| 1. |
- Feroci, M., et al.
(författare)
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The large observatory for x-ray timing
- 2014
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Ingår i: Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering. - : SPIE. - 9780819496126
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing (LOFT) was studied within ESA M3 Cosmic Vision framework and participated in the final downselection for a launch slot in 2022-2024. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of effective area and spectral resolution of its main instrument, LOFT will study the behaviour of matter under extreme conditions, such as the strong gravitational field in the innermost regions of accretion flows close to black holes and neutron stars, and the supranuclear densities in the interior of neutron stars. The science payload is based on a Large Area Detector (LAD, 10 m2 effective area, 2-30 keV, 240 eV spectral resolution, 1° collimated field of view) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM, 2-50 keV, 4 steradian field of view, 1 arcmin source location accuracy, 300 eV spectral resolution). The WFM is equipped with an on-board system for bright events (e.g. GRB) localization. The trigger time and position of these events are broadcast to the ground within 30 s from discovery. In this paper we present the status of the mission at the end of its Phase A study.
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| 2. |
- Feroci, M., et al.
(författare)
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LOFT - The large observatory for x-ray timing
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. - 9780819491442 ; , s. 84432D-
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The LOFT mission concept is one of four candidates selected by ESA for the M3 launch opportunity as Medium Size missions of the Cosmic Vision programme. The launch window is currently planned for between 2022 and 2024. LOFT is designed to exploit the diagnostics of rapid X-ray flux and spectral variability that directly probe the motion of matter down to distances very close to black holes and neutron stars, as well as the physical state of ultradense matter. These primary science goals will be addressed by a payload composed of a Large Area Detector (LAD) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM). The LAD is a collimated (<1 degree field of view) experiment operating in the energy range 2-50 keV, with a 10 m2 peak effective area and an energy resolution of 260 eV at 6 keV. The WFM will operate in the same energy range as the LAD, enabling simultaneous monitoring of a few-steradian wide field of view, with an angular resolution of <5 arcmin. The LAD and WFM experiments will allow us to investigate variability from submillisecond QPO's to yearlong transient outbursts. In this paper we report the current status of the project.
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| 3. |
- Cinner, J. E., et al.
(författare)
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Vulnerability of coastal communities to key impacts of climate change on coral reef fisheries
- 2012
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Ingår i: Global Environmental Change. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-3780 .- 1872-9495. ; 22:1, s. 12-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coral reefs support the livelihood of millions of people especially those engaged in marine fisheries activities. Coral reefs are highly vulnerable to climate change induced stresses that have led to substantial coral mortality over large spatial scales. Such climate change impacts have the potential to lead to declines in marine fish production and compromise the livelihoods of fisheries dependent communities. Yet few studies have examined social vulnerability in the context of changes specific to coral reef ecosystems. In this paper, we examine three dimensions of vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) of 29 coastal communities across five western Indian Ocean countries to the impacts of coral bleaching on fishery returns. A key contribution is the development of a novel, network-based approach to examining sensitivity to changes in the fishery that incorporates linkages between fishery and non-fishery occupations. We find that key sources of vulnerability differ considerably within and between the five countries. Our approach allows the visualization of how these dimensions of vulnerability differ from site to site, providing important insights into the types of nuanced policy interventions that may help to reduce vulnerability at a specific location. To complement this, we develop framework of policy actions thought to reduce different aspects of vulnerability at varying spatial and temporal scales. Although our results are specific to reef fisheries impacts from coral bleaching, this approach provides a framework for other types of threats and different social-ecological systems more broadly.
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| 4. |
- Galaz, Victor, et al.
(författare)
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Can web crawlers revolutionize ecological monitoring?
- 2010
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Ingår i: Frontiers in ecology and the environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295. ; 8:2, s. 99-104
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite recent advances, ecosystem service monitoring is limited by insufficient data, the complexity of social–ecological systems, and poor integration of information that tracks changes in ecosystems and economic activities. However, new information and communication technologies are revolutionizing the generation of, and access to, such data. Can researchers who are interested in ecological monitoring tap into these increased flows of information by “mining” the internet to detect “early-warning” signs that may signal abrupt ecological changes? Here, we explore the possibility of using web crawlers and internet-based information to complement conventional ecological monitoring, with a special emphasis on the prospects for avoiding “late warnings”, that is, when ecosystems have already shifted to less desirable states. Using examples from coral reef ecosystems, we explore the untapped potential, as well as the limitations, of relying on web-based information to monitor ecosystem services and forewarn us of negative ecological shifts.
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| 5. |
- Gallagher, K, et al.
(författare)
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Inference of abrupt changes in noisy geochemical records using transdimensional changepoint models
- 2011
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Ingår i: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0012-821X .- 1385-013X. ; 311:1-2, s. 182-194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a method to quantify abrupt changes (or changepoints) in data series, represented as a function of depth or time. These changes are often the result of climatic or environmental variations and can be manifested in multiple datasets as different responses, but all datasets can have the same changepoint locations/timings. The method we present uses transdimensional Markov chain Monte Carlo to infer probability distributions on the number and locations (in depth or time) of changepoints, the mean values between changepoints and, if required, the noise variance associated with each dataset being considered. This latter point is important as we generally will have limited information on the noise, such as estimates only of measurement uncertainty, and in most cases it is not practical to make repeat sampling/measurement to assess other contributions to the variation in the data. We describe the main features of the approach (and describe the mathematical formulation in supplementary material), and demonstrate its validity using synthetic datasets, with known changepoint structure (number and locations of changepoints) and distribution of noise variance for each dataset. We show that when using multiple data, we expect to achieve better resolution of the changepoint structure than when we use each dataset individually. This is conditional on the validity of the assumption of common changepoints between different datasets. We then apply the method to two sets of real geochemical data, both from peat cores, taken from NE Australia and eastern Tibet. Under the assumption that changes occur at the same time for all datasets, we recover solutions consistent with those previously inferred qualitatively from independent data and interpretations. However, our approach provides a quantitative estimate of the relative probability of the inferred changepoints, allowing an objective assessment of the significance of each change.
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| 6. |
- Lomnytska, M. I., et al.
(författare)
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Impact of genomic stability on protein expression in endometrioid endometrial cancer
- 2012
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Ingår i: British Journal of Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0007-0920 .- 1532-1827. ; 106:7, s. 1297-1305
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Genomic stability is one of the crucial prognostic factors for patients with endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC). The impact of genomic stability on the tumour tissue proteome of EEC is not yet well established.METHODS: Tissue lysates of EEC, squamous cervical cancer (SCC), normal endometrium and squamous cervical epithelium were subjected to two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis and identification of proteins by MALDI TOF MS. Expression of selected proteins was analysed in independent samples by immunohistochemistry.RESULTS: Diploid and aneuploid genomically unstable EEC displayed similar patterns of protein expression. This was in contrast to diploid stable EEC, which displayed a protein expression profile similar to normal endometrium. Approximately 10% of the differentially expressed proteins in EEC were specific for this type of cancer with differential expression of other proteins observed in other types of malignancy (e.g., SCC). Selected proteins differentially expressed in 2D gels of EEC were further analysed in an EEC precursor lesion, that is, atypical hyperplasia of endometrium, and showed increased expression of CLIC1, EIF4A1 and PRDX6 and decreased expression of ENO1, ANXA4, EMD and Ku70.CONCLUSION: Protein expression in diploid and aneuploid genomically unstable EEC is different from the expression profile of proteins in diploid genomically stable EEC. We showed that changes in expression of proteins typical for EEC could already be detected in precursor lesions, that is, atypical hyperplasia of endometrium, highlighting their clinical potential for improving early diagnostics of EEC.
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