| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Arndt, D. S., et al.
(author)
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State of the Climate in 2016
- 2017
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In: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 98:8, s. S1-S280
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2016, the dominant greenhouse gases released into Earth's atmosphere-carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide-continued to increase and reach new record highs. The 3.5 +/- 0.1 ppm rise in global annual mean carbon dioxide from 2015 to 2016 was the largest annual increase observed in the 58-year measurement record. The annual global average carbon dioxide concentration at Earth's surface surpassed 400 ppm (402.9 +/- 0.1 ppm) for the first time in the modern atmospheric measurement record and in ice core records dating back as far as 800000 years. One of the strongest El Nino events since at least 1950 dissipated in spring, and a weak La Nina evolved later in the year. Owing at least in part to the combination of El Nino conditions early in the year and a long-term upward trend, Earth's surface observed record warmth for a third consecutive year, albeit by a much slimmer margin than by which that record was set in 2015. Above Earth's surface, the annual lower troposphere temperature was record high according to all datasets analyzed, while the lower stratospheric temperature was record low according to most of the in situ and satellite datasets. Several countries, including Mexico and India, reported record high annual temperatures while many others observed near-record highs. A week-long heat wave at the end of April over the northern and eastern Indian peninsula, with temperatures surpassing 44 degrees C, contributed to a water crisis for 330 million people and to 300 fatalities. In the Arctic the 2016 land surface temperature was 2.0 degrees C above the 1981-2010 average, breaking the previous record of 2007, 2011, and 2015 by 0.8 degrees C, representing a 3.5 degrees C increase since the record began in 1900. The increasing temperatures have led to decreasing Arctic sea ice extent and thickness. On 24 March, the sea ice extent at the end of the growth season saw its lowest maximum in the 37-year satellite record, tying with 2015 at 7.2% below the 1981-2010 average. The September 2016 Arctic sea ice minimum extent tied with 2007 for the second lowest value on record, 33% lower than the 1981-2010 average. Arctic sea ice cover remains relatively young and thin, making it vulnerable to continued extensive melt. The mass of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which has the capacity to contribute similar to 7 m to sea level rise, reached a record low value. The onset of its surface melt was the second earliest, after 2012, in the 37-year satellite record. Sea surface temperature was record high at the global scale, surpassing the previous record of 2015 by about 0.01 degrees C. The global sea surface temperature trend for the 21st century-to-date of +0.162 degrees C decade(-1) is much higher than the longer term 1950-2016 trend of +0.100 degrees C decade(-1). Global annual mean sea level also reached a new record high, marking the sixth consecutive year of increase. Global annual ocean heat content saw a slight drop compared to the record high in 2015. Alpine glacier retreat continued around the globe, and preliminary data indicate that 2016 is the 37th consecutive year of negative annual mass balance. Across the Northern Hemisphere, snow cover for each month from February to June was among its four least extensive in the 47-year satellite record. Continuing a pattern below the surface, record high temperatures at 20-m depth were measured at all permafrost observatories on the North Slope of Alaska and at the Canadian observatory on northernmost Ellesmere Island. In the Antarctic, record low monthly surface pressures were broken at many stations, with the southern annular mode setting record high index values in March and June. Monthly high surface pressure records for August and November were set at several stations. During this period, record low daily and monthly sea ice extents were observed, with the November mean sea ice extent more than 5 standard deviations below the 1981-2010 average. These record low sea ice values contrast sharply with the record high values observed during 2012-14. Over the region, springtime Antarctic stratospheric ozone depletion was less severe relative to the 1991-2006 average, but ozone levels were still low compared to pre-1990 levels. Closer to the equator, 93 named tropical storms were observed during 2016, above the 1981-2010 average of 82, but fewer than the 101 storms recorded in 2015. Three basins-the North Atlantic, and eastern and western North Pacific-experienced above-normal activity in 2016. The Australian basin recorded its least active season since the beginning of the satellite era in 1970. Overall, four tropical cyclones reached the Saffir-Simpson category 5 intensity level. The strong El Nino at the beginning of the year that transitioned to a weak La Nina contributed to enhanced precipitation variability around the world. Wet conditions were observed throughout the year across southern South America, causing repeated heavy flooding in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Wetter-than-usual conditions were also observed for eastern Europe and central Asia, alleviating the drought conditions of 2014 and 2015 in southern Russia. In the United States, California had its first wetter-than-average year since 2012, after being plagued by drought for several years. Even so, the area covered by drought in 2016 at the global scale was among the largest in the post-1950 record. For each month, at least 12% of land surfaces experienced severe drought conditions or worse, the longest such stretch in the record. In northeastern Brazil, drought conditions were observed for the fifth consecutive year, making this the longest drought on record in the region. Dry conditions were also observed in western Bolivia and Peru; it was Bolivia's worst drought in the past 25 years. In May, with abnormally warm and dry conditions already prevailing over western Canada for about a year, the human-induced Fort McMurray wildfire burned nearly 590000 hectares and became the costliest disaster in Canadian history, with $3 billion (U.S. dollars) in insured losses.
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| 3. |
- Arndt, D. S., et al.
(author)
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STATE OF THE CLIMATE IN 2017
- 2018
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In: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - : American Meteorological Society. - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 99:8, s. S1-S310
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Research review (peer-reviewed)
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Nicholls, Wendy, et al.
(author)
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Adult-Specific life outcomes of cleft lip and palate in a Western Australian cohort
- 2018
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In: The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. - 1055-6656 .- 1545-1569. ; 55:10, s. 1419-1429
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: People with a cleft of the lip and/or palate (CL/P) differ from their peers due to their facial appearance, hearing and speech difficulties, and the significant time spent attending appointments and recovering from surgical interventions. These differences may impact life outcomes including occupation, income, education, relationships, psychosocial health issues, and lifestyle choices.METHODOLOGY: A self-administered questionnaire was posted to 338 former and current patients of the Cleft Lip and Palate Unit of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), Perth, Western Australia.RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were returned by 158 former and current patients. In comparison to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, study participants attained equivalent highest education levels, full-time annual income levels, occupational categories, employment rates, and home ownership levels. They did not marry later and demonstrated positive health-related lifestyle behaviors. However independent living was significantly delayed, and the number of romantic relationships, marriages, and children was lower, with separation/divorce rates also being lower. A key finding was that 78% of participants self-reported that they experienced at least 1 psychosocial health issue and more than half experienced anxiety and/or depression.CONCLUSION: When comparing the sociological outcomes for the study participants, the psychosocial outcomes were the areas of most concern. Further investigation is required to determine the causes for the high self-reported rates of anxiety and/or depression found in this study.
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| 6. |
- Nicholls, Wendy, et al.
(author)
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The psychosocial impact of cleft in a Western Australian cohort across 3 age groups
- 2019
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In: The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. - 1055-6656 .- 1545-1569. ; 56:2, s. 210-221
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND:: Management of a cleft of the lip and/or palate (CL/P) involves a multidisciplinary team approach lasting from birth to potentially postskeletal maturity. This condition is complex, with both medical and psychosocial implications that may place individuals with a cleft at higher risk of developing psychosocial problems.METHODOLOGY:: A self-administered questionnaire was completed by a sample from the Western Australian cleft population comprising 3 age groups: child (n = 100), adolescent (n = 101), and adult (n = 158).RESULTS:: Public speaking, being photographed, special relationships, and participation in school were identified as the areas most impacted by having a cleft. Hearing and speech were reported to have a higher importance than facial and dental appearance. Participants rated support given to them by their parents as the most important, with high ratings for treatment providers. For teasing, the impact of cleft was significantly higher among participants with cleft lip and palate for both the adolescent and adult age groups. There was little significant difference by gender across the variables, which suggests that males are just as likely to require support as females.CONCLUSION:: The impact of a cleft across multiple psychosocial domains needs to be recognized and addressed as part of craniofacial team care across age groups.
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| 7. |
- Robinson, Linda, et al.
(author)
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Electrochemical Control of Surface Wettability of poly(3-alkylthiophenes)
- 2006
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In: Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-6028. ; 600:11, s. L148-L152
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The effect of n-alkyl side-chain length on water contact angle with films in neutral and electrochemically doped states are studied. Increasing the side-chain from butyl to hexyl to octyl increases the contact angle of water on conjugated polymer films in both electrochemical states, but decreases the difference in angle between the states in the same film. Devices based on these films have potential application in, for example, guiding water and other liquids through microfluidic channels in lab-on-a-chip and micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) applications.
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| 8. |
- Robinson, Linda, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Electrochemical wettability switches gate aqueous liquids in microfluidic systems
- 2006
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In: Lab on a Chip. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1473-0197 .- 1473-0189. ; 6, s. 1277-1278
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We demonstrate a simple low-voltage technique for gating the flow of aqueous liquids in microfluidic systems employing the electrochemically-controlled surface energy of the conjugated polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene).
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Wolever, Thomas M S, et al.
(author)
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Measuring the glycemic index of foods: interlaboratory study.
- 2008
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In: The American journal of clinical nutrition. - 0002-9165 .- 1938-3207. ; 87:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Many laboratories offer glycemic index (GI) services. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the performance of the method used to measure GI. DESIGN: The GI of cheese-puffs and fruit-leather (centrally provided) was measured in 28 laboratories (n=311 subjects) by using the FAO/WHO method. The laboratories reported the results of their calculations and sent the raw data for recalculation centrally. RESULTS: Values for the incremental area under the curve (AUC) reported by 54% of the laboratories differed from central calculations. Because of this and other differences in data analysis, 19% of reported food GI values differed by >5 units from those calculated centrally. GI values in individual subjects were unrelated to age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, or AUC but were negatively related to within-individual variation (P=0.033) expressed as the CV of the AUC for repeated reference food tests (refCV). The between-laboratory GI values (mean+/-SD) for cheese-puffs and fruit-leather were 74.3+/-10.5 and 33.2+/-7.2, respectively. The mean laboratory GI was related to refCV (P=0.003) and the type of restrictions on alcohol consumption before the test (P=0.006, r2=0.509 for model). The within-laboratory SD of GI was related to refCV (P<0.001), the glucose analysis method (P=0.010), whether glucose measures were duplicated (P=0.008), and restrictions on dinner the night before (P=0.013, r2=0.810 for model). CONCLUSIONS: The between-laboratory SD of the GI values is approximately 9. Standardized data analysis and low within-subject variation (refCV<30%) are required for accuracy. The results suggest that common misconceptions exist about which factors do and do not need to be controlled to improve precision. Controlled studies and cost-benefit analyses are needed to optimize GI methodology. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00260858.
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| 11. |
- Ades, M., et al.
(author)
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Global Climate : in State of the climate in 2019
- 2020
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In: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - : American Meteorological Society. - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 101:8, s. S17-S127
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 12. |
- Ades, M., et al.
(author)
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GLOBAL CLIMATE
- 2020
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In: BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY. - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 101:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 13. |
- Blackshear, Alice, et al.
(author)
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Intracerebroventricular administration of galanin or galanin receptor subtype 1 agonist M617 induces c-Fos activation in central amygdala and dorsomedial hypothalamus
- 2007
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In: Peptides. - : Elsevier BV. - 0196-9781 .- 1873-5169. ; 28:5, s. 1120-1124
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The neuropeptide galanin and galanin receptors are widespread throughout cortical, limbic and midbrain areas implicated in reward, learning/memory, pain, drinking and feeding. While many studies have shown that galanin produces a variety of presynaptic and postsynaptic responses, work studying the effects of galanin on neural activation is limited. The present study examined patterns of c-Fos immunoreactivity resulting from intracerebro-ventricular administration of galanin versus saline injection in awake rats. An initial comprehensive qualitative survey was conducted to identify regions of high c-Fos expression followed up with quantitative analysis. Galanin induced a significant increase in c-Fos levels relative to saline-treated controls in dorsomedial hypothalamus and in the central nucleus of the amygdala. This pattern of activation was also produced by galanin receptor type 1 agonist M617. The present findings confirm that galanin upregulates c-Fos activation in hypothalamic nuclei, and supports roles for galanin in central amygdala-mediated food intake, and Pavlovian conditioning.
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| 14. |
- Blunden, Jessica, et al.
(author)
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State of the Climate in 2012
- 2013
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In: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 94:8, s. S1-S258
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For the first time in serveral years, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation did not dominate regional climate conditions around the globe. A weak La Ni a dissipated to ENSOneutral conditions by spring, and while El Nino appeared to be emerging during summer, this phase never fully developed as sea surface temperatures in the eastern conditions. Nevertheless, other large-scale climate patterns and extreme weather events impacted various regions during the year. A negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation from mid-January to early February contributed to frigid conditions in parts of northern Africa, eastern Europe, and western Asia. A lack of rain during the 2012 wet season led to the worst drought in at least the past three decades for northeastern Brazil. Central North America also experienced one of its most severe droughts on record. The Caribbean observed a very wet dry season and it was the Sahel's wettest rainy season in 50 years. Overall, the 2012 average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces ranked among the 10 warmest years on record. The global land surface temperature alone was also among the 10 warmest on record. In the upper atmosphere, the average stratospheric temperature was record or near-record cold, depending on the dataset. After a 30-year warming trend from 1970 to 1999 for global sea surface temperatures, the period 2000-12 had little further trend. This may be linked to the prevalence of La Ni a-like conditions during the 21st century. Heat content in the upper 700 m of the ocean remained near record high levels in 2012. Net increases from 2011 to 2012 were observed at 700-m to 2000-m depth and even in the abyssal ocean below. Following sharp decreases in to the effects of La Ni a, sea levels rebounded to reach records highs in 2012. The increased hydrological cycle seen in recent years continued, with more evaporation in drier locations and more precipitation in rainy areas. In a pattern that has held since 2004, salty areas of the ocean surfaces and subsurfaces were anomalously salty on average, while fresher areas were anomalously fresh. Global tropical cyclone activity during 2012 was near average, with a total of 84 storms compared with the 1981-2010 average of 89. Similar to 2010 and 2011, the North Atlantic was the only hurricane basin that experienced above-normal activity. In this basin, Sandy brought devastation to Cuba and parts of the eastern North American seaboard. All other basins experienced either near-or below-normal tropical cyclone activity. Only three tropical cyclones reached Category 5 intensity-all in Bopha became the only storm in the historical record to produce winds greater than 130 kt south of 7 N. It was also the costliest storm to affect the Philippines and killed more than 1000 residents. Minimum Arctic sea ice extent in September and Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent in June both reached new record lows. June snow cover extent is now declining at a faster rate (-17.6% per decade) than September sea ice extent (-13.0% per decade). Permafrost temperatures reached record high values in northernmost Alaska. A new melt extent record occurred on 11-12 July on the Greenland ice sheet; 97% of the ice sheet showed some form of melt, four times greater than the average melt for this time of year. The climate in Antarctica was relatively stable overall. The largest maximum sea ice extent since records begain in 1978 was observed in September 2012. In the stratosphere, warm air led to the second smallest ozone hole in the past two decades. Even so, the springtime ozone layer above Antarctica likely will not return to its early 1980s state until about 2060. Following a slight decline associated with the global 2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production reached a record 9.5 +/- 0.5 Pg C in 2011 and a new record of 9.7 +/- 0.5 Pg C is estimated for 2012. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations increased by 2.1 ppm in 2012, to 392.6 ppm. In spring 2012, 2 concentration exceeded 400 ppm at 7 of the 13 Arctic observation sites. Globally, other greenhouse gases including methane and nitrous oxide also continued to rise in concentration and the combined effect now represents a 32% increase in radiative forcing over a 1990 baseline. Concentrations of most ozone depleting substances continued to fall.
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| 15. |
- Carlsson, Sigrid, 1982, et al.
(author)
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Population-based study of long-term functional outcomes after prostate cancer treatment
- 2016
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In: BJU International. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1464-4096 .- 1464-410X. ; 117:6B, s. E36-E45
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term urinary, sexual and bowel functional outcomes after prostate cancer treatment at a median follow-up of 12 years (IQR 11-13).PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this nationwide, population-based study, we identified from the National Prostate Cancer Register, Sweden, 6,003 men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer (clinical local stage T1-2, any Gleason score, prostate specific antigen < 20 ng/mL, NX or N0, MX or M0) between 1997 and 2002 who were ≤70 years at diagnosis. 1,000 prostate cancer-free controls were selected, matched for age and county of residence. Functional outcomes were evaluated with a validated self-reported questionnaire.RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 3,937/6,003 cases (66%) and 459/1,000 (46%) controls. Twelve years post diagnosis, at a median age of 75 years, the proportion of cases with adverse symptoms was 87% for erectile dysfunction or sexually inactive, 20% for urinary incontinence and 14% for bowel disturbances. The corresponding proportions for controls were 62%, 6% and 7%, respectively. Men with prostate cancer, except those on surveillance, had an increased risk of erectile dysfunction, compared to control men. Radical prostatectomy was associated with increased risk of urinary incontinence (odds ratio; OR 2.29 [95% CI 1.83-2.86] and radiotherapy increased the risk of bowel dysfunction (OR 2.46 [95% CI 1.73-3.49]) compared to control men. Multi-modal treatment, in particular including androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), was associated with the highest risk of adverse effects; for instance radical prostatectomy followed by radiotherapy and ADT was associated with an OR of 3.74 [95 CI 1.76-7.95] for erectile dysfunction and OR 3.22 [95% CI 1.93-5.37] for urinary incontinence.CONCLUSION: The proportion of men who suffer long-term impact on functional outcomes after prostate cancer treatment was substantial.
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| 16. |
- Croci, Gabriele, et al.
(author)
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A high-efficiency thermal neutron detector based on thin 3D (B4C)-B-10 converters for high-rate applications
- 2018
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In: Europhysics letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 0295-5075 .- 1286-4854. ; 123:5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- new position-sensitive thermal neutron detector based on boron-coated converters has been developed as an alternative to today's standard He-3-based technology for application to thermal neutron scattering. The key element of the development is a novel 3D (B4C)-B-10 converter which has been ad hoc designed and realized with the aim of combining a high neutron conversion probability via the B-10(n, alpha)(7) Li reaction together with an efficient collection of the produced charged particles. The developed 3D converter is composed of thin aluminium grids made by a micro-waterjet technique and coated on both sides with a thin layer of( 10)B(4)C. When coupled to a GEM detector this converter allows reaching neutron detection efficiencies close to 50% at neutron wavelengths equal to 4 angstrom. In addition, the new detector features a spatial resolution of about 5 min and can sustain counting rates well in excess of 1 MHz/cm(2). The newly developed neutron detector will enable time-resolved measurements of different kind of samples in neutron scattering experiments at high flux spallation sources and can find a use in applications where large areas and custom geometries of thermal neutron detectors are foreseen.
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| 17. |
- Croci, Gabriele, et al.
(author)
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I-BAND-GEM : a new way for improving BAND-GEM efficiency to thermal and cold neutrons
- 2019
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In: The European Physical Journal Plus. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2190-5444. ; 134:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- .The BAND-GEM detector represents one of the novel thermal neutron detection devices that have been developed in order to fulfil the needs of high intensity neutron sources that, like ESS (the European Spallation Source), will start operation in the next few years. The first version of this detector featured a detection efficiency of about 40% for neutrons with a wavelength of 4 angstrom, a spatial resolution of about 6mm and a rate capability in the order of some MHz/cm(2). The novelty of this device is represented by an improved 3D converter cathode (10 cm thick) based on (B4C)-B-10-coated aluminum grids positioned in a controlled gas mixture volume put on top of a Triple GEM amplifying stage. The position where the neutron interacts in the converter depends on their energy and it was observed that the first version of the detector would suffer from an efficiency decrease for long (>5 angstrom) neutron wavelength. This paper describes how the new 3D cathode allowed improving the detection efficiency at long neutron wavelengths while keeping all the benefits of the first BAND-GEM version.
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| 18. |
- Danneman, Daniela, et al.
(author)
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Accuracy of prostate biopsies for predicting Gleason score in radical prostatectomy specimens : nationwide trends 2000-2012
- 2017
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In: BJU International. - : Wiley. - 1464-4096 .- 1464-410X. ; 119:1, s. 50-56
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives To investigate how well the Gleason score in diagnostic needle biopsies predicted the Gleason score in a subsequent radical prostatectomy (RP) specimen before and after the 2005 International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) revision of Gleason grading, and if the recently proposed ISUP grades 1-5 (corresponding to Gleason scores 6, 3 + 4, 4 + 3, 8 and 9-10) better predict the RP grade. Patients and Methods All prostate cancers diagnosed in Sweden are reported to the National Prostate Cancer Register (NPCR). We analysed the Gleason scores and ISUP grades from the diagnostic biopsies and the RP specimens in 15 598 men in the NPCR who: were diagnosed between 2000 and 2012 with clinical stage T1-2 M0/X prostate cancer on needle biopsy; were aged <= 70 years; had serum PSA concentration of < 20 ng/mL; and underwent a RP < 6 months after diagnosis as their primary treatment. Results Prediction of RP Gleason score increased from 55 to 68% between 2000 and 2012. Most of the increase occurred before 2005 (nine percentage points; P < 0.001); however, when adjusting for Gleason score and year of diagnosis in a multivariable analysis, the prediction of RP Gleason score decreased over time (odds ratio [OR] 0.98; P < 0.002). A change in the ISUP grades would have led to a decreasing agreement between biopsy and RP grades over time, from 68% in 2000 to 57% in 2012, with an OR of 0.95 in multivariable analysis (P < 0.001). Conclusion Agreement between biopsy and RP Gleason score improved from 2000 to 2012, with most of the improvement occurring before the 2005 ISUP grading revision. Had ISUP grades been used instead of Gleason score, the agreement between biopsy and RP grade would have decreased, probably because of its separation of Gleason score 7 into ISUP grades 2 and 3 (Gleason score 3 + 4 vs 4 + 3).
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| 19. |
- Danneman, Daniela, et al.
(author)
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Gleason inflation 1998-2011 : a registry study of 97 168 men
- 2015
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In: BJU International. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1464-4096 .- 1464-410X. ; 115:2, s. 248-255
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: To study long-term trends in Gleason grading in a nationwide population and to assess the impact of the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) revision in 2005 of the Gleason system on grading practices, as in recent years there has been a shift upwards in Gleason grading of prostate cancer. Patients and Methods: All newly diagnosed prostate cancers in Sweden are reported to the National Prostate Cancer Register (NPCR). In 97 168 men with a primary diagnosis of prostate cancer on needle biopsy from 1998 to 2011, Gleason score, clinical T stage (cT) and serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (s-PSA) at diagnosis were analysed. Results: Gleason score, cT stage and s-PSA were reported to the NPCR in 97%, 99% and 99% of cases. Before and after 2005, Gleason score 7-10 was diagnosed in 52% and 57%, respectively (P < 0.001). After standardisation for cT stage and s-PSA with 1998 as baseline these tumours increased from 59% to 72%. Among low-risk tumours (stage cT1 and s-PSA 4-10 ng/mL) Gleason score 7-10 increased from 16% in 1998 to 40% in 2011 (P trend < 0.001), mean 19% and 33% before and after 2005 (P < 0.001). Among high-risk tumours (stage T3 and s-PSA 20-50 ng/mL) Gleason score 7-10 increased from 65% in 1998 to 94% in 2011 (P trend < 0.001), mean 78% and 90% before and after 2005 (P < 0.001). A Gleason score of 2-5 was reported in 27% in 1998 and 1% in 2011. Gleason score 5 decreased sharply after 2005 and Gleason score 2-4 was almost abandoned. Conclusions: There has been a gradual shift towards higher Gleason grading, which started before 2005 but became more evident after the ISUP 2005 revision. Among low-stage tumours reporting of Gleason score 7-10 was more than doubled during the study period. When corrected for stage migration upgrading is considerable over recent decades. This has clinical consequences for therapy decisions such as eligibility for active surveillance. Grading systems need to be as stable as possible to enable comparisons over time and to facilitate the interpretation of the prognostic impact of grade.
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| 20. |
- Dods, Robert, 1989, et al.
(author)
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From Macrocrystals to Microcrystals: A Strategy for Membrane Protein Serial Crystallography.
- 2017
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In: Structure. - : Elsevier BV. - 1878-4186 .- 0969-2126. ; 25:9, s. 1461-1468
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Serial protein crystallography was developed at X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) and is now also being applied at storage ring facilities. Robust strategies for the growth and optimization of microcrystals are needed to advance the field. Here we illustrate a generic strategy for recovering high-density homogeneous samples of microcrystals starting from conditions known to yield large (macro) crystals of the photosynthetic reaction center of Blastochloris viridis (RCvir). We first crushed these crystals prior to multiple rounds of microseeding. Each cycle of microseeding facilitated improvements in the RCvir serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) structure from 3.3-Å to 2.4-Å resolution. This approach may allow known crystallization conditions for other proteins to be adapted to exploit novel scientific opportunities created by serial crystallography.
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| 21. |
- Dods, Robert, 1989, et al.
(author)
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Ultrafast structural changes within a photosynthetic reaction centre.
- 2021
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 589:7841, s. 310-314
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Photosynthetic reaction centres harvest the energy content of sunlight by transporting electrons across an energy-transducing biological membrane. Here we use time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography1 using an X-ray free-electron laser2 to observe light-induced structural changes in the photosynthetic reaction centre of Blastochloris viridis on a timescale of picoseconds. Structural perturbations first occur at the special pair of chlorophyll molecules of the photosynthetic reaction centre that are photo-oxidized by light. Electron transfer to the menaquinone acceptor on the opposite side of the membrane induces a movement of this cofactor together with lower amplitude protein rearrangements. These observations reveal how proteins use conformational dynamics to stabilize the charge-separation steps of electron-transfer reactions.
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| 22. |
- Holland, Linda Z, et al.
(author)
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The amphioxus genome illuminates vertebrate origins and cephalochordate biology
- 2008
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In: Genome Research. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. - 1088-9051 .- 1549-5469. ; 18:7, s. 1100-1111
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cephalochordates, urochordates, and vertebrates evolved from a common ancestor over 520 million years ago. To improve our understanding of chordate evolution and the origin of vertebrates, we intensively searched for particular genes, gene families, and conserved noncoding elements in the sequenced genome of the cephalochordate Branchiostoma floridae, commonly called amphioxus or lancelets. Special attention was given to homeobox genes, opsin genes, genes involved in neural crest development, nuclear receptor genes, genes encoding components of the endocrine and immune systems, and conserved cis-regulatory enhancers. The amphioxus genome contains a basic set of chordate genes involved in development and cell signaling, including a fifteenth Hox gene. This set includes many genes that were co-opted in vertebrates for new roles in neural crest development and adaptive immunity. However, where amphioxus has a single gene, vertebrates often have two, three, or four paralogs derived from two whole-genome duplication events. In addition, several transcriptional enhancers are conserved between amphioxus and vertebrates--a very wide phylogenetic distance. In contrast, urochordate genomes have lost many genes, including a diversity of homeobox families and genes involved in steroid hormone function. The amphioxus genome also exhibits derived features, including duplications of opsins and genes proposed to function in innate immunity and endocrine systems. Our results indicate that the amphioxus genome is elemental to an understanding of the biology and evolution of nonchordate deuterostomes, invertebrate chordates, and vertebrates.
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| 23. |
- Kristiansen, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Prognostic significance and biopsy characteristics of prostate cancer with seminal vesicle invasion on radical prostatectomy : a nationwide population-based study
- 2017
-
In: Pathology. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 0031-3025 .- 1465-3931. ; 49:7, s. 715-720
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of seminal vesicle invasion (SVI, pT3b) compared with extraprostatic extension (EPE) alone (pT3a) after radical prostatectomy, and to correlate pre-operative biopsy pathology with SVI and EPE. The National Prostate Cancer Register includes all prostate cancers diagnosed in Sweden. We analysed 4063 cases with stage category pT3a and 1371 cases with pT3b at radical prostatectomy between 2000 and 2012. Associations between pT3a and pT3b and progression were evaluated and adjusted for year, age, biopsy grade and s-PSA. Needle biopsy findings in these stages were compared. Patients with pT3b (n = 1371) had a higher risk of death from prostate cancer (HR 2.3, 95% CI 1.5-3.3, p < 0.001) and death from any cause (HR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2-1.8, p < 0.001) than those with pT3a (n = 4063). They were also more likely to be treated with post-operative radiotherapy (HR 1.5, 95% CI 1.4-1.7, p < 0.001) or androgen deprivation therapy (HR 3.0, 95% CI 2.5-3.7, p < 0.001), indicating clinical progression. Yet, disease-specific survival of patients with stage pT3b was 94% after 6 years. Median cancer extent in pre-operative biopsies of pT3a and pT3b was 14 and 24 mm (p < 0.001), number of positive cores was four and five, (p < 0.001) and biopsy Gleason score was 8-10 in 11.6% and 27.3%, respectively (p < 0.001). SVI of prostate cancer is associated with worse outcome after radical prostatectomy than EPE alone. However, few patients with SVI die within 6 years from surgery, suggesting that radical prostatectomy may be curative in locally advanced cancers.
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| 24. |
- Lai, Chung-Chuan, et al.
(author)
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Effect of substrate roughness and material selection on the microstructure of sputtering deposited boron carbide thin films
- 2022
-
In: Surface & Coatings Technology. - Lausanne, Switzerland : Elsevier. - 0257-8972 .- 1879-3347. ; 433
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Amorphous boron carbide (B4C) thin films are by far the most popular form for the neutron converting layers in the 10B-based neutron detectors, which are a rising trend in detector technologies in response to the increasing scarcity and price of 3He, the standard material for neutron detection. The microstructure of the B4C films is closely related to the important properties, e.g. density and adhesion, for the converting layers, which eventually affect the detection efficiency and the long-term stability of the detectors. To study the influence from substrates of different roughness and materials, the B4C films were deposited on polished Si substrates with Al, Ti, and Cu buffer layers and unpolished Si, Al, Ti, and Cu substrates by direct current magnetron sputtering at a substrate temperature of 623 K. The tapered columnar grains and nodular defects, generally observed in SEM images, indicated a strong shadowing effect where voids were introduced around the grains. The change in the grain size did not show a direct dependence to the substrate roughness, acquired from the surface profile, nor to the mass density of the films, obtained from reflectivity patterns. However, films with non-uniform size of columnar grains were deposited on substrates with high skewness, leading to a drop of mass density from ∼95% down to ∼70% of tabulated bulk density. On the other hand, similar microstructures and mass density were obtained from the films deposited on Al, Ti, and Cu of different roughness and good adhesion were observed from cross-cut adhesion tests, showing the reliability of sputtering deposited B4C films on common structural materials in neutron detectors.
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| 25. |
- Loeb, Stacy, et al.
(author)
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Risk of localized and advanced prostate cancer among immigrants versus native-born Swedish men: a nation-wide population-based study.
- 2013
-
In: Cancer causes & control : CCC. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-7225 .- 0957-5243. ; 24:2, s. 383-390
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PURPOSE: Prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and prognosis vary geographically. We examined possible differences in PCa risk by clinical risk category between native-born and immigrant populations in Sweden. Our hypothesis was that lower PSA-testing uptake among foreign-born men would result in lower rates of localized disease, and similar or higher risk of metastatic disease. METHODS: Using the Prostate Cancer database Sweden, we identified 117,328 men with PCa diagnosed from 1991 to 2008, of which 8,332 were foreign born. For each case, 5 cancer-free matched controls were randomly selected from the population register. Conditional logistic regression was used to compare low risk, intermediate risk, high risk, regionally metastatic, and distant metastatic PCa based upon region of origin. RESULTS: Across all risk categories, immigrants had significantly lower PCa risk than native-born Swedish men, except North Americans and Northern Europeans. The lowest PCa risk was observed in men from the Middle East, Southern Europe, and Asia. Multivariable adjustment for socioeconomic factors and comorbidities did not materially change risk estimates. Older age at immigration and more recent arrival in Sweden were associated with lower PCa risk. Non-native men were less likely to be diagnosed with PCa through PSA testing during a health checkup. CONCLUSIONS: The risk for all stages of PCa was lower among first-generation immigrants to Sweden compared with native-born men. Older age at immigration and more recent immigration were associated with particularly low risks. Patterns of PSA testing appeared to only partly explain the differences in PCa risk, since immigrant men also had a lower risk of metastatic disease.
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| 26. |
- Lundström, Linda, et al.
(author)
-
A galanin receptor subtype 1 specific agonist
- 2005
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In: International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-3904 .- 1573-3149. ; 11:1, s. 17-27
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The chimeric peptide M617, galanin(1–13)-Gln14-bradykinin(2–9)amide, is a novel galanin receptor ligand with increased subtype specificity for GalR1 and agonistic activity in cultured cells as well as in vivo. Displacement studies on cell membranes expressing hGalR1 or hGalR2 show the presence of a high affinity binding site for M617 on GalR1 (K i=0.23±.12 nM) while lower affinity was seen towards GalR2 (K i=5.71±1.28 nM) resulting in 25-fold specificity for GalR1. Activation of GalR1 upon stimulation with M617 is further confirmed by internalization of a GalR1-EGFP conjugate. Intracellular signaling studies show the ability of M617 to inhibit forskolin stimulated cAMP formation with 57% and to produce a 5-fold increase in inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation. Agonistic effects on signal transduction are shown on both receptors studied after treatment with M617 in the presence of galanin. In noradrenergic locus coeruleus neurons, M617 induces an outward current even in the presence of TTX plus Ca2+, high Mg2+, suggesting a postsynaptic effect. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of M617 dose-dependently stimulates food uptake in rats while, in contrast, M35 completely fails to affect the feeding behavior. Spinal cord flexor reflex is facilitated by intrathecal (i.t.) administration of M617 as well as galanin with no significant change upon pre-treatment with M617. M617 dose dependently antagonizes the spinal cord hyperexcitablility induced by C-fiber conditioning stimulus and does neither enhance nor antagonize the effect of galanin. These data demonstrate a novel galanin receptor ligand with subtype specificity for GalR1 and agonistic activity, both in vitro and in vivo.
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
- Muraro, A., et al.
(author)
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Neutron radiography as a non-destructive method for diagnosing neutron converters for advanced thermal neutron detectors
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Instrumentation. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 1748-0221. ; 11:C03033
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Due to the well-known problem of He-3 shortage, a series of different thermal neutron detectors alternative to helium tubes are being developed, with the goal to find valid candidates for detection systems for the future spallation neutron sources such as the European Spallation Source (ESS). A possible He-3-free detector candidate is a charged particle detector equipped with a three dimensional neutron converter cathode (3D-C). The 3D-C currently under development is composed by a series of alumina (Al2O3) lamellas coated by 1 mu m of B-10 enriched boron carbide (B4C). In order to obtain a good characterization in terms of detector efficiency and uniformity it is crucial to know the thickness, the uniformity and the atomic composition of the B4C neutron converter coating. In this work a non-destructive technique for the characterization of the lamellas that will compose the 3D-C was performed using neutron radiography. The results of these measurements show that the lamellas that will be used have coating uniformity suitable for detector applications. This technique (compared with SEM, EDX, ERDA, XPS) has the advantage of being global (i.e. non point-like) and non-destructive, thus it is suitable as a check method for mass production of the 3D-C elements.
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| 30. |
- Muraro, Andrea, et al.
(author)
-
Performance of the high-efficiency thermal neutron BAND-GEM detector
- 2018
-
In: Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2050-3911. ; :2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Newhigh-count-rate detectors are required for future spallation neutron sources where large-area and high-efficiency (>50%) detectors are envisaged. In this framework, Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) is one of the detector technologies being explored, since it features good spatial resolution (<0.5 cm) and timing properties, has excellent rate capability (MHz/mm(2)) and can cover large areas (some m(2)) at low cost. In the BAND-GEM (boron array neutron detector GEM) approach a 3D geometry for the neutron converter cathode was developed that is expected to provide an efficiency >30% in thewavelength range of interest for small angle neutron scattering instruments. A system of aluminum grids with thin walls coated with a 0.59 mu m layer of (B4C)-B-10 has been built and positioned in the first detector gap, orthogonally to the cathode. By tilting the grid system with respect to the beam, there is a significant increase of effective thickness of the borated material crossed by the neutrons. As a consequence, both interaction probability and detection efficiency are increased. This paper presents the results of the performance of the BAND-GEM detector in terms of efficiency and spatial resolution.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
- Northcott, Paul A, et al.
(author)
-
Enhancer hijacking activates GFI1 family oncogenes in medulloblastoma.
- 2014
-
In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 511:7510, s. 428-428
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant paediatric brain tumour currently treated with a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, posing a considerable burden of toxicity to the developing child. Genomics has illuminated the extensive intertumoral heterogeneity of medulloblastoma, identifying four distinct molecular subgroups. Group 3 and group 4 subgroup medulloblastomas account for most paediatric cases; yet, oncogenic drivers for these subtypes remain largely unidentified. Here we describe a series of prevalent, highly disparate genomic structural variants, restricted to groups 3 and 4, resulting in specific and mutually exclusive activation of the growth factor independent 1 family proto-oncogenes, GFI1 and GFI1B. Somatic structural variants juxtapose GFI1 or GFI1B coding sequences proximal to active enhancer elements, including super-enhancers, instigating oncogenic activity. Our results, supported by evidence from mouse models, identify GFI1 and GFI1B as prominent medulloblastoma oncogenes and implicate 'enhancer hijacking' as an efficient mechanism driving oncogene activation in a childhood cancer.
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| 33. |
- Park, Ah Young, et al.
(author)
-
A single subunit directs the assembly of the Escherichia coli DNA sliding clamp loader.
- 2010
-
In: Structure. - : Elsevier BV. - 0969-2126 .- 1878-4186. ; 18:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Multi-protein clamp loader complexes are required to load sliding clamps onto DNA. In Escherichia coli the clamp loader contains three DnaX (tau/gamma) proteins, delta, and delta', which together form an asymmetric pentameric ring that also interacts with psichi. Here we used mass spectrometry to examine the assembly and dynamics of the clamp loader complex. We find that gamma exists exclusively as a stable homotetramer, while tau is in a monomer-dimer-trimer-tetramer equilibrium. delta' plays a direct role in the assembly as a tau/gamma oligomer breaker, thereby facilitating incorporation of lower oligomers. With delta', both delta and psichi stabilize the trimeric form of DnaX, thus completing the assembly. When tau and gamma are present simultaneously, mimicking the situation in vivo, subunit exchange between tau and gamma tetramers occurs rapidly to form heterocomplexes but is retarded when deltadelta' is present. The implications for intracellular assembly of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme are discussed.
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
- Piscitelli, F., et al.
(author)
-
The Multi-Blade Boron-10-based neutron detector for high intensity neutron reflectometry at ESS
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1748-0221. ; 12:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Multi-Blade is a Boron-10-based gaseous detector introduced to face the challenge arising in neutron reflectometry at pulsed neutron sources. Neutron reflectometers are the most challenging instruments in terms of instantaneous counting rate and spatial resolution. This detector has been designed to cope with the requirements set for the reflectometers at the upcoming European Spallation Source (ESS) in Sweden. Based on previous results obtained at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in France, an improved demonstrator has been built at ESS and tested at the Budapest Neutron Centre (BNC) in Hungary and at the Source Testing Facility (STF) at the Lund University in Sweden. A detailed description of the detector and the results of the tests are discussed in this manuscript.
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| 36. |
- Robinson, Dudley, et al.
(author)
-
Oestrogens and overactive bladder
- 2014
-
In: Neurourology and urodynamics. - : Wiley. - 1520-6777 .- 0733-2467. ; 33:7, s. 1086-1091
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Estrogens are known to have a major role in the function of the lower urinary tract although the role of exogenous estrogen replacement therapy in the management of women with lower urinary tract dysfunction remains controversial. Whilst for many years systemic and vaginal estrogen therapy was felt to be beneficial in the treatment of lower urinary and genital tract symptoms this evidence has recently been challenged by large epidemiological studies investigating the use of systemic hormone replacement therapy. Consequently the role of estrogen in the management of postmenopausal women with Overactive Bladder (OAB) remains uncertain. In addition the evidence base regarding the use of exogenous estrogen therapy has changed significantly over the last decade and has led to a major changes in current clinical practice. The aim of this article is to review the evidence for the role of estrogen therapy in the management of OAB focusing on current knowledge with regard to both systemic and local estrogen therapy as well as investigating the emerging role of combination therapy with antimuscarinic agents. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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| 37. |
- Sievert, Karl-Dietrich, et al.
(author)
-
Can we prevent incontinence? ICI-RS 2011.
- 2012
-
In: Neurourology and urodynamics. - : Wiley. - 1520-6777 .- 0733-2467. ; 31:3, s. 390-9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A review of the current state of research with regard to prevention of incontinence.
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| 38. |
- Sopena Moros, Arturo, et al.
(author)
-
Tracking Cavity Formation in Electron Solvation : Insights from X-ray Spectroscopy and Theory
- 2024
-
In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 146:5, s. 3262-3269
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present time-resolved X-ray absorption spectra of ionized liquid water and demonstrate that OH radicals, H3O+ ions, and solvated electrons all leave distinct X-ray-spectroscopic signatures. Particularly, this allows us to characterize the electron solvation process through a tool that focuses on the electronic response of oxygen atoms in the immediate vicinity of a solvated electron. Our experimental results, supported by ab initio calculations, confirm the formation of a cavity in which the solvated electron is trapped. We show that the solvation dynamics are governed by the magnitude of the random structural fluctuations present in water. As a consequence, the solvation time is highly sensitive to temperature and to the specific way the electron is injected into water.
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| 39. |
- Tesi, Bianca, et al.
(author)
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Diagnostic yield and clinical impact of germline sequencing in children with CNS and extracranial solid tumors : a nationwide, prospective Swedish study
- 2024
-
In: The Lancet Regional Health. - : Elsevier. - 2666-7762. ; 39
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundChildhood cancer predisposition (ChiCaP) syndromes are increasingly recognized as contributing factors to childhood cancer development. Yet, due to variable availability of germline testing, many children with ChiCaP might go undetected today. We report results from the nationwide and prospective ChiCaP study that investigated diagnostic yield and clinical impact of integrating germline whole-genome sequencing (gWGS) with tumor sequencing and systematic phenotyping in children with solid tumors.MethodsgWGS was performed in 309 children at diagnosis of CNS (n = 123, 40%) or extracranial (n = 186, 60%) solid tumors and analyzed for disease-causing variants in 189 known cancer predisposing genes. Tumor sequencing data were available for 74% (227/309) of patients. In addition, a standardized clinical assessment for underlying predisposition was performed in 95% (293/309) of patients.FindingsThe prevalence of ChiCaP diagnoses was 11% (35/309), of which 69% (24/35) were unknown at inclusion (diagnostic yield 8%, 24/298). A second-hit and/or relevant mutational signature was observed in 19/21 (90%) tumors with informative data. ChiCaP diagnoses were more prevalent among patients with retinoblastomas (50%, 6/12) and high-grade astrocytomas (37%, 6/16), and in those with non-cancer related features (23%, 20/88), and ≥2 positive ChiCaP criteria (28%, 22/79). ChiCaP diagnoses were autosomal dominant in 80% (28/35) of patients, yet confirmed de novo in 64% (18/28). The 35 ChiCaP findings resulted in tailored surveillance (86%, 30/35) and treatment recommendations (31%, 11/35).InterpretationOverall, our results demonstrate that systematic phenotyping, combined with genomics-based diagnostics of ChiCaP in children with solid tumors is feasible in large-scale clinical practice and critically guides personalized care in a sizable proportion of patients.
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| 40. |
- Tsiledakis, Georgios, et al.
(author)
-
Large High-Efficiency Thermal Neutron Detectors Based on the Micromegas Technology
- 2018
-
In: Universe. - : MDPI. - 2218-1997. ; 4:12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Due to the so-called He-3 shortage crisis, many detection techniques for thermal neutrons are currently based on alternative converters. There are several possible ways of increasing the detection efficiency for thermal neutrons using the solid neutron-to-charge converters B-10 or (B4C)-B-10. Here, we present an investigation of the Micromegas technology The micro-pattern gaseous detector Micromegas was developed in the past years at Saclay and is now used in a wide variety of neutron experiments due to its combination of high accuracy, high rate capability, excellent timing properties, and robustness. A large high-efficiency Micromegas-based neutron detector is proposed for thermal neutron detection, containing several layers of (B4C)-B-10 coatings that are mounted inside the gas volume. The principle and the fabrication of a single detector unit prototype with overall dimension of similar to 15 x 15 cm(2) and its possibility to modify the number of B-10 or (B4C)-B-10 neutron converter layers are described. We also report results from measurements that are verified by simulations, demonstrating that typically five (B4C)-B-10 layers of 1-2 mu m thickness would lead to a detection efficiency of 20% for thermal neutrons and a spatial resolution of sub-mm. The high potential of this novel technique is given by the design being easily adapted to large sizes by constructing a mosaic of several such detector units, resulting in a large area coverage and high detection efficiencies. An alternative way of achieving this is to use a multi-layered Micromegas that is equipped with two-side (B4C)-B-10-coated gas electron multiplier (GEM)-type meshes, resulting in a robust and large surface detector. Another innovative and very promising concept for cost-effective, high-efficiency, large-scale neutron detectors is by stacking (B4C)-B-10-coated microbulk Micromegas. A prototype was designed and built, and the tests so far look very encouraging.
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| 41. |
- Vitucci, G., et al.
(author)
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Measurement of the thickness of B4C layers deposited over metallic grids via multi-angle neutron radiography
- 2019
-
In: Measurement science and technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0957-0233 .- 1361-6501. ; 30:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- At the present time, different kinds of thermal neutron detectors are under development at the European Spallation Source research facility, in order to overcome the well-known problem of the He-3 shortage. One of these new systems relies on the use of a 3D neutron convener cathode that consists of a stack of aluminum grids, covered by a 0.9 mu m B-10 enriched boron carbide layer ((B4C)-B-10). As the conversion efficiency is a function of the boron thickness and the mean free path of the charged particles produced in the neutron induced reaction, the characterization of the boron carbide layer uniformity over the grids becomes crucial. In this work, a non-destructive method to map the thickness distribution of the converter layer over the grids is shown. The measurements exploit the white-beam neutron radiography technique where the specimen is irradiated at different angles. This experiment has been performed at the IMAT beamline operating at the ISIS spallation neutron source (UK). The results confirm that this non-destructive, wide-ranging technique allows a reliable and fast sample characterization and that it may be exploited in similar analyses where equivalent requirements are requested.
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| 42. |
- Wadensten, Elisabeth, et al.
(author)
-
Diagnostic Yield From a Nationwide Implementation of Precision Medicine for all Children With Cancer.
- 2023
-
In: JCO Precision Oncology (JCO PO). - : American Society of Clinical Oncology. - 2473-4284. ; 7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Several studies have indicated that broad genomic characterization of childhood cancer provides diagnostically and/or therapeutically relevant information in selected high-risk cases. However, the extent to which such characterization offers clinically actionable data in a prospective broadly inclusive setting remains largely unexplored.We implemented prospective whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of tumor and germline, complemented by whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) for all children diagnosed with a primary or relapsed solid malignancy in Sweden. Multidisciplinary molecular tumor boards were set up to integrate genomic data in the clinical decision process along with a medicolegal framework enabling secondary use of sequencing data for research purposes.During the study's first 14 months, 118 solid tumors from 117 patients were subjected to WGS, with complementary RNA-Seq for fusion gene detection in 52 tumors. There was no significant geographic bias in patient enrollment, and the included tumor types reflected the annual national incidence of pediatric solid tumor types. Of the 112 tumors with somatic mutations, 106 (95%) exhibited alterations with a clear clinical correlation. In 46 of 118 tumors (39%), sequencing only corroborated histopathological diagnoses, while in 59 cases (50%), it contributed to additional subclassification or detection of prognostic markers. Potential treatment targets were found in 31 patients (26%), most commonly ALK mutations/fusions (n = 4), RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway mutations (n = 14), FGFR1 mutations/fusions (n = 5), IDH1 mutations (n = 2), and NTRK2 gene fusions (n = 2). In one patient, the tumor diagnosis was revised based on sequencing. Clinically relevant germline variants were detected in 8 of 94 patients (8.5%).Up-front, large-scale genomic characterization of pediatric solid malignancies provides diagnostically valuable data in the majority of patients also in a largely unselected cohort.
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| 43. |
- Wadensten, Elisabeth, et al.
(author)
-
Diagnostic Yield From a Nationwide Implementation of Precision Medicine for all Children With Cancer
- 2023
-
In: JCO Precision Oncology. - : American Society of Clinical Oncology. - 2473-4284. ; :7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Several studies have indicated that broad genomic characterization of childhood cancer provides diagnostically and/or therapeutically relevant information in selected high-risk cases. However, the extent to which such characterization offers clinically actionable data in a prospective broadly inclusive setting remains largely unexplored.Methods: We implemented prospective whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of tumor and germline, complemented by whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) for all children diagnosed with a primary or relapsed solid malignancy in Sweden. Multidisciplinary molecular tumor boards were set up to integrate genomic data in the clinical decision process along with a medicolegal framework enabling secondary use of sequencing data for research purposes.Results: During the study's first 14 months, 118 solid tumors from 117 patients were subjected to WGS, with complementary RNA-Seq for fusion gene detection in 52 tumors. There was no significant geographic bias in patient enrollment, and the included tumor types reflected the annual national incidence of pediatric solid tumor types. Of the 112 tumors with somatic mutations, 106 (95%) exhibited alterations with a clear clinical correlation. In 46 of 118 tumors (39%), sequencing only corroborated histopathological diagnoses, while in 59 cases (50%), it contributed to additional subclassification or detection of prognostic markers. Potential treatment targets were found in 31 patients (26%), most commonly ALK mutations/fusions (n = 4), RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway mutations (n = 14), FGFR1 mutations/fusions (n = 5), IDH1 mutations (n = 2), and NTRK2 gene fusions (n = 2). In one patient, the tumor diagnosis was revised based on sequencing. Clinically relevant germline variants were detected in 8 of 94 patients (8.5%).Conclusion: Up-front, large-scale genomic characterization of pediatric solid malignancies provides diagnostically valuable data in the majority of patients also in a largely unselected cohort.
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| 44. |
- Wilson, Shaun K., et al.
(author)
-
The contribution of macroalgae-associated fishes to small-scale tropical reef fisheries
- 2022
-
In: Fish and Fisheries. - : Wiley. - 1467-2960 .- 1467-2979. ; 23:4, s. 847-861
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Macroalgae-dominated reefs are a prominent habitat in tropical seascapes that support a diversity of fishes, including fishery target species. To what extent, then, do macroalgal habitats contribute to small-scale tropical reef fisheries? To address this question we: (1) Quantified the macroalgae-associated fish component in catches from 133 small-scale fisheries, (2) Compared life-history traits relevant to fishing (e.g. growth, longevity) in macroalgal and coral-associated fishes, (3) Examined how macroalgae-associated species can influence catch diversity, trophic level and vulnerability and (4) Explored how tropical fisheries change with the expansion of macroalgal habitats using a case study of fishery-independent data for Seychelles. Fish that utilised macroalgal habitats comprise 24% of the catch, but very few fished species relied entirely on macroalgal or coral habitats post-settlement. Macroalgal and coral-associated fishes had similar life-history traits, although vulnerability to fishing declined with increasing contribution of macroalgae association to the catch, whilst mean trophic level and diversity peaked when macroalgal-associated fish accounted for 20%–30% of catches. The Seychelles case study revealed similar total fish biomass on macroalgal and coral reefs, although the biomass of primary target species increased as macroalgae cover expanded. Our findings reinforce that multiple habitat types are needed to support tropical fishery stability and sustainability. Whilst coral habitats have been the focus of tropical fisheries management, we show the potential for macroalgae-associated fish to support catch size and diversity in ways that reduce vulnerability to overfishing. This is pertinent to seascapes where repeated disturbances are facilitating the replacement of coral reef with macroalgal habitats.
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| 45. |
- Wirén, Sara, 1981-, et al.
(author)
-
Fatherhood status and risk of prostate cancer : nationwide, population-based case-control study
- 2013
-
In: International Journal of Cancer. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 133:4, s. 937-943
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous studies have shown a decreased risk of prostate cancer for childless men; however, the cause of the association remains to be elucidated. The aim of our study was to assess the risk of prostate cancer by fatherhood status, also considering potential confounding factors. In a case–control study in Prostate Cancer data Base Sweden 2.0, a nationwide, population-based cohort, data on number of children, marital status, education, comorbidity and tumor characteristics obtained through nationwide healthcare registers and demographic databases for 117,328 prostate cancer cases and 562,644 controls, matched on birth year and county of residence, were analyzed. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for prostate cancer overall and by risk category, adjusting for marital status and education. Childless men had a decreased risk of prostate cancer compared to fathers, OR = 0.83 (95% CI = 0.82–0.84), and risk was lower for low-risk prostate cancer, OR = 0.74 (95% CI = 0.72–0.77), than for metastatic prostate cancer, OR = 0.93 (95% CI = 0.90–0.97). Adjustment for marital status and education attenuated the association in the low-risk category, adjusted OR = 0.87 (95% CI = 0.84–0.91), whereas OR for metastatic cancer remained virtually unchanged, adjusted OR = 0.92 (95% CI = 0.88–0.96). Our data indicate that the association between fatherhood status and prostate cancer to a large part is due to socioeconomic factors influencing healthcare-seeking behavior including testing of prostate-specific antigen levels.
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| 46. |
- Wiren, Sara, et al.
(author)
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Fathering of Dizygotic Twins and Risk of Prostate Cancer : Nationwide, Population-Based Case-Control Study
- 2014
-
In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: An association between male fertility and risk of prostate cancer has been suggested, possibly through lower androgen levels in subfertile men. We evaluated male fertility in relation to risk of prostate cancer by assessing the frequency of fathering of dizygotic twins, a marker of high fertility, among cases of prostate cancer and controls. Methods: We performed a case-control study in Prostate Cancer data Base Sweden (PCBaSe), a nationwide, population-based cohort. PCBaSe was linked to the Swedish twin register for information on zygosity for same-sex twins and to other nationwide health care registers and demographic databases for information on socioeconomic factors, comorbidity, and tumor characteristics for 96 301 prostate cancer cases and 378 583 matched controls. To account for the influence of in vitro fertilization on dizygotic twinning, analyses were restricted to men who had fathered children before 1991, when in vitro fertilization was still uncommon in Sweden. Results: 1 112 cases and 4 538 controls had fathered dizygotic twins. Men with dizygotic twins had no increased risk of prostate cancer compared to fathers of singletons; neither for total prostate cancer odds ratio (OR) 0.95(95% CI 0.89-1.02), nor for any risk category, OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.84-1.12) for low-risk disease, and OR 1.04 (95% CI 0.90-1.22) for metastatic disease. Conclusion: The lack of association between fathering of dizygotic twins and prostate cancer risk give no support for an association between male fertility and prostate cancer risk.
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| 47. |
- Young, Amber V., et al.
(author)
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Inferring chemical disequilibrium biosignatures for Proterozoic Earth-like exoplanets
- 2024
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In: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-3366. ; 8, s. 101-110
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chemical disequilibrium quantified using the available free energy has previously been proposed as a potential biosignature. However, researchers remotely sensing exoplanet biosignatures have not yet investigated how observational uncertainties impact the ability to infer a life-generated available free energy. We pair an atmospheric retrieval tool to a thermodynamics model to assess the detectability of chemical disequilibrium signatures of Earth-like exoplanets, focusing on the Proterozoic eon when the atmospheric abundances of oxygen-methane disequilibrium pairs may have been relatively high. Retrieval model studies applied across a range of gas abundances revealed that order-of-magnitude constraints on the disequilibrium energy are achieved with simulated reflected-light observations for the high-abundance scenario and high signal-to-noise ratios (50), whereas weak constraints are found for moderate signal-to-noise ratios (20-30) and medium- to low-abundance cases. Furthermore, the disequilibrium-energy constraints are improved by using the modest thermal information encoded in water vapour opacities at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. These results highlight how remotely detecting chemical disequilibrium biosignatures can be a useful and metabolism-agnostic approach to biosignature detection. Chemical disequilibrium is a known biosignature, and it is important to determine the conditions for its remote detection. A thermodynamical model coupled with atmospheric retrieval shows that a disequilibrium can be inferred for a Proterozoic Earth-like exoplanet in reflected light at a high O2/CH4 abundance case and signal-to-noise ratio of 50.
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| 48. |
- Abbafati, Cristiana, et al.
(author)
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- 2020
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 49. |
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- 2019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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