| 1. |
- 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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| 2. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(author)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 3. |
- Zuntini, Alexandre R., et al.
(author)
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Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms
- 2024
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In: NATURE. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 629, s. 843-850
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods(1,2). A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome(3,4). Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins(5-7). However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes(8). This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies(9) provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade.
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| 4. |
- Abolfathi, Bela, et al.
(author)
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The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey : First Spectroscopic Data from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the Second Phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment
- 2018
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In: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 235:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since 2014 July. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the 14th from SDSS overall (making this Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes the data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (2014-2016 July) public. Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey; the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data-driven machine-learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from the SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS web site (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020 and will be followed by SDSS-V.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Burisch, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Costs and resource utilization for diagnosis and treatment during the initial year in a European inflammatory bowel disease inception cohort : an ECCO-EpiCom Study
- 2015
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In: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. - 1078-0998 .- 1536-4844. ; 21:1, s. 121-131
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: No direct comparison of health care cost in patients with inflammatory bowel disease across the European continent exists. The aim of this study was to assess the costs of investigations and treatment for diagnostics and during the first year after diagnosis in Europe.METHODS: The EpiCom cohort is a prospective population-based inception cohort of unselected inflammatory bowel disease patients from 31 Western and Eastern European centers. Patients were followed every third month from diagnosis, and clinical data regarding treatment and investigations were collected. Costs were calculated in euros (&OV0556;) using the Danish Health Costs Register.RESULTS: One thousand three hundred sixty-seven patients were followed, 710 with ulcerative colitis, 509 with Crohn's disease, and 148 with inflammatory bowel disease unclassified. Total expenditure for the cohort was &OV0556;5,408,174 (investigations: &OV0556;2,042,990 [38%], surgery: &OV0556;1,427,648 [26%], biologicals: &OV0556;781,089 [14%], and standard treatment: &OV0556;1,156,520 [22%)]). Mean crude expenditure per patient in Western Europe (Eastern Europe) with Crohn's disease: investigations &OV0556;1803 (&OV0556;2160) (P = 0.44), surgery &OV0556;11,489 (&OV0556;13,973) (P = 0.14), standard treatment &OV0556;1027 (&OV0556;824) (P = 0.51), and biologicals &OV0556;7376 (&OV0556;8307) (P = 0.31). Mean crude expenditure per patient in Western Europe (Eastern Europe) with ulcerative colitis: investigations &OV0556;1189 (&OV0556;1518) (P < 0.01), surgery &OV0556;18,414 (&OV0556;12,395) (P = 0.18), standard treatment &OV0556;896 (&OV0556;798) (P < 0.05), and biologicals &OV0556;5681 (&OV0556;72) (P = 0.51).CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based unselected cohort, costs during the first year of disease were mainly incurred by investigative procedures and surgeries. However, biologicals accounted for >15% of costs. Long-term follow-up of the cohort is needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of biological agents.
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| 7. |
- Burisch, J., et al.
(author)
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East-West gradient in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Europe: the ECCO-EpiCom inception cohort
- 2014
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In: Gut. - : BMJ Publishing Group. - 0017-5749 .- 1468-3288. ; 63:4, s. 588-597
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in Eastern Europe. The reasons for these changes remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether an East–West gradient in the incidence of IBD in Europe exists.Design A prospective, uniformly diagnosed, population based inception cohort of IBD patients in 31 centres from 14 Western and eight Eastern European countries covering a total background population of approximately 10.1 million people was created. One-third of the centres had previous experience with inception cohorts. Patients were entered into a low cost, web based epidemiological database, making participation possible regardless of socioeconomic status and prior experience.Results 1515 patients aged 15 years or older were included, of whom 535 (35%) were diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD), 813 (54%) with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 167 (11%) with IBD unclassified (IBDU). The overall incidence rate ratios in all Western European centres were 1.9 (95% CI 1.5 to 2.4) for CD and 2.1 (95% CI 1.8 to 2.6) for UC compared with Eastern European centres. The median crude annual incidence rates per 100 000 in 2010 for CD were 6.5 (range 0–10.7) in Western European centres and 3.1 (range 0.4–11.5) in Eastern European centres, for UC 10.8 (range 2.9–31.5) and 4.1 (range 2.4–10.3), respectively, and for IBDU 1.9 (range 0–39.4) and 0 (range 0–1.2), respectively. In Western Europe, 92% of CD, 78% of UC and 74% of IBDU patients had a colonoscopy performed as the diagnostic procedure compared with 90%, 100% and 96%, respectively, in Eastern Europe. 8% of CD and 1% of UC patients in both regions underwent surgery within the first 3 months of the onset of disease. 7% of CD patients and 3% of UC patients from Western Europe received biological treatment as rescue therapy. Of all European CD patients, 20% received only 5-aminosalicylates as induction therapy.Conclusions An East–West gradient in IBD incidence exists in Europe. Among this inception cohort—including indolent and aggressive cases—international guidelines for diagnosis and initial treatment are not being followed uniformly by physicians.
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| 8. |
- Burisch, J., et al.
(author)
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Environmental factors in a population-based inception cohort of inflammatory bowel disease patients in Europe : An ECCO-EpiCom study
- 2014
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In: Journal of Crohn's & Colitis. - : Oxford University Press. - 1873-9946 .- 1876-4479. ; 8:7, s. 607-616
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and Aims: The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in Eastern Europe possibly due to changes in environmental factors towards a more "westernised" standard of Living. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in exposure to environmental factors prior to diagnosis in Eastern and Western European IBD patients.Methods: The EpiCom cohort is a population-based, prospective inception cohort of 1560 unselected IBD patients from 31 European countries covering a background population of 10.1 million. At the time of diagnosis patients were asked to complete an 87-item questionnaire concerning environmental factors.Results: A total of 1182 patients (76%) answered the questionnaire, 444 (38%) had Crohn's disease (CD), 627 (53%) ulcerative colitis (UC), and 111 (9%) IBD unclassified. No geographic differences regarding smoking status, caffeine intake, use of oral contraceptives, or number of first-degree relatives with IBD were found. Sugar intake was higher in CD and UC patients from Eastern Europe than in Western Europe while fibre intake was lower (p < 0.01). Daily consumption of fast food as well as appendectomy before the age of 20 was more frequent in Eastern European than in Western European UC patients (p < 0.01). Eastern European CD and UC patients had received more vaccinations and experienced fewer childhood infections than Western European patients (p < 0.01).Conclusions: In this European population-based inception cohort of unselected IBD patients, Eastern and Western European patients differed in environmental factors prior to diagnosis. Eastern European patients exhibited higher occurrences of suspected risk factors for IBD included in the Western lifestyle. (C) 2013 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Burisch, J., et al.
(author)
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Health care and patients' education in a European inflammatory bowel disease inception cohort : an ECCO-EpiCom study
- 2014
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In: Journal of Crohn's & Colitis. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1873-9946 .- 1876-4479. ; 8:8, s. 811-818
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and Aims: The EpiCom study and inception cohort was initiated in 2010 in 31 centers from 14 Western and 8 Eastern European countries, covering a 10.1 million person background population. Our aim was to investigate whether there is a difference between Eastern and Western Europe in health care and education of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Methods: A quality of care (QoC) questionnaire was developed in the EpiCom group consisting of 16 questions covering 5 items: time interval between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis, information, education, empathy and access to health care providers.Results: Of 1,515 patients, 947 (217 east/730 west) answered the QoC questionnaire. Only 23% of all patients had knowledge about IBD before diagnosis. In Eastern Europe, significantly more patients searched out information about IBD themselves (77% vs. 68%, p < 0.05), the main source was the Internet (92% vs. 88% p = 0.23). In Western Europe, significantly more patients were educated by nurses (19% vs. 1%, p < 0.05), while in Eastern Europe, gastroenterologists were easier to contact (80% vs. 68%, p < 0.05).Conclusion: Health care differed significantly between Eastern and Western Europe in all items, but satisfaction rates were high in both geographic regions. Because of the low awareness and the rising incidence of IBD, general information should be the focus of patient organizations and medical societies. In Western Europe IBD nurses play a very important role in reducing the burden of patient management. (c) 2014 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 11. |
- Burisch, J., et al.
(author)
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Health-related quality of life improves during one year of medical and surgical treatment in a European population-based inception cohort of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease : An ECCO-EpiCom study
- 2014
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In: Journal of Crohn's & Colitis. - Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press. - 1873-9946 .- 1876-4479. ; 8:9, s. 1030-1042
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background & Aims: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is impaired in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The aim was prospectively to assess and validate the pattern of HRQoL in an unselected, population-based inception cohort of IBD patients from Eastern and Western Europe.Methods: The EpiCom inception cohort consists of 1560 IBD patients from 31 European centres covering a background population of approximately 10.1 million. Patients answered the disease specific Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ) and generic Short Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaire at diagnosis and after one year of follow-up.Results: In total, 1079 patients were included in this study. Crohn's disease (CD) patients mean SIBDQ scores improved from 45.3 to 55.3 in Eastern Europe and from 44.9 to 53.6 in Western Europe. SIBDQ scores for ulcerative colitis (UC) patients improved from 44.9 to 57.4 and from 48.8 to 55.7, respectively. UC patients needing surgery or biologicals had lower SIBDQ scores before and after compared to the rest, while biological therapy improved SIBDQ scores in CD. CD and UC patients in both regions improved all SF-12 scores. Only Eastern European UC patients achieved SF-12 summary scores equal to or above the normal population.Conclusion: Medical and surgical treatment improved HRQoL during the first year of disease. The majority of IBD patients in both Eastern and Western Europe reported a positive perception of disease-specific but not generic HRQoL. Biological therapy improved HRQoL in CD patients, while UC patients in need of surgery or biological therapy experienced lower perceptions of HRQoL than the rest.
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| 12. |
- Burisch, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Initial Disease Course and Treatment in an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Inception Cohort in Europe : The ECCO-EpiCom Cohort
- 2014
-
In: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1078-0998 .- 1536-4844. ; 20:1, s. 36-46
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background:The EpiCom cohort is a prospective, population-based, inception cohort of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients from 31 European centers covering a background population of 10.1 million. The aim of this study was to assess the 1-year outcome in the EpiCom cohort.Methods:Patients were followed-up every third month during the first 12 (3) months, and clinical data, demographics, disease activity, medical therapy, surgery, cancers, and deaths were collected and entered in a Web-based database (www.epicom-ecco.eu).Results:In total, 1367 patients were included in the 1-year follow-up. In western Europe, 65 Crohn's disease (CD) (16%), 20 ulcerative colitis (UC) (4%), and 4 IBD unclassified (4%) patients underwent surgery, and in eastern Europe, 12 CD (12%) and 2 UC (1%) patients underwent surgery. Eighty-one CD (20%), 80 UC (14%), and 13 (9%) IBD unclassified patients were hospitalized in western Europe compared with 17 CD (16%) and 12 UC (8%) patients in eastern Europe. The cumulative probability of receiving immunomodulators was 57% for CD in western (median time to treatment 2 months) and 44% (1 month) in eastern Europe, and 21% (5 months) and 5% (6 months) for biological therapy, respectively. For UC patients, the cumulative probability was 22% (4 months) and 15% (3 months) for immunomodulators and 6% (3 months) and 1% (12 months) for biological therapy, respectively in the western and eastern Europe.Discussion:In this cohort, immunological therapy was initiated within the first months of disease. Surgery and hospitalization rates did not differ between patients from eastern and western Europe, although more western European patients received biological agents and were comparable to previous population-based inception cohorts.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Calabrese, Claudia, et al.
(author)
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Genomic basis for RNA alterations in cancer
- 2020
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 578:7793, s. 129-136
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Transcript alterations often result from somatic changes in cancer genomes1. Various forms of RNA alterations have been described in cancer, including overexpression2, altered splicing3 and gene fusions4; however, it is difficult to attribute these to underlying genomic changes owing to heterogeneity among patients and tumour types, and the relatively small cohorts of patients for whom samples have been analysed by both transcriptome and whole-genome sequencing. Here we present, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive catalogue of cancer-associated gene alterations to date, obtained by characterizing tumour transcriptomes from 1,188 donors of the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)5. Using matched whole-genome sequencing data, we associated several categories of RNA alterations with germline and somatic DNA alterations, and identified probable genetic mechanisms. Somatic copy-number alterations were the major drivers of variations in total gene and allele-specific expression. We identified 649 associations of somatic single-nucleotide variants with gene expression in cis, of which 68.4% involved associations with flanking non-coding regions of the gene. We found 1,900 splicing alterations associated with somatic mutations, including the formation of exons within introns in proximity to Alu elements. In addition, 82% of gene fusions were associated with structural variants, including 75 of a new class, termed 'bridged' fusions, in which a third genomic location bridges two genes. We observed transcriptomic alteration signatures that differ between cancer types and have associations with variations in DNA mutational signatures. This compendium of RNA alterations in the genomic context provides a rich resource for identifying genes and mechanisms that are functionally implicated in cancer.
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| 18. |
- Clay, P. M., et al.
(author)
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Implementation of integrated ecosystem assessments in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea-conceptualizations, practice, and progress
- 2023
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In: Ices Journal of Marine Science. - 1054-3139. ; 80:5, s. 1516-1528
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With increasing activities of multiple sectors in marine spaces, management of marine social-ecological systems requires more holistic approaches. Adopting such an approach, however, presents difficult institutional and disciplinary challenges. Here, we use the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) as a case study on the implementation of ecosystem-based management (EBM) and integrated ecosystem assessments (IEAs). ICES includes EBM and IEAs in its Science Priorities and established IEA Working Groups (WGs) to carry out regional IEAs. But to what degree does this IEA WG work follow best practices? We examine policy documents, academic literature, and interview data from chairs of all IEA WGs. Results indicate mixed success. All groups acknowledge the holistic goals of IEA, and many use the IEA model as laid out by Levin et al. However, we found a significant variation in the degree to which the full model is applied. We identified two primary areas for improvement: (1) integration of social and economic issues and (2) involvement of stakeholders. We offer examples of how WGs have been making progress towards full IEAs, discuss how ICES can further support this transition, and suggest lessons with respect to the adoption of EBM and IEAs more broadly.
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| 19. |
- Eberle, Sebastian, et al.
(author)
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Additive manufacturing of an AlSi40 mirror coated with electroless nickel for cryogenic space applications
- 2018
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In: International Conference on Space Optics—ICSO 2018. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Advanced Manufacturing (AM) has the potential to improve existing technologies and applications in terms of performance, light-weighting and costs. In the context of the SME4ALM initiative, launched by DLR and ESA, the company Kampf Telescope Optics GmbH (KTO) in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (IWS) have assessed the feasibility of AM to build a high-performance optical mirror for space applications. For the assessment of the AM potentials, a mirror design concept for cryogenic instruments for observations in the IR and NIR range was baselined. In a second step, Nickel-Phosphorus (NiP) was selected as optical coating. The combination of coating and mirror material is a primary design driver for optical performance. Both materials must have a very similar CTE as well as be compliant to modern optical manufacturing (diamond turning, polishing). As a promising candidate for NiP coating the AlSi40 was selected for the mirror structure. The potential advantages of AM for optical mirrors in terms of mechanical performance, cost, and manufacturing time were exploited. The achievement of those objectives was / will be demonstrated by:1. verifying AM material properties and manufacturability of AM mirrors by material sample tests and subcomponent tests2. designing AM mirror demonstrator by structural, thermal, and optical performance analysis3. applying and elaborating AM specific design methods (topology optimization, sandwich structures with internal microstructures, monolithic design, etc.)4. manufacturing, assembling, and testing AM mirror demonstrator to verify manufacturability and optical performance5. comparing optical and mechanical performance of the AM mirror demonstrator to a conventional mirror by numerical analysis to exploit potential advantages of AM
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| 20. |
- Guschanski, Katerina, Dr. 1978-, et al.
(author)
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Next-Generation Museomics Disentangles One of the Largest Primate Radiations
- 2013
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In: Systematic Biology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1063-5157 .- 1076-836X. ; 62:4, s. 539-554
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Guenons (tribe Cercopithecini) are one of the most diverse groups of primates. They occupy all of sub-Saharan Africa and show great variation in ecology, behavior, and morphology. This variation led to the description of over 60 species and subspecies. Here, using next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) in combination with targeted DNA capture, we sequenced 92 mitochondrial genomes from museum-preserved specimens as old as 117 years. We infer evolutionary relationships and estimate divergence times of almost all guenon taxa based on mitochondrial genome sequences. Using this phylogenetic framework, we infer divergence dates and reconstruct ancestral geographic ranges. We conclude that the extraordinary radiation of guenons has been a complex process driven by, among other factors, localized fluctuations of African forest cover. We find incongruences between phylogenetic trees reconstructed from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, which can be explained by either incomplete lineage sorting or hybridization. Furthermore, having produced the largest mitochondrial DNA data set from museum specimens, we document how NGS technologies can “unlock” museum collections, thereby helping to unravel the tree-of-life. [Museum collection; next-generation DNA sequencing; primate radiation; speciation; target capture.]
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| 21. |
- Ruggeri, Kai, et al.
(author)
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The globalizability of temporal discounting
- 2022
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In: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-3374. ; 6:10, s. 1386-1397
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Economic inequality is associated with preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. Such temporal discounting may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear whether it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources for immediate needs. It is also not clear whether these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups. We tested temporal discounting and five intertemporal choice anomalies using local currencies and value standards in 61 countries (N = 13,629). Across a diverse sample, we found consistent, robust rates of choice anomalies. Lower-income groups were not significantly different, but economic inequality and broader financial circumstances were clearly correlated with population choice patterns. Ruggeri et al. find in a study of 61 countries that temporal discounting patterns are globally generalizable. Worse financial environments, greater inequality and high inflation are associated with extreme or inconsistent long-term decisions.
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| 22. |
- Sumaila, U. Rashid, et al.
(author)
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WTO must ban harmful fisheries subsidies
- 2021
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 374:6567, s. 544-544
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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| 23. |
- Zammit, Stefania Chetcuti, et al.
(author)
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Vitamin D deficiency in a European inflammatory bowel disease inception cohort : an Epi-IBD study
- 2018
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In: European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepathology. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0954-691X .- 1473-5687. ; 30:11, s. 1297-1303
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Serum vitamin D level is commonly low in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although there is a growing body of evidence that links low vitamin D level to certain aspects of IBD such as disease activity and quality of life, data on its prevalence and how it varies across disease phenotype, smoking status and treatment groups are still missing.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with IBD between 2010 and 2011 were recruited. Demographic data and serum vitamin D levels were collected. Variance of vitamin D level was then assessed across different treatment groups, disease phenotype, disease activity and quality of life scores.RESULTS: A total of 238 (55.9% male) patients were included. Overall, 79% of the patients had either insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D at diagnosis. Patients needing corticosteroid treatment at 1 year had significantly lower vitamin D levels at diagnosis (median 36.0 nmol/l) (P=0.035). Harvey-Bradshaw Index (P=0.0001) and Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index scores (P=0.0001) were significantly lower in patients with higher vitamin D level. Serum vitamin D level correlated significantly with SIBQ score (P=0.0001) and with multiple components of SF12. Smokers at diagnosis had the lowest vitamin D levels (vitamin D: 34 nmol/l; P=0.053).CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the high prevalence of low vitamin D levels in treatment-naive European IBD populations. Furthermore, it demonstrates the presence of low vitamin D levels in patients with IBD who smoke.
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| 24. |
- Zieba, Sebastian, et al.
(author)
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The β Pictoris b Hill sphere transit campaign : II.Searching for the signatures of the β Pictoris exoplanets through time delay analysis of the δ Scuti pulsations
- 2024
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 687
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The β Pictoris system is the closest known stellar system with directly detected gas giant planets, an edge-on circumstellar disc, and evidence of falling sublimating bodies and transiting exocomets. The inner planet, β Pictoris c, has also been indirectly detected with radial velocity (RV) measurements. The star is a known δ Scuti pulsator, and the long-term stability of these pulsations opens up the possibility of indirectly detecting the gas giant planets through time delays of the pulsations due to a varying light travel time. We search for phase shifts in the δ Scuti pulsations consistent with the known planets β Pictoris b and c and carry out an analysis of the stellar pulsations of β Pictoris over a multi-year timescale. We used photometric data collected by the BRITE-Constellation, bRing, ASTEP, and TESS to derive a list of the strongest and most significant δ Scuti pulsations. We carried out an analysis with the open-source python package maelstrom to study the stability of the pulsation modes of β Pictoris in order to determine the long-term trends in the observed pulsations. We did not detect the expected signal for β Pictoris b or β Pictoris c. The expected time delay is 6 s for β Pictoris c and 24 s for β Pictoris b. With simulations, we determined that the photometric noise in all the combined data sets cannot reach the sensitivity needed to detect the expected timing drifts. An analysis of the pulsational modes of β Pictoris using maelstrom showed that the modes themselves drift on the timescale of a year, fundamentally limiting our ability to detect exoplanets around β Pictoris via pulsation timing.
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