| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Ademuyiwa, Adesoji O., et al.
(author)
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Determinants of morbidity and mortality following emergency abdominal surgery in children in low-income and middle-income countries
- 2016
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In: BMJ Global Health. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2059-7908. ; 1:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Child health is a key priority on the global health agenda, yet the provision of essential and emergency surgery in children is patchy in resource-poor regions. This study was aimed to determine the mortality risk for emergency abdominal paediatric surgery in low-income countries globally.Methods: Multicentre, international, prospective, cohort study. Self-selected surgical units performing emergency abdominal surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive children aged <16 years during a 2-week period between July and December 2014. The United Nation's Human Development Index (HDI) was used to stratify countries. The main outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality, analysed by multilevel logistic regression.Results: This study included 1409 patients from 253 centres in 43 countries; 282 children were under 2 years of age. Among them, 265 (18.8%) were from low-HDI, 450 (31.9%) from middle-HDI and 694 (49.3%) from high-HDI countries. The most common operations performed were appendectomy, small bowel resection, pyloromyotomy and correction of intussusception. After adjustment for patient and hospital risk factors, child mortality at 30 days was significantly higher in low-HDI (adjusted OR 7.14 (95% CI 2.52 to 20.23), p<0.001) and middle-HDI (4.42 (1.44 to 13.56), p=0.009) countries compared with high-HDI countries, translating to 40 excess deaths per 1000 procedures performed.Conclusions: Adjusted mortality in children following emergency abdominal surgery may be as high as 7 times greater in low-HDI and middle-HDI countries compared with high-HDI countries. Effective provision of emergency essential surgery should be a key priority for global child health agendas.
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| 3. |
- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(author)
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TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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In: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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| 4. |
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- 2019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 5. |
- Teslovich, Tanya M., et al.
(author)
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Biological, clinical and population relevance of 95 loci for blood lipids
- 2010
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 466:7307, s. 707-713
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides are among the most important risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) and are targets for therapeutic intervention. We screened the genome for common variants associated with plasma lipids in >100,000 individuals of European ancestry. Here we report 95 significantly associated loci (P<5 x 10(-8)), with 59 showing genome-wide significant association with lipid traits for the first time. The newly reported associations include single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near known lipid regulators (for example, CYP7A1, NPC1L1 and SCARB1) as well as in scores of loci not previously implicated in lipoprotein metabolism. The 95 loci contribute not only to normal variation in lipid traits but also to extreme lipid phenotypes and have an impact on lipid traits in three non-European populations (East Asians, South Asians and African Americans). Our results identify several novel loci associated with plasma lipids that are also associated with CAD. Finally, we validated three of the novel genes-GALNT2, PPP1R3B and TTC39B-with experiments in mouse models. Taken together, our findings provide the foundation to develop a broader biological understanding of lipoprotein metabolism and to identify new therapeutic opportunities for the prevention of CAD.
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| 6. |
- Leebens-Mack, James H., et al.
(author)
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One thousand plant transcriptomes and the phylogenomics of green plants
- 2019
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In: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 574:7780, s. 679-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Green plants (Viridiplantae) include around 450,000-500,000 species(1,2) of great diversity and have important roles in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Here, as part of the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative, we sequenced the vegetative transcriptomes of 1,124 species that span the diversity of plants in a broad sense (Archaeplastida), including green plants (Viridiplantae), glaucophytes (Glaucophyta) and red algae (Rhodophyta). Our analysis provides a robust phylogenomic framework for examining the evolution of green plants. Most inferred species relationships are well supported across multiple species tree and supermatrix analyses, but discordance among plastid and nuclear gene trees at a few important nodes highlights the complexity of plant genome evolution, including polyploidy, periods of rapid speciation, and extinction. Incomplete sorting of ancestral variation, polyploidization and massive expansions of gene families punctuate the evolutionary history of green plants. Notably, we find that large expansions of gene families preceded the origins of green plants, land plants and vascular plants, whereas whole-genome duplications are inferred to have occurred repeatedly throughout the evolution of flowering plants and ferns. The increasing availability of high-quality plant genome sequences and advances in functional genomics are enabling research on genome evolution across the green tree of life.
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| 7. |
- Richards, Stephen, et al.
(author)
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Genome Sequence of the Pea Aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum
- 2010
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In: PLoS biology. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1544-9173 .- 1545-7885. ; 8:2, s. e1000313-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aphids are important agricultural pests and also biological models for studies of insect-plant interactions, symbiosis, virus vectoring, and the developmental causes of extreme phenotypic plasticity. Here we present the 464 Mb draft genome assembly of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. This first published whole genome sequence of a basal hemimetabolous insect provides an outgroup to the multiple published genomes of holometabolous insects. Pea aphids are host-plant specialists, they can reproduce both sexually and asexually, and they have coevolved with an obligate bacterial symbiont. Here we highlight findings from whole genome analysis that may be related to these unusual biological features. These findings include discovery of extensive gene duplication in more than 2000 gene families as well as loss of evolutionarily conserved genes. Gene family expansions relative to other published genomes include genes involved in chromatin modification, miRNA synthesis, and sugar transport. Gene losses include genes central to the IMD immune pathway, selenoprotein utilization, purine salvage, and the entire urea cycle. The pea aphid genome reveals that only a limited number of genes have been acquired from bacteria; thus the reduced gene count of Buchnera does not reflect gene transfer to the host genome. The inventory of metabolic genes in the pea aphid genome suggests that there is extensive metabolite exchange between the aphid and Buchnera, including sharing of amino acid biosynthesis between the aphid and Buchnera. The pea aphid genome provides a foundation for post-genomic studies of fundamental biological questions and applied agricultural problems.
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| 8. |
- Axfors, Cathrine, et al.
(author)
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Association between convalescent plasma treatment and mortality in COVID-19 : a collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials
- 2021
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In: BMC Infectious Diseases. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-2334. ; 21:1
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Convalescent plasma has been widely used to treat COVID-19 and is under investigation in numerous randomized clinical trials, but results are publicly available only for a small number of trials. The objective of this study was to assess the benefits of convalescent plasma treatment compared to placebo or no treatment and all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19, using data from all available randomized clinical trials, including unpublished and ongoing trials (Open Science Framework, ). Methods: In this collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis, clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform), the Cochrane COVID-19 register, the LOVE database, and PubMed were searched until April 8, 2021. Investigators of trials registered by March 1, 2021, without published results were contacted via email. Eligible were ongoing, discontinued and completed randomized clinical trials that compared convalescent plasma with placebo or no treatment in COVID-19 patients, regardless of setting or treatment schedule. Aggregated mortality data were extracted from publications or provided by investigators of unpublished trials and combined using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman random effects model. We investigated the contribution of unpublished trials to the overall evidence. Results: A total of 16,477 patients were included in 33 trials (20 unpublished with 3190 patients, 13 published with 13,287 patients). 32 trials enrolled only hospitalized patients (including 3 with only intensive care unit patients). Risk of bias was low for 29/33 trials. Of 8495 patients who received convalescent plasma, 1997 died (23%), and of 7982 control patients, 1952 died (24%). The combined risk ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.92; 1.02) with between-study heterogeneity not beyond chance (I-2 = 0%). The RECOVERY trial had 69.8% and the unpublished evidence 25.3% of the weight in the meta-analysis. Conclusions: Convalescent plasma treatment of patients with COVID-19 did not reduce all-cause mortality. These results provide strong evidence that convalescent plasma treatment for patients with COVID-19 should not be used outside of randomized trials. Evidence synthesis from collaborations among trial investigators can inform both evidence generation and evidence application in patient care.
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| 9. |
- Berndt, Sonja, I, et al.
(author)
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Distinct germline genetic susceptibility profiles identified for common non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes
- 2022
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In: Leukemia. - : Springer Nature. - 0887-6924 .- 1476-5551. ; 36:12, s. 2835-2844
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lymphoma risk is elevated for relatives with common non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes, suggesting shared genetic susceptibility across subtypes. To evaluate the extent of mutual heritability among NHL subtypes and discover novel loci shared among subtypes, we analyzed data from eight genome-wide association studies within the InterLymph Consortium, including 10,629 cases and 9505 controls. We utilized Association analysis based on SubSETs (ASSET) to discover loci for subsets of NHL subtypes and evaluated shared heritability across the genome using Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis (GCTA) and polygenic risk scores. We discovered 17 genome-wide significant loci (P < 5 × 10−8) for subsets of NHL subtypes, including a novel locus at 10q23.33 (HHEX) (P = 3.27 × 10−9). Most subset associations were driven primarily by only one subtype. Genome-wide genetic correlations between pairs of subtypes varied broadly from 0.20 to 0.86, suggesting substantial heterogeneity in the extent of shared heritability among subtypes. Polygenic risk score analyses of established loci for different lymphoid malignancies identified strong associations with some NHL subtypes (P < 5 × 10−8), but weak or null associations with others. Although our analyses suggest partially shared heritability and biological pathways, they reveal substantial heterogeneity among NHL subtypes with each having its own distinct germline genetic architecture.
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| 10. |
- Heap, Graham A., et al.
(author)
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HLA-DQA1-HLA-DRB1 variants confer susceptibility to pancreatitis induced by thiopurine immunosuppressants
- 2014
-
In: Nature Genetics. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 46:10, s. 1131-1134
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pancreatitis occurs in approximately 4% of patients treated with the thiopurines azathioprine or mercaptopurine. Its development is unpredictable and almost always leads to drug withdrawal. We identified patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who had developed pancreatitis within 3 months of starting these drugs from 168 sites around the world. After detailed case adjudication, we performed a genome-wide association study on 172 cases and 2,035 controls with IBD. We identified strong evidence of association within the class II HLA region, with the most significant association identified at rs2647087 (odds ratio 2.59, 95% confidence interval 2.07-3.26, P = 2 x 10(-16)). We replicated these findings in an independent set of 78 cases and 472 controls with IBD matched for drug exposure. Fine mapping of the H LA region identified association with the HLA-DQA1*02:01-HLA-DRB1*07:01 haplotype. Patients heterozygous at rs2647087 have a 9% risk of developing pancreatitis after administration of a thiopurine, whereas homozygotes have a 17% risk.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Loza, M. J., et al.
(author)
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Validated and longitudinally stable asthma phenotypes based on cluster analysis of the ADEPT study
- 2016
-
In: Respiratory Research. - : Springer Nature. - 1465-9921 .- 1465-993X. ; 17:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Asthma is a disease of varying severity and differing disease mechanisms. To date, studies aimed at stratifying asthma into clinically useful phenotypes have produced a number of phenotypes that have yet to be assessed for stability and to be validated in independent cohorts. The aim of this study was to define and validate, for the first time ever, clinically driven asthma phenotypes using two independent, severe asthma cohorts: ADEPT and U-BIOPRED. Methods: Fuzzy partition-around-medoid clustering was performed on pre-specified data from the ADEPT participants (n = 156) and independently on data from a subset of U-BIOPRED asthma participants (n = 82) for whom the same variables were available. Models for cluster classification probabilities were derived and applied to the 12-month longitudinal ADEPT data and to a larger subset of the U-BIOPRED asthma dataset (n = 397). High and low type-2 inflammation phenotypes were defined as high or low Th2 activity, indicated by endobronchial biopsies gene expression changes downstream of IL-4 or IL-13. Results: Four phenotypes were identified in the ADEPT (training) cohort, with distinct clinical and biomarker profiles. Phenotype 1 was "mild, good lung function, early onset", with a low-inflammatory, predominantly Type-2, phenotype. Phenotype 2 had a "moderate, hyper-responsive, eosinophilic" phenotype, with moderate asthma control, mild airflow obstruction and predominant Type-2 inflammation. Phenotype 3 had a "mixed severity, predominantly fixed obstructive, non-eosinophilic and neutrophilic" phenotype, with moderate asthma control and low Type-2 inflammation. Phenotype 4 had a "severe uncontrolled, severe reversible obstruction, mixed granulocytic" phenotype, with moderate Type-2 inflammation. These phenotypes had good longitudinal stability in the ADEPT cohort. They were reproduced and demonstrated high classification probability in two subsets of the U-BIOPRED asthma cohort. Conclusions: Focusing on the biology of the four clinical independently-validated easy-to-assess ADEPT asthma phenotypes will help understanding the unmet need and will aid in developing tailored therapies. Trial registration:NCT01274507(ADEPT), registered October 28, 2010 and NCT01982162(U-BIOPRED), registered October 30, 2013.
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| 13. |
- Toh, Wei Seong, et al.
(author)
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Cellular senescence in aging and osteoarthritis : implications for cartilage repair
- 2016
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In: Acta orthopaedica. - : Medical Journals Sweden AB. - 1745-3682 .- 1745-3674. ; 87:sup. 363, s. 6-14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- - It is well accepted that age is an important contributing factor to poor cartilage repair following injury, and to the development of osteoarthritis. Cellular senescence, the loss of the ability of cells to divide, has been noted as the major factor contributing to age-related changes in cartilage homeostasis, function, and response to injury. The underlying mechanisms of cellular senescence, while not fully understood, have been associated with telomere erosion, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation. In this review, we discuss the causes and consequences of cellular senescence, and the associated biological challenges in cartilage repair. In addition, we present novel strategies for modulation of cellular senescence that may help to improve cartilage regeneration in an aging population.
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| 14. |
- Vijayakrishnan, Jayaram, et al.
(author)
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Genome-wide association study identifies susceptibility loci for B-cell childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- 2018
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 9:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have advanced our understanding of susceptibility to B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL); however, much of the heritable risk remains unidentified. Here, we perform a GWAS and conduct a meta-analysis with two existing GWAS, totaling 2442 cases and 14,609 controls. We identify risk loci for BCP-ALL at 8q24.21 (rs28665337, P = 3.86 × 10-9, odds ratio (OR) = 1.34) and for ETV6-RUNX1 fusion-positive BCP-ALL at 2q22.3 (rs17481869, P = 3.20 × 10-8, OR = 2.14). Our findings provide further insights into genetic susceptibility to ALL and its biology.
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| 15. |
- Beale, Colin, et al.
(author)
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Pyrodiversity interacts with rainfall to increase bird andmammal richness in African savannas
- 2018
-
In: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 21:4, s. 557-567
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fire is a fundamental process in savannas and is widely used for management. Pyrodiversity, variation in local fire characteristics, has been proposed as a driver of biodiversity although empirical evidence is equivocal. Using a new measure of pyrodiversity (Hempsonet al.), we undertook the first continent-wide assessment of how pyrodiversity affects biodiversity in protected areas across African savannas. The influence of pyrodiversity on bird and mammal species richness varied with rainfall: strongest support for a positive effect occurred in wet savannas (>650 mm/year), where species richness increased by 27% for mammals and 40% for birds in the most pyrodiverse regions. Range-restricted birds were most increased by pyrodiversity, suggesting the diversity of fire regimes increases the availability of rare niches. Our findings are significant because they explain the conflicting results found in previous studies of savannas. We argue that managing savanna landscapes to increase pyrodiversity is especially important in wet savannas.
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| 16. |
- Boyd, Sally, 1949, et al.
(author)
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Sociolinguistic practice among multilingual youth in Sweden and Canada
- 2011
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In: International symposium on bilingualism, 15-18 June, Oslo.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- 2.Sociolinguistic Practice Among Multilingual Youth in Sweden and Canada This paper addresses two interrelated questions about the sociolinguistic identity and language use of young people in multilingual urban settings. First, can such speakers be divided into different groups on the basis of their sociolinguistic identity and native-speaker status? Second, to what extent does use of the majority language by multilingual youth differ from that of other majority-language speakers? These questions are of broad sociolinguistic interest, contributing more generally to the question of the extent to which the increasingly multilingual nature of formerly monolingual cities has resulted in relatively new ways of speaking, and what role multilingual speakers play in the local speech community. In this paper, we use quantitative methods to compare and contrast the results of a study of three urban centres in Sweden (Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö) and one in Canada (Toronto). Findings of the studies in Sweden suggest that it is difficult not only to delineate homogeneous groups of speakers among multilingual urban youth, but also to find regular, cohesive patterns in sociolinguistic variation. Similarly, the Toronto study finds it difficult to delineate homogeneous groups, though speakers do seem to be distinguished on the basis of ethnic identity in their overall rates of use of certain variables. Some of these differences may be attributed to instantiations of and attitudes toward policies advocating multiculturalism in Sweden and Toronto. Taken together, the results of these studies suggest that new ways of speaking may be more fruitfully considered as a style of speech or an array of features selected from a pool of available resources for talk in certain contexts and for certain purposes, rather than as one or more ethnolects in the cities studied. These conclusions indicate that such ways of speaking are part and parcel of contemporary spoken Swedish and English. Summary: This paper compares identity and language use of youth in multilingual cities in Sweden and Canada. Examining speakers by (ethno)linguistic criteria and analysing linguistic variation, we find no homogeneous groupings, though some speakers may use particular styles or features as resources in certain contexts and for certain purposes.
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| 17. |
- Boyd, Sally, 1949, et al.
(author)
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Storstadsungdomars deltagande i den pågående förändringen av ä-ljudet
- 2013
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In: Svenskans beskrivning 33, 15-17 maj 2013, Helsingfors.
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Forskning om språkkontakt i Skandinaviens storstäder har ofta fokuserat på språkdrag vilka upplevs som nya och framträdande (bl a. Kotsinas 1994, Ganuza 2008, Svendsen & Røyneland 2008, Quist 2008, Källström & Lindberg 2011). I denna studie undersöker vi ett mindre framträdande språkdrag som har konstaterats vara under pågående förändring i svenska, nämligen öppningen av ä-ljudet, för att se om ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund deltar på samma sätt som övriga ungdomar i denna förändring (Leinonen 2010, Gross 2012). Det kan tänkas antingen 1) att språkförändringen påskyndas av språkkontakten, 2) att ungdomarna med utländsk bakgrund inte deltar i förändringsprocessen eller 3) att det inte finns signifikanta skillnader mellan ungdomar med olika bakgrunder vad gäller denna vokal. Vår kvantitativa studie bygger på fonetiska analyser av sociolingvistiska intervjuer med 60 ungdomar från olika stadsdelar i Göteborg och Stockholm; hälften av ungdomarna har svenskfödda mödrar och hälften utlandsfödda. Första och andra formanten av tre långa referensvokaler, /ɛ:/ mättes samt /ɛ:/ i kontexten framför /r/ , normaliserades och analyserades statistiskt. Resultaten visar att den allofoniska alterneringen mellan [ɛ:] och [æ:] framför /r/ och retroflexa konsonanter kan vara på väg att försvinna, åtminstone för vissa talare. Det visar sig också att de som ”leder utvecklingen” och har det öppnaste uttalet är tjejer, ungdomar bosatta i Stockholm och ungdomar med utlandsfödda mödrar. Vår preliminära slutsats är ändå att ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund deltar på samma sätt som övriga ungdomar i förändringsprocessen, eftersom andra bakgrundsvariabler (kön och stad) verkar spela större roll i förändringen än föräldrarnas ursprungsland.
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| 18. |
- Boyd, Sally, 1949, et al.
(author)
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Variation and Change in the Vowels of Multilingual Swedish Youth
- 2013
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In: The 9th International Symposium on Bilingualism, 10-13 June 2013, Singapore. - 9789810767587
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Variation and Change in the Vowels of Multilingual Swedish Youth Sally Boyd 1,a , Johan Gross 1,b , Therese Leinonen 2,c and James Walker 3,d 1 University of Gothenburg, Sweden 2 Society of Swedish Literature in Finland 3 York University, Toronto, Canada a sally.boyd@gu.se, b gusgrosjo@student.gu.se, c therese.leinonen@gmail.com, d jamesw@york.ca Language contact in modern urban Scandinavia is the subject of recent studies (e.g. Kotsinas, 1994, Svendsen & Røyneland, 2008, Quist, 2008, Källström & Lindberg, 2011), which tend to focus on salient majority-language linguistic features used by multilingual youth of non-Scandinavian background in contrast with monolingual Scandinavian youth. However, many such features turn out to be infrequent or show no significant difference between monolingual and multilinguals (author1 et al., in press). In this study, we focus on less salient ongoing variation and change in the Swedish vowel system (author3, author2), to determine the extent to which multilingual urban youth in Sweden participate in ongoing changes. The data for this study come from recorded sociolinguistic interviews with mul- tilingual and monolingual youth in three cities. Using interviews with 60 speakers from Stockholm and Gothenburg, half of whom have Swedish as a second language or coordinate first language, we measured a representative sample of tokens of the first and second formant values for three long vowels, though here we focus on / ä :/. After coding the tokens for a series of linguistic and social factors, we used Rbrul (Johnson, 2009) to conduct regression analyses. Preliminary results show that youth in Stockholm tend to have higher F1 values than those in Gothenburg and a possible merger between allophones of / ä :/ before /r/ and elsewhere. Differences between multilinguals and monolinguals are small but statistically significant: monolinguals tend to produce a slightly more retracted [ Ä :] (i.e. they have a lower F2) than multilinguals. Furthermore, monolinguals with more diverse social networks tend to have values that are intermediate between other monolinguals and multilinguals.These results indicate that monolingual and multilingual Swedish youth participate fully in patterns of variation and change in the contemporary vowel system, though their pattern of participation may serve to identify them with the multicultural urban setting.
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| 19. |
- Bruce, Louise C, et al.
(author)
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A multi-lake comparative analysis of the General Lake Model (GLM) : Stress-testing across a global observatory network
- 2018
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In: Environmental Modelling & Software. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-8152 .- 1873-6726. ; 102, s. 274-291
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The modelling community has identified challenges for the integration and assessment of lake models due to the diversity of modelling approaches and lakes. In this study, we develop and assess a one-dimensional lake model and apply it to 32 lakes from a global observatory network. The data set included lakes over broad ranges in latitude, climatic zones, size, residence time, mixing regime and trophic level. Model performance was evaluated using several error assessment metrics, and a sensitivity analysis was conducted for nine parameters that governed the surface heat exchange and mixing efficiency. There was low correlation between input data uncertainty and model performance and predictions of temperature were less sensitive to model parameters than prediction of thermocline depth and Schmidt stability. The study provides guidance to where the general model approach and associated assumptions work, and cases where adjustments to model parameterisations and/or structure are required.
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| 20. |
- Chien, Yin-Hsiu, et al.
(author)
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Mudd's disease (MAT I/III deficiency) : a survey of data for MAT1A homozygotes and compound heterozygotes
- 2015
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In: Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1750-1172. ; 10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: This paper summarizes the results of a group effort to bring together the worldwide available data on patients who are either homozygotes or compound heterozygotes for mutations in MAT1A. MAT1A encodes the subunit that forms two methionine adenosyltransferase isoenzymes, tetrameric MAT I and dimeric MAT III, that catalyze the conversion of methionine and ATP to S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet). Subnormal MAT I/III activity leads to hypermethioninemia. Individuals, with hypermethioninemia due to one of the MAT1A mutations that in heterozygotes cause relatively mild and clinically benign hypermethioninemia are currently often being flagged in screening programs measuring methionine elevation to identify newborns with defective cystathionine beta-synthase activity. Homozygotes or compound heterozygotes for MAT1A mutations are less frequent. Some but not all, such individuals have manifested demyelination or other CNS abnormalities. Purpose of the study: The goals of the present effort have been to determine the frequency of such abnormalities, to find how best to predict whether they will occur, and to evaluate the outcomes of the variety of treatment regimens that have been used. Data have been gathered for 64 patients, of whom 32 have some evidence of CNS abnormalities (based mainly on MRI findings), and 32 do not have such evidence. Results and Discussion: The results show that mean plasma methionine concentrations provide the best indication of the group into which a given patient will fall: those with means of 800 mu M or higher usually have evidence of CNS abnormalities, whereas those with lower means usually do not. Data are reported for individual patients for MAT1A genotypes, plasma methionine, total homocysteine (tHcy), and AdoMet concentrations, liver function studies, results of 15 pregnancies, and the outcomes of dietary methionine restriction and/or AdoMet supplementation. Possible pathophysiological mechanisms that might contribute to CNS damage are discussed, and tentative suggestions are put forth as to optimal management.
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| 21. |
- Dearing, John A., et al.
(author)
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Safe and just operating spaces for regional social-ecological systems
- 2014
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In: Global Environmental Change. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-3780 .- 1872-9495. ; 28, s. 227-238
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Humanity faces a major global challenge in achieving wellbeing for all, while simultaneously ensuring that the biophysical processes and ecosystem services that underpin wellbeing are exploited within scientifically informed boundaries of sustainability. We propose a framework for defining the safe and just operating space for humanity that integrates social wellbeing into the original planetary boundaries concept (Rockstrom et al., 2009a,b) for application at regional scales. We argue that such a framework can: (1) increase the policy impact of the boundaries concept as most governance takes place at the regional rather than planetary scale; (2) contribute to the understanding and dissemination of complexity thinking throughout governance and policy-making; (3) act as a powerful metaphor and communication tool for regional equity and sustainability. We demonstrate the approach in two rural Chinese localities where we define the safe and just operating space that lies between an environmental ceiling and a social foundation from analysis of time series drawn from monitored and palaeoecological data, and from social survey statistics respectively. Agricultural intensification has led to poverty reduction, though not eradicated it, but at the expense of environmental degradation. Currently, the environmental ceiling is exceeded for degraded water quality at both localities even though the least well-met social standards are for available piped water and sanitation. The conjunction of these social needs and environmental constraints around the issue of water access and quality illustrates the broader value of the safe and just operating space approach for sustainable development.
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| 22. |
- Fagerlind, Magnus, et al.
(author)
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The Role of Regulators in the Expression of Quorum-Sensing Signals in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- 2003
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In: Journal of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology. - : S. Karger. - 1464-1801. ; 6:2, s. 88-100
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quorum-sensing systems provide Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a sensitive regulatory mechanism that allows for the induction of several phenotypic genes in a cell density fashion. In this work, a mathematical model of the acylated homoserine lactones regulatory network system in P. aeruginosa has been developed. It is the first integrated model to consider both quorum-sensing systems. The model has allowed us to disentangle the complex behavior exhibited by the system as the concentration of extracellular OdDHL is increased. At either low or high levels of extracellular OdDHL, the bacterium remains in an uninduced or induced state, respectively. At moderate levels, the behavior is characterized by several states. Here, the bacteria can switch suddenly from an uninduced to an induced phenotype in response to small changes in the concentration of extracellular OdDHL. Additionally, we have been able to address the roles of RsaL and Vfr as regulators of the quorum-sensing system. An important result from this analysis suggests that RsaL will increase the concentration of extracellular OdDHL required to induce the system, and it is a key regulator of the inhibition of the quorum-sensing system under low cell densities. Most importantly, our results suggest that Vfr has strong regulatory effects on the system as an increased affinity between the LasR/OdDHL complex, and the lasR promoter leads to significant qualitative changes in induction patterns. We also show experimental data that demonstrate that Vfr is required for signal production in the early phase of growth, but that in the latter stages of growth, the vfr mutant is able to synthesize wild-type levels of signal.
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| 23. |
- Gross, Johan, 1982, et al.
(author)
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A tale of two cities (and one vowel): Sociolinguistic variation in Swedish
- 2016
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In: Language Variation and Change. - 0954-3945. ; 28:2, s. 225-247
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous studies of language contact in multilingual urban neighborhoods in Europe claim the emergence of new varieties spoken by immigrant-background youth. This paper examines the sociolinguistic conditioning of variation in allophones of Swedish /ε:/ of young people of immigrant and nonimmigrant background in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Although speaker background and sex condition the variation, their effects differ in each city. In Stockholm there are no significant social differences and the allophonic difference appears to have been neutralized. Gothenburg speakers are divided into three groups, based on speaker origin and sex, each of which orients toward different norms. Our conclusions appeal to dialectal diffusion and the desire to mark ethnic identity in a diverse sociolinguistic context. These results demonstrate that not only language contact but also dialect change should be considered together when investigating language variation in modern-day cities.
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| 24. |
- Hargreaves, Sally, et al.
(author)
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What constitutes an effective and efficient package of services for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of tuberculosis among refugees and migrants in the WHO European Region? : Themed issues on migration and health, VIII
- 2018
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Book (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The WHO European Region has faced high rates of external and internal migration in recent years, with concerns that this is contributing to the burden of tuberculosis (TB), multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and TB/HIV coinfection in some countries. This report examines evidence of effective and efficient service packages for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB to inform strategies to address the TB burden in refugee and migrant populations. Significant regional variations were identified in both migration levels and TB burden in refugees and migrants, as well as in approaches to TB control, with low quality of evidence in many cases. While it is unlikely that a single strategy/package will be effective for all situations, the evidence highlights some common approaches that could guide policy-making and service development. TB elimination targets for the Region will not be met unless inequalities in access to screening and treatment for migrants are addressed, alongside efforts to tackle
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| 25. |
- Hayes, Sally, et al.
(author)
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The structural and optical properties of type III human collagen biosynthetic corneal substitutes
- 2015
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In: Acta Biomaterialia. - : ELSEVIER SCI LTD. - 1742-7061 .- 1878-7568. ; 25, s. 121-130
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The structural and optical properties of clinically biocompatible, cell-free hydrogels comprised of synthetically cross-linked and moulded recombinant human collagen type III (RHCIII) with and without the incorporation of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) were assessed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray scattering, spectroscopy and refractometry. These findings were examined alongside similarly obtained data from 21 human donor corneas. TEM demonstrated the presence of loosely bundled aggregates of fine collagen filaments within both RHCIII and RHCIII-MPC implants, which X-ray scattering showed to lack D-banding and be preferentially aligned in a uniaxial orientation throughout. This arrangement differs from the predominantly biaxial alignment of collagen fibrils that exists in the human cornea. By virtue of their high water content (90%), very fine collagen filaments (2-9 nm) and lack of cells, the collagen hydrogels were found to transmit almost all incident light in the visible spectrum. They also transmitted a large proportion of UV light compared to the cornea which acts as an effective UV filter. Patients implanted with these hydrogels should be cautious about UV exposure prior to regrowth of the epithelium and in-growth of corneal cells into the implants. (C) 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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