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11. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N, et al.
(author)
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The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
- 2017
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In: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 7:1, s. 145-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
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12. |
- Abramowski, A., et al.
(author)
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Simultaneous multi-wavelength campaign on PKS 2005-489 in a high state
- 2011
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 533, s. A110-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The high-frequency peaked BL Lac object PKS 2005-489 was the target of a multi-wavelength campaign with simultaneous observations in the TeV gamma-ray (H.E.S.S.), GeV gamma-ray (Fermi/LAT), X-ray (RXTE, Swift), UV (Swift) and optical (ATOM, Swift) bands. This campaign was carried out during a high flux state in the synchrotron regime. The flux in the optical and X-ray bands reached the level of the historical maxima. The hard GeV spectrum observed with Fermi/LAT connects well to the very high energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) spectrum measured with H.E.S.S. with a peak energy between similar to 5 and 500 GeV. Compared to observations with contemporaneous coverage in the VHE and X-ray bands in 2004, the X-ray flux was similar to 50 times higher during the 2009 campaign while the TeV gamma-ray flux shows marginal variation over the years. The spectral energy distribution during this multi-wavelength campaign was fit by a one zone synchrotron self-Compton model with a well determined cutoff in X-rays. The parameters of a one zone SSC model are inconsistent with variability time scales. The variability behaviour over years with the large changes in synchrotron emission and small changes in the inverse Compton emission does not warrant an interpretation within a one-zone SSC model despite an apparently satisfying fit to the broadband data in 2009.
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13. |
- Ajello, M., et al.
(author)
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FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF THE SUPERNOVA REMNANT G8.7-0.1
- 2012
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 744:1, s. 80-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a detailed analysis of the GeV gamma-ray emission toward the supernova remnant (SNR) G8.7-0.1 with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. An investigation of the relationship between G8.7-0.1 and the TeV unidentified source HESS J1804-216 provides us with an important clue on diffusion process of cosmic rays if particle acceleration operates in the SNR. The GeV gamma-ray emission is extended with most of the emission in positional coincidence with the SNR G8.7-0.1 and a lesser part located outside the western boundary of G8.7-0.1. The region of the gamma-ray emission overlaps spatially connected molecular clouds, implying a physical connection for the gamma-ray structure. The total gamma-ray spectrum measured with LAT from 200 MeV-100 GeV can be described by a broken power-law function with a break of 2.4 +/- 0.6 (stat) +/- 1.2 (sys) GeV, and photon indices of 2.10 +/- 0.06 (stat) +/- 0.10 (sys) below the break and 2.70 +/- 0.12 (stat) +/- 0.14 (sys) above the break. Given the spatial association among the gamma rays, the radio emission of G8.7-0.1, and the molecular clouds, the decay of pi(0)s produced by particles accelerated in the SNR and hitting the molecular clouds naturally explains the GeV gamma-ray spectrum. We also find that the GeV morphology is not well represented by the TeV emission from HESS J1804-216 and that the spectrum in the GeV band is not consistent with the extrapolation of the TeV gamma-ray spectrum. The spectral index of the TeV emission is consistent with the particle spectral index predicted by a theory that assumes energy-dependent diffusion of particles accelerated in an SNR. We discuss the possibility that the TeV spectrum originates from the interaction of particles accelerated in G8.7-0.1 with molecular clouds, and we constrain the diffusion coefficient of the particles.
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14. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(author)
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A limit on the variation of the speed of light arising from quantum gravity effects
- 2009
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 462:7271, s. 331-334
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A cornerstone of Einstein’s special relativity is Lorentz invariance—the postulate that all observers measure exactly the same speed of light in vacuum, independent of photon-energy. While special relativity assumes that there is no fundamental length-scale associated with such invariance, there is a fundamental scale (the Planck scale, lPlanck~1.62×10-33cm or EPlanck = MPlanckc2~1.22×1019GeV), at which quantum effects are expected to strongly affect the nature of space–time. There is great interest in the (not yet validated) idea that Lorentz invariance might break near the Planck scale. A key test of such violation of Lorentz invariance is a possible variation of photon speed with energy. Even a tiny variation in photon speed, when accumulated over cosmological light-travel times, may be revealed by observing sharp features in γ-ray burst (GRB) light-curves. Here we report the detection of emission up to ~31GeV from the distant and short GRB090510. We find no evidence for the violation of Lorentz invariance, and place a lower limit of 1.2EPlanck on the scale of a linear energy dependence (or an inverse wavelength dependence), subject to reasonable assumptions about the emission (equivalently we have an upper limit of lPlanck/1.2 on the length scale of the effect). Our results disfavour quantum-gravity theories in which the quantum nature of space–time on a very small scale linearly alters the speed of light.
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15. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(author)
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FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF THE SUPERNOVA REMNANT W28 (G6.4-0.1)
- 2010
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 718:1, s. 348-356
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present detailed analysis of two gamma-ray sources, 1FGL J1801.3-2322c and 1FGL J1800.5-2359c, that have been found toward the supernova remnant (SNR) W28 with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. 1FGL J1801.3-2322c is found to be an extended source within the boundary of SNR W28, and to extensively overlap with the TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1801-233, which is associated with a dense molecular cloud interacting with the SNR. The gamma-ray spectrum measured with the LAT from 0.2 to 100 GeV can be described by a broken power-law function with a break at similar to 1 GeV and photon indices of 2.09 +/- 0.08 (stat) +/- 0.28 (sys) below the break and 2.74 +/- 0.06 (stat) +/- 0.09 (sys) above the break. Given the clear association between HESS J1801-233 and the shocked molecular cloud and a smoothly connected spectrum in the GeV-TeV band, we consider the origin of the gamma-ray emission in both GeV and TeV ranges to be the interaction between particles accelerated in the SNR and the molecular cloud. The decay of neutral pions produced in interactions between accelerated hadrons and dense molecular gas provides a reasonable explanation for the broadband gamma-ray spectrum. 1FGL J1800.5-2359c, located outside the southern boundary of SNR W28, cannot be resolved. An upper limit on the size of the gamma-ray emission was estimated to be similar to 16' using events above similar to 2 GeV under the assumption of a circular shape with uniform surface brightness. It appears to coincide with the TeV source HESS J1800-240B, which is considered to be associated with a dense molecular cloud that contains the ultra compact H II region W28A2 (G5.89-0.39). We found no significant gamma-ray emission in the LAT energy band at the positions of TeV sources HESS J1800-230A and HESS J1800-230C. The LAT data for HESS J1800-230A combined with the TeV data points indicate a spectral break between 10 GeV and 100 GeV.
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16. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(author)
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DETECTION OF A SPECTRAL BREAK IN THE EXTRA HARD COMPONENT OF GRB 090926A
- 2011
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 729:2, s. 114-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the observation of the bright, long gamma-ray burst, GRB 090926A, by the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and Large Area Telescope (LAT) instruments on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. GRB 090926A shares several features with other bright LAT bursts. In particular, it clearly shows a short spike in the light curve that is present in all detectors that see the burst, and this in turn suggests that there is a common region of emission across the entire Fermi energy range. In addition, while a separate high-energy power-law component has already been observed in other gamma-ray bursts, here we report for the first time the detection with good significance of a high-energy spectral break (or cutoff) in this power-law component around 1.4 GeV in the time-integrated spectrum. If the spectral break is caused by opacity to electron-positron pair production within the source, then this observation allows us to compute the bulk Lorentz factor for the outflow, rather than a lower limit.
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- Ackermann, M., et al.
(author)
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FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE STUDY OF COSMIC RAYS AND THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM IN NEARBY MOLECULAR CLOUDS
- 2012
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 755:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report an analysis of the interstellar gamma-ray emission from the Chamaeleon, R Coronae Australis (R CrA), and Cepheus and Polaris flare regions with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. They are among the nearest molecular cloud complexes, within similar to 300 pc from the solar system. The gamma-ray emission produced by interactions of cosmic rays (CRs) and interstellar gas in those molecular clouds is useful to study the CR densities and distributions of molecular gas close to the solar system. The obtained gamma-ray emissivities above 250 MeV are (5.9 +/- 0.1(stat-1.0sys)(+0.9)) x 10(-27) photons s(-1) sr(-1) H-atom(-1), (10.2 +/- 0.4(stat-1.7sys)(+1.2)) x 10(-27) photons s(-1) sr(-1) H-atom(-1), and (9.1 +/- 0.3(stat-0.6sys)(+1.5)) x 10(-27) photons s(-1) sr(-1) H-atom(-1) for the Chamaeleon, R CrA, and Cepheus and Polaris flare regions, respectively. Whereas the energy dependences of the emissivities agree well with that predicted from direct CR observations at the Earth, the measured emissivities from 250 MeV to 10 GeV indicate a variation of the CR density by similar to 20% in the neighborhood of the solar system, even if we consider systematic uncertainties. The molecular mass calibrating ratio, X-CO = N(H-2)/W-CO, is found to be (0.96 +/- 0.06(stat-0.12sys)(+0.15)) x 10(20) H-2-molecule cm(-2) (K km s(-1))(-1), (0.99 +/- 0.08(stat-0.10sys)(+0.18)) x 10(20) H-2-molecule cm(-2) (K km s(-1))(-1), and (0.63 +/- 0.02(stat-0.07sys)(+0.09)) x 10(20) H-2-molecule cm(-2) (K km s(-1))(-1) for the Chamaeleon, R CrA, and Cepheus and Polaris flare regions, respectively, suggesting a variation of X-CO in the vicinity of the solar system. From the obtained values of X-CO, the masses of molecular gas traced by W-CO in the Chamaeleon, R CrA, and Cepheus and Polaris flare regions are estimated to be similar to 5 x 10(3)M(circle dot), similar to 10(3)M(circle dot), and similar to 3.3 x 10(4)M(circle dot), respectively. A comparable amount of gas not traced well by standard Hi and CO surveys is found in the regions investigated.
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18. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(author)
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Fermi observations of GRB 090510 : A short-hard gamma-ray burst with an additional, hard power-law component from 10 keV to GeV energies
- 2010
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 716:2, s. 1178-1190
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present detailed observations of the bright short-hard gamma-ray burst GRB 090510 made with the Gammaray Burst Monitor (GBM) and Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi observatory. GRB 090510 is the first burst detected by the LAT that shows strong evidence for a deviation from a Band spectral fitting function during the prompt emission phase. The time-integrated spectrum is fit by the sum of a Band function with E-peak = 3.9 +/- 0.3 MeV, which is the highest yet measured, and a hard power-law component with photon index -1.62 +/- 0.03 that dominates the emission below approximate to 20 keV and above approximate to 100 MeV. The onset of the high-energy spectral component appears to be delayed by similar to 0.1 s with respect to the onset of a component well fit with a single Band function. A faint GBM pulse and a LAT photon are detected 0.5 s before the main pulse. During the prompt phase, the LAT detected a photon with energy 30.5(-2.6)(+5.8) GeV, the highest ever measured from a short GRB. Observation of this photon sets a minimum bulk outflow Lorentz factor, Gamma greater than or similar to 1200, using simple.. opacity arguments for this GRB at redshift z = 0.903 and a variability timescale on the order of tens of ms for the approximate to 100 keV-few MeV flux. Stricter high confidence estimates imply Gamma greater than or similar to 1000 and still require that the outflows powering short GRBs are at least as highly relativistic as those of long-duration GRBs. Implications of the temporal behavior and power-law shape of the additional component on synchrotron/synchrotron self-Compton, external-shock synchrotron, and hadronic models are considered.
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- Ackermann, M., et al.
(author)
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FERMI OBSERVATIONS OF HIGH-ENERGY GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM GRB 090217A
- 2010
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In: ASTROPHYS J LETT. - 2041-8205. ; 717:2, s. L127-L132
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Fermi observatory is advancing our knowledge of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) through pioneering observations at high energies, covering more than seven decades in energy with the two on-board detectors, the Large Area Telescope (LAT) and the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM). Here, we report on the observation of the long GRB 090217A which triggered the GBM and has been detected by the LAT with a significance greater than 9 sigma. We present the GBM and LAT observations and on-ground analyses, including the time-resolved spectra and the study of the temporal profile from 8 keV up to similar to 1 GeV. All spectra are well reproduced by a Band model. We compare these observations to the first two LAT-detected, long bursts GRB 080825C and GRB 080916C. These bursts were found to have time-dependent spectra and exhibited a delayed onset of the high-energy emission, which are not observed in the case of GRB 090217A. We discuss some theoretical implications for the high-energy emission of GRBs.
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- Ackermann, M., et al.
(author)
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Fermi-LAT search for pulsar wind nebulae around gamma-ray pulsars
- 2011
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 726:1, s. 35-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The high sensitivity of the Fermi-LAT (Large Area Telescope) offers the first opportunity to study faint and extended GeV sources such as pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). After one year of observation the LAT detected and identified three PWNe: the Crab Nebula, Vela-X, and the PWN inside MSH 15-52. In the meantime, the list of LAT detected pulsars increased steadily. These pulsars are characterized by high energy loss rates ((E) over dot) from similar to 3 x 10(33) erg s(-1) to 5 x 10(38) erg s(-1) and are therefore likely to power a PWN. This paper summarizes the search for PWNe in the off-pulse windows of 54 LAT-detected pulsars using 16 months of survey observations. Ten sources show significant emission, seven of these likely being of magnetospheric origin. The detection of significant emission in the off-pulse interval offers new constraints on the gamma-ray emitting regions in pulsar magnetospheres. The three other sources with significant emission are the Crab Nebula, Vela-X, and a new PWN candidate associated with the LAT pulsar PSR J1023-5746, coincident with the TeV source HESS J1023-575. We further explore the association between the HESS and the Fermi source by modeling its spectral energy distribution. Flux upper limits derived for the 44 remaining sources are used to provide new constraints on famous PWNe that have been detected at keV and/or TeV energies.
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- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(author)
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FERMI OBSERVATIONS OF GRB 090902B : A DISTINCT SPECTRAL COMPONENT IN THE PROMPT AND DELAYED EMISSION
- 2009
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In: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - 2041-8205 .- 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 706:1, s. L138-L144
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the observation of the bright, long gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB 090902B, by the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and Large Area Telescope (LAT) instruments on-board the Fermi observatory. This was one of the brightest GRBs to have been observed by the LAT, which detected several hundred photons during the prompt phase. With a redshift of z = 1.822, this burst is among the most luminous detected by Fermi. Time-resolved spectral analysis reveals a significant power-law component in the LAT data that is distinct from the usual Band model emission that is seen in the sub-MeV energy range. This power-law component appears to extrapolate from the GeV range to the lowest energies and is more intense than the Band component, both below similar to 50 keV and above 100 MeV. The Band component undergoes substantial spectral evolution over the entire course of the burst, while the photon index of the power-law component remains constant for most of the prompt phase, then hardens significantly toward the end. After the prompt phase, power-law emission persists in the LAT data as late as 1 ks post-trigger, with its flux declining as t(-1.5). The LAT detected a photon with the highest energy so far measured from a GRB, 33.4(-3.5)(+ 2.7) GeV. This event arrived 82 s after the GBM trigger and similar to 50 s after the prompt phase emission had ended in the GBM band. We discuss the implications of these results for models of GRB emission and for constraints on models of the extragalactic background light.
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26. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(author)
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THE FIRST FERMI MULTIFREQUENCY CAMPAIGN ON BL LACERTAE : CHARACTERIZING THE LOW-ACTIVITY STATE OF THE EPONYMOUS BLAZAR
- 2011
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 730:2, s. 101-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on observations of BL Lacertae during the first 18 months of Fermi LAT science operations and present results from a 48 day multifrequency coordinated campaign from 2008 August 19 to 2008 October 7. The radio to gamma-ray behavior of BL Lac is unveiled during a low-activity state thanks to the coordinated observations of radio-band (Metsahovi and VLBA), near-IR/optical (Tuorla, Steward, OAGH, and MDM), and X-ray (RXTE and Swift) observatories. No variability was resolved in gamma rays during the campaign, and the brightness level was 15 times lower than the level of the 1997 EGRET outburst. Moderate and uncorrelated variability has been detected in UV and X-rays. The X-ray spectrum is found to be concave, indicating the transition region between the low- and high-energy components of the spectral energy distribution (SED). VLBA observation detected a synchrotron spectrum self-absorption turnover in the innermost part of the radio jet appearing to be elongated and inhomogeneous, and constrained the average magnetic field there to be less than 3 G. Over the following months, BL Lac appeared variable in gamma rays, showing flares (in 2009 April and 2010 January). There is no evidence for the correlation of gamma rays with the optical flux monitored from the ground in 18 months. The SED may be described by a single-zone or a two-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model, but a hybrid SSC plus external radiation Compton model seems to be preferred based on the observed variability and the fact that it provides a fit closest to equipartition.
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27. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(author)
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DETECTION OF HIGH-ENERGY GAMMA-RAY EMISSION DURING THE X-RAY FLARING ACTIVITY IN GRB 100728A
- 2011
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In: The Astrophysical Journal Letters. - 2041-8205. ; 734:2, s. L27-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the simultaneous Swift and Fermi observations of the bright GRB 100728A and its afterglow. The early X-ray emission is dominated by a vigorous flaring activity continuing until 1 ks after the burst. In the same time interval, high-energy emission is significantly detected by the Fermi/Large Area Telescope. Marginal evidence of GeV emission is observed up to later times. We discuss the broadband properties of this burst within both the internal and external shock scenarios, with a particular emphasis on the relation between X-ray flares, the GeV emission, and a continued long-duration central engine activity as their power source.
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28. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(author)
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CONSTRAINTS ON THE COSMIC-RAY DENSITY GRADIENT BEYOND THE SOLAR CIRCLE FROM FERMI gamma-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE THIRD GALACTIC QUADRANT
- 2011
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 726:2, s. 81-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report an analysis of the interstellar gamma-ray emission in the third Galactic quadrant measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. The window encompassing the Galactic plane from longitude 210 degrees to 250 degrees has kinematically well-defined segments of the Local and the Perseus arms, suitable to study the cosmic-ray (CR) densities across the outer Galaxy. We measure no large gradient with Galactocentric distance of the gamma-ray emissivities per interstellar H atom over the regions sampled in this study. The gradient depends, however, on the optical depth correction applied to derive the H I column densities. No significant variations are found in the interstellar spectra in the outer Galaxy, indicating similar shapes of the CR spectrum up to the Perseus arm for particles with GeV to tens of GeV energies. The emissivity as a function of Galactocentric radius does not show a large enhancement in the spiral arms with respect to the interarm region. The measured emissivity gradient is flatter than expectations based on a CR propagation model using the radial distribution of supernova remnants and uniform diffusion properties. In this context, observations require a larger halo size and/or a flatter CR source distribution than usually assumed. The molecular mass calibrating ratio, X(CO) = N(H(2))/W(CO), is found to be (2.08 +/- 0.11) x 10(20) cm(-2)(K km s(-1))(-1) in the Local arm clouds and is not significantly sensitive to the choice of Hi spin temperature. No significant variations are found for clouds in the interarm region.
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34. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(author)
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Constraining The High-Energy Emission From Gamma-Ray Bursts With Fermi
- 2012
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 754:2, s. 121-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We examine 288 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope's Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) that fell within the field of view of Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT) during the first 2.5 years of observations, which showed no evidence for emission above 100 MeV. We report the photon flux upper limits in the 0.1-10 GeV range during the prompt emission phase as well as for fixed 30 s and 100 s integrations starting from the trigger time for each burst. We compare these limits with the fluxes that would be expected from extrapolations of spectral fits presented in the first GBM spectral catalog and infer that roughly half of the GBM-detected bursts either require spectral breaks between the GBM and LAT energy bands or have intrinsically steeper spectra above the peak of the nu F-nu spectra (E-pk). In order to distinguish between these two scenarios, we perform joint GBM and LAT spectral fits to the 30 brightest GBM-detected bursts and find that a majority of these bursts are indeed softer above E-pk than would be inferred from fitting the GBM data alone. Approximately 20% of this spectroscopic subsample show statistically significant evidence for a cutoff in their high-energy spectra, which if assumed to be due to gamma gamma attenuation, places limits on the maximum Lorentz factor associated with the relativistic outflow producing this emission. All of these latter bursts have maximum Lorentz factor estimates that are well below the minimum Lorentz factors calculated for LAT-detected GRBs, revealing a wide distribution in the bulk Lorentz factor of GRB outflows and indicating that LAT-detected bursts may represent the high end of this distribution.
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35. |
- Tasmin, S., et al.
(author)
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Short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter and emergency ambulance dispatch for acute illness in Japan
- 2016
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 566-567, s. 528-535
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Short-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to negative health outcomes that require an emergency medical response. However, few studies have been undertaken on this phenomenon to date. The aim of this study therefore was to examine the association between short-term exposure to ambient suspended particulate matter (SPM) and emergency ambulance dispatches (EADs) for acute illness in Japan. Daily EAD data, daily mean SPM and meteorological data were obtained for four prefectures in the Kanto region of Japan for the period from 2007 to 2011. The area-specific association between daily EAD for acute illness and SPM was explored using generalized linear models while controlling for ambient temperature, relative humidity, seasonality, long-term trends, day of the week and public holidays. Stratified analyses were conducted to evaluate the modifying effects of age, sex and medical conditions. Area-specific estimates were combined using meta-analyses. For the total study period the mean level of SPM was 23.7 μg/m3. In general, higher SPM was associated with a significant increase in EAD for acute illness [estimated pooled relative risk (RR): 1.008, 95% CI: 1.007 to 1.010 per 10 μg/m3 increase in SPM at lag 0-1]. The effects of SPM on EAD for acute illness were significantly greater for moderate/mild medical conditions (e.g. cases that resulted in <3 weeks hospitalization or no hospitalization) when compared to severe medical conditions (e.g. critical cases, and cases that led to >3 weeks hospitalization or which resulted in death). Using EAD data, this study has shown the adverse health effects of ambient air pollution. This highlights the importance of reducing the level of air pollution in order to maintain population health and well-being.
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37. |
- Liamsuwan, T, et al.
(author)
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Microdosimetry of low-energy electrons
- 2012
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In: International journal of radiation biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1362-3095 .- 0955-3002. ; 88:12, s. 899-907
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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43. |
- Nikjoo, H, et al.
(author)
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Monte Carlo track structure for radiation biology and space applications
- 2001
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In: Physica medica : PM : an international journal devoted to the applications of physics to medicine and biology : official journal of the Italian Association of Biomedical Physics (AIFB). - 1120-1797. ; 1717 Suppl 1, s. 38-44
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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44. |
- Nikjoo, H., et al.
(author)
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Radiation track, DNA damage and response-a review
- 2016
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In: Reports on progress in physics (Print). - : IOP Publishing. - 0034-4885 .- 1361-6633. ; 79:11
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this paper has been to review the current status and progress of the field of radiation biophysics, and draw attention to the fact that physics, in general, and radiation physics in particular, with the aid of mathematical modeling, can help elucidate biological mechanisms and cancer therapies. We hypothesize that concepts of condensed-matter physics along with the new genomic knowledge and technologies and mechanistic mathematical modeling in conjunction with advances in experimental DNA (Deoxyrinonucleic acid molecule) repair and cell signaling have now provided us with unprecedented opportunities in radiation biophysics to address problems in targeted cancer therapy, and genetic risk estimation in humans. Obviously, one is not dealing with 'low-hanging fruit', but it will be a major scientific achievement if it becomes possible to state, in another decade or so, that we can link mechanistically the stages between the initial radiation-induced DNA damage; in particular, at doses of radiation less than 2 Gy and with structural changes in genomic DNA as a precursor to cell inactivation and/or mutations leading to genetic diseases. The paper presents recent development in the physics of radiation track structure contained in the computer code system KURBUC, in particular for low-energy electrons in the condensed phase of water for which we provide a comprehensive discussion of the dielectric response function approach. The state-of-the-art in the simulation of proton and carbon ion tracks in the Bragg peak region is also presented. The paper presents a critical discussion of the models used for elastic scattering, and the validity of the trajectory approach in low-electron transport. Brief discussions of mechanistic and quantitative aspects of microdosimetry, DNA damage and DNA repair are also included as developed by the authors' work.
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48. |
- Starominski-Uehara, Marvin, et al.
(author)
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How Does Natural Hazard Insurance Literature Discuss the Risks of Climate Change?
- 2016
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In: Journal of Insurance Regulation. - : National Association of Insurance Commissioners. - 0736-248X. ; 35:6, s. 1-26
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Natural hazard insurance has been increasingly considered in the literature of climate change. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this paper reviews how peer-reviewed literature on natural hazard insurance discusses the risks of climate change. The study highlights the increasing role of natural hazard insurance as a business opportunity contributing to adaptation and working in cooperation with governmental sectors. In response to these challenges, the insurance industry has started to develop adaptation strategies and measures to adjust data collection, catastrophe modelling and risk analysis despite the limitations of these strategies and difficulties arising from the requirement of considering a significant number of partners and systems.
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49. |
- Uehara, A, et al.
(author)
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A hybridization-based enrichment strategy to increase the accuracy of next generation sequencing in phylogenetic analysis of dengue viruses in Sri Lanka
- 2015
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In: Tropical medicine & international health. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1360-2276 .- 1365-3156. ; 20:Suppl. 1, s. 120-120
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Introduction: Sri Lanka has experienced confirmed dengue outbreaks since the 1960s although severe dengue disease (DHF/DSS) didn’t appear until 1989. Since then, cyclical outbreaks associated with severe disease have occurred throughout the island. The most recent epidemic began in 2009 with the apparent introduction of a new genotype of DENV-1. To better understand the mechanisms underlying the persistence of this ongoing epidemic, a longitudinal study was conducted in hospitals in the Colombo district from April 2012 to March 2014. In order to glean as much information as possible about the viral genetics from this large cohort, we developed a novel Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platform that can function without any a priori knowledge of the target dengue genome.Methods: The principle problem encountered when employing NGS directly on patient samples is the high ratio of host to viral RNA. To compensate for this, we developed a hybridization-based enrichment strategy consisting of DENV-specific 120nt, biotinylated oligodeoxynucleotides to capture DENV genomic material from an NGS library prepared directly from patient sera.Results: The strategy developed here allowed us to enrich DENV genomic material over 5000 fold relative to unenriched material. Full genome data and phylogenetic analysis indicate that the DENV-1 are predominantly genotype 1 although a smaller number of genotype 5 isolates was also identified.Conclusion: The platform developed for this study has the inherent ability to capture all four serotypes of DENV and can significantly increase the virus to host RNA ratio. The principle driver of the current dengue epidemic in Sri Lanka is the same DENV-1 genotype that has been in circulation since 2009.This research was funded by the Singapore Infectious Disease Initiative (SIDI/2013/012) and the European Union 7th Framework Programme through ‘DengueTools’. (www.dengue-tools.net).Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.
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