1. |
- Aamodt, K., et al.
(author)
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The ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC
- 2008
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 3:S08002
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is a general-purpose, heavy-ion detector at the CERN LHC which focuses on QCD, the strong-interaction sector of the Standard Model. It is designed to address the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma at extreme values of energy density and temperature in nucleus-nucleus collisions. Besides running with Pb ions, the physics programme includes collisions with lighter ions, lower energy running and dedicated proton-nucleus runs. ALICE will also take data with proton beams at the top LHC energy to collect reference data for the heavy-ion programme and to address several QCD topics for which ALICE is complementary to the other LHC detectors. The ALICE detector has been built by a collaboration including currently over 1000 physicists and engineers from 105 Institutes in 30 countries, Its overall dimensions are 16 x 16 x 26 m(3) with a total weight of approximately 10 000 t. The experiment consists of 18 different detector systems each with its own specific technology choice and design constraints, driven both by the physics requirements and the experimental conditions expected at LHC. The most stringent design constraint is to cope with the extreme particle multiplicity anticipated in central Pb-Pb collisions. The different subsystems were optimized to provide high-momentum resolution as well as excellent Particle Identification (PID) over a broad range in momentum, up to the highest multiplicities predicted for LHC. This will allow for comprehensive studies of hadrons, electrons, muons, and photons produced in the collision of heavy nuclei. Most detector systems are scheduled to be installed and ready for data taking by mid-2008 when the LHC is scheduled to start operation, with the exception of parts of the Photon Spectrometer (PHOS), Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) and Electro Magnetic Calorimeter (EMCal). These detectors will be completed for the high-luminosity ion run expected in 2010. This paper describes in detail the detector components as installed for the first data taking in the summer of 2008.
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3. |
- Bécoulet, A., et al.
(author)
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Science and technology research and development in support to ITER and the Broader Approach at CEA
- 2013
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In: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 1741-4326 .- 0029-5515. ; 53:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In parallel to the direct contribution to the procurement phase of ITER and Broader Approach, CEA has initiated research & development programmes, accompanied by experiments together with a significant modelling effort, aimed at ensuring robust operation, plasma performance, as well as mitigating the risks of the procurement phase. This overview reports the latest progress in both fusion science and technology including many areas, namely the mitigation of superconducting magnet quenches, disruption-generated runaway electrons, edge-localized modes (ELMs), the development of imaging surveillance, and heating and current drive systems for steady-state operation. The WEST (W Environment for Steady-state Tokamaks) project, turning Tore Supra into an actively cooled W-divertor platform open to the ITER partners and industries, is presented.
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5. |
- Amiri, M., et al.
(author)
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Periodic activity from a fast radio burst source
- 2020
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 582:7812, s. 351-355
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright, millisecond-duration radio transients originating from sources at extragalactic distances1, the origin of which is unknown. Some FRB sources emit repeat bursts, ruling out cataclysmic origins for those events2–4. Despite searches for periodicity in repeat burst arrival times on timescales from milliseconds to many days2,5–7, these bursts have hitherto been observed to appear sporadically and—although clustered8—without a regular pattern. Here we report observations of a 16.35 ± 0.15 day periodicity (or possibly a higher-frequency alias of that periodicity) from the repeating FRB 180916.J0158+65 detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project4,9. In 38 bursts recorded from 16 September 2018 to 4 February 2020 utc, we find that all bursts arrive in a five-day phase window, and 50 per cent of the bursts arrive in a 0.6-day phase window. Our results suggest a mechanism for periodic modulation either of the burst emission itself or through external amplification or absorption, and disfavour models invoking purely sporadic processes.
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9. |
- Buckley, Jeffrey, 1992-, et al.
(author)
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An assessment of the transparency of contemporary technology education research employing interview-based methodologies
- 2021
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In: International journal of technology and design education. - : Springer Nature. - 0957-7572 .- 1573-1804.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A high level of transparency in reported research is critical for several reasons, such as ensuring an acceptable level of trustworthiness and enabling replication. Transparency in qualitative research permits the identification of specific circumstances which are associated with findings and observations. Thus, transparency is important for the repeatability of original studies and for explorations of the transferability of original findings. There has been no investigation into levels of transparency in reported technology education research to date. With a position that increasing transparency would be beneficial, this article presents an analysis of levels of transparency in contemporary technology education research studies which employed interviews within their methodologies, and which were published within the International Journal of Technology and Design Education and Design and Technology Education: An International Journal (n = 38). The results indicate room for improvement, especially in terms of documenting researcher positionality, determinations of data saturation, and how power imbalances were managed. A discussion is presented on why it is important to improve levels of transparency in reported studies, and a guide on areas to make transparent is presented for qualitative and quantitative research.
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10. |
- Marcote, B., et al.
(author)
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A repeating fast radio burst source localized to a nearby spiral galaxy
- 2020
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 577:7789, s. 190-194
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief, bright, extragalactic radio flashes1,2. Their physical origin remains unknown, but dozens of possible models have been postulated3. Some FRB sources exhibit repeat bursts4–7. Although over a hundred FRB sources have been discovered8, only four have been localized and associated with a host galaxy9–12, and just one of these four is known to emit repeating FRBs9. The properties of the host galaxies, and the local environments of FRBs, could provide important clues about their physical origins. The first known repeating FRB, however, was localized to a low-metallicity, irregular dwarf galaxy, and the apparently non-repeating sources were localized to higher-metallicity, massive elliptical or star-forming galaxies, suggesting that perhaps the repeating and apparently non-repeating sources could have distinct physical origins. Here we report the precise localization of a second repeating FRB source6, FRB 180916.J0158+65, to a star-forming region in a nearby (redshift 0.0337 ± 0.0002) massive spiral galaxy, whose properties and proximity distinguish it from all known hosts. The lack of both a comparably luminous persistent radio counterpart and a high Faraday rotation measure6 further distinguish the local environment of FRB 180916.J0158+65 from that of the single previously localized repeating FRB source, FRB 121102. This suggests that repeating FRBs may have a wide range of luminosities, and originate from diverse host galaxies and local environments.
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11. |
- Marina, Neyssa M., et al.
(author)
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Comparison of MAPIE versus MAP in patients with a poor response to preoperative chemotherapy for newly diagnosed high-grade osteosarcoma (EURAMOS-1) : an open-label, international, randomised controlled trial
- 2016
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In: The Lancet Oncology. - 1470-2045. ; 17:10, s. 1396-1408
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background We designed the EURAMOS-1 trial to investigate whether intensified postoperative chemotherapy for patients whose tumour showed a poor response to preoperative chemotherapy (≥10% viable tumour) improved event-free survival in patients with high-grade osteosarcoma. Methods EURAMOS-1 was an open-label, international, phase 3 randomised, controlled trial. Consenting patients with newly diagnosed, resectable, high-grade osteosarcoma aged 40 years or younger were eligible for randomisation. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either postoperative cisplatin, doxorubicin, and methotrexate (MAP) or MAP plus ifosfamide and etoposide (MAPIE) using concealed permuted blocks with three stratification factors: trial group; location of tumour (proximal femur or proximal humerus vs other limb vs axial skeleton); and presence of metastases (no vs yes or possible). The MAP regimen consisted of cisplatin 120 mg/m2, doxorubicin 37·5 mg/m2 per day on days 1 and 2 (on weeks 1 and 6) followed 3 weeks later by high-dose methotrexate 12 g/m2 over 4 h. The MAPIE regimen consisted of MAP as a base regimen, with the addition of high-dose ifosfamide (14 g/m2) at 2·8 g/m2 per day with equidose mesna uroprotection, followed by etoposide 100 mg/m2 per day over 1 h on days 1–5. The primary outcome measure was event-free survival measured in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00134030. Findings Between April 14, 2005, and June 30, 2011, 2260 patients were registered from 325 sites in 17 countries. 618 patients with poor response were randomly assigned; 310 to receive MAP and 308 to receive MAPIE. Median follow-up was 62·1 months (IQR 46·6–76·6); 62·3 months (IQR 46·9–77·1) for the MAP group and 61·1 months (IQR 46·5–75·3) for the MAPIE group. 307 event-free survival events were reported (153 in the MAP group vs 154 in the MAPIE group). 193 deaths were reported (101 in the MAP group vs 92 in the MAPIE group). Event-free survival did not differ between treatment groups (hazard ratio [HR] 0·98 [95% CI 0·78–1·23]); hazards were non-proportional (p=0·0003). The most common grade 3–4 adverse events were neutropenia (268 [89%] patients in MAP vs 268 [90%] in MAPIE), thrombocytopenia (231 [78% in MAP vs 248 [83%] in MAPIE), and febrile neutropenia without documented infection (149 [50%] in MAP vs 217 [73%] in MAPIE). MAPIE was associated with more frequent grade 4 non-haematological toxicity than MAP (35 [12%] of 301 in the MAP group vs 71 [24%] of 298 in the MAPIE group). Two patients died during postoperative therapy, one from infection (although their absolute neutrophil count was normal), which was definitely related to their MAP treatment (specifically doxorubicin and cisplatin), and one from left ventricular systolic dysfunction, which was probably related to MAPIE treatment (specifically doxorubicin). One suspected unexpected serious adverse reaction was reported in the MAP group: bone marrow infarction due to methotrexate. Interpretation EURAMOS-1 results do not support the addition of ifosfamide and etoposide to postoperative chemotherapy in patients with poorly responding osteosarcoma because its administration was associated with increased toxicity without improving event-free survival. The results define standard of care for this population. New strategies are required to improve outcomes in this setting. Funding UK Medical Research Council, National Cancer Institute, European Science Foundation, St Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique, Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen, Parents Organization, Danish Medical Research Council, Academy of Finland, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Deutsche Krebshilfe, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Semmelweis Foundation, ZonMw (Council for Medical Research), Research Council of Norway, Scandinavian Sarcoma Group, Swiss Paediatric Oncology Group, Cancer Research UK, National Institute for Health Research, University College London Hospitals, and Biomedical Research Centre.
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12. |
- Notarnicola, A., et al.
(author)
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Serum and balf-derived anti-JO1 autoantibodies exhibit high reactivity to distinct HISRS domains and associate with lung and joint involvement in patients with IIM/ASS
- 2020
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In: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ Publishing Group. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 79, s. 1109-1110
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Autoantibodies that target aminoacyl transfer(t) RNA synthetases (aaRS) represent the serological marker of the anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS), a major subgroup of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) (1). Among the anti-aaRS, anti-histidyl tRNA synthetase (HisRS) autoantibodies (anti-Jo1) are the most common. Up to 90% of IIM/ASS patients diagnosed with interstitial lung disease (ILD) harbor anti-Jo1 autoantibodies (2).Objectives:Reactivity and affinity of anti-Jo1 autoantibodies from serum and broncheoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were investigated against HisRS autoantigen. Associations with clinical data from patients IIM/ASS were addressed.Methods:Total IgGs were purified by affinity chromatography. Samples and clinical data were obtained from: i) 26 anti-Jo1+patients (19 at diagnosis, 16/19 at follow-up, 7 BALF/matching serum at baseline; ii) 29 anti-Jo1-(25 serum at diagnosis, 4 BALF/matching serum at baseline); iii) 24 age/gender matched healthy controls. Anti-Jo1 IgG and IgA response against HisRS was evaluated by ELISA and western blot. Affinity was measured by surface plasmon resonance. HisRS full-length (HisRS-FL), two HisRS domains (ABD and CD), and two HisRS splice variants (WHEP and WHEP + ABD splice variant (SV)) were tested. Correlations between autoantibody reactivity and clinical data, at baseline and over disease course, were evaluated.Results:Anti-Jo1 autoantibodies from serum and lung bound HisRS-FL, WHEP and SV with high reactivity and affinity already at diagnosis and recognized both conformational and linear HisRS epitopes (Fig. 1). Levels of autoantibodies (against HisRS-FL, -domains and -splice variants) varied among patients and overtime. Patients with ILD, arthritis and less skin involvement presented higher anti-Jo1 titers compared to those with lower anti-Jo1 titers and to the anti-Jo1 negative group (Fig. 2). Anti-WHEP reactivity in BALF strongly correlated with poor pulmonary function.Conclusion:High reactivity and affinity at time of diagnosis indicates that autoimmunity against HisRS is most likely initiated before IIM/ASS diagnosis. Reactivity to specific splice variants of HisRS may be employed as diagnostic and prognostic markers.References:[1]Marguerie C, Bunn CC, Beynon HL, Bernstein RM, Hughes JM, So AK, Walport MJ: Polymyositis, pulmonary fibrosis and autoantibodies to aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase enzymes. Q J Med 1990, 77(282):1019-1038[2]Richards TJ, Eggebeen A, Gibson K, Yousem S, Fuhrman C, Gochuico BR, Fertig N, Oddis CV, Kaminski N, Rosas IO et al: Characterization and peripheral blood biomarker assessment of anti-Jo-1 antibody-positive interstitial lung disease. Arthritis Rheum 2009, 60(7):2183-2192.Fig. 1.Anti-Jo1 reactivity in total IgG purified from the first available serum sampleFig. 2.Reactivity of total anti-Jo1+ IgG purified from the first available serum close to IIM/ASS diagnosis in relation to clinical dataDisclosure of Interests:Antonella Notarnicola: None declared, Charlotta Preger: None declared, Susanna Lundström: None declared, Nuria Renard: None declared, Edvard Wigren: None declared, Eveline Van Gompel: None declared, Angeles Shunashy Galindo-Feria: None declared, Helena Persson: None declared, Maryam Fathi: None declared, Johan Grunewald: None declared, Per-Johan Jakobsson Shareholder of: Gesynta Pharma, Grant/research support from: Gesynta Pharma, AstraZeneca,, Susanne Gräslund: None declared, Ingrid E. Lundberg Grant/research support from: Bristol Meyer Squibb, Corbus Pharmaceuticals, Inc and Astra Zeneca, Catia Cerqueira: None declared
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13. |
- Stark, D, et al.
(author)
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Teenagers and young adults with cancer in Europe: from national programmes to a European integrated coordinated project.
- 2015
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In: European Journal of Cancer Care. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1365-2354 .- 0961-5423.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Over 14 000 patients aged 15-24 are estimated to be diagnosed with cancer in the European Union (EU) each year. Teenagers and young adults (TYA) often fall down gaps between children's and adults cancer services. The specific challenges of providing optimal care to them are described, but we present a summary of recent progress. Progress to overcome these challenges is happening at different rates across Europe. We summarise the European national projects in this field but more recently we have seen the beginnings of European coordination. Within the EU 7th Funding Programme (FP7) European Network for Cancer Research in Children and Adolescents programme (ENCCA), a specific European Network for Teenagers and Young Adults with Cancer has held a series of scientific meetings, including professionals, patients and caregivers. This group has proposed unanswered research questions and agreed key features of a high-quality service that can improve outcomes for TYA with cancer, including the primacy of collaboration between adult and paediatric services to eliminate the gap in the management of TYA with cancer.
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14. |
- Afifi, K., et al.
(author)
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Features of intracranial hemorrhage in cerebral venous thrombosis
- 2020
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In: Journal of Neurology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-5354 .- 1432-1459. ; 267, s. 3292-3298
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is associated with intracranial hemorrhage. Aim To identify clinical and imaging features of CVT-associated intracranial hemorrhage. We hypothesized that higher clot burden would be associated with a higher risk of intracranial hemorrhage. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of an international, multicenter cohort of patients with confirmed cerebral venous thrombosis who underwent computed tomography within 2 weeks of symptom onset. Clinical and imaging features were compared between patients with and without intracranial hemorrhage. Clot burden was assessed by counting the number of thrombosed venous sinuses and veins on confirmatory imaging. Results We enrolled 260 patients from 10 institutions in Europe and Mexico. The mean age was 42 years and 74% were female. Intracranial hemorrhage was found in 102 (39%). Among them parenchymal hemorrhage occurred in 64 (63%), in addition, small juxta-cortical hemorrhage was found in 30 (29%), subarachnoid hemorrhage in 24 (24%) and subdural hemorrhage in 11 (11%). Multiple concomitant types of hemorrhage occurred in 23 (23%). Older age and superior sagittal thrombosis involvement were associated with presence of hemorrhage. The number of thrombosed venous sinuses was not associated with intracranial hemorrhage (median number IQRInterquartile ratio] of sinuses/veins involved with hemorrhage 2 (1-3) vs. 2 (1-3) without hemorrhage,p = 0.4). Conclusion The high rate of intracranial hemorrhage in cerebral venous thrombosis is not explained by widespread involvement of the venous sinuses. Superior sagittal sinus involvement is associated with higher bleeding risk.
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15. |
- Bielack, Stefan S, et al.
(author)
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Methotrexate, Doxorubicin, and Cisplatin (MAP) Plus Maintenance Pegylated Interferon Alfa-2b Versus MAP Alone in Patients With Resectable High-Grade Osteosarcoma and Good Histologic Response to Preoperative MAP: First Results of the EURAMOS-1 Good Response Randomized Controlled Trial
- 2015
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In: Journal of Clinical Oncology. - 1527-7755. ; 33:20, s. 2279-2287
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose EURAMOS-1, an international randomized controlled trial, investigated maintenance therapy with pegylated interferon alfa-2b (IFN-α-2b) in patients whose osteosarcoma showed good histologic response (good response) to induction chemotherapy. Patients and Methods At diagnosis, patients age ≤ 40 years with resectable high-grade osteosarcoma were registered. Eligibility after surgery for good response random assignment included ≥ two cycles of preoperative MAP (methotrexate, doxorubicin, and cisplatin), macroscopically complete surgery of primary tumor, < 10% viable tumor, and no disease progression. These patients were randomly assigned to four additional cycles MAP with or without IFN-α-2b (0.5 to 1.0 μg/kg per week subcutaneously, after chemotherapy until 2 years postregistration). Outcome measures were event-free survival (EFS; primary) and overall survival and toxicity (secondary). Results Good response was reported in 1,041 of 2,260 registered patients; 716 consented to random assignment (MAP, n = 359; MAP plus IFN-α-2b, n = 357), with baseline characteristics balanced by arm. A total of 271 of 357 started IFN-α-2b; 105 stopped early, and 38 continued to receive treatment at data freeze. Refusal and toxicity were the main reasons for never starting IFN-α-2b and for stopping prematurely, respectively. Median IFN-α-2b duration, if started, was 67 weeks. A total of 133 of 268 patients who started IFN-α-2b and provided toxicity information reported grade ≥ 3 toxicity during IFN-α-2b treatment. With median follow-up of 44 months, 3-year EFS for all 716 randomly assigned patients was 76% (95% CI, 72% to 79%); 174 EFS events were reported (MAP, n = 93; MAP plus IFN-α-2b, n = 81). Hazard ratio was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.61 to 1.12; P = .214) from an adjusted Cox model. Conclusion At the preplanned analysis time, MAP plus IFN-α-2b was not statistically different from MAP alone. A considerable proportion of patients never started IFN-α-2b or stopped prematurely. Long-term follow-up for events and survival continues.
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16. |
- Buyck, P. J., et al.
(author)
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Diagnostic accuracy of noncontrast CT imaging markers in cerebral venous thrombosis
- 2019
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In: Neurology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 92:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective To assess the added diagnostic value of semiquantitative imaging markers on noncontrast CT scans in cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Methods In a retrospective, multicenter, blinded, case-control study of patients with recent onset (<2 weeks) CVT, 3 readers assessed (1) the accuracy of the visual impression of CVT based on a combination of direct and indirect signs, (2) the accuracy of attenuation values of the venous sinuses in Hounsfield units (with adjustment for hematocrit levels), and (3) the accuracy of attenuation ratios of affected vs unaffected sinuses in comparison with reference standard MRI or CT angiography. Controls were age-matched patients with (sub)acute neurologic presentations. Results We enrolled 285 patients with CVT and 303 controls from 10 international centers. Sensitivity of visual impression of thrombosis ranged from 41% to 73% and specificity ranged from 97% to 100%. Attenuation measurement had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74-0.81). After adjustment for hematocrit, the AUC remained 0.78 (95% CI 0.74-0.81). The analysis of attenuation ratios of affected vs unaffected sinuses had AUC of 0.83 (95% CI 0.8-0.86). Adding this imaging marker significantly improved discrimination, but sensitivity when tolerating a false-positive rate of 20% was not higher than 76% (95% CI 0.70-0.81). Conclusion Semiquantitative analysis of attenuation values for diagnosis of CVT increased sensitivity but still failed to identify 1 out of 4 CVT. Classification of evidence This study provides Class II evidence that visual analysis of plain CT with or without attenuation measurements has high specificity but only moderate sensitivity for CVT.
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17. |
- Ongena, J, et al.
(author)
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Study and design of the ion cyclotron resonance heating system for the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X
- 2014
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In: Physics of Plasmas. - : AIP Publishing. - 1089-7674 .- 1070-664X. ; 21:6, s. 061514-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The current status of the mechanical and electromagnetic design for the ICRF antenna system for W7-X is presented. Two antenna plugins are discussed: one consisting of a pair of straps with pre-matching to cover the first frequency band, 25–38 MHz, and a second one consisting of two short strap triplets to cover a frequency band around 76 MHz. This paper focusses on the two strap antenna for the lower frequency band. Power coupling of the antenna to a reference plasma profile is studied with the help of the codes TOPICA and Microwave Studio that deliver the scattering matrix needed for the optimization of the geometric parameters of the straps and antenna box. Radiation power spectra for different phasings of the two straps are obtained using the code ANTITER II and different heating scenario are discussed. The potential for heating, fast particle generation, and current drive is discussed. The problem of RF coupling through the plasma edge and of edge power deposition is summarized. Important elements of the complete ion cyclotron resonance heating system are discussed: a resonator circuit with tap feed to limit the maximum voltage in the system, and a decoupler to counterbalance the large mutual coupling between the 2 straps. The mechanical design highlights the challenges encountered with this antenna: adaptation to a large variety of plasma configurations, the limited space within the port to accommodate the necessary matching components and the watercooling needed for long pulse operation.
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18. |
- Renard, M, et al.
(author)
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Expressed repetitive elements are broadly applicable reference targets for normalization of reverse transcription-qPCR data in mice
- 2018
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In: Scientific reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 8:1, s. 7642-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is the gold standard method for gene expression analysis on mRNA level. To remove experimental variation, expression levels of the gene of interest are typically normalized to the expression level of stably expressed endogenous reference genes. Identifying suitable reference genes and determining the optimal number of reference genes should precede each quantification study. Popular reference genes are not necessarily stably expressed in the examined conditions, possibly leading to inaccurate results. Stably and universally expressed repetitive elements (ERE) have previously been shown to be an excellent alternative for normalization using classic reference genes in human and zebrafish samples. Here, we confirm that in mouse tissues, EREs are broadly applicable reference targets for RT-qPCR normalization, provided that the RNA samples undergo a thorough DNase treatment. We identified Orr1a0, Rltr2aiap, and Rltr13a3 as the most stably expressed mouse EREs across six different experimental conditions. Therefore, we propose this set of ERE reference targets as good candidates for normalization of RT-qPCR data in a plethora of conditions. The identification of widely applicable stable mouse RT-qPCR reference targets for normalization has great potential to facilitate future murine gene expression studies and improve the validity of RT-qPCR data.
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20. |
- Wetzel, G., et al.
(author)
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Validation of MIPAS-ENVISAT H2O operational data collected between July 2002 and March 2004
- 2013
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In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 13:11, s. 5791-5811
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Water vapour (H2O) is one of the operationally retrieved key species of the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) instrument aboard the Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT) which was launched into its sun-synchronous orbit on 1 March 2002 and operated until April 2012. Within the MIPAS validation activities, independent observations from balloons, aircraft, satellites, and ground-based stations have been compared to European Space Agency (ESA) version 4.61 operational H2O data comprising the time period from July 2002 until March 2004 where MIPAS measured with full spectral resolution. No significant bias in the MIPAS H2O data is seen in the lower stratosphere (above the hygropause) between about 15 and 30 km. Differences of H2O quantities observed by MIPAS and the validation instruments are mostly well within the combined total errors in this altitude region. In the upper stratosphere (above about 30 km), a tendency towards a small positive bias (up to about 10 %) is present in the MIPAS data when compared to its balloon-borne counterpart MIPAS-B, to the satellite instruments HALOE (Halogen Occultation Experiment) and ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment, Fourier Transform Spectrometer), and to the millimeter-wave airborne sensor AMSOS (Airborne Microwave Stratospheric Observing System). In the mesosphere the situation is unclear due to the occurrence of different biases when comparing HALOE and ACE-FTS data. Pronounced deviations between MIPAS and the correlative instruments occur in the lowermost stratosphere and upper troposphere, a region where retrievals of H2O are most challenging. Altogether it can be concluded that MIPAS H2O profiles yield valuable information on the vertical distribution of H2O in the stratosphere with an overall accuracy of about 10 to 30% and a precision of typically 5 to 15% - well within the predicted error budget, showing that these global and continuous data are very valuable for scientific studies. However, in the region around the tropopause retrieved MIPAS H2O profiles are less reliable, suffering from a number of obstacles such as retrieval boundary and cloud effects, sharp vertical discontinuities, and frequent horizontal gradients in both temperature and H2O volume mixing ratio (VMR). Some profiles are characterized by retrieval instabilities.
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26. |
- Fernandes-Cerqueira, C, et al.
(author)
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Patients with anti-Jo1 antibodies display a characteristic IgG Fc-glycan profile which is further enhanced in anti-Jo1 autoantibodies
- 2018
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In: Scientific reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 8:1, s. 17958-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- IgG Fc-glycans affect IgG function and are altered in autoimmune diseases and autoantibodies. Anti-histidyl tRNA synthetase autoantibodies (anti-Jo1) are frequent in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS) with associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). Thus, we hypothesized that the total-IgG Fc-glycans from Jo1+ versus Jo1− patients and anti-Jo1-IgG would show characteristic differences, and that particular Fc-glycan features would be associated with specific clinical manifestations. By proteomics based mass spectrometry we observed a high abundance of agalactosylated IgG1 Fc-glycans in ASS/IIM patients (n = 44) compared to healthy age matched controls (n = 24). Using intra-individual normalization of the main agalactosylated glycan (FA2) of IgG1 vs FA2-IgG2, ASS/IIM and controls were distinguished with an area under the curve (AUC) of 79 ± 6%. For Jo1+ patients (n = 19) the AUCs went up to 88 ± 6%. Bisected and afucosylated Fc-glycans were significantly lower in Jo1+ compared to Jo1− patients. Anti-Jo1-IgG enriched from eleven patients contained even significantly lower abundances of bisected, afucosylated and galactosylated forms compared to matched total-IgG. ASS and ILD diagnosis, as well as lysozyme and thrombospondin correlated with Jo1+ characteristic Fc-glycan features. These results suggest that the anti-Jo1+ patient Fc-glycan profile contains phenotype specific features which may underlie the pathogenic role of Jo1 autoantibodies.
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27. |
- Jégou, F., et al.
(author)
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Validation of Odin/SMR limb observations of ozone, comparisons with OSIRIS, POAM III, ground-based and balloon-borne intruments
- 2008
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In: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 8:13, s. 3385-3409
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Odin satellite carries two instruments capable of determining stratospheric ozone profiles by limb sounding: the Sub-Millimetre Radiometer (SMR) and the UV-visible spectrograph of the OSIRIS (Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System) instrument. A large number of ozone profiles measurements were performed during six years from November 2001 to present. This ozone dataset is here used to make quantitative comparisons with satellite measurements in order to assess the quality of the Odin/SMR ozone measurements. In a first step, we compare Swedish SMR retrievals version 2.1, French SMR ozone retrievals version 222 (both from the 501.8 GHz band), and the OSIRIS retrievals version 3.0, with the operational version 4.0 ozone product from POAM III (Polar Ozone Atmospheric Measurement). In a second step, we refine the Odin/SMR validation by comparisons with ground-based instruments and balloon-borne observations. We use observations carried out within the framework of the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) and balloon flight missions conducted by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Laboratoire de Physique et de Chimie de l\'{}Environnement (LPCE, Orléans, France), and the Service d'Aéronomie (SA, Paris, France). Coincidence criteria were 5° in latitude×10° in longitude, and 5 h in time in Odin/POAM III comparisons, 12 h in Odin/NDACC comparisons, and 72 h in Odin/balloons comparisons. An agreement is found with the POAM III experiment (10–60 km) within −0.3±0.2 ppmv (bias±standard deviation) for SMR (v222, v2.1) and within −0.5±0.2 ppmv for OSIRIS (v3.0). Odin ozone mixing ratio products are systematically slightly lower than the POAM III data and show an ozone maximum lower by 1–5 km in altitude. The comparisons with the NDACC data (10–34 km for ozonesonde, 10–50 km for lidar, 10–60 for microwave instruments) yield a good agreement within −0.15±0.3 ppmv for the SMR data and −0.3±0.3 ppmv for the OSIRIS data. Finally the comparisons with instruments on large balloons (10–31 km) show a good agreement, within −0.7±1 ppmv. The official SMR v2.1 dataset is consistent in all altitude ranges with POAM III, NDACC and large balloon-borne instruments measurements. In the SMR v2.1 data, no different systematic error has been found in the 0–35km range in comparison with the 35–60 km range. The same feature has been highlighted in both hemispheres in SMR v2.1/POAM III intercomparisons, and no latitudinal dependence has been revealed in SMR v2.1/NDACC intercomparisons.
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28. |
- Mels, Sanna, 1974-
(author)
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Vindkraft och lokala förankringsprocesser : Perspektiv på deltagande, förståelse och acceptans
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This study examines different meanings attached to and practices adopted during Swedish local consultation processes on offshore wind power projects. It analyses the role played by those processes in a democratic planning context, as well as the ways in which they are implemented. It also identifies overarching process models. The study is informed by theories on democracy, planning, participation, communication, and media. The empirical material comprises three case studies, each examining experiences of local consultation processes for wind power projects that led to differences in local reception. Methodologically, the study triangulates analyses of semi-structured interviews, documents and news articles.The results show that, in a Swedish context, the role of local consultation processes is to create legitimacy and trust in the process and planning decisions. The complex dynamics become evident in the different forms of participation, knowledge generation, and communication employed during the consultation. This is shown to be the result of various democratic and planning attitudes to locally-situated interests and knowledge, which in turn lead to differing views on local understanding for and acceptance of project proposals. The study develops three schematic models that correspond to different types of consultation processes. An important conclusion is that the content and form of local consultation processes depends on the agency of several actors on different scales. They are not simple pre-designed by project planners, but the result of a far more complex interaction between a host of local actors, including officials, local media, and local communities. The categorisation of different local consultation processes could contribute to awareness about the implications of various ways of working with large-scale projects from local perspectives.
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- Notarnicola, Antonella, et al.
(author)
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Longitudinal assessment of reactivity and affinity profile of anti-Jo1 autoantibodies to distinct HisRS domains and a splice variant in a cohort of patients with myositis and anti-synthetase syndrome
- 2022
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In: Arthritis Research & Therapy. - : Springer Nature. - 1478-6362. ; 24:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background To address the reactivity and affinity against histidyl-transfer RNA synthetase (HisRS) autoantigen of anti-Jo1 autoantibodies from serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies/anti-synthetase syndrome (IIM/ASSD). To investigate the associations between the reactivity profile and clinical data over time. Methods Samples and clinical data were obtained from (i) 25 anti-Jo1(+) patients (19 sera with 16 longitudinal samples and 6 BALF/matching sera at diagnosis), (ii) 29 anti-Jo1(-) patients (25 sera and 4 BALF/matching sera at diagnosis), and (iii) 27 age/gender-matched healthy controls (24 sera and 3 BALF/matching sera). Reactivity towards HisRS full-length (HisRS-FL), three HisRS domains (WHEP, antigen binding domain (ABD), and catalytic domain (CD)), and the HisRS splice variant (SV) was tested. Anti-Jo1 IgG reactivity was evaluated by ELISA and western blot using IgG purified from serum by affinity chromatography. In paired serum-BALF, anti-Jo1 IgG and IgA reactivity was analyzed by ELISA. Autoantibody affinity was measured by surface plasmon resonance using IgG purified from sera. Correlations between autoantibody reactivity and clinical data were evaluated at diagnosis and longitudinally. Results Anti-Jo1 IgG from serum and BALF bound HisRS-FL, WHEP, and SV with high reactivity at the time of diagnosis and recognized both conformation-dependent and conformation-independent HisRS epitopes. Anti-HisRS-FL IgG displayed high affinity early in the disease. At the time of IIM/ASSD diagnosis, the highest autoantibody levels against HisRS-FL were found in patients ever developing interstitial lung disease (ILD) and arthritis, but with less skin involvement. Moreover, the reactivity of anti-WHEP IgG in BALF correlated with poor pulmonary function. Levels of autoantibodies against HisRS-FL, HisRS domains, and HisRS splice variant generally decreased over time. With some exceptions, longitudinal anti-HisRS-FL antibody levels changed in line with ILD activity. Conclusion High levels and high-affinity anti-Jo1 autoantibodies towards HisRS-FL were found early in disease in sera and BALF. In combination with the correlation of anti-HisRS-FL antibody levels with ILD and ILD activity in longitudinal samples as well as of anti-WHEP IgG in BALF with poor pulmonary function, this supports the previously raised hypothesis that the lung might have a role in the immune reaction in anti-Jo1-positive patients.
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34. |
- S:t Clair Renard, Susanne, 1953-
(author)
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Fri rörlighet för tjänster : tolkning av artikel 49 EGF
- 2007
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis is concerned with the free movement of services and the interpretation of article 49. The application of article 49 foremost includes all activities within the EC law concept of services, which is to be understood as cross-border economic activities for which the regulations of the other freedoms cannot be applied. As a result of the residual function and the fact that the common market includes all aspects of trade and economy article 49 is applicable to a heterogenic variety of economic activities.The ambit of article 49 has been increasingly widened. National laws regulating not only service activities but also associated legal areas, such as legislation involving national taxation and labour regulations, which indirectly affect the conditions for service activities are within the scope of article 49.This work examines the case law of the Court of Justice and suggests an interpretation of article 49 that differentiates between the actual service activity, the associated legal areas and rights for providers and recipients of services. For service activities, article 49 is to be regarded as a total ban on all restrictions, discriminatory as well as non-discriminatory. The prohibition in article 49 should be interpreted widely, administrative measures and legislation in the service sectors may not in any way hinder or restrict the intra-state trade. As for service associated legal areas article 49 is to be regarded as an expression of the principle of non-discrimination. National legislation in areas such as taxation and procedural laws may not treat foreign services and service providers less favourable. Also rights for providers and recipients of services are confined to equal treatment. Providers and recipients of services from other member states shall benefit from the same rights as nationals.
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36. |
- S:t Clair Renard, Susanne, 1953-
(author)
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Hur fri blev tjänsters fria rörlighet?
- 2009
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In: Hur gemensam är den europeiska gemenskapen?. - Stockholm : Santérus Academic Press Sweden. - 9789173590297
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)
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