1. |
- Bravo, L, et al.
(author)
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- 2021
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swepub:Mat__t
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2. |
- Tabiri, S, et al.
(author)
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- 2021
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swepub:Mat__t
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3. |
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5. |
- Sliz, E., et al.
(author)
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Evidence of a causal effect of genetic tendency to gain muscle mass on uterine leiomyomata
- 2023
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Uterine leiomyomata (UL) are the most common tumours of the female genital tract and the primary cause of surgical removal of the uterus. Genetic factors contribute to UL susceptibility. To add understanding to the heritable genetic risk factors, we conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of UL in up to 426,558 European women from FinnGen and a previous UL meta-GWAS. In addition to the 50 known UL loci, we identify 22 loci that have not been associated with UL in prior studies. UL-associated loci harbour genes enriched for development, growth, and cellular senescence. Of particular interest are the smooth muscle cell differentiation and proliferation-regulating genes functioning on the myocardin-cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1A pathway. Our results further suggest that genetic predisposition to increased fat-free mass may be causally related to higher UL risk, underscoring the involvement of altered muscle tissue biology in UL pathophysiology. Overall, our findings add to the understanding of the genetic pathways underlying UL, which may aid in developing novel therapeutics.
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6. |
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7. |
- Akkoyun, S., et al.
(author)
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AGATA - Advanced GAmma Tracking Array
- 2012
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In: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 0167-5087 .- 1872-9576. ; 668, s. 26-58
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) is a European project to develop and operate the next generation γ-ray spectrometer. AGATA is based on the technique of γ-ray energy tracking in electrically segmented high-purity germanium crystals. This technique requires the accurate determination of the energy, time and position of every interaction as a γ ray deposits its energy within the detector volume. Reconstruction of the full interaction path results in a detector with very high efficiency and excellent spectral response. The realisation of γ-ray tracking and AGATA is a result of many technical advances. These include the development of encapsulated highly segmented germanium detectors assembled in a triple cluster detector cryostat, an electronics system with fast digital sampling and a data acquisition system to process the data at a high rate. The full characterisation of the crystals was measured and compared with detector- response simulations. This enabled pulse-shape analysis algorithms, to extract energy, time and position, to be employed. In addition, tracking algorithms for event reconstruction were developed. The first phase of AGATA is now complete and operational in its first physics campaign. In the future AGATA will be moved between laboratories in Europe and operated in a series of campaigns to take advantage of the different beams and facilities available to maximise its science output. The paper reviews all the achievements made in the AGATA project including all the necessary infrastructure to operate and support the spectrometer. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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10. |
- Ngo, Son Tung, et al.
(author)
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Distal Hydrophobic Loop Modulates the Copper Active Site and Reaction of AA13 Polysaccharide Monooxygenases
- 2022
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In: Journal of Physical Chemistry B. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-6106 .- 1520-5207. ; 126:39, s. 7567-7578
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs) use a type-2 copper center to activate O2 for the selective hydroxylation of one of the two C-H bonds of glycosidic linkages. Our electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggest the unprecedented dynamic roles of the loop containing the residue G89 (G89 loop) on the active site structure and reaction cycle of starch-active PMOs (AA13 PMOs). In the Cu(II) state, the G89 loop could switch between an open and closed conformation, which is associated with the binding and dissociation of an aqueous ligand in the distal site, respectively. The conformation of the G89 loop influences the positioning of the copper center on the preferred substrate of AA13 PMOs. The dissociation of the distal ligand results in the bending of the T-shaped core of the Cu(II) active site, which could help facilitate its reduction to the active Cu(I) state. In the Cu(I) state, the G89 loop is in the closed conformation with a confined copper center, which could allow for efficient O2 binding. In addition, the G89 loop remains in the closed conformation in the Cu(II)-superoxo intermediate, which could prevent off-pathway superoxide release via exchange with the distal aqueous ligand. Finally, at the end of the reaction cycle, aqueous ligand binding to the distal site could switch the G89 loop to the open conformation and facilitate product release.
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11. |
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13. |
- Hop, Paul J., et al.
(author)
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Genome-wide study of DNA methylation shows alterations in metabolic, inflammatory, and cholesterol pathways in ALS
- 2022
-
In: Science Translational Medicine. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science. - 1946-6234 .- 1946-6242. ; 14:633
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with an estimated heritability between 40 and 50%. DNA methylation patterns can serve as proxies of (past) exposures and disease progression, as well as providing a potential mechanism that mediates genetic or environmental risk. Here, we present a blood-based epigenome-wide association study meta-analysis in 9706 samples passing stringent quality control (6763 patients, 2943 controls). We identified a total of 45 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) annotated to 42 genes, which are enriched for pathways and traits related to metabolism, cholesterol biosynthesis, and immunity. We then tested 39 DNA methylation-based proxies of putative ALS risk factors and found that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, white blood cell proportions, and alcohol intake were independently associated with ALS. Integration of these results with our latest genome-wide association study showed that cholesterol biosynthesis was potentially causally related to ALS. Last, DNA methylation at several DMPs and blood cell proportion estimates derived from DNA methylation data were associated with survival rate in patients, suggesting that they might represent indicators of underlying disease processes potentially amenable to therapeutic interventions.
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14. |
- Guilding, C., et al.
(author)
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Defining and unpacking the core concepts of pharmacology: A global initiative
- 2024
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In: British Journal of Pharmacology. - 0007-1188. ; 181:3, s. 375-392
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and PurposeDevelopment of core concepts in disciplines such as biochemistry, microbiology and physiology have transformed teaching. They provide the foundation for the development of teaching resources for global educators, as well as valid and reliable approaches to assessment. An international research consensus recently identified 25 core concepts of pharmacology. The current study aimed to define and unpack these concepts.Experimental ApproachA two-phase, iterative approach, involving 60 international pharmacology education experts, was used. The first phase involved drafting definitions for core concepts and identifying key sub-concepts via a series of online meetings and asynchronous work. These were refined in the second phase, through a 2-day hybrid workshop followed by a further series of online meetings and asynchronous work.Key ResultsThe project produced consensus definitions for a final list of 24 core concepts and 103 sub-concepts of pharmacology. The iterative, discursive methodology resulted in modification of concepts from the original study, including change of 'drug-receptor interaction' to 'drug-target interaction' and the change of the core concept 'agonists and antagonists' to sub-concepts of drug-target interaction.Conclusions and ImplicationsDefinitions and sub-concepts of 24 core concepts provide an evidence-based foundation for pharmacology curricula development and evaluation. The next steps for this project include the development of a concept inventory to assess acquisition of concepts, as well as the development of case studies and educational resources to support teaching by the global pharmacology community, and student learning of the most critical and fundamental concepts of the discipline.
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15. |
- Vu, Tung T., et al.
(author)
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Energy-Efficient Massive MIMO for Serving Multiple Federated Learning Groups
- 2021
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In: 2021 IEEE GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE (GLOBECOM). - : IEEE. - 9781728181042
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With its privacy preservation and communication efficiency, federated learning (FL) has emerged as a learning framework that suits beyond SG and towards 6G systems. This work looks into a future scenario in which there are multiple groups with different learning purposes and participating in different FL processes. We give energy-efficient solutions to demonstrate that this scenario can be realistic. First, to ensure a stable operation of multiple FL processes over wireless channels, we propose to use a massive multiple-input multiple-output network to support the local and global FL training updates, and let the iterations of these FL processes be executed within the same large-scale coherence time. Then, we develop asynchronous and synchronous transmission protocols where these iterations are asynchronously and synchronously executed, respectively, using the downlink unicasting and conventional uplink transmission schemes. Zero-forcing processing is utilized for both uplink and downlink transmissions. Finally, we propose an algorithm that optimally allocates power and computation resources to save energy at both base station and user sides, while guaranteeing a given maximum execution time threshold of each FL iteration. Compared to the baseline schemes, the proposed algorithm significantly reduces the energy consumption, especially when the number of base station antennas is large.
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16. |
- Alexander, Stephen P. H., et al.
(author)
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The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24: G protein-coupled receptors
- 2023
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In: BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. - : British pharmacological society. - 0007-1188 .- 1476-5381. ; 180
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24 is the sixth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of approximately 1800 drug targets, and about 6000 interactions with about 3900 ligands. There is an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes almost 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at . G protein-coupled receptors are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid-2023, and supersedes data presented in the 2021/22, 2019/20, 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate.
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17. |
- Christopoulos, Arthur, et al.
(author)
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THE CONCISE GUIDE TO PHARMACOLOGY 2021/22: G protein-coupled receptors.
- 2021
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In: British journal of pharmacology. - : Wiley. - 1476-5381 .- 0007-1188. ; 178 Suppl 1
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2021/22 is the fifth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of nearly 1900 human drug targets with an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes over 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/bph.15538. G protein-coupled receptors are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid-2021, and supersedes data presented in the 2019/20, 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate.
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18. |
- Gunst, Jesper D., et al.
(author)
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Efficacy of the TMPRSS2 inhibitor camostat mesilate in patients hospitalized with Covid-19-a double-blind randomized controlled trial
- 2021
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In: eClinicalMedicine. - : Elsevier. - 2589-5370. ; 35
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The trans-membrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) is essential for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cell entry and infection. Efficacy and safety of TMPRSS2 inhibitors in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) have not been evaluated in randomized trials.Methods: We conducted an investigator-initiated, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter trial in patients hospitalized with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from April 4, to December 31, 2020. Within 48 h of admission, participants were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive the TMPRSS2 inhibitor camostat mesilate 200 mg three times daily for 5 days or placebo. The primary outcome was time to discharge or clinical improvement measured as ≥2 points improvement on a 7-point ordinal scale. Other outcomes included 30-day mortality, safety and change in oropharyngeal viral load. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04321096. EudraCT Number: 2020-001,200-42.Findings: 137 patients were assigned to receive camostat mesilate and 68 to placebo. Median time to clinical improvement was 5 days (interquartile range [IQR], 3 to 7) in the camostat group and 5 days (IQR, 2 to 10) in the placebo group (P = 0·31). The hazard ratio for 30-day mortality in the camostat compared with the placebo group was 0·82 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0·24 to 2·79; P = 0·75). The frequency of adverse events was similar in the two groups. Median change in viral load from baseline to day 5 in the camostat group was -0·22 log10 copies/mL (p <0·05) and -0·82 log10 in the placebo group (P <0·05).Interpretation: Under this protocol, camostat mesilate treatment was not associated with increased adverse events during hospitalization for Covid-19 and did not affect time to clinical improvement, progression to ICU admission or mortality.
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19. |
- Heinzel, T., et al.
(author)
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A complex containing N-CoR, mSin3 and histone deacetylase mediates transcriptional repression
- 1997
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In: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 387:6628, s. 43-48
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Transcriptional repression by nuclear receptors has been correlated to binding of the putative co-repressor, N-CoR. A complex has been identified that contains N-CoR, the Mad presumptive co-repressor mSin3, and the histone deacetylase mRPD3, and which is required for both nuclear receptor- and Mad-dependent repression, but not for repression by transcription factors of the ets-domain family. These data predict that the ligand-induced switch of heterodimeric nuclear receptors from repressor to activator functions involves the exchange of complexes containing histone deacetylases with those that have histone acetylase activity.
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20. |
- Kuya, J., et al.
(author)
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Farm living and risk of asthma, atopic eczema, respiratory and food allergy: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2021
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In: Bmj Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 11:12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction Asthma and allergic disorders are of global concern and risk for their development results from the interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Among numerous environmental factors identified to influence the disease risk, the role of exposure to a farming environment has gained interest in recent times, but the underlying evidence is conflicting. The review aims to comprehensively identify, critically appraise and synthesise evidence from studies investigating the association between farm living and risk of asthma and allergic diseases in children and adults. Methods and analysis We will identify relevant analytical observational epidemiological studies, including cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies, by searching PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), WHO Global Health Library, Web of Science, Scopus and Embase. Screening of identified records, data extraction from eligible studies and risk of bias assssment of eligible studies will be independently undertaken by two reviewers, with arbitration by a third reviewer. The Effective Public Health Practice Project will be employed for the risk of bias assessment. Estimates from studies judged to be clinically, methodologically and statistically homogeneous will be synthesised using random-effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the I-squared statistic. We will consider objectively measured or self-reported asthma, atopic dermatitis/eczema, allergic rhinitis, wheeze, and food allergy as primary outcomes. Ethics and dissemination As this study is based solely on the published literature, no ethics approval is required. The study findings will be presented at scientific meetings related to the field of asthma and allergy and will be published in an international peer-reviewed scientific journal. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020208805.
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21. |
- Mutola, Sianga, et al.
(author)
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The Fight against Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting among the Ejaghams of Cameroon: Kinks in the Legal Approach and Implications for Public Health Practice
- 2022
-
In: International Journal of Sexual Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1931-7611 .- 1931-762X. ; 34:1, s. 160-168
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is one of the most prevalent harmful cultural practices against women and girls in many African countries. We identified reasons for the failure of the legal approach to stop FGC practice in the Ejagham region Southwest of Cameroon through multi-locale ethnographic fieldwork. The reasons revolve around the belief that FGM is useful for the reduction of sexual immorality among women, removal of sexual ambiguity and improving genital esthetics, a feministic symbol and cultural identity, and the government's socio-economic neglect of the Ejagham communities; the basis for resistance. Non-legal approaches involving community development and women empowerment have been proposed for fighting FGC.
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22. |
- Nguyen, T. H., et al.
(author)
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Pilot Assignment for Joint Uplink-Downlink Spectral Efficiency Enhancement in Massive MIMO Systems with Spatial Correlation
- 2021
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In: IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. - 0018-9545 .- 1939-9359. ; 70:8, s. 8292-8297
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper proposes a flexible pilot assignment method to jointly optimize the uplink and downlink data transmission in multi-cell Massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems with correlated Rayleigh fading channels. By utilizing a closed-form expression of the ergodic spectral efficiency (SE) achieved with maximum ratio processing, we formulate an optimization problem for maximizing the minimum weighted sum of the uplink and downlink SEs subject to the transmit powers and pilot assignment sets. This combinatiorial optimization problem is solved by two sequential algorithms: a heuristic pilot assignment is first proposed to obtain a good pilot reuse set and the data power control is then implemented. Numerical results manifest that the proposed algorithm converges fast to a better minimum sum SE per user than the algorithms in previous works.
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23. |
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24. |
- Rosa, Isabel M. D., et al.
(author)
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Multiscale scenarios for nature futures
- 2017
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In: Nature Ecology & Evolution. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-334X. ; 1:10, s. 1416-1419
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Targets for human development are increasingly connected with targets for nature, however, existing scenarios do not explicitly address this relationship. Here, we outline a strategy to generate scenarios centred on our relationship with nature to inform decision-making at multiple scales.
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27. |
- van Rheenen, W, et al.
(author)
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Common and rare variant association analyses in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis identify 15 risk loci with distinct genetic architectures and neuron-specific biology
- 2021
-
In: Nature genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-1718 .- 1061-4036. ; 53:12, s. 1636-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with a lifetime risk of one in 350 people and an unmet need for disease-modifying therapies. We conducted a cross-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 29,612 patients with ALS and 122,656 controls, which identified 15 risk loci. When combined with 8,953 individuals with whole-genome sequencing (6,538 patients, 2,415 controls) and a large cortex-derived expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) dataset (MetaBrain), analyses revealed locus-specific genetic architectures in which we prioritized genes either through rare variants, short tandem repeats or regulatory effects. ALS-associated risk loci were shared with multiple traits within the neurodegenerative spectrum but with distinct enrichment patterns across brain regions and cell types. Of the environmental and lifestyle risk factors obtained from the literature, Mendelian randomization analyses indicated a causal role for high cholesterol levels. The combination of all ALS-associated signals reveals a role for perturbations in vesicle-mediated transport and autophagy and provides evidence for cell-autonomous disease initiation in glutamatergic neurons.
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28. |
- 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
-
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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29. |
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30. |
- Chan, Kai M. A., et al.
(author)
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Levers and leverage points for pathways to sustainability
- 2020
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In: People and Nature. - : Wiley. - 2575-8314. ; 2:3, s. 693-717
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- 1. Humanity is on a deeply unsustainable trajectory. We are exceeding planetary boundaries and unlikely to meet many international sustainable development goals and global environmental targets. Until recently, there was no broadly accepted framework of interventions that could ignite the transformations needed to achieve these desired targets and goals.2. As a component of the IPBES Global Assessment, we conducted an iterative expert deliberation process with an extensive review of scenarios and pathways to sustainability, including the broader literature on indirect drivers, social change and sustainability transformation. We asked, what are the most important elements of pathways to sustainability?3. Applying a social-ecological systems lens, we identified eight priority points for intervention (leverage points) and five overarching strategic actions and priority interventions (levers), which appear to be key to societal transformation. The eight leverage points are: (1) Visions of a good life, (2) Total consumption and waste, (3) Latent values of responsibility, (4) Inequalities, (5) Justice and inclusion in conservation, (6) Externalities from trade and other telecouplings, (7) Responsible technology, innovation and investment, and (8) Education and knowledge generation and sharing. The five intertwined levers can be applied across the eight leverage points and more broadly. These include: (A) Incentives and capacity building, (B) Coordination across sectors and jurisdictions, (C) Pre-emptive action, (D) Adaptive decision-making and (E) Environmental law and implementation. The levers and leverage points are all non-substitutable, and each enables others, likely leading to synergistic benefits.4. Transformative change towards sustainable pathways requires more than a simple scaling-up of sustainability initiatives-it entails addressing these levers and leverage points to change the fabric of legal, political, economic and other social systems. These levers and leverage points build upon those approved within the Global Assessment's Summary for Policymakers, with the aim of enabling leaders in government, business, civil society and academia to spark transformative changes towards a more just and sustainable world.
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31. |
- Diaz, Sandra, et al.
(author)
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Pervasive human-driven decline of life on Earth points to the need for transformative change
- 2019
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 366:6471
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The human impact on life on Earth has increased sharply since the 1970s, driven by the demands of a growing population with rising average per capita income. Nature is currently supplying more materials than ever before, but this has come at the high cost of unprecedented global declines in the extent and integrity of ecosystems, distinctness of local ecological communities, abundance and number of wild species, and the number of local domesticated varieties. Such changes reduce vital benefits that people receive from nature and threaten the quality of life of future generations. Both the benefits of an expanding economy and the costs of reducing nature's benefits are unequally distributed. The fabric of life on which we all depend-nature and its contributions to people-is unravelling rapidly. Despite the severity of the threats and lack of enough progress in tackling them to date, opportunities exist to change future trajectories through transformative action. Such action must begin immediately, however, and address the root economic, social, and technological causes of nature's deterioration.
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32. |
- Dúc, Khánh Ngô, et al.
(author)
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Ushahidi and Sahana Eden Open-Source Platforms to Assist Disaster Relief : Geospatial Components and Capabilities
- 2014
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In: Geoinformation for Informed Decisions. - Cham : Springer. ; , s. 163-174
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In responses to recent large-scale disaster events, huge amount of ground information have been collected in addition to the synoptic views from satellite images. Different platforms have been in place to facilitate the collection and management of such critical location-based information from the crowd. This study investigated the current implementation of geospatial components and their capabilities in open-source platforms, particularly Ushahidi and Sahana Eden. Using the 2011 Christchurch earthquake data and following the four main functions of a geo-info system: Data input, Geospatial analysis, Data management, and Visualization, the performance of geospatial-components were evaluated by a group of users. The result showed that with rich visualization on interactive map both Sahana Eden and Ushahidi enable emergency managers to track the needs of disaster-affected people. While Ushahidi can only filter incidents records by time or category, geospatial data management of Sahana Eden is proven to be more powerful, allowing emergency managers input different geospatial data such as incidents, organizations, human resource, warehouses, hospitals, shelters, assets, and projects and visualizing all of these features on a map. It also helps to simplify the coordination among aids agencies. However, geospatial analysis is the limitation of both platforms. The findings recommended that data input with more variety of formats and more geospatial analysis functions should be added. Further research will expand to more case studies taking into account the requirements of disaster management practitioners and emergency responders.
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33. |
- Gaur, V K, et al.
(author)
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Sustainable strategies for combating hydrocarbon pollution : Special emphasis on mobil oil bioremediation
- 2022
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 832
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The global rise in industrialization and vehicularization has led to the increasing trend in the use of different crude oil types. Among these mobil oil has major application in automobiles and different machines. The combustion of mobil oil renders a non-usable form that ultimately enters the environment thereby causing problems to environmental health. The aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon fraction of mobil oil has serious human and environmental health hazards. These components upon interaction with soil affect its fertility and microbial diversity. The recent advancement in the omics approach viz. metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics has led to increased efficiency for the use of microbial based remediation strategy. Additionally, the use of biosurfactants further aids in increasing the bioavailability and thus biodegradation of crude oil constituents. The combination of more than one approach could serve as an effective tool for efficient reduction of oil contamination from diverse ecosystems. To the best of our knowledge only a few publications on mobil oil have been published in the last decade. This systematic review could be extremely useful in designing a micro-bioremediation strategy for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems contaminated with mobil oil or petroleum hydrocarbons that is both efficient and feasible. The state-of-art information and future research
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34. |
- Graham, Jesse R., et al.
(author)
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The pipeline project: Pre-publication independent replications of a single laboratory's research pipeline
- 2016
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In: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. - : Elsevier. - 1096-0465 .- 0022-1031. ; 66, s. 55-67
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This crowdsourced project introduces a collaborative approach to improving the reproducibility of scientific research, in which findings are replicated in qualified independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. Our goal is to establish a non-adversarial replication process with highly informative final results. To illustrate the Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) approach, 25 research groups conducted replications of all ten moral judgment effects which the last author and his collaborators had “in the pipeline” as of August 2014. Six findings replicated according to all replication criteria, one finding replicated but with a significantly smaller effect size than the original, one finding replicated consistently in the original culture but not outside of it, and two findings failed to find support. In total, 40% of the original findings failed at least one major replication criterion. Potential ways to implement and incentivize pre-publication independent replication on a large scale are discussed.
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35. |
- Jaradat, Ahmad, et al.
(author)
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A High-Rate Li–CO2 Battery Enabled by 2D Medium-Entropy Catalyst
- 2023
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In: Advanced Functional Materials. - 1616-301X .- 1616-3028. ; 33:21
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lithium-air batteries based on CO2 reactant (Li–CO2) have recently been of interest because it has been found that reversible Li/CO2 electrochemistry is feasible. In this study, a new medium-entropy cathode catalyst, (NbTa)0.5BiS3, that enables the reversible electrochemistry to operate at high rates is presented. This medium entropy cathode catalyst is combined with an ionic liquid-based electrolyte blend to give a Li–CO2 battery that operates at high current density of 5000 mA g−1 and capacity of 5000 mAh g−1 for up to 125 cycles, far exceeding reported values in the literature for this type of battery. The higher rate performance is believed to be due to the greater stability of the multi-element (NbTa)0.5BiS3 catalyst because of its higher entropy compared to previously used catalysts with a smaller number of elements with lower entropies. Evidence for this comes from computational studies giving very low surface energies (high surface stability) for (NbTa)0.5BiS3 and transmission electron microscopystudies showing the structure being retained after cycling. In addition, the calculations indicate that Nb-terminated surface promotes Li–CO2 electrochemistry resulting in Li2CO3 and carbon formation, consistent with the products found in the cell. These results open new direction to design and develop high-performance Li–CO2 batteries.
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36. |
- Kaul, Rajni, et al.
(author)
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Affinity precipitation
- 1993
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In: Molecular Interactions in Bioseparations. - Boston, MA : Springer US. - 0306444356 ; , s. 469-477
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Precipitation and recovery of precipitates is one of the unit operations in chemical engineering that can be operated on a large scale. Experiences from the area of biotechnology have clearly shown that there is not enough selectivity in the precipitation methods used to be able to separate, for example, complex mixtures of proteins from cell homogenates. Moreover, methods to precipitate proteins with their biological functions remaining intact must be gentle. In recent years, much work has been done on improving precipitation processes, and there are, today, a few alternative strategies for the removal of cell debris by the use of efficient precipitation aids.
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37. |
- Kaul, Rajni, et al.
(author)
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Affinity ultrafiltration for protein purification
- 1993
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In: Molecular Interactions in Bioseparations. - Boston, MA : Springer US. - 0306444356 ; , s. 487-498
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purification of a biochemical product from fermentation broths or other complex biological mixtures generally involves a combination of techniques which resolve substances according to differences in their physicochemical properties. These techniques have traditionally been optimized individually rather than as a part of the integrated, continuous process. Moreover, a lot of the development and refinement of the procedures has taken place on a laboratory scale, with little consideration given to the economics of scaling up. As a result, downstream processing presently accounts for a major portion of the processing costs of producing a biotechnological product.In order to cut down on costs and also to prevent the product loss that occurs during several purification stages, it is critical to design processes that possess high product recovery and resolution from impure feed streams.
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38. |
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39. |
- Koul, Y, et al.
(author)
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Microbial electrolysis : a promising approach for treatment and resource recovery from industrial wastewater
- 2022
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In: Bioengineered. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2165-5979 .- 2165-5987. ; 13:4, s. 8115-8134
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Wastewater is one of the most common by-products of almost every industrial process. Treatment of wastewater alone, before disposal, necessitates an excess of energy. Environmental concerns over the use of fossil fuels as a source of energy have prompted a surge in demand for alternative energy sources and the development of sophisticated procedures to extract energy from unconventional sources. Treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater alone accounts for about 3% of global electricity use while the amount of energy embedded in the waste is at least 2-4 times greater than the energy required to treat the same effluent. The microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) is one of the most efficient technologies for waste-to-product conversion that uses electrochemically active bacteria to convert organic matter into hydrogen or a variety of by-products without polluting the environment. This paper highlights existing obstacles and future potential in the integration of Microbial Electrolysis Cell with other processes like anaerobic digestion coupled system, anaerobic membrane bioreactor and thermoelectric micro converter.
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40. |
- Kreibich, Heidi, et al.
(author)
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Panta Rhei benchmark dataset : Socio-hydrological data of paired events of floods and droughts
- 2023
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In: Earth System Science Data. - : Copernicus Publications. - 1866-3508 .- 1866-3516. ; 15:5, s. 2009-2023
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- As the adverse impacts of hydrological extremes increase in many regions of the world, a better understanding of the drivers of changes in risk and impacts is essential for effective flood and drought risk management and climate adaptation. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive, empirical data about the processes, interactions, and feedbacks in complex human-water systems leading to flood and drought impacts. Here we present a benchmark dataset containing socio-hydrological data of paired events, i.e. two floods or two droughts that occurred in the same area. The 45 paired events occurred in 42 different study areas and cover a wide range of socio-economic and hydro-climatic conditions. The dataset is unique in covering both floods and droughts, in the number of cases assessed and in the quantity of socio-hydrological data. The benchmark dataset comprises (1) detailed review-style reports about the events and key processes between the two events of a pair; (2) the key data table containing variables that assess the indicators which characterize management shortcomings, hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and impacts of all events; and (3) a table of the indicators of change that indicate the differences between the first and second event of a pair. The advantages of the dataset are that it enables comparative analyses across all the paired events based on the indicators of change and allows for detailed context- and location-specific assessments based on the extensive data and reports of the individual study areas. The dataset can be used by the scientific community for exploratory data analyses, e.g. focused on causal links between risk management; changes in hazard, exposure and vulnerability; and flood or drought impacts. The data can also be used for the development, calibration, and validation of socio-hydrological models. The dataset is available to the public through the GFZ Data Services (Kreibich et al., 2023, 10.5880/GFZ.4.4.2023.001).
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41. |
- Kreibich, Heidi, et al.
(author)
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The challenge of unprecedented floods and droughts in risk management
- 2022
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In: Nature. - : Springer Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 608:7921, s. 80-86
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Risk management has reduced vulnerability to floods and droughts globally, yet their impacts are still increasing. An improved understanding of the causes of changing impacts is therefore needed, but has been hampered by a lack of empirical data4,5. On the basis of a global dataset of 45 pairs of events that occurred within the same area, we show that risk management generally reduces the impacts of floods and droughts but faces difficulties in reducing the impacts of unprecedented events of a magnitude not previously experienced. If the second event was much more hazardous than the first, its impact was almost always higher. This is because management was not designed to deal with such extreme events: for example, they exceeded the design levels of levees and reservoirs. In two success stories, the impact of the second, more hazardous, event was lower, as a result of improved risk management governance and high investment in integrated management. The observed difficulty of managing unprecedented events is alarming, given that more extreme hydrological events are projected owing to climate change.
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42. |
- Majidi, Leily, et al.
(author)
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Nanostructured Conductive Metal Organic Frameworks for Sustainable Low Charge Overpotentials in Li-Air Batteries
- 2022
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In: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 18:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lithium–oxygen batteries are among the most attractive alternatives for future electrified transportation. However, their practical application is hindered by many obstacles. Due to the insulating nature of Li2O2 product and the slow kinetics of reactions, attaining sustainable low charge overpotentials at high rates becomes a challenge resulting in the battery's early failure and low round trip efficiency. Herein, outstanding characteristics are discovered of a conductive metal organic framework (c-MOF) that promotes the growth of nanocrystalline Li2O2 with amorphous regions. This provides a platform for the continuous growth of Li2O2 units away from framework, enabling a fast discharge at high current rates. Moreover, the Li2O2 structure works in synergy with the redox mediator (RM). The conductivity of the amorphous regions of the Li2O2 allows the RM to act directly on the Li2O2 surface instead of catalyst edges and then transport through the electrolyte to the Li2O2 surface. This direct charge transfer enables a small charge potential of <3.7 V under high current densities (1–2 A g−1) sustained for a long cycle life (100–300 cycles) for large capacities (1000–2000 mAh g−1). These results open a new direction for utilizing c-MOFs towards advanced energy storage systems.
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43. |
- Martinez-Sanchez, LD, et al.
(author)
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Epithelial RAC1-dependent cytoskeleton dynamics controls cell mechanics, cell shedding and barrier integrity in intestinal inflammation
- 2023
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In: Gut. - : BMJ. - 1468-3288 .- 0017-5749. ; 72:2, s. 275-294
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Increased apoptotic shedding has been linked to intestinal barrier dysfunction and development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In contrast, physiological cell shedding allows the renewal of the epithelial monolayer without compromising the barrier function. Here, we investigated the role of live cell extrusion in epithelial barrier alterations in IBD.DesignTaking advantage of conditional GGTase and RAC1 knockout mice in intestinal epithelial cells (Pggt1biΔIECandRac1iΔIECmice), intravital microscopy, immunostaining, mechanobiology, organoid techniques and RNA sequencing, we analysed cell shedding alterations within the intestinal epithelium. Moreover, we examined human gut tissue and intestinal organoids from patients with IBD for cell shedding alterations and RAC1 function.ResultsEpithelialPggt1bdeletion led to cytoskeleton rearrangement and tight junction redistribution, causing cell overcrowding due to arresting of cell shedding that finally resulted in epithelial leakage and spontaneous mucosal inflammation in the small and to a lesser extent in the large intestine. Both in vivo and in vitro studies (knockout mice, organoids) identified RAC1 as a GGTase target critically involved in prenylation-dependent cytoskeleton dynamics, cell mechanics and epithelial cell shedding. Moreover, inflamed areas of gut tissue from patients with IBD exhibited funnel-like structures, signs of arrested cell shedding and impaired RAC1 function. RAC1 inhibition in human intestinal organoids caused actin alterations compatible with arresting of cell shedding.ConclusionImpaired epithelial RAC1 function causes cell overcrowding and epithelial leakage thus inducing chronic intestinal inflammation. Epithelial RAC1 emerges as key regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics, cell mechanics and intestinal cell shedding. Modulation of RAC1 might be exploited for restoration of epithelial integrity in the gut of patients with IBD.
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44. |
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45. |
- Ngo, D., et al.
(author)
-
Proteomic profiling reveals biomarkers and pathways in type 2 diabetes risk
- 2021
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In: Jci Insight. - : American Society for Clinical Investigation. - 2379-3708. ; 6:5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent advances in proteomic technologies have made high-throughput profiling of low-abundance proteins in large epidemiological cohorts increasingly feasible. We investigated whether aptamer-based proteomic profiling could identify biomarkers associated with future development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) beyond known risk factors. We identified dozens of markers with highly significant associations with future T2DM across 2 large longitudinal cohorts (n = 2839) followed for up to 16 years. We leveraged proteomic, metabolomic, genetic, and clinical data from humans to nominate 1 specific candidate to test for potential causal relationships in model systems. Our studies identified functional effects of aminoacylase 1 (ACY1), a top protein association with future T2DM risk, on amino acid metabolism and insulin homeostasis in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, a loss-of-function variant associated with circulating levels of the biomarker WAP, Kazal, immunoglobulin, Kunitz, and NTR domain-containing protein 2 (WFIKKN2) was, in turn, associated with fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and HOMA-IR measurements in humans. In addition to identifying potentially novel disease markers and pathways in T2DM, we provide publicly available data to be leveraged for insights about gene function and disease pathogenesis in the context of human metabolism.
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46. |
- Ngo, Hai Hoang Tuan, et al.
(author)
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Impact of perception and assessment of consumers on willingness to pay for upgraded fresh pork : An experimental study in Vietnam
- 2023
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In: Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2571-581X. ; 7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Traditional pork shops play an essential role in delivering pork, the most popular food in Vietnam, to consumers. Studies have shown the need for investment in training and equipment to improve the safety of pork sold at traditional shops. However, it remains unclear how consumers perceived improvement to the hygiene in pork shops and if they are ready to pay premium prices for safer products. This study used an experimental approach to determine consumers’ perception and assessment of improved pork shops and their willingness to pay (WTP) for pork products. A total of 152 respondents in two provinces in Vietnam joined in a Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) mechanism experiment to collect data on WTP for pork from typical and upgraded pork shops. A questionnaire was used to record consumers’ perceptions and assessments of the pork shops and products. Overall, consumers were willing to pay 20% more for upgraded fresh pork than for what is currently available on the market. Consumers trusted in the effectiveness of the upgraded intervention and the quality of pork at the pork shop, which increased their WTP for the upgraded pork. Concerns about contaminated pork had a negative impact on the WTP for typical pork, while the high frequency of pork consumption and the existence of elderly family members led to higher WTP for both products. The findings indicate the potential economic benefit of upgrading pork shops, which would be an important driver to motivate sellers to improve food safety.
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47. |
- Ngo, Hai Hoang Tuan, et al.
(author)
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Microbial contamination and associated risk factors in retailed pork from key value chains in Northern Vietnam
- 2021
-
In: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 346
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pork and pork products are important staple food in the diet of Vietnamese consumers. The safety of pork, including biological contamination, is a concern to several public authorities and value chain actors. This crosssectional study aimed to identify Salmonella and total bacterial count (TBC) contamination of cut pork sold in different outlets, and determine the potential factors leading to contamination. A total of 671 pork samples were collected from different retail channels in three provinces in Northern Vietnam. Hygiene conditions and practices at pork vending premises were also observed and recorded. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Overall, Salmonella prevalence in retailed pork was 58.1%. Salmonella contamination in pork from traditional retail, modern retail and food services were 60.5%, 50.9% and 80.5%, respectively. Eighty percent and 68% of fresh pork in canteen and street food was contaminated with Salmonella. Only a small proportion of a subset of the pork samples (6.2%) tested met the Vietnamese standard requirement for TBC contamination. Average concentration of TBC in fresh pork in traditional retail, modern retail and food services were 6.51 (SD: 0.64), 6.38 (0.65), and 6.96 (0.85) LogCFU/g, respectively. Transport time, use of the same tools for pork and other types of meat, storage temperature, and environment hygiene are important factors that might affect microbial contamination. The findings underline the high level of microbial contamination, which requires practical interventions to improve food safety hygiene practices and behavior of pork retailers.
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48. |
- Ngo, H. Q., et al.
(author)
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Uplink Performance Analysis of Multicell MU-SIMO Systems With ZF Receivers
- 2013
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In: IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 0018-9545 .- 1939-9359. ; 62:9, s. 4471-4483
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We consider the uplink of a multicell multiuser single-input multiple-output system (MU-SIMO), where the channel experiences both small-and large-scale fading. The data detection is done by using the linear zero-forcing technique, assuming the base station (BS) has perfect channel state information of all users in its cell. We derive new exact analytical expressions for the uplink rate, the symbol error rate (SER), and the outage probability per user, as well as a lower bound on the achievable rate. This bound is very tight and becomes exact in the large-number-of-antenna limit. We further study the asymptotic system performance in the regimes of high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), large number of antennas, and large number of users per cell. We show that, at high SNRs, the system is interference limited, and hence, we cannot improve the system performance by increasing the transmit power of each user. Instead, by increasing the number of BS antennas, the effects of interference and noise can be reduced, thereby improving system performance. We demonstrate that, with very large antenna arrays at the BS, the transmit power of each user can be made inversely proportional to the number of BS antennas while maintaining a desired quality of service. Numerical results are presented to verify our analysis.
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49. |
- Ngo, Minh, et al.
(author)
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A Better Facet of Dynamic Information Flow Control
- 2018
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In: The Web Conference 2018 - Companion of the World Wide Web Conference, WWW 2018. - New York, New York, USA : ACM Press. ; , s. 731-739
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Multiple Facets (MF) is a dynamic enforcement mechanism which has proved to be a good fit for implementing information flow security for JavaScript. It relies on multi executing the program, once per each security level or view, to achieve soundness. By looking inside programs, MF encodes the views to reduce the number of needed multi-executions. In this work, we extend Multiple Facets in three directions. First, we propose a new version of MF for arbitrary lattices, called Generalised Multiple Facets, or GMF. GMF strictly generalizes MF, which was originally proposed for a specific lattice of principals. Second, we propose a new optimization on top of GMF that further reduces the number of executions. Third, we strengthen the security guarantees provided by Multiple Facets by proposing a termination sensitive version that eliminates covert channels due to termination.
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50. |
- Ngo, Ngoc T.N., et al.
(author)
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Efficient laccase/TEMPO oxidation of alkyl glycosides : Effects of carbohydrate group and alkyl chain length
- 2020
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In: Journal of Biotechnology: X. - : Elsevier BV. - 2590-1559 .- 0168-1656. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alkyl glycosides with long hydrophobic chains have attractive surfactant properties, but their wider application is hampered by their low solubility in water. Here, a route to increased solubility by introduction of carboxyl groups via laccase/TEMPO oxidation is presented. The oxidation pathways for dodecyl β-maltoside and hexadecyl β-maltoside were studied in detail. Close to full conversion was achieved for both substrates and conditions were found under which the diacid products dominated, with only minor amounts of under-oxidized and over-oxidized products. Dodecyl β-maltoside oxidation was improved to give a yield of 85 % of the diacid derivative. Interestingly, in spite of low substrate solubility the oxidation of hexadecyl β-maltoside was very efficient in aqueous medium, due to the higher solubility of the products. Addition of organic cosolvents did not provide additional advantages. The method is promising for producing soluble anionic derivatives of alkyl glycosides in an environmentally friendly and efficient way.
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