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1.
  • Luize, Bruno Garcia, et al. (author)
  • Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities
  • 2024
  • In: JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY. - 0305-0270 .- 1365-2699.
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Aim: Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods: Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results: In the terra firme and v & aacute;rzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igap & oacute; and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R-2 = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R-2 = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion: Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions.
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2.
  • Amaral, Rita, et al. (author)
  • Profiling Persistent Asthma Phenotypes in Adolescents : A Longitudinal Diagnostic Evaluation from the INSPIRERS Studies
  • 2021
  • In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:3
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • We aimed to identify persistent asthma phenotypes among adolescents and to evaluate longitudinally asthma-related outcomes across phenotypes. Adolescents (13-17 years) from the prospective, observational, and multicenter INSPIRERS studies, conducted in Portugal and Spain, were included (n = 162). Latent class analysis was applied to demographic, environmental, and clinical variables, collected at a baseline medical visit. Longitudinal differences in clinical variables were assessed at a 4-month follow-up telephone contact (n = 128). Three classes/phenotypes of persistent asthma were identified. Adolescents in class 1 (n = 87) were highly symptomatic at baseline and presented the highest number of unscheduled healthcare visits per month and exacerbations per month, both at baseline and follow-up. Class 2 (n = 32) was characterized by female predominance, more frequent obesity, and uncontrolled upper/lower airways symptoms at baseline. At follow-up, there was a significant increase in the proportion of controlled lower airway symptoms (p < 0.001). Class 3 (n = 43) included mostly males with controlled lower airways symptoms; at follow-up, while keeping symptom control, there was a significant increase in exacerbations/month (p = 0.015). We have identified distinct phenotypes of persistent asthma in adolescents with different patterns in longitudinal asthma-related outcomes, supporting the importance of profiling asthma phenotypes in predicting disease outcomes that might inform targeted interventions and reduce future risk.
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3.
  • Bousquet, Jean, et al. (author)
  • Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) Phase 4 (2018) : Change management in allergic rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity using mobile technology
  • 2019
  • In: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Elsevier. - 0091-6749 .- 1097-6825. ; 143:3, s. 864-879
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) has evolved from a guideline by using the best approach to integrated care pathways using mobile technology in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma multimorbidity. The proposed next phase of ARIA is change management, with the aim of providing an active and healthy life to patients with rhinitis and to those with asthma multimorbidity across the lifecycle irrespective of their sex or socioeconomic status to reduce health and social inequities incurred by the disease. ARIA has followed the 8-step model of Kotter to assess and implement the effect of rhinitis on asthma multimorbidity and to propose multimorbid guidelines. A second change management strategy is proposed by ARIA Phase 4 to increase self-medication and shared decision making in rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity. An innovation of ARIA has been the development and validation of information technology evidence-based tools (Mobile Airways Sentinel Network [MASK]) that can inform patient decisions on the basis of a self-care plan proposed by the health care professional.
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4.
  • Householder, John Ethan, et al. (author)
  • One sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is dependent on river floodplains
  • 2024
  • In: NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION. - 2397-334X.
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Amazonia's floodplain system is the largest and most biodiverse on Earth. Although forests are crucial to the ecological integrity of floodplains, our understanding of their species composition and how this may differ from surrounding forest types is still far too limited, particularly as changing inundation regimes begin to reshape floodplain tree communities and the critical ecosystem functions they underpin. Here we address this gap by taking a spatially explicit look at Amazonia-wide patterns of tree-species turnover and ecological specialization of the region's floodplain forests. We show that the majority of Amazonian tree species can inhabit floodplains, and about a sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is ecologically specialized on floodplains. The degree of specialization in floodplain communities is driven by regional flood patterns, with the most compositionally differentiated floodplain forests located centrally within the fluvial network and contingent on the most extraordinary flood magnitudes regionally. Our results provide a spatially explicit view of ecological specialization of floodplain forest communities and expose the need for whole-basin hydrological integrity to protect the Amazon's tree diversity and its function.
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5.
  • Kehoe, Laura, et al. (author)
  • Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
  • 2019
  • In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
  • Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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6.
  • Menditto, Enrica, et al. (author)
  • Adherence to treatment in allergic rhinitis using mobile technology : The MASK Study
  • 2019
  • In: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : WILEY. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 49:4, s. 442-460
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Background: Mobile technology may help to better understand the adherence to treatment. MASK-rhinitis (Mobile Airways Sentinel NetworK for allergic rhinitis) is a patient-centred ICT system. A mobile phone app (the Allergy Diary) central to MASK is available in 22 countries. Objectives: To assess the adherence to treatment in allergic rhinitis patients using the Allergy Diary App. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was carried out on all users who filled in the Allergy Diary from 1 January 2016 to 1 August 2017. Secondary adherence was assessed by using the modified Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) and the Proportion of days covered (PDC) approach. Results: A total of 12143 users were registered. A total of 6949 users reported at least one VAS data recording. Among them, 1887 users reported >= 7 VAS data. About 1195 subjects were included in the analysis of adherence. One hundred and thirty-six (11.28%) users were adherent (MPR >= 70% and PDC <= 1.25), 51 (4.23%) were partly adherent (MPR >= 70% and PDC = 1.50) and 176 (14.60%) were switchers. On the other hand, 832 (69.05%) users were non-adherent to medications (MPR <70%). Of those, the largest group was non-adherent to medications and the time interval was increased in 442 (36.68%) users. Conclusion and clinical relevance: Adherence to treatment is low. The relative efficacy of continuous vs on-demand treatment for allergic rhinitis symptoms is still a matter of debate. This study shows an approach for measuring retrospective adherence based on a mobile app. This also represents a novel approach for analysing medication-taking behaviour in a real-world setting.
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7.
  • ter Steege, Hans, et al. (author)
  • Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora
  • 2023
  • In: COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY. - 2399-3642. ; 6:1
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution. A study mapping the tree species richness in Amazonian forests shows that soil type exerts a strong effect on species richness, probably caused by the areas of these forest types. Cumulative water deficit, tree density and temperature seasonality affect species richness at a regional scale.
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8.
  • Abelev, Betty, et al. (author)
  • Long-range angular correlations on the near and away side in p-Pb collisions at root S-NN=5.02 TeV
  • 2013
  • In: Physics Letters. Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-2693. ; 719:1-3, s. 29-41
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Angular correlations between charged trigger and associated particles are measured by the ALICE detector in p-Pb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV for transverse momentum ranges within 0.5 < P-T,P-assoc < P-T,P-trig < 4 GeV/c. The correlations are measured over two units of pseudorapidity and full azimuthal angle in different intervals of event multiplicity, and expressed as associated yield per trigger particle. Two long-range ridge-like structures, one on the near side and one on the away side, are observed when the per-trigger yield obtained in low-multiplicity events is subtracted from the one in high-multiplicity events. The excess on the near-side is qualitatively similar to that recently reported by the CMS Collaboration, while the excess on the away-side is reported for the first time. The two-ridge structure projected onto azimuthal angle is quantified with the second and third Fourier coefficients as well as by near-side and away-side yields and widths. The yields on the near side and on the away side are equal within the uncertainties for all studied event multiplicity and p(T) bins, and the widths show no significant evolution with event multiplicity or p(T). These findings suggest that the near-side ridge is accompanied by an essentially identical away-side ridge. (c) 2013 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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13.
  • Nguyen, Thanh N, et al. (author)
  • Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke Volumes and Cerebrovascular Events: A 1-Year Follow-up.
  • 2023
  • In: Neurology. - 1526-632X. ; 100:4
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Declines in stroke admission, IV thrombolysis (IVT), and mechanical thrombectomy volumes were reported during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a paucity of data on the longer-term effect of the pandemic on stroke volumes over the course of a year and through the second wave of the pandemic. We sought to measure the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes of stroke admissions, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), IVT, and mechanical thrombectomy over a 1-year period at the onset of the pandemic (March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021) compared with the immediately preceding year (March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020).We conducted a longitudinal retrospective study across 6 continents, 56 countries, and 275 stroke centers. We collected volume data for COVID-19 admissions and 4 stroke metrics: ischemic stroke admissions, ICH admissions, IVT treatments, and mechanical thrombectomy procedures. Diagnoses were identified by their ICD-10 codes or classifications in stroke databases.There were 148,895 stroke admissions in the 1 year immediately before compared with 138,453 admissions during the 1-year pandemic, representing a 7% decline (95% CI [95% CI 7.1-6.9]; p < 0.0001). ICH volumes declined from 29,585 to 28,156 (4.8% [5.1-4.6]; p < 0.0001) and IVT volume from 24,584 to 23,077 (6.1% [6.4-5.8]; p < 0.0001). Larger declines were observed at high-volume compared with low-volume centers (all p < 0.0001). There was no significant change in mechanical thrombectomy volumes (0.7% [0.6-0.9]; p = 0.49). Stroke was diagnosed in 1.3% [1.31-1.38] of 406,792 COVID-19 hospitalizations. SARS-CoV-2 infection was present in 2.9% ([2.82-2.97], 5,656/195,539) of all stroke hospitalizations.There was a global decline and shift to lower-volume centers of stroke admission volumes, ICH volumes, and IVT volumes during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the prior year. Mechanical thrombectomy volumes were preserved. These results suggest preservation in the stroke care of higher severity of disease through the first pandemic year.This study is registered under NCT04934020.
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14.
  • Simoes Cunha, Mafalda, et al. (author)
  • Symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with persistent asthma : a cross-sectional analysis of the INSPIRERS studies
  • 2023
  • In: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 13:5
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • ObjectivesAnxiety and depression are relevant comorbidities in asthma, but, in Portugal and Spain, data on this topic are scarce. We assessed, in patients with asthma, the frequency of anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the European Quality of Life Five Dimension Questionnaire (EQ-5D); the level of agreement between these questionnaires, and the factors associated with these symptoms.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of the INSPIRERS studies. A total of 614 adolescents and adults with persistent asthma (32.6 +/- 16.9 years, 64.7% female) were recruited from 30 primary care centres and 32 allergy, pulmonology and paediatric clinics. Demographic and clinical characteristics, HADS and EQ-5D were collected. A score >= 8 on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety/Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression or a positive answer to EQ-5D item 5 indicated the presence of these symptoms. Agreement was determined by Cohen's kappa. Two multivariable logistic regressions were built.ResultsAccording to HADS, 36% of the participants had symptoms of anxiety and 12% of depression. According to EQ-5D, 36% of the participants had anxiety/depression. The agreement between questionnaires in identifying anxiety/depression was moderate (k=0.55, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.62). Late asthma diagnosis, comorbidities and female gender were predictors of anxiety/depression, while better asthma control, health-related quality of life and perception of health were associated with lower odds for anxiety/depression.ConclusionAt least 1/3 of the patients with persistent asthma experience symptoms of anxiety/depression, showing the relevance of screening these disorders in patients with asthma. EQ-5D and HADS questionnaires showed a moderate agreement in the identification of anxiety/depression symptoms. The identified associated factors need to be further investigated in long-term studies.
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15.
  • Zamora, Juan Carlos, et al. (author)
  • Considerations and consequences of allowing DNA sequence data as types of fungal taxa
  • 2018
  • In: IMA Fungus. - : INT MYCOLOGICAL ASSOC. - 2210-6340 .- 2210-6359. ; 9:1, s. 167-185
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.
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16.
  • Almeida, Nuno A.F., et al. (author)
  • Pressure dependent luminescence in titanium dioxide particles modified with europium ions
  • 2016
  • In: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical. - : Elsevier BV. - 0925-4005 .- 1873-3077. ; 234, s. 137-144
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Particles of titanium dioxide were prepared in the presence of europium ions (TiO2:Eu) by a solvothermal method and thermal annealed in air at 500 °C. The spectroscopic properties of TiO2:Eu particles were analyzed indicating that the Eu3+ ions are likely distributed at the surface or near the surface of the titanium dioxide particles. The photoluminescence analysis showed that the intraionic emission was strongly sensitive to reduced pressure conditions, as seen by its absence under vacuum conditions. The ion emission was re-established as soon as the atmosphere was restored. Additionally, the ion integrated emission intensity follows a linearly dependence with pressure in the range of 150 to 800 mbar revealing a high sensitivity to small variations in pressure, which is an unprecedented result. This innovation will allow the study of new technologies in the area of low vacuum sensors where TiO2:Eu may act as the active element of an optical sensor for a pressure device.
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17.
  • Alves, Gustavo R., et al. (author)
  • International Cooperation for Remote Laboratory Use
  • 2018
  • In: Contributions to Higher Engineering Education. - Singapore : Springer. - 9789811089176 ; , s. 1-31
  • Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Experimenting is fundamental to the training process of all scientists and engineers. While experiments have been traditionally done inside laboratories, the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies added two alternatives accessible anytime, anywhere. These two alternatives are known as virtual and remote laboratories and are sometimes indistinguishably referred as online laboratories. Similarly to other instructional technologies, virtual and remote laboratories require some effort from teachers in integrating them into curricula, taking into consideration several factors that affect their adoption (i.e., cost) and their educational effectiveness (i.e., benefit). This chapter analyzes these two dimensions and sustains the case where only through international cooperation it is possible to serve the large number of teachers and students involved in engineering education. It presents an example in the area of electrical and electronics engineering, based on a remote laboratory named Virtual Instruments System in Reality, and it then describes how a number of European and Latin American institutions have been cooperating under the scope of an Erasmus+ project, for spreading its use in Brazil and Argentina.
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18.
  • Aragão, Luiz E. O. C., et al. (author)
  • 21st Century drought-related fires counteract the decline of Amazon deforestation carbon emissions
  • 2018
  • In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 9
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Tropical carbon emissions are largely derived from direct forest clearing processes. Yet, emissions from drought-induced forest fires are, usually, not included in national-level carbon emission inventories. Here we examine Brazilian Amazon drought impacts on fire incidence and associated forest fire carbon emissions over the period 2003-2015. We show that despite a 76% decline in deforestation rates over the past 13 years, fire incidence increased by 36% during the 2015 drought compared to the preceding 12 years. The 2015 drought had the largest ever ratio of active fire counts to deforestation, with active fires occurring over an area of 799,293 km(2). Gross emissions from forest fires (989 +/- 504 Tg CO2 year(-1)) alone are more than half as great as those from old-growth forest deforestation during drought years. We conclude that carbon emission inventories intended for accounting and developing policies need to take account of substantial forest fire emissions not associated to the deforestation process.
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19.
  • Bousquet, J., et al. (author)
  • ARIA 2016 : Care pathways implementing emerging technologies for predictive medicine in rhinitis and asthma across the life cycle
  • 2016
  • In: Clinical and Translational Allergy. - : Wiley. - 2045-7022. ; 6:1
  • Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) initiative commenced during a World Health Organization workshop in 1999. The initial goals were (1) to propose a new allergic rhinitis classification, (2) to promote the concept of multi-morbidity in asthma and rhinitis and (3) to develop guidelines with all stakeholders that could be used globally for all countries and populations. ARIA - disseminated and implemented in over 70 countries globally - is now focusing on the implementation of emerging technologies for individualized and predictive medicine. MASK [MACVIA (Contre les Maladies Chroniques pour un Vieillissement Actif)-ARIA Sentinel NetworK] uses mobile technology to develop care pathways for the management of rhinitis and asthma by a multi-disciplinary group and by patients themselves. An app (Android and iOS) is available in 20 countries and 15 languages. It uses a visual analogue scale to assess symptom control and work productivity as well as a clinical decision support system. It is associated with an inter-operable tablet for physicians and other health care professionals. The scaling up strategy uses the recommendations of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. The aim of the novel ARIA approach is to provide an active and healthy life to rhinitis sufferers, whatever their age, sex or socio-economic status, in order to reduce health and social inequalities incurred by the disease.
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  • Bousquet, J, et al. (author)
  • Nrf2-interacting nutrients and COVID-19: time for research to develop adaptation strategies
  • 2020
  • In: Clinical and translational allergy. - : Wiley. - 2045-7022. ; 10:1, s. 58-
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • There are large between- and within-country variations in COVID-19 death rates. Some very low death rate settings such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, the Balkans and Africa have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods whose intake is associated with the activation of the Nrf2 (Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) anti-oxidant transcription factor. There are many Nrf2-interacting nutrients (berberine, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, sulforaphane) that all act similarly to reduce insulin resistance, endothelial damage, lung injury and cytokine storm. They also act on the same mechanisms (mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin, PPARγ:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, NFκB: Nuclear factor kappa B, ERK: Extracellular signal-regulated kinases and eIF2α:Elongation initiation factor 2α). They may as a result be important in mitigating the severity of COVID-19, acting through the endoplasmic reticulum stress or ACE-Angiotensin-II-AT1R axis (AT1R) pathway. Many Nrf2-interacting nutrients are also interacting with TRPA1 and/or TRPV1. Interestingly, geographical areas with very low COVID-19 mortality are those with the lowest prevalence of obesity (Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia). It is tempting to propose that Nrf2-interacting foods and nutrients can re-balance insulin resistance and have a significant effect on COVID-19 severity. It is therefore possible that the intake of these foods may restore an optimal natural balance for the Nrf2 pathway and may be of interest in the mitigation of COVID-19 severity.
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22.
  • Corredor, Zuray, et al. (author)
  • Loci associated with genomic damage levels in chronic kidney disease patients and controls
  • 2020
  • In: Mutation Research - Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis. - : Elsevier BV. - 1383-5718. ; 852
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a multifactorial disorder with an important genetic component, and several studies have demonstrated potential associations with allelic variants. In addition, CKD patients are also characterized by high levels of genomic damage. Nevertheless, no studies have established relationships between DNA damage, or genomic instability present in CKD patients, and gene polymorphisms. To fill in this gap, the potential role of polymorphisms in genes involved in base excision repair (OGG1, rs1052133; MUTYH, rs3219489; XRCC1, rs25487), nucleotide excision repair (ERCC2/XPD, rs1799793, rs171140, rs13181; ERCC4, rs3136166); phase II metabolism (GSTP1, rs749174; GSTO1, rs2164624; GSTO2, rs156697), and antioxidant enzymes (SOD1, rs17880135, rs1041740, rs202446; SOD2, rs4880; CAT, rs1001179; GPX1, rs17080528; GPX3, rs870406: GPX4, rs713041) were inquired. In addition, some genes involved in CKD (AGT, rs5050; GLO1, rs386572987; SHROOM3, rs17319721) were also evaluated. The genomic damage, the genomic instability, and oxidative damage were evaluated by using the micronucleus and the comet assay in 589 donors (415 CKD patients and 174 controls). Our results showed significant associations between genomic damage and genes directly involved in DNA repair pathways (XRCC1, and ERCC2), and with genes encoding for antioxidant enzymes (SOD1 and GPX1). GSTO2, as a gene involved in phase II metabolism, and MUTYH showed also an association with genomic instability. Interestingly, the three genes associated with CKD (AGT, GLO1, and SHROOM3) showed associations with both the high levels of oxidatively damaged DNA and genomic instability. These results support our view that genomic instability can be considered a biomarker of the CKD status.
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23.
  • Hudson, Lawrence N, et al. (author)
  • The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
  • 2017
  • In: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 7:1, s. 145-188
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
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24.
  • Hudson, Lawrence N., et al. (author)
  • The PREDICTS database : a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
  • 2014
  • In: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 4:24, s. 4701-4735
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - ). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015.
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25.
  • Jacome, Cristina, et al. (author)
  • Monitoring Adherence to Asthma Inhalers Using the InspirerMundi App : Analysis of Real-World, Medium-Term Feasibility Studies
  • 2021
  • In: Frontiers in Medical Technology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2673-3129. ; 3
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Background: Poor medication adherence is a major challenge in asthma and objective assessment of inhaler adherence is needed. InspirerMundi app aims to monitor inhaler adherence while turning it into a positive experience through gamification and social support.Objective: We assessed the medium-term feasibility of the InspirerMundi app to monitor inhaler adherence in real-world patients with persistent asthma (treated with daily inhaled medication). In addition, we attempted to identify the characteristics of the patients related to higher app use.Methods: Two real-world multicenter observational studies, with one initial face-to-face visit and a 4-month telephone interview, were conducted in 29 secondary care centers from Portugal. During an initial face-to-face visit, patients were invited to use the app daily to register their asthma medication intakes. A scheduled intake was considered taken when patients took a photo of the medication (inhaler, blister, or others) using the image-based medication detection tool. Medication adherence was calculated as the number of doses taken as a percentage of the number scheduled. Interacting with the app =30 days was used as the cut-off for higher app use.Results: A total of 114 patients {median 20 [percentile 25 to percentile 75 (P25-P75) 16-36] years, 62% adults} were invited, 107 (94%) installed the app and 83 (73%) completed the 4-month interview. Patients interacted with the app for a median of 18 [3-45] days, translated on a median use rate of 15 [3-38]%. Median inhaler adherence assessed through the app was 34 [4-73]% when considering all scheduled inhalations for the study period. Inhaler adherence assessed was not significantly correlated with self-reported estimates. Median adherence for oral and other medication was 41 [6-83]% and 43 [3-73]%, respectively. Patients with higher app use were slightly older (p = 0.012), more frequently taking medication for other health conditions (p = 0.040), and more frequently prescribed long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA, p = 0.024). After 4 months, Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) scores improved (p < 0.001), but no differences between patients interacting with the app for 30 days or less were seen.Conclusions: The InspirerMundi app was feasible to monitor inhaler adherence in patients with persistent asthma. The persistent use of this mHealth technology varies widely. A better understanding of characteristics related to higher app use is still needed before effectiveness studies are undertaken.
  •  
26.
  • Malbet, F., et al. (author)
  • Faint objects in motion: the new frontier of high precision astrometry
  • 2021
  • In: Experimental Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 51:3, s. 845-886
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Sky survey telescopes and powerful targeted telescopes play complementary roles in astronomy. In order to investigate the nature and characteristics of the motions of very faint objects, a flexibly-pointed instrument capable of high astrometric accuracy is an ideal complement to current astrometric surveys and a unique tool for precision astrophysics. Such a space-based mission will push the frontier of precision astrometry from evidence of Earth-mass habitable worlds around the nearest stars, to distant Milky Way objects, and out to the Local Group of galaxies. As we enter the era of the James Webb Space Telescope and the new ground-based, adaptive-optics-enabled giant telescopes, by obtaining these high precision measurements on key objects that Gaia could not reach, a mission that focuses on high precision astrometry science can consolidate our theoretical understanding of the local Universe, enable extrapolation of physical processes to remote redshifts, and derive a much more consistent picture of cosmological evolution and the likely fate of our cosmos. Already several missions have been proposed to address the science case of faint objects in motion using high precision astrometry missions: NEAT proposed for the ESA M3 opportunity, micro-NEAT for the S1 opportunity, and Theia for the M4 and M5 opportunities. Additional new mission configurations adapted with technological innovations could be envisioned to pursue accurate measurements of these extremely small motions. The goal of this White Paper is to address the fundamental science questions that are at stake when we focus on the motions of faint sky objects and to briefly review instrumentation and mission profiles.
  •  
27.
  • Neves, Ana Luisa, et al. (author)
  • Determinants of the Use of Health and Fitness Mobile Apps by Patients With Asthma : Secondary Analysis of Observational Studies
  • 2021
  • In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. - : JMIR Publications. - 1438-8871. ; 23:9
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Background: Health and fitness apps have potential benefits to improve self-management and disease control among patients with asthma. However, inconsistent use rates have been reported across studies, regions, and health systems. A better understanding of the characteristics of users and nonusers is critical to design solutions that are effectively integrated in patients' daily lives, and to ensure that these equitably reach out to different groups of patients, thus improving rather than entrenching health inequities. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the use of general health and fitness apps by patients with asthma and to identify determinants of usage. Methods: A secondary analysis of the INSPIRERS observational studies was conducted using data from face-to-face visits. Patients with a diagnosis of asthma were included between November 2017 and August 2020. Individual-level data were collected, including age, gender, marital status, educational level, health status, presence of anxiety and depression, postcode, socioeconomic level, digital literacy, use of health services, and use of health and fitness apps. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model the probability of being a health and fitness app user. Statistical analysis was performed in R. Results: A total of 526 patients attended a face-to-face visit in the 49 recruiting centers and 514 had complete data. Most participants were <= 40 years old (66.4%), had at least 10 years of education (57.4%), and were in the 3 higher quintiles of the socioeconomic deprivation index (70.1%). The majority reported an overall good health status (visual analogue scale [VAS] score>70 in 93.1%) and the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 34.3% and 11.9%, respectively. The proportion of participants who reported using health and fitness mobile apps was 41.1% (n=211). Multivariate models revealed that single individuals and those with more than 10 years of education are more likely to use health and fitness mobile apps (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.22, 95%CI 1.05-4.75 and aOR 1.95, 95%CI 1.12-3.45, respectively). Higher digital literacy scores were also associated with higher odds of being a user of health and fitness apps, with participants in the second, third, and fourth quartiles reporting aORs of 6.74 (95%CI 2.90-17.40), 10.30 (95%CI 4.28-27.56), and 11.52 (95%CI 4.78-30.87), respectively. Participants with depression symptoms had lower odds of using health and fitness apps (aOR 0.32, 95%CI 0.12-0.83). Conclusions: A better understanding of the barriers and enhancers of app use among patients with lower education, lower digital literacy, or depressive symptoms is key to design tailored interventions to ensure a sustained and equitable use of these technologies. Future studies should also assess users' general health-seeking behavior and their interest and concerns specifically about digital tools. These factors may impact both initial engagement and sustained use.
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28.
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29.
  • Tavares, Julia, et al. (author)
  • Basin-wide variation in tree hydraulic safety margins predicts the carbon balance of Amazon forests
  • 2023
  • In: Nature. - : Springer Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 617:7959, s. 111-117
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Tropical forests face increasing climate risk(1,2), yet our ability to predict their response to climate change is limited by poor understanding of their resistance to water stress. Although xylem embolism resistance thresholds (for example, ?(50)) and hydraulic safety margins (for example, HSM50) are important predictors of drought-induced mortality risk(3-5), little is known about how these vary across Earth's largest tropical forest. Here, we present a pan-Amazon, fully standardized hydraulic traits dataset and use it to assess regional variation in drought sensitivity and hydraulic trait ability to predict species distributions and long-term forest biomass accumulation. Parameters ?(50) and HSM50 vary markedly across the Amazon and are related to average long-term rainfall characteristics. Both ?(50) and HSM50 influence the biogeographical distribution of Amazon tree species. However, HSM50 was the only significant predictor of observed decadal-scale changes in forest biomass. Old-growth forests with wide HSM50 are gaining more biomass than are low HSM(50 )forests. We propose that this may be associated with a growth-mortality trade-off whereby trees in forests consisting of fast-growing species take greater hydraulic risks and face greater mortality risk. Moreover, in regions of more pronounced climatic change, we find evidence that forests are losing biomass, suggesting that species in these regions may be operating beyond their hydraulic limits. Continued climate change is likely to further reduce HSM50 in the Amazon(6,7), with strong implications for the Amazon carbon sink.
  •  
30.
  • Niemi, MEK, et al. (author)
  • 2021
  • swepub:Mat__t
  •  
31.
  • Abbasi, Rasha, et al. (author)
  • IceCube search for neutrinos from GRB 221009A
  • 2023
  • In: Proceedings of 38th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2023). - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
  • Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
    •  GRB 221009A is the brightest Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) ever observed. The observed extremelyhigh flux of high and very-high-energy photons provide a unique opportunity to probe the predictedneutrino counterpart to the electromagnetic emission. We have used a variety of methods to searchfor neutrinos in coincidence with the GRB over several time windows during the precursor, promptand afterglow phases of the GRB. MeV scale neutrinos are studied using photo-multiplier ratescalers which are normally used to search for galactic core-collapse supernovae neutrinos. GeVneutrinos are searched starting with DeepCore triggers. These events don’t have directionallocalization, but instead can indicate an excess in the rate of events. 10 GeV - 1 TeV and >TeVneutrinos are searched using traditional neutrino point source methods which take into accountthe direction and time of events with DeepCore and the entire IceCube detector respectively. The>TeV results include both a fast-response analysis conducted by IceCube in real-time with timewindows of T0 − 1 to T0 + 2 hours and T0 ± 1 day around the time of GRB 221009A, as well asan offline analysis with 3 new time windows up to a time window of T0 − 1 to T0 + 14 days, thelongest time period we consider. The combination of observations by IceCube covers 9 ordersof magnitude in neutrino energy, from MeV to PeV, placing upper limits across the range forpredicted neutrino emission.
  •  
32.
  • Allentoft, Morten E., et al. (author)
  • Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia
  • 2024
  • In: Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 625:7994, s. 301-311
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Western Eurasia witnessed several large-scale human migrations during the Holocene1–5. Here, to investigate the cross-continental effects of these migrations, we shotgun-sequenced 317 genomes—mainly from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods—from across northern and western Eurasia. These were imputed alongside published data to obtain diploid genotypes from more than 1,600 ancient humans. Our analyses revealed a ‘great divide’ genomic boundary extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were highly genetically differentiated east and west of this zone, and the effect of the neolithization was equally disparate. Large-scale ancestry shifts occurred in the west as farming was introduced, including near-total replacement of hunter-gatherers in many areas, whereas no substantial ancestry shifts happened east of the zone during the same period. Similarly, relatedness decreased in the west from the Neolithic transition onwards, whereas, east of the Urals, relatedness remained high until around 4,000 bp, consistent with the persistence of localized groups of hunter-gatherers. The boundary dissolved when Yamnaya-related ancestry spread across western Eurasia around 5,000 bp, resulting in a second major turnover that reached most parts of Europe within a 1,000-year span. The genetic origin and fate of the Yamnaya have remained elusive, but we show that hunter-gatherers from the Middle Don region contributed ancestry to them. Yamnaya groups later admixed with individuals associated with the Globular Amphora culture before expanding into Europe. Similar turnovers occurred in western Siberia, where we report new genomic data from a ‘Neolithic steppe’ cline spanning the Siberian forest steppe to Lake Baikal. These prehistoric migrations had profound and lasting effects on the genetic diversity of Eurasian populations.
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33.
  • Azenha, Manuel, et al. (author)
  • Vapor-phase testing of the memory-effects in benzene- and toluene-imprinted polymers conditioned at elevated temperature
  • 2013
  • In: Analytica Chimica Acta. - : Elsevier. - 0003-2670 .- 1873-4324. ; 802, s. 40-45
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • The preparation of polymers imprinted with common aromatic solvents such as benzene and toluene is an under-exploited subject of research. The present study was aimed at the understanding of whether true solvent memory effects can be achieved by molecular imprinting, as well as if they are stable at elevated temperature. A set of copolymers, comprising low and high cross-linking levels, was prepared from four different combinations of functional monomer and cross-linker, namely methacrylic acid (MAA)/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA)/EGDMA, MAA/divinyl benzene (DVB) and MMA/DVB. Each possible combination was prepared separately in benzene, toluene and acetonitrile. The obtained materials were applied as coatings onto nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) alloy wires which were incorporated into solid-phase microextraction devices and finally tested for their ability to competitively adsorb vapors from the headspace of an aqueous solution containing a few volatile organic compounds. Porosity analysis showed that, regardless of the solvent used, only a high cross-linking level permitted the preparation of mesoporous copolymers (BJH radius typically in the range 13-15nm), a requirement for providing accessibility to the targeted nanoscale-imprinted cavities. A noticeable exception was, however, observed for the MMA/DVB copolymers which exhibited much diminished BJH radius. The porosity data correlated well with the extraction profiles found, which suggested the presence of benzene-imprinted sites in all the highly cross-linked copolymers prepared in benzene, except for the MMA/DVB copolymers. Concerning the effect of an elevated conditioning temperature on the memory-effects created by the imprinting process, the results were clearly indicative that the tested copolymers, including the more robust highly cross-linked ones, are not suitable for high temperature applications such as solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography.
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34.
  • Barbosa, Manuel, et al. (author)
  • Type checking cryptography implementations
  • 2012
  • In: Lecture Notes in Computer Science. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer. ; , s. 316-334
  • Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Cryptographic software development is a challenging field: high performance must be achieved, while ensuring correctness and compliance with low-level security policies. CAO is a domain specific language designed to assist development of cryptographic software. An important feature of this language is the design of a novel type system introducing native types such as predefined sized vectors, matrices and bit strings, residue classes modulo an integer, finite fields and finite field extensions, allowing for extensive static validation of source code. We present the formalisation, validation and implementation of this type system.
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35.
  • Barbudo Carrasco, Lais, 1988- (author)
  • Integração de conteúdos culturais heterogêneos em ambientes digitais do patrimônio cultural : harmonização de modelos conceituais
  • 2019
  • Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
    • Em decorrência da rápida difusão de informação em ambientes web, o acesso e a recuperação da informação de sistemas heterogêneos integrados estão se tornando cada vez mais relevantes. O problema de pesquisa circundante é que os acervos digitais de patrimônio cultural, contidos, por exemplo, em bibliotecas, arquivos e museus – utilizam diferentes padrões o que dificultam a integração entre eles. Diante desta premissa, tem-se a seguinte pergunta de pesquisa: é possível desenvolver uma harmonização de modelos conceituais existentes do patrimônio cultural, na perspectiva da integração de conteúdos culturais heterogêneos em ambientes digitais? Assim, a pesquisa propõe o desenvolvimento de uma harmonização de modelos conceituais para a integração de conteúdos culturais heterogêneos digitais de acervos de arquivos, bibliotecas e museus. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é desenvolverum processo de harmonização de modelos conceituais do patrimônio cultural, na perspectiva da integração de conteúdos culturais heterogêneos em ambientes digitais. A pesquisa é de natureza, teórica e aplicada, e também classificada como exploratória. Alguns projetos e iniciativas internacionais são analisados: CIDOC CRM do ICOM (Modelo de Referência Conceitual), FRBR da IFLA (Requisitos Funcionais para Registros Bibliográficos), RiC da ICA (Modelo de Descrição Arquivística Records in Contexts), EDM da Europeana (Modelo de Dados da Europeana) e o CRMgeo do OCG (Modelo de Descrição Geoespacial). A tese da pesquisa consiste em afirmar que a harmonização dos modelos conceituais do patrimônio cultural possibilita a integração de conteúdos culturais heterogêneos em ambientes digitais. Os resultados apresentam um processo de harmonização de modelos conceituais do patrimônio cultural mediante um mapeamento terminológico-conceitual, delineamento de categorias e as correspondências das entidades de tais modelos. Portanto, aharmonização dos modelos conceituais possibilita integrar sistemas heterogêneos de acervos de arquivos, bibliotecas e museus em ambientes digitais, proporcionando aos usuários destes ambientes, uma recuperação de conteúdos culturais contextualizados, com caráter dinâmico e semântico, por meio da ampliação dos dados culturais. 
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36.
  • Bousquet, Jean, et al. (author)
  • ARIA digital anamorphosis : Digital transformation of health and care in airway diseases from research to practice
  • 2021
  • In: Allergy. European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0105-4538 .- 1398-9995. ; 76:1, s. 168-190
  • Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Digital anamorphosis is used to define a distorted image of health and care that may be viewed correctly using digital tools and strategies. MASK digital anamorphosis represents the process used by MASK to develop the digital transformation of health and care in rhinitis. It strengthens the ARIA change management strategy in the prevention and management of airway disease. The MASK strategy is based on validated digital tools. Using the MASK digital tool and the CARAT online enhanced clinical framework, solutions for practical steps of digital enhancement of care are proposed.
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37.
  • Bousquet, J. Jean, et al. (author)
  • Next-generation ARIA care pathways for rhinitis and asthma : a model for multimorbid chronic diseases
  • 2019
  • In: Clinical and Translational Allergy. - : BMC. - 2045-7022. ; 9
  • Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Background: In all societies, the burden and cost of allergic and chronic respiratory diseases are increasing rapidly. Most economies are struggling to deliver modern health care effectively. There is a need to support the transformation of the health care system into integrated care with organizational health literacy.Main body: As an example for chronic disease care, MASK (Mobile Airways Sentinel NetworK), a new project of the ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) initiative, and POLLAR (Impact of Air POLLution on Asthma and Rhinitis, EIT Health), in collaboration with professional and patient organizations in the field of allergy and airway diseases, are proposing real-life ICPs centred around the patient with rhinitis, and using mHealth to monitor environmental exposure. Three aspects of care pathways are being developed: (i) Patient participation, health literacy and self-care through technology-assisted "patient activation", (ii) Implementation of care pathways by pharmacists and (iii) Next-generation guidelines assessing the recommendations of GRADE guidelines in rhinitis and asthma using real-world evidence (RWE) obtained through mobile technology. The EU and global political agendas are of great importance in supporting the digital transformation of health and care, and MASK has been recognized by DG Sante as a Good Practice in the field of digitally-enabled, integrated, person-centred care.Conclusion: In 20 years, ARIA has considerably evolved from the first multimorbidity guideline in respiratory diseases to the digital transformation of health and care with a strong political involvement.
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38.
  • Brandão, Andreia, et al. (author)
  • The CHEK2 Variant C.349A>G Is Associated with Prostate Cancer Risk and Carriers Share a Common Ancestor
  • 2020
  • In: Cancers. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6694. ; 12:11
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • The identification of recurrent founder variants in cancer predisposing genes may have important implications for implementing cost-effective targeted genetic screening strategies. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence and relative risk of the CHEK2 recurrent variant c.349A>G in a series of 462 Portuguese patients with early-onset and/or familial/hereditary prostate cancer (PrCa), as well as in the large multicentre PRACTICAL case-control study comprising 55,162 prostate cancer cases and 36,147 controls. Additionally, we investigated the potential shared ancestry of the carriers by performing identity-by-descent, haplotype and age estimation analyses using high-density SNP data from 70 variant carriers belonging to 11 different populations included in the PRACTICAL consortium. The CHEK2 missense variant c.349A>G was found significantly associated with an increased risk for PrCa (OR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.1-3.2). A shared haplotype flanking the variant in all carriers was identified, strongly suggesting a common founder of European origin. Additionally, using two independent statistical algorithms, implemented by DMLE+2.3 and ESTIAGE, we were able to estimate the age of the variant between 2300 and 3125 years. By extending the haplotype analysis to 14 additional carrier families, a shared core haplotype was revealed among all carriers matching the conserved region previously identified in the high-density SNP analysis. These findings are consistent with CHEK2 c.349A>G being a founder variant associated with increased PrCa risk, suggesting its potential usefulness for cost-effective targeted genetic screening in PrCa families.
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39.
  • Brotons, Carlos, et al. (author)
  • Attitudes toward preventive services and lifestyle: the views of primary care patients in Europe. the EUROPREVIEW patient study.
  • 2012
  • In: Family practice. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1460-2229 .- 0263-2136. ; 29:Suppl 1
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • For preventive interventions in general practice to succeed, patients' points of view must be taken into account in addition to those of GPs. Objective. To explore patients’ views and beliefs about the importance of lifestyle and preventive interventions, to assess their readiness to make changes to their lifestyle and their willingness to receive support from GPs. Methods. Cross-sectional survey conducted by EUROPREV in primary care practices in 22 European countries. Patients were consecutively selected and interviewed from September 2008 to September 2009. Results. Seven thousand nine hundred and forty-seven participants, 52.2% females. Only 30.5% of risky drinkers think they need to change, as opposed to 64% of smokers, 73.5% of patients with unhealthy eating habits and 73% with lack of physical activity. Risky drinkers reported that GPs initiated a discussion on alcohol consumption less often (42%) than on smoking (63%), eating habits (59%) or physical activity (55%). Seventy-five per cent, 66% and 63% of patients without hypertension, diabetes or hypercholesterolaemia, respectively, think blood pressure, blood sugar and serum cholesterol should be checked yearly. Women (80%) think they should be screened with the cervical smear test and 72.8% of women aged 30–49 years with mammography, yearly or every 2 years. Conclusions. A high proportion of patients attending primary care with unhealthy lifestyles (especially risky drinkers) do not perceive the need to change their habits, and about half the patients reported not having had any discussion on healthy lifestyles with their GPs. Patients overestimate their need to be screened for cardiovascular risk factors and for cancer.
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40.
  • Cann, Sophie Le, et al. (author)
  • Spatio-temporal evolution of hydroxyapatite crystal thickness at the bone-implant interface
  • 2020
  • In: Acta Biomaterialia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1878-7568 .- 1742-7061. ; 116, s. 391-399
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • A better understanding of bone nanostructure around the bone-implant interface is essential to improve longevity of clinical implants and decrease failure risks. This study investigates the spatio-temporal evolution of mineral crystal thickness and plate orientation in newly formed bone around the surface of a metallic implant. Standardized coin-shaped titanium implants designed with a bone chamber were inserted into rabbit tibiae for 7 and 13 weeks. Scanning measurements with micro-focused small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) were carried out on newly formed bone close to the implant and in control mature cortical bone. Mineral crystals were thinner close to the implant (1.8 ± 0.45 nm at 7 weeks and 2.4 ± 0.57 nm at 13 weeks) than in the control mature bone tissue (2.5 ± 0.21 nm at 7 weeks and 2.8 ± 0.35 nm at 13 weeks), with increasing thickness over healing time (+30 % in 6 weeks). These results are explained by younger bone close to the implant, which matures during osseointegration. Thinner mineral crystals parallel to the implant surface within the first 100 µm close to the implant indicate that the implant affects bone ultrastructure close to the implant, potentially due to heterogeneous interfacial stresses, and suggest a longer maturation process of bone tissue and difficulty in binding to the metal. The bone growth kinetics within the bone chamber was derived from the spatio-temporal evolution of bone tissue's nanostructure, coupled with microtomographic imaging. The findings indicate that understanding mineral crystal thickness or plate orientation can improve our knowledge of osseointegration.
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41.
  • Costello, David M., et al. (author)
  • Global patterns and controls of nutrient immobilization on decomposing cellulose in riverine ecosystems
  • 2022
  • In: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0886-6236 .- 1944-9224. ; 36:3
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Microbes play a critical role in plant litter decomposition and influence the fate of carbon in rivers and riparian zones. When decomposing low-nutrient plant litter, microbes acquire nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from the environment (i.e., nutrient immobilization), and this process is potentially sensitive to nutrient loading and changing climate. Nonetheless, environmental controls on immobilization are poorly understood because rates are also influenced by plant litter chemistry, which is coupled to the same environmental factors. Here we used a standardized, low-nutrient organic matter substrate (cotton strips) to quantify nutrient immobilization at 100 paired stream and riparian sites representing 11 biomes worldwide. Immobilization rates varied by three orders of magnitude, were greater in rivers than riparian zones, and were strongly correlated to decomposition rates. In rivers, P immobilization rates were controlled by surface water phosphate concentrations, but N immobilization rates were not related to inorganic N. The N:P of immobilized nutrients was tightly constrained to a molar ratio of 10:1 despite wide variation in surface water N:P. Immobilization rates were temperature-dependent in riparian zones but not related to temperature in rivers. However, in rivers nutrient supply ultimately controlled whether microbes could achieve the maximum expected decomposition rate at a given temperature. Collectively, we demonstrated that exogenous nutrient supply and immobilization are critical control points for decomposition of organic matter.
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42.
  • Couch, Fergus J., et al. (author)
  • Identification of four novel susceptibility loci for oestrogen receptor negative breast cancer
  • 2016
  • In: Nature Communications. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2041-1723. ; 7:11375, s. 1-13
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Common variants in 94 loci have been associated with breast cancer including 15 loci with genome-wide significant associations (P<5 x 10(-8)) with oestrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer and BRCA1-associated breast cancer risk. In this study, to identify new ER-negative susceptibility loci, we performed a meta-analysis of 11 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) consisting of 4,939 ER-negative cases and 14,352 controls, combined with 7,333 ER-negative cases and 42,468 controls and 15,252 BRCA1 mutation carriers genotyped on the iCOGS array. We identify four previously unidentified loci including two loci at 13q22 near KLF5, a 2p23.2 locus near WDR43 and a 2q33 locus near PPIL3 that display genome-wide significant associations with ER-negative breast cancer. In addition, 19 known breast cancer risk loci have genome-wide significant associations and 40 had moderate associations (P<0.05) with ER-negative disease. Using functional and eQTL studies we implicate TRMT61B and WDR43 at 2p23.2 and PPIL3 at 2q33 in ER-negative breast cancer aetiology. All ER-negative loci combined account for similar to 11% of familial relative risk for ER-negative disease and may contribute to improved ER-negative and BRCA1 breast cancer risk prediction.
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43.
  • da Silva, Humberto, Jr., et al. (author)
  • Multiple electron capture, excitation, and fragmentation in C6+-C-60 collisions
  • 2014
  • In: Physical Review A. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. - 1050-2947 .- 1094-1622. ; 90:3, s. 032701-
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • We present experimental and theoretical results on single- and multiple-electron capture, and fragmentation, in C6+ + C-60 collisions at velocities in the v(col) = 0.05 - 0.4 a.u. range. We use time-of-flight mass spectrometry and coincidence detection of charged fragments to separate pure target ionization from processes in which the C-60 target is both ionized and fragmented. The coincidence technique allows us to identify different types of fragmentation processes such as C-60(q+) -> C-58(q+) + C-2 and C-60(q+) -> C-58((q-1)+) + C-2(+). A quasimolecular approach is employed to calculate charge transfer and target excitation cross sections. First-order time-dependent perturbation and statistical methods are used to treat the postcollisional processes: the calculated rate constants for C-2 and C-2(+) emission from the excited and charged fullerene are then used to evaluate the fragmentation dynamics. We show that the target ionization cross section decreases with the induced target charge state and the impact energy. C-2 emission from C-60(q+) is found to dominate when q <= 2 while C-2(+) emission dominates when q >= 5, in agreement with the present and previous experimental results.
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44.
  • da Silva Santos, João Manuel, 1992- (author)
  • A multiwavelength approach to solar chromospheric heating : New insights from the millimeter continuum
  • 2020
  • Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
    • The chromosphere is an intermediate layer of the Sun's atmosphere where radiative equilibrium breaks down. The standard chromospheric diagnostics such as the Mg II h and k and Ca II H and K spectral lines are formed under nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) and they are only partially sensitive to the local conditions. Consequently, the interpretation of their profiles is not straightforward. In contrast, millimeter (mm) continuum radiation is produced by thermal free-free collisional interactions in the chromosphere under most solar conditions, and the observed brightness temperatures are better proxies for plasma temperatures. Observations at these long wavelengths have been recently enabled thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), but the Sun remains largely unexplored in this spectral range.In this thesis I explore the diagnostic potential of the mm continuum to study the solar chromosphere using inversions and radiation-magnetohydrodynamics (r-MHD) simulations. In particular, this work takes an unprecedented look at solar active-regions in the mm using some of the first solar ALMA observations.In Paper I, we investigated whether the mm continuum helps to constrain temperatures in NLTE inversions of the MgII and CaII resonance lines using synthetic data from a 3D r-MHD simulation. In Paper II, we applied the same inversion technique to observational data in order to constrain temperature and microturbulence in plage, and we detected signatures of wave heating in coordinated observations with the IRIS satellite. In Paper III, we reported the first results of a comprehensive effort to characterize the visibility of small-scale heating events in an active-region using multiwavelength observations from the mm to the extreme-ultraviolet. We detected multiple, dynamic, transient brightenings -- we called them "millimeter bursts", and we investigated magnetic reconnection using a simulation.This thesis shows that ALMA offers a complementary spectral diagnostic to the existing ones at visible and ultraviolet wavelengths and it underscores the importance of mm continuum observations for constraining models of the solar atmosphere.
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45.
  • da Silva Santos, João Manuel, et al. (author)
  • ALMA observations of transient heating in a solar active region
  • 2020
  • In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 643
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Aims. We aim to investigate the temperature enhancements and formation heights of solar active-region brightenings such as Ellerman bombs (EBs), ultraviolet bursts (UVBs), and flaring active-region fibrils (FAFs) using interferometric observations in the millimeter (mm) continuum provided by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).Methods. We examined 3 mm signatures of heating events identified in Solar Dynamics Observatory observations of an active region and compared the results with synthetic spectra from a 3D radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulation. We estimated the contribution from the corona to the mm brightness using differential emission measure analysis.Results. We report the null detection of EBs in the 3 mm continuum at ∼1.2″ spatial resolution, which is evidence that they are sub-canopy events that do not significantly contribute to heating the upper chromosphere. In contrast, we find the active region to be populated with multiple compact, bright, flickering mm-bursts – reminiscent of UVBs. The high brightness temperatures of up to ∼14 200 K in some events have a contribution (up to ∼7%) from the corona. We also detect FAF-like events in the 3 mm continuum. These events show rapid motions of > 10 kK plasma launched with high plane-of-sky velocities (37 − 340 km s−1) from bright kernels. The mm FAFs are the brightest class of warm canopy fibrils that connect magnetic regions of opposite polarities. The simulation confirms that ALMA should be able to detect the mm counterparts of UVBs and small flares and thus provide a complementary diagnostic for localized heating in the solar chromosphere.
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46.
  • da Silva Santos, João Manuel, 1992- (author)
  • Constraints on the gas temperature in the solaratmosphere from multiwavelength inversions
  • 2018
  • Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
    • In this Licentiate thesis I review the properties of the solar atmosphere and the diagnostic value ofdifferent spectral lines in the visible and ultraviolet (UV) along with the millimeter (mm) continua in theelectromagnetic spectrum of the Sun.While the solar atmosphere has been routinely observed in high-resolution from ground-based opti-cal telescopes such as the Swedish Solar Telescope (SST), and more recently in the UV from space tele-scopes such as the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), radio observations lag behind despitetheir great usefulness. This is likely to change thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA)that only started observing the Sun in 2016 with a few limitations, but the first results are promising.ALMA observations probe the solar chromosphere at different heights by tuning into slightly differentfrequencies at potentially milliarcsecond scales if the full array is able to operate with the longest base-lines. This new spectral window onto the Sun is expected to advance various fields of research suchas wave propagation and oscillations in the chromosphere, thermal structure of filaments/prominences,triggering of flares and microflares, and more generally chromospheric and coronal heating, because themm-intensities can be modelled by simply assuming local-thermodynamic equilibrium.In da Silva Santos et al. (2018) we find that coordinated observations from SST, IRIS and ALMA willpermit us to estimate with greater accuracy the full thermodynamical state of the plasma as a functionof optical depth based on experiments with a snapshot of a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamicsimulation of the Sun’s atmosphere. Particularly, the mm-continuum improves the accuracy of inferredtemperatures in the chromosphere. Here we expand on the Why and How this can be done. The goal isto better constrain the temperature stratification in the solar atmosphere in order to understand chromo-spheric heating.
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47.
  • da Silva Santos, João Manuel, 1992-, et al. (author)
  • Heating of the solar chromosphere through current dissipation
  • 2022
  • In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 661
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Context. The solar chromosphere is heated to temperatures higher than predicted by radiative equilibrium. This excess heating is greater in active regions where the magnetic field is stronger.Aims. We aim to investigate the magnetic topology associated with an area of enhanced millimeter (mm) brightness temperatures in a solar active region mapped by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) using spectropolarimetric co-observations with the 1-m Swedish Solar Telescope (SST).Methods. We used Milne–Eddington inversions, nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) inversions, and a magnetohydrostatic extrapolation to obtain constraints on the three-dimensional (3D) stratification of temperature, magnetic field, and radiative energy losses. We compared the observations to a snapshot of a magnetohydrodynamics simulation and investigate the formation of the thermal continuum at 3 mm using contribution functions.Results. We find enhanced heating rates in the upper chromosphere of up to ∼5 kW m−2, where small-scale emerging loops interact with the overlying magnetic canopy leading to current sheets as shown by the magnetic field extrapolation. Our estimates are about a factor of two higher than canonical values, but they are limited by the ALMA spatial resolution (∼1.2″). Band 3 brightness temperatures reach about ∼104 K in the region, and the transverse magnetic field strength inferred from the non-LTE inversions is on the order of ∼500 G in the chromosphere.Conclusions. We are able to quantitatively reproduce many of the observed features including the integrated radiative losses in our numerical simulation. We conclude that the heating is caused by dissipation in current sheets. However, the simulation shows a complex stratification in the flux emergence region where distinct layers may contribute significantly to the emission in the mm continuum.
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48.
  • da Silva Santos, Joäo Manuel, et al. (author)
  • Temperature constraints from inversions of synthetic solar optical, UV, and radio spectra
  • 2018
  • In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 620
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Context. High-resolution observations of the solar chromosphere at millimeter wavelengths are now possible with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), bringing with them the promise of tackling many open problems in solar physics. Observations from other ground and space-based telescopes will greatly benefit from coordinated endeavors with ALMA, yet the diagnostic potential of combined optical, ultraviolet and mm observations has remained mostly unassessed. Aims. In this paper we investigate whether mm-wavelengths could aid current inversion schemes to retrieve a more accurate representation of the temperature structure of the solar atmosphere. Methods. We performed several non-LTE inversion experiments of the emergent spectra from a snapshot of 3D radiation-MHD simulation. We included common line diagnostics such as Ca II K, 8542 angstrom and Mg II h and k, taking into account partial frequency redistribution effects, along with the continuum around 1.2 mm and 3 mm. Results. We find that including the mm-continuum in inversions allows a more accurate inference of temperature as function of optical depth. The addition of ALMA bands to other diagnostics should improve the accuracy of the inferred chromospheric temperatures between log tau similar to [-6, -4.5] where the Ca II and Mg II lines are weakly coupled to the local conditions. However, we find that simultaneous multiatom, non-LTE inversions of optical and UV lines present equally strong constraints in the lower chromosphere and thus are not greatly improved by the 1.2 mm band. Nonetheless, the 3 mm band is still needed to better constrain the mid-upper chromosphere.
  •  
49.
  • da Silva Santos, Joäo Manuel, et al. (author)
  • The multi-thermal chromosphere Inversions of ALMA and IRIS data
  • 2020
  • In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 634
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Context. Numerical simulations of the solar chromosphere predict a diverse thermal structure with both hot and cool regions. Observations of plage regions in particular typically feature broader and brighter chromospheric lines, which suggests that they are formed in hotter and denser conditions than in the quiet Sun, but also implies a nonthermal component whose source is unclear. Aims. We revisit the problem of the stratification of temperature and microturbulence in plage and the quiet Sun, now adding millimeter (mm) continuum observations provided by the Atacama Large Millimiter Array (ALMA) to inversions of near-ultraviolet Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spectra as a powerful new diagnostic to disentangle the two parameters. We fit cool chromospheric holes and track the fast evolution of compact mm brightenings in the plage region. Methods. We use the STiC nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) inversion code to simultaneously fit real ultraviolet and mm spectra in order to infer the thermodynamic parameters of the plasma. Results. We confirm the anticipated constraining potential of ALMA in NLTE inversions of the solar chromosphere. We find significant differences between the inversion results of IRIS data alone compared to the results of a combination with the mm data: the IRIS+ALMA inversions have increased contrast and temperature range, and tend to favor lower values of microturbulence (similar to 3-6 km s(-1) in plage compared to similar to 4-7 km s(-1) from IRIS alone) in the chromosphere. The average brightness temperature of the plage region at 1.25 mm is 8500 K, but the ALMA maps also show much cooler (similar to 3000 K) and hotter (similar to 11000 K) evolving features partially seen in other diagnostics. To explain the former, the inversions require the existence of localized low-temperature regions in the chromosphere where molecules such as CO could form. The hot features could sustain such high temperatures due to non-equilibrium hydrogen ionization effects in a shocked chromosphere - a scenario that is supported by low-frequency shock wave patterns found in the MgII lines probed by IRIS.
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50.
  • da Silva Santos, Joäo Manuel, et al. (author)
  • Warm CO in evolved stars from the THROES catalogue II. Herschel*/PACS spectroscopy of C-rich envelopes
  • 2019
  • In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 622
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Context. This is the second paper of a series making use of Herschel/PACS spectroscopy of evolved stars in the THROES catalogue to study the inner warm regions of their circumstellar envelopes (CSEs). Aims. We analyse the CO emission spectra, including a large number of high-J CO lines (from J = 14-13 to J = 45-44, nu = 0), as a proxy for the warm molecular gas in the CSEs of a sample of bright carbon-rich stars spanning different evolutionary stages from the asymptotic giant branch to the young planetary nebulae phase. Methods. We used the rotational diagram (RD) technique to derive rotational temperatures (T-rot) and masses (M-H2) of the envelope layers where the CO transitions observed with PACS arise. Additionally, we obtained a first order estimate of the mass-loss rates and assessed the impact of the opacity correction for a range of envelope characteristic radii. We used multi-epoch spectra for the well-studied C-rich envelope IRC+10216 to investigate the impact of CO flux variability on the values of T-rot and M-H2. Results. The sensitivity of PACS allowed for the study of higher rotational numbers than before indicating the presence of a significant amount of warmer gas (similar to 200-900 K) that is not traceable with lower J CO observations at submillimetre/millimetre wavelengths. The masses are in the range M-H2 similar to 10(-2)-10(-5)M(Theta), anticorrelated with temperature. For some strong CO emitters we infer a double temperature (warm T-rot similar to 400 K and hot T-rot similar to 820 K) component. From the analysis of IRC+10216, we corroborate that the effect of line variability is perceptible on the T-rot of the hot component only, and certainly insignificant on M-H2 and, hence, the mass-loss rate. The agreement between our mass-loss rates and the literature across the sample is good. Therefore, the parameters derived from the RD are robust even when strong line flux variability occurs, and the major source of uncertainty in the estimate of the mass-loss rate is the size of the CO-emitting volume.
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