| 11. |
- Forssén, Jens, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Effects of urban morphology on traffic noise: A parameter study including indirect noise exposure and estimated health impact
- 2022
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In: Applied Acoustics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-682X .- 1872-910X. ; 186
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Noise exposure has been calculated and analysed for 31 different urban morphologies in an urban setting. For five of the urban morphologies also vegetation surfaces on facades and roofs were studied. Facade exposures were analysed for both smaller (single-sided) flats and larger (floor-through) flats, considering the direct exposure from the roads as well as the indirect exposure at noise-shielded positions like inner yards. Also, grid map area exposures at ground level were calculated and analysed for both sidewalk and yard areas. The facade exposure levels, using indicators Lden and Lnight, were used to estimate annoyance and sleep disturbance as well as disease burden in terms of DALY (Disability-Adjusted Life Years) per person. In all urban morphology cases, single-sided flats showed overall better performance (i.e. lower DALY) than larger, floor-through flats; however, the inclusion of a bonus for additional facade elements having a lower noise exposure gave the large flats a similar or better predicted overall performance compared with the small flats. Among the building types studied, for small flats and constant building density, the use of perimeter blocks with closed inner yards, slightly open yards and U-shaped buildings showed results of relatively better overall performance compared with I-shaped, L-shaped and point buildings. When the yards grow in size, the performance of closed inner yards dropped. As general trends, perimeter blocks were shown to perform better than morphologies with less enclosed yards and densification with constant traffic flow was shown to result in improved performance. However, building types with slightly open yards may provide an attractive compromise solution due to its relatively good noise shielding at the same time as enabling solutions to air pollution and corner-flat layouts. In addition, complementing the perimeter blocks with towers was shown to enable improvement. Furthermore, traffic concentration by locating all local traffic to a single road was shown to be beneficial, increasingly so by widening the road. Predicted effects of vegetation surfaces on facades and roofs showed significant overall improvement, where closed inner yards benefit from vegetated roofs. The area exposure results showed that when the building blocks are successively less enclosed the levels are reduced on the side-walks and increased in the yards. Also, the benefit of facade vegetation is shown for the area exposures. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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| 12. |
- Gajdek, Dorotea, et al.
(author)
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Structural Changes in Monolayer Cobalt Oxides under Ambient Pressure CO and O 2 Studied by In Situ Grazing-Incidence X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy
- 2022
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In: Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 126:7, s. 3411-3418
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have used grazing incidence X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy at the cobalt K-edge to characterize monolayer CoO films on Pt(111) under ambient pressure exposure to CO and O2, with the aim of identifying the Co phases present and their transformations under oxidizing and reducing conditions. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra show clear changes in the chemical state of Co, with the 2+ state predominant under CO exposure and the 3+ state predominant under O2-rich conditions. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) analysis shows that the CoO bilayer characterized in ultrahigh vacuum is not formed under the conditions used in this study. Instead, the spectra acquired at low temperatures suggest formation of cobalt hydroxide and oxyhydroxide. At higher temperatures, the spectra indicate dewetting of the film and suggest formation of bulklike Co3O4 under oxidizing conditions. The experiments demonstrate the power of hard X-ray spectroscopy to probe the structures of well-defined oxide monolayers on metal single crystals under realistic catalytic conditions.
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| 13. |
- Gustafson, Adrian, et al.
(author)
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Nitrogen restricts future sub-Arctic treeline advance in an individual-based dynamic vegetation model
- 2021
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In: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 18, s. 6329-6347
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Arctic environmental change induces shifts in high-latitude plant community composition and stature with implications for Arctic carbon cycling and energy exchange. Two major components of change in high-latitude ecosystems are the advancement of trees into tundra and the increased abundance and size of shrubs. How future changes in key climatic and environmental drivers will affect distributions of major ecosystem types is an active area of research. Dynamic vegetation models (DVMs) offer a way to investigate multiple and interacting drivers of vegetation distribution and ecosystem function. We employed the LPJ-GUESS tree-individual-based DVM over the Torneträsk area, a sub-Arctic landscape in northern Sweden. Using a highly resolved climate dataset to downscale CMIP5 climate data from three global climate models and two 21st-century future scenarios (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5), we investigated future impacts of climate change on these ecosystems. We also performed model experiments where we factorially varied drivers (climate, nitrogen deposition and [CO2]) to disentangle the effects of each on ecosystem properties and functions. Our model predicted that treelines could advance by between 45 and 195 elevational metres by 2100, depending on the scenario. Temperature was a strong driver of vegetation change, with nitrogen availability identified as an important modulator of treeline advance. While increased CO2 fertilisation drove productivity increases, it did not result in range shifts of trees. Treeline advance was realistically simulated without any temperature dependence on growth, but biomass was overestimated. Our finding that nitrogen cycling could modulate treeline advance underlines the importance of representing plant-soil interactions in models to project future Arctic vegetation change.
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| 14. |
- Ivert, A., et al.
(author)
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Maternal and pregnancy predictive risk factors for having a compensated maternal injury claim : a Swedish nationwide cohort study
- 2023
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In: Scientific Reports. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To describe trends and identify maternal and pregnancy predictive risk factors for having a compensated claim for a maternal injury during delivery, as a proxy for having received suboptimal care. This nationwide retrospective cohort study included 1 754 869 births in Sweden between 2000 and 2016, including 4488 maternal injury claims filed with The National Swedish Patient Insurance Company (Löf), of which 1637 were compensated. Descriptive statistics on maternal and pregnancy characteristics, trends in filed/compensated claims over time, and distribution of compensated claims by clinical classification are presented. Characteristics associated with suboptimal care were identified using multivariable logistic regression, with mutual adjustment in the final model. Compensated claims were sorted into 14 clinical classifications (ICD-10 codes for main condition, injury, and causality). Overall, there was a two-fold increase in filed claims from 2000 to 2016, peaking in 2014. The rate of compensated claims only increased marginally, and 36.5% of filed claims were deemed avoidable. Perineal and pelvic floor injuries, as well as medical and diagnostic errors, were responsible for the majority of compensated claims. Women with a previous caesarean section, post term delivery, chronic or gestational disease, > 13 antenatal visits, or a multiple pregnancy had increased risk of having a compensated claim for a maternal injury during delivery. Understanding the risk factors for having a compensated maternal injury claim may guide health workers and maternity wards in improving the quality and organisation of care to reduce the risk of childbirth related injuries.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Lam, BYK, et al.
(author)
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The global burden of cerebral small vessel disease in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2023
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In: International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society. - : SAGE Publications. - 1747-4949. ; 18:1, s. 15-27
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) is a major cause of stroke and dementia. Previous studies on the prevalence of cSVD are mostly based on single geographically defined cohorts in high-income countries. Studies investigating the prevalence of cSVD in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are expanding but have not been systematically assessed. Aim: This study aims to systematically review the prevalence of cSVD in LMICs. Results: Articles were searched from the Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE databases from 1 January 2000 to 31 March 2022, without language restrictions. Title/abstract screening, full-text review, and data extraction were performed by two to seven independent reviewers. The prevalence of cSVD and study sample size were extracted by pre-defined world regions and health status. The Risk of Bias for Non-randomized Studies tool was used. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022311133). A meta-analysis of proportion was performed to assess the prevalence of different magnetic resonance imaging markers of cSVD, and a meta-regression was performed to investigate associations between cSVD prevalence and type of study, age, and male: female ratio. Of 2743 studies identified, 42 studies spanning 12 global regions were included in the systematic review. Most of the identified studies were from China (n = 23). The median prevalence of moderate-to-severe white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) was 20.5%, 40.5%, and 58.4% in the community, stroke, and dementia groups, respectively. The median prevalence of lacunes was 0.8% and 33.5% in the community and stroke groups. The median prevalence of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) was 10.7% and 22.4% in the community and stroke groups. The median prevalence of moderate-to-severe perivascular spaces was 25.0% in the community. Meta-regression analyses showed that the weighted median age (51.4 ± 0.0 years old; range: 36.3–80.2) was a significant predictor of the prevalence of moderate-to-severe WMH and lacunes, while the type of study was a significant predictor of the prevalence of CMB. The heterogeneity of studies was high (>95%). Male participants were overrepresented. Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis provide data on cSVD prevalence in LMICs and demonstrated the high prevalence of the condition. cSVD research in LMICs is being published at an increasing rate, especially between 2010 and 2022. More data are particularly needed from Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.
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| 17. |
- Lewis, William H, et al.
(author)
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Convergent Evolution of Hydrogenosomes from Mitochondria by Gene Transfer and Loss
- 2020
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In: Molecular biology and evolution. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 0737-4038 .- 1537-1719. ; 37:2, s. 524-539
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hydrogenosomes are H-2-producing mitochondrial homologs found in some anaerobic microbial eukaryotes that provide a rare intracellular niche for H-2-utilizing endosymbiotic archaea. Among ciliates, anaerobic and aerobic lineages are interspersed, demonstrating that the switch to an anaerobic lifestyle with hydrogenosomes has occurred repeatedly and independently. To investigate the molecular details of this transition, we generated genomic and transcriptomic data sets from anaerobic ciliates representing three distinct lineages. Our data demonstrate that hydrogenosomes have evolved from ancestral mitochondria in each case and reveal different degrees of independent mitochondrial genome and proteome reductive evolution, including the first example of complete mitochondrial genome loss in ciliates. Intriguingly, the FeFe-hydrogenase used for generating H-2 has a unique domain structure among eukaryotes and appears to have been present, potentially through a single lateral gene transfer from an unknown donor, in the common aerobic ancestor of all three lineages. The early acquisition and retention of FeFe-hydrogenase helps to explain the facility whereby mitochondrial function can be so radically modified within this diverse and ecologically important group of microbial eukaryotes.
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| 18. |
- Lucien, Fabrice, et al.
(author)
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MIBlood-EV: Minimal information to enhance the quality and reproducibility of blood extracellular vesicle research
- 2023
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In: Journal of Extracellular Vesicles. - 2001-3078. ; 12:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Blood is the most commonly used body fluid for extracellular vesicle (EV) research. The composition of a blood sample and its derivatives (i.e., plasma and serum) are not only donor-dependent but also influenced by collection and preparation protocols. Since there are hundreds of pre-analytical protocols and over forty variables, the development of standard operating procedures for EV research is very challenging. To improve the reproducibility of blood EV research, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) Blood EV Task Force proposes standardized reporting of (i) the applied blood collection and preparation protocol and (ii) the quality of the prepared plasma and serum samples. Gathering detailed information will provide insight into the performance of the protocols and more effectively identify potential confounders in the prepared plasma and serum samples. To collect this information, the ISEV Blood EV Task Force created the Minimal Information for Blood EV research (MIBlood-EV), a tool to record and report information about pre-analytical protocols used for plasma and serum preparation as well as assays used to assess the quality of these preparations. This tool does not require modifications of established local pre-analytical protocols and can be easily implemented to enhance existing databases thereby enabling evidence-based optimization of pre-analytical protocols through meta-analysis. Taken together, insight into the quality of prepared plasma and serum samples will (i) improve the quality of biobanks for EV research, (ii) guide the exchange of plasma and serum samples between biobanks and laboratories, (iii) facilitate inter-laboratory comparative EV studies, and (iv) improve the peer review process.
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| 19. |
- Merte, Lindsay R., et al.
(author)
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Structure of two-dimensional Fe3O4
- 2020
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In: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 152:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have investigated the structure of an ultrathin iron oxide phase grown on Ag(100) using surface X-ray diffraction in combination with Hubbard-corrected density functional theory (DFT+U) calculations. The film exhibits a novel structure composed of one close-packed layer of octahedrally coordinated Fe2+ sandwiched between two close-packed layers of tetrahedrally coordinated Fe3+ and an overall stoichiometry of Fe3O4. As the structure is distinct from bulk iron oxide phases and the coupling with the silver substrate is weak, we propose that the phase should be classified as a metastable two-dimensional oxide. The chemical and physical properties are potentially interesting, thanks to the predicted charge ordering between atomic layers, and analogy with bulk ferrite spinels suggests the possibility of synthesis of a whole class of two-dimensional ternary oxides with varying electronic, optical, and chemical properties.
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| 20. |
- Pont, M. B., et al.
(author)
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Using urban form to increase the capacity of cities to manage noise and air quality
- 2023
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In: Urban Morphology. - : International Seminar on Urban Form. - 1027-4278. ; 27:1, s. 51-69
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The top two environmental factors adversely affecting human health in Europe are air and noise pollution, with road traffic being the largest source. Urban density plays an important role in reducing car traffic. However, the benefits of reduced emissions per capita can still mean higher emissions locally, because of the number of people in the area. Therefore, this paper investigates how morphological parameters influence the local distribution of noise and air pollution. A parametric approach, based on the Spacematrix method, is used to study the impact of morphological parameters on the distribution of air and noise pollution, controlling for traffic mode, flows and speed. To compare the impact of exposure to noise and air pollution, their respective health burden is calculated using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The results, based on 31 models of different forms, show that the degree of openness greatly affects performance with opposite effects for noise and air pollution. Building types with slightly open yards, like open corner blocks, may provide an attractive compromise solution due to their relatively good noise exposure situation at the same time as the dispersion of air pollutants improves. Adding sound absorbing vegetation is an effective measure to mitigate noise, especially for blocks with openings, limiting the propagation of sound into the yard. Further, densification is beneficial for health if the increase in density does not increase traffic volume in the same proportion. Densification by adding towers on a perimeter building block gives the best results for health as it combines a less noisy yard, thanks to the enclosure of the yard with towers, which enhances turbulent mixing of air within the street canyon.
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