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- Mishra, A, et al.
(author)
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Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents' growth and development
- 2023
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 615:7954, s. 874-883
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.
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- Ammerlaan, H S M, et al.
(author)
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Secular Trends in Nosocomial Bloodstream Infections : Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Increase the Total Burden of Infection
- 2013
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In: Clinical Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP): Policy A1. - 1058-4838 .- 1537-6591. ; 56:6, s. 798-805
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background. It is unknown whether rising incidence rates of nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) replace antibiotic-susceptible bacteria (ASB), leaving the total BSI rate unaffected.Methods. We investigated temporal trends in annual incidence densities (events per 100 000 patient-days) of nosocomial BSIs caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), ARB other than MRSA, and ASB in 7 ARB-endemic and 7 ARB-nonendemic hospitals between 1998 and 2007.Results. 33 130 nosocomial BSIs (14% caused by ARB) yielded 36 679 microorganisms. From 1998 to 2007, the MRSA incidence density increased from 0.2 to 0.7 (annual increase, 22%) in ARB-nonendemic hospitals, and from 3.1 to 11.7 (annual increase, 10%) in ARB-endemic hospitals (P = .2), increasing the incidence density difference between ARB-endemic and ARB-nonendemic hospitals from 2.9 to 11.0. The non-MRSA ARB incidence density increased from 2.8 to 4.1 (annual increase, 5%) in ARB-nonendemic hospitals, and from 1.5 to 17.4 (annual increase, 22%) in ARB-endemic hospitals (P < .001), changing the incidence density difference from −1.3 to 13.3. Trends in ASB incidence densities were similar in both groups (P = .7). With annual increases of 3.8% and 5.4% of all nosocomial BSIs in ARB-nonendemic and ARB-endemic hospitals, respectively (P < .001), the overall incidence density difference of 3.8 increased to 24.4.Conclusions. Increased nosocomial BSI rates due to ARB occur in addition to infections caused by ASB, increasing the total burden of disease. Hospitals with high ARB infection rates in 2005 had an excess burden of BSI of 20.6 per 100 000 patient-days in a 10-year period, mainly caused by infections with ARB.
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- Chapman, Henry N, et al.
(author)
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Femtosecond time-delay X-ray holography
- 2007
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 448:7154, s. 676-679
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Extremely intense and ultrafast X-ray pulses from free-electron lasers offer unique opportunities to study fundamental aspects of complex transient phenomena in materials. Ultrafast time-resolved methods usually require highly synchronized pulses to initiate a transition and then probe it after a precisely defined time delay. In the X-ray regime, these methods are challenging because they require complex optical systems and diagnostics. Here we propose and apply a simple holographic measurement scheme, inspired by Newton's 'dusty mirror' experiment1, to monitor the X-ray-induced explosion of microscopic objects. The sample is placed near an X-ray mirror; after the pulse traverses the sample, triggering the reaction, it is reflected back onto the sample by the mirror to probe this reaction. The delay is encoded in the resulting diffraction pattern to an accuracy of one femtosecond, and the structural change is holographically recorded with high resolution. We apply the technique to monitor the dynamics of polystyrene spheres in intense free-electron-laser pulses, and observe an explosion occurring well after the initial pulse. Our results support the notion that X-ray flash imaging2, 3 can be used to achieve high resolution, beyond radiation damage limits for biological samples4. With upcoming ultrafast X-ray sources we will be able to explore the three-dimensional dynamics of materials at the timescale of atomic motion.
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- Rothenberg, W. Andrew, et al.
(author)
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Effects of Parental Acceptance-Rejection on Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors : A Longitudinal, Multicultural Study
- 2021
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In: Journal of Child and Family Studies. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1062-1024 .- 1573-2843. ; 31:1, s. 29-47
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Grounded in Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory, this study assessed children's (N = 1315) perceptions of maternal and paternal acceptance-rejection in nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States) as predictors of children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors across ages 7-14 years. Parenting behaviors were measured using children's reports on the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire. Child externalizing and internalizing behaviors were measured using mother, father, and child reports on the Achenbach System of Empirically-Based Assessment. Using a multilevel modeling framework, we found that in cultures where both maternal and paternal indifference/neglect scores were higher than average-compared to other cultures-children's internalizing problems were more persistent. At the within-culture level, all four forms of maternal and paternal rejection (i.e., coldness/lack of affection, hostility/aggression, indifference/neglect, and undifferentiated rejection) were independently associated with either externalizing and internalizing problems across ages 7-14 even after controlling for child gender, parent education, and each of the four forms of parental rejection. Results demonstrate that the effects of perceived parental acceptance-rejection are panculturally similar.
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- Womersley, Freya C., et al.
(author)
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Identifying priority sites for whale shark ship collision management globally
- 2024
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In: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 934
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The expansion of the world 's merchant fleet poses a great threat to the ocean 's biodiversity. Collisions between ships and marine megafauna can have population-level consequences for vulnerable species. The Endangered whale shark ( Rhincodon typus ) shares a circumglobal distribution with this expanding fleet and tracking of movement pathways has shown that large vessel collisions pose a major threat to the species. However, it is not yet known whether they are also at risk within aggregation sites, where up to 400 individuals can gather to feed on seasonal bursts of planktonic productivity. These "constellation " sites are of significant ecological, socioeconomic and cultural value. Here, through expert elicitation, we gathered information from most known constellation sites for this species across the world ( >50 constellations and >13,000 individual whale sharks). We defined the spatial boundaries of these sites and their overlap with shipping traffic. Sites were then ranked based on relative levels of potential collision danger posed to whale sharks in the area. Our results showed that researchers and resource managers may underestimate the threat posed by large ship collisions due to a lack of direct evidence, such as injuries or witness accounts, which are available for other, sub-lethal threat categories. We found that constellations in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waters, the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of California, and Southeast and East Asia, had the greatest level of collision threat. We also identified 39 sites where peaks in shipping activity coincided with peak seasonal occurrences of whale sharks, sometimes across several months. Simulated collision mitigation options estimated potentially minimal impact to industry, as most whale shark core habitat areas were small. Given the threat posed by vessel collisions, a coordinated, multi-national approach to mitigation is needed within priority whale shark habitats to ensure collision protection for the species.
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- Amemiya, Chris T., et al.
(author)
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The African coelacanth genome provides insights into tetrapod evolution
- 2013
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 496:7445, s. 311-316
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The discovery of a living coelacanth specimen in 1938 was remarkable, as this lineage of lobe-finned fish was thought to have become extinct 70 million years ago. The modern coelacanth looks remarkably similar to many of its ancient relatives, and its evolutionary proximity to our own fish ancestors provides a glimpse of the fish that first walked on land. Here we report the genome sequence of the African coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae. Through a phylogenomic analysis, we conclude that the lungfish, and not the coelacanth, is the closest living relative of tetrapods. Coelacanth protein-coding genes are significantly more slowly evolving than those of tetrapods, unlike other genomic features. Analyses of changes in genes and regulatory elements during the vertebrate adaptation to land highlight genes involved in immunity, nitrogen excretion and the development of fins, tail, ear, eye, brain and olfaction. Functional assays of enhancers involved in the fin-to-limb transition and in the emergence of extra-embryonic tissues show the importance of the coelacanth genome as a blueprint for understanding tetrapod evolution.
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- Baur, Julian, et al.
(author)
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Exaggerated male forelegs are not more differentiated than wing morphology in two widespread sister species of black scavenger flies
- 2020
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In: Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. - : Hindawi Limited. - 0947-5745 .- 1439-0469. ; 58:1, s. 159-173
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sexual selection represents a potent force that can drive rapid population differentiation in traits related to reproductive success. Hence, sexual traits are expected to show greater population divergence than non‐sexual traits. We test this prediction by exploring patterns of morphological differentiation of the exaggerated fore femur (a male‐specific sexual trait) and the wing (a non‐sexual trait) among allopatric and sympatric populations of the widespread sister dung fly species Sepsis neocynipsea and Sepsis cynipsea (Diptera: Sepsidae). While both species occur in Eurasia, S. neocynipsea also abounds in North America, albeit previous studies suggest strong differentiation in morphology, behavior, and mating systems. To evaluate the degree of differentiation expected under neutrality between S. cynipsea, European S. neocynipsea, and North American S. neocynipsea, we genotyped 30 populations at nine microsatellite markers, revealing almost equal differentiation between and minor differentiation among geographic populations within the three lineages. Landmark‐based analysis of 18 populations reared at constant 18 and 24°C in a laboratory common garden revealed moderate temperature‐dependent phenotypic plasticity and significant heritable differentiation in size and shape of male forelegs and wings among iso‐female lines of the three lineages. Following the biological species concept, there was weaker differentiation between cross‐continental populations of S. neocynipsea relative to S. cynipsea, and more fore femur differentiation between the two species in sympatry versus allopatry (presumably due to character displacement). Contrary to expectation, wing morphology showed as much shape differentiation between evolutionary independent lineages as fore femora, providing no evidence for faster diversification of traits primarily engaged in mating.
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