| 1. |
- Kanai, M, et al.
(author)
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- 2023
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swepub:Mat__t
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Butler-Laporte, G, et al.
(author)
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Exome-wide association study to identify rare variants influencing COVID-19 outcomes: Results from the Host Genetics Initiative
- 2022
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In: PLoS genetics. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7404 .- 1553-7390. ; 18:11, s. e1010367-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Host genetics is a key determinant of COVID-19 outcomes. Previously, the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative genome-wide association study used common variants to identify multiple loci associated with COVID-19 outcomes. However, variants with the largest impact on COVID-19 outcomes are expected to be rare in the population. Hence, studying rare variants may provide additional insights into disease susceptibility and pathogenesis, thereby informing therapeutics development. Here, we combined whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing from 21 cohorts across 12 countries and performed rare variant exome-wide burden analyses for COVID-19 outcomes. In an analysis of 5,085 severe disease cases and 571,737 controls, we observed that carrying a rare deleterious variant in the SARS-CoV-2 sensor toll-like receptor TLR7 (on chromosome X) was associated with a 5.3-fold increase in severe disease (95% CI: 2.75–10.05, p = 5.41x10-7). This association was consistent across sexes. These results further support TLR7 as a genetic determinant of severe disease and suggest that larger studies on rare variants influencing COVID-19 outcomes could provide additional insights.
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| 4. |
- Feugnet, G., et al.
(author)
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Improved laser-induced fluorescence method for bio-attack early warning detection system
- 2008
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In: Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering. - : SPIE.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) could permit fast early warning systems either for point or standoff detection if a reliable classification of warfare biological agents versus biological or non-biological fluorescing background can be achieved. In order to improve LIF discrimination capability, a new system is described in which the fluorescence pattern is enriched by the use of multiple wavelength delayed excitation while usual spectral fluorescence analysis is extended to time domain to use both aspects as criteria for classification. General considerations and guidelines for the system design are given as well as results showing good discrimination between background and simulants.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Matuozzo, D, et al.
(author)
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Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19
- 2022
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In: medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- BackgroundWe previously reported inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity in 1-5% of unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and auto-antibodies against type I IFN in another 15-20% of cases.MethodsWe report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3,269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19 (1,301 previously reported and 1,968 new patients), and 1,373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. A quarter of the patients tested had antibodies against type I IFN (234 of 928) and were excluded from the analysis.ResultsNo gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants wasTLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI:1.5-528.7,P=1.1×10−4), in analyses restricted to biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR=3.70 [95%CI:1.3-8.2],P=2.1×10−4). Adding the recently reportedTYK2COVID-19 locus strengthened this enrichment, particularly under a recessive model (OR=19.65 [95%CI:2.1-2635.4];P=3.4×10−3). When these 14 loci andTLR7were considered, all individuals hemizygous (n=20) or homozygous (n=5) for pLOF or bLOF variants were patients (OR=39.19 [95%CI:5.2-5037.0],P=4.7×10−7), who also showed an enrichment in heterozygous variants (OR=2.36 [95%CI:1.0-5.9],P=0.02). Finally, the patients with pLOF or bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD]=43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years;P=1.68×10−5).ConclusionsRare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60 years old.
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| 7. |
- Smyth, Joshua M., et al.
(author)
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Everyday stress response targets in the science of behavior change
- 2018
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In: Behaviour Research and Therapy. - : Elsevier. - 0005-7967 .- 1873-622X. ; 101, s. 20-29
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Stress is an established risk factor for negative health outcomes, and responses to everyday stress can interfere with health behaviors such as exercise and sleep. In accordance with the Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) program, we apply an experimental medicine approach to identifying stress response targets, developing stress response assays, intervening upon these targets, and testing intervention effectiveness. We evaluate an ecologically valid, within-person approach to measuring the deleterious effects of everyday stress on physical activity and sleep patterns, examining multiple stress response components (i.e., stress reactivity, stress recovery, and stress pile-up) as indexed by two key response indicators (negative affect and perseverative cognition). Our everyday stress response assay thus measures multiple malleable stress response targets that putatively shape daily health behaviors (physical activity and sleep). We hypothesize that larger reactivity, incomplete recovery, and more frequent stress responses (pile-up) will negatively impact health behavior enactment in daily life. We will identify stress-related reactivity, recovery, and response in the indicators using coordinated analyses across multiple naturalistic studies. These results are the basis for developing a new stress assay and replicating the initial findings in a new sample. This approach will advance our understanding of how specific aspects of everyday stress responses influence health behaviors, and can be used to develop and test an innovative ambulatory intervention for stress reduction in daily life to enhance health behaviors. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 8. |
- Matuozzo, Daniela, et al.
(author)
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Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19.
- 2023
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In: Genome medicine. - 1756-994X. ; 15:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15-20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in~80% of cases.We report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded.No gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5-528.7, P=1.1×10-4) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR=3.70[95%CI 1.3-8.2], P=2.1×10-4). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR=19.65[95%CI 2.1-2635.4], P=3.4×10-3), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR=4.40[9%CI 2.3-8.4], P=7.7×10-8). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD]=43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P=1.68×10-5).Rare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60years old.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Zawadzki, Matthew J., et al.
(author)
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Understanding stress reports in daily life : a coordinated analysis of factors associated with the frequency of reporting stress
- 2019
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In: Journal of behavioral medicine. - : Springer. - 0160-7715 .- 1573-3521. ; 42:3, s. 545-560
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although stress is a common experience in everyday life, a clear understanding of how often an individual experiences and reports stress is lacking. Notably, there is little information regarding factors that may influence how frequently stress is reported, including which stress dimension is measured (i.e., stressorsdid an event happen, subjective stresshow stressed do you feel, conditional stresshow stressful a stressor was) and the temporal features of that assessment (i.e., time of day, day of study, weekday vs. weekend day). The purpose of the present study was to conduct a coordinated analysis of five independent ecological momentary assessment studies utilizing varied stress reporting dimensions and temporal features. Results indicated that, within days, stress was reported at different frequencies depending on the stress dimension. Stressors were reported on 15-32% of momentary reports made within a day; across days, the frequency ranged from 42 to 76% of days. Depending on the cutoff, subjective stress was reported more frequently ranging about 8-56% of all moments within days, and 40-90% of days. Likewise, conditional stress ranged from just 3% of moments to 22%, and 11-69% of days. For the temporal features, stress was reported more frequently on weekdays (compared to weekend days) and on days earlier in the study (relative to days later in the study); time of day was inconsistently related to stress reports. In sum, stress report frequency depends in part on how stress is assessed. As such, researchers may wish to measure stress in multiple ways and, in the case of subjective and conditional stress with multiple operational definitions, to thoroughly characterize the frequency of stress reporting.
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| 11. |
- Almeida, David M., et al.
(author)
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Everyday stress components and physical activity : examining reactivity, recovery and pileup
- 2020
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In: Journal of behavioral medicine. - : Springer. - 0160-7715 .- 1573-3521. ; 43:1, s. 108-120
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The experience of naturally-occurring stress in daily life has been linked with lower physical activity levels. However, most of this evidence comes from general and static reports of stress. Less is known how different temporal components of everyday stress interfere with physical activity. In a coordinated secondary analysis of data from two studies of adults, we used intensive, micro-longitudinal assessments (ecological momentary assessments, EMA) to investigate how distinct components of everyday stress, that is, reactivity to stressor events, recovery from stressor events, and pileup of stressor events and responses predict physical activity. Results showed that components of everyday stress predicted subsequent physical activity especially for indicators of stress pileup. In both studies, the accumulation of stress responses over the previous 12 h was more predictive of subsequent physical activity than current stress reactivity or recovery responses. Results are compared to the effects of general measures of perceived stress that showed an opposite pattern of results. The novel everyday stress approach used here may be fruitful for generating new insights into physical activity specifically and health behaviors in general.
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| 12. |
- Cucuzzella, M., et al.
(author)
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Distributed Control of DC Grids : Integrating Prosumers' Motives
- 2022
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In: IEEE Transactions on Power Systems. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 0885-8950 .- 1558-0679. ; 37:4, s. 3299-3310
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, a novel distributed control strategy addressing a (feasible) psycho-social-physical welfare problem in islanded Direct Current (DC) smart grids is proposed. Firstly, we formulate a (convex) optimization problem that allows prosumers to share current with each other, taking into account the technical and physical aspects and constraints of the grid (e.g., stability, safety), as well as psycho-social factors (i.e., prosumers' personal values). Secondly, we design a controller whose (unforced) dynamics represent the continuous time primal-dual dynamics of the considered optimization problem. Thirdly, a passive interconnection between the physical grid and the controller is presented. Global asymptotic convergence of the closed-loop system to the desired steady-state is proved and simulations based on collected data on psycho-social aspects illustrate and confirm the theoretical results.
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| 13. |
- Scott, Stacey B., et al.
(author)
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A Coordinated Analysis of Variance in Affect in Daily Life
- 2020
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In: Assessment (Odessa, Fla.). - : Sage Publications. - 1073-1911 .- 1552-3489. ; 27:8, s. 1683-1698
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite widespread interest in variance in affect, basic questions remain pertaining to the relative proportions of between-person and within-person variance, the contribution of days and moments, and the reliability of these estimates. We addressed these questions by decomposing negative affect and positive affect variance across three levels (person, day, moment), and calculating reliability using a coordinated analysis of seven daily diary, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and diary-EMA hybrid studies (across studies age = 18-84 years, totalN(persons)= 2,103, totalN(observations)= 45,065). Across studies, within-person variance was sizeable (negative affect: 45% to 66%, positive affect: 25% to 74%); in EMA more within-person variance was attributable to momentary rather than daily level. Reliability was adequate to high at all levels of analysis (within-person: .73-.91; between-person: .96-1.00) despite different items and designs. We discuss the implications of these results for the design of future intensive studies of affect variance.
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| 14. |
- Smyth, Joshua M., et al.
(author)
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Computing Components of Everyday Stress Responses : Exploring Conceptual Challenges and New Opportunities
- 2023
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In: Perspectives on Psychological Science. - : Sage Publications. - 1745-6916 .- 1745-6924. ; 18:1, s. 110-124
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Repeated assessments in everyday life enables collecting ecologically valid data on dynamic, within-persons processes. These methods have widespread utility and application and have been extensively used for the study of stressors and stress responses. Enhanced conceptual sophistication of characterizing intraindividual stress responses in everyday life would help advance the field. This article provides a pragmatic overview of approaches, opportunities, and challenges when intensive ambulatory methods are applied to study everyday stress responses in "real time." We distinguish between three stress-response components (i.e., reactivity, recovery, and pileup) and focus on several fundamental questions: (a) What is the appropriate stress-free resting state (or "baseline") for an individual in everyday life? (b) How does one index the magnitude of the initial response to a stressor (reactivity)? (c) Following a stressor, how can recovery be identified (e.g., when the stress response has completed)? and (d) Because stressors may not occur in isolation, how can one capture the temporal clustering of stressors and/or stress responses (pileup)? We also present initial ideas on applying this approach to intervention research. Although we focus on stress responses, these issues may inform many other dynamic intraindividual constructs and behaviors (e.g., physical activity, physiological processes, other subjective states) captured in ambulatory assessment.
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| 15. |
- Stawski, Robert S., et al.
(author)
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Age Differences in Everyday Stressor-Related Negative Affect : A Coordinated Analysis
- 2019
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In: Psychology and Aging. - : Amercican Psychological Association. - 0882-7974 .- 1939-1498. ; 34:1, s. 91-105
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Advancing age is often characterized by preserved or even enhanced emotion regulation, which is thought to manifest in terms of age-related reductions in the within-person association between stressors and negative affect. Existing research from ecological momentary assessment and end-of-day daily diary studies examining such age-related benefits have yielded mixed results, potentially due to differences in samples, design, and measurement of everyday stressors and negative affect. We conducted a coordinated analysis of 5 ecological momentary assessments and 2 end-of-day daily diary studies to examine adult age differences in the within-person association between everyday stressors and negative affect. Reported stressor occurrences are robustly associated with higher negative affect, regardless of study design and sample characteristics. Across studies, interactions between age and everyday stressors predicting negative affect revealed a pattern of age-related decreases in the stressor-negative affect association, but this interaction was only significant for 2 studies. Further, examination of statistical power of the included studies suggests that, despite differences in the number of repeated assessments, power to detect within-person stressor-negative affect associations is quite good. In contrast, despite possessing wider age ranges, observed age differences were relatively small in magnitude, and studies are potentially underpowered to detect age differences in these within-person associations. We discuss the importance of study design, interval of repeated assessments and number of participants for examining age differences in everyday stressors and negative affect, as well as the virtue of coordinated analyses for detecting consistent direction of associations, but inconsistent patterns of statistical significance.
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| 16. |
- Zawadzki, W, et al.
(author)
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Application of fiber Bragg gratings for strain measurement in historic textiles and paintings on canvas
- 2012
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In: Optica Applicata. - 0078-5466. ; 42:3, s. 503-517
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this work was to evaluate the applicability of optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors to the monitoring of deformation in historical textiles and paintings on canvas. Fibers with a ceramic coating were selected for strain investigation in textiles due to both their almost perfect strain transfer and much shorter relaxation times compared to fibers with an acrylate coating. FBG sensors were attached to fabrics in a non-destructive manner using specially designed magnetic clamps. Local strain measurements using these sensors were consistent with general strains measured using either a universal testing machine (UTM) or a laser triangulator when varying external load or relative humidity. However, strain magnitudes measured by the different methods were comparable only after correction for the influence of the fiber on the textile under study. Strain measurements in model paintings on canvas were carried out using uncoated fibers embedded in the gesso layers on the canvas. Despite some drawbacks, the FBG sensors were found to be useful in monitoring strain in historic textiles and consequently, for the assessment of environmental risk of these works-of-art.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Evaldsson, Martin, 1977-, et al.
(author)
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Spin Splitting in open quantum dots
- 2005
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In: International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors,2004. - Melville, New York : American Institute of Physics. ; , s. 1413-
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)
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| 19. |
- Evaldsson, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Spin splitting in open quantum dots
- 2004
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In: Europhysics letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 0295-5075 .- 1286-4854. ; 68:2, s. 261-267
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We demonstrate that the magnetoconductance of small lateral quantum dots in the strongly coupled regime (i.e. when the leads can support one or more propagating modes) shows a pronounced splitting of the conductance peaks and dips which persists over a wide range of magnetic fields (from zero field to the edge-state regime) and is virtually independent of the magnetic field strength. Our numerical analysis of the conductance based on the Hubbard Hamiltonian demonstrates that this is essentially a many-body/spin effect that can be traced to a splitting of degenerate levels in the corresponding closed dot. The above effect in open dots can be regarded as a counterpart of the Coulomb-blockade effect in weakly coupled dots, with the difference, however, that the splitting of the peaks originates from interactions between electrons of opposite spin.
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| 20. |
- Williams, Kate M., et al.
(author)
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Development of a core descriptor set for Crohn's anal fistula
- 2023
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In: Colorectal Disease. - : Wiley. - 1462-8910 .- 1463-1318. ; 25:4, s. 695-706
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: Crohn's anal fistula (CAF) is a complex condition, with no agreement on which patient characteristics should be routinely reported in studies. The aim of this study was to develop a core descriptor set of key patient characteristics for reporting in all CAF research. Method: Candidate descriptors were generated from published literature and stakeholder suggestions. Colorectal surgeons, gastroenterologists and specialist nurses in inflammatory bowel disease took part in three rounds of an international modified Delphi process using nine-point Likert scales to rank the importance of descriptors. Feedback was provided between rounds to allow refinement of the next ratings. Patterns in descriptor voting were assessed using principal component analysis (PCA). Resulting PCA groups were used to organize items in rounds two and three. Consensus descriptors were submitted to a patient panel for feedback. Items meeting predetermined thresholds were included in the final set and ratified at the consensus meeting. Results: One hundred and thirty three respondents from 22 countries completed round one, of whom 67.0% completed round three. Ninety seven descriptors were rated across three rounds in 11 PCA-based groups. Forty descriptors were shortlisted. The consensus meeting ratified a core descriptor set of 37 descriptors within six domains: fistula anatomy, current disease activity and phenotype, risk factors, medical interventions for CAF, surgical interventions for CAF, and patient symptoms and impact on quality of life. Conclusion: The core descriptor set proposed for all future CAF research reflects characteristics important to gastroenterologists and surgeons. This might aid transparent reporting in future studies.
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