, but requires additional structural information. This allows us to postulate a physiological function for the 67 nm periodicity.
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| 33. |
- Shaffer, David R, et al.
(författare)
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Circulating tumor cell analysis in patients with progressive castration-resistant prostate cancer
- 2007
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Ingår i: Clinical Cancer Research. - 1078-0432. ; 13:7, s. 2023-2029
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: To better direct targeted therapies to the patients with tumors that express the target, there is an urgent need for blood-based assays that provide expression information on a consistent basis in real time with minimal patient discomfort. We aimed to use immunomagnetic-capture technology to isolate and analyze circulating tumor cells (CTC) from small volumes of peripheral blood of patients with advanced prostate cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Blood was collected from 63 patients with metastatic prostate cancer. CTCs were isolated by the Cell Search system, which uses antibodies to epithelial cell adhesion marker and immunomagnetic capture. CTCs were defined as nucleated cells positive for cytokeratins and negative for CD45. Captured cells were analyzed by immunofluorescence, Papanicolau staining, and fluorescence in situ hybridization. RESULTS: Most patients (65%) had 5 or more CTCs per 7.5 mL blood sample. Cell counts were consistent between laboratories (c = 0.99) and did not change significantly over 72 or 96 h of storage before processing (c = 0.99). Their identity as prostate cancer cells was confirmed by conventional cytologic analysis. Molecular profiling, including analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression, chromosome ploidy, and androgen receptor (AR) gene amplification, was possible for all prostate cancer patients with >or=5 CTCs. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of cancer-related alterations at the DNA and protein level from CTCs is feasible in a hospital-based clinical laboratory. The alterations observed in EGFR and AR suggest that the methodology may have a role in clinical decision making.
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| 34. |
- Singer, Andrew C, et al.
(författare)
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Meeting Report : Risk Assessment of Tamiflu Use Under Pandemic Conditions
- 2008
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Ingår i: Environmental Health Perspectives. ; 116:11, s. 1563-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- On 3 October 2007, 40 participants with diverse expertise attended the workshop Tamiflu and the Environment: Implications of Use under Pandemic Conditions to assess the potential human health impact and environmental hazards associated with use of Tamiflu during an influenza pandemic. Based on the identification and risk-ranking of knowledge gaps, the consensus was that oseltamivir ethylester-phosphate (OE-P) and oseltamivir carboxylate (OC) were unlikely to pose an ecotoxicologic hazard to freshwater organisms. OC in river water might hasten the generation of OC-resistance in wildfowl, but this possibility seems less likely than the potential disruption that could be posed by OC and other pharmaceuticals to the operation of sewage treatment plants. The workgroup members agreed on the following research priorities: a) available data on the ecotoxicology of OE-P and OC should be published ; b) risk should be assessed for OC-contaminated river water generating OC-resistant viruses in wildfowl ; c) sewage treatment plant functioning due to microbial inhibition by neuraminidase inhibitors and other antimicrobials used during a pandemic should be investigated ; and d) realistic worst-case exposure scenarios should be developed. Additional modeling would be useful to identify localized areas within river catchments that might be prone to high pharmaceutical concentrations in sewage treatment plant effluent. Ongoing seasonal use of Tamiflu in Japan offers opportunities for researchers to assess how much OC enters and persists in the aquatic environment.
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| 35. |
- Vangal, Sriram, et al.
(författare)
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A 5.1GHz 0.34mm2 Router for Network-on-Chip Applications
- 2007
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Ingår i: 2007 IEEE Symposium on VLSI Circuits. - : IEEE. - 9784900784048 - 9784900784055 ; , s. 42-43
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A five-port two-lane pipelined packet-switched router core with phase-tolerant mesochronous links forms the key communication fabric for an 80-tile network-on-chip (NoC) architecture. The 15FO4 design combines 102 GB/s of raw bandwidth with low fall-through latency of 980 ps. A shared crossbar architecture with a double-pumped crossbar switch enables a compact 0.34 mm2 router layout. In a 65nm eight-metal CMOS process, the router contains 210K transistors and operates at 5.1GHz at 1.2 V, while dissipating 945 mW.
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| 36. |
- Westenhoff, Sebastian, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Probing the morphology and energy landscape of blends of conjugated polymers with sub-10 nm resolution.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Physical review letters. - 0031-9007. ; 101:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have investigated the charge generation dynamics in intimately mixed blends of polyfluorene copolymers optimized for photocurrent generation. Using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, we find that the charge generation time is limited by exciton diffusion to the interface. Combined with the kinetics of exciton energy migration, the data reveal the blend morphology on a length scale of sub-10 nm. Furthermore, we demonstrate that excitons are guided efficiently to the interface, which is consistent with an accumulation of low energy sites at the heterojunction.
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