| 1. |
- Tragante, Vinicius, et al.
(author)
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Gene-centric Meta-analysis in 87,736 Individuals of European Ancestry Identifies Multiple Blood-Pressure-Related Loci.
- 2014
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In: American Journal of Human Genetics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9297. ; 94:3, s. 349-360
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Blood pressure (BP) is a heritable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. To investigate genetic associations with systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP), we genotyped ∼50,000 SNPs in up to 87,736 individuals of European ancestry and combined these in a meta-analysis. We replicated findings in an independent set of 68,368 individuals of European ancestry. Our analyses identified 11 previously undescribed associations in independent loci containing 31 genes including PDE1A, HLA-DQB1, CDK6, PRKAG2, VCL, H19, NUCB2, RELA, HOXC@ complex, FBN1, and NFAT5 at the Bonferroni-corrected array-wide significance threshold (p < 6 × 10(-7)) and confirmed 27 previously reported associations. Bioinformatic analysis of the 11 loci provided support for a putative role in hypertension of several genes, such as CDK6 and NUCB2. Analysis of potential pharmacological targets in databases of small molecules showed that ten of the genes are predicted to be a target for small molecules. In summary, we identified previously unknown loci associated with BP. Our findings extend our understanding of genes involved in BP regulation, which may provide new targets for therapeutic intervention or drug response stratification.
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| 2. |
- Ganesh, Santhi K., et al.
(author)
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Loci influencing blood pressure identified using a cardiovascular gene-centric array
- 2013
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In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 22:8, s. 1663-1678
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Blood pressure (BP) is a heritable determinant of risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). To investigate genetic associations with systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP), we genotyped 50 000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that capture variation in 2100 candidate genes for cardiovascular phenotypes in 61 619 individuals of European ancestry from cohort studies in the USA and Europe. We identified novel associations between rs347591 and SBP (chromosome 3p25.3, in an intron of HRH1) and between rs2169137 and DBP (chromosome1q32.1 in an intron of MDM4) and between rs2014408 and SBP (chromosome 11p15 in an intron of SOX6), previously reported to be associated with MAP. We also confirmed 10 previously known loci associated with SBP, DBP, MAP or PP (ADRB1, ATP2B1, SH2B3/ATXN2, CSK, CYP17A1, FURIN, HFE, LSP1, MTHFR, SOX6) at array-wide significance (P 2.4 10(6)). We then replicated these associations in an independent set of 65 886 individuals of European ancestry. The findings from expression QTL (eQTL) analysis showed associations of SNPs in the MDM4 region with MDM4 expression. We did not find any evidence of association of the two novel SNPs in MDM4 and HRH1 with sequelae of high BP including coronary artery disease (CAD), left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) or stroke. In summary, we identified two novel loci associated with BP and confirmed multiple previously reported associations. Our findings extend our understanding of genes involved in BP regulation, some of which may eventually provide new targets for therapeutic intervention.
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| 3. |
- Chandran, P. S., et al.
(author)
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Cluster detection in cytology images using the cellgraph method
- 2012
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In: Information Technology in Medicine and Education (ITME), 2012 International Symposium. - 9781467321099 ; , s. 923-927
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Automated cervical cancer detection system is primarily based on delineating the cell nuclei and analyzing their textural and morphometric features for malignant characteristics. The presence of cell clusters in the slides have diagnostic value, since malignant cells have a greater tendency to stick together forming clusters than normal cells. However, cell clusters pose difficulty in delineating nucleus and extracting features reliably for malignancy detection in comparison to free lying cells. LBC slide preparation techniques remove biological artifacts and clustering to some extent but not completely. Hence cluster detection in automated cervical cancer screening becomes significant. In this work, a graph theoretical technique is adopted which can identify and compute quantitative metrics for this purpose. This method constructs a cell graph of the image in accordance with the Waxman model, using the positional coordinates of cells. The computed graph metrics from the cell graphs are used as the feature set for the classifier to deal with cell clusters. It is a preliminary exploration of using the topological analysis of the cellgraph to cytological images and the accuracy of classification using SVM showed that the results are well suited for cluster detection.
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| 4. |
- Elamalayil Soman, Deepak, et al.
(author)
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Discontinuous conduction mode of a three-level boost DC-DC converter and its merits and limits for voltage cross regulation applications
- 2014
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In: Proceedings, IECON 2014 - 40th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society. - : IEEE conference proceedings. - 9781479940325 ; , s. 4268-4272
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Distributed generation and smart grid integration of renewable energy sources introduce a lot of challenges for the enabling power electronic converter technology. Some of these challenges include wide controllability range, high power handling and good reliability. Three-level boost converter is one of the attractive solution for applications requiring voltage cross regulation such as three-level neutral point clamped inverter based grid integration of renewable sources. The present work shows the advantages and disadvantages of using discontinuous conduction mode of a Three-level boost converter for voltage cross regulation. The converter working principle, modes of operation and operating cases are listed briefly. The simulation results compare the DCM and CCM cross regulation effects. Based on these results, the controllability range of the converter is analyzed to understand the suitability of the converter for various applications.
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| 5. |
- Foley, Jonathan A., et al.
(author)
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Solutions for a cultivated planet
- 2011
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 478:7369, s. 337-342
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Increasing population and consumption are placing unprecedented demands on agriculture and natural resources. Today, approximately a billion people are chronically malnourished while our agricultural systems are concurrently degrading land, water, biodiversity and climate on a global scale. To meet the world's future food security and sustainability needs, food production must grow substantially while, at the same time, agriculture's environmental footprint must shrink dramatically. Here we analyse solutions to this dilemma, showing that tremendous progress could be made by halting agricultural expansion, closing 'yield gaps' on underperforming lands, increasing cropping efficiency, shifting diets and reducing waste. Together, these strategies could double food production while greatly reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Deepak, K G, et al.
(author)
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Smokeless tobacco use among patients with tuberculosis in Karnataka : the need for cessation services.
- 2012
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In: National Medical Journal of India. - 0970-258X. ; 25:3, s. 142-5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: India is home to the largest population of patients with tuberculosis and tobacco users in the world. Smokeless tobacco use exceeds smoking and is increasing. There is no study to date that reports smokeless tobacco use before and after the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis. We assessed smokeless tobacco use among former patients of tuberculosis in Karnataka, India.METHODS: We conducted a community-based, cross sectional study among 202 men, who had been diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis (mean age 48 years), selected by multistage, random sampling. Using a semi-structured interview schedule, retrospective smoking and smokeless tobacco use were captured at eight time-points before and after the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.RESULTS: Most patients suspended tobacco use during treatment. A high 44% prevalence of smokeless tobacco use 6 months before diagnosis was reduced to just 8% during the intensive phase of treatment and climbed to 27% 6 months after treatment. The tobacco use relapse rate 6 months after completion of treatment was higher for smokeless tobacco use (52%, 95% CI 41%-62%) than for smoking (36%, 95% CI 26%-45%). We also found that many patients who were advised to quit smoking continued using smokeless tobacco after completion of treatment. Additionally, new smokeless tobacco use was documented. Of the 11 new exclusive smokeless tobacco users, 10 shifted from smoking to smokeless tobacco use as a form of harm reduction.CONCLUSION: Patients with tuberculosis are advised by their doctors, at the time of diagnosis, to quit smoking. Several patients shift from smoking to smokeless tobacco use, which needs to be addressed while providing tobacco cessation services.
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| 8. |
- Mahaffey, Kenneth W., et al.
(author)
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Comparison of Clinical Trial Outcome Patterns in Patients Following Acute Coronary Syndromes and in Patients With Chronic Stable Atherosclerosis
- 2014
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In: Clinical Cardiology. - : Wiley. - 0160-9289 .- 1932-8737. ; 37:6, s. 337-342
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The transition of patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease from the acute phase of the disease to the chronic stable atherosclerosis (CSA) phase has not been well characterized. We sought to compare ischemic and bleeding outcomes in hospitalized patients enrolled in clinical trials of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with patients enrolled in outpatient trials of CSA. Hypothesis: The risk for recurrent events will differ between the 2 populations. Methods: Patient-level outcome data were evaluated from 3 consecutive trials of patients with ACS with long-term follow-up and 2 trials of patients with CSA. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated for ischemic and bleeding outcomes. Results: In total, 37 370 patients were included in these analyses. Of these, 28 489 (76.2%) were from ACS trials and 8881 (23.8%) from chronic trials. During the first year of follow-up, 1353 deaths, 1081 cardiovascular (CV) deaths, 2113 myocardial infarctions (MIs), and 397 strokes occurred across the trials. Six-month Kaplan-Meier event rates for CV death, MI, or stroke were higher in the ACS trials compared with the CSA trials (8.6% vs 2.7%), as were the 1-year CV death rate (3.6% vs 1.7%) and 1-year rates for GUSTO moderate or severe bleeding (6.0% vs 1.3%). Qualitatively, the Kaplan-Meier curves appear to show an early increased risk as well as a continued increased risk over time. Conclusions: Patients with ACS enrolled while in the hospital appear to have different risk profiles for ischemic and bleeding outcomes compared with outpatients enrolled with CSA, including those patients with ACS after the acute phase.
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| 9. |
- Nijas, C. M., et al.
(author)
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Low-Cost Multiple-Bit Encoded Chipless RFID Tag Using Stepped Impedance Resonator
- 2014
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In: IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. - 0018-926X .- 1558-2221. ; 62:9, s. 4762-4770
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel compact multiple-bit encoded chipless RFID tag using a stepped impedance resonator (SIR) is proposed. The main advantage of SIR compared with other resonators is the independent control over the fundamental as well as first harmonic frequency by varying either the impedance ratio (K) or length ratio (alpha). The tag utilizes both the fundamental and the first harmonic frequency of the SIR to represent two bit information with a single resonator. The tag is capable of representing 2(2N) number of bit combinations with resonators. RFID tags are fabricated on C-MET LK4.3 and (epsilon(r) = 4.3 and tan delta = 0.0018) and RT Duriod (epsilon(r) = 2.2 and tan delta = 0.0009) substrates. The structural information of the tag is encoded in the frequency spectrum, both in the magnitude and group delay of the backscattered signal. The data encoding capacity of the tag is enhanced by using the frequency shift coding technique. The proposed RFID tags have an operating range of 50 cm in the outdoor environment. Theoretical and numerical methods are used to verify the measured resonant frequencies of the tag.
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