1. |
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2. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(author)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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3. |
- Lewis, Katie J S, et al.
(author)
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Comparison of Genetic Liability for Sleep Traits Among Individuals With Bipolar Disorder I or II and Control Participants.
- 2020
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In: JAMA psychiatry. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 2168-6238 .- 2168-622X. ; 77:3, s. 303-310
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Insomnia, hypersomnia, and an evening chronotype are common in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), but whether this reflects shared genetic liability is unclear. Stratifying by BD subtypes could elucidate this association and inform sleep and BD research.To assess whether polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for sleep traits are associated with BD subtypes I and II.This case-control study was conducted in the United Kingdom and Sweden with participants with BD and control participants. Multinomial regression was used to assess whether PRSs for insomnia, daytime sleepiness, sleep duration, and chronotype are associated with BD subtypes compared with control participants. Affected individuals were recruited from the Bipolar Disorder Research Network. Control participants were recruited from the 1958 British Birth Cohort and the UK Blood Service. Analyses were repeated in an independent Swedish sample from August 2018 to July 2019. All participants were of European ancestry.Standardized PRSs derived using alleles from genome-wide association studies of insomnia, sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and chronotype. These were adjusted for the first 10 population principal components, genotyping platforms, and sex.Association of PRSs with BD subtypes, determined by semistructured psychiatric interview and case notes.The main analysis included 4672 participants with BD (3132 female participants [67.0%]; 3404 with BD-I [72.9%]) and 5714 control participants (2812 female participants [49.2%]). Insomnia PRS was associated with increased risk of BD-II (relative risk [RR], 1.14 [95% CI, 1.07-1.21]; P=8.26×10-5) but not BD-I (RR, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.94-1.03]; P=.409) relative to control participants. Sleep-duration PRS was associated with BD-I (RR, 1.10 [95% CI, 1.06-1.15]; P=1.13×10-5) but not BD-II (RR, 0.99 [95% CI, 0.93-1.06]; P=.818). Associations between (1) insomnia PRS and BD-II and (2) sleep-duration PRS and BD-I were replicated in the Swedish sample of 4366 individuals with BD (2697 female participants [61.8%]; 2627 with BD-I [60.2%]) and 6091 control participants (3767 female participants [61.8%]). Chronotype and daytime-sleepiness PRS were not associated with BD subtypes.Per this analysis, BD subtypes differ in genetic liability to insomnia and hypersomnia, providing further evidence that the distinction between BD-I and BD-II has genetic validity. This distinction will be crucial in selecting participants for future research on the role of sleep disturbance in BD.
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4. |
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5. |
- Ades, M., et al.
(author)
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Global Climate : in State of the climate in 2019
- 2020
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In: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - : American Meteorological Society. - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 101:8, s. S17-S127
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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6. |
- Ades, M., et al.
(author)
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GLOBAL CLIMATE
- 2020
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In: BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY. - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 101:8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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7. |
- Bosco, Laura, et al.
(author)
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Habitat area and local habitat conditions outweigh fragmentation effects on insect communities in vineyards
- 2023
-
In: Ecological Solutions and Evidence. - : Wiley. - 2688-8319. ; 4:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fragmentation of habitat, for example by intensive agricultural practices, can be detrimental to local biodiversity. However, it often remains unclear whether such biodiversity declines are caused by loss of habitat area or increased fragmentation, and how habitat quality factors into it. In our study system, vegetated vineyards are typically small, and isolated from one another, potentially limiting the distribution and dispersal of organisms. In a full-factorial experiment of a priori selected vegetated vineyard patches of differing size and fragmentation, we aimed to disentangle the effects of habitat area (area of vegetated vineyards), habitat fragmentation (number of vegetated vineyards per 100 ha) and field-scale ground vegetation density on ground beetle, leafhopper and wild bee communities using a combined framework of multiscale and multispecies modelling (Hierarchical Model of Species Communities). We demonstrate variable effects of habitat area, fragmentation and local ground vegetation density on the three insect groups: Increased habitat area at fine scales favours higher species richness of leafhoppers, while local vegetation density boosts species richness of both leafhoppers and ground beetles, whereas no community-level responses were detected for wild bees. We conclude that increased ground vegetation density at both field and landscape scales (i.e. higher habitat area) favours more diverse and abundant insect communities, while fragmentation effects are highly variable and species specific. In addition, our results highlight that mainly ground beetles and leafhoppers will benefit from simple ground greening measures in vineyards, while for wild bees environmental factors other than the ones tested here may drive community structure. We recommend increasing the number and area of vegetated vineyards (even at small spatial scales) requiring more nature-friendly farming practices especially regarding a reduction or renunciation from herbicide applications, while the within-field vegetation density should optimally be intermediate or high to favour a diverse insect community.
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8. |
- Brout, Dillon, et al.
(author)
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The Pantheon+ analysis : cosmological constraints
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 938:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present constraints on cosmological parameters from the Pantheon+ analysis of 1701 light curves of 1550 distinct Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) ranging in redshift from z = 0.001 to 2.26. This work features an increased sample size from the addition of multiple cross-calibrated photometric systems of SNe covering an increased redshift span, and improved treatments of systematic uncertainties in comparison to the original Pantheon analysis, which together result in a factor of 2 improvement in cosmological constraining power. For a flat ΛCDM model, we find ΩM = 0.334 ± 0.018 from SNe Ia alone. For a flat w0CDM model, we measure w0 = −0.90 ± 0.14 from SNe Ia alone, H0 = 73.5 ± 1.1 km s−1 Mpc−1 when including the Cepheid host distances and covariance (SH0ES), and w0 = -0.978-+0.0310.024 when combining the SN likelihood with Planck constraints from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO); both w0 values are consistent with a cosmological constant. We also present the most precise measurements to date on the evolution of dark energy in a flat w0waCDM universe, and measure wa = -0.1-+2.00.9 from Pantheon+ SNe Ia alone, H0 = 73.3 ± 1.1 km s−1 Mpc−1 when including SH0ES Cepheid distances, and wa = -0.65-+0.320.28 when combining Pantheon+ SNe Ia with CMB and BAO data. Finally, we find that systematic uncertainties in the use of SNe Ia along the distance ladder comprise less than one-third of the total uncertainty in the measurement of H0 and cannot explain the present “Hubble tension” between local measurements and early universe predictions from the cosmological model.
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9. |
- De Luca, Alberto, et al.
(author)
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On the generalizability of diffusion MRI signal representations across acquisition parameters, sequences and tissue types : Chronicles of the MEMENTO challenge
- 2021
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In: NeuroImage. - : Elsevier BV. - 1053-8119 .- 1095-9572. ; 240
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diffusion MRI (dMRI) has become an invaluable tool to assess the microstructural organization of brain tissue. Depending on the specific acquisition settings, the dMRI signal encodes specific properties of the underlying diffusion process. In the last two decades, several signal representations have been proposed to fit the dMRI signal and decode such properties. Most methods, however, are tested and developed on a limited amount of data, and their applicability to other acquisition schemes remains unknown. With this work, we aimed to shed light on the generalizability of existing dMRI signal representations to different diffusion encoding parameters and brain tissue types. To this end, we organized a community challenge - named MEMENTO, making available the same datasets for fair comparisons across algorithms and techniques. We considered two state-of-the-art diffusion datasets, including single-diffusion-encoding (SDE) spin-echo data from a human brain with over 3820 unique diffusion weightings (the MASSIVE dataset), and double (oscillating) diffusion encoding data (DDE/DODE) of a mouse brain including over 2520 unique data points. A subset of the data sampled in 5 different voxels was openly distributed, and the challenge participants were asked to predict the remaining part of the data. After one year, eight participant teams submitted a total of 80 signal fits. For each submission, we evaluated the mean squared error, the variance of the prediction error and the Bayesian information criteria. The received submissions predicted either multi-shell SDE data (37%) or DODE data (22%), followed by cartesian SDE data (19%) and DDE (18%). Most submissions predicted the signals measured with SDE remarkably well, with the exception of low and very strong diffusion weightings. The prediction of DDE and DODE data seemed more challenging, likely because none of the submissions explicitly accounted for diffusion time and frequency. Next to the choice of the model, decisions on fit procedure and hyperparameters play a major role in the prediction performance, highlighting the importance of optimizing and reporting such choices. This work is a community effort to highlight strength and limitations of the field at representing dMRI acquired with trending encoding schemes, gaining insights into how different models generalize to different tissue types and fiber configurations over a large range of diffusion encodings.
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10. |
- Eriksson, Jenny, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Utredning av mål för ökad cykling i Sverige : ett regeringsuppdrag
- 2022
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Det finns idag inget definierat nationellt mål för ökad cykling i Sverige. VTI fick i uppdrag av regeringen att ta fram detta. I uppdraget ingår att ta fram en målstruktur och föreslå indikatorer och system för uppföljning. Vi har inhämtat kunskap genom litteraturstudier, en workshop, en enkätundersökning samt genom egna analyser av data från nationella resvaneundersökningar. Vi har avgränsat definitionen av cykling till att omfatta färd med trampcykel med eller utan elassistans – i dagligt tal ”vanlig” cykel och elcykel. Enkelt uttryckt ska cyklandet fördubblas till 2035 och mer specifikt föreslår vi följande mål, målstruktur och ambitionsnivå: • Övergripande mål: Cyklingen i hela Sverige ska öka så att tillgängligheten förbättras, folkhälsan stärks och klimat- och miljöpåverkan minskar. • Etappmål 1: Cykelresornas andel av det totala antalet resor i Sverige ska öka till 20 procent år 2030 och till 26 procent år 2035, utan att andelen gång- eller kollektivtrafikresande minskar. • Etappmål 2: Cykelresornas andel av det totala persontransportarbetet i Sverige ska öka till 3 procent till 2035, utan att gång- eller kollektivtrafiken minskar. • Delmål 1: Cykelresornas andel av det totala antalet resor i Sverige kortare än 10 km, ska öka till 30 procent år 2030 och till 45 procent år 2035, utan att andelen gång- eller kollektivtrafik[1]resande minskar. • Delmål 2: Cykelresornas andel av det totala antalet resor för barn i grundskoleåldern i Sverige ska öka till 40 procent år 2030 och till 50 procent år 2035, utan att andelen gångresor minskar. Därutöver har vi föreslagit sju indikatorer med tillhörande mått som kan kopplas till ovanstående målförslag. Den nationella resvaneundersökningen kan användas för uppföljning av målen och Nationella cykelrådets sammanställning ”Nationellt cykelbokslut” kan med fördel användas för uppföljningen av indikatorerna.
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11. |
- Goodman, Matthew O., et al.
(author)
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Causal Association Between Subtypes of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
- 2023
-
In: Journal of the American Heart Association. - 2047-9980. ; 12:24
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), experienced in 10% to 20% of the population, has been associated with cardiovascular disease and death. However, the condition is heterogeneous and is prevalent in individuals having short and long sleep duration. We sought to clarify the relationship between sleep duration subtypes of EDS with cardiovascular outcomes, accounting for these subtypes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We defined 3 sleep duration subtypes of excessive daytime sleepiness: normal (6-9hours), short (<6hours), and long (>9hours), and compared these with a nonsleepy, normal-sleep-duration reference group. We analyzed their associations with incident myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke using medical records of 355901 UK Biobank participants and performed 2-sample Mendelian randomization for each outcome. Compared with healthy sleep, long-sleep EDS was associated with an 83% increased rate of MI (hazard ratio, 1.83 [95% CI, 1.21-2.77]) during 8.2-year median follow-up, adjusting for multiple health and sociodemographic factors. Mendelian randomization analysis provided supporting evidence of a causal role for a genetic long-sleep EDS subtype in MI (inverse-variance weighted β=1.995, P=0.001). In contrast, we did not find evidence that other subtypes of EDS were associated with incident MI or any associations with stroke (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests the previous evidence linking EDS with increased cardiovascular disease risk may be primarily driven by the effect of its long-sleep subtype on higher risk of MI. Underlying mechanisms remain to be investigated but may involve sleep irregularity and circadian disruption, suggesting a need for novel interventions in this population.
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12. |
- Grossmann, Lukas, et al.
(author)
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Evolution of adsorption heights in the on-surface synthesis and decoupling of covalent organic networks on Ag(111) by normal-incidence X-ray standing wave
- 2022
-
In: Nanoscale Horizons. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2055-6764 .- 2055-6756. ; 7:1, s. 51-62
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Structural characterization in on-surface synthesis is primarily carried out by Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) which provides high lateral resolution. Yet, important fresh perspectives on surface interactions and molecular conformations are gained from adsorption heights that remain largely inaccessible to SPM, but can be precisely measured with both elemental and chemical sensitivity by Normal-Incidence X-ray Standing Wave (NIXSW) analysis. Here, we study the evolution of adsorption heights in the on-surface synthesis and post-synthetic decoupling of porous covalent triazine-phenylene networks obtained from 2,4,6-tris(4-bromophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TBPT) precursors on Ag(111). Room temperature deposition of TBPT and mild annealing to ~150 C result in full debromination and formation of organometallic intermediates, where the monomers are linked into reticulated networks by C-Ag-C bonds. Topologically identical covalent networks comprised of triazine vertices that are interconnected by biphenyl units are obtained by a thermally activated chemical transformation of the organometallic intermediates. Exposure to iodine vapor facilitates decoupling by intercalation of an iodine monolayer between the covalent networks and the Ag(111) surface. Accordingly, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and NIXSW experiments are carried out for three successive sample stages: organometallic intermediates, covalent networks directly on Ag(111) and after decoupling. NIXSW analysis facilitates the determination of adsorption heights of chemically distinct carbon species, i.e. in the phenyl and triazine rings, and also for the organometallic carbon atoms. Thereby, molecular conformations are assessed for each sample stage. The interpretation of experimental results is informed by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, providing a consistent picture of adsorption heights and molecular deformations in the networks that result from the interplay between steric hindrance and surface interactions. Quantitative adsorption heights, i.e. vertical distances between adsorbates and surface, provide detailed insight into surface interactions, but are underexplored in on-surface synthesis. In particular, the direct comparison with an in situ prepared decoupled state unveils the surface influence on the network structure, and shows that iodine intercalation is a powerful decoupling strategy.
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13. |
- Heinze, Karolin, et al.
(author)
-
Validated biomarker assays confirm ARID1A loss is confounded with MMR deficiency, CD8 TIL infiltration, and provides no independent prognostic value in endometriosis-associated ovarian carcinomas.
- 2021
-
In: The Journal of pathology. - : Wiley. - 1096-9896 .- 0022-3417. ; 256:4, s. 388-401
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ARID1A (BAF250a) is a component of the SWI/SNF chromatin modifying complex, plays an important tumour suppressor role, and is considered prognostic in several malignancies. However, in ovarian carcinomas there are contradictory reports on its relationship to outcome, immune response, and correlation with clinicopathological features. We assembled a series of 1,623 endometriosis-associated ovarian carcinomas, including 1,078 endometrioid (ENOC) and 545 clear cell (CCOC) ovarian carcinomas through combining resources of the Ovarian Tumor Tissue Analysis (OTTA) Consortium, the Canadian Ovarian Unified Experimental Resource (COEUR), local, and collaborative networks. Validated immunohistochemical surrogate assays for ARID1A mutations were applied to all samples. We investigated associations between ARID1A loss/mutation, clinical features, outcome, CD8+ tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (CD8+ TIL), and DNA mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd). ARID1A loss was observed in 42% of CCOC and 25% of ENOC. We found no associations between ARID1A loss and outcomes, stage, age, or CD8+ TIL status in CCOC. Similarly, we found no association with outcome or stage in endometrioid cases. In ENOC, ARID1A loss was more prevalent in younger patients (p=0.012), and associated with MMRd (p<0.001), and presence of CD8+ TIL (p=0.008). Consistent with MMRd being causative of ARID1A mutations, in a subset of ENOC we also observed an association between ARID1A loss-of-function mutation as a result of small indels (p=0.035, versus single nucleotide variants). In ENOC, the association between ARID1A loss, CD8+ TIL, and age, appears confounded by MMRd status. Although this observation does not explicitly rule out a role for ARID1A influence on CD8+ TIL infiltration in ENOC, given current knowledge regarding MMRd, it seems more likely that effects are dominated by the hypermutation phenotype. This large dataset with consistently applied biomarker assessment now provides a benchmark for the prevalence of ARID1A loss-of-function mutations in endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers and brings clarity to the prognostic significance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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14. |
- Jones, Benedict C, et al.
(author)
-
To which world regions does the valence-dominance model of social perception apply?
- 2021
-
In: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3374. ; 5:1, s. 159-169
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Over the past 10 years, Oosterhof and Todorov's valence-dominance model has emerged as the most prominent account of how people evaluate faces on social dimensions. In this model, two dimensions (valence and dominance) underpin social judgements of faces. Because this model has primarily been developed and tested in Western regions, it is unclear whether these findings apply to other regions. We addressed this question by replicating Oosterhof and Todorov's methodology across 11 world regions, 41 countries and 11,570 participants. When we used Oosterhof and Todorov's original analysis strategy, the valence-dominance model generalized across regions. When we used an alternative methodology to allow for correlated dimensions, we observed much less generalization. Collectively, these results suggest that, while the valence-dominance model generalizes very well across regions when dimensions are forced to be orthogonal, regional differences are revealed when we use different extraction methods and correlate and rotate the dimension reduction solution. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 5 November 2018. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7611443.v1 .
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16. |
- Keck, Michaela Kristina, et al.
(author)
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Amplification of the PLAG-family genes—PLAGL1 and PLAGL2—is a key feature of the novel tumor type CNS embryonal tumor with PLAGL amplification
- 2023
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In: Acta Neuropathologica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0001-6322 .- 1432-0533. ; 145:1, s. 49-69
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors represent the most common cause of cancer-related death in children aged 0–14 years. They differ from their adult counterparts, showing extensive clinical and molecular heterogeneity as well as a challenging histopathological spectrum that often impairs accurate diagnosis. Here, we use DNA methylation-based CNS tumor classification in combination with copy number, RNA-seq, and ChIP-seq analysis to characterize a newly identified CNS tumor type. In addition, we report histology, patient characteristics, and survival data in this tumor type. We describe a biologically distinct pediatric CNS tumor type (n = 31 cases) that is characterized by focal high-level amplification and resultant overexpression of either PLAGL1 or PLAGL2, and an absence of recurrent genetic alterations characteristic of other pediatric CNS tumor types. Both genes act as transcription factors for a regulatory subset of imprinted genes (IGs), components of the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway, and the potential drug targets RET and CYP2W1, which are also specifically overexpressed in this tumor type. A derived PLAGL-specific gene expression signature indicates dysregulation of imprinting control and differentiation/development. These tumors occurred throughout the neuroaxis including the cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, and brainstem, and were predominantly composed of primitive embryonal-like cells lacking robust expression of markers of glial or neuronal differentiation (e.g., GFAP, OLIG2, and synaptophysin). Tumors with PLAGL1 amplification were typically diagnosed during adolescence (median age 10.5 years), whereas those with PLAGL2 amplification were diagnosed during early childhood (median age 2 years). The 10-year overall survival was 66% for PLAGL1-amplified tumors, 25% for PLAGL2-amplified tumors, 18% for male patients, and 82% for female patients. In summary, we describe a new type of biologically distinct CNS tumor characterized by PLAGL1/2 amplification that occurs predominantly in infants and toddlers (PLAGL2) or adolescents (PLAGL1) which we consider best classified as a CNS embryonal tumor and which is associated with intermediate survival. The cell of origin and optimal treatment strategies remain to be defined.
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17. |
- Ollila, Hanna M., et al.
(author)
-
Nightmares share genetic risk factors with sleep and psychiatric traits
- 2024
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In: Translational Psychiatry. - : Springer Nature. - 2158-3188. ; 14:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nightmares are vivid, extended, and emotionally negative or negative dreams that awaken the dreamer. While sporadic nightmares and bad dreams are common and generally harmless, frequent nightmares often reflect underlying pathologies of emotional regulation. Indeed, insomnia, depression, anxiety, or alcohol use have been associated with nightmares in epidemiological and clinical studies. However, the connection between nightmares and their comorbidities are poorly understood. Our goal was to examine the genetic risk factors for nightmares and estimate correlation or causality between nightmares and comorbidities. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 45,255 individuals using a questionnaire-based assessment on the frequency of nightmares during the past month and genome-wide genotyping data. While the GWAS did not reveal individual risk variants, heritability was estimated at 5%. In addition, the genetic correlation analysis showed a robust correlation (rg > 0.4) of nightmares with anxiety (rg = 0.671, p = 7.507e−06), depressive (rg = 0.562, p = 1.282e−07) and posttraumatic stress disorders (rg = 0.4083, p = 0.0152), and personality trait neuroticism (rg = 0.667, p = 4.516e−07). Furthermore, Mendelian randomization suggested causality from insomnia to nightmares (beta = 0.027, p = 0.0002). Our findings suggest that nightmares share genetic background with psychiatric traits and that insomnia may increase an individual’s liability to experience frequent nightmares. Given the significant correlations with psychiatric and psychological traits, it is essential to grow awareness of how nightmares affect health and disease and systematically collect information about nightmares, especially from clinical samples and larger cohorts.
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18. |
- Owoade, Oyediran Kayode, et al.
(author)
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Spatial-temporal Variation and Local Source Identification of Air Pollutants in a Semi-urban Settlement in Nigeria Using Low-cost Sensors
- 2021
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In: Aerosol and Air Quality Research. - : Taiwan Association for Aerosol Research. - 1680-8584 .- 2071-1409. ; 21:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Low-cost sensors were deployed at five locations in a growing, semi-urban settlement in southwest Nigeria between June 8 and July 31, 2018 to measure particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), gaseous pollutants (CO, NO, NO2, O3 and CO2), and meteorological variables (air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and wind-direction). The spatial and temporal variations of measured pollutants were determined, and the probable sources of pollutants were inferred using conditional bivariate probability function (CBPF). Hourly PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations ranged from 20.7 ± 0.7 to 36.3 ± 1.6 µg m–3 and 47.5 ± 1.5 to 102.9 ± 5.6 µg m–3, respectively. Hourly gaseous pollutant concentrations ranged from 348 ± 132 to 542 ± 200 ppb CO, 21.5 ± 7.2 ppb NO2 and 57.5 ± 11.3 to 64.4 ± 14.0 ppb O3. Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA on ranks determined statistically significant spatial differences in the hourly-average pollutant concentrations. Diel variation analyses indicated that CO2, PM2.5, and PM10 peaked in the early hours of most days, O3 at noon while NO, NO2, and CO peaked in the evening. Most pollutants were of anthropogenic origins and exhibited the highest contributions from the southwest at most sampling locations. There were strong similarities between pollutants source contribution at two of the monitoring sites that were in residential areas with a frequently used paved road. Mitigation strategies need to be established to avoid further deterioration of ambient air quality that negatively affect public health.
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19. |
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20. |
- Ruggeri, Kai, et al.
(author)
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The general fault in our fault lines
- 2021
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In: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-3374. ; 5:10, s. 1369-1380
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pervading global narratives suggest that political polarization is increasing, yet the accuracy of such group meta-perceptions has been drawn into question. A recent US study suggests that these beliefs are inaccurate and drive polarized beliefs about out-groups. However, it also found that informing people of inaccuracies reduces those negative beliefs. In this work, we explore whether these results generalize to other countries. To achieve this, we replicate two of the original experiments with 10,207 participants across 26 countries. We focus on local group divisions, which we refer to as fault lines. We find broad generalizability for both inaccurate meta-perceptions and reduced negative motive attribution through a simple disclosure intervention. We conclude that inaccurate and negative group meta-perceptions are exhibited in myriad contexts and that informing individuals of their misperceptions can yield positive benefits for intergroup relations. Such generalizability highlights a robust phenomenon with implications for political discourse worldwide.
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21. |
- Ruggeri, Kai, et al.
(author)
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The globalizability of temporal discounting
- 2022
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In: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-3374. ; 6:10, s. 1386-1397
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Economic inequality is associated with preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. Such temporal discounting may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear whether it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources for immediate needs. It is also not clear whether these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups. We tested temporal discounting and five intertemporal choice anomalies using local currencies and value standards in 61 countries (N = 13,629). Across a diverse sample, we found consistent, robust rates of choice anomalies. Lower-income groups were not significantly different, but economic inequality and broader financial circumstances were clearly correlated with population choice patterns. Ruggeri et al. find in a study of 61 countries that temporal discounting patterns are globally generalizable. Worse financial environments, greater inequality and high inflation are associated with extreme or inconsistent long-term decisions.
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22. |
- Solaki, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Comprehensive variant spectrum of the CNGA3 gene in patients affected by achromatopsia
- 2022
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In: Human Mutation. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1059-7794 .- 1098-1004. ; 43:7, s. 832-858
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Achromatopsia (ACHM) is a congenital cone photoreceptor disorder characterized by impaired color discrimination, low visual acuity, photosensitivity, and nystagmus. To date, six genes have been associated with ACHM (CNGA3, CNGB3, GNAT2, PDE6C, PDE6H, and ATF6), the majority of these being implicated in the cone phototransduction cascade. CNGA3 encodes the CNGA3 subunit of the cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel in cone photoreceptors and is one of the major disease-associated genes for ACHM. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview of the CNGA3 variant spectrum in a cohort of 1060 genetically confirmed ACHM patients, 385 (36.3%) of these carrying “likely disease-causing” variants in CNGA3. Compiling our own genetic data with those reported in the literature and in public databases, we further extend the CNGA3 variant spectrum to a total of 316 variants, 244 of which we interpreted as “likely disease-causing” according to ACMG/AMP criteria. We report 48 novel “likely disease-causing” variants, 24 of which are missense substitutions underlining the predominant role of this mutation class in the CNGA3 variant spectrum. In addition, we provide extensive in silico analyses and summarize reported functional data of previously analyzed missense, nonsense and splicing variants to further advance the pathogenicity assessment of the identified variants.
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23. |
- Wright, Gillian, et al.
(author)
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The Mid-infrared Instrument for JWST and Its In-flight Performance
- 2023
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In: Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. - 0004-6280 .- 1538-3873. ; 135:1046
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) extends the reach of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to 28.5 μm. It provides subarcsecond-resolution imaging, high sensitivity coronagraphy, and spectroscopy at resolutions of λ/Δλ ∼ 100-3500, with the high-resolution mode employing an integral field unit to provide spatial data cubes. The resulting broad suite of capabilities will enable huge advances in studies over this wavelength range. This overview describes the history of acquiring this capability for JWST. It discusses the basic attributes of the instrument optics, the detector arrays, and the cryocooler that keeps everything at approximately 7 K. It gives a short description of the data pipeline and of the instrument performance demonstrated during JWST commissioning. The bottom line is that the telescope and MIRI are both operating to the standards set by pre-launch predictions, and all of the MIRI capabilities are operating at, or even a bit better than, the level that had been expected. The paper is also designed to act as a roadmap to more detailed papers on different aspects of MIRI.
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