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| 2. |
- Aulchenko, Yurii S, et al.
(author)
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Loci influencing lipid levels and coronary heart disease risk in 16 European population cohorts
- 2009
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 41:1, s. 47-55
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent genome-wide association (GWA) studies of lipids have been conducted in samples ascertained for other phenotypes, particularly diabetes. Here we report the first GWA analysis of loci affecting total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides sampled randomly from 16 population-based cohorts and genotyped using mainly the Illumina HumanHap300-Duo platform. Our study included a total of 17,797-22,562 persons, aged 18-104 years and from geographic regions spanning from the Nordic countries to Southern Europe. We established 22 loci associated with serum lipid levels at a genome-wide significance level (P < 5 x 10(-8)), including 16 loci that were identified by previous GWA studies. The six newly identified loci in our cohort samples are ABCG5 (TC, P = 1.5 x 10(-11); LDL, P = 2.6 x 10(-10)), TMEM57 (TC, P = 5.4 x 10(-10)), CTCF-PRMT8 region (HDL, P = 8.3 x 10(-16)), DNAH11 (LDL, P = 6.1 x 10(-9)), FADS3-FADS2 (TC, P = 1.5 x 10(-10); LDL, P = 4.4 x 10(-13)) and MADD-FOLH1 region (HDL, P = 6 x 10(-11)). For three loci, effect sizes differed significantly by sex. Genetic risk scores based on lipid loci explain up to 4.8% of variation in lipids and were also associated with increased intima media thickness (P = 0.001) and coronary heart disease incidence (P = 0.04). The genetic risk score improves the screening of high-risk groups of dyslipidemia over classical risk factors.
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| 3. |
- Chiara, C. J., et al.
(author)
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Probing sd-fp Cross-shell Interactions via Terminating Configurations in 42Sc,43Sc
- 2007
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In: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 75:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An experimental study of the lower fp-shell nuclei Sc-42,Sc-43 was performed via alpha pn and alpha p evaporation, respectively, from Ne-20 + Si-28 and Mg-24 + Mg-24 fusion-evaporation reactions. The experiments were conducted with the Gammasphere and Microball detector arrays. The level schemes of both nuclei have been extended considerably. Terminating states associated with the f(7/2)(n) and d(3/2)(-1)f(7/2)(n+1) configurations were identified in each nuclide and incorporated into detailed comparisons with neighboring nuclei and with shell model calculations. The energy differences between the terminating states provide a test of the sd-fp cross-shell interactions in these calculations.
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| 5. |
- Luyssaert, S., et al.
(author)
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CO2 balance of boreal, temperate, and tropical forests derived from a global database
- 2007
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In: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 13:12, s. 2509-2537
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Terrestrial ecosystems sequester 2.1 Pg of atmospheric carbon annually. A large amount of the terrestrial sink is realized by forests. However, considerable uncertainties remain regarding the fate of this carbon over both short and long timescales. Relevant data to address these uncertainties are being collected at many sites around the world, but syntheses of these data are still sparse. To facilitate future synthesis activities, we have assembled a comprehensive global database for forest ecosystems, which includes carbon budget variables (fluxes and stocks), ecosystem traits (e.g. leaf area index, age), as well as ancillary site information such as management regime, climate, and soil characteristics. This publicly available database can be used to quantify global, regional or biome-specific carbon budgets; to re-examine established relationships; to test emerging hypotheses about ecosystem functioning [e.g. a constant net ecosystem production (NEP) to gross primary production (GPP) ratio]; and as benchmarks for model evaluations. In this paper, we present the first analysis of this database. We discuss the climatic influences on GPP, net primary production (NPP) and NEP and present the CO2 balances for boreal, temperate, and tropical forest biomes based on micrometeorological, ecophysiological, and biometric flux and inventory estimates. Globally, GPP of forests benefited from higher temperatures and precipitation whereas NPP saturated above either a threshold of 1500 mm precipitation or a mean annual temperature of 10 degrees C. The global pattern in NEP was insensitive to climate and is hypothesized to be mainly determined by nonclimatic conditions such as successional stage, management, site history, and site disturbance. In all biomes, closing the CO2 balance required the introduction of substantial biome-specific closure terms. Nonclosure was taken as an indication that respiratory processes, advection, and non-CO2 carbon fluxes are not presently being adequately accounted for.
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| 6. |
- Riley, M A, et al.
(author)
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Beyond band termination in Er-157 and the search for wobbling excitations in strongly deformed Hf-174
- 2005
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In: Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 0954-3899 .- 1361-6471. ; 31:10, s. 1735-1740
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- High-spin terminating bands in heavy nuclei were first identified in nuclei around Er-158(90). While examples of special terminating states have been identified in a number of erbium isotopes, almost nothing is known about the states lying beyond band termination. In the present work the high-spin structure of Er-157 has been studied using the Gammasphere spectrometer. The subject of triaxial superdeformation and 'wobbling' modes in Lu nuclei has rightly attracted a great deal of attention. Very recently, four strongly or superdeformed (SD) sequences have been observed in Hf-174 and ultimate cranker calculations predict, such structures may have significant triaxial deformation. We have performed two experiments in an attempt to verify the possible triaxial nature of these bands. A lifetime measurement was performed to confirm the large (and similar) deformation of the bands. In addition, a high-statistics, thin-target experiment was run to search for linking transitions between the SD bands and possible wobbling modes.
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| 7. |
- Riley, M. A., et al.
(author)
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Observation of states beyond band termination in Er-156,Er-157,Er-158 and strongly deformed structures in Hf-173,Hf-174,Hf-175
- 2006
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In: Physica Scripta. - 0031-8949. ; T125, s. 123-126
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- High-spin terminating bands in heavy nuclei were first identified in nuclei around Er-158(90). While examples of terminating states have been identified in a number of erbium isotopes, almost nothing is known about the states lying beyond band termination. In the present work, the high-spin structure of Er-156,Er-157,Er-158 has been studied using the Gammasphere spectrometer. The subject of triaxial superdeformation and 'wobbling' modes in Lu nuclei has rightly attracted a great deal of attention. Very recently four strongly or superdeformed (SD) sequences have been observed in Hf-174, and cranking calculations using the Ultimate Cranker code predict that such structures may have significant triaxial deformation. We have performed two experiments in an attempt to verify the possible triaxial nature of these bands. A lifetime measurement was performed to confirm the large (and similar) deformation of the bands. In addition, a high-statistics, thin-target experiment took place to search for linking transitions between the SD bands, possible wobbling modes, and new SD band structures.
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| 8. |
- Campbell, D. B., et al.
(author)
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Rotational structures and their evolution with spin in Gd-152
- 2007
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In: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 75:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The fusion-evaporation reaction involving a 175 MeV S-36 beam and a Sn-124 target was performed, and the emitted gamma rays were observed with the Gammasphere spectrometer. Significant additions to the level scheme of Gd-152 were made in spite of the relative weakness of the alpha 4n exit channel, being only similar to 2% of the total fusion cross-section. The high-spin behavior of Gd-152 was compared with that of other N=88 nuclei. A striking similarity was observed with Dy-154 and it is therefore suggested that the angular-momentum-induced shape changes that take place in Dy-154 also occur in Gd-152 in the 30-40h spin range. This is supported by Cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations which were used to interpret the high-spin bands. It is found that a better agreement between calculation and experiment is obtained if the Z=64 shell gap increases with a decreasing number of valence particles outside the doubly-closed Gd-146(64)82 nucleus.
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| 9. |
- Hartley, D. J., et al.
(author)
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Wobbling mode in Ta-167
- 2009
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In: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 80:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The collective wobbling mode, the strongest signature for the rotation of a triaxial nucleus, has previously been seen only in a few Lu isotopes in spite of extensive searches in nearby isotopes. A sequence of transitions in the N = 94 Ta-167 nucleus exhibiting features similar to those attributed to the wobbling bands in the Lu nuclei has now been found. This band feeds into the pi i(13/2) band at a relative energy similar to that seen in the established wobbling bands and its dynamic moment of inertia and alignment properties are nearly identical to the i(13/2) structure over a significant frequency range. Given these characteristics, it is likely that the wobbling mode has been observed for the first time in a nucleus other than Lu, making this collective motion a more general phenomenon.
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| 10. |
- Hicks, Andrew A., et al.
(author)
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Genetic determinants of circulating sphingolipid concentrations in European populations
- 2009
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In: PLoS genetics. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7404. ; 5:10, s. e1000672-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sphingolipids have essential roles as structural components of cell membranes and in cell signalling, and disruption of their metabolism causes several diseases, with diverse neurological, psychiatric, and metabolic consequences. Increasingly, variants within a few of the genes that encode enzymes involved in sphingolipid metabolism are being associated with complex disease phenotypes. Direct experimental evidence supports a role of specific sphingolipid species in several common complex chronic disease processes including atherosclerotic plaque formation, myocardial infarction (MI), cardiomyopathy, pancreatic β-cell failure, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Therefore, sphingolipids represent novel and important intermediate phenotypes for genetic analysis, yet little is known about the major genetic variants that influence their circulating levels in the general population. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) between 318,237 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and levels of circulating sphingomyelin (SM), dihydrosphingomyelin (Dih-SM), ceramide (Cer), and glucosylceramide (GluCer) single lipid species (33 traits); and 43 matched metabolite ratios measured in 4,400 subjects from five diverse European populations. Associated variants (32) in five genomic regions were identified with genome-wide significant corrected p-values ranging down to 9.08×10−66. The strongest associations were observed in or near 7 genes functionally involved in ceramide biosynthesis and trafficking: SPTLC3, LASS4, SGPP1, ATP10D, and FADS1–3. Variants in 3 loci (ATP10D, FADS3, and SPTLC3) associate with MI in a series of three German MI studies. An additional 70 variants across 23 candidate genes involved in sphingolipid-metabolizing pathways also demonstrate association (p = 10−4 or less). Circulating concentrations of several key components in sphingolipid metabolism are thus under strong genetic control, and variants in these loci can be tested for a role in the development of common cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological, and psychiatric diseases.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Janssens, O, et al.
(author)
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Beet top and leaf determination through image processing
- 2006
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In: Zuckerindustrie. - 0344-8657. ; 131:1, s. 21-7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is important for the European sugar industry to reduce its production costs in order to deal with the reforms of sugar agreements, by being ever mindful of the quality of the raw material. A new image technique has been developed to this end: it allows determination of certain quality criteria, such as: top and leafstalk rates in beet. The device consists of a color camera set in a closed space under constant lighting. The camera is linked to a computer where the images are processed by a software providing on-line predictions. To integrate all the variability proper to the samples taken at the sugar factory, the algorithm presented here is based on a PLS regression on the basis of color image characteristics. The correlations obtained between the visual predictions and the manual references are close to the maximum limits that could be hoped for, taking account of the variability of the manual determination of the beet top. The following factors have been identified as favoring the quality of the forecasts: images from large samples, the turning of those samples and the individual presentation of the beet. The determination of the beet leafstalks is also possible using the same algorithms. This is a less complex task yielding higher correlations.
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| 13. |
- Johansson, Emma, et al.
(author)
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Gamma-ray Spectroscopy of the Doubly Magic Nucleus 56Ni
- 2006
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In: European Physical Journal A. Hadrons and Nuclei. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6001. ; 27:2, s. 157-165
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The doubly magic N = Z nucleus Ni-56 has been investigated with two fusion-evaporation reactions; Ca-40(Si-28, 3 alpha)Ni-56 at a beam energy of 122MeV and Si-28(S-32, 2p2n)Ni-56 at 130MeV. To detect gamma-rays in coincidence with evaporated particles the Ge-detector array Gammasphere was used in conjunction with the charged-particle detector system, Microball and a 1 pi neutron detector array. Results include a significantly extended level scheme of Ni-56, which is compared to large-scale shell model calculations in the fp shell. The experimental and theoretical results agree to a large extent, with one notable exception; the theoretical model fails to predict the proper sequence of the yrast and yrare 8(+) states.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Yadav, R. B., et al.
(author)
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Identification of triaxial strongly deformed bands in Hf-168
- 2008
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In: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 78:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Possible decay pathways associated with three candidates for triaxial strongly deformed (TSD) bands in Hf-168 have been investigated. The spin and excitation energy of the strongest band, TSD1, were determined approximately based on gamma-ray coincidence relationships. Discrete links were established for the second band. The overall agreement between the observed properties of the bands and cranking calculations using the ULTIMATE CRANKER code provides strong support for an interpretation where band TSD1 is associated with a TSD minimum, (epsilon(2),gamma)similar to(0.43,20(degrees)), involving the pi(i(13/2))(2) and the nu(j(15/2)) high-j orbitals. This constitutes the first identification of a TSD band in Hf isotopes, which has been long-predicted by theoretical studies. The second band is understood as being associated with a near-prolate shape and a deformation enhanced with respect to the normal deformed bands. It is proposed to be built on the pi(i(13/2)h(9/2))circle times nu(i(13/2))(2) configuration.
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