| 1. |
- Abdellaoui, G., et al.
(författare)
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First observations of speed of light tracks by a fluorescence detector looking down on the atmosphere
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1748-0221. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- EUSO-Balloon is a pathfinder mission for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory onboard the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM-EUSO). It was launched on the moonless night of the 25(th) of August 2014 from Timmins, Canada. The flight ended successfully after maintaining the target altitude of 38 km for five hours. One part of the mission was a 2.5 hour underflight using a helicopter equipped with three UV light sources (LED, xenon flasher and laser) to perform an inflight calibration and examine the detectors capability to measure tracks moving at the speed of light. We describe the helicopter laser system and details of the underflight as well as how the laser tracks were recorded and found in the data. These are the first recorded laser tracks measured from a fluorescence detector looking down on the atmosphere. Finally, we present a first reconstruction of the direction of the laser tracks relative to the detector.
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| 4. |
- Concepcion Gil-Rodriguez, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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De Novo Heterozygous Mutations in SMC3 Cause a Range of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome-Overlapping Phenotypes
- 2015
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Ingår i: Human Mutation. - : Wiley: 12 months. - 1059-7794 .- 1098-1004. ; 36:4, s. 454-462
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is characterized by facial dysmorphism, growth failure, intellectual disability, limb malformations, and multiple organ involvement. Mutations in five genes, encoding subunits of the cohesin complex (SMC1A, SMC3, RAD21) and its regulators (NIPBL, HDAC8), account for at least 70% of patients with CdLS or CdLS-like phenotypes. To date, only the clinical features from a single CdLS patient with SMC3 mutation has been published. Here, we report the efforts of an international research and clinical collaboration to provide clinical comparison of 16 patients with CdLS-like features caused by mutations in SMC3. Modeling of the mutation effects on protein structure suggests a dominant-negative effect on the multimeric cohesin complex. When compared with typical CdLS, many SMC3-associated phenotypes are also characterized by postnatal microcephaly but with a less distinctive craniofacial appearance, a milder prenatal growth retardation that worsens in childhood, few congenital heart defects, and an absence of limb deficiencies. While most mutations are unique, two unrelated affected individuals shared the same mutation but presented with different phenotypes. This work confirms that de novo SMC3 mutations account for approximate to 1%-2% of CdLS-like phenotypes.
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| 5. |
- Cvijovic, Marija, 1977, et al.
(författare)
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Strategies for structuring interdisciplinary education in systems biology: An European perspective
- 2016
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Ingår i: npj Systems Biology and Applications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2056-7189. ; 2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Systems Biology is an approach to biology and medicine that has the potential to lead to a better understanding of how biological properties emerge from the interaction of genes, proteins, molecules, cells and organisms. The approach aims at elucidating how these interactions govern biological function by employing experimental data, mathematical models and computational simulations. As Systems Biology is inherently multidisciplinary, education within this field meets numerous hurdles including departmental barriers, availability of all required expertise locally, appropriate teaching material and example curricula. As university education at the Bachelor’s level is traditionally built upon disciplinary degrees, we believe that the most effective way to implement education in Systems Biology would be at the Master’s level, as it offers a more flexible framework. Our team of experts and active performers of Systems Biology education suggest here (i) a definition of the skills that students should acquire within a Master’s programme in Systems Biology, (ii) a possible basic educational curriculum with flexibility to adjust to different application areas and local research strengths, (iii) a description of possible career paths for students who undergo such an education, (iv) conditions that should improve the recruitment of students to such programmes and (v) mechanisms for collaboration and excellence spreading among education professionals. With the growing interest of industry in applying Systems Biology approaches in their fields, a concerted action between academia and industry is needed to build this expertise. Here we present a reflection of the European situation and expertise, where most of the challenges we discuss are universal, anticipating that our suggestions will be useful internationally. We believe that one of the overriding goals of any Systems Biology education should be a student’s ability to phrase and communicate research questions in such a manner that they can be solved by the integration of experiments and modelling, as well as to communicate and collaborate productively across different experimental and theoretical disciplines in research and development.
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| 7. |
- Majdi, Soodabeh, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Electrochemical Measurements of Optogenetically Stimulated Quantal Amine Release from Single Nerve Cell Varicosities in Drosophila Larvae
- 2015
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Ingår i: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. - : Wiley. - 1433-7851 .- 1521-3773. ; 54:46, s. 13609-13612
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The nerve terminals found in the body wall of Drosophila melanogaster larvae are readily accessible to experimental manipulation. We used the light-activated ion channel, channelrhodopsin-2, which is expressed by genetic manipulation in TypeII varicosities to study octopamine release in Drosophila. We report the development of a method to measure neurotransmitter release from exocytosis events at individual varicosities in the Drosophila larval system by amperometry. A microelectrode was placed in a region of the muscle containing a varicosity and held at a potential sufficient to oxidize octopamine and the terminal stimulated by blue light. Optical stimulation of TypeII boutons evokes exocytosis of octopamine, which is detected through oxidization at the electrode surface. We observe 22700 +/- 4200 molecules of octopamine released per vesicle. This system provides a genetically accessible platform to study the regulation of amine release at an intact synapse.
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| 8. |
- Novotny, O., et al.
(författare)
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Dissociative Recombination Measurements of Chloronium Ions (D2Cl+) Using an Ion Storage Ring
- 2018
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 862:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report our plasma rate coefficient and branching ratio measurements for dissociative recombination (DR) of D2Cl+ with electrons. The studies were performed in a merged-beams configuration using the TSR heavy-ion storage ring located at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. Starting with our absolute merged-beams recombination rate coefficient at a collision energy of approximate to 0 eV, we have extracted the cross section and produced a plasma rate coefficient for a translational temperature of approximate to 8 K. Furthermore, extrapolating our cross-section results using the typical low-energy DR behavior, we have generated a plasma rate coefficient for translational temperatures from 5 to 500 K. We find good agreement between our extrapolated results and previous experimental DR studies on D2Cl+. Additionally, we have investigated the three fragmentation channels for DR of D2Cl+. Here we report on the dissociation geometry of the three-body fragmentation channel, the kinetic energy released for each of the three outgoing channels, the molecular internal excitation for the two outgoing channels that produce molecular fragments, and the fragmentation branching ratios for all three channels. Our results, in combination with those of other groups, indicate that any remaining uncertainties in the DR rate coefficient for H2Cl+ appear unlikely to explain the observed discrepancies between the inferred abundances of HCl and H2Cl+ in molecular clouds and predictions from astrochemical models.
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| 9. |
- Semasaka, Jean Paul S., et al.
(författare)
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Self-reported pregnancy-related health problems and self-rated health status in Rwandan women postpartum: A population-based cross-sectional study
- 2016
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Ingår i: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2393. ; 16:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Self-rated health status (SRH) can be used as a predictor of morbidity and mortality. Postpartum self-rated health has been used to estimate maternal morbidity and postpartum problems. Reproductive history factors are associated with poor self-rated health postpartum. This study investigated prevalence of self-reported health problems during first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. In addition, this study investigated SRH in Rwandan women up to 13 months from partus. Methods: This population-based, cross-sectional study collected data in 2014 using structured interviews (N = 921). Univariable analysis was used to identify variables that were associated with poor self-rated health status (poor-SRH). Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with poor-SRH at one day, one week, and one month postpartum and at the time of the interview. Results: Mean time between latest delivery and the time of interview was 7.1 months. Prevalence of anaemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus during pregnancy, and severe bleeding during pregnancy and labour were 15.0, 4.9, 2.4, and 3.7 %, respectively. The prevalence of poor-SRH was 32.2 % at one day postpartum, 7.8 % at one month, and 11.7 % at time of the interview. Hypertension during pregnancy and significant postpartum haemorrhage were associated with poor-SRH at one day and one week postpartum. Severe bleeding during pregnancy and labour were associated with poor-SRH at one week and one month postpartum. Infection and anaemia during pregnancy were associated with poor-SRH at one month postpartum and at the time of interview. The Kaplan-Meier curves illustrate restitution of health for most women during the study period. Conclusions: This population-based study reports a high prevalence of poor SRH status among Rwandan women in the early postpartum period. Identified factors associated with poor-SRH were severe bleeding, hypertension, infection, and anaemia during pregnancy and postpartum haemorrhage. These factors may be prevented or reduced by providing more frequent and specific attention during pregnancy and by providing timely measures that address complications during delivery, including adequate postpartum care. © 2016 The Author(s).
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| 10. |
- Semasaka Sengoma, Jean Paul, et al.
(författare)
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"Not taken seriously"-A qualitative interview study of postpartum Rwandan women who have experienced pregnancy-related complications
- 2019
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 14:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background There is limited knowledge on the women's experiences of pregnancy-related complications in Rwanda. This study aimed to investigate women's experiences and perceptions of specific complications during pregnancy and delivery and the consequences of these complications on postpartum health and family situation. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews (N = 15). Participants who experienced complications such as postpartum haemorrhage, caesarean section due to prolonged labour/dystocia, pre-eclampsia, or fistula and who were 13-24 months postpartum were invited to participate in the study in July 2015. Interviews were held in Kinyarwanda, digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English, and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Most participants reported that they were previously unaware of the complications they had developed, and they claimed that at discharge they should have been better informed about the potential consequences of these complications. Most participants blamed the health care system as the cause of their problems due to the provision of inadequate care. Participants elaborated different strategies for coping with persistent health problems. Pregnancy-related complications negatively affected participants' economic situation due to increased health care expenses and lowered income because of impaired working capacity, and participants expressed fear of encountering the same pregnancy-related health problems during future pregnancies. The findings of this study demonstrate how participants felt that inadequate health care provision during pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period was the source of their problems. Participants reported different coping strategies to improve their respective life situation despite persistent health problems. Women's individual postpartum experiences need to be considered and actions taken at the policy level and also by the local community, in terms of the quality of antenatal and postpartum care services, and in sensitizing the local community about the existence of these complications and preparing the community to support the affected women.
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| 11. |
- Sengoma, Jean Paul Semasaka, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of pregnancy-related complications and course of labour of surviving women who gave birth in selected health facilities in Rwanda: a health facility-based, cross-sectional study
- 2017
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Ingår i: Bmj Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 7:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives This study estimated health facility-based prevalence for pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, postpartum haemorrhage and caesarean section (CS) due to prolonged labour/dystocia. The background characteristics of Rwandan pregnant women, the course of labour and the level of healthcare were investigated in relation to pregnancy and delivery outcomes. Methods This is health facility-based study and data were collected in 2014-2015 through structured interviews and medical records (n=817) in Kigali and Northern Province, Rwanda. Frequencies and prevalence were used to describe participants' background factors, labour and deliveryrelated characteristics. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were performed for different background factors and pregnancy/delivery outcomes. Results Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, postpartum haemorrhage and CS due to prolonged labour/dystocia represented 1%, 2.7% and 5.4% of all participants, respectively. In total, 56.4% of the participants were transferred from facilities with low levels to those with higher levels of healthcare, and the majority were transferred from health centres to district hospitals, with CS as the main reason for transfer. Participants who arrived at the health facility with cervical dilation grade of <= 3 cm spent more hours in maternity ward than those who arrived with cervical dilatation grade of <= 4 cm. Risk factors for CS due to prolonged labour or dystocia were poor households, nulliparity and residence far from health facility. Conclusions The estimated health facility-based prevalence of pregnancy-related complications was relatively low in this sample from Rwanda. CS was the main reason for the transfer of pregnant women from health centres to district hospitals. Upgrading the capacity of health centres in the management of pregnant women in Rwanda may improve maternal and fetal health.
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| 12. |
- Simoen, Michael Roger Andre, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of a multimode coplanar waveguide parametric amplifier
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-8979 .- 1089-7550. ; 118:15, s. 154501-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We characterize a Josephson parametric amplifier based on a flux-tunable quarter-wavelength resonator. The fundamental resonance frequency is ∼1 GHz, but we use higher modes of the resonator for our measurements. An on-chip tuning line allows for magnetic flux pumping of the amplifier. We investigate and compare degenerate parametric amplification, involving a single mode, and nondegenerate parametric amplification, using a pair of modes. We show that we reach quantum-limited noise performance in both cases.
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