1. |
- Abelev, Betty, et al.
(author)
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Measurement of prompt J/psi and beauty hadron production cross sections at mid-rapidity in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV
- 2012
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In: Journal of High Energy Physics. - 1029-8479. ; :11
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ALICE experiment at the LHC has studied J/psi production at mid-rapidity in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV through its electron pair decay on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity L-int = 5.6 nb(-1). The fraction of J/psi from the decay of long-lived beauty hadrons was determined for J/psi candidates with transverse momentum p(t) > 1,3 GeV/c and rapidity vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.9. The cross section for prompt J/psi mesons, i.e. directly produced J/psi and prompt decays of heavier charmonium states such as the psi(2S) and chi(c) resonances, is sigma(prompt J/psi) (p(t) > 1.3 GeV/c, vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.9) = 8.3 +/- 0.8(stat.) +/- 1.1 (syst.)(-1.4)(+1.5) (syst. pol.) mu b. The cross section for the production of b-hadrons decaying to J/psi with p(t) > 1.3 GeV/c and vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.9 is a sigma(J/psi <- hB) (p(t) > 1.3 GeV/c, vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.9) = 1.46 +/- 0.38 (stat.)(-0.32)(+0.26) (syst.) mu b. The results are compared to QCD model predictions. The shape of the p(t) and y distributions of b-quarks predicted by perturbative QCD model calculations are used to extrapolate the measured cross section to derive the b (b) over bar pair total cross section and d sigma/dy at mid-rapidity.
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2. |
- Abelev, Betty, et al.
(author)
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Underlying Event measurements in pp collisions at root s=0.9 and 7 TeV with the ALICE experiment at the LHC
- 2012
-
In: Journal of High Energy Physics. - 1029-8479. ; :7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present measurements of Underlying Event observables in pp collisions at root s = 0 : 9 and 7 TeV. The analysis is performed as a function of the highest charged-particle transverse momentum p(T),L-T in the event. Different regions are defined with respect to the azimuthal direction of the leading (highest transverse momentum) track: Toward, Transverse and Away. The Toward and Away regions collect the fragmentation products of the hardest partonic interaction. The Transverse region is expected to be most sensitive to the Underlying Event activity. The study is performed with charged particles above three different p(T) thresholds: 0.15, 0.5 and 1.0 GeV/c. In the Transverse region we observe an increase in the multiplicity of a factor 2-3 between the lower and higher collision energies, depending on the track p(T) threshold considered. Data are compared to PYTHIA 6.4, PYTHIA 8.1 and PHOJET. On average, all models considered underestimate the multiplicity and summed p(T) in the Transverse region by about 10-30%.
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3. |
- Abelev, Betty, et al.
(author)
-
Long-range angular correlations on the near and away side in p-Pb collisions at root S-NN=5.02 TeV
- 2013
-
In: Physics Letters. Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-2693. ; 719:1-3, s. 29-41
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Angular correlations between charged trigger and associated particles are measured by the ALICE detector in p-Pb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV for transverse momentum ranges within 0.5 < P-T,P-assoc < P-T,P-trig < 4 GeV/c. The correlations are measured over two units of pseudorapidity and full azimuthal angle in different intervals of event multiplicity, and expressed as associated yield per trigger particle. Two long-range ridge-like structures, one on the near side and one on the away side, are observed when the per-trigger yield obtained in low-multiplicity events is subtracted from the one in high-multiplicity events. The excess on the near-side is qualitatively similar to that recently reported by the CMS Collaboration, while the excess on the away-side is reported for the first time. The two-ridge structure projected onto azimuthal angle is quantified with the second and third Fourier coefficients as well as by near-side and away-side yields and widths. The yields on the near side and on the away side are equal within the uncertainties for all studied event multiplicity and p(T) bins, and the widths show no significant evolution with event multiplicity or p(T). These findings suggest that the near-side ridge is accompanied by an essentially identical away-side ridge. (c) 2013 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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4. |
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5. |
- Settele, Josef, et al.
(author)
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Rice ecosystem services in South-east Asia
- 2018
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In: Paddy and Water Environment. - : Springer. - 1611-2490 .- 1611-2504. ; 16:2, s. 211-224
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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6. |
- Dietz, Benedikt, et al.
(author)
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Detection of diabetes from whole-body MRI using deep learning
- 2021
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In: JCI Insight. - : American Society for Clinical Investigation. - 2379-3708. ; 6:21
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Obesity is one of the main drivers of type 2 diabetes, but it is not uniformly associated with the disease. The location of fat accumulation is critical for metabolic health. Specific patterns of body fat distribution, such as visceral fat, are closely related to insulin resistance. There might be further, hitherto unknown, features of body fat distribution that could additionally contribute to the disease. We used machine learning with dense convolutional neural networks to detect diabetes-related variables from 2371 T1-weighted whole-body MRI data sets. MRI was performed in participants undergoing metabolic screening with oral glucose tolerance tests. Models were trained for sex, age, BMI, insulin sensitivity, HbA1c, and prediabetes or incident diabetes. The results were compared with those of conventional models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 87% for the type 2 diabetes discrimination and 68% for prediabetes, both superior to conventional models. Mean absolute regression errors were comparable to those of conventional models. Heatmaps showed that lower visceral abdominal regions were critical in diabetes classification. Subphenotyping revealed a group with high future diabetes and microalbuminuria risk. Our results show that diabetes is detectable from whole-body MRI without additional data. Our technique of heatmap visualization identifies plausible anatomical regions and highlights the leading role of fat accumulation in the lower abdomen in diabetes pathogenesis.
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7. |
- Dima, Danai, et al.
(author)
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Subcortical volumes across the lifespan : Data from 18,605 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years.
- 2022
-
In: Human Brain Mapping. - : Wiley. - 1065-9471 .- 1097-0193. ; 43:1, s. 452-469
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Age has a major effect on brain volume. However, the normative studies available are constrained by small sample sizes, restricted age coverage and significant methodological variability. These limitations introduce inconsistencies and may obscure or distort the lifespan trajectories of brain morphometry. In response, we capitalized on the resources of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to examine age-related trajectories inferred from cross-sectional measures of the ventricles, the basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens), the thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 18,605 individuals aged 3-90 years. All subcortical structure volumes were at their maximum value early in life. The volume of the basal ganglia showed a monotonic negative association with age thereafter; there was no significant association between age and the volumes of the thalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus (with some degree of decline in thalamus) until the sixth decade of life after which they also showed a steep negative association with age. The lateral ventricles showed continuous enlargement throughout the lifespan. Age was positively associated with inter-individual variability in the hippocampus and amygdala and the lateral ventricles. These results were robust to potential confounders and could be used to examine the functional significance of deviations from typical age-related morphometric patterns.
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8. |
- Frangou, Sophia, et al.
(author)
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Cortical thickness across the lifespan : Data from 17,075 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years
- 2022
-
In: Human Brain Mapping. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1065-9471 .- 1097-0193. ; 43:1, s. 431-451
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Delineating the association of age and cortical thickness in healthy individuals is critical given the association of cortical thickness with cognition and behavior. Previous research has shown that robust estimates of the association between age and brain morphometry require large-scale studies. In response, we used cross-sectional data from 17,075 individuals aged 3-90 years from the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to infer age-related changes in cortical thickness. We used fractional polynomial (FP) regression to quantify the association between age and cortical thickness, and we computed normalized growth centiles using the parametric Lambda, Mu, and Sigma method. Interindividual variability was estimated using meta-analysis and one-way analysis of variance. For most regions, their highest cortical thickness value was observed in childhood. Age and cortical thickness showed a negative association; the slope was steeper up to the third decade of life and more gradual thereafter; notable exceptions to this general pattern were entorhinal, temporopolar, and anterior cingulate cortices. Interindividual variability was largest in temporal and frontal regions across the lifespan. Age and its FP combinations explained up to 59% variance in cortical thickness. These results may form the basis of further investigation on normative deviation in cortical thickness and its significance for behavioral and cognitive outcomes.
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9. |
- Hendriksen, Rene S., et al.
(author)
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Global monitoring of antimicrobial resistance based on metagenomics analyses of urban sewage
- 2019
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 10:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- © 2019, The Author(s). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to global public health, but obtaining representative data on AMR for healthy human populations is difficult. Here, we use metagenomic analysis of untreated sewage to characterize the bacterial resistome from 79 sites in 60 countries. We find systematic differences in abundance and diversity of AMR genes between Europe/North-America/Oceania and Africa/Asia/South-America. Antimicrobial use data and bacterial taxonomy only explains a minor part of the AMR variation that we observe. We find no evidence for cross-selection between antimicrobial classes, or for effect of air travel between sites. However, AMR gene abundance strongly correlates with socio-economic, health and environmental factors, which we use to predict AMR gene abundances in all countries in the world. Our findings suggest that global AMR gene diversity and abundance vary by region, and that improving sanitation and health could potentially limit the global burden of AMR. We propose metagenomic analysis of sewage as an ethically acceptable and economically feasible approach for continuous global surveillance and prediction of AMR.
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10. |
- Hibar, Derrek P., et al.
(author)
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Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume
- 2017
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci, three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus, subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (r(g) = -0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume and risk for neuropsychiatric illness.
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11. |
- Klingenberg, Roland, et al.
(author)
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Depletion of FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells promotes hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis
- 2013
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In: Journal of Clinical Investigation. - 0021-9738 .- 1558-8238. ; 123:3, s. 1323-1334
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease promoted by hyperlipidemia. Several studies support FOXP3-positive regulatory T cells (Tregs) as inhibitors of atherosclerosis; however, the mechanism underlying this protection remains elusive. To define the role of FOXP3-expressing Tregs in atherosclerosis, we used the DEREG mouse, which expresses the diphtheria toxin (DT) receptor under control of the Treg-specific Foxp3 promoter, allowing for specific ablation of FOXP3(+) Tregs. Lethally irradiated, atherosclerosis-prone, low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (Ldlr(-/-)) mice received DEREG bone marrow and were injected with DT to eliminate FOXP3(+) Tregs. Depletion of Tregs caused a 2.1-fold increase in atherosclerosis without a concomitant increase in vascular inflammation. These mice also exhibited a 1.7-fold increase in plasma cholesterol and an atherogenic lipoprotein profile with increased levels of VLDL. Clearance of VLDL and chylomicron remnants was hampered, leading to accumulation of cholesterol-rich particles in the circulation. Functional and protein analyses complemented by gene expression array identified reduced protein expression of sortilin-1 in liver and increased plasma enzyme activity of lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, and phospholipid transfer protein as mediators of the altered lipid phenotype. These results demonstrate that FOXP3(+) Tregs inhibit atherosclerosis by modulating lipoprotein metabolism.
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12. |
- Nieuwenhuijse, David F., et al.
(author)
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Setting a baseline for global urban virome surveillance in sewage
- 2020
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- © 2020, The Author(s). The rapid development of megacities, and their growing connectedness across the world is becoming a distinct driver for emerging disease outbreaks. Early detection of unusual disease emergence and spread should therefore include such cities as part of risk-based surveillance. A catch-all metagenomic sequencing approach of urban sewage could potentially provide an unbiased insight into the dynamics of viral pathogens circulating in a community irrespective of access to care, a potential which already has been proven for the surveillance of poliovirus. Here, we present a detailed characterization of sewage viromes from a snapshot of 81 high density urban areas across the globe, including in-depth assessment of potential biases, as a proof of concept for catch-all viral pathogen surveillance. We show the ability to detect a wide range of viruses and geographical and seasonal differences for specific viral groups. Our findings offer a cross-sectional baseline for further research in viral surveillance from urban sewage samples and place previous studies in a global perspective.
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13. |
- Soliveres, Santiago, et al.
(author)
-
Biodiversity at multiple trophic levels is needed for ecosystem multifunctionality
- 2016
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 536:7617, s. 456-459
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many experiments have shown that loss of biodiversity reduces the capacity of ecosystems to provide the multiple services on which humans depend. However, experiments necessarily simplify the complexity of natural ecosystems and will normally control for other important drivers of ecosystem functioning, such as the environment or land use. In addition, existing studies typically focus on the diversity of single trophic groups, neglecting the fact that biodiversity loss occurs across many taxa and that the functional effects of any trophic group may depend on the abundance and diversity of others. Here we report analysis of the relationships between the species richness and abundance of nine trophic groups, including 4,600 above- and below-ground taxa, and 14 ecosystem services and functions and with their simultaneous provision (or multifunctionality) in 150 grasslands. We show that high species richness in multiple trophic groups (multitrophic richness) had stronger positive effects on ecosystem services than richness in any individual trophic group; this includes plant species richness, the most widely used measure of biodiversity. On average, three trophic groups influenced each ecosystem service, with each trophic group influencing at least one service. Multitrophic richness was particularly beneficial for 'regulating' and 'cultural' services, and for multifunctionality, whereas a change in the total abundance of species or biomass in multiple trophic groups (the multitrophic abundance) positively affected supporting services. Multitrophic richness and abundance drove ecosystem functioning as strongly as abiotic conditions and land-use intensity, extending previous experimental results to real-world ecosystems. Primary producers, herbivorous insects and microbial decomposers seem to be particularly important drivers of ecosystem functioning, as shown by the strong and frequent positive associations of their richness or abundance with multiple ecosystem services. Our results show that multitrophic richness and abundance support ecosystem functioning, and demonstrate that a focus on single groups has led to researchers to greatly underestimate the functional importance of biodiversity.
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14. |
- Soliveres, Santiago, et al.
(author)
-
Locally rare species influence grassland ecosystem multifunctionality
- 2016
-
In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8436 .- 1471-2970. ; 371:1694
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Species diversity promotes the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality). However, the relative functional importance of rare and common species in driving the biodiversity-multifunctionality relationship remains unknown. We studied the relationship between the diversity of rare and common species (according to their local abundances and across nine different trophic groups), and multifunctionality indices derived from 14 ecosystem functions on 150 grasslands across a land-use intensity (LUI) gradient. The diversity of above-and below-ground rare species had opposite effects, with rare above-ground species being associated with high levels of multifunctionality, probably because their effects on different functions did not trade off against each other. Conversely, common species were only related to average, not high, levels of multifunctionality, and their functional effects declined with LUI. Apart from the community-level effects of diversity, we found significant positive associations between the abundance of individual species and multifunctionality in 6% of the species tested. Species-specific functional effects were best predicted by their response to LUI: species that declined in abundance with land use intensification were those associated with higher levels of multifunctionality. Our results highlight the importance of rare species for ecosystem multifunctionality and help guiding future conservation priorities.
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15. |
- Villarejo, Arsenio, et al.
(author)
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Evidence for a protein transported through the secretory pathway en route to the higher plant chloroplast
- 2005
-
In: Nature Cell Biology. - : Springer Nature. - 1465-7392 .- 1476-4679. ; 7:12, s. 1224-1231
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In contrast to animal and fungal cells, green plant cells contain one or multiple chloroplasts, the organelle(s) in which photosynthetic reactions take place. Chloroplasts are believed to have originated from an endosymbiotic event and contain DNA that codes for some of their proteins. Most chloroplast proteins are encoded by the nuclear genome and imported with the help of sorting signals that are intrinsic parts of the polypeptides. Here, we show that a chloroplast-located protein in higher plants takes an alternative route through the secretory pathway, and becomes N-glycosylated before entering the chloroplast.
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16. |
- Wierenga, Lara M., et al.
(author)
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Greater male than female variability in regional brain structure across the lifespan
- 2022
-
In: Human Brain Mapping. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1065-9471 .- 1097-0193. ; 43:1, s. 470-499
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For many traits, males show greater variability than females, with possible implications for understanding sex differences in health and disease. Here, the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis) Consortium presents the largest-ever mega-analysis of sex differences in variability of brain structure, based on international data spanning nine decades of life. Subcortical volumes, cortical surface area and cortical thickness were assessed in MRI data of 16,683 healthy individuals 1-90 years old (47% females). We observed significant patterns of greater male than female between-subject variance for all subcortical volumetric measures, all cortical surface area measures, and 60% of cortical thickness measures. This pattern was stable across the lifespan for 50% of the subcortical structures, 70% of the regional area measures, and nearly all regions for thickness. Our findings that these sex differences are present in childhood implicate early life genetic or gene-environment interaction mechanisms. The findings highlight the importance of individual differences within the sexes, that may underpin sex-specific vulnerability to disorders.
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17. |
- Aerts, Marc, et al.
(author)
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Pooled individual patient data from five countries were used to derive a clinical prediction rule for coronary artery disease in primary care.
- 2017
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In: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. - : Elsevier. - 0895-4356 .- 1878-5921. ; 81, s. 120-128
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To construct a clinical prediction rule for coronary artery disease (CAD) presenting with chest pain in primary care.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Meta-Analysis using 3,099 patients from five studies. To identify candidate predictors, we used random forest trees, multiple imputation of missing values, and logistic regression within individual studies. To generate a prediction rule on the pooled data, we applied a regression model that took account of the differing standard data sets collected by the five studies.RESULTS: The most parsimonious rule included six equally weighted predictors: age ≥55 (males) or ≥65 (females) (+1); attending physician suspected a serious diagnosis (+1); history of CAD (+1); pain brought on by exertion (+1); pain feels like "pressure" (+1); pain reproducible by palpation (-1). CAD was considered absent if the prediction score is <2. The area under the ROC curve was 0.84. We applied this rule to a study setting with a CAD prevalence of 13.2% using a prediction score cutoff of <2 (i.e., -1, 0, or +1). When the score was <2, the probability of CAD was 2.1% (95% CI: 1.1-3.9%); when the score was ≥ 2, it was 43.0% (95% CI: 35.8-50.4%).CONCLUSIONS: Clinical prediction rules are a key strategy for individualizing care. Large data sets based on electronic health records from diverse sites create opportunities for improving their internal and external validity. Our patient-level meta-analysis from five primary care sites should improve external validity. Our strategy for addressing site-to-site systematic variation in missing data should improve internal validity. Using principles derived from decision theory, we also discuss the problem of setting the cutoff prediction score for taking action.
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18. |
- Ahrens, Norbert, et al.
(author)
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Mesenchymal stem cell content of human vertebral bone marrow
- 2004
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In: Transplantation. - 1534-6080. ; 78:6, s. 925-929
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of down-regulating alloimmune responses and promoting the engraftment of hematopoietic stem cells. MSCs may therefore be suitable for improving donor-specific tolerance induction in solid-organ transplantation. Cells from cadaveric vertebral bone marrow (V-BM), aspirated iliac crest-BM, and peripheral blood progenitor cells were compared. Cells were characterized by flow cytometry and colony assays. MSCs generated from V-BM were assayed for differentiation capacity and immunomodulatory function. A median 5.7 x 10(8) nucleated cells (NCs) were recovered per vertebral body. The mesenchymal progenitor, colony-forming unit-fibroblast, frequency in V-BM (11.6/10(5) NC, range: 6.0-20.0) was considerably higher than in iliac crest-BM (1.4/10(5) NC, range: 0.4-2.6) and peripheral blood progenitor cells (not detectable). MSC generated from V-BM had the typical MSC phenotype (CD105(pos)CD73(pos)CD45(neg)CD34(neg)), displayed multilineage differentiation potential, and suppressed alloreactivity in mixed lymphocyte reactions. V-BM may be an excellent source for MSC cotransplantation approaches.
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19. |
- Akiyama, Kazunori, et al.
(author)
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First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. II. EHT and Multiwavelength Observations, Data Processing, and Calibration
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 930:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) 1.3 mm measurements of the radio source located at the position of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), collected during the 2017 April 5-11 campaign. The observations were carried out with eight facilities at six locations across the globe. Novel calibration methods are employed to account for Sgr A*'s flux variability. The majority of the 1.3 mm emission arises from horizon scales, where intrinsic structural source variability is detected on timescales of minutes to hours. The effects of interstellar scattering on the image and its variability are found to be subdominant to intrinsic source structure. The calibrated visibility amplitudes, particularly the locations of the visibility minima, are broadly consistent with a blurred ring with a diameter of similar to 50 mu as, as determined in later works in this series. Contemporaneous multiwavelength monitoring of Sgr A* was performed at 22, 43, and 86 GHz and at near-infrared and X-ray wavelengths. Several X-ray flares from Sgr A* are detected by Chandra, one at low significance jointly with Swift on 2017 April 7 and the other at higher significance jointly with NuSTAR on 2017 April 11. The brighter April 11 flare is not observed simultaneously by the EHT but is followed by a significant increase in millimeter flux variability immediately after the X-ray outburst, indicating a likely connection in the emission physics near the event horizon. We compare Sgr A*'s broadband flux during the EHT campaign to its historical spectral energy distribution and find that both the quiescent emission and flare emission are consistent with its long-term behavior.
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20. |
- Allan, Eric, et al.
(author)
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Interannual variation in land-use intensity enhances grassland multidiversity
- 2014
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490 .- 0027-8424. ; 111:1, s. 308-313
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although temporal heterogeneity is a well-accepted driver of biodiversity, effects of interannual variation in land-use intensity (LUI) have not been addressed yet. Additionally, responses to land use can differ greatly among different organisms; therefore, overall effects of land-use on total local biodiversity are hardly known. To test for effects of LUI (quantified as the combined intensity of fertilization, grazing, and mowing) and interannual variation in LUI (SD in LUI across time), we introduce a unique measure of whole-ecosystem biodiversity, multidiversity. This synthesizes individual diversity measures across up to 49 taxonomic groups of plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria from 150 grasslands. Multidiversity declined with increasing LUI among grasslands, particularly for rarer species and aboveground organisms, whereas common species and belowground groups were less sensitive. However, a high level of interannual variation in LUI increased overall multidiversity at low LUI and was even more beneficial for rarer species because it slowed the rate at which the multidiversity of rare species declined with increasing LUI. In more intensively managed grasslands, the diversity of rarer species was, on average, 18% of the maximum diversity across all grasslands when LUI was static over time but increased to 31% of the maximum when LUI changed maximally over time. In addition to decreasing overall LUI, we suggest varying LUI across years as a complementary strategy to promote biodiversity conservation.
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21. |
- Baeg, Gyeong-Hun, et al.
(author)
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Heparan sulfate proteoglycans are critical for the organization of the extracellular distribution of Wingless
- 2001
-
In: Development: For advances in developmental biology and stem cells. - 1477-9129. ; 128:1, s. 87-94
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent studies in Drosophila have shown that heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are required for Wingless (Wg/Wnt) signaling. In addition, genetic and phenotypic analyses have implicated the glypican gene daily in this process. Here, we report the identification of another Drosophila glypican gene, daily-like (dly) and show that it is also involved in Wg signaling. Inhibition of dly gene activity implicates a function for DLY in Wg reception and we show that overexpression of DLY leads to an accumulation of extracellular Wg. We propose that DLY plays; a role in the extracellular distribution of Wg. Consistent with this model, a dramatic decrease of extracellular Wg was detected in clones of cells that are deficient in proper glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis. We conclude that HSPGs play an important role in organizing the extracellular distribution of Wg.
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22. |
- Bergström, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Grey wolf genomic history reveals a dual ancestry of dogs
- 2022
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 607:7918, s. 313-320
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The grey wolf (Canis lupus) was the first species to give rise to a domestic population, and they remained widespread throughout the last Ice Age when many other large mammal species went extinct. Little is known, however, about the history and possible extinction of past wolf populations or when and where the wolf progenitors of the present-day dog lineage (Canis familiaris) lived. Here we analysed 72 ancient wolf genomes spanning the last 100,000 years from Europe, Siberia and North America. We found that wolf populations were highly connected throughout the Late Pleistocene, with levels of differentiation an order of magnitude lower than they are today. This population connectivity allowed us to detect natural selection across the time series, including rapid fixation of mutations in the gene IFT88 40,000–30,000 years ago. We show that dogs are overall more closely related to ancient wolves from eastern Eurasia than to those from western Eurasia, suggesting a domestication process in the east. However, we also found that dogs in the Near East and Africa derive up to half of their ancestry from a distinct population related to modern southwest Eurasian wolves, reflecting either an independent domestication process or admixture from local wolves. None of the analysed ancient wolf genomes is a direct match for either of these dog ancestries, meaning that the exact progenitor populations remain to be located.
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23. |
- Cullen, Nicholas C., et al.
(author)
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Efficacy assessment of an active tau immunotherapy in Alzheimer's disease patients with amyloid and tau pathology : a post hoc analysis of the “ADAMANT” randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multi-centre, phase 2 clinical trial
- 2024
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In: EBioMedicine. - 2352-3964. ; 99
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Tau pathology correlates with and predicts clinical decline in Alzheimer's disease. Approved tau-targeted therapies are not available. Methods: ADAMANT, a 24-month randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, double-blinded, multicenter, Phase 2 clinical trial (EudraCT2015-000630-30, NCT02579252) enrolled 196 participants with Alzheimer's disease; 119 are included in this post-hoc subgroup analysis. AADvac1, active immunotherapy against pathological tau protein. A machine learning model predicted likely Amyloid+Tau+ participants from baseline MRI. Statistical methods: MMRM for change from baseline in cognition, function, and neurodegeneration; linear regression for associations between antibody response and endpoints. Results: The prediction model achieved PPV of 97.7% for amyloid, 96.2% for tau. 119 participants in the full analysis set (70 treatment and 49 placebo) were classified as A+T+. A trend for CDR-SB 104-week change (estimated marginal means [emm] = −0.99 points, 95% CI [−2.13, 0.13], p = 0.0825]) and ADCS-MCI-ADL (emm = 3.82 points, CI [−0.29, 7.92], p = 0.0679) in favour of the treatment group was seen. Reduction was seen in plasma NF-L (emm = −0.15 log pg/mL, CI [−0.27, −0.03], p = 0.0139). Higher antibody response to AADvac1 was related to slowing of decline on CDR-SB (rho = −0.10, CI [−0.21, 0.01], p = 0.0376) and ADL (rho = 0.15, CI [0.03, 0.27], p = 0.0201), and related to slower brain atrophy (rho = 0.18–0.35, p < 0.05 for temporal volume, whole cortex, and right and left hippocampus). Conclusions: In the subgroup of ML imputed or CSF identified A+T+, AADvac1 slowed AD-related decline in an antibody-dependent manner. Larger anti-tau trials are warranted. Funding: AXON Neuroscience SE.
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24. |
- Demichev, Vadim, et al.
(author)
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A proteomic survival predictor for COVID-19 patients in intensive care
- 2022
-
In: PLOS Digital Health. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 2767-3170. ; 1:1 January
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Global healthcare systems are challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to optimize allocation of treatment and resources in intensive care, as clinically established risk assessments such as SOFA and APACHE II scores show only limited performance for predicting the survival of severely ill COVID-19 patients. Additional tools are also needed to monitor treatment, including experimental therapies in clinical trials. Comprehensively capturing human physiology, we speculated that proteomics in combination with new data-driven analysis strategies could produce a new generation of prognostic discriminators. We studied two independent cohorts of patients with severe COVID-19 who required intensive care and invasive mechanical ventilation. SOFA score, Charlson comorbidity index, and APACHE II score showed limited performance in predicting the COVID-19 outcome. Instead, the quantification of 321 plasma protein groups at 349 timepoints in 50 critically ill patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation revealed 14 proteins that showed trajectories different between survivors and non-survivors. A predictor trained on proteomic measurements obtained at the first time point at maximum treatment level (i.e. WHO grade 7), which was weeks before the outcome, achieved accurate classification of survivors (AUROC 0.81). We tested the established predictor on an independent validation cohort (AUROC 1.0). The majority of proteins with high relevance in the prediction model belong to the coagulation system and complement cascade. Our study demonstrates that plasma proteomics can give rise to prognostic predictors substantially outperforming current prognostic markers in intensive care.
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25. |
- Demichev, Vadim, et al.
(author)
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A time-resolved proteomic and prognostic map of COVID-19
- 2021
-
In: Cell Systems. - : Elsevier BV. - 2405-4712 .- 2405-4720. ; 12:8, s. 780-794.e7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- COVID-19 is highly variable in its clinical presentation, ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe organ damage and death. We characterized the time-dependent progression of the disease in 139 COVID-19 inpatients by measuring 86 accredited diagnostic parameters, such as blood cell counts and enzyme activities, as well as untargeted plasma proteomes at 687 sampling points. We report an initial spike in a systemic inflammatory response, which is gradually alleviated and followed by a protein signature indicative of tissue repair, metabolic reconstitution, and immunomodulation. We identify prognostic marker signatures for devising risk-adapted treatment strategies and use machine learning to classify therapeutic needs. We show that the machine learning models based on the proteome are transferable to an independent cohort. Our study presents a map linking routinely used clinical diagnostic parameters to plasma proteomes and their dynamics in an infectious disease.
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26. |
- Diederich, Kai, et al.
(author)
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Synergetic effects of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and cognitive training on spatial learning and survival of newborn hippocampal neurons.
- 2009
-
In: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 4:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) is an endogenous hematopoietic growth factor known for its role in the proliferation and differentiation of cells of the myeloic lineage. Only recently its significance in the CNS has been uncovered. G-CSF attenuates apoptosis and controls proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells. G-CSF activates upstream kinases of the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), which is thought to facilitate the survival of neuronal precursors and to recruit new neurons into the dentate gyrus. CREB is also essential for spatial long-term memory formation. To assess the role and the potential of this factor on learning and memory-formation we systemically administered G-CSF in rats engaged in spatial learning in an eight-arm radial maze. G-CSF significantly improved spatial learning and increased in combination with cognitive training the survival of newborn neurons in the hippocampus as measured by bromodeoxyuridine and doublecortin immunohistochemistry. Additionally, G-CSF improved re-acquisition of spatial information after 26 days. These findings support the hypothesis that G-CSF can enhance learning and memory formation. Due to its easy applicability and its history as a well-tolerated hematological drug, the use of G-CSF opens up new neurological treatment opportunities in conditions where learning and memory-formation deficits occur.
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27. |
- Giannitsis, Evangelos, et al.
(author)
-
Contra
- 2021
-
In: European Heart Journal. - : Oxford University Press. - 0195-668X .- 1522-9645. ; 42:31, s. 2979-2985
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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28. |
- Gouveia, Maria Leonor Seguardo, et al.
(author)
-
Lung developmental arrest caused by PDGF-A deletion : consequences for the adult mouse lung
- 2020
-
In: American Journal of Physiology - Lung cellular and Molecular Physiology. - : AMER PHYSIOLOGICAL SOC. - 1040-0605 .- 1522-1504. ; 318:4, s. L831-L843
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PDGF-A is a key contributor to lung development in mice. Its expression is needed for secondary septation of the alveoli and deletion of the gene leads to abnormally enlarged alveolar air spaces in mice. In humans, the same phenotype is the hallmark of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a disease that affects premature babies and may have long lasting consequences in adulthood. So far, the knowledge regarding adult effects of developmental arrest in the lung is limited. This is attributable to few follow-up studies of BPD survivors and lack of good experimental models that could help predict the outcomes of this early age disease for the adult individual. In this study, we used the constitutive lung-specific Pdgfa deletion mouse model to analyze the consequences of developmental lung defects in adult mice. We assessed lung morphology, physiology, cellular content, ECM composition and proteomics data in mature mice, that perinatally exhibited lungs with a BPD-like morphology. Histological and physiological analyses both revealed that enlarged alveolar air spaces remained until adulthood, resulting in higher lung compliance and higher respiratory volume in knockout mice. Still, no or only small differences were seen in cellular, ECM and protein content when comparing knockout and control mice. Taken together, our results indicate that Pdgfa deletion-induced lung developmental arrest has consequences for the adult lung at the morphological and functional level. In addition, these mice can reach adulthood with a BPD-like phenotype, which makes them a robust model to further investigate the pathophysiological progression of the disease and test putative regenerative therapies.
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29. |
- Haasenritter, Joerg, et al.
(author)
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Coronary heart disease in primary care: accuracy of medical history and physical findings in patients with chest pain - a study protocol for a systematic review with individual patient data
- 2012
-
In: BMC Family Practice. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2296. ; 13:81
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Chest pain is a common complaint in primary care, with coronary heart disease (CHD) being the most concerning of many potential causes. Systematic reviews on the sensitivity and specificity of symptoms and signs summarize the evidence about which of them are most useful in making a diagnosis. Previous meta-analyses are dominated by studies of patients referred to specialists. Moreover, as the analysis is typically based on study-level data, the statistical analyses in these reviews are limited while meta-analyses based on individual patient data can provide additional information. Our patient-level meta-analysis has three unique aims. First, we strive to determine the diagnostic accuracy of symptoms and signs for myocardial ischemia in primary care. Second, we investigate associations between study-or patient-level characteristics and measures of diagnostic accuracy. Third, we aim to validate existing clinical prediction rules for diagnosing myocardial ischemia in primary care. This article describes the methods of our study and six prospective studies of primary care patients with chest pain. Later articles will describe the main results. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethods/Design: We will conduct a systematic review and IPD meta-analysis of studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of symptoms and signs for diagnosing coronary heart disease in primary care. We will perform bivariate analyses to determine the sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios of individual symptoms and signs and multivariate analyses to explore the diagnostic value of an optimal combination of all symptoms and signs based on all data of all studies. We will validate existing clinical prediction rules from each of the included studies by calculating measures of diagnostic accuracy separately by study. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanDiscussion: Our study will face several methodological challenges. First, the number of studies will be limited. Second, the investigators of original studies defined some outcomes and predictors differently. Third, the studies did not collect the same standard clinical data set. Fourth, missing data, varying from partly missing to fully missing, will have to be dealt with. Despite these limitations, we aim to summarize the available evidence regarding the diagnostic accuracy of symptoms and signs for diagnosing CHD in patients presenting with chest pain in primary care. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanReview registration: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (University of York): CRD42011001170
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30. |
- Hartmann, Gunther, et al.
(author)
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Rational design of new CpG oligonucleotides that combine B cell activation with high IFN-alpha induction in plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
- 2003
-
In: European Journal of Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0014-2980 .- 1521-4141. ; 33:6, s. 1633-41
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two different types of CpG motif-containing oligonucleotides (CpG ODN) have been described: CpG-A with high induction of IFN-alpha in plasmacytoid dendritic cells; and CpG-B with little induction of IFN-alpha, but potent activation of B cells. In this study, we demonstrate that CpG-A fail to activate B cells unless plasmacytoid dendritic cells are present. We identified a new set of CpG ODN sequences which induces high levels of IFN-alpha in plasmacytoid dendritic cells but remains capable of directly activating B cells. These new CpG ODN (termed CpG-C) are more potent stimulants of B cells than CpG-B due to their ability of directly and indirectly (via plasmacytoid dendritic cells) activating B cells. The sequence of CpG-C combines structural elements of both CpG-A and CpG-B. The most potent sequence, M362, contains a 5'-end 'TCGTCG-motif' and a 'GTCGTT-motif', both of which are present in CpG-B (ODN 2006); a palindromic sequence characteristic for CpG-A (ODN 2216); but no poly G motif required for CpG-A. In conclusion, we defined the first CpG-containing sequences that potently activate both TLR9-expressing immune cell subsets in humans, the plasmacytoid dendritic cell and the B cell. CpG-C may allow for improved therapeutic immuno-modulation in vivo.
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31. |
- Hörmann, Ulrich, et al.
(author)
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Voc from a Morphology Point of View : the Influence of Molecular Orientation on the Open Circuit Voltage of Organic Planar Heterojunction Solar Cells
- 2014
-
In: Journal of physical chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7455 .- 1932-7447. ; 118:46, s. 26462-26470
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The film morphology and device performance of planar heterojunctionsolar cells based on the molecular donor material α-sexithiophene (6T) are investigated.Planar heterojunctions of 6T with two different acceptor molecules, the C60 fullerene anddiindenoperylene (DIP), have been prepared. The growth temperature of the 6T bottomlayer has been varied between room temperature and 100 °C for each acceptor. By meansof X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption, we show that the crystallinity and the molecularorientation of 6T is influenced by the preparation conditions and that the 6T filmtemplates the growth of the subsequent acceptor layer. These structural changes areaccompanied by changes in the characteristic parameters of the correspondingphotovoltaic cells. This is most prominently observed as a shift of the open circuitvoltage (Voc): In the case of 6T/C60 heterojunctions, Voc decreases from 0.4 to 0.3 V,approximately, if the growth temperature of 6T is increased from room temperature to 100°C. By contrast, Voc increases from about 1.2 V to almost 1.4 V in the case of 6T/DIP solarcells under the same conditions. We attribute these changes upon substrate heating toincreased recombination in the C60 case while an orientation dependent intermolecular coupling seems to change the origin of the photovoltaic gap in the DIP case.
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32. |
- Jansen, Iris E, et al.
(author)
-
Genome-wide meta-analysis for Alzheimer's disease cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers.
- 2022
-
In: Acta neuropathologica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-0533 .- 0001-6322. ; 144:5, s. 821-842
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ42) and phosphorylated tau (pTau) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) reflect core features of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) more directly than clinical diagnosis. Initiated by the European Alzheimer & Dementia Biobank (EADB), the largest collaborative effort on genetics underlying CSF biomarkers was established, including 31 cohorts with a total of 13,116 individuals (discovery n=8074; replication n=5042 individuals). Besides the APOE locus, novel associations with two other well-established AD risk loci were observed; CR1 was shown a locus for Aβ42 and BIN1 for pTau. GMNC and C16orf95 were further identified as loci for pTau, of which the latter is novel. Clustering methods exploring the influence of all known AD risk loci on the CSF protein levels, revealed 4 biological categories suggesting multiple Aβ42 and pTau related biological pathways involved in the etiology of AD. In functional follow-up analyses, GMNC and C16orf95 both associated with lateral ventricular volume, implying an overlap in genetic etiology for tau levels and brain ventricular volume.
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33. |
- Ji, Yingjie, et al.
(author)
-
Genome-wide and abdominal MRI data provide evidence that a genetically determined favorable adiposity phenotype is characterized by lower ectopic liver fat and lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension
- 2019
-
In: Diabetes. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 68:1, s. 207-219
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent genetic studies have identified alleles associated with opposite effects on adiposity and risk of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to identify more of these variants and test the hypothesis that such favorable adiposity alleles are associated with higher subcutaneous fat and lower ectopic fat. We combined MRI data with genome-wide association studies of body fat percentage (%) and metabolic traits. We report 14 alleles, including 7 newly characterized alleles, associated with higher adiposity but a favorable metabolic profile. Consistent with previous studies, individuals carrying more favorable adiposity alleles had higher body fat % and higher BMI but lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. These individuals also had higher subcutaneous fat but lower liver fat and a lower visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio. Individual alleles associated with higher body fat % but lower liver fat and lower risk of type 2 diabetes included those in PPARG, GRB14, and IRS1, whereas the allele in ANKRD55 was paradoxically associated with higher visceral fat but lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Most identified favorable adiposity alleles are associated with higher subcutaneous and lower liver fat, a mechanism consistent with the beneficial effects of storing excess triglycerides in metabolically low-risk depots.
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34. |
- Jonsson, Stefan, 1961-, et al.
(author)
-
Masse und Demokratie : Zwischen Revolution und Faschismus
- 2015. - 1
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Book (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Stefan Jonsson untersucht in seiner brillanten und fesselnd geschriebenen Studie das Phänomen der Massen in Deutschland und Österreich aus ästhetischer, kultur- und geisteswissenschaftlicher sowie politikwissenschaftlicher Perspektive und arbeitet dabei die Bedeutung der »Masse« als Schattenagent in einer folgenschweren Phase europäischer Geschichte heraus. Deutlich wird das Ringen um ein Verständnis von dem Phänomen der Masse in einer hochgradig nervösen Zeit - Jonsson ergründet das Spannungsfeld, das sich zwischen Bedrohung und Faszination öffnete. Gegenstand der interdisziplinären Untersuchung sind u. a. die Werke von Theodor W. Adorno, Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, Marianne Brandt, Bertolt Brecht, Hermann Broch, Elias Canetti, Sigmund Freud, Theodor Geiger, Walter Gropius, Ernst Jünger, Siegfried Kracauer, Karl Kraus, Fritz Lang, László Moholy-Nagy, Robert Musil, Erwin Piscator, Georg Simmel und Ernst Toller.»Jonsson versteht es, den Zeitgeist jener Epoche so plastisch zu vermitteln, als hätte er selbst in dieser Zeit gelebt.« (Hannah Bethke, FAZ)
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35. |
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36. |
- Kern, Ralph, et al.
(author)
-
Coulomb Excitation of Proton-rich N = 80 Isotones at HIE-ISOLDE
- 2020
-
In: Journal of Physics: Conference Series. - : IOP Publishing. - 1742-6588 .- 1742-6596. ; 1555:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A projectile Coulomb-excitation experiment was performed at the radioactive ion beam facility HIE-ISOLDE at CERN. The radioactive 140Nd and 142Sm ions were post accelerated to the energy of 4.62 MeV/A and impinged on a 1.45 mg/cm2-thin 208Pb target. The γ rays depopulating the Coulomb-excited states were recorded by the HPGe-array MINIBALL. The scattered charged particles were detected by a double-sided silicon strip detector in forward direction. Experimental γ-ray intensities were used for the determination of electromagnetic transition matrix elements. Preliminary results for the reduced transition strength of the B(M1 23+ to 21+)=0.35(19) μN2 of 140Nd and a first estimation for 142Sm have been deduced using the Coulomb-excitation calculation software GOSIA. The 23+ states of 140Nd and 142Sm show indications of being the main fragment of the proton-neutron mixed-symmetry 21, ms+ state.
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37. |
- Kern, Ralph, et al.
(author)
-
Search for Isovector Valence-Shell Excitations in 140Nd and 142Sm via Coulomb excitation reactions of radioactive ion beams
- 2018
-
In: International Conference on Nuclear Structure and Related Topics (NSRT18). - : EDP Sciences. - 2101-6275. ; 194
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Projectile Coulomb excitation experiments were performed at HIE-ISOLDE at CERN with the radioactive ion beams of 140Nd and 142Sm. Ions with an energy of 4:62 MeV/A were impinging on a 1.45 mg/cm2 thick 208Pb target. The γ-rays depopulating the Coulomb-excited states were recorded by the HPGe-array MINIBALL and scattered particles were detected by a double-sided silicon strip detector. Experimental intensities were used for the determination of electromagnetic transition matrix elements. A preliminary result of the B(M1; 2+ 3 → 2+ 1) of 140Nd and an upper limit for the case of 142Sm are revealing the main fragments of the proton-neutron mixed-symmetry 2+ 1;ms states.
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38. |
- Kim, Jae-Young, et al.
(author)
-
Event Horizon Telescope imaging of the archetypal blazar 3C 279 at an extreme 20 microarcsecond resolution
- 2020
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 640
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- 3C 279 is an archetypal blazar with a prominent radio jet that show broadband flux density variability across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. We use an ultra-high angular resolution technique - global Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at 1.3mm (230 GHz) - to resolve the innermost jet of 3C 279 in order to study its fine-scale morphology close to the jet base where highly variable-ray emission is thought to originate, according to various models. The source was observed during four days in April 2017 with the Event Horizon Telescope at 230 GHz, including the phased Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, at an angular resolution of ∼20 μas (at a redshift of z = 0:536 this corresponds to ∼0:13 pc ∼ 1700 Schwarzschild radii with a black hole mass MBH = 8 × 108 M⊙). Imaging and model-fitting techniques were applied to the data to parameterize the fine-scale source structure and its variation.We find a multicomponent inner jet morphology with the northernmost component elongated perpendicular to the direction of the jet, as imaged at longer wavelengths. The elongated nuclear structure is consistent on all four observing days and across diffierent imaging methods and model-fitting techniques, and therefore appears robust. Owing to its compactness and brightness, we associate the northern nuclear structure as the VLBI "core". This morphology can be interpreted as either a broad resolved jet base or a spatially bent jet.We also find significant day-to-day variations in the closure phases, which appear most pronounced on the triangles with the longest baselines. Our analysis shows that this variation is related to a systematic change of the source structure. Two inner jet components move non-radially at apparent speeds of ∼15 c and ∼20 c (∼1:3 and ∼1:7 μas day-1, respectively), which more strongly supports the scenario of traveling shocks or instabilities in a bent, possibly rotating jet. The observed apparent speeds are also coincident with the 3C 279 large-scale jet kinematics observed at longer (cm) wavelengths, suggesting no significant jet acceleration between the 1.3mm core and the outer jet. The intrinsic brightness temperature of the jet components are ≤1010 K, a magnitude or more lower than typical values seen at ≥7mm wavelengths. The low brightness temperature and morphological complexity suggest that the core region of 3C 279 becomes optically thin at short (mm) wavelengths.
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39. |
- Kristan, Matej, et al.
(author)
-
The first visual object tracking segmentation VOTS2023 challenge results
- 2023
-
In: 2023 IEEE/CVF International conference on computer vision workshops (ICCVW). - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. - 9798350307443 - 9798350307450 ; , s. 1788-1810
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Visual Object Tracking Segmentation VOTS2023 challenge is the eleventh annual tracker benchmarking activity of the VOT initiative. This challenge is the first to merge short-term and long-term as well as single-target and multiple-target tracking with segmentation masks as the only target location specification. A new dataset was created; the ground truth has been withheld to prevent overfitting. New performance measures and evaluation protocols have been created along with a new toolkit and an evaluation server. Results of the presented 47 trackers indicate that modern tracking frameworks are well-suited to deal with convergence of short-term and long-term tracking and that multiple and single target tracking can be considered a single problem. A leaderboard, with participating trackers details, the source code, the datasets, and the evaluation kit are publicly available at the challenge website1
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40. |
- Kroeger, Janine, et al.
(author)
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Circulating Fetuin-A and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes : A Mendelian Randomization Analysis
- 2018
-
In: Diabetes. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 67:6, s. 1200-1205
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fetuin-A, a hepatic-origin protein, is strongly positively associated with risk of type 2 diabetes in human observational studies, but it is unknown whether this association is causal. Weaimed to study the potential causal relation of circulating fetuin-A to risk of type 2 diabetes in a Mendelian randomization study with single nucleotide polymorphisms located in the fetuin-A-encoding AHSG gene. We used data from eight European countries of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-InterAct case-cohort study including 10,020 incident cases. Plasma fetuin-A concentration was measured in a subset of 965 subcohort participants and 654 case subjects. A genetic score of the AHSG single nucleotide polymorphisms was strongly associated with fetuin-A (28% explained variation). Using the genetic score as instrumental variable of fetuin-A, we observed no significant association of a 50 mu g/mL higher fetuin-A concentration with diabetes risk (hazard ratio 1.02 [95% CI 0.97, 1.07]). Combining our results with those from the DIAbetes Genetics Replication And Meta-analysis (DIAGRAM) consortium (12,171 case subjects) also did not suggest a clear significant relation of fetuin-A with diabetes risk. In conclusion, although there is mechanistic evidence for an effect of fetuin-A on insulin sensitivity and secretion, this study does not support a strong, relevant relationship between circulating fetuin-A and diabetes risk in the general population.
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41. |
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42. |
- Lenzen, Dirk, et al.
(author)
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A metal-organic framework for efficient water-based ultra-low-temperature-driven cooling
- 2019
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Efficient use of energy for cooling applications is a very important and challenging field in science. Ultra-low temperature actuated (T-driving< 80 degrees C) adsorption-driven chillers (ADCs) with water as the cooling agent are one environmentally benign option. The nanoscale metal-organic framework [Al(OH)(C6H2O4S)] denoted CAU-23 was discovered that possess favorable properties, including water adsorption capacity of 0.37 g(H2O)/g(sorbent) around p/p(0 )= 0.3 and cycling stability of at least 5000 cycles. Most importantly the material has a driving temperature down to 60 degrees C, which allows for the exploitation of yet mostly unused temperature sources and a more efficient use of energy. These exceptional properties are due to its unique crystal structure, which was unequivocally elucidated by single crystal electron diffraction. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to reveal the water adsorption mechanism at the atomic level. With its green synthesis, CAU-23 is an ideal material to realize ultra-low temperature driven ADC devices.
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43. |
- Lossow, Stefan, et al.
(author)
-
A reassessment of the discrepancies in the annual variation of delta D-H2O in the tropical lower stratosphere between the MIPAS and ACE-FTS satellite data sets
- 2020
-
In: Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1867-1381 .- 1867-8548. ; 13:1, s. 287-308
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The annual variation of delta D in the tropical lower stratosphere is a critical indicator for the relative importance of different processes contributing to the transport of water vapour through the cold tropical tropopause region into the stratosphere. Distinct observational discrepancies of the delta D annual variation were visible in the works of Steinwagner et al. (2010) and Randel et al. (2012). Steinwagner et al. (2010) analysed MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) observations retrieved with the IMK/IAA (Institut fur Meteorologie und Klimaforschung in Karlsruhe, Germany, in collaboration with the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia in Granada, Spain) processor, while Randel et al. (2012) focused on ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer) observations. Here we reassess the discrepancies based on newer MIPAS (IMK/IAA) and ACE-FTS data sets, also showing for completeness results from SMR (Sub-Millimetre Radiometer) observations and a ECHAM/MESSy (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Hamburg and Modular Earth Sub-model System) Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) simulation (Eichinger et al., 2015b). Similar to the old analyses, the MIPAS data set yields a pronounced annual variation (maximum about 75 parts per thousand), while that derived from the ACE-FTS data set is rather weak (maximum about 25 parts per thousand). While all data sets exhibit the phase progression typical for the tape recorder, the annual maximum in the ACE-FTS data set precedes that in the MIPAS data set by 2 to 3 months. We critically consider several possible reasons for the observed discrepancies, focusing primarily on the MIPAS data set. We show that the delta D annual variation in the MIPAS data up to an altitude of 40 hPa is substantially impacted by a start altitude effect, i.e. dependency between the lowermost altitude where MIPAS retrievals are possible and retrieved data at higher altitudes. In itself this effect does not explain the differences with the ACE-FTS data. In addition, there is a mismatch in the vertical resolution of the MIPAS HDO and H2O data (being consistently better for HDO), which actually results in an artificial tape-recorder-like signal in delta D. Considering these MIPAS characteristics largely removes any discrepancies between the MIPAS and ACE-FTS data sets and shows that the MIPAS data are consistent with a delta D tape recorder signal with an amplitude of about 25 parts per thousand in the lowermost stratosphere.
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44. |
- Mahdavi, Mojtaba, et al.
(author)
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Spatially Coupled Serially Concatenated Codes: Performance Evaluation and VLSI Design Tradeoffs
- 2022
-
In: IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers. - 1549-8328. ; 69:5, s. 1962-1975
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spatially coupled serially concatenated codes (SC-SCCs) are constructed by coupling several classical turbo-like component codes. The resulting spatially coupled codes provide a close-to-capacity performance and low error floor,which have attracted a lot of interest in the past few years. The aim of this paper is to perform a comprehensive design space exploration to reveal different aspects of SC-SCCs, which is missing in the literature. More specifically, we investigate the effect of block length, coupling memory, decoding window size, and number of iterations on the decoding performance, complexity, latency, and throughput of SC-SCCs. To this end, we propose two decoding algorithms for the SC-SCCs: block-wise and window-wise decoders. For these, we present VLSI architectural templates and explore them based on building blocks implemented in 12 nm FinFET technology. Linking architectural templates with the new algorithms, we demonstrate various tradeoffs between throughput, silicon area, latency, and decoding performance.
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45. |
- Mahdavi, Mojtaba, et al.
(author)
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Towards Fully Pipelined Decoding of Spatially Coupled Serially Concatenated Codes
- 2021
-
In: IEEE International Symposium on Topics in Coding (ISTC), 2021. - 9781665409438 - 9781665409445 ; , s. 1-5
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Having close-to-capacity performance and low error floor, even for small block lengths, make spatially coupled serially concatenated codes (SC-SCCs) a very promising class of codes. However, classical window decoding of SC-SCCs either limits the minimum block length or requires a large number of iterations, which increases the complexity and constrains the degree to which an SC-SCC decoder architecture can be parallelized. In this paper we propose jumping window decoding (JWD), an algorithmic modification to the scheduling of decoding such that it enables pipelined implementation of SC-SCCs decoder. Also, it provides flexibility in terms of block length and number of iterations and makes them independent of each other. Simulation results show that our scheme outperforms classical window decoding of both SC-SCCs and uncoupled SCCs, in terms of performance. Furthermore, we present a fully pipelined hardware architecture to realize JWD of SC-SCCs along with area estimates in 12nm technology for the respective case study.
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46. |
- Maziarka, Przemyslaw, et al.
(author)
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Tailoring of the pore structures of wood pyrolysis chars for potential use in energy storage applications
- 2021
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In: Applied Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-2619 .- 1872-9118. ; 286
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Char obtained from biomass pyrolysis is an eco-friendly porous carbon, which has potential use as a material for electrodes in supercapacitors. For that application, a high microporous specific surface area (SSA) is desired, as it relates to the accessible surface for an applied electrolyte. Currently, the incomplete understanding of the relation between porosity development and production parameters hinders the production of tailor-made, bio-based pyrochars for use as electrodes. Additionally, there is a problem with the low reliability in assessing textual properties for bio-based pyrochars by gas adsorption. To address the aforementioned problems, beech wood cylinders of two different lengths, with and without pre-treatment with citric acid were pyrolysed at temperatures of 300-900 degrees C and analysed by gas adsorption. The pyrolyzed chars were characterised with adsorption with N-2 and CO2 to assess the influence of production parameters on the textual properties. The new approach in processing the gas adsorption data used in this study demonstrated the required consistency in assessing the micro- and mesoporosity. The SSA of the chars rose monotonically in the investigated range of pyrolysis temperatures. The pre-treatment with citric acid led to an enhanced SSA, and the length of the cylinders correlated with a reduced SSA. With pyrolysis at 900 degrees C, the micro-SSAs of samples with 10 mm increased by on average 717 +/- 32 m(2)/g. The trends among the investigated parameters and the textual properties were rationalized and provide a sound basis for further studies of tailor-made bio-based pyrochars as electrode materials in supercapacitors.
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47. |
- Messner, Christoph B., et al.
(author)
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Ultra-High-Throughput Clinical Proteomics Reveals Classifiers of COVID-19 Infection
- 2020
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In: Cell Systems. - : Elsevier BV. - 2405-4712 .- 2405-4720. ; 11:1, s. 11-24.E4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global challenge, and point-of-care diagnostic classifiers are urgently required. Here, we present a platform for ultra-high-throughput serum and plasma proteomics that builds on ISO13485 standardization to facilitate simple implementation in regulated clinical laboratories. Our low-cost workflow handles up to 180 samples per day, enables high precision quantification, and reduces batch effects for large-scale and longitudinal studies. We use our platform on samples collected from a cohort of early hospitalized cases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and identify 27 potential biomarkers that are differentially expressed depending on the WHO severity grade of COVID-19. They include complement factors, the coagulation system, inflammation modulators, and pro-inflammatory factors upstream and downstream of interleukin 6. All protocols and software for implementing our approach are freely available. In total, this work supports the development of routine proteomic assays to aid clinical decision making and generate hypotheses about potential COVID-19 therapeutic targets.
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48. |
- Mogensen, Stefan, et al.
(author)
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An evaluation of the mixed pediatric unit for blood loss replacement in pediatric craniofacial surgery
- 2017
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In: Pediatric Anaesthesia. - : Wiley. - 1155-5645 .- 1460-9592. ; 27:7, s. 711-717
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Surgical correction for craniosynostosis is often associated with significant perioperative hemorrhage. We implemented a transfusion strategy with a strict protocol including transfusion triggers, frequent assessment of coagulation tests, and the use of a novel transfusion unit, the mixed pediatric unit. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate if the applied transfusion strategy could reduce total blood loss and number of blood donors. Methods: Children <1 year old admitted for craniosynostosis surgery were included for the study. On the day before surgery, an adult red blood cell unit was mixed with plasma and split into two mixed pediatric units-one intended for intraoperative use and the other saved for the postoperative period. A series of blood samples were obtained for standard coagulation parameters as well as thromboelastography to evaluate potential coagulopathy. Estimated blood loss, the number of additional standard packed red cell units opened in the first 24 h after surgery, the volume of fluid administered, and the total transfusion volumes were compared to a historical control group with similar age and characteristics. Results: Nineteen infants were included in the study group, and were compared to 21 historical controls. There was a significant reduction of intraoperative transfusion volume. Twelve patients were transfused postoperatively, but in 8 of these additional exposure to packed red cell donor blood was avoided by using the saved mixed pediatric unit. In the historical controls, a total of 10 packed red cell units were used in nine patients postoperatively. No additional transfusions of plasma, platelets, fibrinogen, or tranexamic acid were needed in either group, and the coagulation parameters including thromboelastography remained within their respective normal ranges in the study group. Conclusion: For craniofacial surgery in infants, moderate perioperative blood loss and avoidance of coagulopathy is possible when a multifactorial approach is implemented. In this setting, intraoperative, but not total perioperative blood loss was reduced with the studied protocol. The study indicates that there may be a role for mixed pediatric units to reduce exposure to multiple donors although the reduction in total donor exposure was not significant.
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49. |
- Nuñez Durán, Esther, et al.
(author)
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Serine/threonine protein kinase 25 antisense oligonucleotide treatment reverses glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in mice.
- 2018
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In: Hepatology communications. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 2471-254X. ; 2:1, s. 69-83
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) contributes to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are also at risk of developing cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. To date, no specific therapy exists for NAFLD/NASH, which has been recognized as one of the major unmet medical needs of the twenty-first century. We recently identified serine/threonine protein kinase (STK)25 as a critical regulator of energy homeostasis and NAFLD progression. Here, we investigated the effect of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting Stk25 on the metabolic and molecular phenotype of mice after chronic exposure to dietary lipids. We found that Stk25 ASOs efficiently reversed high-fat diet-induced systemic hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, improved whole-body glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and ameliorated liver steatosis, inflammatory infiltration, apoptosis, hepatic stellate cell activation, and nutritional fibrosis in obese mice. Moreover, Stk25 ASOs suppressed the abundance of liver acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) protein, a key regulator of both lipid oxidation and synthesis, revealing the likely mechanism underlying repression of hepatic fat accumulation by ASO treatment. We also found that STK25 protein levels correlate significantly and positively with NASH development in human liver biopsies, and several common nonlinked single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the human STK25 gene are associated with altered liver fat, supporting a critical role of STK25 in the pathogenesis of NAFLD in humans. Conclusion: Preclinical validation for the metabolic benefit of pharmacologically inhibiting STK25 in the context of obesity is provided. Therapeutic intervention aimed at reducing STK25 function may provide a new strategy for the treatment of patients with NAFLD, type 2 diabetes, and related complex metabolic diseases. (Hepatology Communications 2018;2:69-83).
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50. |
- Oehri, Jacqueline, et al.
(author)
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Vegetation type is an important predictor of the arctic summer land surface energy budget
- 2022
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite the importance of high-latitude surface energy budgets (SEBs) for land-climate interactions in the rapidly changing Arctic, uncertainties in their prediction persist. Here, we harmonize SEB observations across a network of vegetated and glaciated sites at circumpolar scale (1994–2021). Our variance-partitioning analysis identifies vegetation type as an important predictor for SEB-components during Arctic summer (June-August), compared to other SEB-drivers including climate, latitude and permafrost characteristics. Differences among vegetation types can be of similar magnitude as between vegetation and glacier surfaces and are especially high for summer sensible and latent heat fluxes. The timing of SEB-flux summer-regimes (when daily mean values exceed 0 Wm−2) relative to snow-free and -onset dates varies substantially depending on vegetation type, implying vegetation controls on snow-cover and SEB-flux seasonality. Our results indicate complex shifts in surface energy fluxes with land-cover transitions and a lengthening summer season, and highlight the potential for improving future Earth system models via a refined representation of Arctic vegetation types.
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