| 1. |
- Betzholtz, Per-Eric, et al.
(författare)
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With that diet, you will go far : trait-based analysis reveals a link between rapid range expansion and a nitrogen-favoured diet
- 2013
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 280:1750, s. 1-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent global change has had a substantial influence on the distribution of organisms, and many species are currently expanding their ranges. To evaluate the underlying processes, long-term data with good geographic resolution are essential. One important but generally overlooked data source is offered by the taxon-specific national catalogues of first provincial records that are kept in many countries. Here, we use such data to quantify trait-based influences on range expansion in Swedish butterflies and moths between 1973 and 2010. Of 282 species meeting pre-defined quality criteria, 170 expanded their northern range margin, with a mean expansion rate of 2.7 km per year. The analyses demonstrate that habitat and diet generalists, forest species and species active during warm conditions have expanded their ranges more rapidly than other species. Notably, range expansion in diet specialists was positively related to a nitrogen-favoured larval diet, an effect not found among oligo- or polyphagous species. In contrast to the general view, this shows that specialist species can undergo rapid range expansion. We suggest that increased areas of nitrogen-rich habitat, and increased availability of a nitrogen-favoured diet, are among the most important drivers of range expansions, potentially having far-reaching consequences for a wide variety of organisms.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Flykt, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Fear of Wolves and Bears : Physiological Responses and Negative Associations in a Swedish Sample
- 2013
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Ingår i: Human Dimensions of Wildlife. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1087-1209 .- 1533-158X. ; 18:6, s. 416-434
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human fear is important in wildlife management, but self-reported fear provides only partial information about fear reactions. Thus, eye movements, skin conductance, and changes in heart rate were assessed during picture viewing, visual search, and implicit evaluation tasks. Pictures of bears, wolves, moose, and hares were presented to participants who self-reported as fearful of bears (n = 8), fearful of bears and wolves (n = 15), or not fearful of bears or wolves (n = 14). The feared animal was expected to elicit strong physiological responses, be dwelled upon, and be associated with negative words. Independent of fearfulness, bear pictures elicited the strongest physiological responses, and wolf pictures showed the strongest negative associations. The bear-fearful group showed stronger physiological responses to bears. The bear- and wolf-fearful group showed more difficulty in associating bears with good words. Presence of a feared animal in the search task, resulted in prolonged response time.
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| 4. |
- Johansson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Factors Governing Human Fear of Brown Bear and Wolf
- 2012
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Ingår i: Human Dimensions of Wildlife. - London : Taylor & Francis. - 1087-1209 .- 1533-158X. ; 17:1, s. 58-74
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article analyzes people's subjectively experienced fear in areas with presence of brown bear or wolf. Departing from the Human-Environment Interaction Model (Küller, 1991), a hypothetical model of environmental and individual antecedents of fear was tested using structural equation modeling of survey data (n = 391). In the model of fear of brown bear, the main predictor was the appraisal of the species as dangerous/uncontrollable and unpredictable. In the model of fear of wolf, the greater experience with the species and a stronger appraisal of wolf as dangerous, uncontrollable, and unpredictable led to low social trust and this, together with the appraisal of wolf as dangerous/uncontrollable and unpredictable, increased the likelihood of fear. Efforts to reduce human fear of wolves should focus on building trust between the public and authorities, whereas efforts to reduce fear of brown bear should focus on the individual's appraisal of the species. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
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| 5. |
- Kristofferzon, Marja-Leena, 1950-, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of a Swedish version of the Watts Sexual Function Questionnaire (WSFQ) in persons with heart disease: A pilot study
- 2010
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 1474-5151 .- 1873-1953. ; 9:3, s. 168-174
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: As part of preparation for a Swedish multicentre study, exploring sexual and married life in patients with myocardial infarction and their partners, a Swedish validated instrument was required. Aims:The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Swedish version of the Watts Sexual Function Questionnaire (WSFQ) among persons with a heart disease.Methods:A convenience sample of 79 persons (47 men and 32 women) living with a heart disease was recruited from the members of the National Association of Heart and Lung Patients. They completed a Swedish version of the WSFQ on two occasions. Results:Two separate factor analyses each revealed a two-factor structure on both occasions: “Sexual appetite” and “Sexual expectations ”with gender-neutral questions and “Sexual sensitiveness” and “Sexual ability” with gender-specific questions. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.48 to 0.86 and test – retest values for all but one question exceeded 0.70.Conclusions:The Swedish version of the WSFQ showed good validity and stability and acceptable internal homogeneity. Extended evaluations of the questionnaire are recommended.
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| 6. |
- Lindahl, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Stratification of normative systems with intermediaries
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Logic. - : Elsevier BV. - 1570-8683 .- 1570-8691. ; 9:2, s. 113-136
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Writing a contract with a specific content is a ground for purchase, purchase is a ground for ownership, ownership is a ground for power to dispose. Also power to dispose is a consequence of ownership, ownership is a consequence of purchase. etc. The paper presents a continuation of the authors' previous algebraic representation on ground - consequence chains in normative systems.The paper analyzes different kinds of "implicative closeness" between grounds and consequences in chains of legal concepts, in particular combinations of "weakest ground", "strongest consequence" and "minimal joining". The idea of a concept's being intermediate between concepts of two different sorts is captured by the technical notion of "intervenient", defined in terms of weakest ground and strongest consequence. Lattice theory is used for studying the links between different strata and the structure of intervenient strata. We focus on (1) intervenient minimality, (2) conjunctions and disjunctions of intervenients, (3) organic wholes of intervenients, and (4) a typology of different kinds of intervenients. Also (5), we pay attention to the properties of intervenients in a network of "strata". A legal example concerning grounds and consequences of "ownership" and "trust" is used to illustrate the application of the formal theory.
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| 7. |
- Mathiassen, Svend Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Optimizing cost-efficiency in mean exposure assessment – cost functions reconsidered
- 2011
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Research Methodology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2288. ; 11:76
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Reliable exposure data is a vital concern in medical epidemiology and intervention studies. The present study addresses the needs of the medical researcher to spend monetary resources devoted to exposure assessment with an optimal cost-efficiency, i.e. obtain the best possible statistical performance at a specified budget. A few previous studies have suggested mathematical optimization procedures based on very simple cost models; this study extends the methodology to cover even non-linear cost scenarios. Methods. Statistical performance, i.e. efficiency, was assessed in terms of the precision of an exposure mean value, as determined in a hierarchical, nested measurement model with three stages. Total costs were assessed using a corresponding three-stage cost model, allowing costs at each stage to vary non-linearly with the number of measurements, according to a power function. Using these models, procedures for identifying the optimally cost-efficient allocation of measurements under a constrained budget were developed, and applied on 225 scenarios combining different sizes of unit costs, cost function exponents, and exposure variance components. Results. Explicit mathematical rules for identifying optimal allocation could be developed when cost functions were linear, while non-linear cost functions implied that parts of or the entire optimization procedure had to be carried out using numerical methods. For many of the 225 scenarios, the optimal strategy consisted in measuring on one occasion from each of as many subjects as allowed by the budget. Significant deviations from this principle occurred if costs for recruiting subjects were large compared to costs for setting up measurement occasions, and, at the same time, the between-subjects to within-subject variance ratio was small. In these cases, non-linearities had a profound influence on the optimal allocation and on the eventual size of the exposure data set. Conclusions. The analysis procedures developed in the present study can be used for informed design of exposure assessment strategies, provided that data are available on exposure variability and the costs of collecting and processing data. The present shortage of empirical evidence on costs and appropriate cost functions however impedes general conclusions on optimal exposure measurement strategies in different epidemiologic scenarios.
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| 8. |
- Rask, Mikael, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Validity and reliability of a Swedish version of the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) : a pilot study
- 2010
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Ingår i: Canadian journal of cardiovascular nursing. - Ottawa : Canadian Council of Cardiovascular Nurses. - 0843-6096. ; 20:1, s. 16-21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: There is a need for a short and easily administered scale, in the Swedish language, for assessing partner relationships in the health care of persons with cardiac disease. PURPOSE: To establish the reliability and validity of the Swedish version of the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS). DESIGN: The present pilot study has a methodological design. FINDINGS: Content validity has been tested for relevance, clarity and readability. The scale was tested for construct validity with explorative factor analysis. The reliability was tested by internal consistency and test-retest analysis. The result showed a two-factor solution, which does not correspond to the original proposed one-factor solution. The factor analyses revealed two quite distinct factors of RAS, labelled "Relationship built on expectations and satisfaction of needs" and "Relationship built on love and devotion". CONCLUSIONS: The scale has satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of content validity, construct validity, homogeneity and stability in a population of persons with cardiac disease. Wider evaluations of the RAS for other populations and settings are recommended.
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| 9. |
- Stefanescu, Constanti, et al.
(författare)
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Multi-generational long-distance migration of insects: studying the painted lady butterfly in the Western Palaearctic
- 2013
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Ingår i: Ecography. - : Wiley. - 1600-0587 .- 0906-7590. ; 36:4, s. 474-486
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Long-range, seasonal migration is a widespread phenomenon among insects, allowing them to track and exploit abundant but ephemeral resources over vast geographical areas. However, the basic patterns of how species shift across multiple locations and seasons are unknown in most cases, even though migrant species comprise an important component of the temperate-zone biota. The painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui is such an example; a cosmopolitan continuously-brooded species which migrates each year between Africa and Europe, sometimes in enormous numbers. The migration of 2009 was one of the most impressive recorded, and thousands of observations were collected through citizen science programmes and systematic entomological surveys, such as high altitude insect-monitoring radar and ground-based butterfly monitoring schemes. Here we use V. cardui as a model species to better understand insect migration in the Western Palaearctic, and we capitalise on the complementary data sources available for this iconic butterfly. The migratory cycle in this species involves six generations, encompassing a latitudinal shift of thousands of kilometres (up to 60 degrees of latitude). The cycle comprises an annual poleward advance of the populations in spring followed by an equatorward return movement in autumn, with returning individuals potentially flying thousands of kilometres. We show that many long-distance migrants take advantage of favourable winds, moving downwind at high elevation (from some tens of metres from the ground to altitudes over 1000 m), pointing at strong similarities in the flight strategies used by V. cardui and other migrant Lepidoptera. Our results reveal the highly successful strategy that has evolved in these insects, and provide a useful framework for a better understanding of long-distance seasonal migration in the temperate regions worldwide.
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| 10. |
- Takala, Esa-Pekka, et al.
(författare)
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Systematic evaluation of observational methods assessing biomechanical exposures at work
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - : Finnish Institute of Occupational Health; National Research Centre for the  . - 0355-3140 .- 1795-990X. ; 36:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: This systematic review aimed to identify published observational methods assessing biomechanical exposures in occupational settings and evaluate them with reference to the needs of different users.Methods: We searched scientific databases and the internet for material from 1965 to September 2008. Methods were included if they were primarily based on the systematic observation of work, the observation target was the human body, and the method was clearly described in the literature. A systematic evaluation procedure was developed to assess concurrent and predictive validity, repeatability, and aspects related to utility. At least two evaluators independently carried out this evaluation.Results: We identified 30 eligible observational methods. Of these, 19 had been compared with some other method(s), varying from expert evaluation to data obtained from video recordings or through the use of technical instruments. Generally, the observations showed moderate-to-good agreement with the corresponding assessments made from video recordings; agreement was the best for large-scale body postures and work actions. Postures of wrist and hand as well as trunk rotation seemed to be more difficult to observe correctly. Intra- and inter-observer repeatability were reported for 7 and 17 methods, respectively, and were judged mostly to be moderate or good.Conclusions: With training, observers can reach consistent results on clearly visible body postures and work activities. Many observational tools exist, but none evaluated in this study appeared to be generally superior. When selecting a method, users should define their needs and assess how results will influence decision-making
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