1. |
- Akiyama, Kazunori, et al.
(author)
-
First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. II. EHT and Multiwavelength Observations, Data Processing, and Calibration
- 2022
-
In: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 930:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) 1.3 mm measurements of the radio source located at the position of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), collected during the 2017 April 5-11 campaign. The observations were carried out with eight facilities at six locations across the globe. Novel calibration methods are employed to account for Sgr A*'s flux variability. The majority of the 1.3 mm emission arises from horizon scales, where intrinsic structural source variability is detected on timescales of minutes to hours. The effects of interstellar scattering on the image and its variability are found to be subdominant to intrinsic source structure. The calibrated visibility amplitudes, particularly the locations of the visibility minima, are broadly consistent with a blurred ring with a diameter of similar to 50 mu as, as determined in later works in this series. Contemporaneous multiwavelength monitoring of Sgr A* was performed at 22, 43, and 86 GHz and at near-infrared and X-ray wavelengths. Several X-ray flares from Sgr A* are detected by Chandra, one at low significance jointly with Swift on 2017 April 7 and the other at higher significance jointly with NuSTAR on 2017 April 11. The brighter April 11 flare is not observed simultaneously by the EHT but is followed by a significant increase in millimeter flux variability immediately after the X-ray outburst, indicating a likely connection in the emission physics near the event horizon. We compare Sgr A*'s broadband flux during the EHT campaign to its historical spectral energy distribution and find that both the quiescent emission and flare emission are consistent with its long-term behavior.
|
|
2. |
- Dima, Danai, et al.
(author)
-
Subcortical volumes across the lifespan : Data from 18,605 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years.
- 2022
-
In: Human Brain Mapping. - : Wiley. - 1065-9471 .- 1097-0193. ; 43:1, s. 452-469
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Age has a major effect on brain volume. However, the normative studies available are constrained by small sample sizes, restricted age coverage and significant methodological variability. These limitations introduce inconsistencies and may obscure or distort the lifespan trajectories of brain morphometry. In response, we capitalized on the resources of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to examine age-related trajectories inferred from cross-sectional measures of the ventricles, the basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens), the thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 18,605 individuals aged 3-90 years. All subcortical structure volumes were at their maximum value early in life. The volume of the basal ganglia showed a monotonic negative association with age thereafter; there was no significant association between age and the volumes of the thalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus (with some degree of decline in thalamus) until the sixth decade of life after which they also showed a steep negative association with age. The lateral ventricles showed continuous enlargement throughout the lifespan. Age was positively associated with inter-individual variability in the hippocampus and amygdala and the lateral ventricles. These results were robust to potential confounders and could be used to examine the functional significance of deviations from typical age-related morphometric patterns.
|
|
3. |
- Farahat, Emad, et al.
(author)
-
Are standing dead trees (snags) suitable as climate proxies? A case study from the central Scandinavian Mountains
- 2018
-
In: Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0282-7581 .- 1651-1891. ; 33:2, s. 114-124
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group Standing dead trees (snags) play important roles in forest ecology by storing carbon as well as providing habitats for many species. Moreover, snags preserved for hundreds of years can provide useful data to extend tree-ring chronologies used for climatological and ecological studies beyond the lifespans of living trees. Here we examined the growth patterns of Scots pine snags from the central Scandinavian Mountains, in relation to still living trees. Using changes point analyses, we showed that a majority (74%) of the snags displayed significant negative growth changes prior (on average 17 years) to death. Change points around the same years were also seen in living trees, but they recovered their growth. The average growth reduction of snags showing negative growth changes before death was 46%. In most cases the final growth change points coincided with very cold summers, or to a lesser degree to period of cool summers. It was suggested that pines ending up as snags were less resilient than the trees which continued living, and thus not able to recover after cold summer events. Since the snag growth reductions prior to death were partly unrelated to climate, care should be taken when using such data in dendroclimatological studies.
|
|
4. |
- Ferrando, Carlos, et al.
(author)
-
Effects of oxygen on post-surgical infections during an individualised perioperative open-lung ventilatory strategy : a randomised controlled trial
- 2020
-
In: British Journal of Anaesthesia. - : ELSEVIER SCI LTD. - 0007-0912 .- 1471-6771. ; 124:1, s. 110-120
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: We aimed to examine whether using a high fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) in the context of an individualised intra- and postoperative open-lung ventilation approach could decrease surgical site infection (SSI) in patients scheduled for abdominal surgery. Methods: We performed a multicentre, randomised controlled clinical trial in a network of 21 university hospitals from June 6, 2017 to July 19, 2018. Patients undergoing abdominal surgery were randomly assigned to receive a high (0.80) or conventional (0.3) FIO2 during the intraoperative period and during the first 3 postoperative hours. All patients were mechanically ventilated with an open-lung strategy, which included recruitment manoeuvres and individualised positive end-expiratory pressure for the best respiratory-system compliance, and individualised continuous postoperative airway pressure for adequate peripheral oxyhaemoglobin saturation. The primary outcome was the prevalence of SSI within the first 7 postoperative days. The secondary outcomes were composites of systemic complications, length of intensive care and hospital stay, and 6-month mortality. Results: We enrolled 740 subjects: 371 in the high FIO2 group and 369 in the low FIO2 group. Data from 717 subjects were available for final analysis. The rate of SSI during the first postoperative week did not differ between high (8.9%) and low (9.4%) FIO2 groups (relative risk [RR]: 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59-1.50; P=0.90]). Secondary outcomes, such as atelectasis (7.7% vs 9.8%; RR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.48-1.25; P=0.38) and myocardial ischaemia (0.6% [n=2] vs 0% [n=0]; P=0.47) did not differ between groups. Conclusions: An oxygenation strategy using high FIO2 compared with conventional FIO2 did not reduce postoperative SSIs in abdominal surgery. No differences in secondary outcomes or adverse events were found.
|
|
5. |
- Frangou, Sophia, et al.
(author)
-
Cortical thickness across the lifespan : Data from 17,075 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years
- 2022
-
In: Human Brain Mapping. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1065-9471 .- 1097-0193. ; 43:1, s. 431-451
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Delineating the association of age and cortical thickness in healthy individuals is critical given the association of cortical thickness with cognition and behavior. Previous research has shown that robust estimates of the association between age and brain morphometry require large-scale studies. In response, we used cross-sectional data from 17,075 individuals aged 3-90 years from the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to infer age-related changes in cortical thickness. We used fractional polynomial (FP) regression to quantify the association between age and cortical thickness, and we computed normalized growth centiles using the parametric Lambda, Mu, and Sigma method. Interindividual variability was estimated using meta-analysis and one-way analysis of variance. For most regions, their highest cortical thickness value was observed in childhood. Age and cortical thickness showed a negative association; the slope was steeper up to the third decade of life and more gradual thereafter; notable exceptions to this general pattern were entorhinal, temporopolar, and anterior cingulate cortices. Interindividual variability was largest in temporal and frontal regions across the lifespan. Age and its FP combinations explained up to 59% variance in cortical thickness. These results may form the basis of further investigation on normative deviation in cortical thickness and its significance for behavioral and cognitive outcomes.
|
|
6. |
- Fuentes, Catalina, et al.
(author)
-
Characterization of molecular properties of wheat starch from three different types of breads using asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4)
- 2019
-
In: Food Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0308-8146. ; 298
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, molecular properties of wheat starch from three different types of breads were analyzed using asymmetric flow field-flow (AF4) connected to multi-angle light scattering (MALS) and differential refractive index (dRI) detectors. This analysis allowed the determination of molecular properties, i.e. molar mass (M), root-mean-square radius (rrms), apparent density (ρapp) and conformation. Complementary analyses, such as resistant starch and amylose content, were also performed. The results show that wheat starch extracted from breads can have different properties reflected in changes in M, rrms and ρapp. In addition, the results suggest that some of the changes in molecular properties may be related to the presence of resistant starch.
|
|
7. |
- Fuentes, Catalina, et al.
(author)
-
Comparison between conventional and frit-inlet channels in separation of biopolymers by asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation
- 2019
-
In: Analyst. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 0003-2654. ; 144:15, s. 4559-4568
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) is a separation technique in which a focusing/relaxation step is used after the sample is injected onto the separation channel. During the focusing/relaxation step, the sample is focused by two counter-directed flows. This allows sample components to establish a diffusion-dependent equilibrium concentration profile. The focusing step may, in some cases, cause a loss of sample due to adsorption into the accumulation wall (i.e. the membrane) or due to aggregation of the sample. In addition, the increase in sample concentration during the focusing step may prevent complete relaxation and cause overloading effects. In this study, a modified AF4 channel equipped with a frit inlet (FI-AF4) is utilized, where the sample is relaxed hydrodynamically as it enters to the channel through the frit. The main advantage of the FI-AF4 channel is to omit the focusing step. The FI-AF4 channel could also allow higher injection mass than in a conventional channel while still avoiding overloading. The purpose of the present study is to compare two channels (conventional and FI-AF4 channels) in terms of the plate height (H), resolution (Rs) and the mass recovery for analysis of a mixture of glycogen and pullulan. In addition, waxy maize (WM) starch was used to compare the mass overloading of the two channels. The results show that the type of relaxation method (i.e. focusing or hydrodynamic relaxation) had no significant effect on mass recovery. The resolution (Rs), was higher in the conventional AF4 channel than in the FI-AF4 channel for the separation of glycogen and pullulan. The results also show that it was possible to inject a higher mass of WM starch (i.e. twice the mass) onto the FI-AF4 channel, compared to a conventional AF4 channel, without observing an overloading effect.
|
|
8. |
- Fuentes, Catalina, et al.
(author)
-
The effect of baking and enzymatic treatment on the structural properties of wheat starch
- 2016
-
In: Food Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0308-8146. ; 213, s. 768-774
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, bread was baked with and without the addition of α-amylase. Starch was extracted from the baked bread and its molecular properties were characterized using 1H NMR and asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) connected to multi-angle light scattering (MALS) and other detectors. The approach allows determination of molar mass, root- mean-square radius and apparent density as well as the average degree of branching of amylopectin. The results show that starch size and structure is affected as a result of the baking process. The effect is larger when α-amylase is added. The changes include both a decrease molar mass and size as well as an increase in apparent density. Moreover, an increase in average degree of branching and the number of reducing ends H-1(β-r) and H-1(α-r) can be observed.
|
|
9. |
- Fuentes, Mauricio, et al.
(author)
-
A 970-year-long summer temperature reconstruction from Rogen, west-central Sweden, based on blue intensity from tree rings
- 2018
-
In: The Holocene. - : SAGE Publications. - 0959-6836 .- 1477-0911. ; 28:2, s. 254-266
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To assess past climate variability in west-central Scandinavia, a new 972-year-long temperature reconstruction, based on adjusted delta blue intensity (ΔBIadj), was created. Presently, it is the longest blue intensity chronology in Fennoscandia and the third longest in the northern hemisphere. Measurements were obtained from 119 tree line Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) samples from Rogen, in the central Scandinavian Mountains, Sweden. Early and latewood blue intensity absorption data were used to create ΔBIadj. The data were detrended using a signal-free regional curve standardization method (RSFi) to minimize biological noise and maximize low-frequency climate information. The Rogen ΔBIadj chronology has a substantially stronger temperature signal at inter-annual timescales than the corresponding tree-ring width (RW) chronology, and it displays good spatial representation for the south-central parts of Scandinavia. The ΔBIadj summer (June through August) temperature reconstruction, extending back to 1038 CE, exhibits three warm periods in 1040–1190 CE, 1370–1570 CE and the 20th century and one extended cold period between 1570 and 1920 CE. Regional summer temperature anomalies are associated with a Scandinavian–Greenland dipole sea-level pressure pattern, which has been stable for the past several centuries. Major volcanic eruptions produce distinct anomalies of ΔBIadj indices indicating cooling of summer temperatures in the subsequent years. Our results show that ΔBIadj from Pinus sylvestris in Scandinavia is a suitable proxy providing opportunities to explore past temperature variability at various frequencies, atmospheric dynamics and variability in external forcing. Nevertheless, long-term trend differences with RW imply that further research is needed to fully understand the application of this technique in dendroclimatology.
|
|
10. |
- Fuentes, Mauricio, et al.
(author)
-
A comparison between Tree-Ring Width and Blue Intensity high and low frequency signals from Pinus sylvestris L. from the Central and Northern Scandinavian Mountains
- 2016
-
In: TRACE - Tree Rings in Archaeology, Climatolog y and Ecology, Volume 14. Scien tific Technical Report 16/04, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, p. 38-43. doi: 10.2312/GFZ.b103-16042.. ; 14, s. 38-43
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- During the last decades, dendroclimatological methods have been used to produce several climate reconstructions, where chronologies based on maximum latewood d ensity (MXD) data (e.g.,Briffa et al. 2002, Gunnarson et al. 2011, Esper et al. 2012) have pro vided estimates of past temperature variability. Despite an often superior signal strength of the M XD parameter compared to tree ring width (RW) (e.g., Briffa et al. 2002), very few laboratories in the world use this technique, mainly because this proxy is expensive and labour intensive to produce . As an alternative, blue intensity (BI) utilizing reflected/absorbed blue light from scanned sampl e-images of tree rings, is explored as a surrogate to radio densitometry (McCarroll et al. 2002, Campb ell et al. 2011, Björklund et al. 2014, Rydval et al. 2014). However, BI seems more susceptible t o biases caused by the transition between the heartwood and the sapwood, but also by the mixing o f modern wood and deadwood (Björklund et al. 2014). This has according to Rydval et al. (2 014) and Wilson et al. (2014) restricted the application of the, to the MXD analogue, MXBI pa rameter (Björklund et al. 2014) to frequencies higher than 20 years. To overcome this bias, Björkl und et al. (2014, 2015) suggested the use of a new variant of BI parameter: the adjusted Δblue in tensity (ΔBI adj ), which is derived by subtracting the BI in the earlywood from the MXBI, after sample s have been contrast adjusted, based on their general level of staining (Björklund et al. 2015 ). Few comparisons between RW and MXD have been made (e.g., Briffa et al. 2002, Franke et al. 201 3), and even fewer comparisons between MXBI and RW have been made (Wilson et al. 2014). The ai m of this study is to assess the similarities and differences in temperature sensitive Pinus sylvestris L. RW and ΔBI adj j chronologies sampled across three sites in Sweden, by exploring 1) the climate correlation and spectral characteristics of the different parameters, 2) the in ter correlation and frequency association between them.
|
|