1. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(author)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
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In: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3– 19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8– 144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
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2. |
- Chiang, Cho-Han, et al.
(author)
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Performance of the European Society of Cardiology 0/1-Hour, 0/2-Hour, and 0/3-Hour Algorithms for Rapid Triage of Acute Myocardial Infarction : An International Collaborative Meta-analysis
- 2022
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In: Annals of Internal Medicine. - 0003-4819. ; 175:1, s. 101-113
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The 2020 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines recommend using the 0/1-hour and 0/2-hour algorithms over the 0/3-hour algorithm as the first and second choices of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn)-based strategies for triage of patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI).PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracies of the ESC 0/1-hour, 0/2-hour, and 0/3-hour algorithms.DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Scopus from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020. (PROSPERO: CRD42020216479).STUDY SELECTION: Prospective studies that evaluated the ESC 0/1-hour, 0/2-hour, or 0/3-hour algorithms in adult patients presenting with suspected AMI.DATA EXTRACTION: The primary outcome was index AMI. Twenty unique cohorts were identified. Primary data were obtained from investigators of 16 cohorts and aggregate data were extracted from 4 cohorts. Two independent authors assessed each study for methodological quality.DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 32 studies (20 cohorts) with 30 066 patients were analyzed. The 0/1-hour algorithm had a pooled sensitivity of 99.1% (95% CI, 98.5% to 99.5%) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.8% (CI, 99.6% to 99.9%) for ruling out AMI. The 0/2-hour algorithm had a pooled sensitivity of 98.6% (CI, 97.2% to 99.3%) and NPV of 99.6% (CI, 99.4% to 99.8%). The 0/3-hour algorithm had a pooled sensitivity of 93.7% (CI, 87.4% to 97.0%) and NPV of 98.7% (CI, 97.7% to 99.3%). Sensitivity of the 0/3-hour algorithm was attenuated in studies that did not use clinical criteria (GRACE score <140 and pain-free) compared with studies that used clinical criteria (90.2% [CI, 82.9 to 94.6] vs. 98.4% [CI, 88.6 to 99.8]). All 3 algorithms had similar specificities and positive predictive values for ruling in AMI, but heterogeneity across studies was substantial. Diagnostic performance was similar across the hs-cTnT (Elecsys; Roche), hs-cTnI (Architect; Abbott), and hs-cTnI (Centaur/Atellica; Siemens) assays.LIMITATION: Diagnostic accuracy, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and cardiac troponin sampling time varied among studies.CONCLUSION: The ESC 0/1-hour and 0/2-hour algorithms have higher sensitivities and NPVs than the 0/3-hour algorithm for index AMI.PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Taiwan University Hospital.
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4. |
- Ihs, Anita, 1960-, et al.
(author)
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Road works during night : Recommendations for the visual environment
- 2008
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Road-works almost always mean a restriction of the space available for the road users and thereby also a reduction of the passability. The passage of road-works is acomplicated situation for the driver and therefore poses high demands on the traffic controls used (signs, channelling devices, etc.).To avoid disturbances in dense traffic during daytime road works are to an increasing extent carried out during hours at night when traffic volumes are lower. The requirements on the traffic controls are however considerably different during daylight than during night to provide acceptable visual conditions for the road users.A considerable difficulty for the driver who is passing the work zone in the dark is to obtain a visual impression of sufficient quality despite glare from meeting traffic, yellow flashing lights, and work zone illumination. This is required to get a correct comprehension on which speed to hold and where to place the vehicle when passing the work zone.Within NordFoU it was decided to carry out a joint Nordic project to investigate how to provide a good visual environment at night time road works and as a part of this how to best avoid/reduce the adverse effects of glare.The primary aim of the project was that it should result in recommendations as bases for the improvement and coordination of existing regulations in the Nordic countries by giving:− proposals regarding glare limitation− proposals for requirements for yellow warning/flashing lights− proposals for requirements on work zone illumination both with regard to the needs of the road workers and to avoid the glare of drivers− recommendations regarding specular reflection on wet road surfaces.
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5. |
- Ihs, Anita, et al.
(author)
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Störande ljus vid vägarbeten om natten : pilotförsök 1 och 2: mötesseparerad landsväg
- 2008
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In order to avoid disturbances in heavy traffic during daytime, road works are carried out to an increasing extent during off-peak hours at night. The demands on the design of the work zone traffic control differ, however, considerably between daylight and darkness in order to achieve visual conditions that are acceptable for the road users. In order for the driver to be able to pass in a safe way the design of the work zone traffic control should not be possible to misunderstand. One requirement is that the visual conditions are good. The latter means that the strength of the total glare from opposing traffic, warning lights, work vehicles and work zone illumination must be limited. During night time the pavements are often wet or damp, particularly during winter time, which increases the reflexion in the pavement. The reflexion can conceal the road markings, alter the colour of the signs and markings, contribute to the glare and increase the complexity of the visual information to the driver. The risk is that the driver then misunderstands/misjudges the information and drives into the work zone. Within NORDFOU it has been decided to carry out a large co-Nordic project to investigate how to best avoid problems with glare and provide a good visual guidance at work zones where work is carried out during night time. The objective of the whole project is to improve the safety both for the road users passing the work zone in the dark and for people working within the work zone, and in particular road works during night time on major roads. Previously, primarily during the year 2005 fore preliminary studies have been carried out within the project concerning yellow running lights, work zone illumination, methods for measuring glare as well as reflexion on various types of pavements. In this report two pilot studies are described, both dealing with stationary road works on "2+1"- roadways, which were carried out during spring and autumn 2006, respectively. The first pilot study was carried out on an airfield outside Copenhagen, Denmark, where a work zone was built up on a runway. Two types of work zone illumination and a number of different variants of running lights (brightness, frequency, sequence, etc.) were tested. All assessments were made by a panel of experts consisting of the members of the project team, who were standing on a fixed distance from the work zone. Pilot study 2 was carried out on a real 2+1 road outside Linköping, Sweden, where a stationary work zone was established on the single lane part of the road. The pilot study included driving tests where the test subjects (drivers) were people older than 50 years. In this way a more realistic situation was obtained where the assessments were done when the test subjects drove past the work zone. The test subjects had to answer a questionnaire, and the speed of their vehicles as well as the speed of the ordinary traffic passing the work zone was registered.
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6. |
- Karlson, Bengt, et al.
(author)
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Infrastructure for marine monitoring and operational oceanography
- 2009. - 2009:39
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Automated systems for observing physical, chemical and biological conditions in the sea are being implemented worldwide as part of the Global Ocean Observing System. This report describes their use in the Baltic and the Skagerrak-Kattegat areas. An evaluation of the use of FerryBox systems in the waters around Sweden shows that the quality of data from near surface waters is high, and that the frequent sampling makes possible observations of short term phenomena such as algal blooms. These events are often overlooked by infrequent sampling using research vessels, which leads to erroneous estimates of phytoplankton biomass, ecosystem carrying capacity etc. Data come from the Helsinki-Lübeck route, operated by the Finnish Institute for Marine Research and from routes in the Skagerrak-Kattegat operated by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research. FerryBox data were compared with data from traditional sampling, principally from RV Argos operated by SMHI, but also from the HELCOM databank at ICES. Observations using automated systems such as satellites, stationary platforms (buoys and piles) and FerryBox systems may contribute substantially to improving the quality of results from models describing the physical and biogeochemical conditions in Scandinavian waters. Boundary conditions for models can be obtained using measurements in the eastern North Sea and in the Skagerrak, while data assimilation from a network of buoys, FerryBoxsystems and research vessels improves the quality of model results. Today, between four and six automated oceanographic observation systems are in operation in Swedish waters, which can be compared to more than 700 for meteorological purposes. A dramatic increase in the number of observations is necessary for effective data assimilation. To make the observations useful for biogeochemical models, parameters such as inorganic nutrients, phytoplankton biomass and oxygen must be added to the basic parameters salinity and temperature. A detailed proposal for a new infrastructure for marine monitoring and operational oceanography in Sweden is put forward. FerryBox systems should be operated in collaboration with institutes in Finland, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Denmark and Norway. Coastal buoys contribute to the monitoring needs of the EU Water Framework Directive while offshore buoys are for long term climate and ecological research and for fulfilment of the EU Marine Strategy Directive . Products combining satellite data with in-situ observations should be developed. These automated systems augment monitoring using research vessels but do not replace it. SMHI, the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment, the Swedish Water Authorities, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Swedish Navy, Coast guard, Maritime Administration and Board of Fisheries are proposed to govern and operate the system, with SMHI as the lead partner. The function ‘National data host for operational oceanographic data’ is proposed, to be established at the National Oceanographic Data Centre at SMHI. A number of indicators for describing the status of the pelagic environment around Sweden are proposed. Some already exist while some are new. New ones include indicators for acidification, changes in plankton community structure and physical climate indicators. Basin wide indicators are based on measurements using a combination of sampling platforms. Other indicators are more specific, e.g. for transport between basins and inflow of water to the deep basins of the Baltic Proper.
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7. |
- Kim, Jongho, et al.
(author)
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Remarkable conductivity enhancement in P-doped polythiophenes via rational engineering of polymer-dopant interactions
- 2023
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In: Materials Today Advances. - : Elsevier BV. - 2590-0498. ; 18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Molecular doping is an effective approach to tune the charge density and optimize electrical performance of conjugated polymers. However, the introduction of dopants, on the other hand, may disturb the polymer microstructure and disrupt the charge transport path, often leading to a decrease of charge carrier mobility and deterioration of electrical conductivity of the doped films. Here we show that dopant-induced disorder can be overcome by rational engineering of polymer-dopant interactions, resulting in remarkable enhancement of electrical conductivity. Benchmark poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and its analogous random polymers of 3-hexylthiophene and thiophene P[(3HT)1-x-stat-(T)x] were synthesized and doped by 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ). Remarkably, random P[(3HT)1-x-stat-(T)x] was doped to a far superior electrical conductivity, that in the case of x ≥ 0.24, the conductivity of P[(3HT)1-x-stat-(T)x] is over 100 times higher than that of the doped P3HT, despite both P3HT and P[(3HT)1-x-stat-(T)x] exhibit comparable charge carrier mobility in their pristine state and in spite of their practically identical redox properties. This result can be traced back to the formation of π-stacked polymer-dopant-polymer co-crystals exhibiting extremely short packing distances of 3.13–3.15 Å. The mechanism behind these performances is based on a new role played by the dopant molecules that we name “bridging-gluing”. The results are coherently verified by the combination of optical absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, density functional theory calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations.
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8. |
- Kreibich, Heidi, et al.
(author)
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Panta Rhei benchmark dataset : Socio-hydrological data of paired events of floods and droughts
- 2023
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In: Earth System Science Data. - : Copernicus Publications. - 1866-3508 .- 1866-3516. ; 15:5, s. 2009-2023
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- As the adverse impacts of hydrological extremes increase in many regions of the world, a better understanding of the drivers of changes in risk and impacts is essential for effective flood and drought risk management and climate adaptation. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive, empirical data about the processes, interactions, and feedbacks in complex human-water systems leading to flood and drought impacts. Here we present a benchmark dataset containing socio-hydrological data of paired events, i.e. two floods or two droughts that occurred in the same area. The 45 paired events occurred in 42 different study areas and cover a wide range of socio-economic and hydro-climatic conditions. The dataset is unique in covering both floods and droughts, in the number of cases assessed and in the quantity of socio-hydrological data. The benchmark dataset comprises (1) detailed review-style reports about the events and key processes between the two events of a pair; (2) the key data table containing variables that assess the indicators which characterize management shortcomings, hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and impacts of all events; and (3) a table of the indicators of change that indicate the differences between the first and second event of a pair. The advantages of the dataset are that it enables comparative analyses across all the paired events based on the indicators of change and allows for detailed context- and location-specific assessments based on the extensive data and reports of the individual study areas. The dataset can be used by the scientific community for exploratory data analyses, e.g. focused on causal links between risk management; changes in hazard, exposure and vulnerability; and flood or drought impacts. The data can also be used for the development, calibration, and validation of socio-hydrological models. The dataset is available to the public through the GFZ Data Services (Kreibich et al., 2023, 10.5880/GFZ.4.4.2023.001).
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9. |
- Kreibich, Heidi, et al.
(author)
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The challenge of unprecedented floods and droughts in risk management
- 2022
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In: Nature. - : Springer Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 608:7921, s. 80-86
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Risk management has reduced vulnerability to floods and droughts globally, yet their impacts are still increasing. An improved understanding of the causes of changing impacts is therefore needed, but has been hampered by a lack of empirical data4,5. On the basis of a global dataset of 45 pairs of events that occurred within the same area, we show that risk management generally reduces the impacts of floods and droughts but faces difficulties in reducing the impacts of unprecedented events of a magnitude not previously experienced. If the second event was much more hazardous than the first, its impact was almost always higher. This is because management was not designed to deal with such extreme events: for example, they exceeded the design levels of levees and reservoirs. In two success stories, the impact of the second, more hazardous, event was lower, as a result of improved risk management governance and high investment in integrated management. The observed difficulty of managing unprecedented events is alarming, given that more extreme hydrological events are projected owing to climate change.
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10. |
- Lee, Craig M., et al.
(author)
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A Framework for the Development, Design and Implementation of a Sustained Arctic Ocean Observing System
- 2019
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In: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745. ; 6
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rapid Arctic warming drives profound change in the marine environment that have significant socio-economic impacts within the Arctic and beyond, including climate and weather hazards, food security, transportation, infrastructure planning and resource extraction. These concerns drive efforts to understand and predict Arctic environmental change and motivate development of an Arctic Region Component of the Global Ocean Observing System (ARCGOOS) capable of collecting the broad, sustained observations needed to support these endeavors. This paper provides a roadmap for establishing the ARCGOOS. ARCGOOS development must be underpinned by a broadly endorsed framework grounded in high-level policy drivers and the scientific and operational objectives that stem from them. This should be guided by a transparent, internationally accepted governance structure with recognized authority and organizational relationships with the national agencies that ultimately execute network plans. A governance model for ARCGOOS must guide selection of objectives, assess performance and fitness-to-purpose, and advocate for resources. A requirements-based framework for an ARCGOOS begins with the Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs) that underpin the system. SBAs motivate investments and define the system's science and operational objectives. Objectives can then be used to identify key observables and their scope. The domains of planning/policy, strategy, and tactics define scope ranging from decades and basins to focused observing with near real time data delivery. Patterns emerge when this analysis is integrated across an appropriate set of SBAs and science/operational objectives, identifying impactful variables and the scope of the measurements. When weighted for technological readiness and logistical feasibility, this can be used to select Essential ARCGOOS Variables, analogous to Essential Ocean Variables of the Global Ocean Observing System. The Arctic presents distinct needs and challenges, demanding novel observing strategies. Cost, traceability and ability to integrate region-specific knowledge have to be balanced, in an approach that builds on existing and new observing infrastructure. ARCGOOS should benefit from established data infrastructures following the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reuseable Principles to ensure preservation and sharing of data and derived products. Linking to the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) process and involving Arctic stakeholders, for example through liaison with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), can help ensure success.
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